Why Did It Have To Be You?

Chapter 3

I flopped down on my bed and groaned. Work always made me feel so drained, you would think being a cashier at a grocery store would be easy but it kills my back. I lay there for a couple minutes before I made myself get up to take a shower, I didn't want to go to a party smelling like lunch meat and chicken juice.

After I showered I rummaged through my closest looking for something to wear, but I came up empty handed. I didn't approve of anything in my closet, nothing felt right. I decided to ask Kelly to come help me get ready because I knew she'd have something I could wear. I picked up my phone and called her.

"Hello?" she said after a few rings.

"Hey, Kel. Wanna come help me get ready? I have nothing to wear and I barely know how to do make up unless it's mascara, so I kind of need your help," I said with a chuckle.

"Yeah sure, I'll be there in ten. See ya soon," she said, and then hung up. I just sat on my bed in my towel and watched cartoons until I heard her come into the house. I heard her briefly talk to my
mom before coming upstairs. My mom was laughing at something she said, of course. Sometimes I think she'd rather have Kelly as her daughter than me. A few seconds later Kelly burst into my room. She threw down a duffel bag onto my bed and kicked the door closed.

"Jesus, Kelly. This thing is like fully loaded, how much stuff do we really need to get ready?" I asked as I picked up the bag and almost dropped it because of its weight. I guess she's stronger than she looks, if she was actually able to carry this.

"I didn't know what kind of look you were going for so I brought options," she said with a shrug. She plopped down on my bed next to me.

"So... why don't you have clothes on again?" she asked with a smirk as she gave me a once over. I felt butterflies in my stomach but I ignored them as best I could.

"Uh, I just got out of the s-shower," I stuttered, unable to focus on what I was saying. She really needed to stop looking at me like that.

"Mhmm, you should've waited for me so I could've joined you," she said, shooting me a wink, "But since you're already squeaky clean, we can start trying on outfits now," she stood up and unzipped the bag. She laid out a few different outfits on my bed, explaining which ones could be mixed and matched. I eventually settled on a black crop top, high waisted shorts, and black vans. Kelly chose a loose white tank top and ripped skinny jeans, along with brown flip flops. After we got dressed Kelly did our make up.

"So how did it go with Jason? Sorry I didn't call last night, I fell asleep," I explained as she did my eyeshadow.

"Keep your eyes closed," she reminded me, "but it actually went okay. I mean, as okay as it can with him I guess."

"What's that mean? Like what happened?" I asked.

"Well, I gave him the note and he knew what it meant so he didn't even read it. He just tried to beg me not to 'end everything he's been dreaming about for four years' for like half an hour until I just got out of the car and left. He tried to follow me but I ran inside as fast as I could and locked the door, he stayed outside for like an hour blowing up my phone and then finally gave up. I hope he's not there tonight," she said with a sigh. I could tell she felt better now that she'd broken up with him but I knew seeing him or even the possibility of seeing him now would stress her out.

"I doubt he will be. Troy didn't seem to want him there, so even if he does show up I'll have him kick Jason out," I reassured her. I couldn't open my eyes still but I could hear the smile in her voice, and I could picture it in my head after seeing it so many times.

"Thanks Nic," she said.

"Anytime," I hummed.

Around nine o'clock we left for the party, it started at 9:30 but Troy said he was already there. When we pulled up to the house I realized why Blake was the chosen one this year, his house was huge. We went inside and eventually found Troy in the kitchen setting out rows and rows of red solo cups.

"Are you guys ready to get messed up?!" he half screamed when he saw us, pumping his fist in the air.

"Hell yeah!" me and Kelly responded at the same time. We smiled at eachother. I took two cups from one of the stacks and handed one to Kelly. We walked over to the table full of different bottles of alcohol and filled our cups with the jungle juice sitting in the middle of the table. I knew not to drink it later in the party, but no one was here yet.

It didn't take long for the house to fill up. Around ten o'clock the speakers were blaring loud rap music, the lights were off in the living room which had basically become the dance floor, and everyone could be seen with a red solo cup in their hand. Almost every room was packed full of people, so I eventually escaped to the backyard so that I could breathe.

I had lost Kelly somewhere along the way, we had been getting more drinks in the kitchen but once I got outside I realized she wasn't behind me. I was too tired to go back so I just sat down at the edge of the massive pool in the backyard. It even had a little waterfall. I took off my flip flops and stuck my feet in the water. It felt nice to just be able to breathe my own air after being in that house.

After a few minutes I heard someone walk up behind me. I turned around to see Sabrina kicking off her shoes, then sitting down next to me and putting her feet in the pool too. She flashed me a smile, showing off those dimples and I think I felt my heart melting a little bit.

"Hey," she said almost shyly. I couldn't help but smile back at her.

"Hi," I said back, titling my head to the side slightly. I couldn't help but wonder why she was talking to me. She probably needed something.

"How've you been? I feel like we haven't actually talked in so long. I miss you, Nicki," she said, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. Hearing her use my old nickname made that feeling in my chest even worse.

"Yeah, uh, I miss you too," I said with a lopsided smile, "I've been... alright, I guess. How about you?"

"I've been good. I'm glad we're finally seniors, almost out of this place. Remember when we were little and we said that the day we graduated we'd move in together?" she said with a chuckle. I laughed too.

"Yeah, we had to have been like nine. We said we'd only need a one bedroom apartment because we could get bunk beds, and save money on rent," I said, unable to keep a smile off my face.

"I think we were more ready to go out in the world when we were nine than we are now," she said. I nodded in agreement.

"Definitely, I was a lot more confident back then," I admitted. Sabrina scoffed.

"You have no reason to not be confident in yourself. You know that right? Not only are you extremely hot, you're a good person which is so hard to come by these days. And you're so easy to talk to, I always feel so un judged whenever I'm with you. I really wish we would've stayed close for longer," she said, pouting, "Sorry about my ranting. I'm a little bit tipsy."

I chuckled, "It's okay, but hey, if you really mean that maybe we can try and be actual friends again? You know, ones that hang out. Not just ones that see each other in the hallway and smile and keep walking."

"Yeah... I'd like that," she said. I didn't know if I was imagining it but it seemed like she was inching closer. "But maybe we could try not being friends," she said in a low voice.

"So... you don't wanna be friends?" I asked confusedly.

"I wanna be more than that," and with that, she closed the space between us and pressed her lips firmly against mine.