chapter 7 - after party

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Grayson:

"Listen up, party people. I have an announcement to make," Jake yells from the top of the kitchen counter.

What the fuck is his problem?

Following Jake's voice, I step into the kitchen from the backyard where hundreds of others are already gathered. I'm not normally a claustrophobic person, but there are way too many people in this space, right now.

I look to my left and see a girl next to me biting her lip and giving me goo-goo eyes. Have I hooked-up with her before? Probably, as it seems I have produced an endless list of hook-ups. That was stupid of me. So fucking stupid when all I really want is her.

I roll my eyes and look away from not-Talia, which may have been rude, but I have other, more important things on my mind.

Such as my idiot friend who is currently playing the role of town crier. He is always dramatic.

The room quiets down after Jake declares he needs to make an announcement. All eyes are on him, and knowing Jake, he probably is soaking in every ounce of the attention. I roll my eyes.

"As some of you may know, this party was thrown to celebrate our basketball team making it to the state championship. I wanted to say how great it has been to play this season with my spectacular teammates," Jake continues, which results in loud cries and cheers. "I climbed this counter for one other reason, and that is to specifically thank the man, the myth, the legend himself, Mr. Grayson Summers for being the best team captain a player could ever ask for."

I'm going to kill him.

People begin cheering again and random strangers pat my back, which makes me tense. Get your fucking hands off of me, I think, glaring angrily at those around me. They notice my expression and all take a step back, leaving me with more space. Good.

"I know that my bestie for life," the now apparent drunk Jake shouts, getting emotional, "will go on to do great things after this game. He has some important scholarships on the line Monday, so everyone better be there to support our team. Or else!"

I think that last part came out as more of a screech.

Rowan helps him down from the counter, like he is a little toddler who got himself stuck. Once he is safely back on the ground, my two idiot friends embrace in a tight hug, pretending they haven't seen each other in years.

Rowan makes eye contact with me from over Jake's shoulder and dramatically reaches a hand towards me, mouthing the words "I love you, Graysie-boy."

Nope. I'm not dealing with the two drunk babies.

I turn around and start to make my way to the quiet and uncrowded backyard when she catches my eye.

Cassie Sanders whispers something in Talia's ear, which she nods at, and begins to make her way to the front door to leave. Shit.

When I left Talia with that blonde girl—whose name I can't seem to remember—I later realized I forgot to ask her something. I wanted to make sure she was coming to the championship game.

I push my way through the crowd in order to stop Talia from leaving. Some people try to stop me to say congratulations, but I give them glares that tell them I don't want to be bothered.

I finally make it out onto the front porch of the house and notice Talia and her friends already halfway across the lawn. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"Talia!" I yell. A few other surrounding people turn to face me, wondering why I was yelling. That is embarrassing, but I'm desperate.

Her head whips in my direction and I start walking towards her more relaxed. I can't let her leave without knowing she will be at the game. I need her to be there.

"I'll just be a second," I hear Talia say to her friends, who then proceed to walk off of the property. Cassie gives me a glare that I return with squinted eyes. What the fuck is her problem?

Soon enough, Talia is right in front of me "What's up?"

"I—uh," I cough nervously into my chest and look back at her. How is she always so beautiful? "I just wanted to ask if you were coming to the game on Monday."

"That's all you wanted to ask me?" she laughs, tilting her head up at me.

There are a million things I want to ask you, Talia.

I nod my head and swallow. I hope she didn't notice that last part or recognize it as a nervous gesture. She's making me nervous. Fuck, I have never been nervous around her before. Actually, that's a lie. That's all I've ever been near her. I'm always scared that I will say the wrong thing and she will storm off, swearing to never speak to me again. This is entirely unrealistic, but my imagination is dangerous.

Talia lips pull back to display a smile. Even in the dim lighting and the illumination from the moon, I can still trace every perfect feature on her face. "Hmm. What will happen if I don't go to the game?" she questions, giving me the fakest curious look I have ever seen.

I lean forward slightly. "Don't be a tease, Talia," I whisper.

Her face turns pink and a faint smile creeps onto her lips. I have never been that bold with her before, but I really wanted to see how she would react. And now I feel successful. The corner of my lip turns upwards into a smirk.

She shakes her head and decides to ignore my last remark. "Yes, I will be there."

I allow myself to smile a little more.

"Can I count on that?" I ask.

"You can always count on me."

We both look at each other for a moment. I know this conversation is coming to an end, but I don't want to be the one to say goodbye. I just want to be close to her for a little while longer.

A month ago, I wouldn't have been able to properly talk with her, let alone make eye contact. But I think something changed in me. Between us.

When I saw her in the hallway after her hand was cut open, I felt like I had already spent too much time away from her. A weird moment to realize that, I know. It has been thirteen years for fucks sake, and, up until that moment, I still hadn't grown a big enough pair of balls to actually be around and get to know her. All I want to do is know her.

Carrying Talia to the nurse's office made me truly believe it was possible for me to hold her all of the time. I want to be closer to Talia Chase. I must start now before it's too late and we both graduate high school. This is my last chance; I need to get everything right on the first try.

So here I am, confirming that she will be at the basketball game so she knows I want her to be there. So she knows I care.

Her voice leads me out of my train of thought. "I better get going. The children are waiting in the car."

I smile again at her choice of words for her friends and give her a tight nod. "I'll see you Monday, then."

"See you Monday," she repeats, returning a smile.

I remain where I am on the lawn and watch her walk away and onto the street. Releasing a sigh of relief, I smile again at how lucky I am feeling.

"She's never going to go for a guy like you, Summers."

My jaw clenches as I turn around and find Carter standing on the steps to the front door. And to think I was having a great night.

He hops off the stairs and begins to make his way to me. I keep my eyes locked on him and my face in a sneer.

