Dylan and Emma

► Try Hard

OCTOBER 5TH 2013

"Dylan, are you sure you don't want to play?" Lucas gestured to the game of beer pong that Cal, Mike and Asher had set up across the room. I shook my head and dropped onto the couch, a bit of my soda spilling onto my jacket as I landed not-so-gracefully.

"Yeah." I slid my phone out from my jacket pocket and gulped from my cup. "I suck at pong. Besides, I don't drink."

"You're a pussy," he teased and I raised my can to him in a mock toast.

"Someone sober has to drive you derps home." Lucas snorted but knowing I was right, left it at that and joined the others.

I settled myself deeper into the sofa, balanced my drink between my knees and, after a moment of hesitation, checked Emma's Twitter. You're just checking to see if she left the party, I assured myself as her profile loaded on my screen.

Yes, the whole reason why I agreed to being the boys' designated driver tonight was because I knew Emma was going to be here and so far, the night has been one big disappointment because I hadn't caught even a glimpse of her.

Music pounded loudly from speakers as people gathered in the living room danced to every beat. Everyone had a drink in their hands and if they weren't grinding on someone, they were clumped together in clusters around the place.

The last time Emma updated her account was two and a half hours ago. Just got to Bella's house. Where are you @kellyelly ??

As I closed my phone, someone sat on the empty spot next to me. My eyes wandered with partial interest, but froze when I saw that it was Emma next to me in a black shirt and dark jeans. She looked dressed down, but still more beautiful than anyone else here. Her straight, long black hair hung down her back, the tips the same pastel pink, blue and violet since sophomore year. It's nice that they didn't seem to fade.

This was the closest I'd been to her ever since tenth grade history when I sat behind her, so when she noticed me staring, I must've had an expression of mixed shock and fear because a crease formed between her eyebrows. She asked, "You don't happen to have seen Kelly Pinewell, have you?"

I couldn't believe it. She knew who I was! This was the first time we'd ever really spoken but if she was talking to me, then she must've known who I was. It felt nice to know that she actually noticed me, considering I'd changed a lot just to get her attention: trading my laid back style for an edgy one. I knew I was being a try hard, but I liked her, okay? Sue me for wanting my crush to notice me and think I was cooler than I really was.

"I was with her over there," Emma continued and nodded her chin towards a group chanting someone's name to our far left, "but I lost her about thirty minutes ago and now I can't find her."

"I haven't seen her." I wondered how in hell I was able to speak with such a calm tone when inside, I was freaking out. I hoped that I looked extremely cool in my leather jacket and ripped jeans. I combed my fingers through my dark brown hair to muss it up a bit. I sipped my soda, making sure to look all pouty and indifferent.

"Are you okay?" she asked seriously. Immediately, I dropped the act and awkwardly cleared my throat.

"Fine," I said and she gave me a slight smile. The colourful strings of lights that hung on the walls danced in her blue eyes as she searched my face before they swept across the room. Her long black hair and their colourful tips tossed around as she looked around her. When Emma craned her neck to the right, a portion of her hair moved over and just below her ear was a flower tattoo.

"Where is she?" Emma muttered under her breath. She turned back to me and caught me staring. "What?" she fidgeted self consciously.

"Nice tattoo," I complimented and she blushed. Emma brushed her hair over her ears, the rose covered up once more.

"Thanks," she said before her eyes widened. "I'm so sorry; I forgot to ask for your name!" Emma exclaimed, and I suddenly felt like the biggest loser in the country. "I've seen you around, but I don't know your name."

So she had no idea who I was. I guessed I shouldn't be surprised. Why would she waste space in her brain for a nobody's name like mine? I stretched my lips into a smile, breathed through the pain in my chest. "I'm Dylan."

"Emma!" she replied and I bit my tongue. I know who you are; I've been crushing on you since sophomore year. "I've seen you around, but it's nice to officially meet you."

"You, too," I said and successfully kept the disappointment out of my voice. "Plus, I see you walking all the time." She frowned at me, and my cheeks flared with heat. "I didn't mean it like that! It's just- You walk your dog and I see you and-I-we... Urgh!" I breathed deeply and before she could run away I said, "We live together. Well, not together, but on the same street."

This eased her and she settled back down on the sofa. "I didn't know that," she murmured. She shook her head slightly before looking pointedly at my cup. "So how does the beer taste?" Emma asked.

"The same," I shrugged and she raised her eyebrows. "I've drank a lot of beer in my twenty years of living it up." I blanched. Could you be any lamer? I asked myself. And where the hell did that come from?!

"You're twenty?" She asked in disbelief. "How many times have you repeated high school, because I swear I see you-"

I coughed in embarrassment. "I meant seventeen. Sometimes I just say things I don't mean." Especially around pretty girls. I reached up to scratch my fingers through the hair on the back of my head. "And the beer's pretty good," I lied as I took another sip.

"Can I try?" She asked. "Just a sip." I would've gladly given her the cup, had it not been half-full of soda and not the beer she thought it contained. Panic blossomed in my chest as she looked at my cup expectantly and without thinking, I pushed the cup to my lips and chugged. I felt a bit run down my chin and I wiped it with the back of my hand. Her eyes widened and I smiled guiltily.

"There was...something stuck in my throat. I needed to wash it down." Emma cocked an eyebrow.

"Uh huh." Before she could continue, her phone rang. She glanced at the screen and then at me with an apologetic look. "I have to take this." She didn't wait for my response and put her phone to her ear. "Where are you?" Emma hissed.

I sat quietly and debated whether or not I should ask her out. If I did, where would I take her? Maybe instead of taking her somewhere fancy, I could just plan something sweet and affordable for the both of us. I grinned widely as a plan formulated in my mind, just as she ended the call. "So listen, do you want to-"

"I gotta go," Emma said. "Kelly's already outside!" She got up walked away, but before she could get out of earshot, she yelled, "It was nice to meet you, Dylan!"

I blew a raspberry. Nice to meet you, too.

✖ New story everyone! I hope you stick around and thank you for reading! mar/20/2023 - i was feeling nostalgic so im slowly editing this. i wrote it when i was fifteen. please be nice lol ✖