My Girl

Ted's

(Longer than usual)

Paige:

"Paige get up we're going to Ted's" I groan but get up to shut my door in Nika's face "Wow" she scoffed "yeah yeah" I mocked mumbling under my breath. I grabbed a grabbed my keys and shoved them into my pocket, still feeling half-asleep. I yanked the door open, only to find Nika standing there with her arms crossed.

"Took you long enough," Nika teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Whatever," Imuttered, stepping past her.

As they walked down the hall, I could hear the rest of the team laughing outside. I tried to ignore the fact that I really didn't feel like going out. They'd probably end up at drunk and leaving me at the booth, like always, and I was already mentally preparing for the noise and energy.

"You sure you're up for this?" Nika asked, noticing Paige's quieter-than-usual mood.

I shrugged. "I'm here, aren't I?"

Nika gave her a side-eye but didn't push further. "Well, you're gonna have fun whether you like it or not. You're with us."

I dragged my feet outside, already regretting saying yes to this. The second I saw the squad by the car, I knew I was in for it.

"Look who decided to stop being a grandma," Kk smirked, crossing her arms and giving me that annoying grin.

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up, I'm here, aren't I?"

Azzi slid into the backseat next to me, her leg immediately pressing into mine. Of course, she was way too happy about this.

"You could at least try to act like you're having fun, Paige," she teased, leaning in a little too close.

"I could... but that would require lying, and I'm not trying to sin tonight."

Azzi chuckled and nudged me. "You're such a buzzkill. It's Ted's, not your grandma's knitting circle."

"I wish it was," I muttered, crossing my arms.

"You'll survive. Plus, you've got me, so obviously this night's about to be top-tier," she winked.

I side-eyed her. "The last time I trusted you, we ended up at that party where a guy tried to rap to me for two hours."

She snorted. "Okay, that was bad. But tonight will be better. I promise. No wannabe SoundCloud rappers this time."

As Aubrey pulled up to Ted's, I stared at the long line and sighed. "Let's get this over with. The faster we're in, the faster I can leave."

Azzi grabbed my hand before I could bail. "No ditching. I got you, P."

I looked down at our hands, then back at her. "You really think holding my hand is gonna make this any better?"

"Maybe not," she grinned, "but it'll make it harder for you to run away."

"Fantastic," I muttered, shaking my head as we walked in. The music was loud, the place packed, and I was already counting the minutes until I could escape. But at least Azzi's ridiculous optimism made it slightly less terrible.

Only slightly.

We stepped into Ted's, and it was like walking into a wall of noise. The music was blasting, people were yelling over each other, and it smelled like a mix of sweat and cheap cologne. Classic Ted's.

"God, it's louder than Nika's TikToks in here," I grumbled.

"Don't be dramatic," Azzi said, but I saw her wince at the volume too. "It's not that bad."