Crashing to Fall (Student/Teacher) (ON HOLD)

Chapter 19: Party Prep

There it is...I'VE BROKEN THROUGH THE BLOCK!!! No need to thank me, just vote and comment and be your awesome selves : P 

Stephen dropped me off at his apartment while he went to get party supplies. I figured we could've gone together, but then I remembered the lack of legallity in our relationship and agreed to stay back and help clean the apartment--which was a completely shit idea.

I love cleaning, most definitely. But when I'm cleaning other people's things, I've no idea what to throw away, how they want it stacked or sorted, what way they want everything arranged. So I did my best, straightened up the piles of papers on the coffee table, did the dishes, wiped down all the doorknobs and light switches, the normal disinfecting, tidying sort of things. All this took me about fifteen minutes, and when I'd finished, I took a step back to survey my work. I decided more of it wasn't necessary; at least it looked neat.

I heard the front door open and shut, and stumbled to it to help carry in the groceries, but instead of seeing Stephen, I saw Mark, carrying a twelve pack of beer in each hand. I grumbled, feeling my stomach turn a little at the idea of being alone in the apartment with him again, and turned back to collapse on the couch. Maybe if I looked tired he wouldn't bother me...

"How's it goin, Toast?"

I grumbled; I hadn't even gotten to the couch before he'd said something. I decided on isolating myself in Stephen's bedroom, so I gave him a disgruntled, "Eh," before heading down the hall to wait. I made sure to slam the door so he knew to stay away.

But of course, he didn't even heed that. I heard the clank of the beers being set down on the kitchen table, and then silence. I sat up a little, wondering where he'd gotten to, but as the door swung open, I remembered the carpet in the hall, and the way it softened every single step. I grumbled and quickly slid under the covers, attempting to hide from him.

"Toast, I need some help with the ice."

I stayed still under the covers, not caring that he could come over and rip them off. He was my monster from under the bed; if the covers were there, he wasn't.

"C'mon, don't make me come over there; it won't take long."

Every fiber of my being hated the idea of getting out of that bed, but I didn't want him to touch me, so I did as he said and followed him to the kitchen, where a bag of ice and a fairly small metal tank sat on the floor. "What do you want me to do?" I said monotonously.

He smirked as he said, "Well, I need someone to get the ice out of the bag while I hold it, because I've tried one too many times to do it by myself, and I always end up with half the bag on the floor and a frozen hand."

I scoffed and knelt beside the tank. "What makes you think that won't happen when it's me?"

He didn't spare me a reply, just laughed under his breath and grabbed the bag, holding it just above the rim of the tank. He handed me a knife, and I sliced the top of the bag, hoping the slit would do all the work and I wouldn't have to get my hands dirty. But alas, the ice continued to just sit there, so I stuck my hand in the bag and pulled some out, wincing at the loud clanging it made against the bottom of the metal tank.

I slowly managed to get all the ice from the bag into the tank--which I now realized was quite small for a bag of ice this big. Once the last cube had joined it's friends, I stood and headed back to the bedroom, thankfully while Mark's back was turned. What could be taking Stephen so long that he wouldn't be back in the almost half hour it had taken to clean and do the ice?

As if to answer my question, I heard the front door open and pivoted around to meet him, this time sure it would be him.

Upon seeing his dark head of hair, I squealed and jumped down the few stairs to the front door, almost knocking Stephen over with my flailing arms. He jumped back, almost dropping several of the bags in his hands. I stole half of them, trying not to show my surprise at how heavy they were. He laughed, grabbing the back of my head with his free hand and bringing it over so he could plant a kiss on the top of it. "Why, hello, there."

I giggled and skipped up the stairs, heading to the kitchen to start putting things away and setting up. I didn't even spare Mark a glance as I set the bags on the kitchen table and started to take things out and set them on the counter. Stephen came to join me, smirking at me everytime he caught my eye. I blushed every time, too.

Soon, Mark grumbled and slipped out of the kitchen, uttering, "Fucking couples," under his breath as he did. He collapsed on the couch, and Stephen and I shared a glance before giggles began to erupt and we were trying to stifle them.

Mark's annoyance manifested as he said, "The fuck you guys laughing at?"

I fought the smile on my face as I said, "Oh, nothing, we're just...being funny over here."

"You're laughing at how much I hate you guys, aren't you?"

I nodded, worried I'd laugh if I opened my mouth. He could hear the affirmation without even looking, and he sighed. "Go ahead, make fun; I'm just glad I'm not going to be the one getting my heart split in two in a month or so."

I rolled my eyes as he managed to take all the fun out of the game, and I finished unpacking, leaving the bags on the table for Stephen to deal with. I decided to go wait in the bedroom for him, seeing as people wouldn't start arriving for at least an hour.

I settled into the bed, the comforter bunched up around me, making me feel small. I had no idea what to expect from this party. I was going to be the only teen there, and nobody would even know. I'd have to make conversation, talk about my fake college life. People would ask how Stephen and I met, and I'd have to tell them. They'd ask how long we'd been going out, and I'd probably lie to keep things seeming normal. Nobody would believe the level of infatuation had grown so intense over the course of less than a week...I didn't even believe it. It felt like I'd known him for so long, like I'd met him ages ago. Despite wanting that to be true, my logical side told me not to kid myself. We were moving way too fast, and we both knew it. Thank God my virginal self control, and his high--although slowly degrading--ethical values. 

I heard the door creak open, and I glanced up at him. He closed the door quietly behind him and leaned against it, just looking at me. The smile on his face was mirrored in my own, and I motioned him over. He crept across the room quickly, pouncing on the bed and grinning down at me. I smirked at him, and he slid under the covers next to me. He grabbed my wrist, rubbing circles on the palm of my hand with his thumb. I closed my eyes and sunk deeper into his fluffy bed. Everything was perfect...

"The party's gonna start soon, Leslie."

I took a deep breath before opening my eyes and nodding. I started to scooch off the bed as I said, "Okay, yeah, let's, erm, let's do this."

But he stopped me, his brow furrowed. "Are you...you're not nervous, are you?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but closed it again, knowing that he could already tell. I nodded slightly, whispering, "Maybe just a little..."

He breathed out a laugh. "You shouldn't be. Everybody is going to love you, and if you get tired, you can come in here and lock the door. It's probably just gonna be a small gathering the living room, with some beer and chips and dip and small talk. Really."

I nodded. I couldn't let my worrying win. I was going to rock at this socializing thing, and impress Stephen with my relaxed manner. And then makeout with him after the party. I could do this.

I would do this.

Okay, guys, I think I've finally busted out of that purgatory! Yaaaay! Also I just realized that you can't copy and paste my links to the videos, so I've just been pasting links to videos that aren't getting watched. Oh, well.  Anyway, I'm really glad I'm out of limbo on this one. I have rediscovered my passion for illegal teacher romance : P Also, some time in the next eight weeks, I'm going to be writing a lot more, because I'm pretty sure I'm switching out of the big rigorous program at my school for the artsy one, with way more freetime due to lack of homework. So, look forward to that! Also, I've decided to stick to a vote requirement for the next update: 2 votes and 5 reads, and I'll post the next chapter. Oooh, I feel all in control : D

Alright, no video because they were pointless, but I'll still say:

--blurghtastic is excited and says YAY FOR BUSTING OUT!