I was sitting at the island in the kitchen with my ACT book, a bowl of grapes, and a lot of focus. This had to be the worst part about junior year.
One stupid standardized test that determined your entire future. It was so dumb.
The door opened and in walked Parker and Asher. Both of them smelt like ass because of football practice and baseball workouts.
Asher lifted up my Act book, "That fucking sucks."
"Dad left you and Parker some new, unreleased clothes in his office." I said to my brother
He clapped his hands together, "Sweet, I'll be right back."
Asher walked out of the kitchen and Parker began walking closer to me.
"What are you trying to get?" he asked me
I shrugged, "A thirty or above would be nice, but I'm trying to be realistic here."
Parker wrapped his arms around me, "Don't be too hard on yourself."
"My Dad is in the living room." I whispered to him
I could feel Parker's lips brush over my cheek to my ear.
"I know." Parker trilled, "It gives me a rush."
As much as I loved having him so close to me, I did not want to risk being caught like it. What if someone walked in? Oh no, biggie, Parker is just helping me work on my grammar - this close to me.
I pushed Parker away from me gently, "Later."
Parker moved away from me but instead sat down in the barstool next to me.
"I got something to show you." Parker said as he clicked around on his phone. He grabbed my phone and started doing something with it.
"What are you doing?" I questioned him
"I had to accept you first." Parker smiled as he pushed my phone back towards me
I gave him a look, picked up the phone, and looked down.
I looked up at him, "Parker, you're so cute. And so is the picture of us."
I put my hands on his cheek, "I appreciate this so much."
Parker placed his lips on mine.
"Zibby! What do you want for dinner?" My Dad's voice yelled from a distance
Parker and I quickly moved away from each other. My Dad walked into the kitchen.
"Oh, hey Parker." My Dad grinned, "Trying to help Ellie get a thirty like you did?"
I looked over at Parker, damn he was smart.
Parker nodded, "Yeah, I think she's got it in the bag though."
"Me too, Parker." My Dad agreed, "Elizabeth, what do you want for dinner?"
"Italian would be nice." I decided, "The usual."
My Dad clicked away at his phone, "I was thinking the same, I'm gonna go and pick it up. Mom should be home soon, she went to barre."
"I figured." I said as he grabbed his keys
"I'll see you two later." My Dad waved before walking out of the door
I looked at Parker, "Close one."
Asher walked in wearing the new Warrior Wear - the sportswear corporation that my Dad owned.
"Oh yeah! Can't wait to wear mine." Parker approved
Asher spun around, "It's nice."
"Guess what's this weekend? November fourteenth?" Asher said in an upbeat tone
I looked over Parker, "Hmm, I wonder what it could be?"
November fourteenth was Parker's birthday. This time it was extra special considering the fact that it was his eighteenth. We had plans to go to Disneyland and have a fun day.
"Our William is turning eighteen which is why I'm throwing you a rager next Saturday. It'll be perfect because my parents will be in Hawaii for their anniversary." Asher went on
Parker's eyes got big, "Oh no, you really don't have to."
"Oh yes we do, you'll finally be an adult." Asher disagreed, "It's only right Mr. Fitzgerald."
I cleared my throat, "Maybe Parker wants to do something a little more lowkey."
But my input was no help, Asher was too busy clicking around on his phone. We both knew what that meant.
"Everyone will be over Saturday at nine. Clayton and I will take care of everything, you just have to show up." Asher spoke cheerfully
I sighed as I looked back down at my ACT textbook. Looks like there was a change of plans, I don't know why we didn't see this coming.
"Don't be so gloomy, Pey, you can invite your friends too." Asher hushed me
"Maybe." I spoke in response
"Well, Parker and I are gonna go play the X-box. Have fun studying." Asher said as he motioned Parker to follow him. Parker gave my leg a squeeze before he followed my brother.
When he walked out of the kitchen, I stared at that Instagram post a little bit longer. He was such a cutie. A soft one at that.
I decided that I was going to invite my friends. Even if our plans got derailed, I wasn't going to spend my birthday locked up in my room watching it happen from my window. I was still going to make sure that he had the best birthday ever.
It probably freaked out Asher that I was helping put together the party so much. I ordered a bunch of cupcakes in some of his favorite flavors red velvet, vanilla, and confetti. I even got him one of those cheesy balloon arches that read Happy Birthday Parker!
"Your Dad really bought all of this alcohol?" I asked Jack Clayton as him and Asher put a bunch of beers and wine coolers into a cooler
"Nah, I got a fake. I told everyone to byob though. Hopefully, they listen." he answered my question
I watched as my brother took a puff of his Juul. Our parents would kill him if they ever saw him with it.
"Nothing like a teenage nicotine addict, am I right?" I groaned
Asher rolled his eyes, "If you're jealous, I can get you one."
"Trust me, I'm fine." I declined, "I'm going to get dressed, tell my friends I'll be upstairs."
When I got to my room, I went into my bathroom and closed the door. I plopped down on the cold tile and leaned against the wall.
