whirlwind - e.c

two

The next day went by fast. The same old school day didn't seem to drag on anymore, at this point I was so deep in my daydreams about leaving this town that I barely even noticed the hours slipping by. It was now Halloween, and I was sitting in front of my vanity, drawing cat whiskers on my cheeks. "You know Liz, you could've chosen something more original than a cat." said the voice coming through my phone. "Well maybeeee if I had more than two days notice, I could've gone and bought a costume, but Ethan told me last minute so of course I'm gonna go basic." I said back. The girl on the phone is my best friend Jade. We've been friends since middle school when she spilled her lunch all over me. That sounds weird, let me explain. She had spilled her lunch on me, and then grabbed my hand and sprinted, dragging me along, to the bathroom to frantically clean me up. Her kindness almost made me forget how embarrassed I was that everyone just saw me get covered in school lunch. Now we were practically inseparable. "It's kinda crazy he told you so last minute, what's he dressing as?" Jade said. "Honestly I have no idea. We haven't talked much since that conversation about the party. We're both so busy. He's always at football practice and I'm constantly working on my college applications and studying, so it's not easy to find time to talk to each other." I said, while leaning closer to my mirror to perfect the little black nose I was drawing on my own. "What kind of relationship is that? But anyways, I gotta go, Ashton is calling me! Bye, Love ya!" She said, and hung up before I could even say anything. I laughed a bit at her excitement over him and then I looked at myself in the mirror.

I studied my appearance, looking for any imperfection in my makeup, then I stood up and walked over to my closet to get into my costume. My outfit consisted of cat ears, a black long sleeve shirt, and black ripped jeans. I smiled as I stood in front of the mirror. I looked good, and I actually accepted it this time. I checked my phone and saw a text from Ethan.

Ethan: hey babe, I'm outside

Liz: kk, I'll see you in a sec

I quickly grabbed my bag and threw my phone into it. I looked in the mirror one more time, and then opened my door and hurried down the stairs. "Bye mom, see you later!" I called over my shoulder, and got a distant "Bye, be safe!" in response. As I opened the door, I saw Ethan and his twin brother Grayson both sitting in his car, and got a warm wave from the two of them as I walked down the pathway from my house. I opened the door and hopped into the back. "Hey babe." Ethan said, smiling back at me. "Hi Liz!" Grayson said, with the same smile. Having a boyfriend with a twin was so weird, sometimes I couldn't even tell them apart in the hallways. Occasionally I'd completely walk past Ethan thinking he was Grayson. "Hi E, hi Grayson" I said before buckling my seat belt.

The boys blared music all the way to the party, and before I knew it we were there. The two story house was absolutely filled with people, and decorated from top to bottom with Halloween decorations. As we stepped out of the car, Ethan put his arm around me and Grayson walked towards the house to  look for his girlfriend in the crowd. I looked up and Ethan and smiled. He really was a nice guy. I could see myself being with him, and who knows? Maybe crushes aren't what everyone say and they're just exaggerating? Ethan and I walked around the house and settled into a spot against the wall next to each other, scoping out the party before we starting mingling. His arm went from around my shoulders to holding my hand and he started talking to the group of guys next to us. My eyes scanned the party and basically skimmed over everyone. I kept looking and looking until...

I saw her.

She was smiling and dancing, her long dirty blonde hair swishing around her.

Her blue eyes were lit up with happiness as she laughed with the girls around her.

I stared at her, completely focused until she made eye contact with me, and my heart dropped.

She looked at me and she smiled, letting the eye contact linger, before looking away and dancing again.

Holy shit. My heart pounded. I felt...butterflies? What was this feeling? Is this that magical feeling my friends always described? Do I have a crush on this random girl? "Hey Liz? You okay?" Ethan touched my shoulder and looked into my eyes, concerned. "Y-Yeah I'm fine! I'm just gonna go get some water." I said, with a smile I Hope was convincing. I slipped my hand out of Graysons and made my way to the kitchen. As I was grabbing a water bottle out of a cooler, I heard someone say, "Hey, you." I looked up, expecting to see one of the girls from school, but it wasn't. It was her. Standing right next to me.