Chapter Three

Theo

Perry is awesome!

I'm having so much fun with him tonight.

I somehow drink most of the beer I got for him, and then we start to dance. Every once in a while, he puts his hands on my hips, which I have to admit is a little strange. None of my friends dance with me like this, but I'm a touchy-feely guy too, so whatever.

I'm pretty sure we're at it for close to an hour, my legs starting to feel numb and the alcohol making me giggly, when Perry says something to me.

"What?" I ask, unable to hear him.

Perry is taller than me. He leans in, face close to mine, chocolate-brown hair brushing against my temple, breath against my ear when he says, "I need some fresh air."

Goose bumps run the length of my arms for no reason I can make sense of, but why would I want to make sense of anything right now? I just want to have fun. This party is exactly what I need after the disaster that was my date with Whit yesterday—getting broken up with and the truth bombs she dropped on me that I'm trying to pretend don't exist.

Yes. I could use some fresh air too.

"Come on. Let's go." I take his wrist, but then somehow we end up with Perry's hand in mine. I can't really tell if I did it or if he did, but what's the difference between a wrist and a hand? We're just trying not to lose each other in the crowd. I'd do the same with Avery, Casey, or Jack.

Speaking of…why haven't I seen my friends all night? Avery likely found a hookup, but I'm not sure about Jack or Casey. Maybe they're giving me space because I've been a grumpy asshole to them since last night. I've yet to tell them that Whitney dumped my ass…

The thing is, I'm not as sad as I probably should be, not at losing my girlfriend, at least. I'm just annoyed about the circumstances and frustrated because of the things she said.

But I'm hanging out with my new friend Perry tonight, so I'm not going to worry about it. He doesn't know me, doesn't know I'm supposed to have a girlfriend or that I suck at school and that I'm scared I'm not good enough for college, that if I manage to graduate, I'll suck at business and never make my parents proud.

I don't want to think about that, though. Not when I'm drunk and hanging out with Perry. "Perry, Perry Bo Berry," I sing. "You have the perfect name for that song."

"You're a dork." He nudges me playfully.

"I know, but why does that have to be a bad thing?"

"It's not a bad thing. You're cute as fuck."

My foot gets caught on the edge of a rug, and I almost fall. Perry is so friendly. "Do you like polos?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind. I hate them. Let's go."

I take Perry out the back door. There are people there too, but I lead him to this path that goes around the shed—which we turned into a secret smoke room. I don't know why we need a secret smoke room, considering pot is legal and we do it in the house, but just putting the word secret in front of something makes it that much cooler. It's also good to have somewhere to go if people are over whom we don't smoke around.

"Trying to get me alone?" Perry asks.

"Yes." I definitely don't want to share my weed with everyone.

"Um…I'm not sure tonight is a good time."

"You don't like to smoke?" I stop and turn to him. He has a small frown on his lips.

"Oh, I thought… Yeah, fuck yeah. I'm down to smoke."

I nod and smile at him. "Come on, Perry in Shining Armor."

He laughs. "You're so fucking drunk."

"No, you're so fucking drunk."

"I haven't had a drink at all."

"I haven't had a drink at all," I counter, then dissolve into laughter. "You're right. I'm so fucking drink. I mean drunk! Shhhh." I lean in closer. He smells like cologne, and for some reason, I inhale again. It's woodsy and spicy, something I really like. I'll have to ask him what scent it is so I can buy some, but right now I'm not worried about that. "You can't tell anyone where the secret smoke room key is."

He uses his free hand to cross his heart, making me realize I'm still holding his hand. I let go just as he says, "You can trust me."

Strangely, I feel like I can, which makes absolutely no sense. He might have saved me from sudden death, or you know, a two-foot fall, but I don't know Perry at all. "Don't make me regret this."

"Never."

I reach up and grab the key that's resting on top of the doorframe. Not real creative, but I doubt anyone wants to break into our shed.

I unlock the door and hurry Perry inside. Luckily, neither of my roommates is out here. I turn on the lamp, which rests on the small table. Our four beanbag chairs sit in a circle, our bong in the middle.

Perry laughs.

"What?"

"Do you pray to the pot gods in this place?"

"Are you not a believer?" I joke. I'm really not someone who smokes a lot of weed, but I do like to partake from time to time, and tonight is one of those times. "I'll give you my chair but only because I like you."

"You can sit on my lap if you want," he teases, which is…odd, but whatever.

"You're weird."

"No, you are."

"I know." I grin, sit down in Jack's chair, and point to mine for Perry.

We have a plastic drawer set, which I open and pull out a metal tin with weed in it.

"Holy shit. I can't believe you guys keep this out here."

I shrug. "You're the first person who doesn't live in the house to see the secret smoke shed." Shit. Why did I bring him here? This isn't like me at all.

I pull out the supplies and begin rolling a blunt.

"So, you live here?" Perry asks.

