Chapter 17

"Kel I need your help picking out a dress for winter formal." Thalia says to me as we sit at our usual spot.

"Winter formal is still a month away Tali. Why do you need a dress now?"

Thalia rolls her eyes and pops a grape into her mouth.

"I know, but I want to be prepared, my sister waited until last minute for prom and all the good dresses were gone." She whines

"When did you want to go shopping?"

"After school, then you can spend the night at my place. It's seems like we haven't spent any time together lately."

I hesitate before answering. Tonight was Josh's birthday party, I told him I would go.

"I can't tonight Tali, I have plans."

"Doing what? You never leave the house."

"I got invited to a party."

She lifts an eyebrow.

"A party?"

"Yes a party"

"Who invited you to a party?"

A blush creeps up my cheeks.

"Josh"

Her eyes widen and the grape in her hand falls onto the table.

"The same Josh that got your brother kicked off the team?"

I nod my head

"You're not gonna go are you?"

"Yes I'm going. I promised him."

"Kelly you're insane. Logan will kill you."

"Not if he doesn't find out."

"Kelly-"

"He won't find out right?" I ask her

"I have to tell him, he's my boyfriend"

"You were my best fiend long before you were his girlfriend"

Thalia takes a deep breath.

"You can't be serious Kelly."

"I'm dead serious Thalia. I'm going to the party tonight."

I could sense her wariness. It leaked out of her like a broken dam.

"Don't worry. As long as you don't say anything, it will all be fine."

She bites her bottom lip and opens her mouth to say something but stops as Logan sits down at our table.

He leans over and give Thalia a kiss on the cheek as he slings his arm over her shoulders.

"Babe I was thinking earlier, and I really want to take you out somewhere nice. Can I pick you up tonight around six?" He says before taking a bite of his pizza.

Thalia looks from me to Logan and back to me again before she finally responds.

"Yeah I would love that." She says pasting a smile onto her face.

Logan beams at her and leans in to give her a very noisy kiss. I divert my attention to anything other than them, and roam my eyes around the room.
Right away my eyes find Josh. He's sat at the table where the football team is, laughing at something one of the guys said.

He looked so carefree and relaxed. His eyes were crinkled and his dimple was showing as he threw his head back.

I found myself smiling as I watched him. There was something about him that was just so beautiful. Eventually his eyes find mine and he flashes me a dazzling smile. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and begins typing on it. Shortly after my phone buzzes in my pocket.

Josh <3: You look beautiful today.

A scorching heat made its way up my neck and exploded into my cheeks.

You're not so bad yourself ;)

Josh <3: I can't wait for tonight

Me either.

"Kelly!" Logan shouts, grabbing my attention

I jump slightly and my phone slips out of my hand.

"What?" I ask Logan as I quickly retrieve my phone and put it back in my jeans pocket.

"I asked if you were going to be ok by yourself tonight? Mom and dad won't get in until late."

I glance at Thalia whose attention is on her food.

"Yeah I'll be fine. You guys have fun"

Logan smiles at me before he shifts his attention back to Thalia.

I glance at Josh again. He winks at me before tuning back in to whatever conversation they were having.

**
"Kel I'm leaving now!" Logan shouts from downstairs.

"Okay! Have fun!"

I hear the front door shut and a few minutes later I hear the car drive away.

I put the finishing touches on my makeup and finish curling my hair. Once I'm done I head into my parents room and grab a black halter top that had red roses embroidered on it from my moms closet.

I quickly go back to my room and change into my moms shirt and a high waisted black jean skirt Thalia had given me a few years ago. I slide my feet into my trusty converse and pin my bangs back with some bobby pins before studying myself in the mirror.

The shirt fit perfectly, and went to just above my belly button. The skirt was snug against my hips and butt, yet still made my curves stand out. My shoes were scuffed slightly but that just pulled the outfit together.

I check the time on my phone quickly before calling for a Uber.

I glance at myself one last time in the mirror before grabbing Josh's present out of my desk drawer, and heading downstairs.

A horn honks from my driveway letting me know the Uber was there. I rush outside and into the car. I tell the driver the address Josh has given me and she pulls out and begins to drive.

My hand finds it's way to the diamond around my neck. I fiddle with it as I try to calm my breathing. I didn't know why I was so freaked out. Was it because I was going behind Logan's back? Or because the more time I spend with Josh, the more I'm ok with lying to Logan?

I hadn't even realized we had stopped until the Uber driver speaks to me. I quickly hand her the money and step out of the car.

A modern two story house stands before me. Shrubs and bushes surround the front porch and yellow flowers line the sidewalk. The music was blasting so loud from inside the house I couldn't hear myself think.

I straighten out my outfit before taking a deep breath and heading to the front door. The porch was fairly empty aside from a few chairs and a grill on the left side. It looked like the perfect family home.

I slowly twist the knob and enter his house. I am immediately overwhelmed. The bass was pounding so loud I could feel it in my bones. There was a huge crowd of people in the foyer and it reeked of cigarette smoke and alcohol.

I push my way through the crowd of people trying to find Josh. I make it into the kitchen and let out a breath of relief when I see that there aren't many people there.

I lean against the counter and take deep breaths trying to steady my heart rate. I felt like I was going to pass out and my head was fuzzy. I hadn't felt like this in a long time, there are to many people.

My panic subsides when I catch sight of the blonde boy I've been looking for. I try to make my way towards him when a familiar voice rings through the room, stopping me in my tracks. I knew I was in trouble now.

•
( Kelly's outfit looks similar to this. The same top, but a plain black skirt)

Hello everyone!

I hope you're enjoying the story! It's going to start picking up more from here. There's going to be drama, betrayal, and so much more that I'm excited to share with you! I just want to make a quick authors note to say thank you for all of you that have supported this book! It means so much to me!

I wanna get to know my readers better! If you have a few second to spare I'd love to get to know you!

Q 1) where are you from?

A: I'm from the United States.

Q 2) What's your favorite thing to do?

A: I love writing, and photography.

Q 3) who's your favorite character so far?

A: it's so hard to chose between the characters, they all have such complex personalities it's hard to pick just one. But I'd have to say Josh is my favorite. He's such a sweetheart!

See you in the next chapter! ❤️❤️