This cottage party happened a week or so ago, and I haven’t really had time to write it up until now. Managed to have to have some down time now, so I figured I should write it up and get some feedback from the community.

Anyways, I was invited to costume themed cottage party by my extended social circle (people that my core social circle knows but people that I don’t know personally, basically they are all high school friends and I met my core social circle while in college). After the long drive to the place, I catch up to my wingman and begin socializing (only with core members). Start drinking and start cracking jokes. Eventually, we all go inside to eat and more socializing (core members and some new people). We make it outside and enjoy the view and drink and talk more. (The main issue here is the AA that was kicking in, but it simply disappears after).

We move another area and I introduce myself to HB7 (Claire, not a real name). Me and Claire hit it off pretty well. I kino from the get-go and she notices this and comments on it, saying “you like touching girls” (shit test), to which I agree and kino her friend by the waist. Her friend loves it. However, I make an outlandish comment that turns her friend off and later in the night becomes a cockblock.

I go inside and join a drinking party (flip cup and beer pong). I find my oneitis (Emily, not real name) and sit with her and let our legs touch. We talk a bit and banter, nothing too serious. Then I join the festivities. After that I head back outside.

I meet up with Claire, who now decides to sit on me. We talk a bit and then she states “By the way, I’m clean”. I’m caught completely by surprise by this comment but make nothing about it. Eventually we decide to move from the seat and stand by the railing and watch the stars. I put my arm around her and feel her up. I get bored of this and decide to bounce her inside.

I move inside to another part of the cottage where a dance party is underway. As usual my oneitis is present and I proceed to dance with her (I haven’t actively kinoed her yet, and this stems from being safe with her and AA. I know at this point I may be friendzoned but I also know with the right attitude I can get out of it, but it’s not of importance right now. Now is the time I focus on me and improve myself). We dance with each other and other core members for an hour or so, before I decide to go outside.

Finally outside, I see Claire sitting on another close friend of mine. She seems to be playing the field and I feel threatened by this. My friend is a natural at this, so I’m a little worried. I grab a seat and begin talking. Not sure what was said, but a comment was made by Claire about me being jealous about her not sitting on me... So I decide to give up on her, make a smartass comment and just leave. She gets off my friend and follows me inside.

Back inside the dance party is in full swing. So I avoid Claire entirely and go over to my oneitis and dance with her and core friends. Eventually I catch the eye of an HB5 (Amanda). Now, Amanda had previously said that she had been in an orgy of 12 people and in general gave off a promiscuous image and that she didn’t care what people thought about it. So I leave my dance group, grab her and pull her in and put her arms around my neck. I feel her up for a bit and go in for a kiss. And kclosed her right in front of Emily and Claire (I think at the time my strategy was to make them feel jealous). However Amanda stated that she could not give me what I wanted that night.

I assumed it worked, since I left Amanda and began dancing with Claire (who at this point was dancing with other guys and was grinding). I simply got in there and grabbed Claire and pulled her to me and grinded with her. After 2 or so minutes I turned her around and went in for a kiss. But she dodged (perhaps too many people, which makes isolation important). No matter... she comments how she’s still deciding on the guys who are trying to hit on her, and who she wants to cuddle with tonight. Me being turned off by this comment decided to push her away and tell her to go find those guys and have fun. I then walk over to Amanda and dance/make out with her.

Finally tired of this, I go back outside and just chill. Eventually the entire group decides to skinny dip. And we do... The rest of this sequence is very fuzzy to me, so I won’t bother writing it up. However, I recall kicking out a couple who were cuddling my “claimed” bed. They were sleeping on my coat. In retrospect it was a dick move, but I think I was too emotionally tired from all the BS that’s been happening at the party and life in general.

I eventually find myself with Emily sitting on pier and watching the water (it is a bit dark) and we have some very deep conversations. There is no kino at all. We are close but we aren’t touching. At some point Claire shows up and sits beside me. I pull away from my oneitis and towards Claire. I put my arm around her and touch her leg. Claire comments on being cold and wants someone to keep her warm. But she whispers that I should go for Emily and that we’d make a cute couple. I follow Claire inside and she prepares to sleep. Her friend (cockblock) comes and decides that I should not cuddle with Claire and her at all. Instead another guy in the vicinity overhears this and offers to “protect” them. Claire’s friend agrees right away and Claire reluctantly agrees.

Getting sick and tired of this whole ordeal, I go back outside back to Emily and have more deep conversations. We stay up till 4 AM just talking. This is so hard for me because I simply want to tell her I like her. But I know that I’m inside the friendzone. I’m trying so hard to get out from it. Hitting on and making out with girls in front of her. To show that she’s not the only one I can go after, etc.

And that’s it... However, there is more. The next morning, I avoid Claire completely and become an AFC. I hang out with my wingman for most of the day and avoid any girls.

At a later camping trip, I meet up with the host of the party, who decides to tell me that Claire was complaining about me. And that another friend was defending me. The host then gossips about Claire with the rest of the group, Furthermore, the host’s brother was glad I showed up since “he was glad that he wasn’t the socially awkward one there”. I do remember me being socially awkward in the morning; I just avoided people that morning. In any case, I think I did pretty well. As for the host’s brother being glad that he wasn’t the socially awkward one there, well he was by far very weird and didn’t proceed to make any moves on anybody. But it doesn’t matter, after all:

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." – T. Roosevelt