"Where's this bash to take place?" Brian asked, his tone eager, as this was the first real party he had been allowed to attend in years, it seemed.

"Oh, didn't I tell you? It's at Bill's." Gary answered.

"Bill MacIntosh?" Brian asked in disbelief. When Gary nodded a surprised agreement to Brian's shocked expression, Brian added, "Of all the Goddamned luck!"

"Why? What's the matter?" Gary wanted to know.

"It's Brenda, his sister. She hates my guts!" Brian answered.

"Oh, come on, Brian, how could anybody hate your pita? What did you ever do to her?"

"That's just it, it's what I didn't do to her," Brian answered, flatly.

Brian entered the house with a knot in his stomach, not knowing what Brenda would do or say when she saw him. He looked around the large living room, filled with his classmates, and some people he didn't know. And then his gaze zeroed in on Brenda as she sat talking excitedly with another girl. She glanced up, and her smile froze, seeing Brian. And then she got up and walked out of the room, leaving her friend with a confused look on her face.

The party was loud and rather wild, music was blaring from one corner, and several people were passing a joint around. A few couples were dancing, their arms swinging madly as they laughed and enjoyed themselves. Gary entered in with the spirit of things and was soon sitting on the couch, a lovely teenage girl to his side, whispering seductively into her ear.

Brian felt miserable. He looked around for Brenda, but she was nowhere to be found. He waded through the mass of people and went through the door where she had made her hasty exit just minutes before.

He saw her lying on the bed, her right arm over her face. She looked so lovely, so vulnerable, as she lay on the velvet bedspread, her blonde hair flowing freely down her shoulders. She looked asleep.