"I'm fine," I growl out as my nose throbs.
"You don't look fine," he cocks his head to the side.
"Well then stop looking!" I shout at Jesse.
"Maybe next time you'll know better than to stand by Ed when he's in a laboratory," he snorts out as he holds up another Kleenex to my nose.
"Kira I'm so sorry, please I didn't see you, I just kinda flung the door open," Ed apologizes.
"It's fine Ed really, I don't care," I nod to him as he stands biting his lip nervously and Rico lets out a gut wrenching laugh looking at me.

"It looks like you're having your period come out of your nose!" he exclaims in his Mexican accent causing the rest of the boys to erupt in laughter, all except Ed who still stands nervously to the side. Seriously how immature can these boys get I mean it's a freaking bloody nose?
"I got the ice pack!" James calls out while trotting in and tossing it to Jesse who seems to decide to treat me like I'm five and hold to my face himself.
"Jesse I have two hands I can take care of myself," I huff while placing my hands on the ice pack that he holds. His hands graze over mine as he talks, "Really cause I think you've proven the very opposite little goody two shoes."

"What the hell did you do?" Katie shouts at Jesse as she walks into the classroom that the five boys are standing in. Vick and Macey are right behind her as they stare at my bloody and swollen nose making it look like a giant tomato on my face.
"It wasn't me it was Ed!" Jesse shouts in defense while pointing at Ed who has a grim look.
"It was an accident!" he shouts.
"I'm fine really guys can we just go to lunch already?" I inturrupt everyone and they all quiet down and eventually nod in agreement.

"Wow I think that might've actually fixed your face," Chris smiles and I glower at my brother.
"Funny cause from what I heard we share the same face," I retort and he frowns.
"No mine is much more mascaline..."
"Are you sure cause I think I have more facial hair than you do," I reply grimmly, not entirely lying. Chris opens his mouth to object but closes it again giving him the appearence of a fish out of water.

"C'mon Rico and James sit with us today, you guys look gay sitting by the girls all the time," Jesse laughs while looking at the two boys who've grown to be my close friends.
"Hey you can't just steal our friends!" Vicky exclaims and everyone turns to the red head.
"Ladies, ladies there's enough Rico to go around don't worry," he chuckles and I roll my eyes.
"Actually you can take him," Macey retorts making her brother grab her hair and mess it up while she starts shouting at him in spanish and soon they're in a full on Hispanic argument in which no one really understands except apparently Jesse who's fluent in Spanish. Probably cause he's from Texas. Despite my brother and I being from Texas and having a Mexican nanny, the only words I really know are adios and tornillo te which is screw off, I guess you could say foreign language isn't exactly our forte.

Once we reach the cafateria and the argument dies down we all decide to sit in the corner together, me earning enough stares for the strawberry on my face that serves as a nose.
"Friday night, party at Josh's," Ed states as we sit down. Everyone seems pretty excited for it but I just bite at my lip nervously. Last party wasn't exactly a bust but it wasn't exactly exciting either, I only played BS for two hours straight before dragging two drunk girls home.

"You in?" a low voice whispers from next to me and I watch as Jesse returns from the lunch line and plops down next to me. I just glance at him and shrug, "I don't know," I mumble while picking at my food.
"Oh come on you barely did shit at the last party you didn't even get the whole party experience," he complains while I sigh agrivated at his behavior.
"If you're expecting me to grind against some random drunk stranger all while downing shots, you're wrong," I retort, "I'm not exactly like you," I murmur low enough so he can't hear but apparently he does.

"Excuse me I'll have you know I've never drank a drop of beer in my life," he scoffs and I drop my fork which was halfway in my mouth making spagetti sauce fly everywhere and the fork to clatter to the floor.
"Wow, that surprising huh?" he asks in a monotonous voice.
"You're lying," I retort turning to him. There's no way in hell that Jesse, the popluar boy has never had beer in his life.
"Look me in the eye and tell me I'm lying," he moves closer to me so that our faces are merely inches apart.
"Then what do you do at parties?" I scoff.
"Dance, play games, the non-alcoholic ones, yes they do exist," he explains.

"So you grind and then get it on with girls, good to know," I go back to eating but quickly realize I've lost my appetite do to this conversation.
"Oh please I don't screw around with girls like some f-boy why does everyone think that?" he growls out actually pissed and I begin to be slightly fearful for my life.
"Every rumor has it's origin you know?" I comment.
"Ok I'm nice to girls then they begin to think of it in the wrong way and begin to get feelings and once I explain to them I only want to be friends they get ticked and don't talk to me!" he exclaims getting pretty worked up about the rumor that no doubt is plaguing his high school life.
"Careful you might pop a vein there," I snort as I see his beat red face.

Sighing he turns to me, "Will you please go to the party? And if you don't like it you'll never have to go to another one ever again?"
"Or I just don't go," I shrug hinting that he can't control me.
"Well then I guess I'll just have to come to your house and follow you around everyone until you agree to get your pretty ass on the dance floor," he grins and I feel my face heat up at his words.
"I won't let you in the house," I recover.
"The code to your garage is 6754," he grins.
"I'll lock the door to the laundry room..."
"There is no lock," his grin only grows as I sigh in defeat.
"How do you know this stuff you stalker?" I grimace and he shrugs.
"I saw your brother go in once, I tend to notice things other people don't..."