"Are you ready for your party tonight?" I asked Parker over FaceTime
He nodded his head, "Being alone with you would be a lot better and personal but Asher was very adamant about this."
"You know how he is with throwing parties." I reminded him, "How has your birthday been so far?"
Parker sighed, "I mean - it's just that - I'll tell you about it later."
"How?" I questioned him
"Asher's going to get wasted, don't worry, it'll be easy to slip away." he assured me, "I promise I won't drink too much and you shouldn't either."
I gave him a smile, "I won't. I can't wait to see you."
"You're so adorable." Parker beamed as my bathroom door flew open. My heart dropped and I put my phone to my chest.
"You sneaky little fuckers."
I looked down at my phone, "I'll call you later, actually, I'll see you later."
I put my phone down and looked up at Alena. Her eyes were wide but she had this smug look on her face.
"I knew there was something going on between you two!" she exclaimed
"Ssh!"
"Asher and Jack Clayton are here! They cannot and I meant NOT know about this." I quickly got out
Alena leaned against the counter, "How long has this been going on?"
"The night of homecoming," I answered lowly
"A whole month, Peyton!" Alena realized after doing the math in her head
I nodded, "I was just scared to tell you. Plus it's so risky. I didn't wanna jinx it and I didn't know if he was serious about us for a while. He's serious about it though."
"When are you going to tell your brother?" Alena whispered
I shrugged, "I have no idea. We're just taking it day by day. Not anytime soon though."
She shook her head as she had a smile on her face, "I knew it deep down. I just knew that you two were too close after the football game."
"Can you keep this between us? I don't want to tell Zara and Lilia until after we've told Asher." I asked of her
Alena held out her pinky, "Pinky promise?"
We interlocked our pinkies, "Pinky promise."
Just as Alena and I started on our hair and makeup, Zara and Lilia arrived. It was nice to catch up about our weeks and gossip about some people while we pregamed.
I just kept staring at the clock and smiled at the fact that every minute that went by meant that I was a minute closer to seeing him.
With the help of my friends, I decided on wearing a white corset top with relaxed fitting jeans.
"So many people are here." Zara said as she walked back into my room. We sent her to get a headcount of how many people were in my backyard.
"How many is so many people?" I wondered as I slipped on some sneakers.
Zara shrugged, "At least eighty people."
Whew.
I stood in front of the mirror one last time to make sure that I looked okay.
"Oh my gosh, Peyton, the party started forty-five minutes ago, you look hot! Let's go party!" Lilia said from behind me
I just had butterflies in my stomach thinking about him.
Why was I so nervous? It was just Parker. But then again it was Parker.
Every time I was with him in these settings surrounded by all of these beautiful senior girls, I didn't feel like enough. Especially when I remembered all of his past exes. They were all so pretty and I felt like I was just Asher's annoying little sister.
But my friends were getting aggravated so I had to get over myself.
I grabbed the Fireball that Zara stole from her parent's liquor cabinet and took a swig.
"Okay, let's go." I spoke as my throat burned
All four of us walked downstairs and then to my backyard. The music was blasting, the tiki decorations from Asher's tenth birthday actually looked nice even though it was November. I saw people taking pictures of the balloons, eating the cupcakes, drinking, vaping.
"When the fuck did those get here?" I mumbled as I looked at the bouncy house and slide
How did Asher and Jack manage that?
"Oh hell yeah." Zara clapped, "Who is in?"
Of course, we all agreed.
It didn't matter how old I was, I wasn't about to turn down inflatables.
I jumped around for a moment but I could feel the Fireball trying to make it's way up.
"I'm gonna go get some water." I told my friends before I exited the bouncy house. I slipped on my shoes and took the Fireball just as a safety precaution. Didn't want anyone to steal it or slip something in it.
"Peyton!" A few voices shouted. I turned around to see Lana, Erin, and some of their other friends they introduced me to the night of homecoming.
I smiled and waved before walking over to them. They gave me hugs, they were pretty good hugs too.
"You look absolutely beautiful!" Lana complimented me
I put my hands over my heart, "You're so sweet."
"Peyton you know Erin, Leah, and Harper but these are more of our friends Wyatt, John Paul, and Eli. Declan and Axel are somewhere around here. Everyone this is Peyton, she's Asher's sister and she's the coolest junior ever." Lana introduced me
Wyatt pointed at me and I recognized him from the lacrosse team. Lilia used to have the biggest crush on him during freshman year. We were also in the same homecoming group.
"You're the girl who Fitz took to homecoming, huh?" Wyatt asked me. He was clearly intoxicated.
I nodded, "Yeah."
"Nice, I remember you now." Wyatt nodded before chugging the rest of his beer, "Parker had a pretty date this year for once."
Thank you?
"John Paul!" A voice yelled, getting closer to us
"I love your nails." Erin pointed out as she grabbed my hand, "What color is this?"
I looked at my nails, Parker actually picked the color.
"Gimme a beat by Kiara Sky." I answered as I felt a pair of arms go around me from behind
"Hello." Parker spoke
I put a hand on top of his, "Happy birthday adult."