"Yep. It's Jack's house, and me, Avery, and Casey rent rooms from him."

"And you go to FU?" When I groan, Perry quirks a brow. "Okay, sore topic. Got it."

"It's not that. It's just…I'm shit at school. I think I want to be here. I have fun here, but, like…I'm going for a business degree because I don't know what else to do, and my parents are so fucking proud, and all I can do is wonder how things got so out of hand." I frown and look at him. "Why am I saying this to you? Maybe because you're not my friend."

Perry laughs. "Um…thanks?"

I roll my eyes. "That's not what I mean. I just don't know you, so I don't feel like you can judge me, but I'm gonna shut up now because tonight is supposed to be fun and not about all the heavy shit. We're going to smoke a fat blunt, get high, and keeping it real, I'll probably pass out after that."

"Hmm. Well, that last part sucks for me, but just FYI, if you ever wanna talk, I'm down. I probably won't do much of it myself, but I'm a good listener."

For a reason I can't explain, I beam at him. I want to be Perry's friend, want to have someone else to talk to, but then everything he said clicks into place. "How is that fair if I talk to you but you don't talk to me?"

"Maybe I don't have anything to talk about." He looks away, playing with the simple chain necklace he's wearing.

"Everyone has something to talk about. Wait, we're talking about heavy shit again. I just want to have fuuuuuuun. Stop poking at my insides."

He smirks. "Believe me, if I was poking at your insides, you'd know. Hopefully, I'll get to, though."

I can't deny that's a weird way to say it, but maybe Perry just really wants me to be able to talk to him. He's probably just a nice guy like that, and will keep poking to get me to open up. "Maybe I'll let you one day." I lick along the edge of the blunt paper to close it, grab a lighter, then hand it over. "You first."

"Such a gentleman." Perry's fingers accidentally brush against mine as he takes the blunt from me, strangely making my skin prickle.

I watch him as he lights the end some, then brings the other side to his mouth, trying to get the flame to catch, then inhales the smoke.

We pass the blunt back and forth. The smoke burns my lungs in the best way, my brain immediately feeling a little more tingly than it did before.

Perry laughs at something, and I automatically laugh too, though I have no idea what either of us thinks is so funny.

"I'm high," he says, moving to the chair next to mine. He kinda lies back, so I do the same. Our arms brush, but mine suddenly weighs three hundred pounds and is impossible to move.

"Me too." I smell his cologne again, and damn, I like it. What the fuck scent is that?

"Why are you sniffing the air?" Perry asks, which makes me crack up laughing. When I settle down, he says, "We should hook up sometime. It would be fun."

"Hell yeah. I'm down. I think it would be fun too." I totally want to hang out with Perry.

"Where's your phone?"

"I think it's in my pocket, but I can't move."

"Are you okay?" he asks, and the concern in his voice makes me feel a little funny. I'm not sure how to explain it other than that.

"Yesssssss. Ss are my favorite sound."

Perry laughs.

I try to do the same, but nausea suddenly hits me, my stomach twisting and turning. "I think I need to go to bed."

"I think you do too. Here, let me help you." Perry stands up, takes my hand, and tugs me to my feet. He wraps an arm around me and leads me outside.

My body is dead weight, my belly rebelling against all the things I put inside me today.

"Hold on to me so I can lock the secret room. We don't want people to see your stash."

I do as he says, my face landing weirdly in his neck, but I don't have the energy to move. I do breathe him in again, though, because a guy has to breathe, not because I want to smell him.

"Easy there, big guy. You're determined to make this night hard on me, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you mean."

He doesn't answer, finishes locking up, puts the key back, and with his arm around me, helps me walk away.

"My hero," I tease.

"Which way do I go?"

I try to give him directions, but I'm not sure if I say the words out loud or not. I figure I must because eventually, I'm upstairs, lying on my bed, and my new friend Perry is taking my shoes off.

"You're nice."

"Thank you."

"And you smell good."

He groans, finishes with my shoes, then tucks me into bed. "I have your phone. Can I put my number in?"

I open my eyes. "Use my face."

He moans deeper this time, and I'm pretty sure says something like I wish, but that wouldn't make any sense.

He uses face ID to open my phone, then types his number in and sets the phone on the nightstand. "Maybe I should stay and make sure you're okay."

He's definitely the kind of guy who would be a really good friend. I'm so happy I met him.

The music is still rumbling downstairs, making the walls shake, and before I can answer him, my door opens. "Shit, Theo. You're in bed already?" Casey asks.

"No."

"Who are you?" I hear him ask.

"He's Perry. He saved my life," I say.

"I'm pretty sure he greened-out," Perry says. "The weed and the alcohol. Are you his…"

"Roommate," Casey answers.

"Yeah, that. I was going to stay with him and make sure he's okay," Perry tells Casey.

"He's so nice," I mumble.

"I got it," Case replies.

I want to tell him he can go party, that my new friend can stay, but I lose myself to the darkness before I can.