Growing Pains

Chapter 55 - There was nothing between us

E D W A R D

When I looked up from my phone, Allora was walking towards me, her house behind her, making it seem she was walking out of the architecture magazine I was sure her parents design choices had been featured in at least once, the title something to do with living with style. She was wearing baggy low-waisted jeans and a bikini top and wrapping her arms around me.

I hugged her back, told her she looked good, really good, and she told me I was late, really late, her hand already in mine as she dragged me to her front porch, the windows spilling out fluorescent lights onto the freshly mowed lawn, and music blasting from inside like a heartbeat on drugs.

The first semester of our senior year was over, and the girls had won their Sectionals, and we had won ours, and everyone wanted to celebrate, so Allora was throwing a party, a really big party. It had started hours ago, and I had just parked my car.

"I'm really sorry," I said, ready to give her an explanation even though she hadn't really asked for one. "My father needed my help with his car –" 

"Since when are you good with cars?" she stopped me, a tipsy smile on her face.

"I'm not," I admitted, following her up the stairs and in through the front door. "That's why I'm late."

She laughed and let go of my hand. I looked around. There were big tropical plants and sculptures that looked like they belonged in museums everywhere along the dim-lit hallways and the crowded steps leading upstairs. Allora had told me before that her mom was a lawyer, and her dad was a college professor, and so it made sense that her house looked the way it did inside and out. It also made sense that Allora was the way she was.

"Your house is very nice," I told her.

"Wait until the party's over," she said. "The only reason I offered to host was cause the girls promised they would help me clean everything after."

"I can help too," I offered, looking through the faces of the people sipping from plastic cups, and moving their heads to the rap song blasting from somewhere close, and talking, and laughing, and some even kissing.

Allora grabbed my hand again so I would keep on following her, "Really? You don't mind?"

"Of course not."

When we walked into the kitchen, all the girls inside cheered like there was a tv behind me and their favorite team had just scored. Except there was no tv. There was just me in a shirt I had spent too long ironing and my best pair of jeans. They were cheering for me.

Before I knew it, Ashley was actually throwing her arms around my shoulders and begging, "Please, please, please make us those cocktails from last time!"

I smiled and looked around. Every single one of our school's cheerleaders was in the kitchen, listening to their own music, and dancing to it. Kylie was sitting on the counter next to the fridge in a tiny dress, her legs crossed, her red lips on the rim of a bottle of wine already halfway gone. Next to her, Skylar Clark, who I had never seen at a party before, was pressing a cold bottle of coke against the back of her neck in a t-shirt and jeans, her hair up in a clip, cheeks red. I smiled at her. She ignored me.

Ashley still had her arms around me, but let go when I said yes to making them cocktails. I made enough for everyone, but Skylar said no to Allora when she offered to pour her one, and then again to Kylie, when she said she should at least try it.

"I can make you one without alcohol," I told her.

She shook her head, "You don't have to."

"I want to. It's fine. I'll have one too actually."