Chapter 26: The Farewell Party

Saturday evening had arrived. It was Christian's farewell party in one of his White Dove City homes. It took me about an hour and a half to get there. His house was large and white, with a flower and tree-filled front yard. His Ford was parked in front of the house in an open garage. Christian let me in through the black gate.

The party took place in the backyard, which featured a guitar-shaped pool. Christian invited eleven guests. They were all high school friends of ours. I saw Kathryn and Julio. I asked about Daphne's whereabouts.

"She's on her way. She was just stuck in traffic," Kathryn answered.

Daphne arrived thirty minutes later.

Daphne looked stunning that night. She was dressed in a white dress and white heels. Her hair was pulled back. It was long and wavy, like the waves at a summer beach. A silver heart necklace hung around her neck. She gave everyone a friendly smile, including me. Her smile was captivating.

"Hello," I said.

“Hi," she said.

"Where is your girlfriend?” Christian chimed in. "How come you didn't bring her with you?"

"She went to see her grandmother in the province," Daphne answered

"Ah," Christian said. "It's too bad she won't be able to join in on the fun."

Christian invited us all to dinner. Those swimming in his fancy guitar-shaped pool came over to join us. Pizza, spaghetti, fried chicken, roasted pork, rice noodles with shrimp sauce, shrimp paella, Sansrival cake, and Mango Graham cake were all on the menu. We sipped Coca-Cola, Four Seasons, and mango juice.

We talked about our wonderful and funny high school memories, what we were doing now that we were in college, and our plans after we graduated.

The majority of us will be working in an office, while others will be pursuing postgraduate studies. There was one guy who was a cut above the rest of us. Joe was his name. He was the lead singer of a heavy metal band that had a record deal. Alastor was the name of the band.

Later, around midnight, we sang karaoke and drank bottles of Heineken and Miller beers. There was also Jagermeister. In the balcony, some guys were playing billiards.

I gave Christian my present. "That seems like a cool gift," he said. "Can I open it right now?"

"You can," I said. "However, a lot of people might be envious if they see it," I winked.

"I think I'm going to enjoy this gift of yours," he predicted. He was ecstatic.

He then made a decision. "I'll open it later with the rest of the gifts," he replied.

"That's a good idea," I said.

I sat on the sofa while drinking a shot of Jagermeister. Daphne approached me.

"Where is your girlfriend?" Daphne asked me.

"Huh?" I wondered. "I'm not in a relationship."

"Please don't lie," she said with a sweet voice, "I saw your picture with Renee."

Oh. As a result, Daphne came to the conclusion that I have a girlfriend. Was she feeling jealous? That thought made me smile.

"Renee and I are simply friends," I said to Daphne. "We were at the mall together because we were shopping for Christian and you."

"You have a present for me?" Daphne asked. She was surprised. Then she said, “it's not my birthday."

"Well, regardless, I was thinking about getting you a gift. I think you'll like it," I predicted.

I gave her my present. "Oh, this looks costly!" " She exclaimed, "I can't accept it," she declared.

I was discouraged. "Please accept it,” I implored.

"All right," she said. "Thanks for this lovely diamond necklace."

"Please put it on," I begged.

"All right," she said. She took off her heart necklace.

"Here, let me assist you," I offered. I wrapped the necklace around her neck and then closed the clasp. "You look beautiful," I said to her. The word "beautiful" is an understatement. Daphne looked like an angel.

"I appreciate it," she said. The other necklace was placed inside the Tiffany and Co shopping bag.

I sang along with the karaoke machine. I chose songs that were simple to sing. My usual go-to songs were alternative and nu-metal songs from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. These songs were familiar to me because my uncles played them on the radio in their cars.

I sang songs by Radiohead, Blur, Oasis, Savage Garden, Vertical Horizon, Green Day, P. O. D, My Chemical Romance, Incubus, and Hoobastank.

To be honest, I knew a lot of songs by various bands, but I chose these because I was wasted and couldn't currently sing songs with high notes.

I can, however, sing very well when I'm sober. But I wasn't sober tonight. Except for Joe, who was the lead singer in his own metal band, I believe no one else could sing great.

"You sound really drunk, Alex," Christian said, his words slurred. "Even though you only had a shot of Jagermeister." He sipped a beer.

"What's the matter with you, Alex?" Robert, our friend, said. "Aren't you a man enough to drink a lot more?" He had just finished his orange vodka punch and raised his index finger, motioning for our other friend, Felix, to pour him another.

