Roman walked down the neighborhood sidewalk, the pulsing beat of the music echoed off the surrounding houses. He knew he was almost there, judging by the faint smell of marijuana. Glancing around, he was surprised the cops hadn't been called - this party was clearly getting out of hand.
He approached the house and saw vibrant flashing lights through the windows, with silhouettes of people dancing or hanging out. Someone lay passed out on the lawn with spilled beer on him, and his friends acting like it was normal, ignoring him.
Roman walked up the porch and opened the door. He had no idea whose house this really belonged to. His phone buzzed in his pocket; he read a text from his friend, David.
"We're sitting near the pool."
Roman navigated through random bodies. Moments like these made him feel smaller, forcing him to nudge through the crowd.
He scanned the back of the house for his friends, David and Nyx, who had been drinking without him, judging by the bottles on their table.
"Whoa, Nyx! Finally grew some balls and had a sip of a man's drink?" Roman laughed.
"Just for tonight, man. I ain't trying to have that shit affect me later on."
"Dude who cares it's not like you're gonna cure cancer or something." David said.
Nyx chuckled and raised his middle finger, which had his football state championship ring. Roman never dabbled in football; he was more of a baseball guy.
"What's the move tonight, fellas?" Roman asked.
David raised a brow, "Move? We're doing it."
Roman huffed and opened a bottle. "Looks like I got some catchin' up to do."
"Wait, we forgot to mention....Cameron's here," Nyx said.
Roman nearly spat out his drink. He sneered, "Why should I care?"
David said, "You'll love this, though. His girl broke up with him in front of everybody, five minutes before you came."
"Yeah, yeah it was crazy too, she got loud. I don't think you should ruffle his feathers right now." Nyx said.
"Ugh, guys! It's alright! I came to relax and chill. I don't want anything to do with him at all."
"Even after the lake incident?"
Roman gritted his teeth. "Shut. The. Fuck. Up. Can we just relax for once?"
"Bro, look who's talking! You're usually the instigator!" David said.
Roman yelled, "He is too!"
"True. You two have had a thing for each other. Ever since, what..... junior high?"
"Yeah, that shit got real old, bro. We're like twenty now, you gotta let things go."
Roman shifted in his seat. It's been a while since he had a reality check. He knew they were right. He couldn't even remember why he hated Cameron so much, at this point, it was getting old.
"Yeah. You guys are right. I see it now. Honestly I'm just not even going to acknowledge his presence." Roman raised his bottle. "To letting things go."
The three bottles clinked and each chugged their beers.
It wasn't long before the Roman fell under the alcohol's spell. After two beers, the world spun around him. His eyes grew heavy and his friends' smiling faces nearly faded away. Music and laughter echoed around him, creating a bubble of joyful chaos. Roman's words slurred and he stumbled, but his friends kept him grounded, yet teasing him.
"Dude, you alright?" Roman raised his head from resting on his arms and saw Nyx's face twisted like a Picasso painting. He grinned and gave a thumbs up before falling to the ground.
Roman's laughter echoed through the bathroom as he stumbled towards the toilet. He grasped the wall to steady himself, his hand slipping on the tile as he tried to focus. The sound of his urine hitting the water was almost musical.
In his haze, Roman walked out of the bathroom and didn't notice the foot sticking out from under the table. He lost his balance and let out a loud "oof" as he tumbled to the ground. The room spun around him, a colorful blur of faces and lights. For a moment, he just lay there, dazed and disoriented.
As he tried to sit up, hands grasped his arms, pulling him upright. "Holy shit!" David laughed. "You ate fuckin' shit!"
Roman rubbed his head, trying to clear the cobwebs. He looked up at his friends with a sheepish grin. "I'm good, I'm good." he slurred, waving his hand dismissively. David handed him a water bottle and Roman took a long swig, feeling a bit more coherent.
Roman's eyes drifted across the room, settling on a guy trying too hard to impress a girl. He seemed invasive, his words spilling out with enthusiasm, but she showed a painted smile, with an occasional glance across the room. The guy's profile seemed familiar, but Roman's foggy brain couldn't place it.
