"What the hell?" Bryce looks at his house in shock.
"How do you even know enough people here to throw a party?"
"I don't. They must have the wrong house."
"All of them?"
"This is insane."
I park in my driveway, my car narrowly fitting between two others parked on the road to make it into the driveway.
"Can I stay at your place tonight?" Bryce looks at two girls walking through the road towards his house as we get out of the car.
"Sure."
"Wait a minute. I know them."
"Who?" I ask, looking at the girls.
I don't recognize them from school.
"They're from Maryland."
"You invited a bunch of your old friends up here?"
"No."
"Then who did?"
"I don't know."
"Well, what now?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know them so are you going over and joining your party or are we hiding at my place until tomorrow morning?"
"I guess we're going over there."
"We?"
"Yeah, we. I'm not gonna go hang out with a bunch of people from home without you."
"Why not?"
"You can meet some of my old friends."
"Bryce-"
"Alex, come on."
I let out a sigh and press the lock button on my keys. "Fine."
"Thank you. You're the best." He grabs my hand and pulls me towards his house.
Everyone attending seems to be going around to the back of the house so I'm surprised when he leads me to the front door.
"What are you doing? Don't you want to go back there?"
"In a minute." He lets us into his empty house and takes us to his room. "You can leave your keys on my desk."
"Thanks," I say as I drop them down on it. "So you have no idea who's actually here?"
"None."
"This is so weird."
"Agreed."
"So about the two girls you recognized."
"Yeah?"
"Did you ever, um, hook up with them?"
"No," he says and pulls me in for a hug.
"Good."
"I guess we should go out there."
"I guess so."
He flicks off his bedroom light and I follow him up the stairs.
"Wait."
"What?"
"What if your friends don't like me?"
"They'll like you."
"But what if they don't?"
"They will."
"But-"
"Alex. They're gonna love you."
I nod as the back door slides open and Maggie enters.
"You're home early. It was supposed to be a surprise."
"You're throwing the party?" I ask.
"I thought it would be nice for Bryce to spend some time with his old friends while he's still adjusting to New York. The holiday seemed like the perfect excuse."
"So they just agreed to come up for a party?" Bryce asks.
"Pretty much. Nick and Jacob should be here any minute."
"Nick and Jacob are coming?" His face lights up.
"And Olivia. She's gonna be a little late though."
Great. She'll be here.
"How long have you been planning this?"
"Two days."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"Your friends miss you. They agreed to drop everything and come up just for the party."
"It's a five hour drive."
"A couple of them may be spending the night."
"Who?"
"Just the close ones are staying at the house. Alex, you're more than welcome to spend the night as well. The rest are getting a hotel and probably continuing the party there."
"I can't believe this."
The front door opens and boys cheering catches my attention.
"The party has arrived!"
"Jacob!" Bryce calls and heads for the stairs.
I watch as a blond haired boy a few inches shorter than Bryce comes into my view and the two hug.
"What am I, chopped liver?" the other boy asks before hugging Bryce.
"I can't believe you guys are here."
"Five hours in the car with this one, I can't believe we're here either." He shakes his head.
"Come here. There's someone I want you to meet." Bryce brings them into the kitchen. "This is Alex."
"Hi." I smile.
"Hey. I'm Nick." He holds his hand out for me to shake. "It's nice to meet you."
"You too."
"Jacob." He waves to me.
"Hey." I smile.
"How do you guys know each other?" Jacob asks.
"She lives next door," Maggie says. "Am I gonna get a hello?"
"Miss Maggie!" Nick pulls her in for a hug. His blue short sleeve shirt hugs his biceps and Jacob's red one does the same.
Is everyone in Maryland able to bench four hundred?
"There's something else you guys should know about Alex," Bryce says once the boys let go of Maggie.
"Which is?"
"She's my girlfriend."
"You got a girlfriend? You've only been here for a few weeks and you got a girlfriend?"
"I did."
"How the hell?"
I laugh as Bryce's friends continue to tease him.
"Did you guys bring bags to stay the night?" Maggie asks.
"Yeah, we have a duffel bag in the car." Jacob nods.
"Perfect."
"Why don't you guys go out back? There's some people already hanging out playing volleyball."
"We have volleyball?" Bryce asks.
"Tara does. She let us borrow it. She also loaned us bocce."
"Who's Tara? Girlfriend number two?" Nick asks.
"Tara's my mom." I laugh.
"Mother-daughter duo, up top, man!" Jacob goes to high five Bryce.
"Idiot." He shakes his head.
"Do you need help bringing any food or anything out?" I ask Maggie.
"That'd be great. Let me grab a couple bowls and you and Bryce can each bring some chips out. Nick and Jacob, could you just put the cans of soda in the coolers with some ice? There's a few bags in the freezer in the garage."
"No problem, Miss Maggie." They head down the stairs.
"Thanks, boys!" she calls after them as she grabs some large plastic bowls from the cabinet next to the microwave.
