worth the risk • dean portman

chapter eleven

morgan

Tonight is going to be insane. I just know it.

The knocking on the front door distracts me from smoothing out my outfit, which consists of a blue silk tank top with a dip in the middle and some light wash jeans. I take another few seconds to smooth everything out, and then run downstairs to open the door when I decide I'm ready.

In walk Ella and Sadie, who are bundled in winter coats, scarves, and gloves. I quickly shut the door behind me to keep the cold air out, but I'm sure it won't end up mattering anyway. People will probably end up outside, whether I like it or not.

"It should be illegal for it to be this cold out." Ella says with a huff as she unzips her coat to reveal her outfit. A black crop top that shows off her insane abs, with black ripped jeans and her white Air Forces that she literally wears everywhere she goes.

"Oh c'mon! That's so unfair!" Sadie exclaims as Ella's jacket comes off. "Save some abs for the rest of us El."

"Oh please." Ella responds, rolling her eyes playfully. "It's not like you don't have any. I see them all the time when you lift your jersey on the field to get Charlie's attention."

"Yeah, but mine aren't that defined!" Sadie counters, and I can't help but laugh at the bickering. I mean, she isn't wrong. Ella has been on a workout kick this entire school year, and it certainly looks to be paying off.

Now that we're allowed to talk to college coaches, Ella's been doing everything she can to stay in the best shape she can be. I give her a lot of credit though, because she's really determined to make her dreams a reality.

When Sadie unzips her coat to reveal her outfit, which is an adorable white crop top with ripped jeans, Ella is quick to comment. "See! You have abs too! Believe me Sade, you've got nothing to worry about."

I snicker as I listen to them bicker, because there's literally nothing for us to argue over. We're all so close that we have absolutely no reason to fight with each other, and I want to keep it that way. I don't know what I'd do without them.

The door rings again, and I open it to see Lily, Addison, Faith, Connie, and Julie. A huge smile forms on my face as I welcome them all inside and show them where to put their coats. Afterwards, they put their backpacks in the kitchen and come back out to join Ella, Sadie, and I in the foyer.

I leave the door unlocked, and it turns out to be a good idea. The rest of the Ducks and most of my soccer team come walking in, which slowly sets the party in motion. Everyone all starts to head towards the kitchen, where the backpacks full of stuff are.

I grab a bottle of a fruity vodka drink from the alcohol fridge and open it up. I take a sip and make a face, because I grabbed the wrong flavor. Mango is one of the foods I hate the most, and that's the flavor I happened to grab. I turn around and dump it down the sink, then grab a raspberry flavored one from the fridge.

Much better.

People really start to arrive as nine approaches, so I keep the door unlocked and let people make their way inside. I made sure to lock my parents' room and my room before anyone got here, because they aren't for anyone to use. If I need to use my room later for any reason, the key is in my back pocket. Hopefully I'll remember that.

Within half an hour, my house is packed. Music is blasting, people are everywhere, and there's barely any room to move. Most of my friends and I have stayed in the kitchen, which is honestly a good thing. With me being in here, I can keep an eye on my dad's expensive bottles and make sure that they don't get stolen.

The fuzzy feeling I get when I'm drinking is starting to set in, and I take that as the sign to lock away my dad's bottles. I don't want to look after them all night, and I also need to go make sure everyone is safe. With Dean's help, we lock them away and push our way into the living room.

There's barely any room to walk, but everyone seems to be having a good time. A great idea comes to my head and I tap Dean's shoulder.

"What's up?" he asks, giving me a kiss on my forehead.

"Put me on your shoulders really quick."

His eyes nearly pop out of his head. "What?"

"Put me on your shoulders." I repeat as I put my hair into a ponytail. "I need to make an announcement."

"Morgan, I'm drunk." he protests, crossing his arms and giving me a frown. "I don't want you to fall."

"I'll be fine." I insist. "Just put me up there."

He lets out a dramatic sigh and hoists me up onto his shoulders. I clear my throat, but no one hears me. After trying a few more times, Dean helps me out by yelling, "EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Everything goes quiet and everyone is staring up at me. "Hi guys. I just wanted to say thank you all for coming tonight, it really means a lot to me. I'm also going to turn the lights and the patio heaters on in the backyard, so you guys can go outside if you want. I'd suggest it, because it's getting a little too packed in here. Thanks for coming again, I hope you all are having a fun time!"

Everyone starts to move towards the backyard, including me and Dean. He puts me down from his shoulders and I rush past the crowd, turning on as many heaters and lights as I can. I guess being tipsy has some perks. I haven't been this determined to do something in forever.

When I turn on the lights, they illuminate the entire backyard with a beautiful golden glow. Even though it's insanely cold outside, the heaters are actually keeping the backyard somewhat warm. Regardless of that, a lot of people still have their jackets on.

The rest of the party is honestly a blur, because I don't remember much. I only remember drinking more, playing games with my friends, everyone leaving after a while, and then finally going upstairs to my room with Dean.

Nothing bad happens, because we're both drunk and not thinking clearly. Besides, Dean would never take advantage of me like that. I'm also proud of myself for remembering that my room key has been in my pocket, because otherwise we might have had to sleep on the couch.

I fall asleep snuggled against Dean's chest, and breathe a sigh of relief that I pulled off such a great party.