Chapter 10

Once we were let into the party, which only took a few seconds, we were shoved into an ensemble of Ethel’s coworkers. She’s a doctor, of that I’m sure. The women all had dark dresses with even darker lipstick. They had large jewels hanging from their ears and around their necks. Don’t their earlobes get tired?

“Marissa, Noah," one of the older women said. She had a high-low dress that was obviously for adults, mainly because I don’t know any teenage girl who would buy it. It looked like it was sewn with the image of an old lady wearing it. This woman seemed to fulfill the seamstresses’ dream. “Who are your dates? Introduce them to us.”

“Hello, Vivian." Marissa awkwardly glanced at Eric, who was grinning at the women, obviously enjoying the approving attention. “This is Eric.”

“Hello.” He smiled at the ladies, delicately shaking each of their hands.

“Noah, who is this?” the same lady questioned, her eyes grazing over me. I awkwardly stood there, not able to hide behind Noah, because being the jerk he is, he would step to the side and allow me to be the center of attention. This attention isn’t good attention. Being recognized for being pretty or being intelligent is good attention. From the way she’s looking at me, I can tell that she does not approve of me.

Deciding to introduce myself, I extended my hand, offering her a smile. “I’m Kennedy.”

“I’m Vivian.” She took my hand in her own, her neat eyebrows furrowed. “Kennedy?”

“Yes, you can call me Kenna, though,” I dropped my hand to the side as I stood beside Noah, my arm still curled around his.

She nodded. “How did you and Noah meet?”

This question was aimed at me. We didn’t practice this. Why didn’t she ask Marissa this question? Probably because this is Noah’s first time actually showing up to one of Ethel’s galas in a long while. They all seem to know him though. The other three women all spoke to Marissa but the main one, probably Ethel’s boss, spoke to us. Vivian radiated confidence, more than the other women did.

“Well, we have a few classes together,” I nodded. “And I’m friends with Marissa.”

She nodded, looking between the two of us. “So how long have you two been dating?”

Noah let out a snort, the only noise he’s made since we stepped into this large building. Be yourself tonight. Marissa’s voice replayed the statement in my head. What would I do if someone I knew said this about me? I nudged him in the side with my fist before curling it back around his arm, hoping she didn’t notice. He tensed at my touch while I answered her question. “We aren’t dating.”

“So you’re friends?” she asked, a confused look on her face.

Noah snorted again, quieter this time as I nodded. “Yeah, we’re friends.”

“Couldn’t get a date, sweetie?” she asked, her lips pursed. Noah sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his left hand, the one that didn’t have my arm clutching to it.

I suddenly felt defensive. Why did everyone gang up on Noah? What did he ever do to them? “I obviously have a date.” I motioned to Noah with my right hand.

“What I meant to say was, you couldn’t find a date that you wanted to come with?” Did she not have a filter?

“Considering the fact that I asked him, I’d say I found a date that I wanted to come with,” I responded.

“He said yes?” the lady asked.

“Apparently,” I replied through clenched teeth. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to get drinks.”

I quickly stepped around the lady, taking Noah with me. I let out a heavy sigh once we were out of her hearing range. “She’s insufferable.”

“I warned you; all of them are like that,” Noah stated as we walked towards the hoard of tables.

“Her entire family is this…intolerable?” I asked as I glanced around, wrinkling my nose. He separated our arms as he approached a table.

He nodded, bringing a small piece of paper up to his face. He continued doing that as we walked from table to table. I’m guessing we have assigned seats, which seems like something a school would do, rather than a professional party. “Well, all of them except for her uncle. But I doubt he’s here. He sees these parties as pretentious.”

“Well, he’s right,” I muttered once he found our names. Our table was in the middle of the group of tables. There were at least fifty of them, give or take, with four seats each. There was a white lace tablecloth atop of the circular chunk of wood. The chairs had the same fancy material draped over the backs and I was scared to sit back in my seat. Noah had no problem with it, though. “Who are we sitting with?”

