Never Would Have Guessed

Chapter 1 - Meeting Him

     Sophia has been begging me to go to this party for weeks. I told her I'd make an appearance if she took me shopping to find something to wear. But when she said she already had clothing picked out, this was the last thing I expected. 

     I arrived at her house exactly 2 hours before the party was scheduled to start. I couldn't have been more astonished at what she expected me to wear. Lying on her bed was a jet black, skin tight dress. Looking at it, I knew it wouldn't go past my upper thigh. How could she ever assume that I'd be eager to be seen in this? It's too far from my normal attire, too different compared to my personality. I doubt I could even pull the dress off. 

     Since she had convinced me to go for her sake, however, I decided not to object to her outfit choice. She wasn't wearing anything much better. She chose a pair of shorts that covered nothing more than her underwear. For a shirt, she chose a navy blue crop top that showed off her curves amazingly well. I was secretly jealous, but I wouldn't ruin her night just because of my confusing emotions.

     I know she probably only wanted me to go to this party to keep my mind off of Alex. Somehow I couldn't stop thinking about him, even as I approached the wood framed glass door that belonged to one of the star football players. I reached out to take a red solo cup of god-knows-what liquid and started gulping. Something had to take my mind off of Alex, and if this party wasn't going to, I would do it forcefully. 

     Sophia and I walked inside, and I kid you not, it was like the scene from the movies. The music stopped, and everyone turned to look at us. I guess we chose perfect attire for the occasion. We ignored the stares and walked straight toward the kitchen to find some snacks to munch on while mingling.

     When we walked into the kitchen I saw a few old friends of mine, clearly already drunk. They were giggling in a corner with plates of chips and cigarettes hanging out of their mouths. I recognized one guy who wasn't as familiar to me as the rest, and I made him out to be the transfer student from Camden. His name was Carter. 

     "Ella, I'm gonna run to the bathroom," I heard Sophia yell over the music.

     "Okay," I whispered back, still staring at Carter. He smiled at me, and I looked away. He must've been drunk too. 

     Just when I thought it was safe to look back over at him, an unsteady hand reached out and touched my arm. I jumped, and looked up, glaring at whoever dared to touch my arm. It was Carter, he had wobbled his way over to me, and was smiling widely at me. I couldn't smell any alcohol on him, which could possibly mean he hadn't had anything to drink yet. Perhaps he was high instead.

     "Hey, I'm Carter," he said, looking at me square in the eye. He held out his hand, and I unwillingly took it.

     "Hello Carter, I'm Ella," I replied, staring at our joined hands. 

     "You're beautiful," he said, interrupting my dozing off. I looked up to meet his eyes, now. His eyes were a deep emerald green, shimmering with all of the lights in the room. His hair was a sandy brown, and it was extremely fluffy looking. 

     "You're staring," he said, and I blushed. He winked, trying to lighten the mood and I looked down at our hands again. He was still shaking my hand.

     "Oh, um, sorry," I stammered, and pulled my hand away from his. His eyes turned to confusion and his eyebrows furrowed. I almost put my hand back in his.

    "Do you wanna get something to drink?"

     "Uh, sure, I'd love to. I mean, yeah," I replied. He held his hand out for me to take, and I did. He led me to the kitchen. 

     "A beer please," he said when we arrived. He then looked to me, his eyes asking what I would like.

     "And some water," I said. He gave me a questioning glance. I just shrugged it off. 

     The hostess handed us our drinks and winked as we walked off, hand in hand. Carter led us to the backdoor, where we proceeded to wander around outside.

     "So, what brings you to this party? You don't seem like that type of girl," he said, his eyes boring into mine.

     "Actually, the girl I was with made me come," I whispered.

     "So you're into girls?" 

     "No!" I started to uncontrollably laugh while he stared at me. 

     "Oh?" He said, finally.

     "She's my best friend," I said, finally gaining the strength to talk through my laughing.

     "Oh. What about your boyfriend?" He said. 

     "This is starting to sound like one of those scenes from the movies, Carter," I panted.

     "I'm just curious," he whispered, looking at our hands, still linked together.

     "Well, I don't have a boyfriend," I said, taking my hand from his. He looked up at me and smiled widely. I smiled back.

     "I can change that," he winked.

     "Oh yes, I bet you can," I said, laughing again. I fell to the ground, clutching my stomach as I began to laugh uncontrollably again.

     "Ella," he said, nervously.

     "Carter?"

     "Can we go somewhere else? Can we leave and go to a cafe instead of being here?"

     "Sure, I just have to tell Sophie I'm gonna leave with you," I said, standing up. The dress I was wearing is now completely covered in mud, and it made its way up my thighs. I pulled the hem down and began walking back inside the house. Carter grabbed my hand, and then started to walk with me.

     We soon found Sophie sitting on the couch with old friends of ours. She looked up when Carter and I approached her. 

     "Hey, I'm gonna get out of here. Carter and I are going to the cafe on Peach Avenue," I said, holding her arm.

     "Okay, be safe!" She said, giggling. She was already drunk. How long have we even been here?

     "You too," I replied, winking at her.

     Carter tugged my hand, and I started to follow him through the crowd. He got us to the front door after being ran into several times. When we finally got out of the house, he took me to his car. When we got to the passenger door, he looked at the ground and reluctantly pulled his hand from mine and opened the door for me. I got in, and he closed the door behind me.