Returning to "A Feeling Like Home"

Chris and Danny were back in town for the weekend—“I’m getting sick of college,” Chris had told Jon on the phone—and we were sure as hell going to make the best of it. We were throwing a party.
Megan was in charge of cleaning Jon’s basement, Jon was getting drinks courtesy of the River Styx, and I was supposed to be helping Megan, but we pretty much just kept each other company and cozied up on the couch since Jon’s basement was clean already. So basically, it was just Jon getting drinks while me and Megan waited for him to get back.
We had about an hour until Jon would arrive with Chris, Danny, and alcohol, so we just lay down and relaxed.
“I’m kind of uncomfortable with Danny being back,” Megan admitted.
I shrugged against the leather of the sofa. “Why be? I hear he’s with some new girl, Sara, now.”
“I know; Jon told me too. It’s just that…” she hesitated. “I feel bad for being the reason you two fought.”
“You mean for being the reason Danny just beat the crap out of me.”
“Yeah.” From the look in her eyes, I figured that what I said had only made it worse.
I kissed her. “That’s in the past,” I said. “Everybody involved has moved on.”
“But I don’t know about Danny.”
That was it. I really didn’t want to—it was between me and Danny—but I had to tell her. “Just trust me on this; he’s over it. He’s done some growing up. Before he left, he told me to make sure I was good to you. And it was the way he said it. I mean, you saw the look on his face when we were all saying goodbye. Just trust me.”
“Okay.” She kissed me and smiled. I smiled back and held her closer.

Five minutes to go, and we were both sleeping. Thank God that Megan’s phone rang when it did.
After assuring Jon, who was on his way, that everything was ready, we both scrambled to get everything ready. Megan raced around with the vacuum while I moved everything on the floor out of the way. Within five minutes, we did a pretty good job, and stowed the vacuum. We sat on the couch, as far away from each other as possible, with our hands folded, like misbehaving schoolchildren pulling their act together just as the teacher walks in. It reminded me of when I was in elementary school. I even held my back straight for once. It was just one of those moments of priceless absurdity. I was grinning from ear to ear.
That was when Jon walked in with Chris and Danny at his back and the party began.
We stood up and said “hey” and “good to see you”. Megan hugged Chris and Danny; I shook their hands and pulled them in close for a quick pat on the back. Danny didn’t look much different, but Chris had a beard and had traded in his leather for a pea coat like mine and Jon’s. I pointed this out and he shrugged. “College is ruining my rebellious nature,” he explained.
Then Jon waved the paper bags from the River Styx, to kick off the festivities, and Megan went and got some glasses and ice from the cabinet upstairs. The rest of us sat down, and Chris and Danny relayed stories of California and all the strange people there.
We were in stitches, I swear. It was that funny.
Me and Megan passed a glass of iced Disaronno back and forth as this went on, and Jon had lined up four shots of Jack Daniel’s on the footrest, two apiece for Danny and Chris. For himself, he poured a whole glass of the stuff.
“For some reason,” he slurred later on, “I’ve always had a higher tolerance for alcohol than Danny or Chris.”
Yeah right. That one got us all laughing.

We were about an hour into partying and all of us were pretty loosened up when Jon’s phone rang.
He laughed a little drunken laugh as he put it to his ear. “’Ello?” He smiled and nodded, but after about five seconds his face went slack and his eyes widened.
I figured his parents were on the way or something, and quietly stored the bottles of alcohol under the couch.
Another fifteen seconds of listening to someone talk on the other line and Jon nodded. “Alright. I’ll be there. Bye.” He hung up and looked at me. “I’ve got to go.”
“What happened?”
Jon shook his head. “Some idiot fell asleep with a cigarette in my cousin’s apartment building. Al was pulled out dead about five minutes ago.”