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12- Backstreet's Back Alright

After getting ready for the party, I stood outside with Melissa waiting for Hector to pick us up. She was still dressed in what I found her in earlier. Feeling hungry, I pulled out a bag of Gushers and ate a piece.

"You want one?" I offered.

"Eh, no thank you. Gushers are disgusting. I don't know how anyone can eat those things."

It was hard not to snicker at that response. The girl hated Gushers. What a crazy world it was.

"You know, you kind of remind me of my buddy Emma. She too hates Gushers. I'll never forget the time I forced her to admit that she hated them."

"You want a Gusher?" I asked Emma at lunch as she ate her salad.

"Sure." My ears detected strong hesitation from that response. And quickly she took a Gusher and sat there with her mind preoccupied with other thoughts.

"Man, I know it's already the first day of sixth grade, but I already hate it. Hector asked me out and I said yes. I don't even like him. He's too weird. Why do I have to go on a stupid date with him?"

The gusher sat next to the salad untouched. Something had to be done.

"You know Emma, sometimes you have to speak up for yourself. If you don't like something, just say it. I mean, I know you hate Gushers. Why can't you just say you hate Gushers?" It was as if I had said something completely foreign. It wouldn't be happening. "I wouldn't hate you if you hated them. Heck, I'd have a lot more respect for you."

Picking up the Gusher, she gave it a strange look. After about a minute later, it was smashed on the table. Clearly, a lot of thought went into this. If only I could read minds and know what her thought process was.

It didn't take long for Hector to arrive. Melissa volunteered to sit in the back while I sat in the front passenger seat. As we rode off to the party, Hector tried to ask Melissa a few questions, but she seemed unable to answer them. A couple of those questions gave pain to her head and he ended up giving up.

"You ready for tonight?" asked Hector putting that attention on me.

"Yeah, I guess. To be honest, I'm surprised my mom is forcing me to come to this party on a school night. The last party I went to was during our freshman year and it was whatever. Hopefully, this party doesn't suck."

"After tonight, you'll want to thank your mom for forcing you. Did you know Hailey is actually going to be there tonight?"

Bombs and fireworks were going off in my brain. Hailey was going to be there? "Wait, are you serious? She's actually going to be at this party? How do you know? What if she doesn't show?"

"Dude," Hector began laughing. "She literally goes to every party. And she told me herself that she was coming tonight as she needed a night like this after that crappy day she had. Heck, she offered to give me a ride."

"I'm assuming Jeremy has a thing for this girl," interrupted Melissa.

"You have no idea," Hector responded. And if our buddy Jeremy has any balls, he'll talk to her tonight."

Talk to her tonight at the party? Was it possible? Part of me thought it was possible? Maybe it was. Would she be willing to talk to me? Would that piss off Ted? They broke up. Why would it matter?

Once we got there, you could hear the loud music outside. One could only assume the level of loudness coming from inside the house as it was even louder getting out of the car.

Everybody

Rock your body.

Everybody

Rock your body right.

Backstreet's back alright

Of course, how could you go wrong with the Backstreet Boys? Every girl at our school has a serious obsession with them. Why would I expect anything different tonight? The thought quickly died once Hailey was spotted. Because of her, my body couldn't move. My lungs forgot how to breathe and my palms were full of sweat. There she was in all her glory. She had so much confidence, that she hadn't changed out of her outfit for this party. And she was alone.

"Come on dude," pushed Hector. "Now's your chance. She's right there. Go say hi."

"But Ted."

"What about Ted? They broke up. She's available. This is literally the perfect opportunity for you. It was like this night was made for you."

"No, I'm saying Ted is at the door letting people come in." My heart fell into my stomach knowing this. "Is this his house? There's seriously no way that he'll let us in."

That problem swiftly died once Hailey reached the door. Ted seemed as pissed as ever that she was there.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked. "Come to break my heart again?"

"Oh, shut the hell up Ted. You're the one that broke my heart. You're the freakin' stupid idiot. Let me come in."

At first, Ted wasn't going to let her in. That changed once Hailey kicked the poor boy in the private area leaving him to fall to the floor and scream a few choice words in great pain. A couple of people tried to come to his rescue while Hailey let herself in. A couple of other people made their way inside without permission.

"Now's our chance," pointed out Hector.

There was no problem getting inside. But I was sure Ted would find me later and attempt to kick me out. It would happen sooner or later. Once inside, it was crazy seeing how many people were there. There was barely any space to move. Hailey had caught up with a few friends. With every passing second, it was harder to spot her. In fact, Hector and Melissa appeared to be also lost in the crowd. Maybe Ted would never be able to find me.

"Chug, chug!" shouted a couple of guys who watched some drunken idiot chug from the keg in the kitchen. There definitely was going to be a lot of hangovers tomorrow at school.

Leaving the kitchen, my way through the living room was made where there were some people making out as if there were no tomorrow. Hailey was still nowhere in sight. Where was she? Where was Melissa or Hector? How was it possible to lose them like this? Before long, my way to the backyard was made. Not as many people were out here.

"Hey there stranger," greeted a familiar voice. Turning around, it was none other than Emma. What was she doing here? Did Ted actually invite her to this party?

Another wonderful chapter. This party is heating up! Thanks for reading. Remember to comment and vote.

What's your favorite party song?

Will Jeremy talk to Hailey at the party?

Will Ted discover that Jeremy is at the party?

Predictions on what will happen between Jeremy and Emma in the next chapter?