“Why can’t you have your party some other day?”
“Because,” he answers, the two tangled in a full bickering argument at this point. “Everyone is busy the rest of the weekend.”
She rolls her eyes at him. “Whatever.”
“I’ll let the rest of the guys know.” Josh takes off before I have a chance to change my mind.
Teeny looks at me, her disapproving look making the guilt spread through my body. “I’ll make it up to you,” I tell her, linking my fingers through hers. “We can have our movie night on Sunday. We can rentTitanicfrom Blockbuster.”
“That’s not the point, Everett.”
I duck my head in shame. “I know.”
“And you told Josh your mom was going to be out of town before you told me?”
“It just came up yesterday during practice.”
She stays quiet, giving me the silent treatment with a sideways scowl. When her disappointed frown doesn’t let up, I round my eyes and pout up at her like a sad little puppy dog. It gets the reaction I want out of her: a sweet as hell smile and a crack in her restraint.
“You owe me, Hayes.” She points a finger in my direction, and I cup her face with both of my hands, leaning in to kiss her. We’re interrupted by the shrill sound of the bell. “I’ll see you after school?”
I nod before I take her hand in mine, pulling her closer before we part. “I am going to make it up to you.”
“Oh, I’m counting on it.”
* * *
I’ll be honest, a part of me was worried about this party. Would I make a horrible host? Do I need to order more than the six large pizzas that were delivered right as the first of the guests arrived? What about the drinks? It’s not like I have a fake ID stashed somewhere. What if it gets out of hand and my mom finds out? She would kill me.
Turns out, I didn’t need to worry at all. While I provided a location, the guys on the team provided everything else. The pizzas were overshadowed by the overabundance of chips and other snacks, and the drinks were pushed to the backyard discreetly, hidden from prying neighbors, including Josh and Teeny’s parents, with coolers and grocery bags. And while the music was loud, I was assured it would be lowered to a non-disruptive level by ten p.m.
Still, the anxiety driven need to please those around me causing an extra layer of worry to my already jittery state has me running from the kitchen to the backyard every ten minutes. It’s no large scale party like the ones Jake’s been throwing, already on his fifth one since the school year started, but it’s still pretty lively. Thankfully, it’s somewhat exclusive to members of the varsity team, including some of the JV guys that we’re familiar with, so the worry of it getting out of hand has subsided.
“Here.” A freshly cracked open can of beer is shoved in front of my face, Josh’s reassuring smile joining it. “Relax, man. Just enjoy the party.”
I take it, my body sagging at his advice to enjoy myself. “Have you seen Teeny?” I ask, taking a long sip. I guess taking a small load off my feet can’t hurt.
“She’s heading over in a bit,” he tells me. “I think she’s just waiting for a few of her friends.”
“I hope your parents aren’t going to complain.”
“They took Andrew to Legoland,” he tells me. “They’re not going to be back until late.”
“Well, I guess I don’t have to worry about my mom finding out.” I chuckle a loose laugh, my nerves unraveling to the point that I start to enjoy myself, just like Josh told me to. I start to make my rounds with Josh by my side. I mingle with a few people, keeping my eyes on the front door hoping to catch the only person I truly want to see tonight.
After about the fifteenth glance at the door, I finally see her. She walks in with a small group of her friends, all of them laughing at something one of them said, and it feels like time stands still. Like she moves in slow motion, her hair tumbling around her in waves and the gorgeous red dress she’s wearing fitting her perfectly. Like it was made only for her and no one else in the entire world. She’s wearing makeup. Nothing heavy or overwhelming, but I can tell she took her time. That’s probably what she was doing, getting ready in her room with her girlfriends while they gossiped and laughed over something silly but would make it to my ears at some point during the night. Because every word that comes out of her mouth, all the little stories she has saved in her mind, waiting until she can tell me with bouncing excitement, I’d listen to on repeat. She can tell me over and over again about the time she and Diana went to Cold Stone Creamery and the boy behind the register asked for Diana’s number. And all the little nuggets of information about Diana and her date with the Cold Stone guy? I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of it. Because it’s Teeny telling me. Teeny with her eagerness in sharing every bit of her life with me. Teeny with the way her eyes light up each time she sees me, like we haven’t seen each other in days, when in reality, it’s only a few hours between classes.
I make my way to her, my steps moving urgently through the crowd, and she squeals when I lift her in my arms, spinning her in a dizzying circle.
“I missed you,” I say into her hair. I pull away, and I notice the little added touches she made to her makeup. The deep purple eyeshadow smeared across her lids, the smattering of glitter on her arms, and the intoxicating scent of perfume on her neck.
I don’t let her go, and she wraps her arms around my neck.
“Cold Stone guy is going to be here. I hope that’s okay.”
“I get to meet him in person?” I say excitedly.
“He has a name,” Diana informs us flatly, annoyance clear in her tone. “It’s Toby, if you care to know.”
