California

Chapter Thirteen

The next day we had what I liked to call a lazy Sunday, which came down to eating popcorn, drinking iced tea and watching Netflix all day long. The Bleacher Screecher was everything Amanda said it would be and more: It was packed with about every single kid who went to Clareview, be it freshman, sophomore, junior and senior, like us. The booze and the music did not disappoint either, since both kept going until late. Amanda and I left the Screecher at roughly three a.m., about the time when most kids began to head off. Plus, I didn't want to worry mom and dad too much and three a.m. was already way past my curfew. I invited Amanda to sleep over and she said yes after texting her mom - lucky us the Jacobs slept late.

Before we left we said goodbye to Amanda's friends - whom I guess were my friends too now - and went to our uber pick up spot. When we were about to leave we bumped into Stacey once again. We spoke briefly and she reiterated the invitation for next week's party. Amanda got over-excited and nearly screamed that we "wouldn't miss it for the world", and I got all flustered as a result. I noticed she wasn't with Harry... or Cali, for that matter. I asked Amanda about it the next morning.

"That was weird, wasn't it?" She asked as we ate popcorn and watched a tv show. "She hung out mostly with Clara and Hannah, but that's no surprise."

"But Harry was there, right?"

"Oh yeah, I saw him a couple of times. But now that you mention it, I never saw them together."

"You think he didn't go to her?" I felt like such a gossip but I couldn't help myself.

"I have no idea." Amanda took a sip of some iced tea, though not as good as her mom's. "The Screecher was amazing, but the main event never happened."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean Cali, of course."

Suddenly I remembered Cali was nowhere to be found during the Screecher. He didn't even attend. It was the single greatest event of the year - except for prom, maybe - and he hadn't shown up. Amanda had spent the better part of a week going on about how Cali and Harry might go toe to toe at the party now that Stacey was single, but that never came to pass. The whole thing with Jared and Stacey's surprise invitation had made me forget all about that.

"Where do you think he was?"

"Who knows?" She asked while Chuck Bass courted Blair at the Hamptons. "Cali doesn't look it, but the guy's awfully mysterious, Liv. Sometimes he just skips stuff and then shows up the next day as if nothing happened."

"Maybe he had a good reason." I said, trying to picture why he'd bailed on the Screecher. "Maybe he got caught up on something else."

"Liv, nobody gets caught up on something when the Screecher is going on." She looked me dead in the eye as if something had just occurred to her. "Wait a second. Maybe a good reason is all there is!"

I had no idea what she was talking about so I just grabbed another handful of popcorn and watched her as she explained.

"Don't you see? Harry and Stacey didn't get together yesterday because Cali wasn't there." As soon as she said it everything made sense. "I think Stacey knows she wants Cali instead of Harry but she actually wants to see them clash over her. It would certainly be a change of pace. She's ran after them long enough."

"So you're saying she ghosted Harry at the Screecher because Cali wasn't there to contest it?" I was honestly marveled by Amanda's wit. She was a true mastermind of teenage behavior.

"Not only that." She placed the popcorn bucket over the sheets and gesticulated a mind blow. "Stacey's throwing a party next week just to get Harry and Cali in the same place. It's genius!"

So Stacey's party was meant for Harry and Cali to brawl over her. I had to give it to her, it was pretty darn ingenious. She'd been head over heels for both at some point and now she'd love to see them repent for letting her go. I bet nearly all of Clareview wanted to see how that would go down.

"So I guess we simply cannot gonna miss this party, huh?" I joked and Amanda laughed.

Still, Cali remained on my mind. I was intrigued by the fact that he hadn't shown up at the Screecher and I felt there was something about him people didn't quite get. Of course I'd only exchanged a few sentences with him but I felt like it'd been enough to tell. He might be flawed but I thought he at least deserved a chance to show his true self. And I'd love to see it.

Amanda left in the afternoon after we'd binge-watched half a season of Gossip Girl. Her mom picked her up even though our houses were only a few minutes apart. We said goodbye and promised to text later. She was great company and an awesome friend, but I missed my girls back in Seattle. I went to my room and face timed them as I said I would.

We spent hours chatting about every single subject, just like it used to be. I told them all about the Bleacher Screecher and how I got shower a guy with beer after he'd gone too far. They laughed about it and said they wanted to meet Amanda some day. They told me all about school in Seattle and how everyone was doing. They'd began college counselling and had decided to reduce the partying for the remainder of the year. They said it wasn't the same without me and I nearly bawled my eyes out.

After we said our goodbyes and set up next week's face time session I went downstairs for dinner. I could already smell dad's spaghetti as I went down the steps.

"So, how was the celebration?" Asked dad as he set the table.

I was lucky the iced teas had eased the terrible headache I always had after drinking. I was sort of hungover, but it didn't show.

"It was the best." I replied. Then I sat down and smelled the food which literally lifted my spirits.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, honey." Said mom. "And invite Amanda over more often! She's such a sweet girl."

"She's been really nice to me. I don't know how I'd fit in if not for her."

Dad sat down and we all started eating. The food was truly delicious and I was happy he'd made time to have dinner with us. When things were hectic at the firm he'd usually stay late.

"So Hailey called today." Said mom and my head immediately sprung up. "She said she's coming over this week to stay a couple of days and to check out the house."

I couldn't hold back the smile. Hailey was not only my sister, she was also my best friend in the entire world. We could chat about anything and I could come to her with any problem and she'd have my back. I missed her like crazy, but I knew she had to go away. It was incredible to know she was coming.

"How long is she gonna stay?" I asked. I wanted to set up a whole sisters night for us to catch up. Maybe we could go to the movies, since she loved the cinema. 

"From Tuesday to Friday." Said mom.

I was glowing. I missed her so much that seeing her again would be reinvigorating.

"I was going to give her the guest room" said mom. "But I thought maybe you guys would like to sleep together as you used to back in Seattle. How does that sound?"

I got up, went around the table and hugged my mom. Dad laughed as we smiled. After all, Hailey was coming and that was the best news they could've given me.