It was Saturday again and Oscar was excited, albeit anxious, to see Noah again.

Noah still hadn't mentioned the kiss, and every time Oscar got a text a small part of him worried that Noah had finally decided that it was too weird, and they shouldn't hang out anymore. But that, surprisingly, hadn't happened yet.

It was late afternoon and the party wasn't starting until later that night, so Oscar nearly dropped his phone onto his face when he was laying in bed and saw the text notification from Noah.

Noah: hey me and a couple guys are pregaming at ethan's house. you wanna come with?

He sat up, and a familiar feeling began to rise in Oscar's stomach. He typed out "I'm good, I'll just meet you at the party later" but hesitated, hovering his thumb over the send button.

He slowly backspaced and typed, "Yeah sure :)" hitting send before he had time to change his mind.

As soon as the message showed as delivered Oscar regretted his decision.

Oh my god I'm so fucking stupid.

Noah: Sick, u know the address?

Oscar: Yeah I got it

Noah: Cool see you in a bit

Oscar sat his phone down and sighed. So fucking stupid.

After collecting himself, Oscar walked down the stairs and stopped when he saw his mom and dad sitting together in the dining room, both surrounded by take-out boxes.

They hadn't seemed to notice his presence, so he cleared his throat and said, "Hey guys, I'm just going out for a bit. I'll be back later, okay?"

They both looked up at him, surprised. His dad was silent but his mom answered, "Okay honey, have fun."

"Uh huh," he mumbled.

Making his way out the front door he grabbed a jacket that hung by it, and wrapped it tightly around himself before stepping out into the cool evening air.

Soon enough Oscar found himself knocking on the front door of a white brick house. The door was opened by a tall, muscular guy wearing a letterman jacket. Oscar had seen him around school a few times but never learned his name.

"Hey..." Oscar began, but was cut off by the guy waving a hand in front of his face and saying, "Yeah, come on in," before walking away.

"Alright..."

Oscar stepped through the door, closing it behind him. He was met with a dimly lit living room and at least 15 people sitting on the two couches that lined the walls. Across the room was an open kitchen that had about 5 more people sitting and standing around the island, all talking and drinking.

The groups consisted mostly of other basketball players, many of them with girls attached to their side.

Hearing Oscar close the door, several heads turned to look at him, one of them being Noah, who was sitting in the middle of one of the couches, people lined up on either side of him. His head snapped in Oscar's direction and he said, "Hey! Oscar, about time!"

He looked to the kitchen island at one of the other boys who was also wearing a letterman and said, "Aye, Spencer, could you give him a beer?" gesturing to Oscar.

Oscar walked closer, stopping at the opposite end of the island, before the other boy opened the nearby fridge, and grabbed a beer, then sliding it across the island to him.

He picked up the cold bottle and twisted off the cap, saying, "Thanks," quietly, before taking a sip.

He stood still for a second, just looking over the room until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey dude, I didn't know you were coming."

He turned to face the voice and saw Ethan, staring down at him, "Yeah, me neither. Noah just asked if I wanted to, so..."

"Ah cool," Ethan said. With his hand still resting on Oscar's shoulder, the other boy started making his way closer to one of couches.

Oscar noticed Serenity sitting at one end with her knees pressed to her chest and nursing a half bottle of vodka.

He turned back to Ethan who had stopped walking, and found him looking back over his shoulder towards the front door and the girl that had just walked in.

"Whew..." Ethan glanced back at Oscar, "Can you hold it down over here? I needa go introduce myself to that little hottie."

Oscar rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure thing man. Go for it."

"Good man, Oscar," said Ethan before setting off in the girl's direction.

Oscar laughed lightly, and kept walking towards the couch. He got closer to Serenity and asked, "Can I sit?" pointing to the empty spot beside her.

"Be my guest," she said in an obviously annoyed tone, and lowered her feet to the ground.

Cautiously sitting next to her, Oscar brought the beer in his hand to his lips again, unsure of what to say next.

