During our conversation about pre-wedding activities, Sophia and I found the idea of having a party appealing, but we had reservations about the traditional bachelor and bachelorette party. I’d never been to one, but I’d heard stories about them. Getting wasted and dancing with other women didn’t appeal to me at all. My party didn’t have to follow that formula; we could spend the night however I wanted. But the real reason we were anxious was because we both we both had a small circle of friends. We loved kicking it with our respective squads, but a party with just one or two sims wouldn’t be lit.
“What if we did a joint co-ed party?” she offered.
That was the most brilliant idea, and it relieved us both. I mean, the whole point of a bachelor/bachelorette party was just to hang out with friends and have a good time, right? Who’s to say we couldn’t do that together? Our friends and their plus ones were enough sims for a fun, intimate party.
We tried to take Mama’s advice and not show up early this time, and walked in with the first wave. Heh, if Sophia had agreed to my offer earlier, we could have been super late, but let’s not dwell on that. While getting a drink, I saw Alessia. I was low-key pissed, to be honest. Not enough to make a scene or even snub her all night, but we were definitely not okay.
Dub snuck up on me, and I almost dropped my drink.
“This is a nice place,” he said. “The food selection is…interesting.”
“Yeah. I guess I should have been more specific when I requested light refreshments.”
“It’s all good. Nothing like a little natural sugar to get you pumped up!”
“That’s right. I expect to see everyone dancing, Dubstep.”
“Dubstep??”
“Yeah! I think it’s about time I gave you a nickname.”
“But Dubstep though? I can’t stand that music! It’s everywhere at home!”
“Sorry, dude. I’m not often this clever. It’s sticking!”
“Ugh! You better be glad your name can only be shortened, or I’d come up with something annoying for you too!”
“HA! Thank you, granddad I never met, for a boring name.”
“Oh, hi Dub,” Sophia said. “Thanks for coming!”
“Of course I’d come. I gotta make sure my boy Luc stays out of trouble!”
Sophia laughed.
“That’s kind of you, but totally unnecessary.”
I loved she said that. We had several conversations about my female friends, and she always expressed her acceptance of them. I believed her, but part of me wondered if she was actually cool with it or just trying to avoid conflict. Those conversations triggered her sometimes, and I knew she was still dealing with scars her ex-trash man inflicted. I never gave her a reason to doubt me, and I intended to keep it that way. Even so, her display of trust touched me deeply.
Less and Justin were chilling in the corner, probably relieved that I was busy. Did they keep in touch? Probably not. Regardless, I was happy they maintained a small connection, even though I still believed he was much too old for her. Once Rashidah and her husband showed up, Sophia hit the dance floor and got the party going. I sat down and watched her, mesmerized by the thought that tomorrow she would be my wife.
Chi Chi latched onto Maia as soon as she arrived and did not let her go. When Dub noticed, he not-so-casually got closer and watched their every move. I don’t know why I thought it was funny, but I laughed anyway. Seeing him transition through this relationship, going from uncertainty about pursuing it to worrying about someone encroaching on them, was fun to watch. I knew Chi Chi was harmless, but he didn’t, so I didn’t laugh too hard. Still, what was Maia thinking? She was so gracious to endure all that talking for two nights straight. I knew all too well how draining it could be, trying to keep up with all the words that flew out of her mouth.
I eventually finished my drink and got out there to shake it with everyone. Poor Dub didn’t even take one step and spent the whole night watching Maia and Chi Chi. I made a mental note to talk to him about it before we left, so it didn’t become a big deal later on.
The fruity drinks were lame, so I invited everyone to the bar downstairs and bought us a round. The thumping bass from the DJ downstairs reverberated through the walls, injecting a surge of energy into our group. Moving the party downstairs was a genius move. The room was buzzing with excitement. Lively conversations and laughter filled the air. In the midst of all the excitement, I spotted Less trying to slip away, but I quickly caught her eye and called her out.
“Where were you last night?”
“What?”
“The engagement dinner? You didn’t show.”
She shrugged.
“I didn’t want to go.”
I needed a moment before replying, because her response struck a nerve. Her indifference was no stranger to me; I’d been dealing with it my whole life. It annoyed me then, and triple annoyed me now. I usually coped with it by ignoring her, but this was something I could not shrug off.
“You couldn’t at least call and tell me you weren’t coming?”
“I guess. Why are you so upset? You had the dinner and now this party. They’re pretty much the same thing, so why do I have to come to both?”
I was teetering on the edge of losing my cool, and it caught me off guard. Despite all the challenges I faced in my life, I could never truly feel angry. I could’ve been mad at Dad taking us away from Mama, but I was just a little kid and more scared than anything. I couldn’t bring myself to be angry with Mama for breaking up our family because my love for her was too strong. Less always got on my nerves, and I could’ve been mad at her countless times, but I felt pressured to always be in control as the oldest, especially since she always copied me. I just wanted to experience losing control for once, but was that the moment to waste my chance? In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t that serious. Less was just being Less, and as much as it pained me to overlook it again, I just took a few deep breaths and re-centered myself before responding.
“You’re my sim of honor, Less. Does that even mean anything to you? We were doing toasts, and you weren’t there. Dub did a toast for me, and we just met. Maybe I should have asked him or Maira to be my sim of honor.”
“I’m sorry, Luca! I thought it was just a casual dinner or something. I didn’t think you’d be mad.”
I sighed and shook my head at her.
“You never do, Less.”
Speaking of Dub, I saw him stewing on the sidelines, so I let Less go and went to de-escalate him.
“Am I crazy?” he asked as I sat down. “Is she really that bold that she would try to take my girl in front of my face?”
I was glad to have something comical to take my mind off my annoying sister.
“She’s harmless, man. A bit of a flirt, yes, and she talks a lot, but she would never do that to you. She’s sweet.”
“Brooo! The talking! I thought maybe she liked me too because she had me hemmed up all night last night. I barely escaped in time to make a toast!”
I laughed.
“Believe me…I am aware. I feel like she has a quota she has to reach every day or she’ll explode or something.”
“Yeah, and she’s spending it all on us!”
“Seriously… But for real…I really appreciate you doing that last night. My sister should have been the one making that toast, but she wasn’t there, and that really hurt my feelings.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I got you, bro. Whatever you need.”
“I appreciate that, Dubstep.”
“HEY!”
