I stumble across the floor, spilling beer onto my brand new shoes I wore to impress all of your friends. You fall to the ground laughing and the next thing I know, I’m laying right beside you, laughing just as hard.
I didn’t think tonight was going to be like this. I thought that maybe tonight would be the night of my first kiss. A great night. An unforgettable one…

I drove to your house and you climbed in the passenger seat. “So, what movie did you decide on,” I asked you.

“I was thinking that maybe we save the movie night for another night.” You looked at the expression on my face and quickly grabbed my hand because that always gets me to do what you want. “Drew is having a party tonight and I really want you to get to know my friends and I thought this would be a great way to do it.”

I looked at you. I told myself that this party was a bad idea and I should say no. I knew that holding my hand was not a sign of affection but just the way to get what you want. I remembered what your friends’ idea of fun was...

“Alright,” I said. “Let me go home and change quick before we go. I want to have a good first impression.”

You smiled a wide smile and I thought this is it; he’s going to kiss me. Then you let go of my hand and put on you seat belt and I took that as my signal to start driving.

I was nervous the whole way to the party. I told myself that I could just say no but then a little voice said that you would dump me if your friends didn’t like me. I didn’t think I would be able to get over it if that happened. So, I made up my mind that even though I didn’t want to I would say yes.

When we got to the party, you introduced me to all of your friends and their girlfriends. You talked to Drew as I wandered to the snack table to snag a chocolate chip cookie.

“I’m sorry, but I’m just wondering. Do you like that cookie?”

I turned around to find a “girl-next-door girl” pretty girl looking at me. “Yeah. It’s probably one of the best I’ve ever had.”

“I made them and I tried a new recipe so I wanted someone’s opinion on them. I’m Connie by the way. I live next door.” Called it, I thought to myself.

“I’m Tyler,” I told her. I’m here with Cory. This is the first time I’ve been to one of these parties.”

“Me too. Drew always invites me and I always tell him no but I just got in a big fight with my brother and so I needed to get out of the house,” she told me.

“Brothers are the worst…” and our conversation continued on from there for about a half hour until you came and found me. You were holding a red plastic cup and I knew what that meant. I gulped and exchanged phone numbers with Connie then you brought me down to Drew’s basement.

The basement was dark except for the television screen and a small slit of light escaping through a closed door. There was no one else down there from what I could see and I thought that maybe you brought me down here to have a little bit of our movie night we had planned. Of course, I was wrong and you led me to the closed door.

On the other side of the door was a small room that held the red cups and the unforgivable liquid. Just then my phone vibrated and I saw that Connie texted me. She said: I know where he brought you (since she told me everything she knew about these parties during our conversation) and I know you’re not going to say no (since I told her how I wanted to be accepted) so you can sleep over at my house tonight so you don’t drive.

She was my hero and I responded back to her telling her that. You handed me the cup you poured for me. You didn’t even ask me whether or not I wanted it. I took it from you despite everything I always told myself about not drinking and I drank, and I drank and I drank. By about my third cup everything was funny to me and your friends all thought I was the greatest thing since sliced bread (at least I thought they did).

We stood on a table and you grabbed my hand and said, “Let’s fly.”

“I’m afraid of heights,” I whispered as I looked at the two foot drop that seemed much more than that.

“Don’t worry, we can do anything. We’re invincible,” and I believed those words like I believed that the stork brought babies when I was five. And we jumped…
We’re some of the last ones left at the party. I stumble across the floor, spilling beer onto my brand new shoes I wore to impress all of your friends. You fall to the ground laughing and the next thing I know, I’m laying right beside you, laughing just as hard.

When we finish our laughing fit, I stand up and say “we should probably get going.” You stand up fix and you shirt. I walk into a few different rooms looking for my sweatshirt when I literally bump into Connie.

“Tyler, you’re sleeping over right?”

“No, I’m fine to drive home. Have you seen my sweatshirt?”

She grabs me by the shoulders and says, “Tyler, you can barely walk. You’re not driving home. You already told your mom you were spending the night at my house, remember? Cory is staying here. You have no reason to drive.”

“Alright, alright,” I say. I go to remind you that you are staying at Drew’s but I can’t find you. I look all around until finally I find Drew.

“Have you seen Cory,” I ask him.

“Yeah he said he was tired and wanted to get to bed. He said something else about you being slow and that he really wanted to go to sleep. He’s probably up in the guest room already,” then Drew runs to the bathroom to vomit and I find Connie because I’m ready to go to bed too.

I wake up to an annoying buzz at 6 in the morning with a pounding headache. Connie is on the floor in a sleeping bag next to me and I don’t remember ever being in this room. She opens her eyes as the buzz goes off again and I search around for my phone. I look at it to see that my mom is calling.

“Hello,” I force out of my throat.

“Tyler, honey, are you alright,” she asks frantically.

“Yes, mom, I’m fine just a little tired.” She couldn’t know that I had a hangover from participating in some not-so-smart actions the night before, could she?

“Oh thank god! Honey, there’s been an accident.”

“Mmm,” I mumble, barely registering what she’s saying. I start to doze off a little not paying attention to her voice.

“Tyler. Tyler! Did you hear me? Sweetheart, Cory’s dead.”

And that was that. My first relationship, my first true love came to a screeching halt. Never will I get the first kiss that I have been dreaming about for the last month. All because Cory decided to take my car and drive himself home. Unfortunately, home ended up being a big oak a mile down the road from Drew’s house. He died instantly.

I suppose I should go on and on about how much I loved him and how we were meant to be and this wasn’t supposed to happen but I can’t. We were dating, yes. But we were only dating for a few months and I am upset but sooner or later I have to live my life. So, I guess sooner is better. Less pain. Fewer tears.

As I go on living, I will always keep in mind that no one is invincible.