jenna ortega imagines

t.c

in which, tara drags you to a party, and ends up confessing

no spoilers i think?? if there are they're very minor

some fluff before i post another smut 😭😭 also this book has 100k reads?? that's so insane omg

tara
hurry up

y/n
give me a second

the door swung open, and you flinched, turning around to look at tara. "were you waiting outside my door?" she smiled sheepishly, shrugging innocently.

"you're stalling!" she argued, walking in to stand next to you.

she grabbed the pirate hate that was sitting on your dresser, and stuck it onto your head with a grin. she had begged you to match with her, how could you say no? she reached out to fix your hair, and then she was taking your hand and dragging you out of your bedroom.

"tara, i really don't want to go." you grumbled, gently tugging her arm.

"you promised! besides, it'll be fun."

the two of you stepped outside, and began walking to chad's car. he honked his horn as soon as he saw you, sticking his head out the car door with a grin.

"finally! jesus, i almost left you two."

tara opened the backseat door, and climbed in. you took the seat next to her, your arms and legs pressed together.

"okay. let's get this party started!" chad cheered as he pulled away from your apartment.

***

the house was damp with sweat, and the smell of alcohol stung at your nose. you pushed through the crowds of people dancing, a plastic cup held tightly in your hand.

mindy called out your name when you entered the living room, and she waved you over. you grinned, stumbling over to her and sitting down in the empty seat next to her. she leaned forwards to yell over the music.

"hey, we were just talking about you! how're you feeling?"

you laughed, holding up the cup in your hands. "i'm great!" she nodded, eyebrows raising as she grinned over at you.

"where's tara?" you shrugged, deflating a little. she had ditched you as soon as you had arrived, more interested in getting herself a drink. mindy let out a soft chuckle, reaching over and patting your back.

***

you got pulled up to dance at one point, by a girl in one of your classes. she was pretty, red hair, blue eyes, freckles.

she was drunk, it was obvious. she had sweat dripping from her face, and neck, and the smell of vodka that was coming off of her was almost too much to bear.

but then you felt a hand on your back, and tara was beside you, interrupting the girl whose name you couldn't be bothered to know. it was too loud, and your mind was too foggy to listen to their conversation. the girl scoffed, pulling her hands off you as she stormed away. tara grabbed your hand, tugging you along she made her way to the kitchen.

"you weren't going to hook up with her or anything, were you?" she had a teasing smile as she stopped at the kitchen table to refill the cup in her hands. she glanced up at you, raising the cup to her lips.

"what the fu— no, tara, jesus." you muttered, shaking your head quickly.

she shrugged innocently, taking a large sip. her throat bobbed as she swallowed, and your eyes drifted down to the drop of the liquid that was trailing down her neck. "alright, alright, whatever you say."

conversation flowed easily between you two, and after several more drinks, tara was motioning you closer, so you leaned down near her cheek. her lips brushed against your ear as she spoke over the music. "d'you wanna go upstairs? it's crowded down here." you nodded slowly, following behind her as she trudged up the stairs.

she opened the door to a room, stepping inside and taking a seat on the edge of the bed. she fell back, staring up at the ceiling. you closed the door, locking it behind you, and then you took a seat next to her.

"you okay?" you murmured softly, looking over at her. she nodded slowly.

"i'm a little tired. might've drank a little too much." she yawned, raising a hand up to cover her mouth, and then she pushed herself up, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and pulling you into her side. "you're the best," she mumbled, her shoulders rising as she took a deep breath. "you know that?"

"i know. i'm pretty great." you teased, and she pulled away, a small smile on her face.

"don't get too cocky." she pointed her index finger at you, grinning as she gently tapped your forehead.

there was a comfortable silence. you could see tara staring at you from the corner of your eye, but you didn't make eye contact, too nervous you'd say something stupid.

she leaned forwards, resting her chin on your shoulder. she nudged your cheek with her nose, hoping to get your attention, but when you kept your gaze on your lap, she frowned, bringing a hand to your cheek and turning your head to face her.

"hey," she whispered, and you could smell the alcohol that was lingering on her breath. "i need to tell you something. 'mkay?" you nodded, sending her a comforting smile.

she let out a heavy sigh, laying her cheek on your shoulder. "i think that— well... i know that i like you. a lot. like— more than friends, you know?"

you blinked in surprise, taken aback by her confession. your heart was beating so hard you felt like it was going to pop out of your chest. "woah, what?"

"i like you...like, i wanna be with you."

"you're drunk, tara." you mumbled. she pulled away, furrowing her eyebrows and shaking her head slightly.

"that doesn't matter, i know what i'm saying," she spoke softly, "i've had a crush on you for...a while." you bit back your grin, but you couldn't stop the nervous chuckle that left your mouth.

"i like you too." she smiled, eyes crinkling as she glanced down at her lap.

"yeah, i kinda thought so. you're a little obvious," she murmured, a tired chuckle leaving her mouth. your mouth dropped open, and you gently nudged her side, before pulling her back towards you.

"you wanna go home?" you asked, slowly rubbing her forearm. "sleep sounds really nice right now. i'm gonna have a horrible headache tomorrow," you groaned at the thought, earning a small giggle from tara. she nodded, and you stepped out the bedroom and down the stairs, her hand in yours.

on your way out, you saw mindy, who was still sitting down on the couch. she grinned at you, raising her hand as she gave you a thumbs up.