Just outside the main floor bathroom, a long line of frustrated girls had formed. The girls in the back were complaining amongst each other while they desperately tried to fix their hair and makeup using their camera phones. Meanwhile, those in front were banging violently on the bathroom door and urging the person inside to hurry up.
"Other people need to get in there!"
"My god, she's been in there for almost an hour!"
"I need to pee, dammit!"
"I will break down this door if I have to!"
Call it best friend's intuition or extrasensory perception, but somehow Emma knew Heidi was the one inside that bathroom. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach—a very bad feeling.
Reluctantly, Emma pulled her hand away from Harry's, prompting him to stop and turn around. "What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes filling with worry. "You don't wanna dance?"
"It's not that ..." Emma trailed off, nervously wringing her hands. "It's just ... There's something I have to do. I'm really sorry. I want to dance with you; really, I do. But my friend, I think she needs me."
Now, Emma expected Harry to be angry after being rejected for a second time. Any other boy surely would have. But when she looked into his eyes, she found not even the tiniest shred of anger. In his eyes, she found only compassion and understanding.
"Don't worry about it," he said with a reassuring smile. "Go take care of your friend. That's more important."
Emma couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Harry, for ... everything."
"No problem. And I hope everything's all right with your friend."
He left her then and walked away with that confident stride that all the other high school boys tried—and failed—to imitate. Somehow, he just made it seem effortless. It couldn't be taught.
And with that effortless walk of his, he went right back into Alana's eager arms. She accepted him without hesitation, of course, but scolded him in a light, flirtatious tone. "You know, if you're trying to make me jealous," she said as she draped her arms around his neck and pulled him close, "it's working."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry replied with a coy smile. "I was just being helpful."
"Playing the nice guy act, huh?"
Upon hearing that, Harry pulled away from her ever so slightly. She might not have noticed it if she wasn't holding him so close.
With both hands, he pried her hands off his neck. "I'm gonna go find Liam," he said, and then he strode off toward the opposite side of the house, leaving Alana aghast and confused.
For a moment—a second, at most—Alana locked eyes with Emma from across the room. The look in the senior's eyes sent chills down Emma's spine. She looked like a bull preparing to charge. Before she could attack, Emma scurried away.
With all her strength, Emma pushed through the crowd of angry girls. As she squeezed past them, many accused her of trying to cut the line, and some even tried to pull at her dress and hair to stop her. Tugging and pulling. Scratching and scraping. Over and over like a pack of wild animals! Eventually, she made it to the front of the line, and with the crowd rioting behind her, she pounded on the door with her fist.
"Heidi?" she shouted. "Heidi, is that you in there? Open up!"
A few seconds later, she heard the soft click of the door unlocking. Emma quickly went inside and closed the door behind her. Even from inside the bathroom, she could clearly hear the chorus of groans.
"Man, it's getting crazy out there," Emma said as she readjusted her dress and fixed her hair. When she turned around, she saw Heidi sitting on the toilet. After an hour of crying, it seemed like the blonde's makeup was starting to melt off her face, and she'd obviously been wiping her eyes because both her fists were black.
"What happened?" Emma asked, fearing the worst.
"I – I was talking to Shane," Heidi said in between sniffles, "and everything was going so well, but then he—he—he—" Her shoulders started to shake as she once again broke down crying.
"What did he do?" Emma pressed. "Heidi, what did he do?"
"He took her back!" she wailed. "He took Melanie back! That bitch broke his heart, and he still took her back. Right in front of me, too! I stood there watching them make up ... and then make out. It was horrible! – Oh, and then The Sprinkler showed up, and he sprayed all over me. I'm dripping with his saliva, I'm sure. – Ugh, this has been the worst night ever!"
Telling her story made Heidi want to cry all over again, but then she heard Emma's stifled giggles.
Heidi turned and glared at her inconsiderate best friend. "It's not funny, Emma!"
"I'm sorry, Heidi. It's just ... you have no idea how relieved I am to hear that. I thought something horrible happened."
"Like what? What did you think happened?"
"Nothing. Forget it. It doesn't matter anymore. I'm just glad you're okay."