We were now sitting down, away from the large crowd of people. There was an array of dresses but you could tell the teenagers from the adults, mainly because they had flamboyant dresses while the adults stuck to bland colors. They were all hugging and greeting each other like a normal family would. A few people looked in our direction before turning back to the person they were talking to and whispering. Then, that person would turn and glance at us. When Noah said we were going to be the center of attention, I didn’t think he meant like this.

My eyes flitted over the gossipers and landed on a group of teenage guys, most of which I’m assuming are Marissa’s cousins. Marissa has some attractive male cousins, not that I can do anything about it: I’m here with Noah. I still wouldn’t do anything about it even if I wasn’t with Noah. I noticed that most of the people were tall but there was the occasional short person. I guess height runs in the family. Noah lifted the paper up to his face and squinted at the small font, his nose wrinkling slightly. “Marissa and Eric.”

I nodded, watching as the crowd slowly panned out. Most of the people walked towards tables, lifting up the name lists before placing them back down. Once Marissa and Eric saw us, I waved them over. They squeezed through people before taking their seats, watching as Ethel and Vivian, the obnoxious lady that belittled me and Noah earlier, took the stage.

“Welcome!” Ethel began the introductory speech, explaining why we were even here. She’s having this gala because she was being promoted. Normally, a family would just go out for dinner, or make a nice meal at home. Give it to Ethel to overreact and show off her blessings to everyone else. Noah began mocking her, mouthing the words as she went along. I bet he was forced to attend these as a kid but once he realized that he could speak up, he did. Maybe that’s why he and Ethel don’t get along. He was the bad stepchild that didn’t show up to his stepmother’s stupid events.

I stifled a laugh along with the other two people at my table. Noah sat there with a bored look on his face. We all listened to Ethel as she toasted a glass of champagne with the adults. The teenagers toasted their glasses of soda or water, which were passed out rather quickly. Once she bounced off of the stage, she approached our table, which wasn’t very far from the stairs leading up to the platform.

“Girls, you look beautiful.” Marissa and I smiled at Ethel, waiting for her to point out our flaws but, surprisingly, she didn’t. “Very handsome, boys.”

Noah didn’t even acknowledge her presence and, instead, drew along the tablecloth with his fingers. “I’m surprised you showed up, Noah.”

My eyebrows rose slightly. She expected him to stand me up? Nice to know. Marissa came to the rescue and butted in. “Is dad coming?”

Ethel’s face expression turned from smiling to frowning. “He missed his plane so he won’t be able to make it. Well, not yet anyway.”

Marissa nodded sadly. I guess their father keeps her mother in check. “Well, talk amongst yourselves, dance, and enjoy the night!”

Ethel quickly walked away, greeting an older couple that I can only assume are her coworkers. “Kenna, do you want to meet some of my cousins?”

I shot Noah a look and his eyebrows rose upward. “I’ll only introduce you to the tolerable ones.”

Noah scoffed again, turning away and cupping his mouth to stifle a laugh as she grabbed my arm and yanked me out of my chair. I sighed as I walked beside her towards a group of teenage girls. “So how are you doing so far?”

I know what she’s talking about, our agreement. “I’m being myself.”

She grinned. “Good.” We reached the girls, who were talking amongst themselves. It wasn’t hard to talk over the classical music, which is the only thing they’ve been playing since we walked in.

Marissa would fit in well with them, while I would not. “Hey!”

The girls smiled at Marissa, a few of them waving at her. Some of their eyes flickered towards me, but the majority of them turned their attention back to the girls they were talking to. However, three girls turned and hugged Marissa. I stood there awkwardly, clutching my purse in front of me. Once they finished their greetings, Marissa turned to me. “Girls, this is Kenna.”

I smiled. “Hi.”

“I’m Cleona," a tall girl with tan skin and dark hair smiled. I wonder how she was related to Marissa. I’m sure she has some Latina in her.

“May," a blonde girl smiled, extending her hand towards me. I shook it with my own, returning the smile. She reminded me somewhat of Chloe, but I’m sure this girl is smarter. Or at least, I hope.

“Jenna," the last girl stated. She had brown hair, the same type as Marissa. They were around the same height, too.

