PURE HEROINE II 13 REASONS WHY

Jessica's party

"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time."

❥

"Who's ready for a party?", Jess asks the group of friends in school a few days before her parents would leave the town. "You don't have to ask twice", Liz quickly replies scanning the hallway with her eyes to find Scott standing at his locker. Just as he had felt her glance, he turns around and when realizes that she's looking at him, he flashes her one of his famous smiles. 

"Lennox can't keep her hands away from a bottle", Bryce laughs at the girl's quick reaction. "When are we supposed to be there?", Zach asks Jess wanting to help. "My parents are on a trip so it doesn't matter. We could hang out in the garden before." "Perfect."

On Saturday, the group meets at Jess' place to prepare the party and at eight, a lot of other people arrive. Liz soon mixes her second drink. When she puts the bottle of liquor back on the kitchen table, she feels another hand embracing hers. "Can we talk later?", Scott doesn't hesitate to ask her, his lips close to her jawline. "We're not alone, Reed." 

"We could be if you follow me upstairs", Scott continues flirting making the girl giggle as she feels his breath on her neck. "I'll take you upstairs later on", Liz replies taking her cup of whiskey and leaves him standing there. She knows exactly what it does to him, he can't get enough of her anyways and now he's just more attracted to her. Playing hard to get is a old but classy game.

"Clay and Hannah are here. I have to admit, I am surprised", Liz states standing next to Jeff as the two of them watch Hannah and Clay talking. "Yeah, me too. Have you ever seen Jensen at a party? At a party like this one?", Jeff replies chuckling as he watches his friend. "I think the only time when I saw him outside of school was at your place back then", Liz jokes back. 

Jeff feels his heart warming up as soon as he sees the girl laughing. He knows her well enough to see that this is a real laughter. He's seen her probably a thousand times when she only pretended to have fun or smile. Many times, she felt lonely or like her mother's sudden death was her fault, and she still wanted people to believe that she's handling all so well. 

She never learned how to be sad and how to deal with others seeing her like that so she began to pretend everything was alright. Until she let Jeff Atkins in who never stopped caring for the girl and trying his best to cheer her up. So the warmer her laugh is, the more relieved he feels. "You should laugh more often, you know." 

"Cheesy", Liz chuckles enjoying the moment, "I'm glad we're friends again." "I meant it, you know", Jeff admits once again, "I should have never been with Leah. It's always been you and always will be." "J-" "No, seriously. I should have just tell you that instead of distracting myself with her. I know we've got our deal but I would quit baseball for you. I don't care about it if I do this all without you." 

"J, stop it", Liz sighs warmly, "You might not be in love with Leah, but baseball is everything to you. Please promise me that you're not going to do something stupid. Don't quit baseball, especially not for me." Liz's voice is serious and Jeff can tell that she would freak out if he quit the team for her so he nods. I'll find a way to get you back, he thinks to himself instead.

"Bro, why don't you just take her clothes off already?", Monty nudges his friend as the two of them stand in the kitchen getting themselves another beer. "Great advice, Monty", Scott replies sarcastically shaking his head and taking a sip of his beer still not looking away from Liz and Jeff. "No, seriously, when will you finally ask her out?" 

"Why would I?" "Don't act like you didn't plan to ask her out for weeks", Monty laughs, "Jeff mentioned something about you settling down." "I mean.. I'd do it for her", Scott finally admits looking away when he sees the girl laughing with her ex-boyfriend. "Ask her tonight", Monty suggests not thinking about it twice. 

"I know you're not that romantic but we're at a party, bro. That's no place a girl wants to be asked at", Scott states bluntly wondering if Monty was serious. "Els is different." "Bro, Jeff asked her after buying her flowers and walking through the park with her and cooking for her. I doubt that I could even compete with that but I can at least try to", Scott argues. 

"Yeah, but Jeff had time. There was no one else around. But you.. if you don't hurry up, Jeff might be quicker. Els might have said that there's nothing going on but you never know it for sure when it comes to those two. I don't want you to miss out just because you're too afraid to ask her. She'd say yes, bro." 

"Are you sure?", Scott wonders beginning to think about asking her out that night. In the end, she cares about personality and not about the way she is asked out. "Definitely. She wouldn't hang out with you that much if it wasn't for her seriously liking you." "Thanks, bro. I'll think about it."

"You've got a moment for me?", Liz asks Scott as the party has reached the best moment in which everyone is having fun. "Anytime", the boy nods not even thinking about playing hard to get. He admires her way too much to say no to her. Plus, he had to agree with what Montgomery said earlier. He should ask her quicker than Jeff. 

Liz has checked that no one sees the two of them so she finally takes his hand and leads him upstairs to the first room that she can open. The bathroom. Classy. "Eager much, hm?", Scott chuckles as she has placed her lips on his right after she's closed the door. "Just missed you", the girl admits quicker than her sober self would have but maybe that's their advantage tonight. 

"Sorry. I probably shouldn't have said that", she apologizes when Scott stays silent after hearing her say that. The truth is, that's exactly what he needed to hear. He's never been too sure about her feelings or their relationship but now that she's said that, he knows that he can ask her out without being dumped. She likes him. 

"No, no. Everything's fine. I'm just surprised", Scott assures her, "Indeed, I wanted to ask you something." Fuck it, there'll never be the perfect moment, he thinks to himself. "Anything, Scotty", she smiles at him warmly and he grins as she calls him his nickname. He's never heard her say that before. It's always been Reed and a few times Scott or pretty boy since the last few nights. But her saying Scotty is something new and he enjoys it. 

"Els, are you here?", someone yells in the hall. This is the one time that he would have loved to throw his best friend down the stairs and just take the girl with him. Why would he have to interrupt them now? "I'm in the bathroom. I'm coming", she quickly calls back not wanting to be suspicious. "Go, I'll wait here for a bit", Scott tells her softly and she nods and opens the door.