From her bra, Heidi pulled out a clump of tissues to sop up her tears, and then she used that same clump to blow her nose. Because of that, she was now flat-chested on only one side. To even it out, Heidi pulled out the rest of the tissues and tossed them into the wastebasket.
"What are we doing here?" Emma asked with a sigh. "We don't belong here."
Heidi slumped against the toilet tank. "Yeah, I'm already exhausted—and my feet are killing me."
"Let's go back to your house and watch a movie or something."
"That sounds like a great idea, but ... we have a small problem: I don't have any money left for the cab." She curled her lips into a sheepish smile. "Whoops."
Emma's eyes bulged. "WHAT? How is that even possible?"
"I didn't think it would cost so much to get here. Cab rates are ridiculous nowadays."
Groaning, Emma slapped her hand to her forehead. "Okay," she said, taking a deep, calming breath. "We'll figure something out, but let's get out of here before the girls outside break down the door and kill us."
Emma and Heidi left the bathroom then. As soon as the door opened, the girl in front pushed past them, ran into the bathroom, and then slammed the door shut behind her. The rest of the girls glared at Emma and Heidi as they timidly walked by. While Heidi ignored them all, Emma felt the need to apologize to every girl she passed.
By now, the house party had gotten completely out of control! Some boy, after losing a bet, was running butt-naked around the house. After dashing through the living room, he bolted out the door and then took off down the street, screaming loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear.
Rachel was in the middle of a nervous breakdown, especially after catching a group of boys tossing around her mother's most expensive vase. Back and forth they threw it, and after the third time around, one boy nearly dropped it.
"Stop!" Rachel screamed, jumping in the middle of them. "Stop! My mom's gonna kill me!"
"Party's getting outta hand, huh?" said Niall as he suddenly appeared beside Emma. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out how he managed to sneak around like that. And yet, despite all that, there was nothing creepy about it.
"So did you have a good time?" he asked.
Emma spotted Harry across the room. "Yeah," she said, a smile tugging at her lips, "I did. Only thing is ... we don't have a way to get home. You didn't drive here, did you? We could really use a ride."
"I'm catching a ride with one of my friends actually. But, you know, I'm sure he'd be willing to take you guys, too. Come on."
Niall led the girls to the front door, where Harry was waiting with two junior girls, who looked like they were about to pass out at any second. Every so often, the two girls would stumble into each other and mumble, "Sorry" while rubbing their aching heads.
"Hey, Harry," Niall said upon reaching them, "these guys need a ride. Do you have room in your car?"
Harry's eyes flickered over to Emma, who gave a timid smile in return. "Yeah, sure," he answered. "We gotta hurry, though. I have to work in the morning, and if I don't get some sleep, I'm gonna end up burning down the bakery." He chuckled a little at his own joke and then opened the door and stepped outside.
"Shotgun!" yelled Niall as he ran around everyone and dashed toward Harry's car. The two juniors were a few paces behind him, stumbling along on their high heels while they struggled to keep their eyes open. When one girl almost fell over, Harry quickly rushed over to help her. Like a gentleman, he carefully walked her to the car and then opened the door for her.
"Watch your head," Harry said as he guided her into the back seat. As soon as she was safely inside, the girl toppled over and collapsed against her friend's shoulder.
Chuckling to himself, Harry shook his head and then stepped back so Emma and Heidi could get in. "It'll be a little tight, but you two should be able to squeeze in."
But just as Emma was about to get in, she heard a voice that made her blood boil.
"Harry!" Alana called from the porch. While pulling up her tube top dress, she rushed toward the car with quick, stuttered steps. "Harry, can you give me a ride home? My mom will kill me if I'm late again."
Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "I really can't fit another person in the car. It's overcrowded as it is."
"Please," she begged with a pout. "I'll owe you big time."
"There's really no room, though ..."
"Harry, please," Alana said as she brushed her fingers down the length of his arm, and then she added in a low, husky voice, "I promise I'll pay you back." Her soft pink lips curled into an innocent smile, but her wicked brown eyes were sending out a most scandalous invitation.
Before receiving his answer, Alana slipped into the back seat and got comfortable.
"Uhh ..." Harry ran his fingers through his hair and then turned toward Emma and Heidi with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but I honestly don't know what to do right now. I can call you a cab if you want, or find you another ride."
