𝒓𝒚𝒂𝒏'𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘
FORTUNATELY FOR US, DANIEL finally blinked after a few more hours. None of us were there to witness it obviously, but our friend is fine and doing amazing. He's back to his "normal" self and hopefully ready to drive us to Zach's annual New Year's Eve/Birthday party tonight.
Even though he definitely acts like he accidentally does illegal drugs most of the time.
Parties haven't always been my forte, but due to my outgoing and lively friends I'm always dragged along. Sadly, I've been to way more than I could count. I do end up having a great time mostly, other than the one get-together in Sophomore year where I had to drive Daniel to the Emergency Room.
My friend-group has a completely different personality than me, as you can most likely tell.
I'm wishing I end up having more fun than usual since Louis is coming in company with us. At first I didn't want to tag along. But, whenever Louis seemed excited about it I figured I should go. In 2021 I'm hoping to step outside of the box and out of my comfort zone more. Which means attending more gatherings and even meeting more people, maybe.
Zach's party starts around 9, 9:30, from what I've heard from my peers. I've attended every single one he's thrown, starting with the most "iconic" one in Freshman year. His parents are always out of town, mostly since they're deadbeats that don't care about their son's birthday, and his whole home is free to us. Most of Vincent Valley High attends, even some from other schools in our district do as well.
I have around 2 1/2 hours to get ready. It's more than enough for me, but I have absolutely no clue what to wear. Wearing a dress tonight sounds tiring and wearing just jeans is too casual. I have no idea what Mariah or Ivy is wearing either, so that isn't much help.
Maybe, go in between and wear a skirt? I don't know, maybe Louis can help once he arrives. I stood in my closet doors with my index tapping against my chin, my eyes puzzled to every square inch of my clothing.
I have nothing better to do, can I just come to your home early? Is what Louis questioned me early on in the day. I'm guessing getting ready doesn't take him long. From the minutes I've counted Sawyer getting ready, I've come to the conclusion that ( low maintenance ) men only take about 15 minutes to get fully clothed, do hair, and spray on cologne? That doesn't include taking showers however. Since my older brother isn't fond of them and our Mother has to force him into the bath most of the time.
I'll never understand the wrong-doings most boys have with cleansing themselves? Other than that, the only confusion I have is surfaced with what do I pair with a plaid pleated skirt? And why do I care so much anyways? It's just a silly New Years party.
It's been a couple of days since I've last seen Louis wistfully, almost a week to be exact. Due to his Mother and Sister leaving America to go back home to South London, he wanted to spend time with them before they left. I obviously understood, 'cause who wouldn't? But, I'm jovial to finally see him today. We've talked nonstop on IMessage and other platforms, so to actually witness him in person again will be nice.
Even though my idiotic brother doesn't like showering, I definitely do. And that's what I need to be doing shortly. It won't take me long at all, I've always been quick with it.
Once I stepped into the shower Margot and I have always shared, I worked swiftly, but not fast enough to where I couldn't become clean. I washed my somewhat nappy locks, my entire body, and I made sure I had shaved my legs from all the aggravating prickly hairs that have grown since I last shaved. Almost cutting myself in the process, I told myself to slow down before an accident occurs.
The water droplets rapidly kissing my skin has always felt calming to me. So does the sound of it hitting the subway tile, it echoed throughout the Jill-and-Jill bathroom.
I wanted to stay in there for another 10 hours if I could, but my Father's water-bill would mock me for it. Just before my hand would swoop over to the shower handle to turn the water off, it was stopped by the creaking sound of my bedroom door opening. The wall between my bathroom and my bedroom is thin and I could practically hear everything that goes on in the room next to me. As I froze, I figured leaving the water on for a few more moments would be at best.
The sound of footsteps cascaded towards the bathroom door, I couldn't quite see feet in the tiny crack due to the shower curtain blocking it. If it was Sawyer, maybe even River, their obnoxiously loud selves would've said something by now. The being knocked on the door softly, but I could still hear it over the shower-fall.
"I didn't know you were in the shower," Louis' familiar voice spoke. "I'll go downstairs if you want me to."
