Trust Me. I'm Lying - (SLOWLY EDITING)

No Such Thing As Strangers: Chapter 11

"Love is not something you protect. It's something you risk."

—Gayle Forman, Just One Year

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CHAPTER ELEVEN:

No Such Thing As Strangers.

"So we're throwing a party?" Ryder asked.

"I'm throwing a party, as a matter of fact," Aiden answered.

"Which was my idea," Chris interjected.

"And to which I'm protesting about," I muttered. "Because—"

"—you hate parties," my friends spoke in unison. Jessica's brother suppressed a snort and said, "Glad we got that covered."

I sighed loudly, looking at my group of what you would call friends—even though they'd dragged me here despite my struggling. Aiden had his arm around Christina's shoulders, and Jessica was ordering her food. I caught Ryder's eye and rolled my eyes. He was sitting next to me since I on point-blank refused to sit next to the lovebirds.

We were sitting in a rather uncomfortable booth (with three people crammed on one end) in a cozy diner a few blocks away from the school. Celebrating something I'd never celebrated.

A few minutes later, a pretty waitress came with our drinks, and I took my strawberry smoothie while Aiden raised his glass and said, "A toast. For hopefully passing those stupid-ass tests. Cheers!"

I laughed but otherwise clicked my glass with the other four people with me.

"That's hardly celebrated."

"That's because you haven't had me around, Isabelle," Aiden told me with a pointed glance. "Celebrate life. Do it all and regret naught. All the lot," he said. "Don't you want to be alive before you die?"

"I hardly count celebrating everything as being alive," I told him. But I was joking. I felt unusually comfortable here, with my friends, in an over-crammed diner booth.

I was happy because most things had been okay lately.

"You two. Hush!" Chris told us sternly, pointing her straw first at Aiden and then at me. "We're here to cooperate in a party or something. Don't start bickering."

"I don't bicker—" I began with a smile.

"Isabelle," Ryder said. The waitress came with our food. "Shut up."

I groaned and sulked at my hamburger. "Who's coming?" I asked, ignoring Jessica's and Christina's pointed glances. There was just over one week until Aiden's party, and I swear the fucking nerves were eating me from the inside out.

In other terms, I'd prefer not to think about it. We finished exams yesterday, Wednesday. Today was January the fifteenth. I was pleased they were over and happy I didn't have to think more about them for a while—at least until June.

"My birthday is one of the first ones in the year," Aiden said. "So practically everyone who knows me, and I know a lot of people. And people bring more people, and those people bring even more people. It's going to be a big party."

"Yay," I muttered unenthusiastically.

"It'll be amazing," Ryder stated.

"Don't encourage him," I said, ignoring Aiden's rather gloating look and the uncomfortable pang of nerves I was feeling.

"It's the truth. It's going to be one hell of a party."

"Yay," I repeated. I wasn't exactly sure I would make it to said party. I'd probably faint on my way there. Or have a panic attack. Or die. I was feeling horrible, and there was more than one week left. The thought reminded me. "Why are we discussing this over one week from said event?"