VERY brief Summary is at the very end if you don't want to read.

Shut up about grammer and Spellcheck.

Chatper 1
______________________
Here's the backstory.
In third grade (3rd to 8th) this friend "Ben" came to my class of 30 people at a small school, so I'vek nown him for about ... well a long time (too tired to count).

Ben has a girlfriend.

Our other friend "Matt" in that class (2nd to 8th grade) has worked at CompUSA For about 6 years. He got me a job at CompUSA, so we occasionallly work together... like today.
I've been working there 3 months.

Matt has a girlfriend

MORE backstory.
By pure coincidence, Matt and Ben's girlfriends are.... COUSINS...who hate each other. I've been hearing this from both couples and they refuse to see each other (Yes, I'm thinking the same thing *confused* for about a year). That means no matter how much Matt and Ben want to try to get them all together, no double dates, no get togethers.

Should I care? Whatever. I've been hearing this for a while now, I try not to get involved when I can. Girls = more drama in old friendships. Especially if "I" don't know them that well. matt and ben and I haven't really stopped being friends, we see each other off and on and talk about old times when we do.

Tha'ts our life, off and on since junior high.
(the 2 cousins came in around our sophmore years of college)
___________
CHapter 2

Vanessa (Ben's girlfriend) has a surprise birthday party with all of ben's friends!
It's ben's 21st birthday!
I'm pumped for 2 weeks and get my saturday night cleared by opening at work instead of closing (I still work 8 hours, but I can make the party)

So I see Matt today for the first time in ... well I see him alot more since I started working with him. Technically he's my boss, but he's been my friend for 10+years. It makes for strange moments in the workplace, especially in high-tense retail.

We get to talking when I'm not busy with customers. I splurt out "yeah, hey Ben's got a surprise birthday tonight, I'm excited to go to that."

and think *SON OF A ***** Why did I say that, I forgot the cousins hate each other and Matt's probably not invited*
On the ohter hand I"m thinkign *How can Ben's friend from 2nd grade not come to his 21st Birthday party? (BEER! VEGAS TIME! I wish)

We talk and to sum of a day of talking
"really?"
"yeah"
"hmm, that's wierd, you know they're cousins who hate each toher?"
"yeah...you've told me before"
*hour later*
"I want to show up"
"I think you should! Who cares? they'll be over it and you've known ben for years"
"Ok! Me and michelle might both come"
"yeah! 'we were just in the nieghborhood' or something, it'll all work out"
" Hey, my gf's coming today, want to meet her?"
"uhh...sure! (not now... I'm working)"

Guess what day it is! It's Matt's girlfriend's bring cookies to work day! and have all the employees love her for free food!

So I meet Matt's girlfriend "the other cousin" today (after a year... I've only heard about her, this is the first time i've SEEN her). Not because of me, but because she's visiting all the employees of matt's 6-year old job. All my managers know her, which is making me feel wierd because they've been my bosses for 3 months and I rarely see Matt at all, let alone at work, but he's been here for 6 years, yada yada yada, I can stomach it, no biggie. Not THAt wierd.

The hard part comes here:
I'm sitting down eating lunch at break, in walks matt and the GF, We shake hands, meet, talk about how we know each other, "you've met my cousin (ben's GF)?" etc.

Then comes the kicker.
"So michella, Alex told me something funny today, Vanessa is planning Ben's surprise birthday party... and we're not invited" (wierd look on her face) "And alex and I think we should go"
We get to talking about what "I" htink of Ben's Girlfriend

My response:
"Oh, I think she's ok, I havne't hung out with her alot, but she seems nice"
I get the feeling of some kind of polite disagreement without saying anything, so I skidattle to do...

Well I'll just not get into the part where I"m doing my 3-month company review...
(stressful day trying to finish work and GET to the party right? not stressful enough)

So my phone vibrates as I'm doing my company review on our compusa training site.
I say "what the heck?"
And I notice I have a new message.
"Hey alex, it's vanessa.
Well, something came up and I'm going to have to cancel the party.
Sorry about that.
Well I gotta go"

I'll sum up the confusion and profanity with this: "?"

Now I"m like... 1 room away from Matt and Michella (the cousin) in the break room of CompUSA as they're talking with managers about free cookies and some such.
One of my managers finishes his conversation and walks out to do stuff...

I come in...
"I uh... have some bad news."
*Wierd looks*
"The party's cancelled"
Matt: "what? Did she just tell you that to make us not go?"
Me: No! She called me at uh... *checks phone* "10:00 this morning, she left a message"
matt and michelle "That's strange?"
me: "Yeah, I don't know what that's all about... I'm going to have to call her to figure this out."

