"Mom, I don't think we need any more snacks or food..."
Ever since the group planned and confirmed the "sleepover," I told my parents about it and mom's been planning ever since. She took three big shopping trips, and was aiming for a fourth until dad stopped her. It was a true struggle- especially since she knows Scarlette is my girlfriend and included in the group. Dad's more chill about it, but I know he's itching to meet her.
My nerves are through the roof as I gather up some snacks to bring to my room. Madaline is like a daughter to them and a sister to me, plus they've seen Julie plenty of times. My dad saw Jackson and Scarlette once- both of those instances didn't end well. I hope everything goes as smooth as butter.
It's currently eight-thirty at night which means everyone should be here soon. They all agreed to nine. I'm pretty sure all we did plan is the time. I guess we'll free ball everything else.
"Nolan, honey, come help me with the refreshments!"
"Oh, god," I groan, hoping dad didn't let her loose again.
I hurry and drop the snacks off in my room before returning to the kitchen, where mom stands with a book of recipes in her hands. She quickly glances up at me, but that's all it is. A mere glance. Her attention is swamped up on a recipe for pasta rolls, and she already has an apron on. I send a horrified look to dad who just shrugs in my direction- basically saying I'm on my own.
Mom practically ignores my pleading gestures, her eyes zooming word to word. I was thinking pizza, or chinese, but I knew that was all wishful thinking. Maybe I should've mentioned Scarlette being my girlfriend after this whole thing. Then again, this sleepover wouldn't have been planned if I didn't mention it. Well.
"Can we just order pizza, mom?"
She looks up at me as if I've created the biggest sin, her own look of horror crossing her face. "Of course not, Nolan!"
I'm about to counter her statement, but the rings of our doorbell stops me. I put my hand up to stop my parents from moving, and quickly answer the door. On the other side are all of my friends and Scarlette, grins lining their faces.
"How are you all here at the same time? And early," I question, moving to the side.
Everyone moves in comfortably besides Jackson who looks around. Madaline drops her bag by the stairs while Julie slowly takes her shoes off by the door. Scarlette pushes by Jackson, coming straight to me. I prepare myself for the hug that's coming, my arms moving out on their own. Scarlette's body wraps into mine, her arms wounding around my neck while mine circle her waist. Not to say I was cold, but the warmth of her body envelops me quickly.
"Not to ruin the love fest that's going on, but am I the only one bamboozled by his house?" Jackson interrupts.
I peek around Scarlette's body, not wanting to let go of her just yet. Especially since my parents might try and take her away for the night. My eyes trail around the house as if I haven't lived here for years. People have complimented my parents and I on the interior of our house and, at this point, it looks like the same old to me.
"This is my second home," Madaline chides before she flicks me in the arm. She leaves us after that, most-likely going to say hi to my parents.
"I've been here before," Scarlette says after, kissing the top of my head before letting me go. She stays close to me which keeps me more than satisfied. I try not to think too much about my next actions, and link my hand with hers. She gives my hand a small squeeze in return- the action making me feel good inside.
"I've also been here before," Julie states. She waves at me when my eyes turn to her, and I return it happily. She then follows in Madaline's footsteps, my parents and her voice flowing through into the living room.
Jackson does an award-worthy gasp, his hand clutching at his chest. I hold my hands up in surrender as he stalks towards me, his long legs almost tripping over the carpet that lay neatly in the room.
"Nabster, how come I'm the only one who hasn't seen the holy grail?!" he grips onto my shoulders, "this has got to be top ten bro betrayals."
I laugh as he shakes me by the shoulders. Scarlette smacks him on the head, and that's all it took for him to let go. He grumbles like a kid, his arms crossed to match the look. It's gone as quick as it came when my parents call the rest of us into the kitchen. Jackson has no problem, his mind, stomach, and heart set on food. Scarlette looks down at me, waiting for my move.
I'm not hiding her anymore; I don't need to. My parents know, and if they didn't know- today would've been the day that they did. I've had my share of mess ups, and I'm going to try with everything I am to keep the sweet girl that's thinking about my comfort first. She always thinks about other people first, whether she knows it or not.