I guess Noah was wrong. They seem pretty nice, as far as I’m concerned. “So who is your date?”

I turned to Jenna before pointing over my shoulder, in the direction of our table. “Noah.”

“Noah?” she asked before turning to Marissa. “As in your brother Noah?”

 Marissa nodded, a proud smile on her lips. “Yep, she managed to get him to attend.”

Cleona grinned, glancing over my shoulder at Noah, I’m guessing. “So that’s who that is. He doesn’t look all that different, a heck of a lot better, but I didn’t even consider that it could be him when he walked in; mainly because I thought that he would never show up to another one of Ethel’s celebrations. But boy, did he grow up well.”

My nose was slightly wrinkled. Aren’t they family? She caught my eye and shook her head, offering a laugh. “Ethel’s sister is my father’s wife. So we aren’t related. Technically, I’m not even related to Marissa by blood.”

I just nodded in response, my lips pursed. I still don’t like the things she said about Noah; they don’t settle well in my stomach. May furrowed her eyebrows. “How did you get him to come with you?” She suddenly covered her mouth. “Not that you’re not pretty, it’s just…he’s Noah.”

My eyebrows were furrowed, too. “It wasn’t very hard.”

“Do you guys have a deal? Do you owe him something for this? Are you going to clean his car in return?” Cleona joked.

I snorted. “He may have agreed to be my date, but I doubt he’ll let me anywhere near his car.” Other than, you know, driving me here and back to my house.

The girls laughed. Marissa grinned at me. “So how’d you get him to say yes?”

I shrugged in Jenna’s direction. “I just asked.”

The girls waited for further explanation before May spoke again. “You just…asked?”

I nodded, becoming uncomfortable with the way they were glancing at me. Do they think I’m lying? “Well, he just woke up so he probably wasn’t fully there.”

The girls laughed in response and I sent a curious look to Marissa who just smiled and nodded. Why is it such a surprise that I got Noah to come with me? Eventually, after much small talk, the girls went back to their dates and Marissa and I walked over towards the table. “Why were they so surprised?”

Marissa shrugged. “After two whole years, which is approximately thirty or so galas, Noah finally shows up. And he is with a girl. Nobody really knows the girl. It’s weird enough seeing him here, never mind with a girl.”

“Do they know about Chloe?” I asked her and she nodded.

“Yeah, that wasn’t the first time Noah turned a girl down, too. He turned down my father’s friend’s daughter. In his defense, she was two years younger than him, but I don’t see how that really matters. I mean, she was mature for her age. She was smart and cool. We were friends before she moved away.” Marissa shrugged as we approached the table.

“Why’d he say yes to me then?” I asked her and she shrugged.

“I don’t know. And that’s why everyone is so curious," she replied.

The conversation of Noah died down and nothing replaced it, but I didn’t really mind. I was curious, too. “Want to dance?” Marissa nodded in response to Eric’s question and the two left me and Noah alone at the table. Be yourself.

“What did you guys talk about?” Noah asked, practically glaring at the group of teenage girls on the dance floor.

“You," I replied casually, my mind on an entirely differently subject. I was thinking of ways that Noah would react if Marissa told him what I said.

I suddenly realized that I’d admitted our topic of conversation and before I could correct myself, his head whipped in my direction. I had gotten used to his eyes looking past me. This time, though, his eyes were narrowed and he stared at my hair.

“What about me?” he asked curiously.

I coughed, trying to buy myself some time. “Uh, just about your new haircut.” That was good enough right?

“I haven’t gotten a haircut in, like, a year,” he responded. My eyes trailed upwards towards his hair. I wanted to reach out and poke it, mainly because it looked soft, but also because I just wanted to.

“Did I say haircut? I meant your snazzy tie.” I snapped my fingers as I said the word ‘snazzy.’ I’m not sure if it’s even a word; and if it is, I doubt people use it.

He snorted before crossing his arms. I sunk lower in my seat. “They were asking me how I got you to agree to be my date.”

