I wonder what goes better with fast food grease stains — brown or black?

It was a worry I never had before I failed out of college and found myself sitting in the bedroom I grew up in with no hint of a future left on my itinerary.  My mother hadn’t stopped crying.  My father was just stoic and angry.  I was supposed to be the shining star of my family.  My father worked his fingers nearly to the bone for the entirety of my childhood so I could go to college, but I wasn’t smart enough to appreciate that until it was all over.  I hid my grades from them until I was kicked out of my dorm and had nowhere else to go.  Facing the music had been humiliating but the worst was over with.  They were going to let me stay there and find a job.  I could save a little face since I wasn’t going to be homeless and living on the streets in addition to being the disgrace of our small community.  I felt my phone vibrate with a text message as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

Shit.  Madison’s party.

It was technically the beginning of summer, which meant it was time for my best friend’s birthday party.  The text message was from her, asking where I was.  I had promised to come to her house early and help set up, but after confessing my sins to my parents, I had forgotten about it.  I knew they probably wouldn’t be happy that I was leaving, but I couldn’t blow her off.  We had been best friends since we were children and I felt obliged to go help, even if I was torn up inside.  I got dressed and quickly rushed past my parents to the door.  It was disrespectful, but it was necessary.  At twenty-one, they couldn’t very well give me a curfew, but I wasn’t going to tempt my father’s anger more than I already had.  Madison lived close enough to walk, and I definitely planned on drinking, so I grabbed my house key and rushed out the front door without making eye contact with my parents. 

***

“THANK YOU SO MUCH, Charley!”  Madison hugged me and nearly spilled her beer on my shirt.  “This looks amazing.”

“I can’t believe your dad is letting us have a party here with actual alcohol.”  I sipped my beer once she broke the embrace.

“I’m twenty-one!  Woo!”  She let out a yell and everyone at the party cheered.

Madison’s father was the cool dad we all wanted.  He was also smoking hot.  Mr. Vance had made his way into my masturbation fantasies on more than one occasion over the years.  He was really young when he knocked up Madison’s mother and the relationship didn’t last.  He got full custody of Madison when she was still a baby and had raised her by himself.  There were a few girlfriends, but nothing ever seemed to be serious.  As cool as he was, I never expected him to actually let Madison host her twenty-first birthday party at his house and serve alcohol.  I was twenty-one, but I knew some of the people at the party hadn’t quite made it there yet.  Madison continued celebrating with the rest of our friends, but I finished my beer and poured another.  The keg was doing a good job of drowning the sorrows I had from my mistakes and failures.  Coming home drunk seemed like the kind of behavior my parents would probably expect after finding out I failed out of school.  There was no reason to hold back and try to pretend I was a good kid anymore.

“Are you okay, Charley?”  Madison came to the keg for a refill and noticed my stagger as I held myself up using a wooden post from her deck for support.

“Yeah, everything is fine!”  I forced cheer out of my lips.  “You’re officially old enough to drink, so hit the keg hard, baby.”

“Hell yeah.”  She grinned and chugged a cup of beer before refilling it.

The party started to wind down as we crossed the midnight hour.  In college, I would have just partied until dawn, but I was already buzzed enough that I knew I should just go home.  Common sense decided not to be a good friend to me and I refilled my cup when most of the guests were gone.  Madison said goodbye to those that remained and I followed her into the house.  Cars cranked up and then I heard them disappearing into the night before silence once again filled the neighborhood.  Once things settled down a little bit, I heard the upstairs bedroom open and Mr. Vance appeared at the top of the stairs.  I hadn’t seen him much since high school other than in passing, but he was as attractive as I remembered.  He walked down the stairs wearing a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt.  His well-defined arms and muscled chest were clearly outlined against the tight fabric.  It was enough to make an inexperienced virgin like me who had never really had a boyfriend tingle with excitement.

“Hey Charley.”  He nodded to me.  “Had a little bit to drink?”

“You can tell?”  I giggled and sipped my beer.

“Thank you for letting me have the party.”  Madison tossed her plastic cup in the garbage and walked over to hug her father.

“Yeah, I’m just glad nobody got hurt.  It’s past midnight, so Happy Birthday—officially.”  He embraced her for a quick hug.  “I’m sure you know what that means.”

“What?”  She leaned back and narrowed her eyes.

“Since it is officially your birthday...”  He grabbed her by the wrist.

“No!”  She laughed as he walked her to the couch and bent her over the edge.

“Birthday spanking time!”  His hand came down on her jeans.

“Stop it!”  She shook her head and tried to fight as she continued to laugh.

Birthday spankings were a bit of a tradition in the Vance household.  I had been present for a number of Madison’s playful trips over the edge of the couch or her father’s knee.  She playfully fought back until she had twenty-one and one to grow on before they both stood up.  Mr. Vance was actually laughing, which he didn’t seem to do very often.  They had a quick hug and then Madison glared at him while she pretended to be mortally wounded, rubbing the back of her jeans like he had actually hurt her.  I had always been jealous of Madison’s relationship with her father.  I never got hugs or anything resembling affection from my father.  Usually it was just a silent nod if he was pleased with something I did.

“Okay, I’m tired.”  Madison stretched her arms in a yawn.  “Do you want to stay over tonight, Charley?  It’s late.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”  It definitely sounded better than walking home alone and possibly finding my parents still awake.

Madison walked upstairs and I decided to start picking up a little bit.  I knew that I was going to wake up with a hangover and my buzz was still fresh, so I wasn’t quite as tired as Madison.  I walked outside and picked up a few empty cups as I approached the keg.  I gave it a tip and found it still had a decent amount of beer.  It wouldn’t last until the morning.  I poured myself another cup and walked to the edge of the pool.  I drank it fast and felt myself reaching that point of intoxication where there was no going back.  I turned towards the house and took a step, but my right foot landed on a crushed cup and I lost my balance.  The next thing I knew, my head came crashing into the concrete and then I was underwater.  I fought my way towards the surface, but my head was spinning from the impact and the alcohol.  I started sinking.  I screamed for help, but all I heard was the sound of my voice echoing in the water around me.

Help!  Shit...  HELP!