35 ᴍᴍ ꜰɪʟᴍ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴄᴏꜰꜰᴇᴇ I 🎀 𝒢𝓇𝒶𝒸𝒾𝑒 𝒜𝒷𝓇𝒶𝓂𝓈 [𝑔𝓍𝑔] 🎀

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟗: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 9

The table fell into a comfortable silence after their toast, everyone letting the weight of Charlie's announcement settle while still basking in the afterglow of their gig. Charlie-Wren was feeling a mixture of emotions—gratitude, fear, excitement—but as she looked around at her friends, she knew she wasn't facing it all alone. The chatter of the Red Lantern buzzed in the background, and Gracie's hand remained on her arm, grounding her.

Just as Charlie was about to take another sip of her drink, Jackson's phone buzzed on the table. He glanced down at it, his brow lifting as he read the text. A grin quickly spread across his face, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Hey, guys," Jackson said, leaning forward with a conspiratorial grin. "I just got a text from one of my volleyball teammates. There's a massive house party happening less than an hour from here."

Rachel immediately raised an eyebrow, sceptical. "A house party? Seriously? I don't know, Jackson..." She glanced at Gracie, clearly unsure about dragging a well-known singer like her to a random party. "I mean, with Gracie here and everything—"

Before Rachel could finish, Jackson held up his hands in mock surrender. "Whoa, whoa, hold on! It's not just any party," he said with a grin. "It's at Jake's place. You know him, Charlie."

Charlie's eyes widened, recognition sparking in her expression. "Jake, from the volleyball team? The one who used to come to our gigs sometimes?"

Jackson nodded enthusiastically. "Yep, that's the one. Super chill guy, and he throws the best parties. The whole volleyball team's going to be there—including some familiar faces from the women's team." He gave Charlie a knowing look, referencing her time on the women's volleyball team in her first year.

Charlie hesitated for a moment, the memories of her time on the team flooding back. She'd left the team after her first year to focus on her music and academics, but she still kept in touch with a few of the players. The idea of seeing them again was tempting, especially now that everything felt so up in the air with her impending move to New York.

Rachel, however, still looked unsure. "I don't know, Jax... a party like that might be a little chaotic for Gracie. And besides," she added with a teasing grin, "I know how wild you can get at those things."

Jackson smirked but didn't let up. "Come on, Rach, it's a celebration! Charlie just got a huge opportunity, and we should do something fun before everything changes." His expression turned mischievous as he added, "Plus, the guy you've been eyeing from my volleyball team? He's going to be there."

Rachel's cheeks flushed slightly, though she tried to play it cool. "What? No, I—" She shot a quick look at Charlie and Gracie, clearly flustered. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Jackson chuckled, crossing his arms with satisfaction. "Oh, I know exactly what I'm talking about. His name is Matt, and I've seen the way you blush whenever you run into him at our matches."

Rachel gave him a playful shove, trying to hide her embarrassment. "You're impossible."

Charlie couldn't help but laugh at the exchange, the tension she'd been feeling moments ago easing just a little. She looked over at Gracie, who was smiling, her eyes filled with amusement as she watched Rachel and Jackson bicker.

"I don't know about a huge party," Charlie said, still unsure, "but it might be nice to get out for a bit. Especially since we're celebrating... and it's been forever since I've seen the volleyball team."