*I used to spend my nights looking at the stars
Wondering how to get there, is it just too far? *

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For a few seconds I completely forgot how I got there as I stood there awkwardly in Jay Parker's backyard with a bunch of kids from school. Music was playing too loud and everyone was laughing and playing, having a good time. Lana had her arm linked into mine and she seemed happier than me. That's because she was that she had managed to get me out of the house for once. 

"Tell me you love me or what," she smirked and I couldn't help but laugh. She dragged me towards some familiar faces who I was guessing were a bunch of girls from her cheer leading squad. 

Thanks to Noah, I had managed to sneak out behind him without mum and dad even coming to the door. He told them I was driving him to Connor's and it was at the best time possible. Every friday night at 8, some tv show always came on which mom and dad NEVER missed for the past 2 years and they did not like being interrupted. And that is how I got away with it. 

My eyes darted around to look for Jay, who I spotted with his arms around Jenny, finally laughing and chatting with some of his thick head team mates. Sorry for stereotyping, but everyone thought the guys on the football team were a little dumb, i dont know, dont hate me. 

"If you're looking for Travis, I haven't seen him either," Lana broke me out of my daze handing me a coke can. I flushed realizing that I hadn't been looking for him at all. She looked into the direction I was and frowned. "Don't even think about it."

"I am not," I said defensively. "He just seemed really upset the last time I talked to him and..."

"No way Azari," Lana shook her head. "Please that's just his act to get girls to fall for his sensitive ass." Why was did she hate him so much?

"Okay, Okay, relax." I assured her. There really was nothing there, I did like him but not crushing on him or anything. I just didn't think he was as bad as everyone made him out to be. 

Oh well, like I had imagined this party would go for me, I sat in the corner on one of the chairs Jay had probably laid out for everyone by myself. I wondered if his parents let him do this kind of thing or his parents were out of town. Slowly, I sipped on my coke which had gone quite warm by now. I was bored to death. And yeah you must be thinking, where the fuck was Lana? She did insist on giving me company but I didn't want to hold her back from having the fun she came here for. I was boring, and I don't know why she liked hanging out with me. 

"You seem like you're having a great time," I heard a voice say to me. It was low and raspy, and my heart leaped with joy thinking Jay had finally decided to talk to me now. 

I looked up to see a familiar pair of gray eyes staring down at me. My nose filled up with an incredible smell and my heart started racing from the delicious scent of the cologne. His extremely black outfit reminded me of my little girl crush I had on him since middle school. 

"I-I guess," I struggled with what to say to him. Seeing his gorgeous face softly smiling at me like that was giving me the worst kind of butterflies, or bees or moths, I don't freaking know!

He dragged another chair from nearby and pulled it up close to me. "So, Azari I just wanted to apologize."

"Its okay, Travis!" I quickly blurted out like the dork I am. "I mean I uh, I understand."

He scrunched up his nose, "You do?"

I nodded, looking down at my hands fidgeting with my shirt. If he knew how nervous he made me, he would be 10 thousand miles away not here. 

"No, its like," he leaned in closer and I swear he gave off the most amazing vibes. Like he was genuine, and not like everyone else. Ugh, way to be cliche Azari. "I shouldn't have ignored you like that."

I let out a weird snort, which was meant to be a chuckle but oh well who didn't embarrass themselves in the most crucial situations. What's the big deal, not like the boy who I had been crushing on for like forever was finally talking to me and I just snorted in his face. 

"When you didn't text me after I gave you my number, I thought you didn't want to talk to me," he continued biting his lip nervously. 

"Oh." I choked out. A bloody OH. 

"And then I saw you with Jay in the janitor's closet." I exploded like a time bomb when I processed what he had said. Why, oh why? If only I had long enough nails to dig up a whole in the ground and bury myself alive. 

"oh no, don't get me wrong!" He said quickly noticing the uneasy look on my face. "It was when I saw you come out with him from the music room I thought the worst." What could be fucking worse than him thinking I was getting all down and dirty with Jay Parker? Out of everyone else in the school! 

"There's nothing. Nothing happened. I wasn't.." I started blabbering like an idiot but thankfully he cut me off then.

"Oh, Azari, I know." He reached out to touch my shoulders and I burst into confetti. "Lana explained everything to me." Ugh, I hated Lana but loved her too for doing this for me. 

"Well, I'm glad you don't think I was getting all woohoo with Parker." I chuckled awkwardly. 

Travis let out the most amazing, cute laugh. "Woohoo? Really?"

I face palmed myself in my head. More like punched but you get the idea. "Ugh, I meant like you know.. what you thought."

He nodded still laughing. "Relax, I know. What really got me was you not texting me."

God, again with that. I didn't think he would care if I texted him or not. So that is exactly what I blurted out to him.

"I didn't think it would matter to you if i did," I shrugged and looked down at my hands again. If i looked at him directly, he would be able to tell how in awe I was of him and I think I had handled enough embarrassment for one night. 

My eyes darted up to see Lana in a little distance flashing me a thumbs up and I scowled at her. Deep down I was overjoyed but yeah I had to be dramatic. 