Nyx's voice echoed, "Roman, don't!" Roman looked up at him, confused.
"Don't what?" he looked back at the guy, narrowing his eyes to realize it was Cameron.
It clicked for him. That annoying douchebag couldn't take a hint. His signature smile and blonde hairstyle screamed arrogance at Roman. He needed to wipe that smug look off of him.
"He thinks he can do whatever he wants." He murmured.
"Hey, remember what you said." Nyx reminded.
"Don't worry, I'm just gonna have a little fun. Be right back."
Nyx shook his head and nudged David, diverting his attention from a girl. As he saw Roman, his sour face turned to curiosity.
"Here he goes again..." He whispered.
Roman stayed out of Cameron's sight. Approaching from behind, the crowd hid his size and Cameron chatted away, oblivious to him. He crept closer and counted down from three. The girl she was talking to spotted him and seemed to read Roman like a book. He knew he wasn't in trouble and he was right, instead her entire body language changed as she relaxed and watched with a hidden smile.
Roman whispered, "Three," as he grabbed Cameron's waistband and yanked it down.
Cameron's jaw dropped in shock as his pants were brought to the floor, exposing his white briefs to the room. The girl he had tried to impress was laughing hysterically at him, her eyes shining with amusement at his embarrassment.
Cameron's humiliation skyrocketed as he realized he was the center of attention. It seemed like everyone had stopped what they were doing to get a look at what happened, followed by a roar of laughs. With a red face, he hastily pulled his pants up, scanning the room and locking onto Roman with a burning gaze.
His smug, freckled expression said "gotcha" and Cameron's embarrassment boiled over into anger. His face grew hot with fury to the point where steam was about to come out of his ears. The laughter and chatter faded into the background for a moment. Everything was forgotten: the girl, his exposed underwear, the laughing crowd, except the desire to make Roman pay.
Roman's smug expression transformed into panic. He knew he poked the bull and was about to get the horns. He swiftly turned and tried to run, but the ground bounced with every step and he was getting nowhere. Instinctively he turned around at the last second to see Cameron's body lunge toward him.
Cameron tackled Roman to the ground with a hard thump. The two struggled for dominance, rolling all over the living room floor as people backed up to give them space. Being the bigger one, Cameron gained the advantage and threw several punches at his adversary.
"You think you can get away with this!" He shouted. Roman covered his head as a storm of fists came his way. Luckily he was still drunk and barely felt Cameron's hard strikes.
Somehow, Roman toppled Cameron over. Now he was in control, putting all his might into every punch. But suddenly Roman stopped. Did he hear crying? He looked down at Cameron and saw him laughing.
"You still hit like a pussy!" Then he punched Roman square in the face! Roman's body went limp and fell on the carpet. The spectating crowd cheered as Cameron stood victorious.
"Oh shit guys! COPS!" The party turned into chaos as everyone scurried in random directions. Cameron turned around and looked at Roman's silent body. He never saw him so mellow. He took a step toward the exit but guilt overcame him. Where were Roman's friends? He quickly noticed the two buffoons had ditched him.
Cameron saw the red and blue sirens grow brighter and made his choice. He grunted as he hoisted Roman onto his shoulders, he carried him to his car, and sped off down the road, narrowly escaping the law.
___
Roman's eyelids peeled open, his vision blurry and unfocused. His head throbbed with a dull ache as he rubbed a painful part of his face. He saw an unfamiliar popcorn ceiling and took a moment, trying to remember what happened.
A familiar voice said, "Here, take this," handing him an ice pack. He placed it under his eye and looked up to see Cameron.
"Cameron? W-What the hell are you doing here?" Roman grumbled.
"This is my place, dumbass."
Roman sat up and rubbed his face again. "Why'd you bring me here?"
Cameron sat beside him. "Well... your ass got knocked out and the police showed up."
"Yeah, I get that part," Roman snapped, "but you didn't answer my question!"