I squeeze her hand, in a comforting manner, then lead her towards the kitchen where everyone else already stood. Madaline is digging into chocolate pretzels, Julie is eating grapes, and Jackson- well he has about everything. My parents stand on the other side of my friends, and their attention moves to Scarlette and I as we enter.
"Oh, Nolan!" mom reacts first like I thought she would. I should've prepared Scarlette for this. Why didn't I? "Is this her?"
"Yep," I answer, my hand never leaving Scarlette's. I like holding her hand too much to let go, and I think she feels the same.
Mom leaves dad's side in an instant, grabbing a hand towel on the way to wipe her hands of anything she might've touched. Scarlette glances at me and I give her a questioning smile in return. Definitely should've prepared her.
"Hi! Scarlette, right?" my mom goes in for a hug, immediately, skipping past the hand that Scarlette started to outstretch. "My son's girlfriend."
Scarlette one-arm hugs my mom, since her other arm is occupied. "Hey. That's me."
"Wonderful! I was thinking-"
"How about you let the kids go up to Nolan's room, hm?" dad interrupts, "I'm sure they're ready to stop being with elders."
I send a thankful look his way, and he gives me a discreet wink while plucking a grape into his mouth. That was then all of our cues; we waste no time in storming to my room where more snacks lay. Madaline sits on my recently added bean bag chair and Jackson thought it'd be funny to plop down on her. We decide to leave them to their shenanigans and get comfortable.
I sit against some pillows on my bed, Scarlette following soon after. She sits next to me before scooting down a little to rest her head in my lap. I don't even think about it- my hands just find themselves playing with her hair. She doesn't say anything, her tattooed fingers peeking from under her long-sleeved shirt. She plays with the barely visible design that decorate my pants.
Julie gets comfortable on the other end of the bed, grabbing a bag of chips along the way.
"What do you guys want to do first?" I ask, my hands still in Scarlette's hair, but my eyes looking at the rest of my friends.
"Horror movie?" Madaline suggests.
"Yes!" Jackson leans up from her lap, excited about the idea. I notice the look Madaline discretely gives him. A look of longing, like she wouldn't mind if he laid his body across her lap again. I wonder if that's how I look at Scarlette...
Julie nods, agreeing with the idea, her mouth full of Lays to try and say something.
"The Conjuring?" Scarlette lists movies as she looks them up on her phone. She never shied away from my lap, so she laid in a weird position to look at her phone clearly without moving.
I've never truly thought about it before, but she really likes touching. The form that it's in doesn't matter- it can be hugging, holding hands, laying in my lap, a simple knee touch. She likes it all. I smile at the idea of her being a softie, and I almost lean down to wishfully kiss her cheek. Instead, I leave her hair and caress her face.
"You're making a guy feel lonely over here, and I don't even wanna relationship," Jackson boos, a bag of cheetoes in his hand along with a beef stick that we didn't have. It wouldn't surprised anyone if he brought his own supply.
Madaline smiles at the comment, but I'm pretty sure everyone besides Jackson knows the affect it had on her.
"Yeah," Julie directs the attention on her, "I've never seen The Conjuring before."
Her comment alone starts an uproar; I joined in surprisingly. Madaline sends a thankful look to Julie for getting the conversation back on topic. Still, I have a strong feeling that the topic will be brought up again, but only when Madaline and Jackson are alone. I put on the movie after a couple more minutes of banter, and Scarlette puts her phone down before snuggling more into my lap. It takes some strength for me to not take a couple of pictures. I don't think she'd mind, but I also don't want to ruin the comfort we're both feeling.
Jackson sits on the floor next to the bean bag, and Julie lays halfway across the bed instead of sitting up, so Scarlette and I can see clearly. It's dead silent as the movie plays, creepy music surrounding my room. I absentmindedly continue to play with Scarlette's hair, and the music gets louder setting me on edge. I wait for a jump scare to come up when the loud sound of rustling overpowers the movie. Everyone's eyes fall on Jackson who's attention is taken away by another bag of chips. He pops open a soda after, and looks up to see all of our eyes on him.
