Shout out to amiva0402 , jueka1 , and brightyeolie for their engagement in last chapter's comments! Always a rivetting experience seeing my stories come to life through you guys. I encourgage more of you passive readers to join in, even if all you have to say is an emoji reaction.

Also, everyone (including passive readers), please take part in my survey at the end. It's very important I know that this stage where we are at... ;)

___

Squeezing between the mattress and mirror was a little tight for two people as we tried to get ready for the party. Callie had popped off her prosthetic and was sitting on the floor, trying to draw on her winged eyeliner. Meanwhile, I stood in the remaining space, curling my hair.

Sara's room was not large, but she could fit a double bed, a desk, and a single mattress in there. So it was just big enough for the three of us to stay the night.

Sara heaved a sigh, "You're going to poke your eye out at this rate, Cal. Give it to me." Next we knew, Sara was climbing off her bed, discarding her English assignment in favour of also trying to fit into the gap to help Callie do her makeup.

But it wasn't far into that when suddenly a knock sounded on the door, Sara's brother calling out, "Warning! Boy coming in."

Callie immediately yanked her face from Sara's clutches, reaching over to the pillow resting atop the mattress before plopping it over her stump. Her bestie grimaced at her, having seen the whole act, but before she could berate my sister, Noah popped his head around the door.

"Is it safe?" he asked.

"Never," Sara called out. "But we are clothed if that's what you're asking."

Noah walked into the room, gently closing the door behind him as he glanced around. Sporting black ripped denim jeans and a similarly dark shirt, he almost looked like one of the boys from Sara's favourite band. And while I could appreciate his fashion choices and hygiene measures—allowing me to understand what my sister may have seen in him—he still did nothing for me. His sister was the one more often catching my eye, with her soft cheeks and midnight eyes and gentle frame.

"What do you want?" Sara demanded after he started walking around her room, inspecting things on her desk, looking at the school textbooks scattered over her bed.

"Just wondering how far away you guys are," he nonchalantly replied, sitting on the bed now.

"A while. We still have to do Callie's hair and I've only just started her makeup," she replied, barely paying him a glance as she turned back to Callie's crimson face.

While Sara was indifferent to her brother's presence in the room, my sister was well aware that his eyes were now on her, head cocking to the side as his gaze trailed over her.

"Callie is fine just as she is," he then said.

I pressed my lips together in response, trying to hold the smile that threatened to explode on my face as I watched my sister through the mirror, her eyes growing impossibly wider and her heart almost visibly jumping out of her chest. All the while I continued curling my hair.

"Your opinion doesn't count," Sara retorted. "She's got actual boys to impress. Not ugly dummies like you."

"Ugly?" Noah retorted, crossing his arms over his chest as he shot glares at his sister, though she still didn't notice. "I'll have you know many girls find me attractive."

Sara snorted as she rubbed some blush onto Callie's cheeks. "Not human ones, surely."

Pouting his lips, Noah's eyes flickered back to Callie. "What do you think, Cal? Am I really as ugly as my idiotic sister suggests?"

"W-what... N-no?" Callie stuttered, eyes shifting down as he stared at her through the mirror.

But rather than anyone commenting on Callie's bashful reaction, he then turned to look at me. "What do you think, Lexi? Is my sister right?"

Brows furrowing, I curled my last strand of hair before setting the wand down and turning to face him. Looking him up and down, I said, "I guess you're okay. If you're into that." Then I gestured to all of him with my hand for good measure while Sara snorted again—because she knew exactly why I wasn't 'into that'.

Noah's eyes narrowed at me, but even as he tried to glare, the corners of his lips turned up.

"Well, anyway, please hurry up. I'm seeing a movie tonight while you girls are at the party and I don't want to miss the good seats," he then said, getting up from Sara's bed. Noah had thankfully offered to drop us off and pick us up from the party tonight, with Sara and Noah's parents being none the wiser to the fact that we'd be gone for a few hours thanks to the plans they had with with their own friends.

"A movie, hey?" Sara then said before he could leave. "Is it a date?"

Noah rolled his eyes but then his gaze flickered to me and then to Callie. "What if it was?"

"Then tell them I said 'run'."

But one glance at my sister and I noticed her eyebrows were furrowed—concern swirling in her downcasted face. It hurt her knowing Noah might be seeing someone.

When I looked back at Noah—his focus still on Callie—he then said, almost as if he was saying it to my sister, "I'm just going with some friends."

But once more, his eyes flickered back to me.

"Don't be too long," he added. Then he exited the room, leaving us all alone to continue getting ready.

Makeup on, outfits changed, hair styled, we started heading out of the room—Sara deciding to accompany us down to her brother's car—but not before she grabbed my arm, pulling me to a stop.

"Go on ahead, Cal," Sara called out. "I just need a word with your sister."

Callie hesitated in the doorway, brows coming together. "Why?"

"To warn her about my expectations for your safety."

My sister rolled her eyes before heading out the door. And once her footsteps started sounding on the stairs, Sara turned to me.

"I don't need—" I started, ready to tell her I knew how to look after my sister, but she cut me off.

"Why on earth are you doing this too?" Sara asked.

I took a step back, eyes wide in surprise. "Doing what?"

"The kiss list."

"To boost Callie's—"

"Yeah, I get why she has to do it. But why are you?"

"As part of a bet." She knows this...

Sara pressed her lips together, arms going over her chest. "But... they're boys."