He furrowed his eyebrows and his arms dropped from his chest. “Oh, what’d you say?”

I don’t know what surprises me more: The fact that we’re having a civil conversation or that he wants to know what I said about him. “I said that I just asked.”

“You mean nagged," he corrected.

“You could have just slammed the door in my face.” I refrained from saying, ‘like you did to Chloe.’  

“I could have," he shrugged. I could tell that the conversation was coming to an end so I decided to ask the question that everyone was asking me.

“Why’d you even say yes?” I tried to sound nonchalant, but I might have failed.

“Why not?” he answered my question with a question.

“I can think of a hundred reasons,” I told him. “So are you going to answer the question truthfully or not?”

“Name them," he instructed. “And maybe I’ll answer the question.”

I chewed my lip as I thought of five reasons to start off with. “For one, you rarely go to these things.”

He nodded so I continued, motioning downwards towards myself. “I’m, well, me.”

“I didn’t offer you anything in return. So it’s not like you’re getting anything out of this,” I muttered.

“According to you, everyone here is obnoxious,” I explained, motioning to the people around us. “So it’s not like you have some catching up to do with your old friends.”

I felt uncomfortable saying the next one, but I managed to say it before I could think too hard. “Not to be intrusive, but it’s obvious that you and Ethel don’t get along. I don’t see why you’d happily attend her gala, especially with your sister’s creepy friend.”

He didn’t react like I expected him to. But then again, I expected him to explode with rage, demanding that I butt out of his life before storming out of the building. “Need I say more?”

“Yeah,” Noah nodded and I wanted to groan aloud.

“Uh, the only thing you do here is sit around because it doesn’t look like you’ll be asking anyone to dance anytime soon.” I foraged through my brain for any other reasons why he could have said no. “You can’t read because it’s impossible thanks to the noise.”

“More?” I questioned and he nodded as he stared out into crowd. I nervously clicked my heels together. Just being around him has me on edge, so I focused on Marissa’s words. “Um, Marissa told me that you don’t like formal clothing, so being forced to wear a tuxedo for four hours straight doesn’t seem very fun.”

“Is that enough?” I asked him and he shook his head. “Well, I can’t think of anymore!”

“That was barely eight reasons; I was expecting one hundred," he told me, the corners of his lips quirking upwards before he readjusted his features.

“So you’re not going to answer my question?” I sighed and he shook his head, biting his lip to stop from smiling.

“Why don’t you smile?” I asked him.

“Why don’t you?” he said in response.

“I do," I retorted.

“I’ve seen you smile once and it was when you were attacking Ronnie,” he stated as he stared at the wall ahead of him. He’s tuned into the conversation, though, despite his lack of acknowledgment.

“What? Are you serious? I was smiling?!” I began to panic.

“Nope," he responded casually. “You looked more demonic than you did happy.”

I choked in the breath of relief I just exhaled. He glanced at me as I was kneeled over, coughing my lungs out. “How attractive.”

Now I was leaned over, having a coughing fit, and I was blushing from embarrassment. This is what he does to me, people. Once my breathing was back to normal, after a good minute or so, I sipped my water. “Never, and I mean never, tell anyone about that.”

“What? About your demonic side?” he questioned.

“Or how you fell in the store?” I retorted, snorting.

He offered me a flat look before licking his top teeth, most likely out of annoyance. “I hate you.”

“Hate is a strong word, but I really, really, really don’t like you.” I responded.

“Please don’t," he stated.

“You caught that?” I questioned. I didn’t expect him to recognize the lyrics. Especially because they were lyrics from the Plain White T’s.

He nodded. “Unfortunately.”

Eric and Marissa soon returned to the table, sitting down. They had been kissing, that was extremely obvious. Eric still had some of Marissa’s lipstick smeared on his mouth. Noah groaned and muttered vaguely. “Gross.”

I wrinkled my nose and pointed to my mouth. “Eric, you got a little something right there.”

Marissa looked at him and blushed, handing him a napkin. He quickly wiped it from his face, placing the napkin back down onto the table. “So are you two going to dance?”

