"I cannot wait for this party, everyone has been talking about it at school," Lilly talks from across the room as she continues to fix her hair.
"Yeah, it should be really fun. It'll be nice to have a change from all the bonfire parties, too."
"Yeah, definitely."
I place two different dresses on my bed, smoothing them out in the process. I can't decide which one to wear.
"You must be especially excited, since it's your boo thang's party!"
I turn to Lilly, furrowing my brows at her.
"Boo thang?"
"Yeah. And I'm sure he's excited to see you there in one of those dresses, because damn..."
I stifle a laugh. Lilly is too much sometimes.
"Shut up."
"I want to look good too, so do you mind curling my hair?"
I sigh.
"Sure, I guess-"
"And will you do my makeup?"
Lilly glances over at me and clasps her hands together, desperately begging.
"Fine."
Lilly smiles before yelling "yayyy" a bit too loud.
"Alright, which one?" I ask her, pointing to the two dresses on my bed.
The first is dark red and a little shorter than most dresses I own. It cuts just above my knees and has a very silky material. The other is purple, and a lot longer. I'm favoring towards the red dress, but it's far out of my comfort zone.
"The red one, obviously." Lilly says.
I take another long look at the two dresses in front of me.
"I don't know if I can pull that one off, Lil."
"Jessica, you can pull off anything. That dress will look great on you!" She exclaims.
Lilly drops the hair brush onto the dresser in front of her before walking over to my bed and picking the dress up by the hanger. She lifts it up and places it against my chest, trying to get a glimpse of what it would look like if I had it on.
She grins widely.
"Ethan will love this dress,"
"I don't know... I would feel much more comfortable in the purple one,"
"Jessica, I love you, but it's about time you start taking chances."
I sigh again.
"Hey, I have a boyfriend, now. That's progress,"
"I guess you're right," Lilly laughs.
She then looks at her phone to check the time and gasps.
"We need to start getting ready! The party is in two hours,"
"Alright. Let me get the curling iron."
-
Two hours go by much faster than I had intended, and soon enough Lilly and I both have curled hair and a face full of makeup.
"I'm glad you decided to wear it, Ethan's going to love it!" Lilly exclaims, leaning over to touch the silky red fabric.
I did want to look good for Ethan, but this red dress is not something I would usually wear. It's a bit too revealing for my liking, but Lilly begged me to wear it the entire time we got ready.
I guess she's right, though. Maybe it's time I start taking a few chances...
Lilly and I wave goodbye to my mom as we walk out the front door. I glance down at my phone to see a text from Ethan and smile.
Are you on your way yet? It's already crowded.
As if on cue, Lilly practically screams next to me that we need to hurry up because she's apparently received four texts from different people saying that they're already there.
So far, were only five minutes late. I guess Samantha really did invite just about everyone.
I shoot Ethan back a quick text.
Leaving now. See you soon!
"Wait! I need to go get Ethan's present," I say to Lilly. I can't believe I almost forgot it.
"Ughhh, Jessica, hurry!"
"Okay, okay!"
I rush inside to retrieve the small, perfectly wrapped gift. Thanks, mom.
I was planning on just shoving it into a gift bag, but my lovely mother suggested that she should wrap it. I'm glad that she did, though, although I still cringe at the light blue wrapping with the words "happy birthday" written across it in every possible way.
I can't wait for Ethan to see it.
-
Lilly and I both gasp in unison as we pull onto Ethan's street.
Cars line the road from a block away, seeming to form an endless line. My mouth remains agape as we continue to slowly drive down the street, passing car after car.
"Oh... my... god..." Lilly places her hand on the passenger window as she continues to look out at all of the cars.
"This looks like it's going to be bigger than any bonfire party Amy has ever had," Lilly adds.
I'm speechless.
This really does look like the biggest party I've ever seen. I suddenly feel overwhelmed and anxious for what's to come.
"Ethan told me I can park in the driveway, if we can even find it," I tell Lilly.
I continue to watch as multiple classmates I recognize from school walk through the large yard and up to the front door of the Dolan mansion, ready for a good party.