Felix poured drinks into Robert's and his own glasses.

"Hey, Rob, don't tease Alex like that," Christian said. “Julio is the only one of us who isn't a man."

Julio burst out laughing at the joke. He was the type of person who never took things seriously.

"Yes, my ladies," Julio jokingly said. "I picture myself as a drag queen."

"You'd make a lovely drag queen, Julio," Rico said. "You look stunning.”

"Thank you, my dear, for believing in me," Julio said.

"To be honest, you're even more beautiful than Kathryn," Christian remarked.

"Hey, I heard you! " Kathryn yelled. "Would you like to try my punch?" " She made a fist.

"Woah, easy there, Kathryn," Christian said, laughing.

"You're obviously drunk, Christian," I said.

"No shit," Christian shot back.

"Ladies, don't tease my girl, Kathryn," Julio said as he kissed her on the lips. Kathryn was surprised, but she didn't slap him. "She tries her best,” Julio continued.

"You look adorable, Kathryn," Christian remarked. But Kathryn brushed him off. His compliment appeared to mean nothing to her.

"I saw Lance once," Christian mentioned. "He now has a dowdy wife and six children. He got big; you know." Christian spread his arms and demonstrated Lance's current body size.

"That prick deserves to get fat," Robert observed. "He's so conceited. He always says to every guy he beats in a game, "I'm better than you."

Holy shit! So I wasn't the only guy Lance mistreated.

“Maybe his six pack abs turned into his six children,” Julio quipped. He laughed. We snickered at his joke.

"You're so funny, mah boy," Robert remarked. "I wish I had hung out with you back in high school. We could have a lot of fun then."

"Yeah," Christian chimed in, "but Julio only hung out with Alex, Kathryn, Daphne, and some female volleyball team chicks." Christian laughed drunkenly.

Daphne was singing songs by Christina Aguilera and Adele. Then she screamed and sang Flyleaf's I'm So Sick. Wow! We were astounded! I knew Daphne could sing, but I didn't know she could metal scream.

"When did you learn to scream like that?" I asked her.

"I learned through practicing," she answered.

"Wow, that's incredible," I exclaimed.

"Thank you," Daphne said, smiling.

On the karaoke machine, Joe and Daphne performed a duet of Evanescence's Bring Me To Life. Daphne sang the female part, while Joe sang the male part. They sang beautifully. Daphne was able to sing hauntingly and reach Amy Lee's high notes, while Joe was able to rap effectively and scream powerfully. I was really impressed by these two.

"You really are a beautiful singer, Daphne," Joe said.

"Thank you," Daphne said to Joe, "you're a fantastic singer and screamer. You rock!”

"You know, Daphne, if you're interested, you can duet with me for our next album," Joe continued.

Daphne’s eyes widened. "Oh, wow! Really? " She was ecstatic.

"Yes," Joe responded, "my bandmate Ethan, the band's guitarist, is currently writing a dark song with haunting vocals. I believe that adding female vocals will greatly improve the song's appeal. Your voice is perfect for rock. The fact that you can scream is also pretty cool."

"I would love to sing with your band!" exclaimed Daphne. "I'll make the time."

Daphne was a nursing student at the time. But I knew she could balance her studies and an extracurricular activity like recording an album with a metal band like Alastor. I could tell Daphne was becoming more responsible lately. She had been studying hard. I didn't want to be the person who discouraged someone from pursuing their dreams, so I hoped Daphne would be successful. I had a feeling she'd pull through.

"That's really incredible, Daphne," I said as she sat beside me on the sofa. We were both holding drinks.

"It's unbelievable," Daphne exclaimed. "Wow, like, wow. First and foremost, I knew Joe would be in a famous band. He was an incredible singer. But I still can't believe we're with a celebrity, and he's asking me to sing with his band. It's all so surreal to me," she exclaimed.

"Nice," I said, "you'll be on the radio and television soon." I didn't mention my upcoming billboard to Daphne. It would be a surprise.

"By the way, how did you meet Renee?" She asked suddenly.

"Erm, she's, we met in a bar. Renee expressed an interest in learning to play billiards while Christian and I were at the bar. Christian and I taught her," I lied to Daphne. I had no choice. Because Daphne might think I was a customer if I told her Renee was a former exotic dancer in that bar.

"That's really sweet of you," Daphne smiled as she replied.