My throat croaked as I tried to speak due to slight embarrassment. I placed my pink razor down onto shower niche upwards. "Oh, um, it's fine!"
He was silent for a few moments before he nervously asked me, "Do you want your clothes? They're on your bed?" I felt myself tense up. But, I roughly agreed.
"Uh, yes, please." I practically smacked the sense out of me, but I waited to hear the doorknob squeaking.
Of course, I couldn't see it clearly, but Louis' figure through the shower curtain. I prayed he couldn't see mine, I would mentally shoot myself to the thought of Louis seeing me fucking naked. I examined his every step towards the bathroom counter, until I turned my body back towards the shower-head. The water pierced my chest.
I felt relief wash over me once I heard the bathroom door close back, I could finally loose the breath I've been holding for the entire moment. That definitely could've gone a lot worse, but I'd rather not think about the odds right now.
After I let my hair get garnished by the overflowing water above me one last time, I twisted the knob. The strong water pressure suddenly stopped crashing against my body and I breathed heavily. I opened the shower curtain. Steam lingered throughout my entire bathroom, causing me to scurry around for my towel that I placed on the ground. Droplets dripped onto the tile beneath me.
Looking up at the marble countertop, I noticed the clothes I had laid out on my bed. Louis placed them beside the sink as neatly as he could. Groggily, I wrapped the white bath towel around my now almost-dry body. I glance up at the mirror that reflected the shower behind me.
Louis drew a small smiley face and a heart in the mist on the mirror, it caused me to grin. I wiped a part of the mirror steam away with a washcloth, but I made sure to not wipe away Louis' "masterpiece."
It didn't take me long to throw on the lazy clothes I picked out to get ready in, wash my face, brush my teeth, etc. I wasn't going to get ready in my outfit I had planned for tonight, because 1. I don't know what it is just yet and 2. I'll probably get makeup all over it. So, pajama clothes like Nike shorts and a t-shirt will be just fine. I didn't want to keep Louis waiting for long, he was most likely getting bored just sitting in my bedroom awkwardly.
I pried open the bathroom door that led into my bedroom towards my left. Steam escaped and quickly rushed into the next room. That's when I spotted Louis sprawled out on my made-bed. He held his phone above us face, typing away God-knows what. The room was lit up by the overhead light that I turned on earlier. At the time, it was too bright outside to turn on my LEDs.
"Nice hairdo." Louis teased as I sat down at my vanity. He gestured towards my hair that was wrapped into a towel on the top of my head. I could see him behind me in the mirror.
I poked, "Yes, indeed." Turning onto his stomach, Louis placed his phone on the bed beside him.
As I started to apply my makeup, I felt Louis' eyes burn into my skin basically. I could see him from the corner of my eye, but I decided to not say anything. What could I say? Yo, Louis, whatcha starin' at?
Due to me doing my normal makeup like always, it took about 10 minutes for me to finish. Even though I was slowed down by Louis' strong staring. Every time I would look into the bottom left corner of the mirror, I could see Partridge's eyes right back onto mine. My throat was clogged, yes, but I did end up getting the job done.
And by now, my hair was almost fully dry. Only the underparts were damp. I untied the knot of the white towel on my head, letting my mane fall down recklessly onto my face and shoulders. My vision was covered due to it, but I could still see through the tiny cracks. With my nearly dark locks, I most likely resemble the girl from The Ring amusingly.
I turned around to face Louis with my eyes fully protected, a chuckle leaving his lips.
"You like my hairdo now?" I protested before I flipped my hair back to it's normal spot. Louis laid in front of me, resting his chin in his hands. "It suits you."
Snickering, I headed back into the bathroom. I didn't know if I should curl or straighten my hair. Getting ready is hard, especially for me. I'm such an indecisive human. And not just about hair or makeup, I'm unsettled about food at a restaurant, clothes at the mall, and even movies on Netflix. I have no clue how to fix it, but it's pretty annoying to live with.
