albee at applebees

APPLEBEES A PLAY: primary cast: - B, def had a crush on me in the past, might still but only in the theoretical, visiting from SF - K poly she/them, primary partnered to M (not present) - AH, they have been in a relationship forever with: - E, some dude, idk hes nice but bland but weirdly intriguing precisely bc he is so bland - C, my friend, visiting me from seattle. doesnt really know anyone but is just taggin along - me, only 2 days into C's visit and I'm already fucking going BONKERS bc of him secondary cast, not present: - M, mentioned above - MH, has beef with K, but friends with me and B - A, my friend, has been on dates with K - S, my roommate setting: applebees near barclay's center. as soon as you walk in you are hit with the american flags and flags spelling out A M E R I C A on the doorway, but each letter gets its own flag and I think the staff wanted to fuck around so it reads more like "AM ERIC" with the spacing (can't see the last "A", she's off in the corner behind the doorframe). we're all here because B has a $100 giftcard to Applebees from his coworkers, and he's visiting, and we're all friends with him. Applebee's is shockingly popular - B got there 20 min before the rest of us and had to put a name down and wait for at least 5 of us to arrive in order to be seated. ~~~~~APPLEBEES DRINKS ARE VERY STRONG AND I AM FEELING THEM. SORRY IN ADVANCE~~~~~ C and I arrive, B's the only one there. Immediately, as usual, B hits me with the "dont be mean" spiel - we have a weird tension that's based 1. in past mutual crush mentioned above and 2. in this weird thing where he always says I'm really mean and in a way that is actually hurtful and mean himself. I saw him last summer when he visited new york and we went to IHOP (i guess we have a thing for chain restaurants) and it was awful. I don't think he realized. But I was really mentally not in a good place because I'd just escaped the gallery, and he was not particularly sympathetic, and kept ragging on about "wow you're mean~!" Maybe it's his way of flirting, like in a 'pulling pigtails' kind of way but I was actually really fucking hurt so I just got really quiet. I don't think I'm mean. I'm kind of a bitch but I'm nice about it, and I purposefully try to wield it in a way that's playful more than hurtful, especially to people I like, which included B. We also hadn't talked enough for him to really know if I'm mean or not, even in college, despite the fact that we know each other enough to hang out when he's in town. Anyway, B actually originally only invited me to Applebee's to go ham on the giftcard. But I wanted to avoid a situation like last summer so I made it a group thing. And the first thing he said was, "Everyone else is coming from Columbia/UWS, so be NICE!" I see where this is headed and immediately cut it off, but in a playful way of, 'I like those people! I'm friends with them! Why do you always say I'm mean? It's really weird, kinda bullying! Haha!!!" but that also conveyed I was uncomfortable. He bantered back that "Haha that seems like a way of trying to SEEM like you're nice" and tried to get C to agree with him. It didn't work, C was just fucking confused. So B ended up apologizing and mentioned that someone else called him out for this a few weeks ago for doing it to them. So it was great and he didn't do it again for the rest of the night. He said it's partly because he's intimidated by me since I'm from New York, which is just stupid. But whatever, hopefully he won't do it again. AH and E arrived together, they're a couple and they live together near NYU. It's funny because I met AH through my ex in college, and the last time I saw them was in that context, so that was a weird throwback. But they're both friends with B. AH/E and I did some catching up since it's been a few years. K arrived last, by that time the rest of us were at a table. [[C has been driving me crazyyyyyyyy these last few days since he arrived. Like, he's going through a breakup, which is why I suggested he come to new york in the first place, but I thought it would be a sitaution of "crash at my place for free and do ya thing, we'll hang out occasionally" whereas I suppose he thought it would be "we will spend every waking second together." bitch I'm not ur partner!! even if i were that's not cool!! our relationship is entirely platonic, but he always says stuff about how cool i am or whatever and I'm literally just making INDEPENDENT DECISIONS it's just normal shit. like he puts me on a pedestal. apparently can't do ANYTHING alone: I go into the kitchen to prep for a dinner party? he follows. i go to HMart in manhattan? he follows. I'm working at my desk all day? he sits in the room with me and reads stuff and goes "HEHE" or "heH" or translates his Chinese out loud in order to garner a reaction from me while I'm trying to fucking concentrate. (he's a weeb, which we bond over, but the difference is that I'm asian and he's a whitino, and his obsession with reading out every chinese character he sees on the street or say random japanese out loud is killlllllling me. I thought he only did it when we watch anime on facetime