"I can't believe you did all this." Bryce smiles.
"Are you excited to see everyone?" I ask.
"He better be." Maggie laughs as she dumps a bag of tortilla chips into the red bowl.
"I am." Bryce grabs the bag of plain potato chips for the blue bowl and barbecue ones for the green.
We dump them in as Maggie pours the sour cream and onion ones into the yellow bowl.
"Okay. You guys can bring these out. Have fun." Maggie smiles.
I pick up the green and yellow bowls and Bryce takes the blue and red ones and leads me outside. He opens the sliding glass door and I follow him onto the deck.
There's music playing and sure enough, a small group of girls in bikini tops and booty shorts are playing volleyball.
"Do they know you don't have a pool?" I ask.
"I'm sure they're just trying to tan. Don't read too much into it."
Trying to tan or show off their tits?
There's a few guys with their shirts off obviously trying to hook up with some of the girls on the lawn.
I follow Bryce over to a white folding table and set down the bowls of chips. There's blue plastic cups and red paper plates next to an unopened package of red, white, and blue napkins for the holiday.
"Bryce!" a girl yells as she bounds up the stairs to the deck.
"Hey, Alyssa." He smiles.
She goes to pull him in for a hug and he stops her. "This is my girlfriend, Alex."
"Hey," I say, grateful that Bryce stopped that hug.
"Oh my gosh, hi. How are you? You should come play volleyball with us."
I look her up and down for a quick second, her bright blue string bikini top showing off her at least C cups. Her black shorts barely cover what's in the front, definitely not hiding what's in the back.
"Okay." I agree.
"I'm gonna go help Nick and Jacob. Those idiots probably got lost trying to find the garage." Bryce heads back inside.
"You're really pretty," Alyssa says as she starts walking down the steps.
"Thanks." I follow her down to the lawn and see two other girls who are just like her. All of them have long brown hair and are at least six inches shorter than me.
"Guys, this is Alex. She's Bryce's girlfriend." Alyssa explains.
"Like, girlfriend, girlfriend? Or just sex?" one girl in a yellow bikini top asks.
"Emily! You can't ask that!" Alyssa laughs.
"It's fine," I say. "Girlfriend, girlfriend."
"I'm impressed." Emily shrugs.
"Why? He always had a type." Another chimes in.
"Okay, I don't think she wants to hear this." Alyssa shakes her head.
Am I actually gonna be friends with this girl?
"I'm sure she knows about his reputation." Emily rolls her eyes.
Well, I definitely won't be friends with that one.
"That doesn't mean you have to go into detail."
"Let's just play." A girl in a red, white, and blue bikini top tosses the ball in the air and serves it over the net.
Alyssa hits it straight up and laughs. "Alex, save it!"
I hit it over the net and am not the least bit disappointed when Emily doesn't put her hands up in time and gets hit in the head.
"I wasn't ready!"
"Bummer." Alyssa laughs.
Emily gives up on hitting the ball and tosses it over the net. I spike it and the girl in the festive bikini runs for it and barely hits it in time.
"Emily, that's you!" she yells.
Emily clearly spends too little time doing anything athletic as she tries and fails to kick the ball.
"We're getting our asses kicked!" her teammate yells.
"Claire, do you want to join our team?" Alyssa laughs.
"Please!" Claire yells back.
"Babe!" Bryce yells. "Come here real quick!"
I jog up the stairs to the deck. "What's up?"
"How's it going?"
"Alyssa seems nice. Haven't talked with Claire much. Not a fan of Emily."
"Yeah, Emily can be a bit much at times. You just gotta get to know her."
"Ugh, do I have to?"
He laughs and kisses my forehead.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"I keep hearing how you have a type. What's that about?"
"My ex was blonde. I'd just ignore it."
"So blondes are your type."
"You're my type."
"Good answer."
"While it's still slow, do you want to go to your place and pack some clothes for tonight?"
"Only if you go with me."
"Aw, can't I stay and look at the girls in bikinis?"
"I'm so glad you think you're funny."
"I'm hysterical."
"Come on." I grab his hand and pull him into the house. "Did you find the boys?"
"I did. Why? You miss them?"
"A bunch. My heart is just aching without them here."
"They're helping my mom grab a couple more coolers." He laughs and leads me down the stairs to the front door.
"They seem nice."
"Yeah, they're cool."
I follow him through the dead end and up my front steps. My house is empty and I wonder where my mom and grandma went.
"I think I'm gonna change into a bikini." I lead Bryce to my room.
"Why?"
"I'm the only girl wearing a real shirt."
"So? Other guys don't need to be seeing you in a bikini."
"Well, Emily seems to be a tad judgmental, so." I open the top right drawer of my dresser and dig through my bikinis. "Do I want to wear red, black, or white with sunflowers?"
"White with sunflowers."
"Good choice." I pull out the top and search for a minute before I find the matching bottoms.