"Why would I give you my number if it didnt?" 

True. True. 

"I don't know," I sighed in reply.

"Am I really that hideous?"

"What?! No!" I jerked my head towards him abruptly almost straining my neck. "You're hot!"

Fucking hell. My damn mouth.

Travis's mouth curled up into a cheeky grin and I couldn't wish hard enough to magically disappear. "You think I'm hot?"

"No!"  I blurted out and this time I just had to face palm, I had to! "Ugh, I am so stupid."

I felt his warm finger softly flick my ear making my heart decompose, if that was even possible. "Nah, you're pretty smart." 

I gulped as the feeling of his finger on my ear lingered and I hated that it did cause I was turning red. "Thanks."

"You don't normally come to parties," he relaxed back into his chair and put his hands behind his head, stretching his arms. "How come you came to this one?"

"Lana kind of forced me and so did my brother," I said looking at how great he looked. The weirdest urge hit me to reach out and touch the soft stubble on his face. Lana could. Jenny could. But i was just too much of a chicken. 

He turned his head to look at me, and for a second our eyes met before I looked away slowly. "Yeah, well my friends force me to come to these things too even though I find them pointless."

What in the world? Travis found these pointless and I had literally put my life on the line to come here. 

"It's my first time to a party so I don't find it pointless," I said firmly, feeling my heart sinking.

"I get it," he sighed looking up at the sky. "I just wish differently."

"What do you mean?" I asked confusingly. He was making no sense, but it was still making me so excited. Is that how it felt to be attracted so much to someone that I couldn't sit still in my chair.

"Nothing," he groaned and sat straight up turning his chair completely to face me. My ears were heating up and so was my face to feel his stare right through me. "So what is your idea of having fun?"

"Not this, definitely," I tried to sound confident.

He smiled gently. "Same. But what else?"

"Normally I spend my weekends with my family or just reading some sappy, romance novels." 

He nodded in approval. "Its nice to know someone considers spending time with their family fun."

"Oh I dont!" I said quickly to make him think I wasn't uncool because that's what most people would think. Oh, what a dumb, boring teen who spends time having with her mommy and daddy. 

"Really?" He eyed me suspiciously. "I thought it was pretty cool."

Dumb. Azari. Dumb.

"Kids these days don't appreciate the good things in life," his shoulders slumped making me wonder why he was suddenly giving off sad vibes. 

"Yeah, I am sorry," I said. There was no way I was going to be someone I wasn't just to try and get to impress Travis. This just wasn't something I knew how to do. "I do love my family and love spending my weekends with them but they don't approve of me going to parties."

"So you sneaked out?"I was worried he would judge me for being a typical teenager but to my surprise he didn't when I nodded. "Woah, humble and rebellious. I already like you."

My heart jumped to my throat at his words. Damn you, Travis. Could universe just give me a sign to get me out of this situation right now?

I glanced at my wrist watch to see it was almost 10 and I should get home before mom and dad gave me a call. That would get me busted and I wasn't ready for that. 

"I should get home," I said getting to my feet and Travis seemed genuinely disappointed.

"I could give you a ride home if you want," he offered and as tempting that sounded, I really shouldn't have agreed but i did.

"Sure." 

But guess what? It wasn't the romantic ride I was planning home because Noah, on cue, had to ruin it since he suddenly decided to go home early with me and Travis ended up giving us both a ride home. With Noah on the passenger seat, and me in the back, third wheeling like a pro AGAIN.

Noah hopped out of the car faster as quickly as he could like he needed to take a wee. 

"Thanks for taking us home, Travis," I said softly reaching for the car-door.

"You're welcome, Azari," he smiled turning around to look at me and our eyes met again. If I wasn't worried about my mom and dad finding out, I swear I would have kissed him. Okay, maybe not but I really, really wanted to. I havent added enough 'reallys'. "So can I expect a text tonight?"

Ugh, my heart ached at how much I liked him. "Yes." 

Before getting inside the house, I wiped off my lipstick completely so mom and dad wouldn't ask me why was I so dressed for a study group.

 And to my utmost joy, my parents didn't question us at all. This day had gone better than I expected. After a quick shower, and throwing on my favourite pair of blue pajamas I hopped into bed.

Travis might have been expecting a text this time way more than he had before, so where I had been so brave all I day, I decided to test more of my courage and finally give him a text.

Azari: Thankyou for taking me home.

I nervously stared at the screen of my phone waiting for his reply worried he wouldn't reply. Ofcourse he was going to reply. He had specifically asked me to. Approximately after 15 minutes, which I could have sworn felt like 15 hours, my phone pinged.

Travis: You don't have to keep thanking me for that but it was my pleasure.

My mouth was hurting from smiling so hard. Travis was way more charming than I had expected. Even though I extremely wanted to stay up all night experiencing what he had suggested but I never stayed up past 12 and I just knew I was going to sleep on him faster than I could say goodnight. 

You know what sucks is that I didn't see those emojis until the next morning I woke up. And I got so freaked out that I didn't even reply back. So yeah, I officially fucked it all up. 

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*Hey guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Leave a vote and comment if you did!*