All It Takes

Chapter 12 // Party Hard

Chapter 12 // Party Hard

"Great. You know, usually, kids run away from a witch." Xavier scoffs while kicking at a random rock, sending it flying across her porch. "but now we're about to enter her house."

"Yeah, there's a bubbling cauldron in there somewhere. Amongst a shrine to us three." Garrett moves in to ring the doorbell, pressing it like a madman.

"Where's Bradbury? He could quote some Macbeth right now." I turn to my right and see Lars who's laughing to himself. His joke doesn't make sense to a group of people--besides me--who didn't even bother to read up on the classic play that started the whole 'double double, toil and trouble' saying.

If it weren't for his dashing good looks and his athletic abilities, he'd be shoved up in a locker somewhere. Along with a fat textbook and a flashlight.

Pressing his lips together and squinting his eyes, Xavier sighs. "Dumb nerd." He repeatedly presses on the door handle before we all realize that it's been open this whole time.

Still, we care enough to walk into her house. Surprisingly, it's pretty empty, but the main party is probably in her pool and in the little section that contains table tennis, billiards, couches, and--the best part--a bar filled with alcoholic drinks.

I sit down on one of the love seats, curling up to get comfy. Her house has been remodeled so many times that even a dwelling that they had lived in for twenty five years felt foreign.

"Wow! What a crowd! There's like, what, nine people inside?" Stella's sarcastic gasps echo throughout the tall ceilings. She picks up a glass picture frame, encasing a picture of Nina and her parents.

"The golden child. Pretty face, pretty rich, pretty damn lucky..." She sets it down harshly and bitterly snorts. "she's never had to work for any damn thing in her life."

Even though I had some choice words to say about Nina and the way she treated me, she definitely did not have a perfect life. Why else would she always have a huge house all to herself all the time?

The stove, oven, and sink were spotless, yet pizza parlor coupons littered the counters and granola bar wrappers filled the trash can. Nina was never a good cook. The best meals always came from her nannies and even she has a heart to send them home.

Before, it wasn't that bad. Her parents would leave Nina at home with the nanny of the month and allow me to sleep over to keep her company. At times, I basically lived at her house. Dad wouldn't mind. It was a couple days vacation to just have some quiet time without a rambunctious daughter.

But I guess, after getting older, they realized that a teenaged girl could take care of herself at night. They were probably flying out to Milan or somewhere; their daughters birthday was the last thing on their mind. I always liked being Nina's friend, not just because she had all these fancy toys or enough time to deal with my obnoxious self, but because it helped me be grateful for what I had.

Even if my dad was working on the hardest case of his life, he would make time for me no matter what. Listening, comforting me, buying ice cream, and much more. Even if I didn't have my mom here, he made it seem like I was loved twice as much. I tried to transfer all of that to Nina when we were little, but I guess the bitter resentment towards her family started coming out onto me when she realized that I only had one parent, yet he loved me more than hers combined. I didn't realize it back then until I looked at her whole life.