"That's gonna look so good on you."
I smile and pull off my tank top and strapless bra and toss them into my hamper.
"You're changing in front of me?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I hadn't realized my boobs were something you haven't seen before."
He laughs and kisses me.
"No. We don't have time for this."
"I think we do."
"We definitely don't."
"Fine."
I step into the bottoms of my bikini. "Can you pass me the top?"
"Here." He hands it to me and I slip it on.
I grab a pair of blue denim shorts and slide them on next before sticking my phone in the back right pocket.
Alyssa and Emily and Claire look phenomenal in their bikinis. I should start going to the gym.
"Do I look okay?"
"You look great, babe."
I grab a black bag from my closet and throw in a pair of black leggings, gray pajama shorts, and a red thong.
"Oh, I'm definitely gonna like seeing you in that." Bryce smirks.
I roll my eyes with a laugh and grab a white cropped tank top to sleep in.
"I can wear these shorts tomorrow, right?" I ask as I gesture to the ones I'm currently in.
"I'd bring another pair. The boys are planning a water balloon fight for later."
"Good call."
I grab a pair of light blue denim shorts and a cropped red cami along with a tan strapless bra.
"All set?"
"Not quite." I grab my deodorant and hairbrush off my dresser and get my toothbrush and toothpaste from the bathroom. "Okay, now I'm set." I slide my feet into a pair of black flip flops that will undoubtedly come off within the next five minutes.
"Let's go." Bryce grabs my hand and leads me outside.
I follow him through the dead end and into his house. He leads me down the stairs into his room. I set my bag down next to his bed and he pulls me into him for a kiss.
"What was that for?" I ask.
"Does there have to be a reason?"
"I guess not."
"Let's go outside."
I nod and follow him out of his bedroom and into a room on the left, directly in front of the stairs.
"This room came out so nice," I comment as I see a chocolate brown couch and a flat screen TV on the wall with a scarlet area rug on the hardwood floor.
"Yeah, it did. Mom worked hard on it. The floors took her forever."
"She did this herself?"
"We don't really have the money to hire anyone. She just watched some tutorials online and borrowed some tools from my grandpa and got it done."
"Holy shit. Your mom is my idol."
"Don't get too excited. I don't need you tackling any home improvement projects next."
"Let's go outside," I say with a laugh.
Bryce leads me out the back door and we step outside, underneath the deck. There are more snack tables and coolers down here, along with a fire pit.
"This is nice," I say.
"Half of it's yours." Bryce laughs.
I hear Maggie's voice above us. "Is Bryce back yet?"
"Down here!" he yells.
"Great! Come up real quick!"
I follow Bryce up the stairs and onto the deck.
"What's up?" he asks Maggie.
"Just wait a second."
"For what?"
"Be patient and you'll see."
We stand in silence for a minute or so before the back door opens and a blonde steps out.
"Olivia," Bryce says. "Hey."
"Hey." She smiles.
"This is my girlfriend, Alex."
"Hi," I say awkwardly.
"Hi."
This tension could be cut with a knife.
"Okay, well, Emily, Claire, and Alyssa are on the lawn," Maggie says.
"Great, I'll go say hi," she says and heads down.
"That was weird," I say.
"No, it wasn't. You're reading too much into this."
"So there's something for me to read into?"
"Alex."
"Bryce, come on. That was weird. Is she that mad that she had to stop calling you babe?"
"Alex, ignore it. It's nothing."
"You did tell her, right?"
"Yes, Alex, I told her. She's my best friend, she's protective. Let her warm up to you before you expect to be best friends."
"Let her warm up to me? Shouldn't I be the one to warm up to her after that crap?"
"Alex, I didn't mean it like that. You're both guarded when it comes to each other."
"Whatever."
"Alex."
"I'm gonna get back to volleyball. Maybe I'll get lucky and Emily will hit her when she misses the ball." I turn and jog down the stairs, finding Alyssa.
"You're back." She smiles.
"Yes, I am."
"That's such a cute bikini. Where'd you get it?"
"Thanks." I smile. "I'm not sure, it was a gift."
"I love it. Let's play. You're with me again."
"Perfect."
Alyssa serves the ball and it comes back to me so I hit it hard at Olivia, proud of myself when she ducks and the ball hits the ground.
"Point for us!" Alyssa beams.
Claire rolls the ball under the net and I serve this time, letting Claire get a shot in before I slam it at Olivia again.
"Yes!" Alyssa shouts. "Another point."
"I'm sensing some issues here!" Emily calls from the sidelines.
I ignore her and hit this one a little softer, giving Olivia a chance to hit it back. Alyssa spikes it back but Claire gets under it. I hit it at Olivia and she ducks again.
She lets out a sigh. "Alex, I know I slept with your boyfriend and all, but do you have it out for me?"
•What do we think of that ending? Did you see it coming or are you just as surprised as Alex? Don't forget to vote!
~SS💘