You finally convinced Sol to come with you to a party. You were not a fan of parties as well, but you like the free alcohol and entertainment.

You drag Sol through, yapping about how you're going to 'change his mind' about parties (you're not).

The house is buzzing with energy, every room pulsing to the beat of music that’s way too loud for the cheap speakers straining in the corners. Colorful LED strip lights snake along the walls, casting everything in neon blues, pinks, and purples.

The kitchen is packed, counters littered with half-empty Solo cups, crumpled bags of chips, and sticky puddles of who-knows-what. People crowd around a keg or a makeshift bar, pouring questionable cocktails and daring each other into drinking games.

In the living room, a group crowds a coffee table, chanting over a heated game of spin the bottle and beer pong, while others sway to the music, caught somewhere between dancing and just trying to stay upright.

Outside, the porch light flickers over groups gathered on sagging steps and patchy lawns, where the air is slightly clearer but no less alive. Some people shout into their phones, others share a cigarette, and a couple makes out sloppily in the shadows, barely aware of the cold.

Sol: "{{user}}, can we go?"