Winter Break brought two major victories. First, no more school. Second, I finally got my driver's license.

  Tyson was a lifesaver, helping me drill the theory test questions the night before. Alvin was supposed to get his license with me, but he panicked halfway through reading the manual and decided to just wait until he was legally eighteen. But passing the test meant freedom. It meant I could drive my own car. No more freezing at bus stops. No more relying on my parents' empty schedules.

  *

  A week before Christmas, the brotherhood was lounging in Alvin's living room.

  "Gangs, look at this!" Jones burst into the room, waving a glossy flyer in the air like a trophy. "Massive party happening tomorrow night! It’s at a mansion. I know the host, and he gave me the VIP green light to bring as many guests as I want."

  Tyson grabbed the flyer, scanning the details. "Who the hell is Kazeem?"

  "He’s a buddy of mine, bro."

  I chuckled from the couch. "Since when do you have a friend named Kazeem, dude?"

  "Oh, don’t get it twisted! I’m a highly social guy with ultra charm, you know," Jones bragged, puffing out his chest.

  Alvin peered over his gsses at the poster. "Isn’t that the guy from AP Chemistry? Mike’s b partner?"

  The room went quiet. We all stared at Alvin.

  "What?" Alvin asked, blinking defensively.

  "Wow. I didn't know you actually knew people outside your bedroom, shorty," Jones retorted, his ego clearly bruised.

  "I’m taller than you, you clown," Alvin shot back smoothly. "Besides, Mike already sent me this invitation st week." He pulled up the exact same flyer on his phone screen.

  Tyson and I burst into ughter. "Mr. Charming," Tyson mocked, pointing at Jones. "I think the nerd just beat you fair and square."

  "Why the hell didn't you tell us, Al?!" Jones demanded. "Were you trying to hoard the party for yourself?"

  "Well... you guys know I don’t really like parties."

  "Nonsense. We are going tomorrow, and you are coming with us, Al," Tyson ordered. His tone shifted, becoming more serious as he looked over at me. "And... I think we should invite the girls, too."

  The humor instantly drained out of me.

  "It’s been over a month, Daeron," Tyson pressed gently. "You and Jessica have been avoiding each other long enough. It's making the rest of the girls uncomfortable to hang out with us."

  "..." I stared at the carpet. He wasn't wrong.

  "You already made peace with Sean, bro," Tyson reasoned. "The beef is squashed. Let’s just invite them and get the group back together."

  A heavy knot formed in my chest. I knew I needed to fix things, but facing Jessica terrified me more than facing her giant brother did. "Sure," I lied smoothly. "Let’s invite them."

  "Perfect!" Tyson smiled.

  "Wait! Hold up!" Jones jumped between us, waving his arms frantically. "Are you sure about this? Why not save the big emotional reunion for another party? Kazeem said the girl-boy ratio tomorrow is going to be absolute perfection! Let this just be our night, right?"

  Tyson frowned. "We still need to settle this issue, Jones. How about we just drive to Jessica's house right now and talk it out?"

  "Bro! No! Let’s do it another day! I need to go to the mall and buy clothes for tomorrow!" Jones insisted, his voice pitching higher.

  "What’s wrong with you, clown?" Tyson stood up, towering over Jones. "It seems like you're the only one here who actively doesn't want the girls around."

  "Fine! You want the truth?" Jones snapped, crossing his arms. "I don’t want Nicole joining us. She’s a stuck-up bitch! Let’s do the reunion some other day. Tomorrow, we focus on making new friends and hooking up with girls we don't know!"

  I saw my escape route and immediately took it.

  "Yeah, Jones is right," I said, leaning back on the couch. "Let’s just make it a boys' night."

  Jones's face lit up. He turned and high-fived me enthusiastically. "That’s right, D-boy! Boys' night!"

  Tyson let out a long, disappointed sigh, looking right through me. He knew I was taking the coward's way out. "Fine. But I’m calling Amy. It’s totally unfair if you guys get to go have fun while she sits at home."