"What?" he asks, dumbfounded, "you guys want some?"
"Dumbass," Scarlette whispers, causing the rest of us to laugh. Jackson, still confused, frowns before shrugging and digging into his snacks.
"Guys, look!" Julie catches our attention for the second time, her eyes glued to the TV. She's gripping onto one of my extra pillows with her eyes wide.
We all watch the move intently to see what was going to happen, and the most unexpected jump scare happens. I lean down, faster than I thought I could move, and hide my face into Scarlette's shoulder. I hear her trying to quiet her laughs, and I smile the tiniest bit but my head stays put. I catch a few scenes just by listening, but I refuse to look up.
My mom ends up calling us for food, and I notice that almost an hour had passed. Jackson is the first one off the floor, his hair falling into his face, and he almost runs smack into the door.
"Why do you put doors in the weirdest places?" he tries to recover from the act, and opens the door as carefully as he can. We all watch him with amused smiles, and he's the first one to leave.
"Guess that's our cue, abocrombies," Madaline gets up next from the bean bag chair. Julie follows then Scarlette and I.
Mom is placing pizza slices onto separate plates when we walk in, a smile framing her features when she sees us.
"I hope you all like pepperoni," she states with a hopeful tone. "I thought to get cheese, but, oh, I don't know."
"Pepperoni is fine, mom," I confirm, moving around my friends to stand by her.
"Yeah," they chorus.
"Pepperoni is more than okay," Jackson says further, "in fact, if you wanna give me the biggest slices there is, that'd be cool."
Mom laughs at Jackson's enthusiastic tone, her hand readily sliding him a plate that has two decent sized slices. I see dad eyeing Jackson's nose ring and small eyebrow piercing. No one else notices this, I don't think, and I hope that he doesn't say anything.
"You change your jewelry often?" dad eventually asks, his question directed at Jackson.
"Uh, yeah," Jackson answers, now messing with his nose ring. "Change up my style, you know?"
Dad nods like he understands, but I'm not sure if he does. "I know this good jewelry place that sell pieces like that. Good prices if you want recommendations."
Jackson grins at that, him and his pizza moving to stand over by dad. Scarlette is quiet beside me, her mouth stuffed with the crust of the pizza. Mom takes that opportunity to come closer, and ask questions of her own.
"Do you have piercings, Scarlette?"
Scarlette swallows the rest of her crust, quickly, not wanting to prolong her answer. "Only my ears, but I do have tattoos."
Without thinking, she lifts the sleeves to her shirt, showing the tattoos that lined her fingers, hand, and some of her arms. She realizes what she did as soon as her arms were out for anyone to see. I see her tense up just the tiniest bit, so I hold her hand- giving it a comforting squeeze. No more hiding.
Mom surveys the tattoos that painted Scarlette's skin, only a look of curiosity and amazement lining her eyes. Her eyes catch a certain one, and she gets an excited gleam in her eyes.
"Is that a grease reference?" she asks, pointing to a small quote.
"Yeah," Scarlette answers back, just as excited, "I love grease."
That's how they jump into their own conversation with my mom going on and on about how the grease movies are a classic. I smile at the the exited interaction between them, and leave them alone to talk. Even though this is a "sleepover" I'm glad to see Scarlette and Jackson getting along well with my parents.
I join Madaline and Julie, their conversation stopping when I reach them. I furrow my eyebrows and Madaline grins her sneaky grin- the one she does when she doesn't want me to know or do something. I don't question it, since it seems like it has nothing to do with me, and we jump into another conversation instead. The first topic to be bring up is about Scarlette and I. I never have any troubles talking about her, so that's what I do. I talk about her like I've studied her for years. Hope I don't sound like a creep.
It's when she decides to come over that we suddenly switch over to the topic of church.
"Are we having bible study tonight, babe?" Scarlette teases, her arms wounding around my neck from behind. She rests her head on mine without question, her eyes rested on Madaline and Julie.
"No," I roll my eyes, playfully, "unless you want to babe."
