Bates & Landon [Wattys2015]

BATES

"Hey bestie," Barbie says as she links arms with her friend with a smile. "We were talking to Bates and Jessie about Sierra's party."

"Oh. Really?" Landon raises her eyebrows and glances at me. We keep eye contact until she looks away.

"Yeah I'm going, Jason is going -- " he nods his head to confirm Barbie's comments, " -- and Bates . . maybe?" they look at me and I manage a shrug.

"Possibly," I said.

"Yeah, sorry. Possibly, I mean." Barbie waves her hand around, shrugging. I've never really been to -- as what everyone's saying -- a crazy party. And I mean as in alcohol and dirty dancing and who knows what else that people do at parties. I've seen movies, never experienced it.

Yet.

"Ok," Landon says with a sigh, "I need to go to my locker. S -- See you guys, um, later?"

Jessie leans over to me. "Go talk to her."

I look at him, startled. "What?"

"Go talk to Landon. Now." Jessie says as he pushes me towards her. Barbie is looking through her bag to find who knows what.

"What -- What am I supposed to say?" I stutter out. I felt my heart start to race. I actually think I was going to go talk to her.

"Uhh, anything! Go." I scramble away to go to the direction Landon walked away to. I stop at her locker, watching as she is getting books out. When she feels a presence, she looks at me. Her eyes widen as she meets eyes with mine.

"Um.. Y -- Yeah?"

"Hi?" I say quickly. Landon looks confused as to why I am even over at her locker to talk to her. "Um, you look really nice today."

She blushes a bright red and looks down at the ground quickly. "Uhh .... thanks"

I smile a little, still looking at her. My stomach felt like it had fell to the ground and my heart is thumping very fast and I kind of feel light headed and kind of woozy and happy. "Yeah, you're welcome. Can I walk you to, um, class?" Even though I felt all happy and woozy, it still didn't mean that I wasn't nervous.
"O -- Oh, yeah. Sure." She shuts her locker and turns to the direction of her class. I walk beside her and think of what to say. Jessie, I think, you butt. I can't believe I actually did what you wanted me to do. But I'm glad I did, this was kinda nice.

"So are you excited for the, uh, party?" I ask her randomly.

"Um, yeah. I guess so." She explains. When she peeks up at me, she sees the look for me to keep explaining about it. "Well, I've kinda never b -- been to a party, you know. I'm just kinda, uh, nervous."

Me too. "It won't be that bad, Landon," I advise her, "I haven't been to a crazy party one or anything. Does a birthday party count?"

"I've been to a birthday party, too." She tells me, smiling at my lame joke. "I've just never been to a, um, how do you say it? A highschool party?"

"Maybe." I shrug. "If I can go, I'll see you there."

"I hope you can, um, yeah." She said, looking nervous. "I'll -- maybe -- see you at the party. Thank you for -- for walking me to my class..."

"You're welcome. See you later." I say as she presses her lips together then walks into class.

•••

"Hello guys!" I happily say to them. Jonas, currently stuffing his face with food, looks up at me with a started look.

"Wats wup with hem?" Jonas mumbled through his food to Jessie, glancing at me again.

"What's up with him is," Jessie glances at me too, "probably, that he taked to his crush."

"Guys, she is not a crush," I try to convince them. "She's a ... friend?"

"You aren't convincing us or yourself, bud, so stop stressing to convince us. Don't be in denial that you don't like her, except it, man." Jessie says as he glances over at them.

"Yeah!" Jonas says more clearly after he swallows his bite of food. "What did you guys talk about??"

"Mostly the party." I said.

"Oh yeah? Nice. That means you better go!" Jonas tells me. "If not, I'll find you and drag you by your amazing hair to the party."

"Hey isn't Sierra supposed to announce her party today in lunch?" Jessie asks.

"Yes, look at her, here she goes now." Jason says. We all look at Sierra and she's one by one going to each lunch table to tell her plans of the party -- even if a lot already knew about it.

"Hello guys," she greets us, "I'll be having a party at my house Friday night." She hands us a piece of paper with her address on it that she has been handing out to everyone. "Hope you guys can go! Spread the word about it too. Please? Thanks!"

"Giving her address out," Jason tsks and shakes his head, "I know whose house we're rolling during Halloween."

I look over at Landon and Barbie to see Sierra over there chatting with them about the party also. I want to go to the party just to see how it is -- and to see Landon -- and enjoy everything. I need the break, plus, Emmy will be okay for a few hours. She'll be asleep the whole time, too. My mom will be gone -- as always -- so she's not a problem for me to hassle anytime soon.

I think I'll be going to the party after all.