"Why do you think you needed to become someone else?"

I look at my friend, who I haven't seen in over three years and I'm at a loss for words. He's wearing his clever geek t-shirt with a funny pop culture reference on it, his beard is more of an unkempt peach fuzz and his haircut was obviously done with a home appliance.
I however was wearing a new striped shirt with a white skinny tie, new pair of jeans and dress shoes, finishing off with a dark blue striped blazer and good hair, 2 day shadow on my face and my trademark glasses.

I used to be like him, fat and smelly...my life revolving around the next online match and a bag of cheetos. He looks at me like he's disappointed, sadness in his eyes that I strayed so far from the pack and have become one of the guys we used to hate. One of the popular guys

"I didn't change, I grew up"

It was a blatant lie.

----------------------------
Time/Date
Saturday night
18th October

Location
House party

Logistics
Solo, per use


What went down
I'm sitting at my computer after a long day at work, my head is throbbing and my eyes sting from the past two days partying and drinking, I have barely slept and I look the part. It's a saturday evening and I am listening to some Black Sabbath, to calm me down for the night. I really don't feel like going out, but I have friends I don't wanna disappoint, and it's clearly rude to bail on a birthday party.

Fuck this, I'm getting dressed. I pick out the jeans and shirt I just bought two weeks ago, and so far have been getting great comments on from women. I put on a white skinny tie and I scrub some face cream on, shaving a year off and putting some color in my cheeks. I finish off with some hairgel and I look at the final product in the mirror, and I approve.

I love being back in the game, I've brought out all my old peacocking items and a few brand new ones. I throw on my new rastafari necklace, three rings and a handmade leather wrist band from a viking era artisan.

I know I'm not gonna get laid tonight, this party will mostly be women I know personally or even consider close friends, I sometimes flirt but I never take the next step, I tend not to shit where I eat. But damn, I will have fun. I'm not going out there, exhausted and not enjoy myself.

----------

I arrive at the party and as soon as I enter the living room, my frown turns into a smile. At the table there are 8 gorgeous girls, and they all cheer as I enter, some come to hug me and I get annoyed looks from some of the guys at the party.
I sit down and open up a beer, I better not drink too much, I have work early in the morning.

The girls are all sharing stories or jokes of some sort and I decide to take control of the set, it's eight of them so I start by stacking into a story of my own choosing, in a few minutes I have them all laughing and all their attention is on my every word, the girl next to me keeps touching my hand and swatting me as she laughs, the girl next to her is staring at me, completely stuck inside my frame, smiling sweetly at me occasionally.
Great, and here I wasn't going to game. At least I barely know these two, so I might as well.

The swatter, let's call her Tiny, is a petite dark skinned girl, wearing a short and tight blue dress, and the second girl.....let's call her Busty.

Busty starts snapping pictures of the set, especially of me. I tell her she better make sure I look good in those pictures, she responds that I always do.
(NB This is a line I used last thursday as well, now field tested twice and both times worked well)

I continue spewing lines and anecdotes, the set is loving me. Busty leans in and tells me I'm really funny. I tell her I agree.
Tiny starts begging for attention, always leaning in, touching my hand or upper arm, whispering into my ear instead of direct talk. Busty keeps taking pictures.

Busty: "I like your rings"
Tiny: "So do I"
I hold up my hands and they start playing with my rings, taking them off and trying them on. I take them back playfully and tell them to keep their hands to themselves, they can look but not touch.

I notice that Blondie is watching me over the table, I flirted with her a few weeks ago at a bar, she's one of the hardest nuts I've ever had to crack, and she tends to bail as soon as you get inside her bubble. So I haven't really been successful with her.
I know she likes me, for months she's been eying me across rooms, greeting me with a smile when I see her, making up excuses to be close to me at parties.

I head up to go get a fresh beer. "Hi"
I look over my shoulder and blondie is there, she followed me. "hey, how are you. I thought you would never come talk to me"
I grab a beer and turn my back to her as I do, then turn around and she stands there silently, watching me with a mix of awe, nervousness and....a smirk.
Blondie: You really don't remember me, do you?
Cro: Uhm....Blondie, we're both in lawschool....anything else I missed?
Blondie: We used to be text message....friends.
I look at her with a 'what the hell are you talking about' look on my face
Blondie: You DON'T remember ??
I just shrug
Cro: Sorry love, I don't know what you're talking about
She looks hurt and disappointed
Blondie: It was a long time ago...1998, maybe 1999...we used to talk all the time in text messages, you even called me once.
I still have no idea what she means and just look confused
Blondie: It was you, and your friend E and V......I was so in love with V, but he never liked me....I was ugly then.....very thin, almost anorexic and wore braces and these ugly glasses.

