text: The tingling sensation in my body felt like a million fireflies dancing up from my feet and into my heart. I reminded myself to breathe. I freaking love being around groups of people. It’s almost like it’s electric. I looked to my friend, Kate, who was finally coming out with me, and smiled. She gave a reflexive smile. I felt like I was beaming with happiness that she had her face out of a book. She is seldom up for going anywhere outside their favorite spots. Sure, I love to just relax with Kate in our oversized hoodies, it was just something about seeing Kate in her “going-out” clothes that made me feel even more excited about having her outside the house. I looked down at my watch, but as I went to speak, Kate already knew the time without looking at her watch. So I said, “I know. You’ll give me all kinds of crazy signals until it’s time.” Maybe the word crazy was too harsh. Anyway, she will have a good time and will thank me later. It was then that Taylor opened the door and flashed her perfect smile at us. “Denise!” she shouted as she marched her feet in excitement. Matching her energy, I opened my arms and sang “Taylor!”. We embraced and I introduced Taylor to Kate. As we walked in, I immediately recognized almost everyone I used to work with back at Hanger’s Bar. I was washed over with different memories for each person. I set my things down and proceeded to greet each one with a short hug. It took me quite a few minutes to catch up politely with each hug recipient before separating to arm myself with a drink and my best friend. As I scanned the room for more familiar faces to reminisce with, I saw Kate approaching me with drinks. She’s the best, which is why I have a few people that I want her to meet. I knew that Kate’s energy reserve could be depleted quickly with too many social interactions, so I had to choose my recommendations carefully. I let her choose from my list of potential social options in the order that she thinks would be best. It is somewhat of a game we play when we go out. I choose four to five people that I think she would really enjoy getting to know and, based on Kate’s energy supply that night, we meet as many as she wants. It is a way that we can both be respectful of each other’s needs. And that’s why this party will be the best because, with Kate, it always is. The bodily sensations I was experiencing felt like a fuzzy boulder was sitting in my stomach while my mouth would put the dusty desert plains to shame. I reminded myself to breathe. My friend, Denise, looked at me and smiled. For as long as Kate could remember, Denise had always thrived when she was the center of attention. Denise long denies it, but if you look closely right before she’s about to step into the spotlight, there’s an almost too subtle to miss switch, like the batteries connecting in a toy. It had been forever since I have come out with Denise. It has been forever only because I can almost always be found happily reading alone under my blanket at home. So according to best friend law, I am required one obligatory night a month to a place of Denise’s choosing. I could see Denise out of the corner of my eye, looking down at her watch. “Seven fifteen,” I said, without looking at mine. I checked five minutes ago. “We have one hour and forty-five minutes until” and she interrupted. She tried to tell me my very discreet finger-to-nose signal was crazy. “And they are not crazy signals,” I mumbled. It is just sometimes when my battery is running low, I can be, shall we say, eager to leave? As I finished my sentence, the pale yellow door opened, and there stood our hostess for the next one hour and forty-four minutes anyway. She was wearing a very flashy dress and very sensible heels. I remember thinking that was either smart or not on purpose. I blinked as if to shake myself out of my own head. As Kate started her first round of hugs, I didn’t want to stand awkwardly to the side of the group of people while she caught up with everyone, so I kept it moving through the kitchen and into the living room. I grabbed a couple of red cups and filled them with the mystery punch from the refreshments table. As I stood there, drinking and scanning the rest of the faces in the room, I saw the cutest orange tabby cat on the top of the piano by the back wall. So naturally, I made my way over and began to scratch the kitty’s chin. I figured if anyone else wanted to pet the cat, it would be a natural conversation starter and something we would automatically have in common. When the cat decided it had its fill of human attention and ran off, I started to make my way back towards Kate. I gave her the punch and she started to give me short little bios of the people she wanted me to meet tonight. As much as I find comfort in my Netflix list and pajamas with Denise after school, I really do look forward to shaking things up once a month and coming out with her. She gives me that push I need to get my toes outside of my comfort zone. “Life starts outside your comfort zone!” Kate likes to sing out when I am resisting social shindigs. Most of the time, when we play our “Have you met?” game and keep it within my energy reserves, I am usually glad to be out. And that’s why this party will be the best because, with Denise, it always is.