"Ouch!"
"Just sit still Becca! Gah!"
"You're pulling my hair out! I can't just sit still! It hurts, and I don't wanna be bald!" I exclaimed, glaring at Charis in the mirror. She just smiled and batted her eyelashes innocently. I rolled my eyes, glancing at my hair before looking over my face, scrutinizing the makeup that Charis had already applied.
My green eyes had flecks of gold in them, brought out by the golden brown winged eyeliner, and my eyelashes looked long and thick thanks to the multiple coats of mascara Charis had covered them in. My skin, mostly clear before, was now flawless and glowing. I kind of looked like a porcelain doll. It was weird.
But hey, I felt pretty, even if it wasn't natural beauty.
"Okay, I'm done!" Charis announced. I'd been too busy thinking about what could happen tonight to notice that she'd spun me so my back was to the mirror. "Are you ready to see?" she asked, and I nodded. "Okay. One... Two... Three!" And she spun me back around.
Okay, now I looked a lot like a doll. Charis had pulled the sides of my hair back from my face and straightened it all to perfection.
"Do you like it?"
"Do I li- I love it!"
"Great! Mkay, now for your outfit." She grabbed my hand, pulling me into my bedroom to stand in front of my closet. "Hmm..." She surveyed my clothes. "What about this?"
I looked at what she was holding. Red skinny jeans and a light gray top.
"Yeah, I don't know..."
"Okay," she rummaged around some more, "this?"
Black ripped skinny jeans and the same gray tee.
"Actually, nevermind. This?" She held up a pair of normal skinny jeans and a white and green off-the-shoulder top. I smiled.
"Yes. Definitely." I told her.
"Yay! Now shoes." And with that, she turned back to the closet.
I glanced at the clock. 7:30. We still had an hour and a half until the party, and it was a good thing. I had a feeling this was gonna take a while.
*****
As it turns out, I was right. Though I was ready by 8, settling on some silver sandals I didn't know I had, Charis hadn't even started; it took her until 9:10 to get ready. It was now 9:47, and we were finally pulling up to the party.
It was crazy. Since we were over half an hour late, the party was in full swing. People, cups, and bottles littered the front yard, and cars lined both sides of the street. I stopped about a block away, not wanting anything to happen to my car.
"Ready?" Charis asked. She had on an oversized, blue and black plaid shirt that she'd left unbuttoned over a white tank top and a pair of black leggings. Her black converse, messy bun, and natural makeup were the final touch.
"Let's go," I replied, pulling the keys from the ignition and tucking them into the pocket with my phone as I opened the door.
It was loud. I could feel beat in my chest, and people were yelling and laughing everywhere. Not long after we got there I lost Charis in the crowd.
So I stood by the door, searching for a familiar face. I finally gave up, making my way toward where I hoped the kitchen was so I could get a drink. I tugged on the fridge door, rummaging around until I found a bottle of water. No way was I gonna drink anything. We needed to get home in one piece.
I unscrewed the cap of my water and took a sip on the way back to the living room, finally spotting Mark, Destinee, and Michael on the other side of the room. So, I pushed through the sweaty mass of teens, doing my best not to get elbowed or smacked or knocked over.
"Hey guys!" I yelled over the music. They were engrossed in conversation. "Mike, I thought Charis came to find you; where is she?" I questioned. He looked around.
"Um... I don't know. She said she was going to get a drink a few minutes ago. I'll go look for her." He started off into the crowd.
"I'll come too," Des said, grabbing onto his arm as she followed him. I turned to Mark, who was already facing me.
"Ugh, I guess I'm stuck with you then," I teased, and he grinned.
"Yep. Guess so. That must be awful, bestie. Want a drink?" I held up my water. "Nevermind then. I didn't expect to see you here."
"That would be because I wasn't gonna come, but Charis decided that I was, and drug me here kicking and screaming." I shook my head, causing him to chuckle. "She can be very...persuasive," I said, choosing my words carefully.
"I agree." He nodded. We made small talk for a little while, until I started to get a headache from the loud music. I checked the time. Wow. It was already 10:56.
"Oh my gosh. It's nearly 11 o'clock. I need to go; we have to be home by 11:30. Will you help me find Charis? I have to take her too. She's supposed to stay the night with me," I explained to Mark.
"Sure. C'mon. I have a feeling I know where she is," he said with a smirk. I just nodded as he grabbed my hand and pulled me up the stairs. He knocked on door after door, calling out her name. She was nowhere to be found, and neither was Michael.
"I'm gonna go call her. Will you keep looking?" I asked.
"Mhmm."
"Thanks." I turned, going into the bathroom and locking the door before I pulled my phone out and opened my contacts. I scrolled through, clicking the call button next to Charis's name then looking up into the mirror to check my hair and makeup.
"Oh my Lord!" I shrieked, dropping the phone from my ear as I whirled around to face the person in the bathroom with me. I guess it serves me right for not checking to make sure it was empty before I came in.
"Becca?" the person mumbled, looking up at me.
"Jason? Why are you in the bathtub?" I asked, confused.
"I... Um... I don't even know. Can you get me some Aspirin?" He held a hand to his head as he tried unsuccessfully to get to his feet. "They're under the sink," he informed me, before falling down again. I pulled them out, pouring two into my hand and filling the cup by the sink with cold water, then set it on the counter.
I reached for Jason, helping him out of the tub and onto the lid of the toilet; I handed him the medicine and water, and he took them with a weak but grateful smile.
"Thanks," he muttered. I nodded silently. "Why'd you come in here?"
I suddenly remembered my phone on the floor and bent to retrieve it.