I shrugged. "Will I hate it? You bet. But is it worth it to help Cal? For sure."

She heaved a sigh, unfolding her arms again. "I appreciate that you care so much for her—"

"Of course I do. She's my sister."

"It's just... you should not neglect your own heart." Sara took a step closer to me, her gaze softening as she placed a reassuring hand on my arm. And while her face was only consumed with tenderness and friendly affection, I couldn't help the physical reactions that ensued.

As her obsidian eyes glanced up at me through her thick lashes, as my nose filled with her lavender scent, and as her full, plump lips glistened in the dim evening glow, my heart gave out a loud thump and my stomach squirmed.

Clearing my throat as I felt my cheeks begin to flush, I took a step back from back from her while averting my gaze. "Thank you for your concern, Sara," I said. "But I'll be fine. Besides... it's just a kiss."

Her brows furrowed and she cocked her head to the side like she wanted to say more, but the longer her gaze stayed on me, the more conscious I became of the drum solo currently playing in my chest.

"Anyway, we shouldn't keep Callie waiting," I said, turning on my heel and heading out of the room before she could stare at me any longer with that obnoxiously beautiful face of hers.

As Callie and I walked into the humble home in one of those development areas where each house looks basically the same with just a different coat of paint or front door, the familiar sound of blaring music lit me up inside. I wasn't necessarily a people person, but I loved a good party—something Jess always believed I inherited from my father.

The smell of the alcohol immediately permeated my nose, causing a smile to spread across my face while Callie's scrunched up.

"This is loud," she grumbled as we walked down the hallway towards the living room.

"Have you been to a party before?" I asked, almost shouting in her ear to make sure she heard.

She shook her head. "First one."

"First party and first kiss tonight, hey?" I teased.

But before I could say any more, her hand clamped down on my face as she pushed me against the wall. "Keep it down would you?"

I pried at her arm, pushing her aside with furrowed brows as I snapped, "What the fuck, Cal! That was an overreaction."

"Yeah, well I don't appreciate you spreading shit and already trying to sabotage my end of the bet."

"I wasn't... Even if I was, which I wasn't, that doesn't justify fucking up my makeup. I worked hard on it."

Her eyes narrowed and she took a step back at me. "Amazing."

"What?"

"Well I was just thinking you're quite the polar opposite towards me when there's no mum, dad, or Sara around to see you treating me like shit."

Rolling my eyes and flaring my nostrils, I shook my head at her. "This isn't me treating you like shit. This is me wanting to have a good time and honestly being fed up with how quickly you always launch at me. There's only so much I can handle, Callie. Only so long I can bite my tongue."

"Oh, so you admit you're holding back from me? There's things you want to actually say?"

"Oh my gosh. I just can't with you," I heaved, turning away from her.

"You can't with me? Well I can't with you. I can't wait until this stupid bet is over and I never have to speak to you again."

"Yeah, well either you have to kiss every guy on the list, kiss Noah, or get rejected tonight. So you better get started if you want me gone faster."

And on that note, I stormed away from her, heading in the direction of the drinks table. My hand shot straight for a beer, uncapping it before I sculled it.

"Lexi!" a familiar voice jeered behind me once I saw the bottom of my bottle.

Turning on my heel, I met the familiar grin of Fraser Fowler.

"Look at you go!" he said when our eyes met.

Putting my empty drink on the table, I took a step closer to him, so that my face was right in front of his.

His pupils blew wide and his mouth opened and closed a few times. "Um... you're awfully clo—"

I glanced up at him through my eyelashes, gently biting on my bottom lip before I whispered, "Kiss me."

Fraser took one loud gulp before setting his drink on the table beside us.

And it literally did not take more than that.

His hand—large and rough—cupped my face. Then he slowly leaned in, eyes closing on the way before he pressed his sloppy lips against mine.

His lips ran over mine a couple of times before his tongue tried brushing against my lip.

I parted my mouth momentarily, letting him get the full taste of a kiss—in the hopes that he would tell his friends it was good to make it easier for me in future.

But in kissing Fraser I was more than certain of my realisation last year as too much of his saliva entered my mouth, and as his large arms encompassed my body, trapping me against his flat chest: I certainly was not attracted to men.

Having had enough of his roaming hands and desperate mouth, I pushed back and said, "Thanks."

He blinked slowly, pressing his lips together as he rubbed the residual saliva in. Then he said, "Um, yeah... anytime. So... ah... Do you want to... go out some time?"

"No thanks," I replied. And then I leaned past him, grabbing another beer from the cooler before I turned on my heel, heading over to a group of girls I recognised from my HPE class.

As they all happily greeted me and gushed about the kiss they just saw me have with Fraser, I quickly scanned the crowd again for my sister.

Callie was right where I left her, mouth open in shock.

As our eyes met though, she clenched her jaw closed, crossed her arms over her chest, and stormed across the room and out to the backyard.

Your move, sis, I thought.

SURVEY

So I need to ask you a very important question before we get into the next chapters... then I'm going to ask you the same one again in three. Which of the two are you:

1) Team Noallie (Noah + Callie)

2) Team Callynn (Flynn + Callie)

Plz cast your vote. (Do suggest other ship names if you have them)

Also, I've been playing around on Canva and threw together some more character art, this time of our twins (I've got one in this anime style for each of key characters):

Also... here is a spoiler for one of the main characters of next chapter ;)