After we arrived back at the house, I saw a light yellow Volkswagen in the driveway. "Who's that?" I ask looking over at Daniel. "It looks like Elecia's here to tak care of Feather" he replies.
"Wait Elecia owns Feather? Wait, Elecia rides?" I ask excitedly. "Um yeah so?" he gives a confused look. I kick Scoot up into a gallop and we fly over the fence and into the paddock. I spot Elecia riding the pretty pinto mare.
Elecia spots me and rides over to us. I slow Scoot down to a hault and wait for Elecia. She approaches with a large smile spread over her face.
"I never knew you rode!" she exclaims. "Elecia, I met you today, I didn't even tell you my whole life story" I reply, laughing. As soon as I say those words I bite my tongue. She can't know who I am. "Later. Right now we need to judge your riding skills" she says while giving me a cheeky smirk.
She clicks Feather into a canter and I follow soon after. Daniel and Storm stopped in their tracks and watched as Elecia and Feather, Scoot and I clear all the jumping obstacles in the paddock. We trot back over to the two boys, both bent over laughing.
"Wow" is all Daniel can say.
After we have stopped laughing I wipe a tear from under my eye.
"Hey are you coming to Tyler's party tonight" Elecia excitedly asks. "Yep" Daniel replies. "And its unsociable's first party at that" he gestures to me. I return his comment with a deathly glare which only makes him laugh.
"Oooh I've got to help you get ready" she squeals. "Oh its fine, I think I'll fined some jeans to chuck on" I insist, dressing up isn't one of my favourite things to do. Elecia and Daniel are now staring at me in complete shock.
"What?" I ask innocently.
"You've got to be joking. Jeans for god sake is not the right thing to wear to a party" Elecia shouts at me which startles me and the horses, even Daniel's shocked at her outburst.
"Drive her over to my place at 7:00pm don't be late" she's now talking to Daniel who quickly nods in agreement. "Ok see you then" she says and waves while trotting Feather over to the barn.
"What was that all about?" I ask in still in shock. "I have no idea" Daniel laughs. Soon we're both laughing and watching Elecia's car slowing grow smaller until she turns onto the main road and dissapears.
"Why was Feather being leased when Elecia was just here?" I ask. "Elecia only recenty came back from a trip to her sister. Her sister has brain cancer and is in a hospital twenty-four seven. I can't remeber where but they allowed Elecia to bring Feather with them to try and chear up Lilli, her sister" Daniel replies.
"Wow, are you guys close?"
"Childhood besties, friends forever" he exclaims with a smile.
I wonder if they've ever been a 'thing' or if its strictly friend zone only. Daniel must realise what I'm thinking and quickly intejects.
"We've never had feelings for each other. She's like my sister that I actually get to see".
"Where is your sister?" I ask
"Umm she left when I was little. I don't know why, something about not being cared about I don't know" he looks embarrassed.
"Sorry" I mumble, I shouldn't of pressured him so much. So I decide to make him smile.
"Don't worry, I'm here. You won't get away with anything anymore"
That makes him laugh. And with that said and done, we ride into the barn and untack the horses, waiting for 7:00pm.
* * * *
As Daniel drives to Elecia's house, I hum to a random song that's stuck in my head. I can see out of the corner of my eye that Daniel keeps looking at me, which makes me feel butterflies again.
We pull up to a large double story mud-brick house with a dark red roof and rose bush lining the porch. We get out of the car and walk up the pathway, trying our best not to trip over wonky tiles.
We finally make it to the front door and I ring the doorbell, listening to the chime inside. Soon, a girl with a towel wrapped around her head appears at the door. She's busy having a conversation on the phone.
"Hi Layla" Daniel says. "Hi Daniel" she says flirtatiously, putting the phone to her shoulder. she batts her eyelashes and twirls a loose strand of jet black hair around her finger. She reminds me of Amy Burnes.
"Layla this is my friend Amber".
I shake her hand and she smiles. "Elecia told me you were coming around. Its nice to meet you" she exclaims. "I've got to go, important convo at the moment" she says jesturing to the phone. This surprises me as she walks back into the house, starting up her conversation again.
Even though she has an obvious crush on Daniel, she's not annoying or jealous that I came with Daniel, she's just fine.
Daniel leads me through the threshold and closes the door behind him. Then, a woman with Elecia's hair but a small frame arrives around the corner from the kitchen.
"Oh hi Daniel, this must be Amber. I've already heard so much about you. Elecia's upstairs." And before I know it I'm shaking her hand and she dissapears around the corner again.
