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“I know, I’m so excited. I get to help with the plans, and will be the lead on all of the decisions from start to finish.”
A knock on the door had her pulling away from me.
“That must be everyone else for dinner,” Gaby said as she rose from the couch.
“Everybody?” I asked, suddenly uneasy.
“Yeah, we invited Rose, Calvin and Craig over, since you guys are only in town for the weekend. We thought it would be fun to have both of our families over.”
My stomach sank as I realized that not only did I have to see Craig tomorrow at the shower, but I’d be spending the evening with him as well.
Scott and his parents weren’t close. He’d actually been closer to Cal’s parents growing up, and their claim on him had only magnified after he married Gaby and Emma was born. Rose and Calvin truly looked at Emma as their grandchild, and Craig thought of her as another niece. I should’ve realized this would happen.
As they all walked in, I noticed that Craig was wearing his old Dodgers jacket. He used to wear it all the time in high school. He must have found it in his room and decided to give his wardrobe another shot, just like I had.
As he stood in between his parents, wearing that jacket and talking to Scott, I was taken back to another time. A time when Craig was the one person I needed. The person I knew I could count on.
Chapter Ten ~ Gwen
(16 years old)
“I had a really good time the other night.” I peeked my head around the corner of the hallway, into the kitchen to see a tall, voluptuous brunette leaning into Craig as he leaned against the counter.
I watched as Craig’s face spit into a huge grin. Not the one he used when he was flirting with girls, which he did all the time, but a genuine smile. He was even blushing a little.
“Me too,” he responded somewhat gruffly, then cleared his voice, his eyes going wide when she leaned closer, brushing her exposed cleavage against him.
I realized who she was, a girl who had just graduated. Gross! She just graduated from high school and she was five seconds away from humping Craig’s leg in the kitchen, in the middle of a party.
“I was thinking maybe you’d like to go somewhere quiet,” she was practically purring, and he was definitely enjoying the attention. I watched with a combination of shock, jealousy, and something else I couldn’t quite name, as she ran her finger down his face, then traced his lips. “Somewhere private.”
“Yeah, that sounds good,” Craig replied, pushing off the counter and taking her hand to lead her out of the kitchen.
I pulled back quickly, then darted down the hall to the bathroom, hoping like hell I didn’t get busted. I shut the door then leaned back against it and closed my eyes.
I guessed the question of whether or not Craig was still a virgin had been answered. I wondered if the busty brunette was who he’d lost it to, or if he’d been having sex for a while. He certainly hadn’t mentioned anything to me about it, and as best friends, I thought he told me everything.
I walked to the sink, turning it on and splashing some cold water on my face. It helped to sooth the heat of my embarrassment, but did nothing for the pain that was squeezing my heart.
“This is ridiculous,” I whispered to my reflection in the mirror. “You’re obviously waiting around for something that isn’t going to happen. It’s time to give up on hoping for anything more with Craig… Now get out of the bathroom and go loosen up.”
I squared my shoulders, determined to have a good time and not think about what Craig was doing. We’d just finished our junior year of high school, and were celebrating at Brad and Dave’s Famous End-of-Year Blowout. At least that’s what Brad and Dave called it. They’d been planning this party for weeks, and with the amount of people who were currently inside and outside of their house, I’d say it was a success.
Brad and Dave were football players. I’d had a couple classes with Dave, but never with Brad. Although I’d always thought that Brad was really cute, and had even harbored a little crush on him, but I’d never actually talked to him. I was su
rprised, and a little flattered, when I got invited to the party, but when Craig, Aliyah, and I had arrived, I realized the entire school had been invited.
I left the sanctity of the bathroom and made my way through the house, pausing to grab a cup of whatever liquor they were handing out, and went to find Aliyah. I’d already finished half the cup by the time I found her outside talking to Kevin, the guy she’d recently started seeing. Her parents wouldn’t let her date yet, so she only got to see him if she went out with me. He seemed like a really nice guy.
“Hey, Gwen, I was wondering where you’d disappeared to,” Aliyah said when I approached. She was lying on her side next to Kevin in a lounge chair by the pool. I realized that they probably wanted to be alone… Well, as alone as they could be at a party, but still. “Where’s Craig?”
“Oh, actually, I was just coming out to see if you needed anything, then I’m going back inside to meet him. We’re having a discussion on whether or not Pearl Jam is considered Classic Rock,” I lied quickly, downing the rest of my drink and hoping Aliyah didn’t notice.
Luckily, she was caught up in Kevin-land, so only said, “You guys are weird.”
I nodded my agreement; Craig and I were definitely weird. Then I turned to give them some space, and go find another one of those deliciously fruity drinks. I was on my third or fourth cup, I couldn’t quite remember, when I looked up to find Brad suddenly next to me. I’d been looking at the shelves and shelves of movies in the den, mentally making a list of which ones I still needed to see.
“You having a good time, Gwen?” Brad asked with a smile that showed off perfectly straight white teeth. He definitely had the classic All-American look going for him, with his broad shoulders and pretty blond hair.
