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A2 stood at the door to the house, fidgeting as she waited for it to open. It was some kind of professional fraternity. 4S had explained it to her once but she wasn’t really listening. All she knew was he was a member and was into computer stuff.
She was never really a party person. If literally anybody else hosting it, she’d have said no. But since it was 2B’s boyfriend’s and therefore 2B’s party, it would have been rude not to at least show up. Especially since it would mean 4S would be going alone.
The worst part was that it was Christmas-themed. The last thing she wanted to do was have a bunch of people gawk at her in reindeer antlers or god forbid an elf costume. All she was willing to do to accommodate the theme was throw on a red tank top she had lying around.
4S was the complete opposite. He was in a full Santa costume when he arrived to pick her up. Naturally, she made sure the awful fake beard found its way in the trash but he was stalwart about keeping the rest of it.
They had only recently started dating after doing a project together for some mind-numbing gen-ed they both had the misfortune of being required to take. The project had almost been an abject disaster. 4S procrastinated on it until they only had a day left to finish it. Were it not for him convincing 9S to help them, she wasn’t sure they’d have finished it on time. Yet somehow they wound up with an A+.
For whatever reason, A2 asked him to be her partner for the next one too. He seemed genuinely remorseful about his actions and was eager to make it up to her. One thing led to another and eventually A2 asked him out, much to 4S’s surprise and enjoyment. Apparently, he had been blissfully ignorant of her feelings for him.
She had virtually no relationship experience prior. People never asked her out and she had no idea how nor the inclination until recently. A4 had teased her about it once, telling her that she was about as approachable as a radioactive porcupine.
It had gotten to the point that her mom had asked her if she was a lesbian. She was only half-wrong but having your own mother inadvertently rub in your face that you like both genders and still no one would ask her out was maybe the worst conversation she’d ever had.
Now that she finally was dating someone, she got to experience the full gamut of challenges. Like being invited to a party where you knew almost no one because your boyfriend got invited.
Before she had a chance to reconsider her choice to attend, the door swung open and she was greeted by her sister and her boyfriend. The two of them were wearing matching ugly Christmas sweaters, of course. They were practically married at this point. They had started dating all the way back in high school and were still going strong.
9S grabbed hold of 4S’s hand and pulled him into a hug.
“Where’s the beard, man? I can’t trust your lazy ass to do anything.”
“Hey, I got it. What happened after that was not under my control.”
“Whatever.”
While the two of them went at it over a fake Santa beard of all things, 2B regarded her sister. It was clear that she was happy she had come.
“Not looking very festive, A2,” 2B commented.
“That's all I had. I wasn’t wasting money on it.”
“Not to worry,” 4S chimed in. “I don’t need the hat.”
He plopped his Santa hat onto her head, much to her chagrin. She contemplated throwing it on the ground but she didn’t want to make a scene in front of 2B and 9S. She could discreetly take it off later.
The two of them were ushered inside the house. It was nicer than she expected though from what she understood it was less a social club and more a professional organization.
A giant Christmas tree sat in the foyer, a staircase spiraling around it up to the second floor. 4S had told her the hair-brained story about how they had gotten it in here. What possessed them to try and get a twenty-foot-tall tree inside her was beyond her but here it was.
The two of them made a beeline for the snack bar. It was well stocked with holiday staples: from gingerbread cookies to spiked eggnog. At the very least, free food was always something to look forward to at parties.
A2 grabbed an assortment of holiday cookies and a cup of cider to go with it. 4S was of the same mind, mirroring her choices.
Before they even got the chance to sit down and eat, one of 4S’s friends appeared. A peppy guy with curly blond hair and a sheepish look on his face.
“Uh, 4S. I might have broken the TV downstairs.”
“And?”
“We need you to fix it.”
“Do you really have to watch Iron Man III?”
“Yes! If Die Hard counts as a Christmas movie, it does too. And you can’t have a Christmas party without movies.”
4S gave her an apologetic look, handing her his drink, before being dragged off to fix his friend’s mess.
A2 rued her bad luck. 4S was virtually the only person she knew here and there was no way she was going to follow 2B around like a lost puppy. Less than five minutes in and it seems like she was going to be sentenced to become that meme of the guy standing alone in the corner of a party.
