Cheers

 

The pizza was getting cold. Balloons were drifting aimlessly along the floor, pushed by the faint breeze of a fan. Condensation had dribbled down the sides of the once-cold sodas, leaving wet rings on the paper tablecloth.

No one had come.

Everyone he knew had been invited, yet not a single person had shown up.

The boy shook his head, frustrated that he'd gotten his hopes so high. Of course no one would come to his party, not when the popular crowd announced just that afternoon that they were having a party tonight as well.

He hadn't been invited.

It didn't matter.  Parties were for losers, and now he didn't have to share any of the pizza.

Walking over to the table, he sat down and pulled over a pizza box. Might as well dig in.

"Cheers," The boy muttered, saluting the empty air with a slice of pepperoni.

"What are we toasting?"

The boy jerked out of his chair at the sound of another voice. Whipping around, and saw a girl standing by the open backyard door. "Who're you?"

"Just a nobody from school. Saw your flier on the cafeteria notice board." She wandered over to the table and took a slice of pizza. "Would've been here earlier, but had a family thing that took forever."

The boy stared at her as she ate the pizza. Someone had come to his party? Fashionably late, but she was actually here. He couldn't believe it. But there she was, already digging into a second slice.

"It's rude to stare, you know." She said, smiling as she took another bite.

"Sorry, I just... wasn't expecting anyone to come."

"Eh, just because the popular throw a party doesn't mean they're the best. Bet I'd only get a couple slices of pizza there." She shook gave a dramatic sigh, as if that were a fate worse than pop quizzes.

"Well, here you can eat as much pizza as you want. I'm the only competition."

She lifted her third slice. "I'll toast to that."

He lifted his own slice, a smile on his face. "Cheers."