I Choose You

22.5 The Party of the Year (Edited)

Edited 

After we spent the majority of four and a half songs dancing totally idiotically to the music, the basketball team came along and carried Aiden away, insisting that since it was his birthday he was obligated to get drunk with them all. And of course, before he could protest they literally picked him up and carried him up the stairs where all the drinking games were taking place.

I couldn't help but laugh as I watched that unfold, before Blake and Autumn scurried away somewhere and Carter went to join Aiden in his drinking games. Riley was the only one left behind as we both made our way to the kitchen, her grabbing some beer and me immediately heading for the water.

"Sooo," Riley smiled, wiggling her eyebrows at me as I took sips of my water.

"Whaaat?" I replied, laughing.

She cut right to the chase. "The cake thing! The dancing! Come on when are you two finally gonna grow a pair and just make out already?"

"Riley!"

"What?! Everyone in this room is wondering the same thing, you know. They were all standing there too." she said, taking a drink of her beer. "Come on, what's stopping you two from just being together?!"

A lot of things.

I shrugged. "It's just—!"

But before I could even try talking to Riley, Carter appeared out nowhere, informing her that they had somehow run out of ice, even though we had literally bought five bags when we had gone to the store earlier.

"Can you go get some more?" he smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Pleeease?"

"Why can't you go get it?!" she cried.

"Because the guys and I are having a killer game of Drunk Jenga right now and me and Aiden are about to win the whole thing!"

"Fine," she mumbled.

"Thanks, babe!" he grinned, before placing a chaste kiss on her lips and taking off for the stairs.

She narrowed her eyes at his disappearing figure, before angrily grabbing her keys out of the locked drawer we'd all placed ours in.

"The things I do for that boy," she mumbled, before walking off in the direction of the foyer.

I just laughed, shaking my head at her retreating figure, taking a seat once again at the kitchen island.

"Oh, hey Emery," a voice said as I looked up.

I was greeted with the sight of Adam Cassidy, captain of the swim team and lacrosse team. He stood tall, his lean and muscular body almost a match for Aiden's, but in my eyes no one could quite match Aiden's overpowering presence. His sandy blonde hair and blue eyes were probably the reason he was such a catch with all the girls at school. Not to mention half the female population had seen him with his shirt off. I'd say that definitely had something to do with it too.

I smiled, laughing. "Hey, Adam,"

He was currently sifting through all the different types of alcohol that were spread out on the kitchen counter. I guess he was having trouble finding a particular kind or he was trying to find one that seemed appealing to him.

"Where's Aiden?" he asked, before grabbing a glass bottle, reading the label and shrugging, pouring himself a glass. "I thought you guys were like—a thing?"

I felt my cheeks turn red. "Um—we're just—" but I stopped myself short.

Too long have I lied to myself and told myself that Aiden and I were "just friends," and it would be pathetic of me to continue telling people that when it's obviously not true. Not only has everyone else excepted it, but so have I.