Life Of The Party × CH

36

"I'm leaving for the barbeque now!" I hear my dad yell from the bottom of the stairs before I hear the front door open and shut.

I wasn't the only one who was supposed to be somewhere today, and luckily for my dad, he didn't have anyone above his authority that could ground him and prevent him from going.

The police department had a barbeque every year, on the day before the Fourth of July, which all the employees at the police department and their families attended. Dad knew I loved that barbeque, and he also knew I really wanted to go to Blair's birthday, which is why he restricted me from going to both by grounding me.

As soon as I heard his car drive off, I walked downstairs and to the hallway where we had a landline phone. Luckily, one of the numbers I knew by heart was Stella's phone number.

Dialing it, I waited for her to answer.

"Hello?" she answers, a little confused, probably to who was calling her.

"Stella!" I exclaim. "It's me, Devin. I'm calling from my house phone."

"Why? What happened?" she asks. "You were supposed to meet us at the mall two hours ago."

"I know," I sigh. "I'm so sorry. My dad ended up grounding me and took my phone away before I could call you and cancel."

"Oh babe, I'm sorry," she says, sounding sorry.

"Who is it?" I hear Lola in the background. "Is it Devin?"

I hear Stella tell Lola what had happened.

"Is she going to sneak out and come to the party?" Lola asks. "Should we pick her up?"

"Lola's asking if-"

"I heard," I say. "I thought about it, I don't know..."

"Give me the phone," I hear Lola say before I hear shuffling and then her at the other end of the line. "Why don't you sneak out?"

"I don't know," I shrug, knowing full well she can't see me. "I'm already in enough trouble."

"We'll have you back before your dad gets home," Lola reassures me.

"I don't know, Lola," I say hesitantly. "What if I get caught?"

"You won't get caught," she says matter-of-factly. "And even if you do, big deal."

"For you," I tell her. "You're not the one who can be sent back to California for breaking the rules."

Lola sighs, and it's muffled by the wind. I'm guessing they're in her car at the moment. "When have you ever obeyed the rules?" she asks me, a little agitated. "You once snuck out when you were grounded just to go see Cole. This is Blair's party, which I find way more important."

"My dad can be home at any time, Lola," I remind her.

She doesn't waste another second thinking. "Look," she says, "I have this friend of Michael's who's a year younger. He'll be at the police barbeque and I can tell him to call me when your dad is leaving. That way you'll have a head start and can get home before him."

I think about what she'd just said. "You're right," I say. "Can you come pick me up?"

"I'll be there in ten," she tells me, and I can hear the smile in her voice.

"See you then," I smile as I hang up, rushing upstairs to my room to finish getting ready.

Just as she had promised, Lola honks her horn in front of my house ten minutes later.

I had already decided I didn't have time to change so I stayed in the sundress I was already wearing. All I did was retouch my makeup and grab my purse. Unfortunately, dad had either taken my phone with him to the barbeque or stuffed it somewhere where I wouldn't think of looking for it, which is why I left the house without my phone, knowing I didn't have time to look for it.