Every Cliche in the Book

The Afternoon Before

Everyone sighed as they sat at the lunch table. No one really knew what to say after all that happened yesterday. 

Daniel was back to normal but seemed awkward like he used to be. Derek was death glaring Rick who was smirking back at him while he had an arm around Alice. Alice looked conflicted and was sweating slightly. Erica and Kelly were chatting away about nail polish. Alissa was staring directly at Daniel and hadn't blinked in quite a while. Charlie was trying to figure out a good way to wrap his arm around Daniel and pull him close but didn't know if it was okay after what had happened during their date.

Alissa awkwardly spoke up, "So how were the dates? Both of you couples have to answer."

Charlie winced slightly, "Well, Daniel and I were watching this old movie and I put my arm around him. It was nice but I didn't even notice how I had moved him on to my lap at some point. I almost did something really stupid too so we kinda left early and he spent the rest of the night at his house while I was laying on my front lawn regretting life."

Daniel just looked around the room without saying anything. He really wasn't comfortable being here right now. He'd rather go back home and sleep forever.

Everyone stared at the two in shock. They didn't even think it was possible for them to be in situations like that.

Alissa cleared her throat, "Well that's interesting..... Uh what about you two? How'd your date go, Alice and Rick?"

Rick sighed, "It went pretty well for a while. Until we finally noticed that Derek was stalking us from the backseat of my car. I don't even know how he got in but he did it. I got really angry because he intruded on my date but I stayed calm. I stared at him using the mirror and kissed Alice because she's mine."

Derek laughed, "Yeah right. I doubt she wants to be with you still. You did lie to her after all. No one likes a liar."

Rick growled, "What is wrong with you?! You treat her like dirt until she finds someone that makes her happy and suddenly you care?! What kind of man are you?!"

"Do you wanna fight me, you little punk? I will fight you if you don't shut your lying little mouth. You'll end up in the hospital like Alice did. Do you want that?"

Rick got up, "So you really did her in the hospital. You think you have the right to act like she's yours after you did that? You're just a piece of shit. All men like you are. You should never hit a lady, especially if you care about her. She has all the right in the world to not want you. You're a cruel monster."

Derek started to get up but was immediately stopped. Daniel has holding his arm. Derek suddenly realized why his brother would be afraid when he got mad, why his mom would be afraid. Why his mother would fight back if he got angry. He stared down in shame. They were afraid ever since he was little since he resembled his dad so much. Once he started having a temper like his too, they were absolutely terrified.

Derek sat down, "I'm sorry....I don't know what came over me. I'll just be quiet."

He looked at how Daniel's eyes had tears glistening in them. It broke his heart to see that. He didn't just see his brother, he saw his mom. The two looked almost identical, down to the messy hair, and they acted the same way as well. Not to mention all of the stuff they've both been through. Derek couldn't stand the thought of hurting them in anyway.

Alissa looked at Alice, "So we're going to a party later right?"

Alice nodded, "Yeah. I'm pretty sure it's near the park. It's a college party though, so we gotta do our best to blend in."

Erica raised an eyebrow, "But Daniel doesn't even look like he's a high school student yet. How the hell is he going to blend in with college students? That's like telling a unicorn to blend in with horses."

Daniel's eyes sparkled, "She called me a unicorn. That makes me happy. Unicorns are so amazing!"

They all chuckled at his response. He was so adorable and silly.

Him blending in really was gonna be a problem though. The boy resembled a middle schooler. Being around college kids would make that even more obvious.

Alice sighed, "We'll just explain that he really is older than he looks. It won't be too hard. After all, his boyfriend does look like he already graduated high school already. Mentioning them being together could help our case."

They all nodded.

Kelly spoke up, "But what's a party even like when it's not a birthday party? None of us have been to any other kind of party before."

Alice shrugged, "This is our chance to find out. We aren't little kids anymore so we should learn these things."

Alissa raised an eyebrow, "But I doubt our parents would let us go to a party. Let alone a college party. How are we gonna go without getting in serious trouble?"

"We'll just lie about where we're going."

Daniel gasped, "Lying to our parents?! That's horrible!"

Alice rolled her eyes, "If we don't get caught, we'll be fine. But if we do get caught, we'll be in even more trouble. So don't mess up! I'd rather not get punished and I know you all feel the same way about this as I do."

Derek sighed, "What exactly are we gonna say though? Our parents might call each other to see if the story adds up. If it's not the same for everyone and they do that, they'll know we're lying. We'll be caught before we even get a chance to go."

"You're right," she sighed, "But I have an idea."

She smirked. Her idea was absolutely perfect. No one would be able to realize that they were lying if they said they were all spending the night at each other's house. They could make a web of who's at what house and it would take forever for them to find out the truth. She was absolutely brilliant.

Rick shrugged, "We could just say we're all going to my house. My parents probably would think we are there since they're always at work. They'd just say yes without even bothering to see if it was true."

Alice felt like she got destroyed. He didn't even say that they'd say they were spending the night.

Rick laughed to himself, "But don't say that you're spending the night. We're all gonna go back home at some point during the night. If we're really late we can say we lost track of time. Simple as that."

Everyone nodded in agreement except Alice. No one even bothered to know what her idea was.

That night was gonna be so much fun.