I finally decided to curl it with the wand that Margot and I share. It's a sorta "special" occasion and a little beach wave would top it all off. Since I was only doing small curls, it took about 5 minutes. I'm ready to get out the door and spend the rest of 2020 with my friends.
"What should I wear?" I questioned Louis as I walked through the doorway that leads into my bedroom. He looked up from his phone and his eyes planted on me opening my closet door.
He hummed, "Clothes." My head shot back towards him and I gave him a death glare. As he smirked at me, he tapped his chin and thought for a second. "Wear that!"
The boy pointed towards the skirt I thought about wearing earlier on today. It's a beige plaid pleated skirt that was honestly getting too short for me, but I'll probably end up wearing shorts under it anyways. I paired it with a black short-sleeved shirt. It fit tight on my upper body, however it's not tight enough to be uncomfortable.
"Great minds think alike."
"On this day, 18 years ago, Fredrick and Susan Armstrong birthed a dumbass named Zach Armstrong!" Kyle Lewis, a familiar boy on the basketball team, boasted as he stood on top of the large coffee table. A red solo cup was gripped in his palms, you could tell he was at least tipsy already.
Zach snickered, "That's not their names." Laughs echoed throughout the Armstrong home, they came from almost mouth in the room.
"Anyways! Let's celebrate the New Year and little Zachie's 18th birthday!"
The party went back to it's normal state; talkative and youthful. Some Drake song played in the background, but I could barely hear the lyrics due to it being drowned out by Daniel yelling at Mariah for already wanted to down a fireball whiskey. Surprisingly, my blonde friend wasn't going to drink tonight. That makes 3 of us in our group of friends. It includes Daniel, Louis, and I.
Drinking has never been my type of thing, it's not that I'm too pussy for it since it's definitely illegal for a house full of underage teenagers getting drunk. I've just never been satisfied with the burning sensation down my throat. And I always end up being the designated driver, so it's best for me to not down a few. However, tonight Daniel swears he'll be sober enough to drive us all home.
We arrived at the get-together a little after 11. My friends had chores to do at home last minute and it takes a minute to arrive to Zach's house due to it being farther into our suburban town. I didn't mind though. There was about 30 minutes until the New Years Eve countdown.
"Oh, no, Mariah, no-" Daniel lectured as he tried prying the plastic cup out of Mariah's eager hands. She downed the mysterious liquid down her throat, which worried me a bit since the "punch"-bowl was open to anyone of the party. Open to free people who wanted to drug anyone in plain sight.
As you can tell, I'm the only responsible person in the friend group. I'm the only one who worries about these type of things. Ivy calls me the Mom and it's definitely not a lie. Sometimes it feels like I have to drag around my toddler-like friends.
Mariah objected, "Let me live! You're the one who didn't want to drink tonight, not me!" A sigh left Daniel's mouth as he looked over at Louis, who sat on a stool beside me. All 5 of us surrounded the island in the middle of Zach's kitchen. The kitchen was crowed with my fellow pupils, along with some new faces as well.
"I'm sorry you have to witness this." Daniel apologized to Louis as he poured the red liquid Mariah was drinking into the sink. He shrugged with no care in the world.
Louis isn't the type of person I ever imagine to be at a party in this fashion. At all. He's so pure and innocent, while half of the people in this entire house are not. But, I'm happy he's here with me. I would've felt out of place if not.
"It's fine," Louis chuckled. "I'm getting used to it."
I sure hope so. Sometimes I'm worried if my chaotic friends are too much to handle, but they're being themselves and that's all that matters to me. Even if they make me want to pull my hair out most of the time. "Good, cause now that you're dating Ryan, you'll get to witness me dragging Mariah out of the alcohol cabinet a lot more often."
The two of us watched Daniel trying to grab the girl's hands. We literally arrived to the party not even an hour ago and she's already beginning to be tipsy.
"My New Years revolution is to get new friends, she's wearing me out." He groaned. Ivy used her middle finger to flip him off. I looked over at my right at Louis who was grinning at the sight of Mariah practically fighting Daniel. He turned his glance on me.
Before I could say anything, I felt a lengthy arm wrap around my shoulders and Zach stood between us. He had his other arm on Louis' shoulders. A metallic 2021 crown sat on the top of his head.
