Party

So there we were, standing in front of her house. Her family’s Toyota van was in the driveway along with another SUV. Other cars were parked on the street, making it impossible to find parking nearby. Surely these cars were of her many relatives and friends that attended. The two-car garage door was opened., while the single-car garage was closed. A DJ was spinning some records inside with a few teenagers standing off to the side. The sun was still out when we arrived, so to them, the party has not yet started.

Joel asked me, “Which one’s Jackie?” I looked up and around, but did not see the face that was on the photograph she had sent me online two months before. To my rescue, I had come with two of the most outgoing guys in school who just happened to be my friend (I was actually quite shy, and still am somewhat—it was a surprise that I met her in the first place being the type that I am).

After I responded that I did not know, Joel went up to the first person he saw. It was a person I later came to know as one of Jackie’s best friends, Charmane. When I first met her, the first thought I had was how unorthodox her name was for a Pinay. Joel asked her where Jackie was, even though he did not know either Jackie or Charmane at the time. And at that moment, a figure appeared from behind the door leading into the house from the garage.

Her gaze went straight to Charmane, who was just turning to look for the answer to Joel’s question. Immediately, all of our sights were set on her. That was it. There she was with quite a puzzled look on her face. Her first impression must have been that Joel was myself because he was the one asking the question. My first impression was that this girl was pretty cute in person. She was as tall as me and not as skinny as her friend Charmane, but I did not care.

I introduced my two companions and myself. We hugged for our first meeting. That moment must have been quite odd. I was not the best looking of guys (and still am not), so I do not know what went on in her head. The one thing I remember was that she had told me earlier not to tell anyone that we met online—we supposedly met through a friend—but nobody ever asked about it.

She was wearing a shirt and a skirt, supposedly having changed out of her jeans after her face was planted into her birthday cake earlier in the day. Her body was slim, though not model-slim. The best way I could describe her was average. She was not overwhelmingly beautiful, nor was she even a hint un-pretty. I just remember being a little more attracted to her once we finally met in person.

We spoke here and there throughout the party. She was busy attending to her other guests. It was her sweet sixteen after all. A few of her other friends had shown up by nightfall. They were the typical high school Asian crowd of 2000. The males had faded, spiked hair; the females were short with straight, lightly colored hair. All were wearing casual clothing with a hint of formality, as was I with my dress shirt and blue jeans.

Joel, having been the break-dance specialist from our high school, took over the dance floor most of the night. Justin followed suit with his own moves. They would use Jackie’s little cousin to clear the floor by swinging him around like a helicopter blade. Once the floor was clear, the two would come out with their individual routines. I joined the action with a few moves of my own. In hindsight, maybe I should not have done so—I was hardly the dancing king.

At one point during the night, my friends had noticed that I had yet to dance with Jackie. Joel took her to dance and then dragged me along to follow them. He soon left us alone, just Jackie and I, dancing near the middle of the garage, quite close to each other, just having fun.

The only song I could remember them playing was Limp Bizkit and Method Man’s “N 2 Gether Now.” I remember that song because I found myself dancing to it again with Jackie a few months later. Every time I hear that song these days, it brings me back. It is not exactly the most romantic of songs to remember, but it is a remembrance nonetheless.

After a few hours, Justin called his mom to pick us up. It was time for us to go home—we were outsiders in their world. Once she arrived, Justin and Joel hopped into the Toyota Forerunner. I took a moment with Jackie to say goodbye on her driveway next to one of the cars there. We hugged and parted our ways, but not before I gave her the present I had finally decided on earlier that day. It did not mean much for me when I gave it to her, but it being what it was, it must have seemed like a big deal.

What I gave her was a necklace with a cross on it. It was worth $16, but I had gotten it for free a few months ago because my sister ordered something from a catalog that my school used as a fundraiser. I had also just gotten a newer necklace with a smaller crucifix a month or two beforehand, so the necklace that I gave Jackie was no longer being used by me. Nevertheless, I gave her the necklace without much thought. All I did think of was that maybe she would like it.

I finally got into the Toyota and left the scene with my two friends. For the rest of the night, she was all that I could think of. It must have been the best night of my life at that point. Even for the duration of the following week, I could only think of her. But everything was not exactly that easy. After all, Adrienne and I were still officially together.

So, even though I did just experience the best night of my life, it was actually the harbinger of the toughest times of my existence. The weeks and months that followed were the most difficult for me, emotionally. It was a roller coaster of feelings affected by the slightest of things. I should have know that I was not getting out of my sophomore year in high school unscathed.