"What are you two talking about?" Ed asks in bewilderment as he eavesdrops on our conversation.
"Just how Kira's going to the party on Friday," Jesse explains and I let out a sigh.
"Really?" Chris asks poking his food with his jaw clentched.
"Yeah, I am," I nod at Jesse as I realize that if I go it'll irritate Chris and this is just another way to show him he can't control me no matter how crazy his big brother insitincts are. Chris just huffs before stomping off to put his tray away followed by a few of other people.

Then Jesse turns to me again smirking, "Well if all it took was your brother not wanting you to go to the party then I would've told him a long time ago," he chuckles.
"Oh shut up," I grumble with a small smile on my face as he just chuckles at me.

                                                                                   +++

The Friday energy beams throughout the entire school, putting a smile on everyone's face and a skip in our steps. The teachers seem to be in the same mood as well as minimum homework is giving out and the lessons are extra easy, all except for Mr. Peterson's class of course. Everything seems pretty chill, well except for the fact that Jase's new Freshman girl disappeared about halfway through the week and hasn't come back, she's not sick we know that much, and she's not on a vacation. Well Jesse wasn't kidding when he said Jase's ex girls get shipped off.

"KK!" a voice chirps from behind me and my eyebrows raise as I see Jesse trotting next to me.
"I swear if you ever call me that again I'll make sure you can never have kids," I laugh and he joins in while holding his hands up in defense. Surprisingly my perspective on Jesse has changed drastically. He never really did do anything to make me dislike him, only a couple of rumors which I was stupid enough to believe,  then once I got his side of the story I felt really bad for believing and am beginning to make an effort at being nice to him instead of a sassy frass.

"Unless of course you want to be called JJ," I shrug and he winces at the nickname.
"What are you guys naming your kids already?" a voice belonging to James says from right behind us.
"No if I ever had a kid I'd name the boy, Hot Dog and the girl Cat," with that they both burst out laughing and I roll my eyes at their immaturity.
"You guys are nasty," I grumble under my breathe.
"Hey Kira!" Katie chirps as she approaches us, I thought her personality couldn't get any more peppy but boy was I wrong, Friday vibes really suit her.

"Hi Katie, ready for tonight's party?" I ask the question we've all been throwing around.
"Born ready," and soon enough the party comes.

The one thing I never understood about parties was why only the cool kids got invited, I mean nerds could be just as hyped up as jocks. That's when I realize, nerds are invited, at least at this school, they probably only choose not to come. This party however, is different, I would say everyone is here. The five story house is so packed that I'm almost afraid someone might fall out of a window, either that or get trampled by the crowds.

This party is no different from the last except different location and about twice as many people with a pool in the back which is filled to the max. I sit by the pool side in a swimsuit curled next to Katie as her and I talk about random crap in our lives. Surprisingly she doesn't drink tonight, not that she needs alcohol to loosen up in the slightest she's naturally born a party animal.

"So the dude was making out with this girl and then halfway through he pulls back, stares at me, and invites me to join in!" she screams and we burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of the story, "I'm not even kidding!" she wails out. Our obnoxious screaming and laughing gets the attention of next to no one due to the crazy loud music and screams of the other kids.
"The real question is," I wheeze between laughs, "DID YOU!?" Her jaw drops and she burst out laughing with me.
"NO!"

"KATIE! KIRA! KATIE! KIRA!" we hear a Mexican accent shout and the next thing we know Rico, James, Vicky, and Macey appear.
"WOOT WOOT!" I scream as they laugh approching us.
"Why are you guys in your swim suits?" Rico asks staring at us oddly.
"Cause there's a pool," Katie explains in a duh tone.
"You know most people just go in their underwear," James explains with a wink.
"Sorry I'm not giving boys the pleasure," Katie retorts standing up and I quickly follow.

Glancing at the lit up pool in the dark night as colors swarm the swimming pool, we all have the exact same thing in mind yet we all wait for someone to go first. In a thoughtless move I quickly grip onto Kate who's right next to me and attempt at throwing her over my shoulder but epically fail when we both pummel into the pool. Water encloses around both of us as the air is knocked from our lungs and warmth engulfs us.

Kicking up we both eventually resurface as we see the fight take place on the patio as everyone is attempting at shoving the other person in the pool.
"I swear on my life Rico I will call dad if you..." Macey is cut short as her body falls horizontally into the water with Rico flying in after her.

Loud laughter erupts as well as half the water ends up out of the pool, random strangers swim next to me half naked and I take the moment to realize why everyone loves parties like these so much. It doesn't matter who you are, in the dim lighting and loud noise you're someone new. Everything, sound, sight, mentality is all blurred and one moment you're dancing with a stranger and the next you're underwater with your friends.

I dive towards the deep and watch as a bullet dives into the water causing me to go down further, well not a bullet, a person.  Popping back up I watch as the person does as well and I'm met with dark forest green eyes and a wide white smile.