The Song Of Seattle

Bonfire From Hell

I woke up bleary eyed in my familiar room. It felt good to be home, even though I don't actually remember coming home. I must have been more worn out than I realized. I didn't want to get up and begin the process of making myself look presentable for the party.

Considering that my wardrobe consisted of jeans, shorts, flannel, and band shirts, you can tell that I don't exactly have "party clothes". What does one wear to a party?

I sat pondering this question when the loud noise of my door hitting the wall interrupted my thoughts. When I realized it was just Michaela, I went back to mentally planning my outfit for tonight.

Suddenly, a pillow flew through the air hitting me in the face.

"What the hell?" I asked in a mock angry voice. I was mainly just shocked.

"Why didn't you tell me there was a party tonight?" She asked me with actual anger apparent in her voice.

"Dude, take a chill pill. I was going to tell you when you got home. I didn't know if you'd want to come because Ethan will be there." I said back in a placating tone.

"Half the college will be there! Trust me, we can avoid him." She said as if she was trying to comfort me.

"That's not what I meant. I meant that he's coming with us." I replied hesitantly, avoiding eye contact.

She didn't say anything. She just put both of her hands in front of her and stared at them in concentration.

"Are you okay, Cakes? Did I cause a psychotic break?" I laughed.

"No, no. I've just read that you can tell if you're in a dream by counting your fingers. You have extra fingers in dreams....unfortunately I only have ten fingers right now." She said dryly while raising her eyebrows at me.

"What do you want me to say? I'm sorry! He called and asked for us to go together so that we can mend things between us." I said in an exasperated voice.

"I'm sure he wants you to mend things. Things like his man parts!" She exclaimed in a frustrated tone. The worst part was that she was completely serious.

"What's wrong with Ethan's man parts?" I asked with a smirk.

"A lot. One problem is that they've been inside just about every skank this side of Seattle." She said joking right back.

"Hey! That just means that his dick is well traveled." I said with a snicker.

"That's not funny." She said back with a flat look, but still trying to fight off a smile.

"It actually is, but whatever." I said rolling my eyes playfully at her.

"Do you still have feelings for him?" She asked seriously.

"Absolutely not. He doesn't have them for me either. This is honestly just us trying to repair our friendship." I said confidently. I wanted things to be like they used to be.

Our gang used to consist of me, Michaela, Vannah, and Ethan. It's been all wrong ever since the end of senior year. I want to fix things back up so that at least something in my life feels normal again.

"Well, that's not going to be possible." She said in a voice loaded with skepticism.

"Men and women are capable of being just friends. You are aware of this, right?"

"Not if they share the history that you and Ethan do. Mark my words, he will try to come on to you tonight. He will." She said back in a tone of finality.

Well, screw that. Even if Ethan did try to make a move tonight, I would just have to make it clear that nothing would happen. I really feel that things could be getting better. He could really be okay with us just being friends.

About an hour later Michaela and I were ready to head out. We met Ethan at the foot of the stairs and started the trek to my Jeep. When we finally arrived there was an awkward moment between Ethan and Michaela. They both reached for the handle of the passenger side door.

Michaela made direct eye contact with Ethan and raised her eyebrows. He stared for only a moment longer before sighing and moving to the back of the car.

I couldn't help myself from smirking a bit. Even though I plan on working on this whole "friendship" thing, it still felt good to see him put in his place sometimes.

I started the car up and let the music break the silence. There is no amount of awkward silence that the Arctic Monkeys can't fix. Or so I told myself to ease the pain of the awkwardness I was currently experiencing.

"Hey, Michaela, could you scoot your seat up a bit? My legs are a little cramped back here." Ethan's voice rang out like a bell horn in contrast to the silence that we had been experiencing.

"Sure." She responded, but instead of moving her seat up she pushed it as far back as it could go earning a small sound of pain from the backseat.

"I said could you move it up." Ethan said, more like groaned.

She turned her head to smile at him, "Oh, I know."

He rolled his eyes, but Michaela's actions managed to keep him quiet for the rest of the ride.

When we pulled up to the party it looked like half the college was already there, and already way over the legal blood alcohol limit. I don't really like being in crowds. To be honest I don't really like big parties. I only agreed to go so that I could fix my relationship with Ethan. Also, it seemed like a rite of passage for all college students.

Just as I was thinking about how much I'd rather be anywhere else, I noticed something off in the distance. Further out on the beach by the fire, I saw Brandon and Allison.

Great. Tonight's really going to suck. I got out of the Jeep, slamming the door, I might add, and made my way to the beach with my two friends in tow.

Tonight is going to feel like shit, and there's only one way to make it better. I'm going to get so wasted.

What are parties for?

A.N. So sorry that this update took forever. My Dad got really sick, and it was looking pretty scary for awhile. Fear not, everything worked out. I promise I'll start to get on a more regular updating schedule. As always I want to thank you for reading, if you are. Please vote or comment, it warms my cold heart when you do.

P.S. Arctic Monkeys. Great band. Look them up, you won't regret it.

Song of the chapter: Then She Appeared by XTC which I heard for the first time on an episode of Gilmore Girls and I instantly fell in love with it. 

Much love, Gabby❤️❤️