Seniors Poem by anais vionet

Leong and I are at a party, a graduating-high-school-senior throw-down. Their school year is over, and they are ready to darty. We're at a lake house, well away from parents and neighbors.

These are the kids I high-schooled with - I just got promoted a year early. I get a lot of nods, waves and winks from some guys but none of them approach, like a mysterious inversion of attitudes has occurred - as if Yale were a nunnery and I'm a known novitiate. It's just as well, I'm not looking for a hookup.

It's Friday night, about 11: 30 pm, the party started long ago and it's britney-spears-2007. There are drunk girls in the pool in their underwear (Ok, that's just exhibitionism, who comes to a lake party without a bathing suit?) .

We've been here for about a half an hour, long enough to dance a couple of times. It's hot and we're sweaty but we can't swim - Leong and I are moon sisters tonight - it's our trauma bond. Our ad hoc solution, rubbing our arms and necks with ice, is congroovesive.

Leong is loving the bash, she keeps saying, "crazy, " like when large football players jump from the second story roof into the pool. It's a huge pool, a huge party (with maybe 150 kids) , a sound system that Led Zeppelin would envy, and the house is a beach.

Everett, the host for tonight's decadence, comes over and takes a seat by Leong and my lounge chairs. He's a handsome guy, but there's a cocky, entitled edge there that's off-putting. He can be nice when he's not trying to impress anyone.

There's a break in the music. "You're traveling this summer, I hear - me too - what games will you be playing? " He asks,
"I have my switch with me, " I say, "it travels well - not the whole console mind you - that seemed too extra - just the switch. So, I'll be playing Animal Crossing and Zelda - what about you? "
"Oh, I'm gonna play Grand Theft Auto - It was my favorite as a kid, " he says.
"You played GTA as a KID? ? " I gasp, "Why has THIS never come up? "
"I don't know." He admits
"How did your parents let you have that? " I ask, astonished.
"My dad's the one who turned me onto it, " he confides, "he wanted a partner."
"No wonder you love strip club music! " I say, making new connections.
"I DO." He laughed.
"You do, " I confirm, knowingly.

He holds a bottle of deep red something near my glass and raises his eyebrows.
"You can gas me up, " I laughed, "I'm not driving, I'm ok with it."
Leong holds up her glass as well and he pours generously into our Sprites.

"What song can I play for you? " He asks, as a reward.
"I'm going to go basic, " I announce, after thinking about party music, "Beat it, by Fall out boy"
"You got it, " he nods, taking a moment to text the request to the DJ, before moving on to the next table. After a moment, "Beat it" begins, there are a few cheers, but conversation becomes impossible.

Congratulations seniors everywhere!
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Slang:
throw down = large party
darty = drunken party.
britney-spears-2007 = crazy
DJ = digital jockey
moon sisters = girls who have synchronized periods
congroovesive = something that helps to get your groove back
a beach = somewhere you'd like to live forever.