  Jones was buzzing with hype. A mansion party, a "perfect ratio," and the whole squad together.

  **

  Saturday night arrived. Since I was officially licensed, I drove to Alvin's house to pick him up. I honked the horn, leaving the engine running to keep the heater bsting.

  The front door opened. Alvin walked out into the snow.

  My brain stopped working. I rolled down the window, the freezing air hitting my face.

  "What the actual fuck are you wearing, man?!" I yelled.

  Alvin walked up to the car, looking down at his bright red, knitted 'Merry Christmas' sweater. It had a massive, cross-eyed reindeer on the front.

  "What?" Alvin asked, opening the passenger door. "It’s a Christmas party, isn't it?"

  "No! For fuck's sake, Al! You look like a twelve-year-old going to a church choir recital!"

  I didn't even let him put his seatbelt on. I threw the car into reverse, peeled out of his neighborhood, and drove straight back to my house. I dragged him up to my bedroom, threw open my closet, and forced him into a dark Henley shirt and a proper jacket.

  Because of the wardrobe detour, we were fashionably te. The snow was coming down lightly as we finally pulled up to the address. It really was a mansion. Cars lined the street for a mile, and the heavy bass of the music vibrated through the frozen ground.

  Alvin stared out the windshield, swallowing hard. "So... we're going in?"

  "Of course, dude," I ughed, spping his shoulder to loosen him up. "What’s the point of coming all the way out here if you're just going to rot inside the car? Come on. It will be fun."

  The mansion wasn't what I expected. Instead of a raging, destructive frat party, the music was a steady, rhythmic bass and the lighting was dim. It was a kickback. Honestly, it was the perfect starter party for Alvin.

  We found the host, Kazeem, in the kitchen. Jones was already there, working his magic. Tyson and Amy waved us over to a rge sectional sofa in the living room.

  "You look like you're about to take a math test, Al. Chill out, will ya?" Tyson ughed, tossing a throw pillow at him.

  "Loosen up, man." I smacked Alvin's shoulder, forcing him to sit down. "Nobody here cares that you're wearing my jacket."

  Ten minutes ter, Jones materialized out of the crowd, carrying a massive crate of imported beers.

  "Look what I found, gang!" Jones grinned like a supervilin, dropping the crate onto the coffee table.

  "What the fuck?" I stared at the crate. "You absolutely stole that from the host."

  "The details aren't necessary, D-boy. The night is young, the ratio is perfect, and we have games to py!" Jones rubbed his hands together frantically. "Look around! We need to divide and conquer! Well, except you, Tyson. You're benched."

  "Uhh... lucky you guys," Tyson mumbled, staring longingly at the single girls across the room.

  Amy’s head snapped toward him, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "What was that, babe?"

  "Nothing! Just saying, let’s go hit the dance floor, babe. Let’s leave these pathetic virgins alone to do their thing." Tyson quickly grabbed Amy's hand and pulled her into the crowd before she could murder him.

  Jones immediately went to work. He managed to fg down a group of girls and brought them over to our sofas for a drinking game. The guy was a clown, but he was an incredible hype man. The vibe was great. Within an hour, Jones had managed to completely isote one of the girls.

  But the biggest shock was Alvin. My scrawny, nerdy best friend was actually sitting back on the sofa, holding a beer, and having a completely normal, comfortable conversation with a cute blonde girl.

  I sat at the end of the couch, watching them. I felt a surge of pride—the gym sessions and the pep talks were actually working. But almost instantly, the pride was swallowed by a sharp pang of loneliness.

  I was officially the odd man out. Fuck. Instead of sitting there drinking until I was numb, I grabbed my jacket and slipped out the back door.

  The freezing winter air hit my lungs. A small group of people was huddled on the back patio, passing around a lighter. I didn't want to be alone with my thoughts, so I walked over.

  "Mind if I join the circle?" I asked, pulling a cigarette from my pocket.

  "Sure, man. Come on in. I’m Randy. This is Mary, Renna, and Stephany."