"My favorite people!" Zach asserted over the party chaos. His eyebrows furrowed at Daniel in front of us, but he quickly ignored it. "Hopefully in 2021 those 2 finally realize their strong feelings for each other.
I nodded in agreement, "Happy 18th." His face lit up and he quickly thanked me. Smirking, Zach looked at Louis and I back in forth. I began to become anxious whenever he started wiggling his eyebrows.
"So?"
I raised an eyebrow. "I'm guessing you two realized your feelings for each other in 2020, however." Smacking him in the chest, he released his arms from our shoulders and began to laugh at us. My expression was of embarrassment, but Louis' was humorous. Louis nodded at the boy who continued to laugh. "I hope you guys have fun. The fireworks will go off in about 20 minutes, so get ready for that!"
After Zach left to do whatever, Louis and I started speaking about the most random things. Both of us were obviously getting bored of watching our friends bickering. We sat thigh to thigh and shoulder to shoulder.
"Do you guys wanna go in the backyard? There's sparklers and shit." Daniel questioned all of us. Him and Mariah finally died down and weren't yapping at each other anymore. But, she was definitely aggravated since he wouldn't let her have anymore to drink. She'll most likely sneak something behind his back soon though.
"Sure."
We all headed into Zach's backyard that was surprisingly packed with a group of kids our age, of course. Some were playing beer-pong on the picnic table, some were lighting sparklers, and some were even dancing to the music that was blasting inside. I was hand-in-hand with Ivy as she dragged all of us through the crowd.
I quickly grasped a thin sparkler from off the table with my left hand, and my right handed my friends the small box of them. Thankfully, there was about 10 boxes left of them for the countdown, so it wasn't a big deal if we messed with them right now. Daniel chucked me a red lighter from off of the grill on the back deck. I almost dropped it in the process, but luckily I still grabbed it in time. My slippery fingers lit the lighter and I grazed the top of the sparkler. My eyes lit up to the sight of the tip firing off. I quickly passed the lighter to the next person, which was Louis.
"Come near me with that thing and I'll light your tits on fire, Darr." Daniel squirmed as I started walking towards him. He has a tiny fear of fireworks ever since 7th grade when my brother Sawyer almost set Daniel's hand on fire. But, since we're in our last year of school, his fear has definitely lowered. Even though he did just threaten to set me on fire over it.
I giggled, "You're a wimp, I'm not gonna hurt you."
I twirled my body around with the sparkler in my right hand, the fire leaving a slight trail of smoke behind it. Once I rested my body back on it's feet gracefully, my eyes met with Louis. He was wiggling his eyebrows at me and played with his sparkler as well. "It's almost the New Year, Ms. Ryan."
Grinning, I nodded, "Yup. In about 5 more minutes."
My eyes averted over towards the patch of grass in Zach's backyard. There stood a couple of kids from my school, setting up the pounds of fireworks below them. It's most likely illegal after I thought about it. But, it's whatever. Sadly, my sparkler went out after about a minute. My friend's were still lit and thriving however.
"You almost burnt me, you asshole." I groaned as I rubbed the spot on my arm where Mariah's sparkler grazed. Her left eyelid winked at me and she mimicked they way I twirled around a few moments earlier. I rolled my eyes playfully at her and threw my finished sparkler in the trashcan. That's when I was startled by half of the school's basketball team rushing outside. One of them held their phone in their hands up high.
"Hurry up and get your lighters ready, boys!" Kyle Lewis boasted to one of the boys who was working the fireworks. I clapped my hands together happily and walked back over towards my friends. I'm guessing the countdown is going to start pretty soon. I felt a crown be placed on my head by Ivy, a 2021 metallic one that looked similar to the one Zach had on earlier. "This new year better be better than this one."
I nodded in agreement and stood beside Louis. 2020 was definitely bad for many reasons, but thankfully it was saved by me meeting Louis towards the end of it.
Our friends quickly scooted beside us and we waited for the others at the party to start counting down from 10. Ivy took her phone out of her pocket and showed us all the time. 11:59.
