This short story was written by Claire Chen of Richard Montgomery High School
Take pleasure in the surprise on your classmates’ faces when you finally speak up. Smile politely when the teacher says that you’re such a quiet person. You’ve raised your hand for the first time. Though your heart is thumping vigorously, you feel exhausted from all the attention and can’t wait to get out of there.
After school, head to your room and melt into the comfort of your bed. Lying there in silence, you feel a strange sense of calmness from the quiet buzz of the ceiling fan whirring above you. Finally, you decide it’s time to do some homework.
Empty your backpack onto your bed. You notice a bright orange flyer hiding at the bottom of your bag. In big purple letters, it reads, “YOU’RE invited to the annual Halloween party!”
You think back to earlier that day, when the class president was eagerly passing these flyers out to the class. You promised your friends you would be there, but even the thought of a party tires you out. Shove the paper back into your bag, saving it for another day.
A few days before Halloween, you find the invitation again. You dread the event more and more, worrying about what to say and how to act. Rehearse your hellos, goodbyes, small talk, and everything in between. Still, you don’t feel ready to socialize with strangers.
October 31st. The night of the party. You arrive in front of a massive Halloween decorated house. You see others walking and laughing together, heading towards the entrance. You stand there for a moment, alone in the chilly autumn air. You suddenly feel insecure about showing up by yourself.
Nevertheless, ignore your worries and bring yourself to walk through that door. When you enter the party, you meet tons of unfamiliar faces, all blurring together as music blasts from somewhere else within the house.
You slip past the crowd and find yourself standing in front of a snack table. Just then, as you look up, you lock eyes with someone on the other side of the room. They smile and wave, so you do the same. Then, they start approaching you. Panicking, you quickly grab the nearest bag of chips and start stuffing your mouth, hoping that they’ll leave you alone once they see that you’re occupied.
No such luck. Now, prepare yourself for your first interaction of the night.
The two of you introduce yourselves to each other, and the conversation goes surprisingly well. You’ve managed to befriend a stranger in three minutes. Pat yourself on the back.
After exchanging numbers and parting ways, you let out a deep sigh of relief. As much as you enjoyed meeting new people, it always left you terribly exhausted afterwards. Now, you look around for your friends, wherever they may be.
You wander around through the deafening sea of partying teens. Near the staircase, you spot your friends huddled together in a circle, backs turned to you. You take this opportunity to sneak up from behind and scare them. Startled, one of them screams and knocks into a table. You and the others start laughing at your little surprise attack. With your friends, you start to feel more comfortable at this party.
You spend the rest of the night eagerly talking and laughing. After hearing so many funny stories, you laugh so hard that tears form in your eyes. If a classmate had been there, they would have been absolutely dumbfounded to see that you—now rolling on the floor and playfully yelling at your friends—were the same shy kid in school.
Finally, after a long night, you head back home. Tonight went better than you expected. You met new people, ate food, and had a great time with your friends. It was fun while it lasted, but you’re so worn out that you pass out in the backseat of the car. At home, you trudge up the stairs and flop onto your bed, recharging by falling into a deep, peaceful sleep.
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