I arrived at Anthony's at 9:58 P.M. Ten times out of ten, I was precisely two minutes early. I was expecting to see all the only familiar faces opened the grand oak door to his house, my gift in tow. While there were remnants and glimpses of recognized faces, I was mostly overwhelmed by the anxiety of approximately sixty strangers, each clearly avoiding sobriety. What the hell? It was barely 10:00 and Anthony's party was already close to out-of-hand. The bass of Anthony's parents' speakers was trembling. The sound waves smashed against my skull. The red cups and bottles and cans faded into a kaleidoscope-like mess. Uncomfortably surprised by these developments, I found himself gliding into the otherwise unnecessary sitting room. I need to sit down. It's not like I was a socially incompetent recluse, I just thrived off the regularity of my life, to the point that change was anxiety-inducing. I was a guy who needed simplicity and pattern. I owned the same American Eagle flannel in five different colors. I also had four sets of the same bed sheets. I had not changed his Facebook profile picture in two years. In some odd way, the sitting room comforted me in a manner that words or gestures probably could not at that precise moment. But as the moment shifted, my attention shifted to the girl sitting about five feet across from him. It was...What's her name again?

"Errr...hi," my words fumbled like a bad pass, and I hoped she did not know my name either.

"Hi! You're Matthieu Depaul, right? I'm Natalie Sterling. I think we might have had Spanish together or something Freshman year? Maybe?"

I desperately tried to seem casual, but my efforts were to no avail. I twiddled with my blistered thumbs and wondered, How was she so comfortable talking to me? She doesn't even seem drunk. What am I supposed to say now? Who am I? What is life?

Her eyes sparkled with genuine interest and curiosity. Her mouth was slightly a jar with an anticipating smile. Simultaneously, I was panicked and comforted by her ease. I replied, "Yeah. And you're....*oh God, oh God, oh God* Nat-uh-lieee?"

"Yep, that's me!" She flashed a toothpaste commercial-worthy smile. "You seem nervous. You really need to lighten up," she chuckled.

"Um, yeah. Definitely. I guess." I was flabbergasted at her honesty. No one had ever called me out before this. I needed this. I started to feel an inclination to change. To leave my bubble of comfort. I felt like I was stepping into a new body. After approximately two minutes, this girl helped me ignite change in myself that I never knew would even exist. As we sat in this sort of strange, comfortable silence, a question occurred to me. "What are you doing here?" I asked bluntly. Where did that come from? The sensation of direct communication felt like a jacket that was about a size too big for me, a little weird , but I could grow into it. What is happening to me? Did I forget to take my common sense meds this morning?

She pondered. She did not know Matthieu at all. "Well, I could ask you the same thing."