A New Friend
I’ve been hanging out with a friend for several years now. We have many similar interests, and I like their energy.
Initially, we kept running into each other at campus events sophomore year. We jelled well and would often talk alone before/after/during these events. We joked that we were the only two outspoken CS majors. I treasured these conversations. We traded lots of advice, especially when the other was feeling down.
My Junior year,[1] I had a falling out with the previous year’s friend group. By chance, we met again and they cheered me up. I decided to invest my time with their friend group instead, as we continued to encounter each other albeit at a reduced frequency.
While I don’t think we fit perfectly as people (an impossible thing?), they are dedicated to their friends (including me) and I feel honoured to return the favor when possible.
Their Friends, The Orgy
They introduced me to their friend group, The Orgy, and they were all nice people as well. This friend group organizes hangouts frequently. The group also drink in moderation, which is nice for me to pace myself.
The group had a "vetting period": you had to be invited to 2 events and then the members would vote
We danced, eat candy, drew dot drawings, watched movies and TV (including an ATLA rewatch prior to the netflix remake), partied, traded valentines cards, snacked, and just lounged around.
Junior Year Halloween
My Junior year, we went trick-or-treating. The Orgy dressed as various eeveevolutions. As a last minute addition, I did not coordinate my outfit and dressed as Morticia Adams.
I’m very forgetful, and predictably forgot several items at the end of the night. Orgy members carefully collected my things, kept them safe, and returned them to me.
This was my first group interaction, and I felt so normal and accepted amongst them.
Their house
In their final year of college[1], (some of) the orgy rented a house. It became the common meeting point.
It wasn’t as accessible as Cambridge Lounge[2] (off campus location, and had to check if people were available ahead of time), but coming back on a monthly basis during my first year of work was incredibly worth it.
They let me sleep on their couch anytime (perhaps I should’ve brought a blanket), and one of them even had a spare mattress I occasionally used. I was shown this hospitality even when I did not visit campus to visit them.
I felt connected to campus during what would’ve been my senior year, and am very grateful.
Conclusion
The orgy is graduating this year. We’ll most likely scatter a moderate amount (perhaps within a 90 min radius of D.C.).
I’m scared about what this means. Socializing as a working adult is harder.