"I'm so fucking excited." Lilly exclaims, clapping her hands together rapidly.
We all knew this was going to be a big party, but damn.
There's lots of people here. I'm sure even Ethan and Grayson didn't know the turnout would be this big.
Samantha must've literally invited everyone...
Lilly points out the driveway, and I am relieved when I am able to park at the very end of it.
I gulp as Lilly and I step out of my car.
"Lilly..."
"Yes?"
We walk side by side up to the front door, along with a few other people.
The blaring music can be heard from the backyard, which only adds to my anxiety.
"I'm not going to lie, I'm super nervous." I lean in to whisper to her.
Lilly stops walking for a moment, places her hands on my shoulders, and looks me in the eyes. I can tell she's about to give me a pep talk.
"Jessica, this is going to be fun. This is your boyfriends' party, and all of our friends are going to be here, and we're all going to dance, and laugh, and have a great time together. There's no reason to be nervous!"
The butterflies in my stomach seem to double despite Lilly's efforts to calm me down.
"Now come on, let's go have some fun. I'll help you find Ethan!"
I nod slowly, making Lilly take the lead as we turn back around to enter the house.
My eyes immediately widen when we walk through the front door.
Teens completely fill the room, some talking, some dancing, some simply standing around. I see almost everyone I know from school in this room alone, so I can only imagine what it's like on the back porch. Lilly and I push through the crowd of people, saying a quick hello to the ones that we know.
My eyes scan the room for Ethan, but I don't think he's in here.
The large home literally shakes at the volume level of the music. I honestly can't believe Anne would allow this to happen here, especially with how nice the house is.
Lilly and I finally push our way through the large living room and make it out to the back porch, where there's only another flood of people. Lilly hears my heavy breathing and reaches over to grab my hand.
"Jessica... remember what I said about taking chances. I know you don't exactly like parties but at least try to have fun tonight."
I can barely hear her through the blaring music and crowd of people around us, but I know that she's right. I just need to let loose and have fun.
Davis, Lilly's homecoming date, approaches us from the far snack table and smiles.
"Hey, you guys made it! You both look great!"
Davis is a nice guy. I like him.
"Thanks, so do you!" Lilly replies.
"This party is crazy, right?!" Davis exclaims, throwing his hands into the air wildly for effect.
Lilly and I laugh.
"I don't think I've ever seen anything like this!" Lilly says.
"Oh, Jessica, Ethan was looking for you. I saw him not too long ago by the DJ,"
"Oh, okay! Thanks,"
Lilly looks at me, almost as if she's asking if everything is okay.
"I'm gonna go look for him, I guess." I tell them.
"Good luck!" Davis laughs.
I hesitate but eventually walk away from Davis and Lilly and try to make my way towards the DJ. He's probably not over there now, but it's worth a shot. I carry his present in my right hand and clutch it tightly to my side as I walk.
"Hey, Jessica!" Amy shouts from behind me.
I spin around and laugh as she busts out into a strange dance move.
"Hey!" I wave at her whilst laughing.
"Over there!" Amy mouths the words and points over towards one of the many snack tables on the right side of the deck. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulder as I see Ethan and Grayson both leaning against the wall next to the table, laughing about something.
"Thank you!" I mouth back at her and she winks playfully before returning to her exotic dance move with about three other people.
I look over again to see Ethan in a black button up shirt and black jeans. So simple, yet he looks amazing. His hair is slightly quiffed up off his forehead, which takes me a moment to get used to. He normally just leaves it down.
He looks so good, as usual.
He notices me walking over to him, and my heart skips a beat as his eyes immediately light up. His mouth opens slightly, as if in shock, as I finally catch up to him.
"I never thought I would find you with this crowd," I laugh.
Ethan remains silent, looking me up and down harshly. He takes his lower lip in-between his teeth.
"Jess," is all he says before finally looking up to meet my eyes.
I can't help but blush at the intensity of his glare, and I want to blush even more when Ethan notices my red cheeks.
"You look... incredible," he shakes his head, "absolutely stunning."
