Field Guide to the North American Teenager

Norris’s field guide entry describes his attire, his goal of seeing Aarti, and his optimistic wallet condom.

Judith drops Norris off at the party, instructing him not to drink or do drugs. Judith is happy that Norris has a job and attends parties. The party is at Meredith’s house in a nice neighborhood, and it looks like teen parties in movies.

Norris eats a few hot dogs and chats with someone about their shirt, but he mostly struggles to engage with people. He hasn’t seen Aarti or Maddie since arriving. As he formulates a text to tell Maddie he wants out, Aarti appears. She jokes about him texting at a party.

Aarti leads Norris to the basement, where fewer partygoers are. The guy manning the basement bar makes Aarti and Norris drinks. Aarti asks the guy if he’s seen someone. Aarti and Norris sit on the couch facing the basement staircase, which Aarti keeps an eye on. As Norris watches the people around him, he realizes they all have established lives and drama here in Austin. Aarti and Norris banter. Aarti confesses she came to the party to prove she’s not bothered by the drama with Ian and his cheerleader girlfriend.