Just then, he spotted Liam making his way down the driveway, car keys in hand.
"Hey, Liam!" Harry shouted, frantically waving his arms to get his friend's attention. When the other boy glanced his way, Harry asked, "Are you heading home?"
"Yeah," Liam answered. "Why?"
"Can you give these girls a ride?"
"Yeah, of course," and then Liam motioned for the girls to come over.
"Liam will take care of you, okay?" Harry said with an encouraging smile, but even that wasn't enough to resurrect Emma's dying heart. Heidi, of course, didn't care either way. She just wanted to go home. So while Emma pouted and delayed the inevitable, Heidi spun around and started walking toward Liam's car.
Emma crossed her arms over her chest and shivered a little in the cold night. Harry noticed this and said, "You should probably head home before it gets too late."
"Yeah," Emma awkwardly replied before turning to leave. "Night, Harry."
"Night, Emma. Get home safely."
With a heavy heart, Emma began the long trudge across the Gilberts' lawn. Upon reaching Liam's car, she threw one last glance in Harry's direction and caught him standing on the driver's side of the car, his left elbow resting on top of the open door. If Emma was a naïve girl, she might've thought he was waiting for her. Whatever his reason, his eyes did meet hers, but only for a moment. Then he gave a quick wave goodbye and climbed into the driver's seat.
"Bye, Harry," she murmured.
The ride home was incredibly awkward. The car wasn't even halfway down the street before Heidi passed out in the back seat, leaving Emma and Liam in an uncomfortable silence. While Liam kept his eyes fixed to the road and his hands fastened to the wheel, Emma stared aimlessly out the window and nervously toyed with the strap of her seat belt.
"So I'm guessing that was your first high school party, huh?"
The sudden noise made her twitch. "What makes you say that?" she asked, trying to play it cool.
"Because you looked absolutely terrified," he answered, cracking a playful smirk. "Don't worry, I was probably about as uncomfortable as you were. I don't go to that many parties myself. I'm too busy with work and school for all that. And I'm Liam, by the way," he added with a laugh.
"Emma."
Liam nodded. "Do you mind if I turn on the radio or something? Not that I think you're horrible company or anything. Silent car rides just kinda drive me crazy."
"Oh. No, go ahead. I love music."
"Good. Me too," and then he reached forward with his right hand and pushed one of the glowing buttons. What came from the speakers was a song Emma had never heard before. It sounded old, like something her mother—or grandmother—might listen to. But Liam knew the song, and he was singing along like he was the only one in the car. Singing it well, too, in a deep, rich voice that sent shivers down Emma's spine.
"You're really good," Emma couldn't help but say.
He stopped singing and smiled. "Well, thank you."
"Seriously, you should sing professionally or something."
"Me? Sing professionally? Come on, I'm not that good."
"No, really, you are."
He shot her a sideways glance, but her earnest gaze never wavered. Slowly, the heat crept up Liam's cheeks, setting his entire face ablaze. Worried that Emma might notice, he tore his eyes away and glued them to the road once more.
"Is that her house up there?" he asked, pointing to the white house on the end of the street.
"Yeah, that's it."
"Okay."
Seconds later, Liam pulled into the Hoffman's driveway and then put the car in park. Emma reached around and shook her sleeping friend awake. "Heidi, wake up. We're here!"
"Hmmm...?" With a quiet groan, Heidi opened her eyes and stared about with confusion. When she finally realized where she was, she sat up, dragged herself out of the car, and then started walking with wobbly steps toward the front porch.
Emma turned toward Liam and smiled graciously. "Thank you so much for the ride. I really appreciate it."
"No problem."
"Have a good night."
"You too, Emma. Take care."
Emma stepped out of the car then and gently closed the door behind her. While Liam pulled out of the driveway, she stuck around long enough to give him one last wave goodbye. Then she turned around and followed her friend inside.
All in all, she fondly thought, it was a pretty great night.
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Thanks for reading! If you're missing the 5SOS boys, don't worry because they'll be back soon enough.
Just so you know, this story won't be updated again until I've finished my other book. It has three chapters left, and I NEED to get that done. Sorry for the wait.