"You know, Daphne, I told you a thousand times that you are beautiful," I said as I changed the subject. “When I first saw you, I thought to myself, ‘this girl could be a TV actress. She was gorgeous. She was just shy and she dressed simply.’”

"Yes, I remember," she said, "I was a really shy kid back then and had zero fashion sense." She chuckled.

"And now, thanks to our friend, Joe," I continued, "a lot of people will see you on TV soon."

"I hope I won't be awkward," she laughed lightly.

"You'd be great!" I replied positively.

Christian and I competed in a swim race in his other pool. It was a standard rectangular swimming pool surrounded by trees, grasses, and flowers. The pool was warm, which was ideal given the cool, breezy weather.

Christian and I were both pretty good swimmers. We wanted to race to see who was faster just for fun.

Swimming was usually a solitary activity for me. I enjoyed swimming in my own pool. Swimming clears my mind and temporarily takes my mind off my problems. As I moved forward, I could feel the warm water in my body. My body was floating, and my arms and legs were moving forward quickly as I tried to outswim my opponent. I'm not sure why, but there was something soothing about the water. My thoughts were at ease. Euphoria washed over me. My inebriation dissipated. My focus was completely focused. If I ever beat Christian, there would be no prize. But I was still feeling competitive.

When we got to the finish line, Christian and I got out of the pool.

Our referee was Robert. He informed us that I had won.

"Darn you, Alex!" exclaimed Christian. "You're so good!"

"I know," I said smugly to Christian.

"I'll go get some chicken," Robert said. He walked away from us and went into the dining room to eat.

"I heard you and Daphne are talking about Renee," Christian said when Robert was out of earshot. “Is she aware—"

Christian came to a halt right there. I gestured with my index finger in the middle of my mouth for him to be quiet.

"She isn't," I told Christian.

“Why?" Christian asked.

"Because she might think there's something going on between Renee and me," I answered. “Like, I’m a customer or something."

"So, what did you tell her?" Christian asked. I told him the lie I told Daphne.

Christian laughed wheezingly. "You could have told Daphne the truth," he pointed out. "You're not a couple anymore. I'm confident she'd understand."

"And ruin my chance to see Daphne?” I said angrily. "No way!”

"Wait—" Christian interrupted, "don't tell me you're trying to get Daphne back."

"Yes, I am," I reiterated.

"But why?" He asked and then said. “She already has a girlfriend.”

"Do you honestly believe Daphne is into women? She literally received my big dick!" I told him. “Why would she waste her time with someone who couldn't make her happy in bed?”

"Obviously, I'm not a girl," Christian answered, "but I believe that people of all genders can find ultimate pleasure in bed. Besides, nothing is more important than love.”

"You sound like a life coach, doc," I jokingly said to Christian.

"It's true," he insisted.

My head shook. "Well, I believe Daphne is in the process of experimenting."

Christian burst out laughing. "What is she, 15?" he asked. “Do you realize you sound absolutely ridiculous?”

"Dude, just because you have everything doesn't mean everyone is crazy about you," Christian continued. “You have to humble yourself every now and then."

"But Daphne was crazy about me," I argued.

“That was back then,” he told me. “Just like you said it, she was. That’s past tense. Move on, bro.”

I was disappointed that Christian was unsupportive of me this time. The maids brought us each a tall glass of mango juice with a small umbrella on top. We drank our mango juice.

"You and Renee look good together," Christian commented unexpectedly.

“Huh? I asked.

"Oh, please.” He said, “My friends and I saw your picture with Renee on the gossip site, and you look like a lovely couple.”

In disbelief, I chuckled. "What's the deal with you and Daphne? You two were putting me with Renee."

"We're just telling the truth,” he shrugged.

I laughed at the thought. "It's high time you moved on from Daphne," Christian added, looking me in the eyes and saying, "I'm serious." He paused, then continued, "you're just wasting your time if you're going to wait around for her." He sipped his drink.

"Don't waste your good looks by being sad about a girl," he advised.

I changed the subject. "I just hope Renee doesn't get into any trouble," I grumbled.

“Huh?" Christian was perplexed. "Why would she get herself into trouble?"

"The manager forbids her and the other Gorgeous Vixens from dating anyone," I replied.

"That sucks," he scoffed.

"Apparently," I continued, "her dance group needs to appear single in order for hungry males, who are their ultimate target audience, to continue fantasizing about them."

