ella
It's New Year's Eve. I'm cramped in some random person's basement with a ton of my friends, the warm feeling I get when I'm drunk taking over my body as I converse with the people around me.
I'm used to parties like this. The cramped basement, loud music, and ridiculously drunk people aren't things I haven't seen before, and they aren't things I'll never see again. But something I know I may not see again after this year, is Adam Banks blessing the party with his presence.
I wish I could say that he looks ugly, but that's impossible. A black V-neck t-shirt that shows off his almost fake-looking muscles, gray sweatpants that hang low on his hips, and messy hair that's somehow still perfectly styled, the guy oozes sex and confidence. He knows he's hot, and he knows I think so too.
As the clock hits 11:58, everyone starts gathering around the TV. Drinks are put down, couples cozy up to one another, and everyone else is just in some sort of clump with their friends. I'm not sure what to do... should I go over towards my friends? Should I go towards him? Or should I just stand in the corner like an idiot?
Even though I'm in a black tank top and jeans, you'd think I was wearing lingerie. The way Adam's expression smolders when we lock eyes is almost unimaginable, and it doesn't help the butterflies in my stomach settle when he starts walking towards me.
There's only ten seconds left until midnight, but it may as well have been an eternity. He comes closer and closer until he finally breaks the silence between us, even though there's tons of people counting down around us.
"Ella... you have no idea how long I've been waiting to do this again." he says, pulling me into him as the countdown to midnight ends. His lips are on mine, and then...
I jolt awake.
It's New Year's Day. I'm in Italy. And Adam Banks was not my New Year's kiss.
My own boyfriend wasn't even my New Year's Kiss for that matter, because it's not like he's here with me and my family. And I know, it looks really bad that I was just dreaming about kissing another guy... especially when my boyfriend and this guy hate each other.
At least it was just a dream though. And besides, they're going to have to get used to each other sooner rather than later, because they're going to be teammates for at least the next year or two.
I sit up and stretch, grabbing my phone and trying to forget the pure craziness my mind put me through for the last two minutes. I don't even know why I'm complaining. Tyler and I got surprised with this trip to the Amalfi Coast on Christmas morning, and we literally had an hour to pack and get to the airport in order to make our flight.
For the past week, I've been soaking up sun, swimming in some of the bluest water I've ever seen, eating all my favorite foods, and shopping at all of my favorite high-end stores. Like I said before, I don't even know why I'm complaining. This is the best Christmas present I could've ever asked for, and I really should be focusing on that instead of boy drama.
However, that's not the case when I land on Logan Christiansen's Instagram story a few seconds later. All I see is a picture of her and Adam, his arm wrapped around her waist while she's giving him a peck on the cheek. The caption is one simple word, and that's "lover", with a kissy face emoji next to it.
My blood is boiling. I immediately swipe out of the app and open Facetime, calling Sadie without a second thought. She answers after a few rings, her groggy voice filling my speakers. "Hello?"
"Please tell me you've seen Logan's Instagram story." I spit out in disgust, ignoring the furiousness arising in my gut. "That's a fucking joke, right?"
"What are you talking about?" Sadie asks, rubbing her eyes and squinting at her screen. "What story? Do you have any idea what time it is right now?"
"It's eleven." I respond, to which she rolls her eyes.
"Yeah, it's eleven there. Did you forget I'm still here in Minnesota, where it's currently four in the morning. Thanks for waking me up. I'm still drunk from Addie's party... shit my head hurts." After a beat, she speaks again. "What story were you talking about? Logan's?"
I swallow the anger, quietly muttering, "Go look for yourself."
The room becomes silent for a minute, until I hear a shocked gasp from her. "No fucking way. Morgan, Morgan! Wake the fuck up right now, you're never going to believe what I'm about to show you."
I hear Morgan groan as she wakes up, and I don't have to see her to know she's pissed off. She's like me when it comes to sleep. If you wake her up, she'll try to kill you without a second thought.