together, but apparently he does that in normal life too ?? which is sooo uncomf.) I tell him to go out and explore, he says "sure" and doesn't do it. im trying to be nice but in my head I'm starting to think like, jesus FUCK no wonder she got tired and dumped you... he also fully said he was "scared" of my friends before leaving, and i was like OK so don't come if you don't want but they're literally normal people, but he still rallied because he didn't want to be alone, and it was annoying that I had to feel responsible for his own inferiority complex/anxiety/whatever when I'm just here to catch up with friends and have a good time. this is kind of where i start to feel that B is right and I'm a mean bitch but honestly that kind of behavior is unacceptable, we are adults, you don't even have the excuse of having not been in NYC before. AITA????]]] anyway, we all settle in. the applebees is loud, the blender is going on and off, the drinks are way too strong. all them ppl in the primary cast talk way too fucking quietly so you have to strain like crazy to hear anything: AH and E in particular are weird and quiet but in a good way, and they'vea always been like that. K is just quiet can't get a read on them, since this is the second time I've met them. C is normally louder but doesn't know anyone so is quieter today. B is weird in a good way, normally loud, but maybe the group brought his level down. here's the gossip of the night: - K is partnered primarily with M but has been on dates with my homie A; K says they think it's more like friends, despite the dates and the fact that THEY pursued A. also apparently they told A that they were like, 'not primary with M' which is such a lie because they were exclusive for at least 3 years before going poly and they're always together?? - K is partnered primarily with M who is kind of seeing this guy who is in an open relationship with this girl, R, who i hooked up with years ago and who also had a threesome with A and another girl. Prob better for A if K doesn't work out because that is the most confusing poly situation I've seen in a while - EXPANDED VERSION: The night I hooked up with her, R and her now-partner were on their first ever date, at the club (fucking WHY????), and we all ended up in a dance circle. Suddenly he starts hooking up with our study abroad RA named Isaac (u were literally on a first date, again WHY) and so she turns to me and is like 'wanna make out' and she was a terrible fucking kisser but even so i was kinda into her, but then i saw that dude hanging around our dorm all the time so i figured it was serious and didn't go for it (good thing too because it's been 4 years and they're still together). - My roommate S (who was NOT there) is dating a girl who i think is the coolest person ever (I also think S is cool, I want them both to adopt me). The reason S was not there was because B dislikes him. The reason B dislikes him is because he thinks S is emotionally cheating on his girlfriend (who B doesn't know or care about) with people (that B doesn't know personally, but has heard about through his close friends). B said that S is emotionally cheating on his gf with this girl who I think is bland (I'm biased because I met her through Carmelle ok). he showed me screenshots where she basically drunk texted him in very sloppy multiple texts that she loved him and all he said back was "bro are u ok you can call me" which is clearly him being NICE, not encouraging. But whatever, haters gonna hate I guess. - The Evidence that B cited for "S being an emotional cheater" was the fact that him and MH were suuuuper cuddly around the time when S and his current gf had just started dating. BUT MH IS LITERALLY LESBIAN LOL. She's just a huge flirt for anyone including men. Cuddling means jack shit. Some people like that (I can't relate though). but the image of S and MH cuddling up or having a weird platonic affair is hilariousss - I personally think that MH just gets flack like "oh she's flirting with men" because she's very femme presenting. Whereas a more butch presenting lesbian cuddling up with a dude would be like, 'whatever, they are broskis and she's clearly gay'. But that's other people's problems (esp men), not MH's. - A few months ago, me and S were bitching about some girl that everyone likes but neither of us finds particularly interesting or attractive or intriguing or whatever. Turns out, B says, that girl insulted/was bored by a skate video that S made and he got weirdly butthurt/sensitive about it lmaooo. So I guess that's the real reason he doesn't like her. B finds that further off-putting; I find it further charming - the idea of my broski S being sensitive about a video he made lmfao. He's a softie!!!! #TeamS at the end of the night I went home and soaked some soybeans and made the custard base for basil ice cream, which is the prep for the community-based supper club that my roommate (not S) and I are starting! guess which of the primary cast sat with me in the kitchen the whole damn time when I just wanted to be drunk and separating egg whites/yolks alone lol. man this is all so stupid. you can't make this shit up.