Best Friends Forever?

Chapter 13 - Birthday Bash:

Chapter 13 - Birthday Bash:

The night of Neil's party came way quicker than I had imagined, and to say I was excited about it would be a complete lie. I could think of a lot of other things I would rather be doing with my Friday night than hanging about with easily the weirdest guy I know, like homework, or sleeping... or jumping off a bridge. All seemed perfectly rational alternatives to going to the 'party of the century'. Let's be perfectly honest here, the only reason I agreed to go to the stupid party in the first place was because of even stupider Ben; that boy was ruining my life.

Parties weren't exactly my thing, and somehow I knew that Neil's party wouldn't be musical chairs and pass the parcel, it was much more likely to be filled with people I had never even seen before, doing things I couldn't even imagine all while illegally drunk. Not cool.

Ben. Ben was the reason for my misery; for me having to go to the party. Sure, I didn't really have to go, but the thought of Ben being there and enjoying himself made me all the more jealous. Why should I be cooked up in my room, dying of boredom while he was making out with who knows who? I didn't want to go to the party, but I knew if I didn't I would just get even more depressed about Ben not talking to me again. At this point, I'm not even sure why I care anymore.

Like when I said I wanted to make Ben jealous, I didn't mean I would make him jealous by getting with Neil, no, definitely not. I wanted to make him jealous by showing him that I could have a fun time without him ,that I didn't need him in my life to be happy and that I could move past his harsh stares. Sure, I knew I was only fooling myself into thinking I was happy, but at least getting out of my comfort zone would mean I had something else to focus on.

***

Neil was coming to pick me up at eight, seen as I had no other ride to his house. I guess he can be okay sometimes. Of course, I couldn't tell my mother that, she wouldn't let me leave the house if she thought I was going to a party with a boy, well except if that boy was Ben, but fat chance of that happening.

However, after quite a lot of persuading and whining until I was blue in the face, she finally decided to let me go, but under one condition. I get a lift there with Ben, stay with him all night, and get back by midnight. Not like that was going to be a big deal or anything...

I hated lying to my mom, I mean I hated lying in general but to her it always felt like I was hiding a body under my bed and that if she found out the world would end. So when I told her that it was fine and that I would stay with Ben, it took all my energy to make it sound convincing.

"He will look after me" I lied as I trying to dodge any of her other questions.

"He better, or else he will have me to deal with" Mom said, only half joking, we both knew that, with Ben or not, if anything happened to me, he would be held fully accountable for it.

"I know that..." I sigh, turning around as I go to get changed, realising that I now only have thirty minutes to get ready before Neil gets here. Luckily for me, quick changes were my specialty, and spending hours on my hair and makeup was not my thing, plus it was pretty pointless when even the word 'wind' could make my hair stand on end.

Running up the stairs before mom could ask me anything else, I tripped over the laundry basket which had been sitting outside my room for what seemed like forever waiting for my dirty laundry to finally crawl itself into it.

Decisions of what to wear would have been a lot easier had I had a girl bestie to help me in the whole fashion department, but unfortunately as fate would have it, Ben was as close to a friend as I would ever have.