“What do you mean you’re not going?! You said so yourself you wanted to go when we first told you about it!”
“Well, now I’ve changed my mind.” I told Hans bluntly.
“No way, I don’t believe it,” Hans shook his head as he slumped down onto the couch. “All month you’ve been talking about how excited you were about going, so now I just don’t get it. Why don’t you want to go?”
“I don’t know, I’m just… not in the mood. So just- just go on without me, I’ll be fine!”
“No, I think there’s something else that’s going on here.” Unfortunately for me, Derek somehow always knew when I was lying. “It’s like Hans said- you’ve been going on about it for weeks, and now all of a sudden you don’t want to go. It doesn’t make any sense.” He looked me directly in the eye, as he usually did when he would try to get something out of me. “So what’s really on your mind ‘Seph?”
I continued to sit there with my knees to my chin, just staring at the floor. I didn’t want to tell them everything! But I had to at least give them a genuine answer…
So after a moment of me being completely silent… “I’m just a bit nervous, that’s all.”
“About what, Cho? Aww come on, there’s nothing to worry about, it’ll be fine! You do want to see her again, don’t you?”
“Well yeah, of course I do! It’s just that…”
“Just trust us! Derek and I’ll be right there with you, so let’s go have some fun!”
My knees slid down from my chin until the backs of my legs touched the mattress. It wasn’t seeing Cho again that I was scared about, but…
“… Is it okay if I pick a new outfit first?”
Derek cracked a smile. “If that’s what it’s going to take, then be our guest.” Then he and Hans got to their feet and headed for the door. “We’ll be waiting out here for you when you’re ready, okay?”
“Yeah, but don’t take too long now, right? Cho’s waiting for us!”
I nodded as they shut the door behind them. Then without further ado, I rushed over to the closet and stared into its depths. “So… Which one?”
The number of options was endless, but just standing there wasn’t going to help, so I stepped inside and began my search. “Most of these won’t even do. Being the center of attention is the exact opposite of what I want. What I need is something subtle,” I told myself as I pushed outfit after outfit farther down the clothes rack. “Something that won’t bring much attention to myself! Something-”
And there it was. Hanging there all the way in the back was the very dress I’d been looking for. It had been so long since I had worn it, but that didn’t matter. This was the one.
I smiled as I took that light blue dress off the rack and hugged it close to me. “Something that I’d normally wear.”
-------------------------------------
Thirty minutes later, the three of us were climbing up the stairs to ETMA’s ballroom for the party. Everything felt so nostalgic to me the second we stepped foot on base- it had been eight years since I’d last been there after all. But to me at least, it seemed that nothing had changed at all. Everything had stayed the same since when I’d left it. I was still really nervous about it all, but it was the thought of seeing Cho again that kept me from heading back, so I kept going.
That is, until we were inside the building. Hans looked down at me. “You ready?”
I let out a nervous laugh. “S-sure, yeah!”
“Awesome, let’s go then!” He and Derek went ahead of me, and they entered the party when I stopped in my tracks just outside the entry way. I guess the sound of the music got my nerves acting up again. It wasn’t so bad before, but now I was just terrified. The fact that I was there at all practically made it inevitable that I would see him again after so long, and I was actually already considering leaving too. But…
“There you are! Hans and Derek said you were- whoa…” I caught Cho’s eye, and her jaw had dropped once she set her eyes on me.
I blushed. “Ch-Cho? What is it?”
“I… I-Is that… the dress that you wore to my sweet sixteen?”
“Y-yeah!” I felt my ponytail swing down around my neck as I looked at the dress myself. “I’m actually surprised it still fits me.” Then my head shot right back up. “Why? D-Do I look terrible?”
“Wha- no no! Not at all!” She shook her head frantically. “You look- well… You look beautiful.”
I was beaming once she said it. Then she held out her hand. “Now what are you doin’ waiting out here? We’ve got a party to crash!”
“R-right!” I let her take it and, holding hands, she led me into the party.
Hans and Derek were waiting for us just inside. “Haha, now that’s more like it!” Hans gave us a thumbs up before looking around at the party. “Okay, so what should we do first do you think? Let’s see… There’s dancing, food, lots of people to talk with, a bar- WHOA SHIT there’s a bar?! LET’S GO GET DRINKS!”
Derek grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled Hans back over right away. “Not now you dumbass! We just got here for christ’s sake!”
“Aww come on! Just one beer, I swear!”
“Oh yeah, sure. Then one beer’ll end up turning into five of them. Honestly.” The next thing he said was meant for all of us. “Anyway, I think the best thing to do right now is to take things slow. So why don’t we just stick together as a group and go mingle a bit with some of the others?” He was looking right at me. “Is that okay for you to start out with?”
“Mmhmm, yes I think so. That should be fine!”
Derek turned back to Hans. “You heard her, we’re mingling first. Then you can have your beer. Got it?”
