She's Such A Nerd

14: Party

14: Party

I walk downstairs, meeting Mark and Jake in the hallway. "You guys ready to go?"

Mark crosses his arms. "We are, but you obviously aren't." He motions to my outfit.

I look down at my shorts and t-shirt. "What's wrong with it? It's just fine."

Mark shakes his head. "For hanging out with friends, maybe. This is a party, Emaline."

I frown as he grabs my wrist, pulling me back up the stairs. "But aren't they the same thing?"

"Absolutely not," he says, reaching the top of the stairs. "Now, which room is yours, again?"

"On the right." He opens the door, heading straight for my closet.

"Alright. Let's put something together."

Half an hour later, I walk out of the bathroom in a skirt that is too short for my liking and a shirt that is a bit too tight. I cross my arms, trying to cover myself up, as Mark takes in my new outfit.

"You know, I've been meaning to get rid of these," I point out.

Mark rolls his eyes. "I'm not sure why you have them in the first place, but you look great. Now, let's go."

I make a face as we head back downstairs. "I'm not sure, either," I mutter.

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As we pull up a little ways down the street from the house, I can already tell I'm not going to have a good time. From what I can tell, the house is packed full of people and music is playing loudly. I stare at the house, not yet getting out of the car. The door opens and Jake peeks inside.

"Let's go," he says, holding his hand out to me. I shake my head, suddenly changing my mind about the party. Who has a party on a Wednesday night, anyways? It's ridiculous. "Come on." He motions for me to get out of the car. I shake my head again stubbornly. He sighs. "Do I really have to bribe you?"

"Bribe me," I question, finally speaking. "With what?"

"If you get out of the car and come inside, we'll stop and get ice cream on the way back to your house." I think about it for a moment before I put my hand in his.

"Fine. But you're paying." Jake laughs as he helps me out of the car. I look down at my outfit, from my skirt to the too-small shoes Mark forced me to wear. I sigh before shutting the car door and walking towards the ginormous house that Mark already disappeared into. "What happened to sticking together?"

Jake shrugs. "I had a feeling he wasn't going to follow through with that one. I promise I won't leave you to fend for yourself, though," he jokes.

I laugh. "You better not. I'm pretty sure I'd get lost," I say, looking up at the house. It's not nearly as big as my house, but it's a decent size.

"Nah. You'll be fine." Jake leads me into the house. It's even worse than I thought it would be. People are everywhere, crowding the place like it's somewhere worth being. Some people come up to Jake and start talking as I spot Mark. "Hey, Jake. I'm gonna g-"

I'm cut off my someone calling my name. I freeze. He. Did. Not. Oh, please, no. I turn and look at Mark, who's waving me over. I grimace and start walking through the maze of people. Someone bumps into me, causing me to bump into someone else. I apologize and walk away quickly. This is so not my idea of fun. I finally find my way out of the crowd only to find that Mark has disappeared. I turn around, searching the crowd for Jake. He's gone, too. I'm all alone. Now would be a good time to panic, but that's not what I'm going to do. I'm going to look for one of the two. If I can't find them, I'll just wait by the car. Simple as that.

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I have been sitting in the same spot for the past who-knows-how-long. When I couldn't find Mark or Jake, I walked outside and down the street to the car. It probably wasn't the brightest idea, but it's better than being in a house stuffed full of teenagers. I wish I could've drove us here, but no, Mark insisted that he drive. Just like he insisted that we come to this stupid party that I didn't even want to come to in the first place. Now, I'm stuck here. Sitting on a curb. Alone. In the dark. I lean my head against the car. I'm so tired. I just want to go home and crawl into bed. And not to mention it's really cold out here. I hear the bickering before I can even see the two walking down the sidewalk.

"Way to go, idiot. You were supposed to keep an eye on her," I hear Mark say.

"You were the one who wanted to come in the first place," Jake fires back. "You told her we'd stick together. That's what you promised her."

"Oh, whatever. You had to have known that wasn't going to happen."

"She believed you, though." I hear Jake sigh. "Look. Arguing isn't going to find her. She wasn't in the house. She has to be around the neighborhood."

"Alright. We can drive around and see if we can f-"

Jake cuts him off before he can say anything else. "Emaline!" I look down the sidewalk and see Jake running towards me. Standing up, I lean against the car. When he reaches me, he gives me a huge hug. "I'm so sorry. One minute, you were right next to me and the next, you were just gone. I looked all o-"

I cover his mouth with my hand. "I know," I say softly. "I just want to go, okay? I'm tired and these shoes are hurting my feet."

He nods, taking my hand away from his mouth. I lay my head on his shoulder, barely able to keep my eyes open. "Let's get you home," he says. "Mark, can you unlock the car?"

Jake opens the car door and helps me in before sliding in next to me. I lay against him and close my eyes. "You still owe me ice cream," I whisper.

He laughs. "Maybe another time."

"Promise?"

"I promise." I fall asleep, too tired to stay awake any longer.