The Birthday Party

I finished my seltzer and smoked some weed with Ashley and her friends before leaving them to join the party. At first, they followed me into the backyard, but quickly dispersed when Erin and Clay spotted me.

The Mitchells greeted me warmly and expressed gratitude that I’d come. Erin seemed especially pleased to see me. We exchanged pleasantries before Clay shoved a cold beer and a warm hamburger into my hands and led me on a brief tour of the backyard.

“Great place,” I told him between bites.

“Thanks. We’re further out than we’d like, but you can’t find anything like this close to town anymore.”

“Bet you never have to lock the doors though,” I observed, scanning their property. To call it sprawling didn’t quite do it justice.

“We call that ‘low key living’ around here,” he joked. “Had a few tools go missing a while back, but things stay pretty quiet around here most of the time. Unless we’re throwing a party,” he added with a laugh.

He took me around to introduce me to a few of their friends. Later, I meandered around the party by myself and played a few of lawn games that dotted the expansive backyard.

As the sun set and the string lights came on, an odd realization struck me. Other than the three friends of hers I’d already met, there were no other guests Ashley’s age at the party. No younger guys and no other friends. Not even Ashley’s older sister, Chelsea, had bothered to come home from college to celebrate with her. I saw a few small kids and toddlers who’d been dragged along by parents too cheap or harried to find babysitters in time, but everyone else looked to be friends of Clay and Erin.

It didn’t surprise me, then, that Ashley and her crew never seemed far away. I suppose I was the closest thing to a single guy they had at her party, and I soon became an object of their fixation. They deliberately went out of their way to be around me, finding any excuse to hover nearby or cross my path. Whether chasing after each other, interjecting to make a trivial comment or ask an obvious question, or simply strolling across my sightline, they made themselves impossible to ignore.

From time to time, Ashley asked if I wanted to play Final Fantasy or Magic the Gathering or Settlers of Catan, and each time I politely declined. Not just that I had no interest in whatever those things were, but I didn’t want to have to explain to Clay and Erin why I’d snuck off with their teenaged daughter and her friends. Instead, I suggested we play bag toss or horseshoes, which we did a few times until her parents pulled me away for shots of Jägermeister or to play beer pong, or just to join them in one of their conversations.

Ashley refused to leave me alone and found creative ways to touch me or cling to me or get me to touch her by continually bumping into me or backing into me or grabbing my hand or arm. She fell into me more than once, forcing me to catch and hold on to her, then did what she could to prevent me from letting her go.

Despite how drunk they got, Ashley’s persistence to monopolize my attention didn’t go completely unnoticed by her parents. Especially when she’d pull these stunts right in front of them. They’d shoo her away or chide her for being a pest, then apologize for her rude and inappropriate behavior, which I waved away as no big deal.

“Hey, she’s the birthday girl,” I said, “and it’s her party, right? She should get all the attention she wants.”

“You’re being way too nice about it,” Clay said before taking another shot of Jäger.

“Listen. If she’s bothering you, just let me know,” Erin slurred. Then she leaned in closer and whispered, “She’s kind of a pathetic loser, if you know what I mean.”

At first, I was certain I’d misheard her, but then I saw a look on her face that convinced me otherwise.

“No, I don’t think I do,” I said just as she stumbled suddenly and fell forward. I caught her by the arm to keep her from hitting the ground, and her large breasts nearly fell out of her dress.

“Careful,” I said.

Despite her inebriated state, she noticed my glance and looked down at her chest and busted up laughing.

“Look baby, they almost fell out again!” she said to her husband.

Clay glanced over and chuckled, but his reaction seemed placating and forced. “You just can’t help showing them off, can you?”

I helped Erin back to her feet and she pulled the top of her dress open to readjust, a task made all the more difficult since she wore no bra. She paused to look at me.

“What do you think? You like ‘em?” she asked in a hushed tone. “Do you like my big tits?”

My heart thumped in my chest and my eyes jumped to where Clay stood, busy pouring himself another drink. He didn’t seem to be paying much attention to his wife. I responded with a weak smile, and Erin winked before closing her dress. Then she leaned forward to put her hand on my chest.

“Hey, do you wanna fuck ‘em?” she asked, keeping her voice low. “Hmm? Do you wanna fuck my big tits?”

My ears and cheeks tingled, and my mouth felt dry. “Pardon?” I croaked.

She glanced down and smirked. “I know you’re hiding a big cock down there.” She closed one eye and tapped her temple. “Trust me, buddy, I can tell about these things.” Then she lowered her voice even more. “Come on, I saw you checking me out at the river. Be honest. Wouldn’t you love to slide your big cock between mommy’s soft tits?”

I stared at her, completely at a loss for words. She’d certainly been forward with me at the river, but this was something else entirely. My eyes darted around, searching for anyone who might be watching or listening. Erin seemed amused by my discomfort. She breathed deeply and exhaled a sigh.

“I really love getting my tits fucked. It gets my pussy so fucking wet. And you wanna know something? I’m gushing right now. Come inside with me and I’ll show you.”

“Jesus, Erin...”

She paused for a long beat, then shoved me away and cackled wickedly before turning to Clay.

“Did you hear that, honey? He said he wants to fu-”

Ashley body slammed me and knocked us both to the ground. I’d seen her and her friends racing toward us out of the corner of my eye, when she suddenly veered. I barely managed to catch her but wasn’t able to stay on my feet. Ashley landed on top of me with my arms wrapped tightly around her narrow waist.

“The fuck, Ashley?” Erin shrieked, jumping back.

Ashley laughed hysterically and I could tell she was high or drunk, and possibly both. She laid on top of me for a while and took her sweet time to roll off. When I finally managed to pull myself off the ground, I offered her my hand to help her up.

“Sorry, mom,” she said, but I could tell she didn’t mean a word of it.

“What the hell’s gotten into you?” Erin yelled. “Why can’t you just leave him the fuck alone?”

“It’s alright,” I said as I brushed grass and pine needles off my clothes, but Erin would have none of it.

“No, it’s not alright! You ‘pologize to him, young lady!”

Ashley spun to face me and put her hand on my forearm, smirking. “Sorry,” she said with a giggle.

“Seriously, it’s okay,” I said. “It was an accident.”

“Ashley Marie Mitchell!” Clay bellowed, red-faced and swaying wildly.

“Clay, it’s alright,” I said, trying to calm him down.

“No, it’s not! She’s been acting like a fool all night! The whole lot of ‘em!”

“It’s fine. Seriously. They’re not bothering me at all,” I said. The truth was their attention flattered me. “They’re just trying to have some fun. Right?” I asked Ashley.

She flashed me an appreciative smile, but Clay remained incensed.

“You sure, buddy? Cause if those girls are bothering you, just say so and I’ll put ‘em all inside for the night. You hear that, missy?”