Hans shrugged once Derek let go. “Yeah sure, I guess I can wait.”
“Good. Now let’s go.” With that, Derek took the lead as we went further into the crowd. Most of the people we passed by I hadn't seen before, but since ETMA had many bases world-wide, this was a given. Even so, it still amazed me that there were so many agents that I had never even met; ETMA had really grown over the past eight years.
As we dived further in, I did notice some of the Brotherhood, though most of them I could only recognize by sight. Although there were still a few who I knew really well, such as...
"Hey!" Sammie Phoenix was the first to greet us. "Long time no see 'Seph! You too Hans, Derek!"
I always did like Sammie. "Yeah, long time no see to you too! You look great by the way."
"Haha thanks, so do you! That dress looks gorgeous on you!" She smiled warmly and put her hands on her hips as she continued. "So, how are you guys liking the party so far? I know it's a bit more crowded than it has been in the past."
"The more the merrier I say!" Hans rested his arm on Derek's shoulder; he didn't seem to mind. "The place is lively than ever!"
"Well now that you're here, definitely!" Sammie moved further in so that the five of us formed a circle. "To be honest, it never felt the same here after you left. Especially New Years- you guys were the life of the party!"
"Yeah, no shit! Man... It sure does feel good to be back."
Next it was Derek's turn. "So how've you been holding up Sam? Eight years is a long time after all."
She shrugged. "Eh, same old same old I guess. I do have some new younger brothers though! One's six, and the other is three. They're both adorable, but they sure can be a handful!"
"Eheh heh..." Cho nudged Sammie with her elbow. "Isn't that one of 'em over there?"
When she looked in the direction Cho was pointing, she let out an audible gasp. "Jamie?! Get down from there! DON'T DO THAT IN THE PUNCH- OH MY GOD." She turned back to us. "I've gotta go!" Then she bolted in the opposite direction. "It was nice seeing you guys again!"
Unfortunately I had an idea of what was going on. So I tried to get that mental image out of my head and started up a conversation again. "So..." I said to Cho, "did she know that we were coming?"
"Who, Sammie? Yeah, I told her about it beforehand. And of course, she was thrilled to hear that you guys were finally gonna make it this year." When I kept looking at her questioningly, she continued. "I didn't tell anyone else though, if that's what you're asking. The fact that you're all here'll be a big surprise for-"
"Hey Cho, there you are!" The next thing I knew, Tosh had joined our group. "I've been looking all over for y-"
And just when I was hoping she wouldn't notice me, she did just that. I was so sure that she'd be terrified of me after what I had done to her, but the reaction I got was the exact opposite of what I had been expecting. "... 'Seph? Is that you?"
Cho looked a bit on edge, which was completely understandable as I would most likely have done the same thing, but I was the one who probably felt the most awkward of all. "... Y-yes?"
To my surprise, she actually looked very happy to see me. "Wow, I almost didn't even recognize you! You look great!"
I already felt my cheeks burning up. "Oh, th-thank you. I-I-I mean-"
Then right out of nowhere, I felt a pair of arms wrap their way around my chest- Tosh was hugging me. Very tightly, in fact; she squeezed me as if she'd never let me go. "Where've you been 'Seph, I've missed you!"
I didn't know what to say. Of all the things that could have happened that night, this was the last thing I was expecting. "Aww who cares where you were! The important thing is that you're back!" Then she let go and looked over at Hans and Derek. "Hey you guys! Lookin' swell!"
"Hey kiddo!" Hans laughed as he and Tosh gave each other a high-five. "You've gotten a lot bigger since the last time I saw ya!"
"I'm still under five feet! But I'm not Kaya, I love being short! It gives me an edge, and besides- being short does have its advantages!" She then between the lot of us. "So, how long are you guys staying? Maybe you're thinking about rejoining ETMA or something?"
Once again, another thing I wasn't expecting. "Um... You do know that I'm the head of Melisma, right?"
She shrugged. "Yeah. But I don't care about that. I mean, you're still 'Seph, so that shouldn't even matter at all, you know?"
Cho laughed nervously before crouching down so that she was on level with Tosh. "Okay shouldn't you be hanging around with Chad right now? And Gina and Kasumi?"
"Eh they're around here somewhere, but I'm fine! Really! What are you so worked up about anyway?"
When Cho had bent down, I was able to look past her, but I soon wished I hadn't done that. The thing I feared most about the party was coming true- straight ahead on the opposite side of the room was Shuuhei, and he was looking in our direction.
I gulped. "Um, I need to use the restroom! So... I'll be back!" I hurried off as fast as I could, back through the crowd, to put as much distance between me and Shuuhei as possible. I couldn't let him see me! No way at all! So I kept going back the way we came until I found myself at the buffet table. The way I was feeling right then, this was exactly where I needed to be! Once I spotted the powdered mini doughnuts, I quickly grabbed one and popped it straight into my mouth. Then I continued doing that for the next ten doughnuts.
