She Wears Toms, He Wears Converse

Chapter 15

"Playing with fire."

Astrid's P.O.V

I stared blankly in the mirror at the back of my room. I was used to catching a glimpse of my reflection and feeling disgusted. It happened every time I was near a mirror. I saw beauty in everything but me, and the longer I sat in front of the mirror, the more I picked out my flaws. I let out a quick sharp sigh. Looking in the mirror would be the most natural part of tonight. I was forced to leave my bedroom and socialize. It sounds absolutely awful, doesn't it? I quickly pulled my shirt farther down before glimpsing one last time at my outfit. While seeing nothing but flaws, I turned on my heels and left my room.

"You look beautiful." My mother whispered.

"Thanks, Mom," I whispered. I didn't even believe her when she complimented me, and I learned from experience that arguing only gets more compliments, which is the last thing I wanted.

"What time is Carter picking you up?" She questioned.

"He should be here any moment," I answered while tugging at one of the ringlets that lay over my shoulder. Moments later, a soft knock tapped on the door. My mother quickly answered it. She always wanted to meet Carter, and she took him picking me up as an opportunity to do so.

I removed my eyes from my phone and looked up just in time to see his tall frame enter through the apartment door. I quickly examined him. He had the appearance of a normal bad boy, but his personality certainly didn't match. His dark hair fell out of his beanie as it always did; his plump lips would occasionally pull back to reveal a breathtaking smile and don't even get me started on his eyes. I don't know what my mother was expecting, but she certainly wasn't expecting what she saw when the slender but strong seventeen years old male enter our apartment. As always, Carter displayed manners and kindness by greeting my mother with a flawless smile and a hug. He already had made a good impression on her. I could tell. Finally, his eyes caught mine, and I forced my orbs to scan through the news feed on Facebook quickly. I felt my cheeks heat up from being detected but, I continued scrolling through the pointless status updates. It seemed as though a lot of people would be at that party... great.

I quickly stood while placing my phone in my pocket. I made my way over to Carter and gave my Mum a quick hug and a goodbye. While my arms were wrapped around her, she whispered something in my ear.

"He's lovely."Once I pulled away, I whispered 'goodbye' once more before exiting the comfort of my house. I knew in a few minutes. I would be thrust into an environment that was entirely out of my comfort zone. I took a giant breath as Carter held open the car door for me.

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Carter's hand tightly gripped mine as he pulled me through Vicki's front door. As soon as we entered, we were in the living room. It was a very generic party atmosphere. Drinks were being passed around. Music was blaring, couples grinding on one another, a game of spin the bottle happening in the middle of the room, and couples kissing in the corner. Girls were in tight revealing clothes that didn't leave much to the imagination. However, that was my last concern. I suddenly felt foolish for wearing an oversized shirt and ripped jeans like I always did. I was so out of my element.

"Hey, Astrid, right?" A boy with shaggy blond hair inquired as he walked over to us; Carter squeezed my hand tighter. Was he jealous? A smirk played on my lips. I liked getting this reaction from him. I nodded to the guys who came up to us.

"Here, take a drink." He stated while passing me a cup filled with alcohol. He waved as he went to sit back in the corner with his friends. As soon as he was out of sight, Carter took the cup from me and set it down on the table.