Whoever She Is (John O'Callaghan/ARTTM)

Chapter 2

Hope you guys like this chapter! Its hopefully more interesting, so enjoy!

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As John and I emerged through the garage door, the sound immediately got louder thanks to the colossal radio. People pretty much had to shout to one another, no matter how close they were standing. John's hand was still resting on my shoulder as we approached the group of guys I saw walk in the house with him no more than 5 minutes ago.

"Hey, guys, I'm baaack!" John said playfully with a grin. "This is Lauren. She doesn't really know many people here, so I thought she could, ya know, chill with us for a bit," he continued.

"Chill, you say?" said one of the guys with piercing blue eyes and a brown mustache, questioning John's silly choice of words. I giggled and added, "Well, yeah, I mean, if its alright with you guys," flashing a small smile. Another one of John's friends piped, "Are you kidding? Why would we be upset about John bringing a girl over to us? This hasn't happened in ages!"

I laughed and looked over at John, who playfully punched the guy on his arm and quickly turned to me and smiled as if nothing happened. I giggled even more and shook my head.

"So anyway, Lauren, this Pat, Garrett, Kenny, and Jared. You can probably tell that some of them can be loudmouths at times," John nodded in Pat and Garrett's direction.

"Hey, we were just trying to be friendly, lighten the mood a little. Sheesh," said Garrett, crossing his arms as if he was genuinely offended. Man, these guys are pretty damn funny. John then pulled a plastic chair up and motioned for me to sit down. I did, and then he brought up a chair next to me for himself. We were all sitting in a circle together, and talked for hours about anything and everything. My stomach was seriously hurting from all the laughing I was doing.

Before I knew it, the party was beginning to die down and I checked my phone. 2:06. Shit. Where the hell had Cara gone? She was probably inside getting more drunk by the minute. I needed to find her, but I didn't want to leave the hilarious group of guys I had just met.

"Uh, sorry to be a killjoy but I kinda need to find my friend before she gets any drunker, if that's even possible," I said to the guys. They all chuckled but gave me the classic, sad puppy-dog look. I sighed. I never wanted this night to end.

"I'll help you find her if you'd like," John offered. I nodded and smiled gratefully. I waved my goodbyes to the rest of the guys, and Garrett yelled, "this better not be the last we'll see of you!" as John and I walked away into the house. John looked back and answered, "Hopefully it isn't." I glanced up and him and he revealed his perfect, crooked smile to me. I flushed, feeling flattered and shy and nervous and ecstatic all at the same time as John wrapped his arm through mine, sending butterflies through my stomach.

After about ten minutes of searching, we found Cara in the upstairs bathroom, head draped over a toilet, looking green and groaning. "Take me home, please, Laur," she moaned. I had my hand on my chin, shaking my head. John and I exited the bathroom and walked downstairs, leaving Cara to finish ridding her stomach of beer and bile and who knows what else. We sat on the bottom stair for a few moments before John said, "You know, it was really cool hanging with you tonight, and I'd love to hear more interesting things about you," giving me a grin.

I pushed a strand of hair behind my ear as he talked, my face feeling hot from blushing. I nodded and said, "Yeah, it was fun being with people who weren't quite as drunk as my friend," I joked, pointing upstairs where Cara was.

"Hey! I only had two... three...or maybe four beers...." John cried, trying to remember how many drinks he'd had, and I pushed his arm a little. Man, he had nice biceps. We laughed and I continued, "But yeah, I guess I would enjoy having more funny conversations with you and your friends," I smiled, remembering all the funny topics we had talked about - from Mexican food, to politics, to what really happens at sleepovers, etc.

"Hah, well I guess I'll take that as a compliment..?" John spoke.

"Yes, you should, indeed," I told him, smiling.

"Well, you know what I think? I think that you should take this and we can spend another night talking about complete nonsense." And with that, he scribbled a few digits on a small piece of paper and placed it in my palm, covering my fingers over it and smiling down into my ice blue eyes.

"Hmm, I'll think about it," I teased. John dropped his jaw and gave me a sassy girl look, and I rolled my eyes.

"But, seriously, I strongly suggest you give me a call so we can discuss this further," he winked, trying to sound persuasive. As if I needed his persuading. I think the alcohol was finally catching up to him.

"Alright, I guess you'll just have to wait and see," I replied. Soon enough, Cara emerged from the bathroom, wrapping her hands around her abdomen. "We better get you a bag for the car ride home," I said to her. She just whined in reply. After we found a paper bag, walked outside, and I said one last goodbye to Pat, Garrett, Kenny, and Jared, John pulled my arm back and looked down at me with those glimmering green orbs of his. "I really hope you agree to meet up with me again." His hands slid up to my arms, noticing I had goosebumps. I nodded slowly, getting lost in his gaze. I could have stayed like that forever and never gotten tired of it. Before I knew it, John was craning his neck, leaning into my face.  I closed my eyes as he planted a soft, delicate kiss on my lips.

I'll never forget that perfect night, our first kiss, or the paper with his number on it. I still have it to this very day.