Ugh, it was so hard to stay lowkey when I wanted to tell him so much.
"Thank you, Ellie." he said before moving away. Some other people around us told him happy birthday as well.
"Ellie, could you help me get more entertainment from wherever Clayton is about to text me?" he asked me as he took the fireball out of my hands.
He handed the bottle off to Wyatt even though only a little more than one-fourth of it remained.
"Happy early birthday, Wyatt." Parker grinned
"I could help." Wyatt offered
Parker shook his head, "Nah, enjoy the party. It's Elizabeth's house anyway. We'll be back in a minute."
I knew he was only calling me Elizabeth because he knew I hated it when he said it in front of other people. He claimed he liked the way I narrowed my eyes at him.
Parker and I walked out of my backyard and down the driveway until we found Jack's car.
"Have you've been drinking?" I asked him
"Of course, I'm not driving though. I wouldn't put your life in danger like that just like how I didn't want you to get a MIP." Parker answered me as he opened up the trunk. There were three bottles of Tito's, a pack of condoms, and reusable grocery.
"You didn't want me to get a MIP but we're about to carry more alcohol as minors?" I questioned him
Parker looked at me, "I just didn't want you throwing up when I'm kissing you again."
Fair enough.
I watched as a group of gorgeous senior girls walked up my driveway and of course, they all took a moment to stop and say hi to Parker. It was hard just sitting there watching them hug him, even if he didn't hug them back.
Why was I being so damn insecure? The same thing I called Skylar out on.
Parker stopped looking through the bags to look at me.
"What's going on?" he asked me
I shook my head with a smile, "It's nothing, don't worry about it."
I went to help Parker but he put his hand on my arm.
"Ellie, seriously, tell me what's going on." he spoke gently, "Let me in, please."
I took a deep breath before I began to speak.
"It's just intimidating to think about all of these pretty senior girls and the ones that you've done things with. I dunno, I just feel like I'll never measure up to that and I'll always be Asher's dorky little sister." I explained to him, "I know it sounds so insecure but that's what it is."
"You're worth the whole damn bunch put together. Ellie, I wouldn't change a thing about you. No one has anything on you. I don't care about the sex or anything because I feel something so deep with you that I've never felt with anyone else." Parker spoke gently
He opened up his arms and I hugged him.
"I know some jealous bitches might try to get in your head if they catch on. Just always remember I fell for you not them." Parker whispered into my ear
I was melting.
I kissed his cheek and then moved away from him when I heard people coming.
"I've been excited to see you all day." I admitted as I helped him get the things out the car, "After midnight, I'll come find you. There's something I need to give you."
Parker grinned, "Well, I hope these two hours go by fast."
Once we got back to my backyard, we went our separate ways. I hung out with my friends and introduced them to some of my senior friends.
We headed upstairs around 11:45 because Lilia and Zara were so gone. We watched a movie in the living room and after that, they passed out. I whispered to Alena about Parker and me, she said she covered for me even though she was half asleep and Lilia and Zara wouldn't even remember me slipping away.
It was 1:30 in the morning, surprisingly there were still some people left. Mostly the boys and their girlfriends.
I texted Parker to come up to my room and approximately seven minutes later, he was there.
He gently closed the door and locked it.
Parker looked on the bed to see the Happy Birthday balloon and his gift.
"Ellie." He said with his jaw dropped, "You seriously did this? This isn't a dream?"
"Happy eighteenth birthday, Parker." I said as I sat down on the edge of my bed
Parker walked closer to me and kissed me.
"You've really made this shitty birthday a good one." he grinned
I handed him a present and he began to open it. The first one was a framed picture of us on the yacht when we went to Catalina, the second was his favorite candy - the red pack of Starburst, the third was a pair of shoes that he'd said he wanted on his Twitter a week ago, and the final one was a matching set of bracelets for the both of us.
"Ellie bellie, you really outdid yourself." Parker beamed. I loved when he smiled because it was like his whole face was smiling, not one of those half-assed smiles.
He hadn't called me that since I was in elementary school.
I stroked his cheek, "Well, you're worth it."
The packing of the bracelet read simply close your eyes and make a wish, then tie this bracelet on your wrist. When it falls off or wears through, that is when your wish comes true.
"I'll tie your's and you can tie mine." Parker decided
He began to tie the bracelet on my wrist and he looked so focused while doing it.
"Are you going to tell me what you wished for?" I asked as I tied his on
He shook his head, "Not yet."
"You know for my birthday I got this whole lecture about how it's time for me to take the family business seriously and how I was going to Columbia unless something happened. Literally, all I got was a Gucci watch." Parker vented
"I know you're thinking, like hello? It's a Gucci watch. But my parents have gotten me the same damn watch for the past two years. Same color, model, and everything and they don't even realize it." he explained
My jaw dropped, "You're joking."
"I wish I was." he sighed, "Then after that, they flew to New York. Way to be a good parent right?"
"I swear to God that I'm gonna do so much better," Parker mumbled
I put my hand on his knee, "You deserve the world."
Parker looked up at me, "Well, you are my world."