Shots, shots, shots [Dars]

Dad says I deserve a bit of a break. There certainly aren't many times he has told me that I should take a rest from training. In fact, I think this may be the singular occasion I have ever heard those words roll off his tongue. I don't mind though, training that is. Got to practice the hardest to be the best, y'know? And I guess if my dad wasn't so pleased with himself for giving me "the perfect birthday present ever!" I might not have even thrown this party - or taken the keys to my brand new mansion. Now I know most District 9 kids don't even have a working shower, but that's just one of the perks of being me. My dad has so much money that we could probably buy this entire junkyard of a District if we really wanted. The thing is, most of the money goes into my training, so to see it going into something like a brand new mansion is certainly new to me. A welcome change of course - I'm not complaining, don't get me wrong - but it's still a change. Hell he even offered to get me a maid to work for me. I told him to hold off on that though. I don't want too much distraction from training, if you know what I mean ...

But the point is, it's my eighteenth birthday. The final step, the year to volunteer, my last year of Reaping eligibility. And after training since I could walk, it's time to kick back for a little while and have some fun. So, as my dad explained to me how he was was going to hand me the keys to the mansion, expected me not (wink, wink - nudge, nudge) to drink any of the various bottles of alcohol that he was "storing" in the bar in the basement, and wasn't going to be home for the rest of the weekend, I knew that he would be quite disappointed if he didn't come back to a completely trashed house and naked kids laying on the lawn. So I made sure that everyone who was anyone knew to come to my house for the biggest party that District 9 had ever seen. I still don't have that high of expectations though ... Free alcohol, lots of music and dancing, and of course a chance to hang out with the coolest, sexiest man in town - me. Honestly, I don't know what teenager could resist the chance to get completely wasted, in a beautiful mansion, filled with various chances to get laid, and the opportunity to shake my hand before I come home a Victor. Seriously, I don't understand what more a kid could possibly want.

And as I run a comb through my hair, staring into the mirror as I try to get it to stand up just right, I realize that I am growing less and less hesitant to this whole idea. For a guy like me who has done nothing but train and train and train, the idea of getting drunk with a bunch of other hormonal, loud, crazy kids my age sounds like it might be fun. When I lived in District 2, I remember going with my dad to the various bars. Not to drink, but to get noticed. By the time we moved here to District 9 to meet my grandparents, I had a line of pompous rich men and women lining up to sponsor me. Not to mention my own fan club filled with some of the prettiest girls I have ever seen in my life. Move to District 9 and you get a bunch of girls who barely try to look good. So I guess I pretty much stopped looking for a pretty face after I was here for awhile. But with this party, I have a feeling I could find someone I could stand for the night. And if they play hard to get, I'll just keep filling her with drink after drink until she realizes I am the best thing that could happen to her. Plus, that way she will be so drunk that she won't even remember in the morning so that I don't have to deal with them asking about seeing me again or how I am the best "boyfriend" ever. You'd think there would be more sluts in Panem who don't mind just having a nice one night stand. What's wrong with just being friends with benefits?

I wink at myself in the mirror (Damn do I look good. Gather around ladies - get ready for a show!) I pick out a nice t-shirt, throw on some blue jeans oh look, I forgot to put on boxers - oops., and head downstairs and wait for kids look for a good time to come pouring in. And as the sun sinks over the horizon and the night air gets cool, everyone starts to climb in through the door in search of a night to remember. Eventually I quit bothering to answer the door, and a little while after that I've completely lost track of how many people are in the house and I could swear that nearly every teenager in District 9 has showed up. Thank Ripred I don't know anyone here. They are all batshit crazy. Or maybe this is how these sorts of parties work? I'm not sure, considering I have never been to one, but I'm fairly certain there shouldn't be a group of girls insisting they are mermaids in the bathtub, a guy ducked taped to the wall asking for a blow job every time someone walks by him, and people playing beer pong with live minnows - yes, like the fish - swimming around in the cups just waiting to be swallowed down whole along with the alcohol. Though I guess I shouldn't be talking though considering my plan to stay classy in order to get girls has been slashed. Somewhere after a ... few drinks my shirt disappeared and was replaced by a pair of suspenders and a few more drinks after that, I am playing spin the bottle and taking a Jell-O shot with everyone in the circle every time A.) a new person joins B.) a person leaves C.) we hear a wolf howl (there are a lot of imaginary wolves howling in the house) D.) we see lots of tongue in the kiss and E.) we feel like it.

I raise one of my shots in the air and give a long howl as I spin the bottle, waiting to see my fate for what seems like the billionth time now. Something tells me that if I have to kiss Miss Fishlips again I might just puke, so I silently pray that I get to kiss the pretty girl almost right across from me. Or maybe I want to kiss that one all the way across the room? Can I just kiss everyone actually? Is that legal? Sure it is. And it will be easy too. What girl doesn't want a taste of me? And as the bottle starts to slow, even before I can see who it has landed on, I raise another shot to the air and scream, "Come and get me ladies! Here I am!" before throwing my head back and letting the alcohol burn down my throat, listening to the cacophony of "Woohoo!"-ing that continues as the alcohol glides down my throat. Definitely the best day of my life.