^^The picture above is Athena's outfit for the party.

Leo's dad's birthday party is tomorrow night, meaning tonight is the Friday before the party. I still have a couple things left to do before the party. Leo told me on Wednesday that I needed to bring some sort of dish to the party. It has to be something that everyone likes. The only thing I can think of is fries.

So, that's what I'm doing on a Friday night, instead of out partying or getting drunk or something. I'm making some homemade cheese dip and chili to go over the fries, which I plan on warming up tomorrow before I leave so it's nice and warm for the guests. Nobody likes cold dip.

For the cheese dip, I warm up a block of cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese in a crock pot. It takes about 2 hours to melt to the point where I can stir it. Once I completely mix the 2 cheeses, I add in some bacon bits that I cooked this morning for breakfast. Making the cheese dip is the easy part. The chili dip I have to add in multiple kinds of beans and a couple cans of sauces, like tomato.

Then, I have to mix it all together. Actually making it isn't that hard, it's the measuring and making sure you have the right ingredients that is hard. I learned this recipe from my brother when he was still here. I haven't made it in years, but it still tastes exactly how I remember it. Once the chili is done, I set aside both dips and direct my attention to the potatoes.

They need to be cut up in medium length, skinny rectangles. That's the best way to cut potatoes for fries. They're not too skinny or too fat and not too long or too short. It takes about 45 minutes to cut up all 30 potatoes into the correct shape. After I put all the uncooked fries in a bowl, I heat up some oil in a pot on the stove.

We don't have anything to cook the fries in, so my brother and I always used a pot filled halfway with oil. It makes them taste a little better and a little bit less greasy than fast food fries. It takes 20 minutes for all the fries to cook, so once I dump them in, I pull out my phone and scroll through Instagram.

A post on Jenny's account caught my eye. For some reason I follow her on Instagram. I'm not sure why, maybe it's because I wanted to see how the popular's live their lives. The picture was from a party that somebody had thrown tonight. The picture was Jenny sitting in the lap of some guy passed out in a recliner with her lips pressing against his cheek. A couple seconds later, it registered that that boy was Leo! I didn't even know he was at a party tonight. I wonder if Via knew.

What was he doing with her? I mean, I knew that they both went to a lot of parties, but Leo didn't strike me as the type that would hook up with Jenny. Of course, Jenny was the queen bee and Leo was the "bad guy," so it is only natural for them to get together. For some odd reason, the more I stared at this picture the it felt like somebody was stabbing me in the heart. Why, I don't know.

I've never seen Leo like this with a girl, although I should expect this. I don't know why it makes my heart hurt. Maybe I'm just jealous that Leo's been back for a little more than a month and he already has a girlfriend, when I've been here for 17 years and have never even had my first boyfriend yet. That has to be it. There's no other explanation to as why I would be jealous.

I went to bed that night thinking of Jenny's Instagram post.

---

The next morning was the morning of Via and Leo's dad's birthday party. It was going to be in the park a couple minutes from our houses, and it would start at 12:00 pm.

I woke up and the first thing I did was go downstairs and plug in the crock pots that were filled with both dips. They needed to be warmed up a couple hours ahead of time so they would be warm enough for the party.

After I made sure they were good, I went back upstairs and grabbed a towel and headed for my bathroom.

I took a 20 minute shower, most of it spent shaving my legs. I was planning on wearing shorts today since the party will be held outside.

I used my apple scented body wash to scrub myself off once I was done shaving. Then I washed my hair with my favorite shampoo and conditioner.

Once I was done showering, I grabbed the blow drier and brushed my hair while drying it so it would be straight. I learned this trick from Via. If you slowly brush your hair and then blow dry at the same time and same place where your brush is, it will dry and be straight. It's way easier than using a straightener or flat iron.

I wear my hair slightly wavy most of the time, but today was different for some reason. I felt the need to dress a little different. I don't know why I feel the need to, it's not like I'm trying to impress anyone. Although, I still won't be wearing any make-up. It'll just be my family and Via's family, so there is no need to put on any make-up.

Once I was finished with my hair, I grabbed my outfit for the day out of the closet. It consists of black high-top converse, light blue denim shorts, a black crop top that says #whatever in white, and a red plaid shirt tied around my waist. It was kind of a basic outfit, but it was comfortable so I don't care.

After I was finally dressed and ready to go, I looked over at my clock to see that it was only 11:00. I still had another hour before I was supposed to show up at the party. My dad is in the garage working on something for Via's dad, but he won't tell me what. He wants it to be a surprise for everyone.

I'm planning on just giving their dad 30 bucks or something because I forgot to get him a present and I don't have that much money right now. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. Maybe I could run to the store and grab a birthday card and then put the money inside along with a sketch of his late wife.

I'm not the best artist, but I'm pretty decent at it. Drawing or sketching is just a little hobby that I do when I'm bored. My dad, however, is a whole other story. He can paint so realistically it's almost as if you are staring back at your own reflection. I guess that's where my artistic side comes from.

I only have 15 minutes to get to the store and back if I want to have time to finish the sketch, so I race to the store and back, not wanting to give their dad a half finished drawing.

