after countless hours of shopping, kelsey went home to get ready and said that she'd meet us later. whereas, jonah and i came back to my place so that he could treat me like his own personal doll.

i had just finished perfecting my make up by adding some highlighter until jonah instantly grabbed onto my shoulders and seated me onto my bed.

"do you promise not to do anything crazy to my hair?" i begged, as he pulled out my hair tie.

"i'm not promising anything" he sang.

i quickly turned to him, "jonah, i'm serious. it's just a high school party".

"yeah, yeah, just sit still" he ordered and began parting it in different ways to envision a bunch of hairstyles.

i couldn't see myself since the mirror was on the other side of my room, but after a while, jonah finally added some hair spray and guided me towards my mirror.

he smiled hugely at his masterpiece, "god, dakota. if only i wasn't gay" he said and i chuckled whilst playing with the loose curls that he put into my hair.

"so? what do you think?" he asked and i turned to gave him a smile and a hug.

"it's great, thank you" i said as i pulled away then checked the time on my phone. "okay, kelsey will be here any minute, so you need to hurry up and make yourself look hot too".

"don't worry dee, that won't take long" he called out as he went towards the bathroom and i playfully rolled my eyes at his huge ego.

+

we were never planning on arriving at the party for exactly seven, but it was just after eight and jonah, kelsey and i stepped out of his car and stood on the sidewalk opposite sam's house.

his dad is an ex-pro basketball player and his mom's a huge lawyer, so the large size of the house pretty much makes sense.

the street was filled with a bunch of cars and a few people bought the party and their red cups to the front lawn.

we walked down the path that lead to the front door, as every beat of the music playing was perfectly heard from outside.

a few eyes were settled on us and i noticed whispering here and there, but jonah rubbed my shoulder for comfort as if he had just read my mind. the door was unlocked, so we opened it and allowed the music to instantly grow louder and the humid smell of vodka, weed and sweat to hit our faces.

various boys' eyes settled on us as we entered and i even heard a few immature wolf-whistling over the music, which only made me cautiously begin to adjust my outfit.

as for the girls who are regulars to sam's parties, they began whispering to the people beside them and at least three times, i heard each of our names pop up in their conversations.

the song playing changed to luv by tory lanez, before an arm suddenly came and draped over my shoulder. i looked to my right to see derek luh, pulling me closer by his arm and elevating his eyes at my body.

"shit," he licked his lips. "what's your name, mami?" he slurred, spilling some of the drink out of the red cup in his hand.

"yo, derek" nate appeared and lightly pushed him to the side. "keep moving, my cousin is off limits".

"dakota, what are you doing here?" he took my arm to the side and asked, once derek stumbled away.

"we're here for the party".

"hey sam, did you invite dakota and her friends?!" he called out, before sam came and stood by us.

he sipped his drink and rested his arm on nate's shoulder, "as a joke, yes" he snickered, before i noticed his eyes settle on kelsey and his tongue quickly moisten his lips.

"...but now that they're here, they might aswell stay" he added, keeping his eyes on my best friend.

"have you ever even been to a his parties before?" nate questioned me.

i shrugged, "no".

"well, they're not for you, you never know what will happen" he explained with sam nodding beside him, even though his focus was mainly still on kelsey.

"nate, just say be careful. trust me, it's much easier" i chuckled with my hand on his shoulder until he brushed it off.

"be careful, okay and find me if you need to".

i nodded my head and went back to my friends, as jonah and i began explaining to an oblivious kelsey that sam just couldn't keep his eyes off her.

as the night went by, i was seated on the couch talking to a few people who were also surprisingly invited to this party.

but my head constantly turned around to see if i could spot jack because i haven't even seen him yet, and he's technically the main person that i wanted to see me in this outfit.

i can only imagine that he's either getting super fucked up with a few friends or hooking up with some random girl upstairs. but either way, i'm not gonna let not seeing him affect me trying to enjoy my first real party.

i took held of one of the shots that the people that i was talking to, offered me then instantly downed the vodka before grimacing at the burn and taste.

+

hours past and i watched kelsey letting loose and dancing with a guy on the basketball team and with a cup of alcohol in her hand.

i laughed and shook my head, then began wondering where jonah was because i haven't seen him in a while.

i started searching the large living room then went into the corner where nate was taking shots off a girl's body alongside a bunch of jack's friends, but not him.

i tapped his shoulder, "nate, nate, have you seen jonah?" i spoke loudly over the music.

