Chapter 1
I entered the pub, and the usual smell of sweat and alcohol hit me. It was a slow day, and most of the people here were already half asleep or shakily dancing to the upbeat music. While none of them stands a day younger than 45.
“Hey, Addy,” I saw the bar owner, John. He was a kind man with a round belly and almost no hair on his head. In his early days, he inherited the bar from his parents, who passed away when he was only 18.
“Hey, John,” I grinned at him, feeling more confident than ever. He obviously noticed as he dried off the glass in his hands with a towel.
“Why are you in such a good mood?” he smiled and put the glass away with the others. I had just finished school with my classmates and passed every grade with bravura. Oh, I was so ready to become a lawyer.
“I did well at all my exams,” I had a smile from ear to ear; I simply could not hold it back anymore. As he leaned over to hug me, John broke out in a big smile.
“Oh, that’s so great!” He turned to the rest of the room and said, “Next round on the house!” there was slight cheering from the people still awake. But that didn’t shake him the least.
He turned back to me and asked, “So, what would you like,” He gestured to the massive shelf behind him, holding uncountable amounts of alcohol. “You can get whatever you’d like on the house,” He beamed with pride as he looked at me.
I leaned over the counter slowly and then tipped back in my chair, “Surprise me.”
I talked to John for a while when I saw his son Jeremy in control of the music. I walked over to him and hugged him from behind. I’ve known him since we were little and we’ve always played together since we were only one year apart.
“Heeeey,” he said, looking up from his book. Jeremy was the kind of guy who’d like to keep subtle and, like now, would bring books to the bar, even though he lived right next door. He had short blonde hair and brown eyes, but unlike his father, Jeremy grew really tall.
“What’re you doing over here?” I teased as I sat down next to him. He rolled his shoulders, looking out at the people dancing.
“Checking out the hot babes,” he said, looking back at me. I skimmed the dance floor, and about three people were dancing. Mr Thomas at 74, Mrs Bennet at 63, dancing with Jeremy’s little brother Joey at 13.
I laughed, and we kept talking. Jeremy asked about my exams. I asked about his awful music taste. He asked if I wanted a beer, and I said yes.
Jeremy had put on a well-mixed playlist that even those who usually came wouldn’t hear the same song twice. We approached the bar where John had been working on my surprise drink. It was bubbling orange and had a long purple straw. It looked like the drink you would drink to get over your hangover. Jeremy sipped his beer as I tasted what I would call ‘the fever dream drink.’
A million drinks later and a couple of texts to friends, the party really started. It went from 5 only half awake seniors to 80 festive teens. An unhealthy amount of alcohol consumed made everyone enjoy everything even more.
I was looking for Jeremy, but I could barely stand straight. The pub was filled entirely with drunk graduates shouting to each other over the ear drumming music. I made eye contact with John over at the bar. He was crammed with people wanting to drink. He sent me an air kiss, and I blinked back in response.
I wanted to find Jeremy since he was so fun when drunk. My head was spinning as I tried to get through the crowd. I got over to an area filled with people sitting in leather chairs, and before I knew it, I had tripped right into someone’s lap.
