Parallels | Dylan O'Brien

1 - Strawberry Blonde Queen

WARNING: The chapters may confuse you a tiny bit as it's always the same names, yet totally different characters. Remember the odd numbers are with bitch Lydia and 'nobody' Dylan. The even numbers are with a nice Lydia and actor Dylan. Hope this helps you! x

-Dylan O'Brien-

"Dylan, you have to see this!" my best friend Tyler shouts as he catches up to me in the hallway. I turn to him, only to find a phone shoved up in my face. On the small screen is a beautiful strawberry blonde girl I've been in love with since sixth grade. However, I don't think she'd ever fall in love with me too. Hell, she doesn't even know my name. I watch her as she talks, but I don't really understand what she's saying as I'm too caught up in how her beautiful long hair perfectly falls over her shoulder and how her green eyes stare back at me. The only words I catch are 'party' and 'my place', which is enough to know that she's talking about her birthday party. No one really knows how old she is, but I believe she's twenty-four. Lydia's birthday party is the party of the year. Everyone always keeps talking about it months after. I've never been to one of these parties, seeing she's never invited me for one. That makes me think about it, how does Posey have one?
Tyler Posey has been my best friend since we met at this audition for an MTV show called 'Teen Wolf' five years ago. We were both so excited and so certain we'd get the parts, but we didn't. So, now we're still stuck in college. Well, at least we have each other and our shattered dreams to glue together again. As a team, this time.
"Posey, how'd you get an invitation?" I ask, and he looks at me with his dark brown eyes, a smirk forming upon his face. The sort of smirk that would make you feel so anxious and uncomfortable.
"It's an open invitation for everyone on campus," Tyler explains, the smirk still on his face. Yet, this time it doesn't make me feel uncomfortable anymore. The news makes my heart leap and my stomach swirl and twirl. "Dude, you're finally going to Lydia Moon's party!" those last words make my hands shake a little. I'm actually going to Lydia's party? After all these years? After nine years of pining over her and secretly hoping she'd invite me for once, I'm actually going. A sudden rush of excitement flows through my body.
"I gotta go get her a present," I mumble, not really sure if Tyler has heard me. I stumble past him, completely in a daze of the news I just received. I need to get Lydia a present and I need to find some clothes to wear tonight. Who even cares about school anymore? I'm going to Lydia Moon's party.