"i said i'd look out for you, not your friends" he yelled back.

i scoffed at his answer before dillon rupp stumbled in between us, "wait, dude, is this your cousin? the one you live with?" he questioned and nate nodded.

his eyes diverted to me as he bought himself closer, "sup baby, i'm dillon" he spoke and i shook my head at the attention i was once again getting just because of how i was dressed.

"i'll find him myself" i told nate and walked away, leaving dillon completely hanging.

i searched the rest of the room, then checked the kitchen, backyard, the front lawn then finally decided to check upstairs.

i opened various doors whilst calling out jonah's name but although almost every time, i accidentally interrupted an intense make out session. but it was when i reached the fourth door, that i practically froze.

"oh, sorry" i apologised to jack, who sat alone in one of the bedrooms.

i began closing the door until he called out.

"wait! don't...don't, um...leave...uh—" he drunkenly slurred as he tried remembering my name.

"dakota".

"right" he chuckled. "i knew that".

slowly, i walked further into the room and shut the door behind me - not knowing whether he was genuine about me staying or not.

i just wish i had the confidence around him that i do when i'm pretending to be olivia over text.

"jack, how much did you drink?" i questioned, coming closer to the edge of the bed where he sat.

"not much, actually" he answered. "...or maybe a lot, i-i don't know".

he let out a snicker and i sighed at his drunken laugh, before settling down beside him.

jack creased his attractively-distinctive eyebrows as he observed my outfit, "you look different today".

"good different?" i questioned, anxiously biting down on my lip.

"yeah, i guess, but why?".

"oh, i just thought that i'd change it up for the party, but it was stupid any ways" i shook my head until jack nudged my arm.

"trying to get someone's attention, huh?" he ironically suggested.

"yeah, i guess you could say that".

"who? who? i won't tell" he excitedly begged with his words still slurring, but i denied.

"okay, well i'm guessing that it's someone that i know so i'll let it go just for you" he pointed his finger at me.

the room soon fell quiet and i wasn't sure whether i should get up and leave. but as for jack, he lay back onto the bed as i continued to sit up beside him.

"i remember...i remember middle school. we used to talk a lot, right? we-we were lab partners, then became friends...that is you, right?".

i nodded my head a little too quickly as a tiny smile grew on my lips, "yep, that was me".

"what even happened?" he asked and i let out a brief sigh.

"crystal happened, high school happened, popularity happened" i muttered almost inaudibly.

"oh well...i miss-i miss those days" jack stuttered and i turned to face him.

"you do?".

he nodded his head then rested his folded arms underneath it, "i miss not being known as jack gilinsky, hudson high's quarterback".

my eyes fluttered in disappointment once i realised that he was talking about himself, rather than us.

"...i just want to be jack, you know?".

i hummed, turning my head away from him, "yeah, i know".

jack didn't speak a while after that, but it was until i heard light snores behind me that i turned around and noticed that he'd fallen asleep.

i stood up to leave, but the bedroom door quickly opened with tez barging in.

"yo jack," he began before he noticed his friend passed out beside me. "wow, what happened?".

"he had a lot to drink" i explained.

"oh okay, you're nate's sister right?" he paused before leaving and i huffed at how everyone always links me back to him.

"cousin, actually".

"yeah whatever, so do you have a spare joint?".

i furrowed my brows, "why would i have a joint? i don't smoke".

"well, i just assumed since you're related to nate and all" tez elaborated and i narrowed my eyes at his words, just as jonah came to the door.

he sighed with relief, "dakota, i've been looking for you everywhere" he told me as tez finally left me alone.

jonah's eyes diverted to jack sprawled out on the bed whilst he shut the door behind him. "oh my god, what did you do to jack gilinsky?".

"nothing, i was looking for you and i ended up here. him and i spoke for a while, but he was far too drunk to stay awake".

his eyes widened, "what?! you guys spoke?! oh my gosh, spill everything right now".

"it wasn't a big deal" i admitted and jonah cocked his head back in surprise. "he was just saying how he remembers and misses how things used to be in middle school. i mean, i miss it too but i don't think that we miss the same things".

i dropped my head and fiddled with my hands until jonah rubbed my arm, "dakota," he said as he noticed me becoming slightly upset.

"no, we shouldn't have come tonight, i barely even enjoyed myself" i told him, heading towards the door.

"neither did i, dee. but we can still cherise the memory of attending this party for the rest of our lives" he tried to cheer me up.

i shrugged my shoulders, "i guess so".

"but come on, let's just get out of here because these red cups and sweaty bodies everywhere is making me feel dizzy".

i laughed lightly at his miley cyrus song reference, before we left to go back downstairs and find kelsey.

-

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