2 a.m.

Chapter 10

"We should throw a party," I tell Jack. We're sitting in my sun room watching the colors change as the sun goes down. I'm curled against his side, nestled in a huge bean bag.

"A party?" He asks skeptically.

"Yeah, you know, the kind with music and dancing and the girls are dressed up all slutty? I think it sounds like a good idea, tomorrow night."

He shifts in the bean bag and looks down at me with a grin on his face. I smirk back at him and place a hand on his chest.

"You mean a graduation party then?" He asks.

"Yeah! We can decorate the house and backyard, we can get a DJ! This house hasn't seen a good party in ages, and it seems right to end this year in a celebration." So many things have changed in such a short period of time. And I know there are still a lot of changes coming and decisions that need to be made, but now it will be all on me. No mandatory classes and school rallies, or stupid cheerleaders and their politics. Just me and my family, becoming grown adults and making adult decisions.

"You do realize you probably can't get a DJ with such short notice right?"

"Well then I'll just have Derek and Shep set up some stuff. I can go into the city tomorrow and pick everything up after class. Wanna go? Wait no! You stay and tell everybody they're coming." I'm sure I sound like a six year old planning my own birthday party but that's okay. If I'm going to roll with the punches I want to be the one to throw the first punch.

"Oh, I see how this relationship works. You just want to use me for my connections!" He laughs.

"Well that and the sex, obviously," I grin. He laughs again and pokes me in the side, then kisses my forehead.

"So you'll do it?" I ask him. He nods and I settle back into his arms, planning in my head. Footsteps smack on the stairs and I hear Bobbie calling for Myra or me.

"I'm in here Bobbie!" I shout out the doorway. A few seconds later she comes rushing in, looking incredibly flustered. Her hair is down and wildly framing her face while her cheeks are flushed and eyes wide.

"Hey, what's going on?" I ask her alarmed. I try to get up but she waves me down and leans against the pool table in front of us.

"Is anyone else home?" she gasps, raking her hands through her hair.

"No, Myra and Derek took Kevin to dinner. What's going on?" I ask again. I catch her eyes flicker over to Jack and she bites her lip. Jack notices too.

"I'm gonna go, I'll see you later okay?" He turns his head to me and I kiss him quickly. He leaves, shooting a small smile at Bobbie and she halfheartedly waves before collapsing in the bean bag next to me. I hear my door close and Bobbie pulls her hood over her head and draws the strings tight, so I can only see her nose sticking out.

"I think I messed up," she groans, leaning her head back and sinking further into the bag. I wait a few seconds for her to explain but she doesn't say anything else.

"Well, what happened?" Does she expect me to know about her and Shep? Or maybe that's what she means and she regrets sleeping with him.

"So last night... Shep and I talked. And made out a little. Okay, a lot." She stops pulling the strings and I can see her face again, which is now completely red.

"After you left here, right?" I ask. She nods. "And before you came over too?" She bites her lip and nods again, hiding a small smile.

"I wasn't trying to get into his pants," she quickly says, "because I'm still technically with Mich. But we did some stuff, which led to some more stuff, and you know... I felt awful about it. So when we came over I tried to act like it didn't happen. And then like it didn't happen again when we went home." She groans and puts her hands over her face.