We trudge up the stairs and come to a white wooden door with a name plate reading "Elecia" in big looping letters. I knock twice and someone yells out "come in".
We enter Elecia's bedroom and I stand in shock. It's big and spacious with a queen bed lying in the middle up against the back wall. Fairy lights hung on the walls and a fake diamond chandelier hung from the roof. A majestic chest of drawers was placed across from the bed and a desk was situated in front of the large window over looking their backyard.
Elecia even has her own private bathroom. Clothes were sprawled across the floor and Elecia was sitting in the middle of the mess with a stressed look on her face.
"Hello lovlies welcome to my cave of clothes" she says trying to smile. "What happened in here" I gasped. "Trying to find us an outfit, that's what happened" she chuckles. I smile and walk over shorts and singlets, some even inside out.
"However I finally got one for you and one for me" she says triumphantly. She gets up and looks at Daniel. "You still here?" she asks. "Oh sorry yeah um I'll be back in an hour and a half. You girls should be finished by then" he stutters while he leaves the room.
"Don't count on it" I yell back and I hear his faint laugh. I turn my attention back to Elecia who is holding a black and mint dress that looks flowy. "I am not wearing that" I state.
"I know, but what about me?" she questions. I picture Elecia in the dress and all results come back positive. "Yes! go put it on!" I urge. She finally walks into the bathroom and closes the door. I skim through some of the dresses Elecia had picked out.
My eyes fall on a strapless grey frilly dress that falls to mid-theigh with a dark pink ribbon running around the waist. I pick it up and walk over to the full body mirror while pressing the dress to my body. It doesn't look that bad but what about what it would look like on.
"I like it" a new voice says from the bedroom doorway. I whip around and see Dalilah smirking at me. "I was just uhh..." I stutter. "Don't worry, it looks great. Where's Elecia?" she asks coming in and sitting on the bed.
"Here!" Elecia yells from inside the bathroom. And soon exits with her hands on her hips. The dress suits her. Even though its short and I wouldn't be seen dead in it, the dress doesn't show anything for unwanted eyes and still looks elegant.
"Wow" Delilah and I whisper which makes Elecia blush. "Look at your dress" Elecia exclaims pointing at Delilah. I just realised I hadn't noticed what she was wearing.
Delilah's hair had been braided to the side with a diamond berret in her hair. She was wearing a bouncy sky blue dress with three silver bands running around her waist. She's wearing the same colored high heels, but not break your ankle high.
I gasp which makes her blush under her light cover of makeup. "Come one your turn" she says pushing me into the bathroom and shutting the door behind me.
* * * *
"Come on Amber hurry up!" Elecia screams at me. "It doesn't take ten minutes to put a dress on" Delilah agrees. "I don't like it" I shout back. "Just come out and we'll fix you up" I don't know who said that but they get their wish.
I slowly open the door and peep through the crack at the two gorgeous looking girls lying on the floor outside. I step through the doorway and wait for the reactions.
But I don't hear anything. I peek through my eyelashes and see both Elecia and Delilah gasping at me, their jaws are trying to touch the floor.
"You look great" Elecia says.
"Really?"
"Yes!" they yell in unison.
I walk over to the mirror and gasp. I'm not one of those people who say they're not pretty when their actually stunning. But, I do look really good. The dress tumbles down from my armpits and the pink ribbon complements my tanned skin tone.
"Come on make up and hair time!!!" Elecia squeals. Well she found her voice, I say to myself.
* * * *
After half an hour of make up and hair we were finally done. Delilah has curled my hair in light bouncy springs while Elecia has put smokey eye shadow and a light cover of makeup on me. Dark pink heels wait for me by the door while a diamond necklace is placed around my neck.
I stare at my reflection in the mirror. I look stunning. I turned to face the girls who were grinning from ear to ear. I'm about to open my mouth to speak but I am stopped due to a doorbell ringing.
"Ooh that'll be the others. Come on hurry up!" Elecia exclaims while picking up her silver clutch and racing out the door. Delilah and I smile at Elecia's excitment and grab our things and exit the room.
Voices trail up the stairwell while we decend to our friends. Kyla and Sky are linked arms with two boys I haven't met before while Elecia stands by hersef talking away.
Delilah runs up to Callub who looks a lot more attractive now than at school. And then there's Daniel. My god he scrubs up well. The black shirt and denim jeans he's wearing brings out the colour of his eyes even more and his face is even more defined.
He gives me his one of a kind smile which I return.
"You look amazing" he says in awe. I can feel my face turning hot with embarrassment. "You too" I replie. He offers me his arm, which I take, and we walk after the others and into his ute.
Here we go, my first ever party.