AJ spoke up to introduce me. “Sam, this is everybody; everybody, this is Sam.” Their facial expressions ranged from shock to confusion and even genuine kindness.
They greeted me with a “Hey,” in unison. AJ continued to go around the room telling me who everyone was. “This is Deanna, Karl’s girlfriend. “ AJ pointed at the short, dark haired girl on the couch with a wide grin on her face. I waved at her and then he moved on. “This guy is Chris,” AJ said, and then shifted his gaze to the two boys I’d seen him talking to that day at the vending machine, one of which was Asian. “That’s Randy, Trevor…..and Leila.”
Before he said her name, I’d been too nervous to focus on her. But now, our eyes locked immediately. She looked me over from head to toe and stopped as she took note of AJ and I holding hands. Our eyes met again for a second, then she turned away and I saw a smirk cross her face. I tried my best to shake it off. AJ led me over to a couch that looked like it had seen better days. Instantaneously, I found myself wishing that I’d kept my jeans on to protect my legs from whatever was living on it. I sucked it up and plopped down between AJ and Deanna who was already seated there. She smiled at me warmly again and started up a conversation almost immediately.
“It’s really nice to meet you. I think I’ve seen you in school before,” she said cheerfully.
It was very easy to miss someone in our school of 3,000. Another reason that my path had never crossed with any of AJ’s friends was because of the fact that our school was socially divided by race. There were the black people, and then there was everyone else. There was no hatred, only a mutual understanding that the worlds would never mix.
“It’s nice to meet you too. Your face does look kind of familiar. Maybe we’ve had a class together before.”
“Yeah maybe. So were you nervous about coming here tonight and meeting all of us?”
“A little,” I admitted. “I wasn’t sure what to expect.”
“That’s understandable. We’re all pretty laid back though. You seem pretty cool, so you’ll fit right in,” she said as she smiled at me again. “You hungry?” She asked, motioning toward a small table in the corner that had five pizza boxes stacked on top of it.
“No, I’m fine for now, but thanks.”
Deanna nodded and turned away. AJ was talking to Randy about their upcoming game next Friday, so I sat there looking around the room. I tried not to notice Leila staring at him as she sat in a chair against the wall. Of course there was no way I could be exactly sure of her thoughts, but if I had to guess I’d say she looked as though she was desperate to be close to him. I found myself feeling sorry for her again. Putting myself in her shoes for a moment, I imagined how I would feel if AJ decided one day that I wasn’t what he wanted anymore. The thought was unbearable and I hadn’t given myself to him as she had. She turned to me as if she’d heard my thoughts, immediately causing me to look away as I became embarrassed for staring at her.
“So, who’s up for a good old fashioned game of Truth or Dare?” Karl asked. Everyone piped up in response to his request. They all seemed excited as they formed a tight circle with their chairs in the middle of the room. We didn’t have to move because the couch where we sat made up one side of that circle already. This must’ve been one of their rituals.
“Ok, I’ll start,” Karl blurted out. “Let’s see…..umm Randy. Truth or dare?”
Randy deliberated for a second before deciding. “Truth.”