She hums in happiness from the use of the nickname. It's more than clear that she likes it, and I like when she reacts so cutely. It makes me feel happier.
"I think I'm okay," she answers. "I'd probably go to a service for you, though. Just not a long one."
"Really?" I ask, surprised that she even said that.
"Mhm."
"How about this Sunday?" I ask, wanting to see if she'll stay true to her word.
"Works for me. Just send the info, yeah?"
I agree and Madaline doesn't let the opportunity to tease her pass by. Scarlette sticks her tongue out, and Jackson ends up joining our muddled circle.
"Is the sleepover, over dudes?" he interrupts, holding onto his stomach, "I ate so much, I think I'm gonna drop dead."
"Sure Jax," I laugh, "Where are you sleeping?"
"In your bed, dumbass," he says, giving the appearance of a kid again.
He pushes past us after that, yelling about how he doesn't want to be bothered unless there's more food. I roll my eyes for the second time, and the rest of us decide to move to the living room. Madaline connects Just Dance and declares us all to a challenge. Knowing how this is going to go, I sit down to go last and let Julie and Scarlette experience the wrath of her craziness.
Madaline picks all the songs, and I watch as Julie and Scarlette struggle to keep up. It's after the sixth battle that I decide to spare them and battle her.
"Ready to get crumbled, cookie?"
"Just dance, cupcake," I grin, steadying the remote in my hand.
"You said it, not me," Madaline replies, and we jump into our favorite dance.
I hear the click of pictures, and Scarlette cheering me on. I get distracted a little bit which causes Madaline to hit a combo move- her points doubling mine in seconds. She wins our battle, a victorious grin spread on her face. I groan in protest, not believing I lost what I thought was my best dance. I turn around and slump to the couch in defeat.
"Sorry, babe," Scarlette grins, sheepishly at me.
I shrug it off, and go to sit down when Madaline screams to stop us.
"Why are you guys looking tired? This is a sleepover!"
"The keyword in that is sleep," Julie defends, a yawn rippling from her lips.
"Yeah, I'm pretty slumped too. Might follow in Jack's footsteps, you know?" Scarlette follows.
"Yeah," I agree.
This was supposed to be a sleepover, but it wasn't. I guess it was all kind of a hoax to get Scarlette to meet my parents without the extra pressure of doing it alone. At least, I think that was Jackson's plan. He's always doing some with the motive of something else.
"Can we at least watch Mulan?" Madaline ask, inching towards the stairs.
I follow after her, and she bolts. "If I reach your room first we're watching it!"
I follow after her quickly, and Scarlette and Julie share confused looks before getting up to follow. I reach my room second to find Madaline stationed comfortably on my bed with my remote in her hand.
"No."
"Yes."
"Absolutely not."
"Absolutely yes, Nolan," Madaline says, already finding it.
"Mulan night?" Scarlette asks as she enters my room with Julie right behind her.
"Yep!" Madaline answers for me.
"Cool, but you might wanna sleep somewhere else since Jack has kinda took up the entire bed."
We look over to him, and true to her word Jackson is spread out like a starfish on my bed, with drool escaping onto my pillow.
"Good idea," we agree.
Madaline curls up on my bean bag chair which is big enough for her to sleep on. I guess mom did good getting a giant size. I unpack blankets from my closet to hand out, and sleep next to the bean bag. Scarlette lays right next to me, her hand finding mine. Julie sleeps on the other side of the bean bag, her head resting on an empty spot that Madaline hasn't occupied.
"You guys ready?" Madaline asks, her hand ready to press play.
"Paw patrol on a roll, baby," Scarlette answers.
"Oh my god," we groan before falling into laughter.
"I thought that was pretty good!" she defends.
"No, sorry."
"Maybe next time, babe."
"I thought it was good."
"You guys are liars," Scarlette fakes a pout before music from the movie stars to play and we all hum along.
"I said don't wake me up unless it's for food!" Jackson groans, turning in his spot.
"Sorry, Jackson," we chorus.
"Meh," he groans before falling back to sleep in seconds.
We wait a few seconds before falling into more laughter and singing more songs to the movie.