As soon as I get home, I race upstairs and start drawing. I'm going to draw a picture of their mom smiling while she threw Leo up in the air as a baby. I saw the picture sitting on Via's nightstand and I thought it would be the perfect thing to draw.

I was sketching the some flowers in the bottom right corner when my father came into my room and said "Are you ready? We need to leave in the next 5 minutes." "Yes, I am ready I just need to finish this flower and then I'm done," I replied. My dad walked out of my room an went downstairs. "Can you take the fries out of the fridge and out them in the microwave for a minute? I forgot to take them out this morning?" I yelled down at my dad.

"Sure," he yelled right back up at me.

5 minutes later, I was flying down the stairs with the card, money, and picture in an envelope in my hand. My dad was at the front door waiting for me. He had what looked to be a giant canvas covered in a white sheet. "Dad, did you paint him a picture?" I asked teasingly. "Noooo," my dad dragged out the 'o', so I knew he was lying. Their father probably already has a million paintings in their house that my father gave to him.

I went into the kitchen and grabbed the crock pots and fries, and gave one of the crock pots to my dad to carry.

---

It was a 5 minute walk to the park, so we arrived in no time. Via, Leo, and their father we already there and spreading out an array of food on one of the picnic tables. My father and I walked over and set the food down along with the presents. "Happy birthday Mark," my father exclaimed as they did that one handshake that guys always did then patted each other on the back.

After all the greetings and everything, our fathers started to cook on the grill and Leo, Via, and I walked over to the swings.

"Remember when we had contests to see who could swing the highest? Or when we had contests to see who could jump off the swing the farthest? I miss those days. They were so much easier and we didn't have to worry about anything except getting hurt," Via sighed and leaned against the pole with a wistful look on her face.

Leo's head perked up when he saw her. "What if we did that again?" Via and I looked at each other eyes wide. That's a great idea. It would give us a chance to relive childhood memories and have fun. Since there are only 2 swings, Leo allowed us to go first, saying that he will be the judge. Via decided that we would see who could jump the farthest.

I hopped on the swing and ran backwards, stopping just before my feet touched the ground. "Ready, set, GO!" Leo shouted. The rules of this game were simple. Wherever you landed would be marked and then Leo would see how many of his foot prints it was. We were allowed to swing as long as possible, to build up momentum.

After 10 seconds, I felt I had a good enough swing to jump from. Via had just jumped a second ago and Leo was currently measuring her jump. When I was in the right position, I closed my eyes and jumped. For a second it felt like I was flying. The wind in my hair, the feeling of being in the air, it was all thrilling.

When I landed though, I knew something was wrong. I heard a little crack, and then pain shoot up my right ankle. "Oww!" I screamed out in pain. Leo and Via came rushing over to me as my eyes flew open. "Are you okay? What happened?" Leo looked extremely worried. It was weird. i had never seen him get worried over whether I got hurt or not.

"I'm fine. I think I just sprained my ankle or something. I can still walk." As soon as I said this, I tried to stand up only to crumple back into a pile in the sand. "I'm going to go tell your dad," Via said before she ran off in the direction of our dads. "I'm going to take you home. You can't walk home like this," Leo stated.

Before I knew it he was picking me up bridal style and carrying me over to me dad. "Mr. Jennings I'm going to take your daughter home. She sprained her ankle and isn't able to walk. I promise she will be just fine." My dad nodded at Leo with an approving look on his face. What's that all about? Probably just approves of him taking me home since I'm injured.

"Sorry if I'm heavy. I don't get that much exercise." I chewed on my bottom lip, suddenly self conscience of my weight. "It's okay. You are lighter than a feather. It's nothing trust me." Leo looked down at me and smiled. Suddenly, I was struck by just how beautiful his smile actually was. I hadn't really seen him smile before, but this was amazing.

The tiny dimple in his right cheek appeared, making me smile a little to myself. For some odd reason, knowing that he didn't think I was heavy helped boost my self confidence to sky high levels. It was a weird feeling, being in his arms as he carried me home. I liked it an I don't know why.

When we arrived at me house, Leo found where we keep our extra house keep and unlocked the door. Then, he carried me upstairs to my room and set me on my bed. All of a sudden, Leo tripped over my feet and landed with his arms on either side of my head, our faces only an inch apart.

My heart started to go a mile a minute. What is happening? This is crazy! Why is my heart beating so fast? It's just Leo. Slowly, Leo started leaning in more like he was going to kiss me. By this point, we are only half an inch apart and I could feel his warm breath on my cheek.

Is he going to kiss me? What will I do if he does?

I closed my eyes, preparing myself for what was coming.

-----

Athena has a brother? Will her ankle be okay? What happens with Leo and her? Will their relationship change? What present did Athena's dad get Via and Leo's father?

Hey guys. Sorry it took me so long to update. I completely spaced and was doing other things and became lazy. I'm really sorry for not updating in almost a month. I hope this chapter makes up for it.

Also, the trick with straightening your hair really does work. My sister was the one who showed me the trick. It's a lot quicker too.

Don't forget to vote and comment!