I felt myself become excited. Mariah nudged my shoulder, causing me to wince in pain. But, once I noticed what she was trying to gesture towards. Louis stood beside me, his eyes planted on the sky above all of us. The moonlight extenuated his ravishing broad nose and his lips that were outlined from the star's shine. His eyesight was broken by him noticing I was staring slightly.
"You're staring, Ryan." He teased, poking me in the side. I shrugged my shoulders and grinned at him with no teeth. Before I could say a word, I felt him pull me closer by his right arm. Our bodies were both warm surprisingly, since the outside weather wasn't the most enjoyable.
"10!"
Louis jumped by the sound of random voices starting the countdown. I snickered at him quietly and escaped his grasp by standing in front of him. He towered over me like always.
"9!"
We joined in on the shouting, I couldn't keep my smile off my lips. Our eyes wouldn't leave each other's as well.
"8!"
"7!"
"6!"
"5!"
His palms rested on my sides. The part where my skirt met my black shirt.
"4!"
I couldn't help but admire the boy who stood in front of me. It was difficult not to.
"3!"
"2!"
"1!"
Fireworks went off into the sky, signaling to all of us that the fresh New Year was finally upon us. Louis' grip on my waist tightened. I expected for him to let go sooner or later, but surprisingly he didn't. Instead he kept his hands there and his eyes didn't leave mine.
"Happy New Year, Ry."
Louis and I were dropped off at my home by Daniel a little after 1 AM. All of us were exhausted and truly ready to get into bed. But, weirdly enough, Daniel didn't drive us all the way up to my driveway. Instead he dropped us off at the mailbox. My tired self didn't appreciate it at all, however Louis seemed okay with it.
My driveway is longer than ever. It's full gravel too, which sounded aggravating under our shoes. The crunch was enough to drive me over the edge. I'm cranky when I'm tired, as you can probably tell.
"You're quiet." Louis spoke unexpectedly. He nudged me in the side gently. A yawn escaped my lips and I nodded at him. "I'm tired, I'm sorry."
Tonight was better than I expected. Way better. It ended off with us sitting in the grass, examining the fireworks that probably costed a fortune since it lasted so long. It consisted of thousands of colors and shapes. I loved every bit of it, other than the loud sound, of course. The last time I examined fireworks was in July, the 4th of July to be exact.
But, the world that surrounded us came crashing down once I spotted red lights flashing in the shared driveway of my family and my grandparent's
𝑮𝑹𝑨𝑪𝑬 𝑺𝑷𝑬𝑨𝑲𝑺!
y'all are gonna hate me lol
i absolutely hate this chapter and it
was super rushed. i'm starting to not have
motivation for this book and i hate it SO MUCH.
i adore this story and the characters, but i don't
know how to keep my motivation back up again. i
have so many ideas and i don't want them to go
to waste.
would you guys hate me if i started another
louis book soon? dw, i'll definitely continue
to write this book. i've just gotten the nudge to
start another one. i'm worried it won't get as
much love as this book does though.
so if i did
publish one, would you read it?
i'll probably publish it once this book starts
coming to a end though.
also
100K.
YOU'RE FUCKING KIDDING. I ABSOLUTELY ADORE ALL OF YOU TO PIECES. YOU HAVE
GIVEN ME AND THIS BOOK SO MUCH LOVE
AND I DONT DESERVE IT AT ALL. i've enjoyed
this book and the storyline SO much. i love writing
it and please pray that i don't fully loose that love.
whenever i started it, i never thought that it
would've gotten a lot of views. i came back to wattpad after a long hiatus and i wanted to start writing again. i found a love for louis partridge
and this book started growing SO fast. you guys
are too sweet to me and overflow me with dms and comments that i fucking love so much. thank you for LITERALLY EVERYTHING. i'm so worried that
you guys will hate me for not updating as often
as i do. but, hopefully i start getting motivation again. and stay tuned for a new louis book that will be COMPLETELY different than this one.
i love you, i'll try to update soon. i hope u
enjoyed this chapter 🤍🤍