Winning Skylinn

21

A/N: When you get to the shopping part, look at the picture to get an idea of what Skylinn's dress looks like. It's not perfect bc Polyvore didn't have the exact dress I was looking for, so I hope my little side notes can help. Enjoy this super long chapter!
- - -

||Jonny's POV||

Another New Year, and another year where I wouldn't be kissing anyone at midnight. It'd been like this every year since I was born. Embarrassing, I know. What 18-year-old male hasn't kissed a girl at midnight on New Year's Eve? Apparently me, and only me. All my friends had.

I was playing video games at my friend Leo's house, but I'd be going home later.

"Dude, you should come to the party tonight," Leo suggested.

"What party?" I asked, hitting a button on my controller.

"Garcia's."

I made a face. "Danny Garcia? No way. He's a total douchebag."

"Maybe, but his parties are sick. Come on, everyone's going."

"Who's everyone?"

"Stacee Lane," he said simply.

Oh, right. The girl Leo had been crushing on since, like, fourth grade. She'd never paid attention to him a day in his life.

"What makes you think you're gonna talk to Stacee?"

"Hey, have faith. This is twenty-fifteen. Anything can happen."

"Soon to be twenty-sixteen. Which doesn't change the fact that you haven't spoken to Stacee since grade school."

"Yeah, whatever. Who needs talking when you have-"

I cut him off. "Okay, okay, I don't want to know. Point is, I don't want to go to Danny's party."

Danny was a jerk, and the most popular guy in high school. Even though we'd graduated this past summer, everyone still treated him like a god. I didn't understand it. Sure, he was good-looking and rich, but that's all he had going for him.

"Bro, you have to go. You can even bring Skylinn if you want."

I tried to hide the blush in my cheeks when he mentioned Skylinn. "She wouldn't want to come," I insisted.

And it was true. Skylinn hated parties just as much as I did.

"I can't believe you haven't kissed her, man," Leo said out of the blue.

"Who, Sky?"

"Yeah, duh. You've been neighbors for, like, ever, and you haven't made a move. What's the deal?"

"I-it's not like that. She's not like that. I don't even like her." I was saying 'like' too much, and I knew it.

"If you say so." A sly grin spread across his face. "Hey, if you're not going to kiss her, maybe I will."

"What?! No!"

He burst out laughing. "So you're jealous?"

"Me? Jealous? Jealous of what?"

He shook his head, still laughing. We'd forgotten all about our game. "I just joked about kissing her, and you got all defensive."

"Um...because she's my best friend?"

"And?" he pressed.

"And because she has a boyfriend."

"And?"

"What else is there to say? She would never kiss you anyway."

"Wow, real supportive," Leo said flatly.