But I wasn't alone for long. "Hey 'Seph!" Cho found me not even a minute later. She took one good look at me before smacking her forehead. "Oh boy. Okay. Care to tell me what's going on?"
I replied to her, maybe a bit too quickly, with my mouth still full with doughnuts. "Nuffim! I'm fime!"
She didn't buy it. She stepped closer and pulled me away from the desserts. "Heh heh no. You always stuff your face whenever you get anxious, now what's up?"
I pouted. Once I swallowed, I gave in. "Alright fine. I'll tell you, but you have to promise- oh shit!" I swear, Shuuhei HAD to have known I was there because there he was, not too far away on the opposite side of the table. I immediately ducked down behind the table and pulled Cho down with me.
"Whoa what the- 'Seph! WHAT is it? Who're you hiding from?!"
I jerked my head to the right. "Over there", I muttered.
Well she was definitely curious since she peeked over the table. She searched for a few seconds before saying anything and turning back to me. "Shuuhei?"
I averted my eyes and turned my head away from her.
"Shuuhei?! That's what this is about?! Oh my god, come on 'Seph! It's Shuuhei!"
"Exactly! It's Shuuhei! Oh he didn't see me, did he?"
"Eh no I'm pretty sure he's already seen you. But what's the big deal, he's a great guy!"
"I know! That's why I'm so scared! He's so great, but he has to hate me by now."
Cho raised her eyebrows at me. "Now how do you know that?"
"Because! He was so good to me, he went out of his way to help me! And then I had to screw everything up, and then I left, and I practically stabbed him in the back!" I grabbed my ponytail and kept tugging on it. "I feel so terrible, I really wish it hadn't happened in the first place..."
"Then why don't you just go talk to him about it? You know what kind of guy he is, he'll listen to you!"
"No no, I can't. I let him down, and I-I'm scared he'll be mad at me! Th-there's no way..."
The two of us were silent for a moment before Cho finally stood up. "Okay let's set some things straight here. Your problem is that you worry too much. But we're gonna change that!" Before I knew it, she had me up on my feet and was pulling me away from the buffet table. "Come on, we're gonna go get some drinks."
"Wh-what?!" Was she out of her mind?! "N-no way, I couldn't!"
"You can, and you will! Now let's go!"
"Cho no, I can't! I can't drink here!"
"Sure ya can! This is a party, and you're under no obligations as the Melisma head while you're here, so let's go!" As soon as she spotted Hans and Derek, she got their attention. "Yo Hans!" She waved and pointed in the direction of the bar. "To the bar man, we're getting drinks!"
"Hell yeah, I'm right behind ya!" And then he bolted for it while Derek fell into step with me and Cho. By the time the three of us reached the bar in question, Hans already had a pint of beer in front of him.
"Okay," Cho said to me as we sat down side by side in front of the counter, "we'll start out small and have some shots. Sound good?"
"... Sure, I guess I'll just have some wine or something..."
"Wine?! Oh no, you can't have that crap! We're having the real stuff." She waved at the bartender. "Hey pal, can we get two shots of vodka over here, thanks!"
Vodka? Oh no... "A-are you crazy! I can't drink that!"
"Of course you can, it's just a shot!" Seconds later, two shot-glasses full of vodka were sitting in front of us. Cho took hers and instantly poured it down her throat. "Ah yeah, that's the stuff."
I eyed mine hesitantly. "I don't know, I really shouldn't." I knew what was going to happen if I did, and I had promised myself I would never again because the end result was just downright embarrassing.
"Aww come on 'Seph, it'll be fun!" Hans encouraged me from Cho's other side. "It's your night to relax, take advantage of it!"
"Yeah really! I mean, come on!" Cho slapped me on the back. "Just live a little!"
... Well that made up my mind. I tried to hold it back, but there really was no point in doing that. "Augh to hell with this!" I grabbed my shot-glass, downed that vodka in an instant, and slammed the glass down onto the counter. "Hit me." The bartender poured some more in, and I did the same with that shot. "Again." More... "No no, keep it coming. That's right."
All three of the others were staring at me at that point. Cho blinked. "Oh my god you're a drinking machine, THIS IS GREAT!" She slammed her glass down too and clapped her hands together. "Okay change of plans!" She leaned forward and looked straight at me. "We're gonna have ourselves a little drinking game! Last one standing- or sitting- wins! Think you got what it takes?"
I just smirked at her. "Bring it on. I hope you have fun snoozing on the floor when I'm basking in the winner's spotlight."
"Oh it's on now!" She grabbed her shot-glass and turned back to the bartender. "Alright man let's go! Keep those shots comin' buddy!"
As I took another vodka shot, I could hear Derek groaning from the other side of the bar. "Great. Now I'm going to be stuck with three drunks."