I stared at Eric, silently cursing him for being so oblivious. “Of course they are.”

I turned my glare to Marissa, only to see her grinning at her brother. I didn’t even want to look at Noah, knowing that he’d most likely be mirroring my actions. “Actually we won’t.”

“Why not?” Marissa asked, her attitude too perky to be normal.

“Because,” I simply replied, feeling as if that was enough.

Marissa frowned, poking out her lower lip. “Won’t you guys dance? For me?”

I snorted. “No.”

“You’re mean," she stated.

I shrugged. “I know.” I smirked in satisfaction.

“What do you think, Noah?” Marissa asked and my eyes widened. She just wants to embarrass me!

“No,” Noah hastily stated, leaving no room for argument. I felt sad for some reason, but I also felt relieved. I wasn’t a very good dancer, so dancing with a cute yet intimidating guy wasn’t on my bucket list. I just couldn’t help but feel a bit bad that he didn’t even consider it.

<<>><<>> 

“Let’s go dance!” Marissa exclaimed, grabbing my arm. After an hour and a half of sitting around with Noah, either making small talk or saying nothing at all, Marissa decided that enough was enough.

I got up and followed her onto the dance floor. Now she was going to pay for embarrassing me earlier. “You don’t seem to be showing him a good time.”

“Why would you do that?” I ignored her statement.

She laughed as she twirled around, a bit overdramatically, might I add. I wasn’t dancing, just standing there with my arms crossed as she twirled around me. “Do what?”

“You put me on the spot!” I stated. “You already knew that Noah didn’t want to dance with me.”

“I know why he said no,” Marissa said as she danced in circles around me, giggling wildly. I doubt she’s drunk. She can’t be, right? This is her mother’s celebration, where all of her family is hanging out. She’s underage. Her mother will kill her.

“Is it because he abhors the idea of touching me?” I curiously asked, waiting for her to come back into my line of vision before speaking.

“Nope," she laughed. “He can’t dance.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “What?”

She scowled as she stopped in front of me, putting her hands on my shoulders. “He can’t dance. He’s really bad at it.”

I nodded, not quite believing her. “And are you sure that you’re not just saying this to help heal my ego?”

She snorted. “Your ego should be the size of the moon right now.”

“And why is that?” I questioned.

“You managed to get Noah Rivers to come to the gala with you," she replied, finally staying still.

I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “Everyone keeps saying that. He was probably just in a good mood. Why do people keep revolving it around who got him to come and how they did it? Why can’t they just be grateful that he’s here?”

“My family doesn’t work like that. You see, he is the child with the mind of his own. I, on the other hand, do anything and everything my parents tells me without skipping a beat," she stated. “He’s been through a lot and because of that, he’s grown independent. I have no doubt that he’ll be something in the real world, while I may not.”

“You’re drunk,” I told her, staring into her eyes. They were glassy as she giggled wildly.

“That’s not the point! I have to do what my parents tell me to in order to stay alive. They won’t support me when I’m twenty years old, not in college, and jobless. So I have to win them over with my good behavior and loyalty," she told me, her eyes narrowed slightly. “Do you like him? Noah, I mean?”

“You’re drunk,” I restated and she glared at me.

“Answer my question!” she stated and I shook my head.

“No, I don’t,” I responded.

She sighed before motioning towards the table. “Can you tell Eric to come over here?” I went to step away and she grabbed my arm. “Don’t think I won’t ask him if he’s had a good time; be you.” As if the voice in my head wasn’t enough; I have to deal with drunken, protective younger sister Marissa.

I nodded, walking in the direction of the table. Noah had a look of relief on his face when I told Eric that Marissa wanted to talk to him. “She’s drunk.”

“Ethel’s going to have a fit,” Noah muttered. I noticed that he loosened his tie, so now it hangs loosely around his neck. The first few buttons of his gray shirt were undone. Despite his rude personality, I can’t deny that he’s cute. And that’s an understatement.

I sat down in my seat beside him as we watched the crowd of dancers. Only a few older people were sitting down. As far as I can see, Noah and I are the only teenagers that aren’t on the dance floor. “I’m bored.”