"As if they have a chance with the unreachable Gorgeous Vixens," he remarked. He sipped his juice once more.

"Exactly," I said. I drank my juice. Then I shook the small umbrella in my drink.

"Did something happen between you and Renee?" Christian asked slyly.

I chuckled and said, "Sorry, man, but I can't answer that," despite the fact that I was sure he knew the answer to his fiery question based on my smile and tone of voice.

Christian remarked, "What a gentleman." He gave a playful grin.

My head shook. "I'm not," I said.

Although I did not always agree with Christian and we had many differences, I was grateful to have him as my closest friend in high school. And even though we were no longer classmates, we remained close and kept in touch despite the fact that we were both now in college and attending different universities. I recall being with my college friends a few weeks ago. We had a good time at the parties. The nights were insane. I slept with a beautiful woman who was hot and wild.

In college, I met a lot of interesting and cool people. With my new friends, I've visited many beautiful and captivating places. Friendship in college is an exciting adventure.

But nothing beats a great high school friendship like mine. My high school friends and I had known each other since we were young teenagers. We were aware of each other's demeanor. We were aware of each other's hopes, dreams, and frustrations. We were aware of what we liked and disliked. We knew who we liked and who we despised. We cared about and respected one another. Yes, our friendship was not without flaws. We had many fights and just as many reconciliations. We treasured our friendship. This friendship meant a lot to me. It will always have a special place in my heart.

"Please don't change, Christian," I implored him.

"I'm not going to," he promised me. We clinked our glasses and finished drinking our mango juices.

Christian and I went back inside his house. Our friends were eating and drinking. Their appetite for food and desire for liquor appeared to have increased. I enjoyed seeing my friends have a good time on this night. Christian would be flying to Japan two days later to live permanently with his family. I knew I'd miss my friends, especially Christian.

Christian has been a reliable and trustworthy friend. I adored him as if he were a brother. And I was certain he felt the same way. Christian was privy to almost all of my secrets. If I ever did something stupid, you could go to him and he'd confirm whether or not it was true. He was aware of my flaws, fears, and unspoken, ineffable desires. He was aware of everything. He understood me.

I embraced Christian. He returned my hug. "What was that for?" he asked, smiling.”

"Your good luck hug," I replied. "I appreciate you being a good friend."

"Don't be dramatic; I'll return someday," he said. "Or you can pay me a visit.”

"Look at this lovely bromance right here!" Robert laughed. He was talking about us. Bromance refers to a beautiful platonic friendship between two males that, to those who are unfamiliar with them, resembles a gay relationship. Strangers have no idea that the two males are best friends who treat each other like brothers.

"How about we play a game?" Kristen suggested. Kristen was tall and busty, with long and wavy ash blonde hair. Lip augmentation had resulted in her having enormous lips. Her lips were thin when we were in high school, and she was self-conscious about them, so she changed them. I knew it sounded bad, but she reminded me of a well-known adult actress.

“What game would you like us to play?” Gina asked. She was blowing bubble gum while twirling her hair. She was slim, of medium-height, and had medium-length dark hair. The gum didn't stick to her hair, which surprised me.

"The title of the game is "Never Have I Ever? '" Kristen replied.

"Wow, I adore this game!" exclaimed Gina.

"How do we go about playing this game?" Daphne asked.

"Oh, my gosh, Daphne! You have no idea?” Lana chuckled. She had a ponytail and was chubby. She was wearing tight clothes. I'm guessing she wore such clothes to attract the attention of a man. She said, "I'll go over the mechanics with you."

Lana explained the game to Daphne.

For those who are unaware, in this game, players must raise both hands. Someone asks them “never have I ever?” and complete the question. If the answer is “I have”, they will place a finger down and drink a shot of any alcoholic beverage until everyone has been asked and every finger has been placed down.

“Never have I ever had a friend with benefits?” Lana asked us.

We all put down our fingers and drank a shot. With the exception of Kathryn and Robert.

"Wow! What a revelation!" Lana chuckled.

"That was unexpected," Felix commented. Felix was a dashing bespectacled gentleman. He was the most attractive nerd in the class. He was into books and ladies.

“Never have I ever had a one-night stand with a stranger in a gig like it was nothing?” Lana asked.

Joe drank a shot while putting his finger down. He admitted to sleeping with a female fan.

"Was she hot?” Christian asked.

Joe simply stated, "Yeah.”