I smile at him. I've never had that reaction from anyone, ever. He is too sweet.
"Jessica! You're here!" Grayson smiles and rushes over to hug me.
I smile onto his shoulder.
"This party is amazing," I laugh.
"Yeah, it's pretty wild. I didn't ever think it would be this big."
"I don't think anyone did."
Grayson laughs.
I'm caught off guard when my hand is suddenly pulled by Ethan's.
"U-uh, I'll catch up with you later, Grayson!" I yell behind me through the crowd.
"Sounds good!"
Ethan continues to lead me through all of the people, and we soon step inside. His grip tightens on my hand as we make it to the stairs, and he smiles back at me as we walk up to where it's a bit more quiet. Ethan sits on the top step and I giggle as I bend down to sit next to him.
"I told you not to get me anything, Jess."
I sigh, rolling my eyes.
"I had to get you something!"
I slowly place the blue present into his lap.
Ethan looks over to me and smiles. I'm caught off guard once again when he leans over and places his lips onto mine for a sweet, but brief kiss.
His warm lips taste of mint-my absolute favorite taste, now. When he breaks away he then places a small kiss on my forehead, which, I swear, causes my heart to fall into my stomach.
Our first kiss was on these stairs, and it's crazy to think how much has changed since then.
"Open it." I say, not being able to wait a moment longer.
He grins as he slowly but eagerly unwraps the small, rectangular present. He throws the wrapping paper behind him dramatically, causing us both to laugh.
He glances down at the black writing journal and smiles.
"Grayson told me that you liked to write, so I thought maybe you'd like a personal journal," I shrug.
Little does he know, I've already read plenty of his writing...
Ethan doesn't say anything. He simply flips the journal over a few times to get a better look at it, and flips through the several blank pages.
"You don't have to use it if you don't want, I just thought maybe it would be something fun to have," I add, starting to feel a bit self-conscious about my gift to him.
He remains silent, continuing to examine the small journal.
"It's stupid, really, you don't have to-"
"Jess, it's amazing," he says, shaking his head, "Really."
I let out a breath I wasn't aware I was holding.
"I... I love it."
He places the journal beside him and leans over to engulf me into an unexpected hug. I embrace him tightly and wrap my arms completely around him.
I feel so relieved.
Our hug lasts a bit longer than usual, and when Ethan pulls away, I notice that his eyes have become glossy.
"Ever since my dad passed away, writing has been a way for me to deal with it all. It became my escape through all of the dark times," he says.
My heart pounds ten times harder than usual as I carefully listen to Ethan.
"Thank you, Jess. It means a lot."
I smile and lean in to kiss him on the cheek.
"Ethan? Are you up there?" Anne turns the corner at the bottom of the stairs and gasps when she finally sees us.
"Hey, Jessica! I'm so glad you made it!" She exclaims.
I smile and wave to her from the top of the stairs.
"I don't mean to interrupt, but, Ethan, I have a little something for you!" Anne yells, jumping on her feet.
I glance over to Ethan to see him confused.
Out of nowhere, a few... different, I guess you could say, teens approach the stairs from around the corner.
Ethan's eyes widen and he immediately stands to his feet.
"Surprise!" Anne yells from the bottom of the stairs.
Ethan's face has completely paled.
"They flew in from New Jersey this morning just to be here!" Anne says.
Oh, it must be Ethan and Grayson's old friends from New Jersey. I'm not going to lie, some of them look a bit intense.
A group of four of them stand at the bottom of the stairs, some smiling at Ethan and I and some having no expression. There's two guys and two girls.
The girls look very... floozy. Their boobs are barely managing to stay in their shirt and one of them wears lace tights and incredibly high heels. Tattoos cover almost all of them and I think I see lip rings on the two guys.
"Everyone was able to make it! Nate, Daniel, Jasmine, and even... Kara!"
My heart drops.
-
votes and comments = faster updates!
thank you all so much for reading, i hope you're excited to find out what happens next... ;)
also, yes, i know the twins' real birthday is in december. but, again, in this fictional book, it's in september.(: