Living With Jared Padalecki

19/ where did the party go

     I take a deep cleansing breath as I stand still, observing myself in the mirror.

     Makeup, check. Amazing hair, check. Clothes to match, check.

     Everything was in order for my costume. It still feels a little weird to me that Jason's birthday party is going to be a costume party, and it's almost July. It seems like the type of thing that should be done around Halloween, not the middle of the summer.

     However, I don't really feel like questioning it. Jason gave me the address for the party, and it wasn't his house. He said Andrew is throwing it for him, since his house is more like a mansion, and that his parents are away for the weekend.

     I have sort of distanced myself from the Padaleckis. I guess I didn't mean to at first, but now I am doing it on purpose, for their sake, not mine. I am probably just a burden around them anyway, so it's better that I'm gone as much as possible.

     Now, I am about to leave for the party. Since I don't have a vehicle of my own, except my truck that isn't even here, Haley and Emily are going to pick me up. No one is telling anyone what or who they are dressing up as, and it is sort of frustrating me. I'm afraid that my costume will be totally out of place, that everyone else will look way different.

     But when Haley pulls up in her shiny silver car with the hood down, I'm a little relieved to see her dressed as Harley Quinn. Next to her sits her fiancée, dressed as a very recognizable character from a Batman movie.

     "Wow! You guys look great!" I exclaim, smiling brightly, acting as enthusiastic as I possibly can so I don't kill the happy mood. I now realize that Emily is dressed as Poison Ivy, her hair dyed a gorgeous red color and spread out all over the place in a cool way. Her makeup matches her hair, bright red, flowery, and a little sparkly.

     They both grin. "You, too, Joker. You won't believe who Jason dressed up as." Haley's hair is dyed a dull white, tied into two high ponytails with pink and blue on the ends of each one. I easily recognize the costume, she looks exactly like the Harley Quinn that I have seen in the Suicide Squad movie trailer. I am very impressed with the quality of their costumes, and I can clearly see that a lot of time was put into making them just right.

     Something is off, though. The smile that is plastered across Emily's face looks fake, almost forced. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that something is wrong. I think that maybe I should wait until Haley isn't around to ask her about it. Maybe they are having some sort of lovers' quarrel.

     When we get to the party, it worsens. The tension between them gets thicker and the distance grows, Haley has what seems like an in-depth conversation with her little sister across the room, while Emily stays on this side, talking to a group of people by the food. I furrow my eyebrows, watching in confusion as her eyes lock on something across the room: Haley. I find where she is looking and see Emily's fiancée giving her charming smile to some stranger, a somewhat attractive guy who looks to be in his mid-twenties.

     Upon seeing this interaction, Emily leaves, exiting through the front door where we came in about fifteen minutes ago. I hesitate a little and follow her, determined to find out what the problem is and help her out with it, if I can.

     "Emily, wait up!" I call out, stepping out the door and checking to see if anyone else is out here, but to my surprise, it's just me and Emily. I freeze when I see her sitting on the front steps, holding her face in her hands and crying. This only makes me more tense. It's rare when I end up in situations like this, but when I am, I'm riddled with nervousness, afraid that whatever I say to try and make her feel better, will only make her feel worse.