𝒻𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 ~ 𝒿𝑒𝓃𝓏𝒾𝑒.

chapter twelve • "stupid"

Johnny.

My friends were all drinking from the mysterious red Solo cups, and they were acting weird. What a cliche. Underage drinking at a party.

I didn't want to be included, so I went upstairs to find a room to be alone in. Yes, I go to many parties, but that doesn't mean I always like going to them. Especially when it gets out of control, like it is now.

I randomly opened a door, not bothering to knock. I've already seen worse.

I found Mackenzie sitting on the edge of the bed, eating a bag of chips. Why did I think of Dance Moms?

Mackenzie dropped a chip on the floor from surprise. "What are you doing here?" She asked me.

"Well, I wanted to be alone, but I guess not," I said. I didn't want to stand awkwardly, so I sat next to her.

Mackenzie rolled her eyes. She changed the subject. "So, how are you and Brynn?" She asked me. Now it was my turn to roll my eyes.

"We're going to the movies tomorrow," I informed her. "But nothing is going to happen. I don't like her. I like..."

Now Mackenzie dropped her whole bag of chips. Surprisingly, none fell out. "Wait, you like someone? Who do you like? Tell me!" She suddenly got really excited.

I crossed my arms. "It's none of your business," I said gently. "Now, since we're here, do you have any ideas for the bridge and chorus of our song?"

Mackenzie huffed. "I don't want to talk about the song," she said. "I want to talk about you! Please give me a hint of who your crush is."

"No," I replied. "All I can say is that I don't have a chance. So you can forget about it."

Silence lingered between us. Mackenzie grabbed her bag of chips from the floor and continued to eat it. The only sound you can hear was the crunch of the chips.

Mackenzie crumpled the bags wrapper in her hand and stood up. "Well, I'm going try find Maddie," she told me. "Now you can get your privacy."

She opened the door and left. I crunched the fallen chip with my foot. Why am I so stupid?

. . .

Mackenzie.

I went down the stairs quickly. Why was Johnny acting so weird? One minute he was fine, the next he was all defensive. Is that what Jack meant?

I found Maddie and my friends in the living room, all holding red cups. My sister looked a little off. Was she not being careful?

Her eyes brightened when she saw me. "Kenzie! Where were you?" She said, more like sang it.

I grabbed her arm and took her to a far corner. "What were you thinking, Maddie?" I scolded her. "Drinking? With cameras around? Mom would kill you!"

She put the cup down and rolled her eyes. "Mom isn't here," Maddie argued. "And no one has a camera out. I'm having fun! You should be, too."

I looked around, and pointed out to everyone who was Snapchatting the party. "Everyone is filming everything! You should've been more responsible," I grunted.

Suddenly, Lauren came between us. She looked stable enough. "Guys, stop arguing!" She said. "Let's just go in the patio. No one's out there."

Maddie rolled her eyes, but followed us anyway. I was so mad at her! She knows better than anyone cameras get everything. But, she's my sister. I can't stay mad forever.

Cody's patio was pretty nice. There was a porch swing, a table with chairs, and fake candles were lit. I led Maddie to the porch swing; she was wobbling a little.