I'm starting to feel a little creeped out by the fact that I don't remember this at all, not a single recollection. But the facts match up.
Blondie: You were blond back then....a little chubby, and with these round glasses

Right again

Cro: I'm sorry I don't remember this, but I believe you. Were we good friends?
Blondie: I guess....we talked almost every day for months......I uhm.....we even met once, me and my friend came to meet you and your friends at a mall....I....I kinda had a crush on you.
Cro: Oh really? That's so cute!
She blushes and looks away
Blondie: Yeah....but then you stopped texting and....well, now we're here
Cro: this is so cool, I'm really sorry I can't remember this, but it was 11 years ago...we were different then, and uglier. But now we're hot

Now when I mean hot, this girl is fucking HOT. Athlete's body, straight strawberry blond hair, small cute nose, freckles. A perfect 9

Blondie: Yes WE are.

she winks at me

I grab my phone and ask for her number, she complies and I write in a text "Hey old friend, sorry I stopped texting. I've missed you. Sup?" and show her before hitting Send.
She steps back, "too late....I'm going to the bathroom, catch you later"

I just stand there, fuck. I thought that text message gambit would melt her heart. Guess I was wrong. I don't know what to do, I take a moment to think logistics. I can recover this set, I know she's attracted to me, I've played decent game on her and the odds are in my favor. I shrug and turn around, I'll reopen later. No worries, there are a lot of hot women here who seem to want my attention.

Nerd: Hey Cro-magnon, what's up
Cro: I just go by Cro now man, I'm good. How you been?
Nerd: Oh?
Cro: Yeah, Cro-magnon is an old old nickname from an old old life playing video games, those days are behind me.
Nerd: I guess that's true.
Cro: I guess I could still wear my nerdy t-shirts like you man, I love that.
Nerd: Uhm...what's stopping you?
Cro: That's not me anymore, I've changed
He looks offended
Nerd: Dude, I see you here surrounded by women and you look completely different, no beard, you've lost weight...I understand why you want that, but why change personalities? Why do you think you needed to become someone else?

I stop to think for a moment. Was he right? Have I created a persona around the real me? Or am I the real one? Have I changed that much that my old friends belief me a traitor of sorts?

"I didn't change, I grew up"
---------

"What's Cro-magnon?" a friend asks,

"oh just an old nickname"

"Similar to your msn address isn't it? You told me once when I asked that it was an old nick"
I smile and grab my beer, great...just what I want to talk about now. "Yeah"
Busty: Wait, what? What's your msn?
Tiny: Ohh I wanna know
Cro: Ladies, relax. First you can get my number before you start stalking me online
Busty: Alright, what's your number?
Cro: #######
Tiny: Ohh easy, I can remember that!
Busty: I'll remember that. *wink*

----------

"Hi"
Blondie is back
Cro: Hey
Blondie: I wanna know what you meant a few weeks ago when we were talking, you went to talk to your friend, and you said something about "having one 1st year, one 2nd year and one 3rd would be fun"
Blondie: do you think you 'have me' ?
Cro: Uh
Cro: You heard that, huh? Well guys talking, I'm single. I can have fun. No reason to be ashamed of that.
I say and grin
She's not amused, I guess she was on the phone since she told me her friend overheard me say that after flirting with Blondie a few weeks ago
Atleast I was important enough to have a phonecall about.
Blondie: I'm heading home, see you Cro.

I sigh and grab another beer and a shot of tequila, me and my big mouth. Next time I talk to my wingman, I will make sure no women are around.

What you did well
Ran a 8set perfectly, no hesitation, no problems. Was funny, cocky, interesting

What you did wrong and could have done better
Still trying to analyze my mistakes with Blondie, other than those that came later, much help on that front appreciated

Other comments
Need to learn some exotic foreign language to talk to my wingmen in