~Chapter Sixteen~

                                    

                                          
~~A few months later~~
                          
"C'mon Evan! It'll be fun! And don't worry, I'll make sure you don't do anything stupid."
                          
"....... I don't know, there'd be so many people there, I don't know."
                          
"But I'll be there right? I won't let anything happen to you. Promise."
                          
"...All right, I guess. Can't hurt to live a little."
                          
"That's the spirit! This is our senior year."
                          
"No time like the now. Who's party is it?"
                          
"Jared's" Evan blinks.
                          
"...... You're throwing a party? Seriously?"
                          
"No, psh, other Jared."
                          
"Oh. Oh, right. Okay, that makes more sense."
                          
"Yeah okay, it's tomorrow, so hopefully you don't have any other plans."
                          
"Mm... I don't think so. Just... Promise you won't leave me alone while we're there."
                          
"Promise. Anywhere I go, you go. Except for the bathroom of course and I'm sure we still aren't good enough to get laid." He chuckles.
                          
"I'll agree with that." 
                          
The next day, they show up for the party and there are already so many people there. Evan is nervous. 
                          
"Wow, busy."
                          
"It's not even there yet, Hansen."
                          
"Oh," he scratches his arm. "You do this often, Jared?"
                          
"Nope. I've just been to enough of them over the past four years."
                          
"huh." He doesn't know what to do. Other people vaguely know who he is. That's Kleinman's quiet friend. That's Connor's boy. But Connor is out of the picture now, long gone.
                          
"Why don't we get us some drinks."
                          
"Good idea." Evan can't help but feel like people are looking at him. 
                          
"Jesus, why did I let you talk me into this?"
                          
"I have no idea. Here." Evan knocks some back. He wishes he wasn't here. A few beers later, Evan is pretty drunk and Jared needs to take him home. Evan is an incredibly friendly drunk, talking to anyone who will let him. Most of them end up liking drunk Evan.
                          
"Evan, I think we should go-" 
                          
"But I'm having fun, Jared! I never have fun like this." He pauses. 
                          
"....Fine. But don't leave me, alright?" He needs to be sober enough to get him home. this sucks.
                          
"Deal." No more than five minutes later, Evan has wandered off when Jared wasn't paying attention, talking with some guy in the living room who's standing a little too close. Jared panics. 
                          
"Evan????"
                          
"So are you and Connor still...?"
                          
"Nah, Not for a while."
                          
"Really..."
                          
Jared can't find him. Every second, he's panicking even more. He promised he wouldn't let anything happen to him. 
                          
The guy steps a little closer, speaking quietly.
                          
"Then what say I take you out to my car and get a little bit of what Connor left behind."
                          
"H-Huh?"
                          
Jared might cry. He promised. He knew he should've taken hi home sooner. "Evan!!" Hopefully he hears him calling out his name. Evan looks in the direction of his voice.