Butterfly

31. Stop Flirting.

Chapter Thirty-One: Stop Flirting.

♡ Jessica Washington ♡

The next event after Christmas is River's New Year's Eve party. My dad has gone to stay with Jasmine, Joe and Blake for the week, so I'm home alone. River has decided to do a formal masquerade theme, so I had to go out shopping to go buy something to wear and a mask.

The party is just starting next door, while I finish getting ready. I'm already dressed in the pale pink dress and matching heels. The mask I bought also matches, so I'm very pink at the moment. I've also straightened by hair, and put on my makeup, so I'm ready to leave, but I honestly can't be bothered to move due to how comfortable I am right now. And, to be honest, I don't really want to go, since I don't really like parties. There's way too many people who think I'm someone I'm not, so I'd rather just be nobody to them and not do anything.

But unfortunately, I move from the warm part of my bed that I've been sat on. I walk downstairs and leave my house, locking the door behind me and walking across the River's house, opening the door and walking inside. There are a lot of people here, either dancing around and laughing and drinking with their friends.

I walk into the living room and walk to the table to get a drink.

"Hey, Jess! I didn't know if you'd actually turn up," Tyler grins, passing me a drink off of the table which he is stood next to. I can tell it's Tyler, his blue mask already seems to be falling off, and he has already spilled his drink over his shirt. I roll my eyes at this, smiling in amusement.

"Well, here I am...unfortunately," I reply, smiling as I take a mouthful of my drink.

"Is Liv coming?" Tyler asks, curiously. So he might like her, too. Which would be great, because I don't want Olivia to get hurt.

"I think so, she texted me saying that she was coming," I reply, and Tyler nods. I thought Olivia would be here already, but I haven't seen her yet. She's probably trying to be fashionably late, knowing her.

"Good," Tyler grins, his smile seemingly lighting up his whole face. And that's when I know for sure that he likes Olivia just as much as she likes him. He's smiling thinking about her, just like he used to smile when he thought of me. He's looking the way I wish River looked at me.

"Well, I'll leave you to go and be sociable. I'll talk to you later," I tell Tyler, before I wander off in the opposite direction to go find someone who doesn't know me very well to talk to.

Well, that was the plan anyway. As soon as I find someone who looks just as antisocial as me, I feel someone's arms wrap around my waist and their breath brush past my ear. I stiffen up slightly, before I realise who it is.

"Jessica Washington," I hear River whisper into my ear, and I think my whole body obviously relaxes when I know that it's him.

"Book boy," I exhale in relief. I don't know who I expected it to be, I guess I'm just on edge in situations where I'm not comfortable.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have made you jump. Sorry," River apologises, and I smile, shaking my head.

"No, don't worry, I'm just jumpy," I reply, turning around to face him. He's wearing a white shirt and black tie with black skinny jeans, and his mask is black to match his tie.