Bittersweet // Complete

07.

Chapter 7

I died at least three times on my way to Sophie's home. Or at least I could have potentially died at least three times. I really did want to blame it on poor traffic sense and people acting like assholes, but I knew that it was all my fault. I hadn't paid more attention to where I was going, because my mind was still stuck on the library like the paper wrapping on the damn starburst.

I had spent about twenty minutes reading the book before coming across a picture of a penguin in the arctic region, getting carried away into some personal research. Purely for my own educational purposes, I found it imperative to look up penguins' mating rituals. I watched a whole BBC documentary about it, utterly frustrated that I had, in penguin terms, promised Noah a lifetime of togetherness.

It didn't matter as a human, but it mattered to penguins, so I was a little concerned how seriously Noah would take this.

Seriously, what was wrong with me? All for a damn starburst?

I was here for a girl's night, and that meant no boys allowed, whether it was in the house or in my head. Sophie's apartment complex did not have a place to park cycles in, so I had to walk all the way. The bus was usually very crowded at this hour and I wasn't up for smelling strangers' armpits.

When I reached the apartment complex, I knew something was up. I saw a couple of people from my year smoking in the back of the building. Hm.

Did Sophie ever mention a party?

No she hadn't, but if that's the direction this night was taking, then I was okay with that too. I climbed up the stairs quickly, mildly surprised to see Alex open the door for me.

"Daniel brought me along," he explained, apparently evident that I was confused.

The music wasn't any bass thumping dance type, but more of a chill, pop vibe. No one appeared to be acting too wild either, so I assumed it was not supposed to be a full blown party anyway. I looked down at my old grey sweatshirt and leggings.

Could I have dressed better? Yes.

Was there any reason to? No. 

I dumped my bag in Sophie's room before going out to find my crew. Eleanor was in the kitchen, pouring herself some vodka into a solo cup.

"Aye you're here!" she hugged me, taking a sip from her cup and gagging immediately, "I'm not drunk enough for neat rum." I laughed, offering to pour some coke for her. I knew Sophie's mom had some kidney issue going on, due to which she always had cranberry juice in the house. I pulled out a clean cup for myself too, grabbing some ice and pouring myself some juice.

"Don't look, but Noah's here," Eleanor whispered in my ear, leaning on my shoulder. I cast a cursory glance around the room, sure enough seeing Noah walk in with his football team friends, Jeff and Kevin follow behind.

"Did Soph not tell you we're having a chill out?" Eleanor wasn't judging me, but she did cast a hard look on my appearance.

"She asked me if I could spend the night here," I shrugged. Eleanor reached over to pull the hair tie out, but I swatted her away. My hair was tied in a bun for a reason, and I was in no mood to reveal the greasy mess it had turned into.

"Suit yourself," She took a sip of her drink, "At least go put your lipstick on."

That I could do. It was the bare minimum, but I knew it would make a world of difference. I always had a light layer of concealing on. Through the greetings and the hugs, I managed to reach Sophie's room finally, digging through my bag for my tiny lipstick.