The Art of Starting Over

Chapter 34 - Screwdriver

I walked into The Black Gold in a much better mood than I had been that morning. 

Sosa stayed after dinner and we got ready together. Seeing Millie settled and comfortable at home helped as well. She was so happy she insisted on taking photos of us before we left and we goofed around and fake-modelled for her for ten minutes before she finally kicked us out.

My only plans for the rest of the night were to drunk enough to get through the party and sleep like a baby afterwards. I couldn't spend another night counting the cracks in the ceiling.

"Derek!" Sosa screamed over the alternative music as soon as she spotted her boyfriend at a balloon-cladded booth.

Derek's head, along with three others, turned in our direction and I stopped dead in my tracks, not wanting to believe my eyes.

I instantly recognised Matt and Alexia, whom I had met briefly when Sosa had first started seeing Derek - the notorious best friends who went behind Derek's back and became the world's most adorable couple. The third head belonged to Shaun.

Shaun. The one and only, green-eyed, marathon-maniac Shaun.

I watched helplessly as his eyes widened at the sight of me and then slowly turned around, sorely giving me his back. I turned to Sosa angrily, but she was already running off through the small crowd, straight into Derek's arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and planted a deep kiss on his lips.

"Get a room!" said Alexia in her piercing, high-pitched voice.

I grudgingly walked up to them. Sosa took a seat on Derek's lap and, to my chagrin, I realised that the only remaining space was next to Shaun, who was still carefully avoiding my eyes. 

"Hi," I said awkwardly, raising a hand to Sosa's birthday entourage.

I gave Sosa a lethal stare as I shuffled in front of her to get to my designated spot beside Shaun. She didn't bat an eye, but I knew this was her doing. And she would pay. 

I almost texted Jeremy to tell him, knowing his warped sense of humour would find this funny, but then I remembered he wasn't talking to me.

"You've all met my best friend, Ally," Sosa said oblivious to the uncomfortable silence that had fallen upon the group.

"Hi, Ally," Matt said, looking me up and down, his mouth hitching at the corners. "We haven't seen you in a while."

I smiled politely at him in response, but it was hard to stop my body from shuddering under his creepy stare.

Then Derek asked, out of courtesy, "How's your grandmother? They sent her home today, right?"

"She's okay. Thank you."

"Sent her home? What happened?" Shaun asked, turning to me.

Even in the dim lighting, the genuine concern was evident in his endless-green eyes as he focused his attention on me fully. 

My cheeks flamed red-hot. Why did he always have to be so damn nice?

"She... Um... she was in the hospital for a few days. She had to have a procedure done, but she's better now. Thanks."

He nodded and said, "Good. I'm glad she's okay. I know how close you two are."

Damn it, he was killing me!

From the corner of my eye, I saw Sosa looking over at me cautiously. "So, what are you guys drinking?" she asked.

Derek squeezed her closer to him and said, "We should be asking you. What are you having, Birthday Girl?"