"What do you want?" She snaps at Sadie, becoming louder as the phone is most definitely being passed to her. I hear Sadie in the background, and it's not too long after that before Morgan's bloodcurdling scream cuts her off.
"What the hell? Holy shit! Sadie, does Adam know? What the fuck are we going to do? This is so bad."
"You think?" Sadie asks sarcastically as both their faces come into view. I watch as Morgan drags her hands down her face, probably from a mixture of both stress and exhaustion. She looks at me with a sympathetic smile and scoots next to Sadie, taking the camera from her hands.
"Don't worry El, we'll take care of it. I promise." She blows me a kiss and scoots off the bed, telling us how she's going to go make some calls as she leaves the room. Whoever she's going to call, I'm afraid for. Morgan can be pretty scary sometimes, even though it's not often. But when it's for me or another one of her friends, she'll summon the depths of hell to protect us if she needs to.
I quickly notice Sadie staring at me, so I make a face. "What? You're looking at me weird."
"Why are you so worried about that picture anyway? I thought you hated Adam, so what does it matter to you? And besides El, you have a boyfriend. Who cares?" There's no hiding the accusatory tone the questions have, and I don't like the way that uncomfortability washes over me within seconds.
"I-, I-," I start, but can't come up with an actual answer. "Whatever. Just leave it alone."
"You're jealous." Sadie taunts, a smirk appearing on her face. "Who saw this coming... oh yeah, that's right. Me."
I cover my face with my hands and groan. "You're the worst."
"But you love me anyway." she replies, blowing me an obnoxiously loud kiss. "In all seriousness though, don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."
I give her a grateful smile just as Morgan comes back into the frame, sitting on the bed with a sigh. "So I talked to Adam."
"And?" Sadie and I both ask at the same time.
Morgan sighs. "He's not happy. Like, at all. I listened to him complain about still being drunk, and then curse Logan out for a solid five minutes straight about how much he hates her and he's just been dragged into drama he didn't even sign up for. Let's just say the first day back will be... interesting."
Even though I'm not going to admit it to them, a part of me is relieved how mad he is about this. What Logan did was really wrong, and I know I'd be just as angry if this happened to me. He's not dating her, nor does he even like her like that, so what she did crossed a lot of boundaries.
Whatever, it's her funeral. She made it, and now she's going to have to live with the consequences and the probable backlash of her actions. I don't feel the least bit bad about it, especially because I listened to her talk shit about me a few months ago. Like I said, it's her funeral. Oh well.
I talk to Sadie and Morgan for a few more minutes before finally hanging up, because I feel really bad that I woke them up so early. I kind of forgot that I'm currently seven hours ahead of them, because other things took charge of my thoughts. Again... whoops.
When I walk out onto the balcony, my parents greet me with a smile. "Well look who finally decided to join us this morning!" my dad jokes, ruffling my hair as I sit down to eat.
"What's with the face?" Tyler asks teasingly, making my subtle scowl only grow larger. "Did Mom and Dad tell you that you could only buy one pair of sunglasses at Prada or something?"
"Tyler!" my mom scolds, wiping the smile off his face immediately. "Leave your sister alone. You don't have any idea why she's upset. Don't be a jackass."
I smirk at my brother as he mumbles something to himself and starts stuffing his mouth with pancakes. I take some fruit and french toast slices for my plate, savoring the flavor of the food and the view around me. Even though the last half hour has been horrible, I can't even be mad with a view like this.
After breakfast, I decide on my New Year's resolution as I'm getting ready for the day. I'm going to focus on me, and do the things that make me happy. Whether that's with a boyfriend or without one, of if it's Adam, Alex, or someone entirely different, I'm going to do the things I love and make this year my year.
Here's to a brand new start, a brand new year, and a brand new me.
**a/n*
hello hello hello sorry for going m.i.a. i was enjoying thanksgiving with my family and school has been insanely stressful but i found the time to write so here's a new chapter! i don't usually write this much dialogue so im sorry if it's a bit repetitive, i tried though lol. anyways that's all i've got and ill see you guys soon byeeeeeee