"Um, I was calling my friend to see where she is," I said, motioning to my phone.
"Oh, okay."
"Yeah. I'm gonna go look for her some more. Thanks for the invite, but I have to go. Bye, Jason. Oh, and you might wanna go to bed soon, kick all these people out. I have a feeling you're gonna need quite a bit of sleep." I waved awkwardly and reached for the handle, unlocking it.
"Bye Becca."
Pulling the door open, I stepped out into the hall, wincing as the volume increased now that there was no longer a door between me and the party. Slowly, I worked my way down the hall, searching for another vacant room. Giving up, I huffed and settled for texting Charis.
To: Charis
Where are you?
I didn't expect and answer for a few minutes so I slid my phone back into my back pocket and made my way downstairs to the front porch, sitting down on the swing while I waited.
After about 10 minutes, I felt my phone vibrate with a new text.
From: Charis
I'mbin the living roomb ;)
I sighed again and stood up to make my way back inside while I typed out a response.
To: Charis
What part of the living room? I'm coming to get you. We need to leave.
From: Charis
The couchnunder thewindow. I'm with Michal/
To: Charis
Okay. I'm coming. xx
From: Charis
Oksuy xz
I pushed my way through the crowd until I spotted her. She was straddling Michael, and they were making out.
Fantastic.
Heaving yet another sigh (all this sighing I've been doing is getting old), I walked up to them and tapped Charis on the shoulder.
She didn't stop, just kept on kissing Michael as if they were the only people there. I was sick of the kissing already. Like, it was making me sick to my stomach just watching them. So, I decided on a new tactic.
Quickly, I found a discarded cup and ran to the bathroom, emptying it before refilling it with cold water. Then, just as quickly, I returned to my dear friends and poured it on top of both of them.
They broke apart, gasping and spluttering for almost a full minute before they finally noticed me.
"What was that for?" Charis asked, taking the the empty red cup dangling from my fingertips and the evil grin plastered across my face.
"I told you I was coming to get you so we could go home," I responded casually, dropping the cup at my feet and changing my evil smile to one that spoke only of innocence.
"You didn't have to spam us to get our attention though!" she complained.
"I tapped you on the shoulder first."
"Whatever. C'mon." She bent to give Michael a goodbye kiss before grabbing my hand and heading for the door. I let her drag me along behind, seeing as she was way better at maneuvering through groups than I was. Soon, we were in my car, leaving behind the sights and sounds of the party as she dozed off in the passenger seat. Within minutes, the only things to be heard in the car were her light snores and the soft sound of the radio playing in the background. I smiled to myself. It had been an okay night after all.
*****
I spoke too soon. I spoke way too soon. Here's why.
When we got home, I had to practically drag Charis into the house and up the stairs. She was limp, a deadweight, and she was gonna have an awful hangover tomorrow.
After I got her settled in the guest bedroom (it's way closer to the bathroom, which I figured she'd need to use first thing tomorrow), I brought up some aspirin and a glass of water. Quietly, I crept into the room and set them on the nightstand. I also had a feeling she'd need these after the bathroom, come morning.
Then, I stripped out of my clothes and jumped into the shower, feeling absolutely disgusting after the party. Never. I was never going to another one. Nope. Just not happening.
Once I felt that I was sufficiently clean, I got out, drying off and redressing before I climbed into my big, comfortable, welcoming bed. Now I could finally relax.
Except I couldn't. My mind wouldn't shut down so I could sleep. I was still hyped up from the party atmosphere. With a quiet groan, I got up and turned on my computer. I clicked on Google Chrome, pulling up my Facebook.
Hm. That was weird. I had a new friend request. Surely I wasn't that much more popular because I'd gone to a party.
I moved my mouse up to see who'd suddenly decided they wanted to be friends with me, and my jaw fell open so far I was scared it'd hit the floor. Jason Thomas had sent me a Facebook friend request. But, wait. Why? It wasn't like we even talked that much. This was weird.
My cursor hovered over the decline button, but, before I could think twice, I clicked accept.
Almost immediately a message popped up, also from Jason. Well, this night just kept getting stranger and stranger.
From: Jason
Hey Becca. :)
To: Jason
Hey Jason
From: Jason
What're you up to?
To: Jason
Well, I actually just got home. I couldn't sleep.
From: Jason
That sucks.
To: Jason
Mhmm. Wyd?
Our conversation lasted for over an hour. We mostly talked about our project, but there were some more personal questions thrown in there, like what we liked to do for fun, and favorite movies. That kind of thing. But it was still really weird.
I ended up going to bed at around 2:15. I couldn't believe we'd talked for so long, even it was pretty much all school-related. Maybe this night wasn't ending in a bad way after all.
My last thought before I drifted off was, unsurprisingly, of the conversation I'd had with Jason.
Oh no. I'm becoming one of those girls. You know the type. The ones that are always obsessing over their crush.
Wait. No. I did not have a crush on Jason. No. I refuse.
Oh good Lord. This could not, under any circumstances, turn out well.
**********
Hey! Sorry it took so long to update. School is extremely time-consuming, in case you didn't know. XD
But, now it's SUMMER! Which means I can write more! And hopefully stick to my updating schedule! Yay! Which, by the way, I was supposed to update every Friday, but we see how that turned out...
Anyway, please go read my other books because if you do then... idk. I'll be really happy? And please please please please please vote. And follow me. And comment. If you comment I'll follow you (if I don't already).
Ummmm, I think that's it for this update. I'm gonna try and update the other books today too, so go check 'em out if you haven't!
Okay, thanks so much for reading and putting up with my crazy author's notes. Ily!! <3 -A xx