Decisions

1.

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{ Chapter One:

The Party }

Little Black Dress / One Direction

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"Come on Mandy," Chloe nagged, "I'm not letting you sit around inside all summer!"

She was trying very hard to get me to go to a bonfire party that was being held at her current boyfriend's beach house. My plan for this summer was to eat a lot of watermelon while laying in bed and watching reruns of "The Carrie Diaries" on Netflix. Besides, I don't know this guy, and I probably wasn't even invited. Chloe just drags me along with her to all these parties and extravagant events and I always find myself wishing I was at home, cuddled up in my bed.

"Was I even invited?" I asked sarcastically, watching Chloe dig through the drawers of her wooden bureau.

"Well, not technically. But has that even been a problem, my dear?" She smirked, tossing her hair over her shoulder. I rolled my eyes and laughed at my best friend. I'm probably going to end up going to this party no matter how much I try to talk her out of it.

"Do I have to?" I whined, pulling her comforter over my head. She yanked it back, "Yes," she said sternly, "And you will wear this and have a good attitude about it. The outfit she picked out was a pretty lace tank top with dark-washed denim shorts. Not the worst I've seen. One time, she forced me to wear this dress with puffy sleeves and a very low cut back, so this is a step up.

I peered around the pile of trays I was carrying, to see impatient-looking Chloe, tapping her wrist like an invisible watch.

"Let's go, Mands! I promised Brad that I'd be there at 8:15!" She called from the driveway, as I made my way down her patio steps and across the lawn. She had me carrying a bag of marshmallows, a 20 pack of Miller Lite, a tray of watermelon, and more unnecessary food. I loaded the items into the trunk of her car and got into the passenger seat.

"Ready to go?" She smiled and I nodded. She pulled out of little Oak-Heart Avenue and drove off into the night.

It was about 8:30 by the time we pulled into the unorganized, gravel parking lot of Castle Lake. Castle Lake is a large beach area just on the outskirts on the suburbs of NYC. It got it's name from being shaped somewhat like a castle. Small cabins littered the sandy beach, including one that belonged to Chloe's boyfriend, Brad's, grandparents. As we pulled in, I immediatley could hear loud music and the buzz of chatter. I got Chloe's crap out of the trunk and loaded it into her arms.

"You can carry it, this time." I smiled. We walked across the full parking lot to where the white sand met the gravel.

"Brad!" Chloe yelped at the sight of her boyfriend, "Here hold this." She hurriedly placed her food in my arms and ran down the beach, jumping into Brad's outstretched arms. I'm pretty sure they saw each other yesterday, but whatever.

"Hey, you must be Brad. I'm Amanda." I said to Brad. I couldn't shake his hand, because of all this garbage. Brad had sandy blonde hair that covered up one of his eyes. He was very tan, which is suprising for someone from New York. Maybe he just moved here. He seemed like a pretty normal guy, compared to some of Chloe's other boyfriends.

"Nice to meet you." He replied. His accent sounded very much like a stereotypical surfer dude like in movies. Chloe grabbed his hand and started running down the beach, hollering. I followed as quick as I could. Brad's beach house was beautiful, with a wraparound porch and crisp white shutters on every window. He had set up a few beach chairs and tables with food. I set down all of Chloe's items and shook out my arms. The view of Castle Lake in the moon light was spectacular. Well, we had only been here for about five minutes and I had already lost Chloe. I decided to look for Brad.

I found him by a cooler, sipping a beer, "Hi Brad." I said.

"Hey." He said casually, in his surfer-chill accent.

"So are you from around here?" I asked casually.

"Well, I'm from Florida but I moved out here with my nan and pops to chill out. It's much cooler up north and there's still a beach to catch some waves once and awhile." He smiled. I smiled back and nodded. I would've never thought someone would move to an entirely different state just to 'chill out.' Maybe there was another reason. All of a sudden, Chloe ran up to us.

"Amanda Novelin! You will never guess who is here!" She panted, her hands resting on her knees to catch her breath. I tried to think of all the possible people who could be here. I probably wouldn't guess it.

"Who?"

"Peter Thompson!" She squealed. Oh my God. The Peter Thompson? High school heartthrob? Every girl's dream? He couldn't be here. He doesn't GO to parties. He IS the party. His dirty blonde hair that he spiked up with gel, his dark brown eyes that reminded me of chocolate, his perfect white teeth, his perfect body, he was perfection.

"Really?" Was all I managed to say. She stood beside me and pointed towards the lake where a small bonfire had been started just above where the waves were crashing, and sure enough, there he was. Peter Thompson, in all his glory. He wore a gray hoodie and black shorts, that seemed so simple, yet he made it look extravagent. As usual, he was surrounded by people, laughing at everything he was saying.

"Let's go talk to him!" Chloe excitedly yanked on my arm, like a four year old, trying to pull his mother. She was such a kid sometimes.

"I don't think he knows us." I said. That was partly true, however he knew OF me, but he didn't necessarily KNOW me. I had talked to him only once or twice.

"So what? Now's your chance. Go make a move!" She encouraged, pushing my back. I finally gave in, and walked over to the party of people standing around the fire. He didn't notice me at first, but then I worked up the courage to tap him, lightly, on the shoulder.

"Hi, Peter." I said as confidently as I could muster, as the nerves bubbled in my stomach. He chuckled a bit, before flashing his perfect smile.

"Hey Amanda." He said. No way he knew my name. Not possible. I'd always been too shy to talk to him. How could he possibly know my name? I no longer felt butterflies in my stomach; it was more like a whole zoo.

"How do you know my name?" I tried to say it nicely, but it came out ruder than I had intended. He laughed his charming laugh, "How do you know mine?"

"Don't be stupid, everyone knows your name."

"Maybe everyone knows yours too, you just don't know it, Amanda Novelin," He smirked, "So, you lost the glasses? And braces?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah." I stated the obvious. I had changed a lot since I last saw Peter, but I didn't think he would notice either way. Back in high school, I was kind of pudgy, with thick glasses, braces, and a lot of facial acne. I had lost some weight, got contacts and my braces off, and started taking better care of my skin. It was Chloe who had suggested reinventing myself, and I went along with it. I was actually very proud of my new image.

Peter and I talked for another hour, and I realized something. He wasn't just the image of the perfect guy; he was real. He was hilarious, and I found myself laughing a lot around him. He was also very sweet, complimenting me here and there. I had met another Peter tonight, one that I had never expected to.

"Hey," he whispered, leaning down to talk into my ear, "What do you say we get out of here?"

I was shocked but also anxious, as I thought it over. What about Chloe? She had Brad. Amanda, get yourself together, Peter Thompson just asked you to 'get out of here,' what are you thinking!

"Sure," I replied casually, swallowing the nervous excitement in my voice. He laced his fingers into mine, causing my heart to skip a beat. Never in a million years would I expect to be running away from a beach party at 2 a.m, hand in hand with Peter Thompson.