My Almost Best Friend

Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

"So what are you doing tonight?" I asked Claire as she pulled into my driveway.

"Studying for the stupid history final on Monday."

"Oh yeah," I grumbled. "I forgot about that."

"Yup," she sighed. "Well, I'd better get going."

"See you!" I called, as she pulled out, waving.

I walked in through the house and flopped onto my couch. I decided to call Amarys.

"How was it!?" Amarys squealed over the phone.

"Eh," I grunted. "We're going to have to do a lot more 'princess' stuff."

"Ooh!" Amarys shrieked. She was certainly taking this differently than I was.

"So what are you going to do with the rest of your fabulous Saturday?" she asked.

"Oh you know, I have a really important date with my books."

She laughed. Aw how cute, she thought I was kidding.

"Well, since you aren't doing anything huge, you could go to Mike Palmer's party tonight!"

"He's having a party?"

"Yeah! He invited me yesterday and since he said I could bring a friend, I thought we could go together. I completely forgot until recently."

"Oh."

"So will you go?"

"Uh..."

"Pleeease!" she whimpered. "I want to know how it went!"

"Fine," I groaned letting out an exasperated breath. I just couldn't here her beg anymore. Something about sad people in hospital beds really ate away at my conscious.

"Yay!" she cheered. "Well there's lots to do! I know! You can borrow the dress I was going to wear tonight!"

"Amarys, it's fine. I have dresses you know."

"No, seriously! I only have it rented for one night and I don't want it to go to waste!"

"I guess it would be fine," I said hesitantly.

"Awesome! You can pick it up at Jay's Dry Cleaners any time today."

"Sounds good."

"The party's at 7."

"Alrighty."

"Let me know how it was afterwards, okay?"

"Yup."

"Bye!"

"Bye!"

So just like that, I had plans for an actual high school party with the populars.

========================

There was absolutely no way I was entering that building.

I stood on the cracked sidewalk in front of what must be Mike's house. Although I couldn't really tell.

The music was blasting so loud that I could hear it clearly through the walls. I was surprised no neighbor was out here complaining.

The door was left wide open, and through it I could see about a hundred different things going on at once. It seemed as if half our school was crammed in his tiny house.

Maybe I could just leave now. Nobody would even know I was here. I could just make up some lame high school stuff for Amarys. It's not like it would mess with her whole becoming popular thing.

I was most definitely not going to go in there, and there was no force in the universe that could make me.

I was dead set on this, until I came face to face with those big green mesmerizing eyes.

"Hey Bree!" Trevor said. "Didn't think I'd find you here!"

I couldn't help but feel offended, and of course, my hot headed stubbornness came out and I knew instantly that I'd be staying.

I didn't even know what I was trying to prove. That I had a social life? Phhhhttt. Please, he already knew that I didn't. Whatever the reason, I decided to stay.

"Oh hey Trevor! Oh you know, just heading in now!"

"Great!" he grinned. "We can go in together."

My heart began to flutter as we stepped through the opened door.

Reading my expression, he whispered, "Take a deep breath, it helps."

I couldn't believe he was giving me advice about being nervous before a party. Something about his outgoing lightheartedness, and well, his popularity, made it hard for me to imagine him getting nervous.

"Thanks," I muttered, as Francesca Willows chased after Charlie Mann.

"Come here Charlie! You know you want to go to the dance with me!" she squealed.

People were everywhere! I tried to observe what the girls were doing, but most if them were being so boring. Half of them stood in the kitchen, chatting, but most definitely not eating.

After instantly ruling that out, a different girl caught my eye.

Right in the center of the room sat Mike and Claire. Her legs were crossed over Mike's, and his arm was cradled around her. Her head lay cocked to the side, resting on his shoulder, and he played with strands of her hair.

That liar. First the mall and now this. She had some nerve pretending to be friends with Amarys. This stupid popularity idea had been her excuse for pretty much everything, but it most certainly couldn't cover this.

But honestly, was I supposed to tell Amarys or not?

Finally, breaking my internal war session, Trevor spoke up and said, "Everything okay?"

"Um..." I started debating whether or not to tell him.

"Come here, I have an idea."

I followed him out through the back door, and down a big hill where a really old abandoned park sat, rusting away.

He sat down on the creaking old swing and motioned for me to sit on the other.

It was silent for a while before I finally mumbled the generic awkward silence breaker, "So..."

"Soooo..."

I sighed looking down at my shoes.
Silence sucked.

"Look up," Trevor said suddenly. "Its the Big Dipper!"

I cocked my head and scanned the sky to and fro, completely unable to spot this constellation. Maybe paying attention in 7th grade science would have helped me after all.

He laughed, suddenly.

"Why are you laughing?" I snapped grumpily, after already having wasted a good 2 minutes.

"Cause," he smirked. "I don't even know what the Big Dipper is."

"What!?" I gasped, irritably.

"Hah, I don't know about stars!"

I narrowed my eyes and shook my head. "You owe me 2 minutes of my life!"

"Your welcome!," he smiled.

I rolled my eyes. Being alone with him tonight, I realized, was more fun than a thousand high school parties. Maybe I'd just have to look in to getting more.