Isabelle

Chapter 1

      “Izzie, it’s time to go!” Faye calls from the living room. “Just a sec!” I yell back, grabbing a tube of shiny pink lipgloss sitting on top of the bathroom sink. I quickly apply a swipe or two and blend, feeling the sticky gloss adhere to my lips. I tuck a strand of my light brown hair behind my ear, marveling at how nicely I’ve curled it. I smile at myself in the mirror, grab my silver clutch, and run out of the bathroom trying not to trip in my 3-inch heels. I’m not the most coordinated. Faye in standing by the door, staring at her phone. “Stalking Dylan’s Instagram again?” I ask raising an eyebrow. 

“No.,” she says shoving her phone in her pocket. “But he said he was going to be there tonight so I’m just checking to see if anything’s on his story!”

 I roll my eyes and link my friend’s arm in mine. “You’re too good for him anyway, why don’t you just have some fun tonight and forget about him for a second?” 

“Impossible,” she says lightly and she locks the door to her apartment. We walk arms in arm down the sidewalk till we reach her red tesla. Faye’s family is rich and this was her 19th birthday gift. I’d be more jealous if I wasn’t constantly borrowing it. I climb into the passenger seat and plug my phone into the aux cord as she turns the key into the ignition.

After looking through Spotify for a little bit I decide on some Troye Sivan, so we both jam out to “My My My” as we drive along the Santa Monica coast.

After a few minutes, we reach Luke’s frat house, and I marvel at the sight. The house seems to be pulsing with lights, energy, and music. It takes us almost 10 minutes to find a parking spot, as the entirety of SMC seems to be at this party. Faye and I climb out of the car and head up towards the house, our heels clicking against the paved street. We climb the steps, and walk through the open door into the party. Faye immediately sees people she knows from her Comp class and heads off to talk to them, leaving me to find Luke or Ash by myself.

I finally spot them, sitting on the stairs with red solo cups in hand. “Izzie! You’re here!” Ash says pulling me into a tight hug. Luke follows suit. “Let’s get you a drink,” he says, wrapping his arm around my waist and leading me towards the kitchen. Ash hands me a cup with some purple liquid in it. It smells fruity.

“What’s this?” I ask him. “I just kind of put a bunch of stuff in a punch bowl. Let’s call it a mixed drink.” I eye him suspiciously. “Don’t worry, I have Mikey monitoring it at all times. No roofies.” I smile at him and wave to Mikey. He walks over.

“Hey, Iz. Have you seen my little sister anywhere?” I nod. “She found some kids from her comp class and is probably talking about boring writer shit. She’s in the dining room I think?” he smiles, patting me on the back. “Thanks, I’m going to go say hi, I’ll be right back.” 

I hope up onto the counter and nod my head to the Travis Scott blasting through the house. Luke, Ash, and I talk for a bit, and I scan the house for another familiar face. I kind of stare at the open door for a bit, before I lock eyes with a boy coming in. He had jet black hair and dark eyes, and was wearing a weird combo of a leather jacket over a green sweatshirt. His eyes linger over me, before waving in my direction. I at first think he’s waving at me until I notice Luke and Ash waving back behind me. They approach him quickly and they all envelope each other in a huge group hug. “Iz!” Ash says gesturing for me to come over. “There’s someone I want you to meet.” I walk over to the 3 guys. “Calum Hood, this is Isabelle Page” 

He shakes my hand. “Nice to meet you, Isabelle.”

“Likewise. You can call me Izzie by the way.”