Realistic or Modern Party Like It's 1999!

[elytra]

DJ didn't consider himself a party person.

Now, that didn't mean he didn't like parties. Sometimes, parties could be fun. Going out, getting a free drink, meeting some new people? That was all great. He loved socializing, and he loved trying new things. Those were practically concrete aspects of his personality at this point. Science students weren't particularly known for their social aptitude, but he supposed he could be considered an outlier. He was involved in about 10 different clubs, and almost never missed meetings. He was almost positive he'd never missed a department mixer, either, and most of his professors knew him by name. But he wasn't a party person, because parties still weren't his scene. He didn't host them, and it wasn't as if he planned to go to them at any point. They weren't the highlight of his week, or something he looked forward to, because some parties just sucked. They could be absolutely awful. It really depended on who was there.

This party, for example, really wasn't doing it for him. He hardly knew anyone, and Ellis, his roommate, had gone off somewhere, leaving DJ with the couch and a cup of what he assumed to be fruit punch, though he really wasn't sure. It didn't taste alcoholic, and he hadn't truly come across a case of someone spiking the punch at college events. It seemed to be something that had been left behind in high school; now, if you wanted alcohol, you just went and got it. There really was no reason to peer pressure or trick people into having it. It wasn't as if most of them didn't drink anyway.

Either way, he planned to drink it just to seem like he was doing something. He wasn't uncomfortable, really, but sitting on the couch basically screamed 'I don't want to be here, I got dragged here', which while not too off the mark was a little pathetic. He could leave whenever he wanted; he just wasn't about to leave Ellis there, because the other had bullied him into driving to the party in the first place, and so he would have no way back. It would be a shitty thing to do. So, there he sat. If someone were to come along and sit nearby, maybe he'd start talking to them to pass the time, but he didn't plan to go out of his way for it tonight.

 

[jadafun]

Darius had barely been here for half an hour, and he was already tired of the place. His twin brother, Caleb, had dragged him to the party, supposedly to get him out of his 'funk'. After he finally got the courage to dump Tye for being the abusive scumbag he was, Darius shouldn't have given him a second thought. But, maybe his ex had rooted himself so deep into his insecurities that Darius had started to believe the bullcrap he fed him. He wouldn't leave his room for anything but class, he felt too on edge to talk to anyone. Tye had influence around the school, had a reputation too good for who he really was. Darius, on the other hand, had a good reputation, but more with teachers than other students, who he rarely spoke to.

Knowing that if he told anyone the things Tye would say or do to him, they would be more inclined to trust Tye over him? It made him too scared to speak out about it. A bump against him jolted Darius's mind back to the present, as some girl told him to watch where he's going. He needed to forget about the past, that's the whole reason he was here. He decided if he was going to get lost in his thoughts anyway, it was best to do it sitting down, so he wouldn't disturb anyone else. He didn't think much about taking a seat on the couch, almost not noticing the other boy already there.

He could practically hear Caleb shouting at him to 'make a move', which he inwardly winced at. Instead, he took a deep breath, and attempted an introduction.

"Hi! I'm Darius." he said, as he turned to the other boy.

 

[elytra]

Surprisingly, DJ found that he didn't have to be the first one to talk. Not that other people couldn't start a conversation, it was just that people sitting on a couch in the middle of a party didn't generally sit there to start a chat. He was pretty sure the area for that was the kitchen. It was that, or wherever the beer pong was set up. Regardless, he turned so he could get a better look at who was talking him, grinning wide enough that his dimples showed. There wasn't a reason not to be friendly, especially considering he would've started talking if the other boy hadn't beat him to it.

"Hey." He greeted, leaning back into the corner of the couch, wincing slightly at the creaking he heard. He supposed that he shouldn't be shocked that the couch in a frat house was shitty, and yet, he still was. "DJ. That's my name, not my occupation, just to get that out of the way." He continued, introducing himself, and adding a small joke in hopes of not seeming uninterested in conversation "Nice to make the acquaintance of someone else finding refuge on the couch. The rate this party is going, I'm kinda thinking the police are gonna get called."

 

[jadafun]

'So far so good!' Darius thought. Now to continue the conversation with minimal stammering or awkwardness. "Yeah, it's actually got me a bit on edge. I'm not used to being at parties," he admitted. "My brother's the social butterfly of the two of us, and I have no idea where he went. Nor do I want to, knowing him, as long as I can find him before he gets himself into trouble." He rolls his eyes at the thought.

Then, he stopped himself. Was he babbling too much? He didn't want to feel like he was over sharing with someone he literally just met." A-anyway, it's nice to meet you, DJ! Do you usually come to places like this?"

 

[elytra]

The guy seemed to be a bit awkward. Which was fine, some people didn't really know how to traverse conversation with strangers, DJ wasn't about to judge. He knew plenty of people who did a lot worse with talking than Darius. Besides, it wasn't like he was going to point it out, anyway. That'd be rude as hell, and he was actually interested in talking to the other. He wasn't going to fuck it up by pointing out something that didn't need to be pointed out.

"Nah, not really. Parties aren't my thing." DJ admitted, shrugging his shoulders "I mean, I go to them once in a while, but it's honestly a hit-or-miss experience. Usually my stomping grounds are club meetings and stuff like that. You know, places that don't blast shitty EDM to break my eardrums." He grinned, gesturing to the room at large to point out the choice of music that had been put on at that very party "Case and point. I feel bad for the neighbors. Anyway, what about you? You don't frequent parties, sure, but any clubs? Feel free to not humor me, but I'm curious."