  "Daeron," I nodded.

  "Let me guess," Stephany said, a smirk pying on her lips. "Your friends ditched you for girls?"

  "Yep. Wingman duties are officially over," I answered.

  "Told you the ratio here was in our favor," Renna said to Randy.

  "Need a light?" Stephany stepped forward, flicking a silver lighter.

  "Thanks." I leaned in, cupping my hand over hers to block the wind. I took a long drag, the nicotine instantly taking the edge off.

  "So, Daeron. I haven't seen you at Kazeem's parties before," Randy observed. "You know him?"

  "No. My buddy Jones invited us."

  "Wait, you came with Jones? That means you hang out with Tyson, too?" Stephany asked, her eyes widening slightly.

  "Yeah. We all hang out at school."

  "Dude... wait a second." Randy took a step closer, squinting through the smoke. "I know who you are! You’re the guy! The one who smmed Herald into the concrete!"

  "Uh. Yeah. That was me."

  "Holy shit." Randy let out a breath, shaking his head. "No offense, man, but I always thought you were a total psycho weirdo. I definitely didn't picture you standing on a porch making small talk."

  "Heh. It's fine. Tyson and Jones thought I was a psycho at first, too."

  We fell into an easy rhythm of conversation. It was strange. For two years, I had isoted myself, assuming everyone in the school was just a judgmental hypocrite. I hadn't realized I was missing out on normal, chill people like this.

  "So, Daeron," Stephany asked, leaning against the wooden railing. "If you're here with the boys... why didn't Jessica come tonight?"

  I froze, the smoke catching in my throat. "Huh? How do you know about Jessica?"

  "Umm... well, the whole school knows," Stephany said, suddenly looking a little nervous. "Everyone knows that Jessica and the popur girls spend all their time hanging out with... well, the 'weirdos' in the courtyard. Since I know who you are now, I was just curious why she wasn't with you. Sorry if that was rude."

  "Hahaha. Chill, it’s alright." I forced a smooth smile, hiding the sudden spike in my chest. "We just wanted a boys' night tonight to blow off some steam."

  "Oh. So the rumor isn't true?"

  "What rumor?"

  "That you and Jessica are dating?"

  Dating. The word felt like a gut punch. I thought about the night in the driveway. I thought about Sean.

  "What? No, not at all," I lied smoothly, exhaling a cloud of smoke into the cold air. "We're just good friends."

  "Ah, I see." Stephany smiled, looking visibly relieved. "Sorry. People just specute a lot about who she's dating, and you’re the hottest rumor right now."

  "Rumors are just rumors."

  "Good to know," Stephany purred, stepping a fraction closer. "So... that means there is no 'Daeron’s Sweetheart' currently in the picture?"

  I looked down at her. She was cute, confident, and clearly interested. I needed a distraction tonight, and she was offering one on a silver ptter.

  "Nah," I replied, my voice dropping an octave. "How about you? Is there a 'Stephany’s Prince' inside looking for you? Or are you submitting an application for the 'Daeron’s Sweetheart' role?"

  "Ohhh, I don't know. What are the requirements?" She fluttered her eyeshes pyfully. "Because right now, no Prince has come to rescue this damsel in distress."

  "The requirement is simple," I said, fshing a rare, genuine grin. "You just have to be willing to be the Weirdo’s Queen."

  We both burst out ughing. The tension completely evaporated.

  "Damn, it’s getting freezing out here," I teased, nodding toward the sliding gss doors. "You want to go warm up inside? Or are you getting cold feet?"

  "Hahahaha, you are so corny!" She bumped her shoulder against mine. "Maybe your company already melted the ice?"

  "I'll take that as a yes. Come on."

  I held the door open for her. We went back inside, hit the dance floor, and eventually grouped back up with Alvin and Jones. I introduced her to the boys, and for the first time in a long time, I just let myself be a normal teenager. It was a genuinely fun night. And thank God, no one ended up bleeding in a driveway.