Heartstrings | Jade x Tori

Chapter 8: Party

Tori's PoV

*___________*

It was finally time for the party, and I had been offered to be taken there by Trina, who had wormed her way into coming after she'd seen people's tweets about it. I wasn't actually too upset about it, though, because I was pretty sure I wouldn't actually be seeing her much throughout the night.

I was sitting in the car, being tossed and thrown about as she sped her way through the streets, as if we were going to be late to something that didn't even have an expected arrival time. Her music was blasting overly loud, and I knew I'd have to put up with it for a while because Los Angeles was busy around this time, as people had started to get off work, and make their way home, and that gave me some time to think. We were driving from Hollywood to Beverly Hills, which meant we'd have about a half hour until we arrived, so I decided to make the most out of my time by watching life move by out of the window.

I was really glad that Jade had finally admitted we were friends, and it had made me feel so much better about going. It's not like my other friends weren't also going to be there, because they were. But something about being there with Jade felt different. It was like spending time with her was a type of privilege I had never really experienced to it's full extent, but I was about to, and I was more than happy about it.

Time had passed, just staring at nothing and thinking, when I was jolted forward by Trina's sudden and sharp braking of the car at a red light. I scoffed at her for the movement.

"Tori, I think we're nearly there. Are we nearly there?" Her familiar, grating voice called, whilst she checked her surroundings for traffic.

"I don't know, you're driving." I responded, taking my attention away from the streets outside, and redirecting it towards her.

The light soon turned green, and I was met with the roar of the engine, alongside the blinkers clicking, as my sister sat far forward in her seat.

"Okay, yeah, we are. Beverly hills is that way." She called again, removing her hands briefly from the wheel to point at the road sign. Jesus christ. If being in a car with Trina wasn't already enough of a life threatening experience, that definitely didn't help.

*********

We pulled up outside the house, still a little early to arrive, and damn. Andre had not been lying when he had said this place was nice. It was massive and modern, and looked as if it could fit a lot  of people in it.

I stepped out of the car, after being lectured by Trina about how to stay safe if I was going to get drunk or do drugs tonight and all of that older sister shit that they're probably contracted to tell their younger sisters about.

I could already hear the echoes of music booming through speakers before I'd even entered the house. There were some people already congregated in the doorway and out the front of the place, drinks in hand.

As I entered, the sound of the music filled my ears completely, as I looked around taking in the view of a busy reception area. Eventually, after following the noise, I was led to a makeshift DJ booth. Andre was stood behind it, alongside the DJ himself, who I'm assuming he probably had some type of musical connection to. It felt like all of the worry I'd felt about being here tonight was beginning to disappear, because this already looked fun, and the night had barely even begun.

Andre noticed me, and quickly left the booth, making his way towards me. He was dressed for the occasion in a smart shirt and tie, and once he'd reached me, he embraced me in a welcoming hug, which I returned to him.

"Tori, you made it!" He greeted me with, before pulling away from the hug. I could smell the cedarwood tones of his cologne, and I could tell he had put a lot of effort in. I looked around, and Trina had already disappeared, which meant my fun could now actually begin. I had to remain close to him to actually hear him over the music and chatter.