Life Of The Party × CH

14

Lola woke me up the next morning. I never thought it would happen, she somehow always woke up much later than me. However, today seemed to be special occasion of sort – we were going to my late grandad's cabin by the lake.

My grandfather used to go there every summer, up until he got sick four years ago and passed away.

My friends and I had been using the Cabin ever since, going there on weekends during the summer. Unfortunately, we hadn't gone since I moved away.

Now that I was back, I was determined to bring the tradition back. The girls and I had been talking about it since before I moved back to town.

Lola's knocking only got louder, she didn't seem very patient, not on a hot sunny day like today.

"Devin!" she yelled, "C'mon! Get up! The sooner we get there the more time we have for fun!"

I groaned, walking over to my door and unlocking it. Lola burst inside, Stella trailing behind.

"Who the hell locks their bedroom door when they're sleeping?" Lola asked, sitting down on my desk chair.

Stella sat down on my bed, placing her purse on the floor next to it. Stella was, out of all of us, the biggest morning person, but if Lola had been the one to wake her up, that would explain her quiet and moody personality this morning.

"I do," I say defensively.

"Why?" she asks, talking way too loudly for both mine and Stella's liking.

"To keep people like you out," I say, smirking at her.

"Rude!" she exclaimed, "If you guys still want a ride to the cabin you need to be nicer to me."

"We will be," Stella assured her, "as soon as we get some coffee."

"I'll go make some," I say, already walking out my bedroom door.

"No!" Lola protests loudly. "You need to get ready so we can leave as soon as possible," she says. "I'll make the coffee."

I return to my room, walking to my closet to change. Lola stands up to walk out the door.

"No," Stella says, standing up, "I'll make the coffee. You two should talk." And with that, she's out the door and we can already hear her walking down the stairs.

"Talk about what?" I ask, walking to my bed, picking up my backpack from the floor and starting to fill it with stuff I'll need for the day.

Lola looks nervous, and that scares me. She rarely looks nervous. "I wanted to apologize," she says, looking at me guiltily.

"Apologize for what?" I ask, looking at her and raising an eyebrow.

"What I did to you at the movies," she begins explaining, "I didn't mean not to tell you. I just thought it would be better as a surprise. I thought you'd be happy to see Calum. You seem so excited to talk about him all the time."

"Shh!" I jump, glaring at her. "My dad could hear us!" I loudly whisper.

"He's not home," she says.

I check the digital clock on my nightstand, and sure enough, dad starts work at nine am. It was nine forty five already. "Sorry," I say, "Go on."

"I wanted to apologize for that," she says, "I didn't know you didn't like Calum. I genuinely thought you did."

"It's not that I don't like Calum," I sigh, sitting down on my bed. "Dad just banned me from seeing him. Like officially."

"Seriously?!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Thank God! I thought I put you in an awkward position."

"Oh, you did," I nod.

"Oh..." she says, looking from me to the ground, "...Sorry. I didn't mean to. It's just, as I said, you're always so giddy to see him and talk about him, I just assumed-" she trailed off.

"That I like him?" I laugh a little, "I am not giddy to see him, nor excited to talk about him," I say in a mocking tone of voice.

"Yes, you are," Lola said. "You get all excited and smiley when you talk about him."

"I do not!"

"You do!" she concluded.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," I roll my eyes, looking back at my bag, continuing to fill it with things I need.

"Devin?" Lola asked.

"Hmm?" I hummed.

"Do you like him?" she asked, at the exact moment Stella entered my room with a tray on which there were three mugs.

I didn't say anything. Do I like Calum? There wasn't a solid answer to that question. "I don't not like him?" I said as more of a question.

"But do you like him-like him?" Stella butted in, picking up her mug and taking a sip. Stella always knew how to get answers out of people, that's what I was afraid of.

"I don't know," I admit. "He's changed since I last saw him.

"You have, too," Stella said.

"So what if he has?" Lola asked, "He's become way more attractive. How is that a problem?"

"It's not," I answer. "It's just... He gives off this fuckboy vibe."

"That's not the question," Stella interrupts, still waiting for a solid answer.

I sigh, looking down at my hands and fiddling with my fingers. "I don't know, Stel," I answer her. "I don't know if I like him or not." That wasn't a total lie.

"Okay," Stella says, taking another sip. "We won't pressure you into anything, we just want to know, as your best friends."

"I know," I say.

"He really likes you, you know?" Lola asks.

I try so hard to suppress my smile. "I know," I say, in the most casual tone of voice.

"Okay, good," Lola teased, "Just in case he hasn't made it explicitly clear by himself already."

We all laugh.

Lola and I pick up our coffees off the tray. "Stel," I say, "you make the best coffee."

"I know," she smiles, "working at a café sure has its perks.

"I agree," Lola says.

"By the way," Stella says, "is everything good between you two now?"

"I'm still waiting for Devin to accept my apology," Lola answers.

"Why would I do that?" I tease her. Lola looks at me, gasping dramatically, as if offended. "I'm joking. Of course I forgive you, boo," I smile at her. "Just, no more setting me up on secret dates."

"I'll think about it," she says. "I can't really promise anything."

"Lola," Stella says with a warning tone. Stella may be the sweetest and most tolerant, but you do not want to get on her bad side.

"Okay, okay," Lola gives in, "I won't set you up on any more secret dates."

"Thank you," I say.

"Only if you admit to liking Calum," Lola smiles at me mischievously.

"I told you," I say, "I don't know if I like him."

"Yet," she winks at me.

They can't know Calum and I kissed. Not yet.