Beyond the Cameras

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

I had been to plenty of parties in my lifetime: premiere parties, dinner parties, after parties, but nothing could have prepared me for a teenage, high school party. The house was buzzing with a different kind of excitement I wasn't use to.

The music was so loud that I could have been at a concert and I wouldn't have known the difference. There were cars lined up down the long drive way and teenagers milling around everywhere you looked.

Luckily, it was kinda early in the night so there weren't really any couples outside being gross.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one who was awestruck because when I glanced over at the girls, they were all staring at the house in amazement. Except for Jo. She just had a smug smile on her face as if saying 'I told you so'.

"I take it Jo is the only one who has been to a party before."

Kallie nodded her head and Lou's face turned red as she looked at the ground.

"I've been to a party before," Grace said offhandedly.

"Yeah. And then you called me after five minutes to tell me you were going back home," Jo retorted.

Grace stuck her tongue out at Jo and turned back to face the house.

"Okay. Are we ready to face the beast that is a high school party?"

I took a nervous glance at the others as they nodded their heads.

Jo rolled her eyes at us and walked to where her back was to the house and she was facing us.

"Honestly, y'all are acting like the hunger games is about to start. Parties are fun. You just have to relax and go with the flow. If you're too tense, people will pick up on that and you will be the outcast of the party. Just have fun...and flirt. Do lots of that," she finished, winking at me, before turning to face the house.

"Just follow my lead."

She started walking towards the entrance, slightly swaying her hips, and soon enough, guys were coming up to her offering to get her a drink. We all looked at each other a bit dazed, but scrambled (as graciously as possible) to catch up with her. I could feel eyes following my every step, but I didn't know if it was because I had actually managed to look walking in heels in this grass or if it was because of my title.

We made it to the door just when Beau walked out and bumped into Grace. She stumbled in her heels (which we barely convinced her to wear) straight into his chest.

"I'm so sorry. I...," Beau trailed off as he looked into Grace's eyes. We all exchanged mischievious looks and scooted out of the way and into the house to give them a chance to have a 'moment'.

We all started laughing as soon as we were out of earshot. "If that wasn't the cheesiest thing I've ever seen," Lou laughed.

"It was like we were standing in the middle of one of Jack Card's movies. He was always a sucker for cheesy moments like that," I reminisced.

"You worked with Jack Card?"

Suddenly, all the girls' eyes were on me as I tried to shrug off the situation.

"Uhh, yeah. We worked together for a few months," I said vaguely. "So Jo, where is the birthday boy normally at?"

I try to act casual when I ask about Noland, but it becomes hard when my heart starts exessively pounding at the mere thought of him.

The girls all look at each other with smrks and then look back at me. I groan and put my hand on my forehead because I know the teasing is about to start.