Looking for a suitable corner to sulk in, a much-needed lifeline appeared. S21 had also been invited. She shouldn’t have been shocked. Despite being on the soccer team with her, S21 did all the same computer crap that the other people here did. She just also happened to be their team’s starting center back.
“S21, thank god you're here.”
S21 perked up at the sound of her voice, “Surprised you bothered to show up. Nice hat by the way.”
“Uhh, thanks. And yeah, 4S got invited and explicitly got a plus one for me so I couldn’t really say no.”
“Hasn’t stopped you in the past. You skip at least half of our soccer banquets.”
The two of them talked for a while. S21 was certainly better company than the random assortment of people here even if she was rather blunt at times. Still, A2 couldn’t help but wonder when 4S would get back.
Out of nowhere, S21 stood up.
“Sorry to cut things short but I gotta go. I promised G16 I’d help her study for her calc final.”
“The one she failed twice already?”
“Yeah…”
“Yeesh. Good luck.”
“I’ll need it.”
And just like that, A2 found herself alone again. She couldn’t help but feel antsy about what was taking 4S so long. It was just a TV. How hard could it be to fix?
Her eyes slowly drifted across the room, landing on 2B socializing with 9S and some of his friends. Part of her wanted to join her just to be with a familiar face but A2 just sank deeper into the couch with a frown.
Despite being identical twins, sometimes it felt like she couldn’t be more different from her sister. 2B was their form valedictorian, played the violin so well that she could easily play in an orchestra, and of course went to one of the most prestigious universities in the world. She was nothing less than gifted and was more than likely going to take over their mother’s business whenever she decided to retire.
She, on the other hand, had stumbled in here on a soccer scholarship and had average grades at best. Normally, it was supposed to be the older child who was the golden one. Yet she had beaten 2B getting into the world but not in much else.
A2 slumped even deeper into her seat. She would never consider herself to be jealous of 2B. She loved her sister. 2B was more than supportive of her and vice versa. But sometimes she wondered what her life would have been like if she was more like her.
In a vain attempt to distract herself, A2 went back to the kitchen to pour herself another cup of cider, filling it to the brim. At least she was still good at letting people know not to talk to her. The last thing she wanted was some stranger trying to chat her up.
Unbidden, she found herself watching her sister again. 2B was virtually attached to 9S as they navigated the party. The perfect girlfriend. Nothing like her.
She had no idea what she was doing. Her first date was to a barbecue restaurant of all places she invited him to right after practice. She hadn’t even gotten the chance to shower before they met. Not exactly the most romantic start.
A series of cringeworthy decisions she had made popped into her head, each and every one worse than the last. 4S was so easygoing that she never knew if he really was okay with all of her idiosyncrasies or just putting up with it. Maybe that’s why he was taking so long fixing that TV…
A2’s dour train of thought was suddenly interrupted by the very person she was worrying about. 4S plopped down on the couch next to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into him.
“There you are. Should have known I’d find you by yourself.”
A2’s only response to his teasing was to grumble to herself. She was more drunk than she had realized or planned to be. The new cup of cider she had poured was already empty.
“Aww, you kept my hat on,” 4S cooed, batting the white ball on the end of it. “That’s so cute.”
“Having fun?” A2 murmured.
“Yeah. It’s good to catch up with everybody. Just wish 42S didn’t screw up the TV so much.”
“You don’t need to babysit me. Go talk with your friends.”
“Eh… It's always fun to see Nines. But I can see him whenever. The rest of them are just acquaintances.”
A2 curled in on herself slightly, “You don’t need to waste your time with me.”
His face grew deadly serious. It was an expression she had never seen from him until this very moment.
“A2, I’m dating you for a reason. I’m never wasting time when it's spent with you.”
Her face was already flushed from the alcohol but it grew a shade more crimson at his declaration. To prove his point, 4S pressed a kiss to her cheek. A2 reflexively shied away, still somewhat uncomfortable with PDA, but in the end, let him kiss her.
Just like that, he was back to the 4S she was used to. A relaxed smile on his face as he held her close.
“I’m going to keep kissing you until you feel better.”
“Oh dear god, please kill me now.”
“Love you too, babe.”
A warm giddy feeling sparked within her despite her embarrassment. One she had never felt before until very recently. If this is what 2B felt like all the time, no wonder she was glued to 9S. It was a feeling A2 could more than get used to.