It took me about four hours to find the right gift for a certain strawberry blonde girl and two more hours to find the right clothes. It only took an hour to get ready. That's all I got anyway since Tyler arrived at my place to pick me up.
"Are you ready for your first ever Lydia Moon party?" he asks me as we drive off. I feel my stomach churn and my hands are shaking violently. To say I'm nervous is an understatement. I'm petrified. Petrified of Lydia and her reaction to my gift. Petrified of her reaction to me being there. Petrified of the idea of a party. Ever since I got declined at Teen Wolf, I started to get a lot more anxious, including some panic attacks even. "You're not nervous, are you?" Tyler asks as he takes a look at my shaking hands.
"Me? Nervous?" I ask, trying to shrug it off, "No way." Posey chuckles next to me, making me even more nervous.
"Bro, you'll be fine, okay?" he tries to reassure me, "I won't leave your side. I promise," I roll my eyes. Every time he drags me to a party I know no one, he promises to stick with me, but never does. Within five minutes, he's already found someone to take shots with or someone he hasn't seen in a really long time. I just hope he'll stay with me for this one. This is Lydia Moon's party we're talking about here.
Within a couple of minutes, we arrive at Lydia's place. Posey parks the car amongst a few other cars and we get out. I just can't seem to shake off this anxiousness. It keeps crawling through my body like a mean parasite. I'll be fine. I'll be okay. It's just a party. Posey and I walk through the front door and find our way to the back yard where the party is going. Loud music plays from the boxes as people I recognize from school dance to the music. Lydia has laid out an enormous assortment of sweets and snacks, and a couple liters of punch. On the other side of the pool stands another table, filled with wrapped up boxes. Small ones, big ones. All sizes. Now the anxiousness for my present starts to sink in. What if she doesn't like it?
"I'm going to go get some punch, you want some?" Tyler asks. A boost of anxiety wells up. He promised to stick with me. He can't leave me all by myself. "Bro, I'll come back. You'll be fine for a couple of seconds," he reassures when he sees the petrified look on my face. A big sigh leaves my body, part of my anxiety leaving as well, and I nod. Posey takes off towards the table for some punch whilst I stare at the scene in front of me. I don't even know most of these people. What am I doing here? I take the small turquoise box from my pocket and look at the bow on top of it. Should I put it with the rest of the presents or just take it home with me? Mom will love it. I could give it to my mom. Or my sister. Julia would love it.
"Hey brother!" talk about the devil. The blonde-haired girl skips her way over to me with a smile. She clearly has been drinking. Julia is one year older than me but got held back in sophomore year of high school which is the reason why she met Lydia and became friends with her. Which is also the reason why we're in the same grade now, and why she's at the party, obviously. "You okay?" she questions when she sees my worried look. Even though she's friends with Lydia, she's nothing like her. Julia is the most selfless person I've ever known. She'll always care more about others than herself. Maybe that's why Lydia likes her. Because Julia cares about the narcissistic girl.
"Yeah, just wondering if I should give Lydia the present I bought her," Julia looks down to my hands and gasps a little.
"You bought her a Tiffany bracelet?" her voice is in a whisper, as if no one else is allowed to hear.
"Yeah, cost me 900 bucks as well," I admit, looking up to the sky to take a deep breath whilst making a decision.
"Give it to her, Dyl. She'll love it," my sister tells me. I look at her and she smiles. I can tell she's drunk, but even drunk she knows what she's doing or saying. Sometimes, it makes her even smarter. I give her a smile in return and nod. I might as well. Lydia deserves something like this. Before I can even take one step in the direction of the present table, a strawberry blonde girl steps in front of me and my sister.
"Jules, who's this?" she questions, ripping my heart out and smashing it repeatedly with a hammer. Ouch. Her eyes go from me to the box in my hands, to my sister and back.
"This is my brother, Dylan," Julia introduces me, "you know he's in our biology class, right?" Lydia's smile brightens, but I know that smile. It isn't the genuine 'ah yeah, I know you'-smile, it's more like a 'ah, I like what's in your hands'-smile.
"Oh, yeah. Of course!" she begins over-excitedly, "Thank you for coming to my party! Hope you're having fun!" she tells me, then turns to Julia, "You'll never believe what Justin did." Lydia grabs Julia's hand and pulls her along before she can say goodbye to me. I sigh. Thus far my first conversation with Lydia Moon. I didn't even say anything. Rolling my eyes, I step towards the present table and leave the Tiffany box there. I stand there for a moment, my fingertips still holding onto the box. As if I'm still debating whether or not to do it. Ah, fuck it. I grab the little card I wrote her earlier and put it underneath the small box.
"Hey bro," Tyler's voice makes me jump, but I relax as soon as I realize it's him. I turn around to face him and he hands me my punch, "Sorry it took so long, there was a cute girl in line," I roll my eyes when he says this. Posey is such a man-whore sometimes. I take the cup and sip from the cold liquid. Someone clearly spiked the punch. Probably Justin. He's your typical high school jock and Lydia Moon's boyfriend. I wonder what she had to tell Julia so urgently about him. Posey and I stay silent for a couple of minutes and just look at the scenes unfolding in front of us. People are getting drunker and hornier by the second.
"I'll be right back," Posey says. Well, this is improvement. He actually stayed with me for more than an hour. This is progress, guys. I watch as he walks over to one of Julia and Lydia's friends, Skyler. She's a beautiful, dark haired Latina. A smart girl. She's in my math class and can literally do anything mister Steward explains, whereas I don't understand shit. She's amazing.
Another sigh leaves my body and I decide to go and find the bathroom. That'll keep me busy and make me feel less awkward about being alone. As I make my way through the gigantic maze that is the Moon residence, I pass a couple of people. A few couples making out, making me feel even more lonely, thank you very much. And a small group of boys and girls talking about God-knows-what. It's only when I arrive at the bathroom that I hear her voice.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD DO THAT!" Lydia shouts and I can already guess who she's shouting at. Justin Wells. I want to go in and punch this man until his pretty face isn't as pretty anymore, but I can't. My feet are nailed to the floor and my body is completely numb. I can hear and feel my heart beating in my throat. What should I do? "I JUST WISHED I WAS BORN IN A UNIVERSE WHERE YOU'RE NOT AN ASS!" she shouts again when the door opens. Justin walks out, giving me a glare, but nothing more. Lydia slams the door right in my face. I can't go in now. She's too upset. But maybe that's what she needs now? A shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen. A loud bang coming from inside quickly makes me make up my mind. I storm inside, only to find Lydia on the floor. Her eyes aren't red or puffy from crying. Hell, it looks as if she didn't cry seconds ago. I know she has. I could hear her voice breaking as she yelled at that asshole. The girl looks up at me and the only thing I see in her emerald green eyes is confusion.
"Dylan?" she asks, completely out of it. My heart skips a beat as she says my name. She's never said my name. I didn't even think she'd remember my name. I go to sit on my knees right next to her. I'm not sure what I'm doing. Neither do I know what I should be doing.
"Hey," I whisper and before I know it, my hand goes to her cheek. My thumb rubs her soft, pale skin, "Are you okay?" I then ask. She leans into my touch, her eyes looking up at me. Something has changed. Her eyes aren't as dark as they were before. She doesn't look at me with disgust, but more with appreciation. Although, there's still some confusion in there as well.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she whispers, not taking her eyes off of me, "Where are we anyway?"