After a long day where I've been pumped to go to this party for my friend, after rescheduling work, this party's cancelled and I"m sitting here with one friend's girlfriend trying to figure out where the hell I stand in this giant fiasco, and wiht another friend's girlfriend... not responding?

throughout the day, 2 phone calls to Vanessa (Ben's girlfriend) and no response. I left a message.

____________________
Chapter 3, the long road home from work.

I figure "Whatever's happening, I'm sure Ben's having a huge great birthday, I'm probably just pocket change and after years our friendship might be diminishing. He's got the GF, maybe he had plans already and the party was cancelled because she made a mistake? Maybe his family had plans? Maybe other friends? I'm going to just relax tonight."

Situation: Driving home
Me: "K-rock, sunglasses, 6:00 sunset, ready for sleep, driving home, Dinner soon!"
*RING*
me: "hello?"

"Alex! what's up, it's Ben."

Time can stop now and the dramatic music can play.
*chorus*
Ok let's go back.

"Hey ben"
"i've got nothing going on tonight (on his 21st birthday?!?) and I wondered if you wanted to see a movie."

Me: SON OF A ***** What do I say? "WHAT ABOUT YOUR SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY...I MEAN...THE...NONEXISTANT...SURPIRSE BIRTHdAY PARTY."

I mean...
Me: "Uhhhhhhhhh......sure. I just got off work so...uhhh....let me eat....and I'll call you back after that."
Ben: "allright, cool"
Me: *quickly* "ok bye"

So I eat, I watch TV, I want to go to sleep, My dad makes some pizza and listens to the whole ordeal and says this.
"I'll bet they broke up"
I say "yeah... I thought about that...it might have happened."

SOOOOO
We go see X-3.
(my second time...nonrelevant information, but I gotta do something with my friend on his 21st birthday... I mean come on)
He confirms this...
SHE Broke up with HIM.

Vanessa Broke up with Ben... ON HIS 21ST BIRTHDAY AFTER BRINGING ALL HIS FRIENDS TOGETHER FOR A SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY.

WHAT
THE
HELL!?!?!?!?

I just got back from watching X-3.
I have to say. I was really surprised when Xavier Dies and I really thought the end was very dramatic .
I wanted to ask if you could join me htis night... for some toast.
"GOOD TOAST."
Is there really anything else I can say?
If I have to point it out for you, saying something this random makes as much sense as the rest of my day, so F***ING deal with it

So I'm torn between telling ben about the whole "there was supposed to be a surprise party for you tonight, but hte person who organized it... canceled it and broke up with you."
Happy 21st!
*low-pitch whistle-maker*

After the movie:
So he said "I'm going ot crash, I don't want to go drinking tonight, I've gotta work in the morning" or something.

I wanted him to buy us alcohol!
At least 1 drink!
I'm turning 21 in only a month (I don't even drink), so what does it matter.
Nope.

So I want to tell him, really, really bad, I think I'm going to, that alot of people were going to ab ig surprise party, but you ex GF broke up with you after organizing a surprise party.
It might make him mad, but I think he should know.
Who am I supposed to talk to?
our other friend from 2nd grade Matt?

After today?
I'm pretty much down to 1 thing, I gotta tell him. Maybe he won't care, maybe it'll bug him, maybe he'll be mad at me...
Maybe one of his other friends from his job who were invited will tell him eventually.
I don't even know how many were invited.
But it's eating away at me.
I gotta tell him.
(I paid 40 bucks for a seinfeld season 4 gift, I gotta have something to show for it!)

I drive home and write here...endlessly...well.
Story's over.

/vent
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To summarize:

Friend dates girl for about a year.
Girl chooses to throw surprise birthday party.
Girl breaks up with guy in the morning of 21st birthday and calls everyone to say the party is cancelled.

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[edit] I edited this 2-3 x but I'm done now, it's pretty much as it was when I first wrote it [/edit]

Sounds quite slick to me. Or time wasting. I wouldn't organize parties and break up.

I'll give you thumbs up for a summary though, those things are needed with big texts :p

tl;dr

Look on the bright side - he just turned 21 so he can legally drown his sorrow with booze :p

Wow... that really sucks. She could have at least thrown the party as a last bright spot of the relationship.

Ouch.

Right, tell him, then tell the other cousin, and maybe she'll kill his ex or something.

[I keed.]

KILL HERR!!

if(getThingFlags(source) & 0x8){
  do her}
elseif(getThingFlags(source) & 0x4){
  do other babe}
else{
  do a dude}

It's "SHOOT HER!!!"