The Shift

4

'Beth, Chan!' I heard a sweet accent say, and I turned to see Allison with her arms wide open. 'Hey girl' Beth said as she hugged her. She then let her go so she could hug me too. 'Hi' I said. 'You both look hot as fuck' She said. 'Especially you new girl' I heard someone else say. I turned to see Cat join us. She looked so pretty. Her hair was black like mine, and she was wearing a red muscle shirt with white shorts.

'Well have you both seen yourselves?' I asked them. 'Well you know' Cat said. To be honest I still felt a little uneasy around her. Ever since our conversation with Justin, she seemed a little displeased with me. 'Is Kent here yet, he didn't respond to my text' Beth said. 'He might be driving, pretty sure Cory sent him Justin and Chaz to go pick up more beer' Cat said. 'Oh' She said.

'You need to meet people, half of them are dying to know who the girl from my picture is' Cat said as she pulled on my arm. 'Lauren, Amber, Mariah come here' Cat said as she brought me towards a ping pong table. Three girls approached us with smiles. 'This is Chandler Monroe, the new addition to the Cohen family' She said. 'So you're the stepsister?' One girl asked. She was asian, and she had this really pretty stud nose piercing. 'Yeah, and you are?' I asked. 'Amber, and that's Lauren and Mariah' She said as she pointed out the girls next to her.

'So, your dad married Beth and Johnny's mom?' Mariah asked. 'Yeah, a couple months ago. But, I moved in with my brother yesterday' I said. 'Oh, well if your brother has any resemblance to you, he's gotta be a lady killer' Mariah said. 'Well, he's only eight. But, I'm sure he wouldn't mind some girl attention' I said, making them smile. 'Jesus, they're like staring over here' Lauren said as she shifted a little. 'Who?' Cat asked.

'Ryan, Chris and them' Lauren said. 'Is this the Ryan from earlier?' I asked Cat. 'Yeah, and he's a walking STD. I'm not gonna tell you what to do, but I suggest you avoid him' She said. I didn't even know what he looked like yet, but I knew if I turned around now, he'd think I was interested. And, I wasn't looking for an STD. I was treading in the deep end, not diving.

'I'll take your word for it' I said. 'Oh my god Bianca's practically stripping' Amber said and I followed her gaze. This dark haired girl was pushing up her boobs in the corner of the room, and slightly lifting up her shorts. She actually looked slightly familiar, and that's when I remembered she was the girl from Justin's photo. 'That's because Justin just got here' Lauren said, causing me to follow her gaze next.

Justin was entering the basement alongside Kent, Chaz, and Cory. They all hand cases of beer in their hands. 'He's so hot' Mariah said, and as those words fell from her mouth I felt Cat tense up against. Ok, what the fuck was this girls deal with Justin. I mean I was no expert on relationships, but she definitely had something with him.

'And that shirt is doing wonders for him' Amber said and I smirked. 'Do you guys not talk to him?' I asked him. 'They do, they're just in love too' Cat said and I laughed. 'Well he's just a boy' I said, even though I felt the same way they did. He was gorgeous. 'Just a boy, you must have high standards' Cat said and I shook my head. 'No' I said before I started to walk to the other side of the basement.

'Ah, Chan' I heard someone say. I turned to see Johnny waving me over. He was with Chaz, Cory, and Justin. However, Justin seemed preoccupied by his phone. 'Hi guys' I said, as confidently and relaxed as I could. 'Damn' I heard from Chaz's lips. I ignored the elbow he gave to Justin and looked at Johnny. 'What's up?' I asked. 'Are you having a good time Chandler?' Cory asked. 'Yeah, it's a good party Cory' I said. 'You want?' Chaz asked as he showed me a can of beer.

'I'm driving' I said and he nodded. 'Speaking of driving, her new car is sexy as hell' Johnny said. 'Anything's sexier than your car Johnny' Justin said and I laughed a little. It was funny because Johnny had a nice car, but according to the story I heard today, 'Victoria refused to remove the dent because Johnny didn't ask her nicely enough'. In that short moment of getting Justin's joke, his eyes met mine. I flashed him a small smile, which he returned.