When he had first walked in he saw Michael standing in the kitchen with his hand on a girl's waist who definitely wasn't Serenity, so Oscar decided it was probably better if he didn't ask.

His eyes wandered to the couch opposite of him. The guy who had let Oscar in earlier was seated near the end, with a blonde girl sitting on his lap, her lips affixed to his neck.

At the other end of the couch were two guys both staring at one of their phones, laughing at something. Neither of them were wearing lettermans but judging by their builds alone Oscar could guess that they were probably on the basketball team too, at some point.

In the middle of it all was sat Noah. He had one arm stretched out, resting on the back of the couch, and his ankle positioned on his knee. Oscar's eyes sweeped over the milky skin that was visible through the rips in Noah's jeans.

Oscar's gaze then fell to the boy sitting next to Noah, so close that the side of their thighs were touching.

Oscar started to take another swig of his drink but nearly choked on it when the boy sitting next to Noah leaned in and whispered something to him, making Noah instantly throw his head back in a laugh.

Oscar looked away, furrowing his brow, and over at Serenity next to him, who still hadn't spoken up.

Suddenly unsatisfied with his drink Oscar blurted out, "Hey can I have some of that?" referring to the vodka bottle that was now resting on the couch.

Serenity picked it up and held it out to him, "What the hell, right?"

He grabbed the bottle from her and screwed off the cap, taking a probably-too-big drink.

"Thanks."

She simply sighed in response. "Yeah. I need a smoke, I'm going outside," and lifted herself off the couch, leaving Oscar alone with his drinks.

Sipping the vodka still Oscar looked back to where Noah was sitting.

Noah still looking enamored as ever with the boy beside him, was laughing at what Oscar could only assume was another shitty joke. The other boy then smoothly, almost naturally reached up to Noah's head and tugged down the beanie that sat atop his golden mop of hair.

That was cute. Oscar thought.

Gross.

Oscar then sat the bottle of vodka down on the floor next to his feet and stood from the couch with a quiet groan.

I need some fucking air.

He walked back across the room and clumsily grasped the handle of the door that he had entered through earlier and shuffled out it.

The sun was low in the sky and the streetlights along the roadside were glowing bright against the purple sunset.

Oscar found Serenity sitting on the front steps with her head resting in her hand and a lit joint dangling between her fingers. He sat next to her, shivering softly.

"Shit, it's cold out here," he said, wrapping his jacket tighter around his torso.

"Better than in there," she said.

"True," he laughed.

She looked up at him and held out her hand with the joint, "You want some of this?"

Oscar considered the offer for a second, "Fuck it. Sure." She passed it to him and he took a small hit, coughing just a little bit.

"So..." he said, "was that Michael I saw in there... with, uh..."

"Yep. That was him. Wrapped around some bitch he probably met 12 hours ago." She said.

"Damn," he said, holding the joint back out to her, "sucks."

"Yeah, it does," she said, taking it from him.

Between hits she asked him, "So what's your deal with Noah?"

"My deal?"

"Oh come on Oscar, it's so obvious! Every time he's around you stare at him like a little fucking puppy!" She snorted, laughing.

"I don't know..."

She passed him back the joint and he happily took it.

"I honestly don't understand him. Like at all. I kissed him. I fucking kissed him! And he's been acting like it didn't even happen. And now that guy in there is all over him and I hate it. I feel so stupid just waiting around for him say that he liked it or didn't like, or something, but I can't just ask him. Can I?"

He passed the joint back. "Of course you can ask him! And you should. Guys are idiots. They won't tell you what they want unless you straight up ask," she paused, "and even then sometimes they won't tell you. But still, you should ask him. If he's not down for you he needs to man up and say it."

"Shit..." Oscar whispered. "How the hell am I gonna do that?"

Serenity scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I don't think I can help you with that one," she said.

"Yeah," he sighed, "Didn't think so," and blew a small stream of smoke out his nose.