"And what do you mean by that?" I question.

Carter exhales a small laugh, as if it's the most obvious answer in the world. "You have slept with a countless number of girls. She would never want someone who has proven themself to grow bored after a few days; weeks at most."

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Carter," I state coldly.

"Oh, I don't? Everyone in this school knows your nickname is Mr. Womanizer. It's basic knowledge. Talia wants someone who will honestly care for her without worrying about them leaving the next day."

I roll my eyes at his statement. He has no fucking clue how I feel for her, I think.

But neither does she, an inner voice tells me.
That makes me hesitate.

I swallow nervously for the second time tonight. "So what makes you qualified to know what she wants?"

He laughs again. God, I want to punch his face. "Last time I checked, I was the one who fucked—"

I lift my arm to actually punch him this time, but someone grabs me by the elbow and holds me back.

"Get the fuck out of here, Carter," Rowan sneers.

Carter just smiles and remains where he is, watching me. "You were always violent."

"I'm only violent towards people like you, Carter," I say angrily.

He rolls his eyes. "Just remember that she will never want you."

"What is it with you and saying that?" I ask.

"I know that soon enough, she will be back with me, and you'll end up realizing that you were always meant to play womanizer."

"You're fucking delusional and have no idea what's going on inside my head."

I turn around and begin making my way back into the house with Rowan following me, not wanting to talk to Carter anymore.

"Stay away from her, Grayson," Carter yells from behind me.

I stop in my tracks and face this idiot one last time. I glare at him with an unmeasurable amount of anger until he grows uncomfortable. "No."

———————————————————————

"Are you two fucking or something?"

My foot slams down on the brakes and all of us lurch forward in our seats. I grip the steering wheel tightly and pause to stare blankly out of the windshield window.

I whip my head around to the backseat where Jess casually sits, waiting for an answer. "What?" I whisper.

Drunk Jess stares back at me. "I saaaaaid, are you two fuc—"

"I heard what you said!" I practically yell. "Why would you think Grayson and I were doing...that?" I ask, not wanting to use the word.

She shrugs. "He just looks at you funny."

"He looks at me the same as everyone else, Jess," I reply with a hint of annoyance. I take my foot off of the brake pedal and begin driving again.

Why would Jess even think something like that? I barely even know Grayson. This week has been the first time we have actually sought each other out to talk about something. Maybe us talking made Jess believe we were...you know.

My mind wanders back to the conversations we shared and what Jess said about the way he looks at me. The only time I really noticed Grayson looking at me strangely was right before he let go of my hand tonight. His whole face appeared very relaxed and his expression remained neutral. His eyes bore into mine. I wondered what he was thinking about at that moment, but he released my hand and glanced away before I could ask.

I look to my right and find Cassie giving me a weak smile, as if she felt sorry for me. I shake off this idea and direct my attention back on the road.

When I pull into my driveway, Quinn immediately helps Jess out of the car while giggling.

I turn off the ignition and turn to Cas, who hasn't yet reached for the door handle. "Are you coming inside?"

"Actually, can we talk for a second?" She asks, giving me another weak smile.

I nod my head and start to fidget with my fingers—it's a nervous habit. Cas never wants to talk, especially after a long night of socializing.

"Yeah, what's up?" I say.

"It's about what Jess was talking about before." She looks me right in the eyes when she says this.

My face turns red. "Cas, I haven't been doing th—"

"I know, I know. It's just that what she said made me think." Cassie pauses and I watch her take a deep breath. "Look, I know you're not the kind of person to do something like that, but Grayson is."

I tilt my head slightly and wait for her to continue.

"I've noticed him being nice to you this past week, and I feel like he might be doing that just to get in your pants."

I shake my head. "I don't think he wou—"

"But he would, Lia," Cas states strictly, trying to force the idea in my mind. "That's exactly the type of thing he would do if you gave him the chance. His nickname is Mr. Womanizer, for fucks sake."

By the tone of her voice, it sounds like she would be speaking to a toddler. Maybe that's the kind of person Cas thinks I am: someone who can't take care of themself and needs to be constantly reminded of things.

I frown and shake my head again. "Grayson has never made feel that way when I'm around him."

"He will make his intentions clear soon enough," Cas guarantees coldly. "Tell me Lia, why did he stop you before we left the party?"

"He was asking if I was going to be at the game on Monday, that's all."

She rolls her eyes at this. "He was only asking that to make sure you would be around to fuck him afterwards."

I shake my head slowly and narrow my eyes at her. "Cas, stop. You're wrong to think something like that or even put those ideas in my head."

"But those ideas need to be in there, because you're honestly acting naïve and stupid."

I stare blankly at Cassie. She has never called me something like that before, and I never thought she would.

Naïve, is the type of word my mom would use to describe me after I told her I might be valedictorian. "Don't be naïve, Lia. There are other students in your class who I know are smarter than you."

Stupid, is the type of word Carter would use. "Don't be a stupid bitch and break up with me, Talia."

Those are the kinds of words that you feel small and degraded. They are not meant to be used towards your best friend.

Without speaking, I get out of the car and begin walking to the front door. I hear Cassie's door slam shut.

"Hey, I wasn't trying to be mean, Lia," she yells. "Just sometimes, you ignore the bad qualities in people. It's what you did when you were with Carter."

I turn around and feel my mind racing. "Don't bring him up, okay? He was a mistake, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to take care of myself. I'm not a child, Cassie."

"I never said you were!" Cas shouts while rolling her eyes once again.

"Then stop treating me like one."

After this, I storm into my house and head off to my bedroom. And to think, I was having a great night.

———————————————————————

A/n: oh no the girls are fightingggg. Team Cas or team Talia? I know what side Grayson would pick...

Qotd: what is your favorite art style?

See you next time :)


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