“And I care why?” Noah retorted.

“Can we play a game?” I bravely asked. “Or something?”

“Or something," he stated. “And that something is staying quiet.”

I groaned. “You’re no fun.”

“I never said I was,” he responded.

“You never said you weren’t,” I sighed.

“Well, you never asked," he retorted.

“Okay. Noah, are you fun?” I questioned.

“Nope, not in the slightest, Kennedy," he responded.

I wrinkled my nose. He just called me Kennedy; not even my teachers call me Kennedy. “Did you just call me Kennedy?”

He nodded. “I did.”

“Don’t.” I shook my head. My name sounds weird rolling off of his tongue. I think that’s the first time he’s addressed me.

“Why not?” he asked. “I like it.”

My cheeks heated up and I wanted to crawl under the table. “It’s weird. Call me Kenna.”

“No, I’d rather not. I’ll call you Kennedy," he responded. “Or I can call you Ken.”

“No, Kennedy it is,” I muttered. I tried to think of an embarrassing nickname for Noah. “If you call me Kennedy, I’m going to call you…”

“There aren’t any nicknames for Noah.” He shrugged. “No isn’t really a nickname, either.”

I groaned. “That’s not fair.”

“Life isn’t fair," he stated.

“I know. Now can we play that game?” I asked.

“We’re supposed to be playing ‘or something," he chided.

“Come on. I’m bored and I know that you’re bored,” I retorted. “Let’s just play a game.”

“We’re playing ‘or something.’ We’re supposed to be quiet. I’m winning so far," he explained.

I decided to bug him. That’s a key to fun, right? That’s what Marissa said. “Noah.”

He didn’t respond. “Noah.”

“Noah," I repeated. “Noah.”

“Noah,” I sang. “I have an important question.”

“Wait for it," I told him. “Wait.”

“Do you wanna build a snowman?” I asked and he gave me a flat look.

“You’re really annoying," he stated.

“I know. I’m just bored," I sighed, fidgeting in my seat. “Can we play a g—?”

“Fine, what game?” Noah snapped, cutting me off mid-sentence. I felt a smirk pulling at the corners of my lips as I shrugged.

“I don’t know. You can choose,” I told him.

“Let me get this straight: You harass me about playing a stupid game yet you don’t even have one in mind?” he snapped.

“I have a game in mind, I just thought I’d let you pick,” I told him, shrugging.

“I swear you’re like a small child. I cook for you; I have to take you places; and you’re annoying as sh—.”

“No swearing,” I chided. He exhaled through his nose, closing his eyes momentarily. His fingers went to his temples before he looked at me again. “Now do you want to play would you rather? Or 20 questions?”

“Would you rather, you start," he told me, breathing heavily. I can tell he was annoyed. What’s the worst he could do? Push me down a flight of stairs? I glanced around warily. Good, no stairs anywhere in the vicinity.

“Would you rather be eaten by sharks or lions?” I asked curiously.

His eyebrows rose as he rested his head against his palm. “What a great way to start off the game. I have to say the sharks. Would you rather be able to read minds or fly?”

“Read minds, definitely. Would you rather eat a whole entire bar of soap or a bottle of dish detergent?” I asked.

He looked at me as if I were stupid. “I would die.”

“You don’t actually have to do it! It’s a question. Now answer it.” I told him.

“Can I choose the brand of soap?” he asked. I gave him a slow nod. “Okay, then the bar of soap. Would you rather speak every language in the world or play every instrument in the world?”

“The instruments, you can’t really get famous for knowing every language,” I shrugged. “Would you rather live without television or music?”

“Uh, television," he told me. “Would you rather have one wish granted today or three wishes granted over the span of ten years?”

“I would use the one wish to—," I began.

“And no, you can’t wish for more wishes," he told me, earning a frown in response.

“Then three wishes over the span of ten years. Would you rather only eat salad or meat?” I asked.

He wrinkled his nose. “Meat, would you rather—?”

“This is boring!” I exclaimed suddenly.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “You’re the most annoying person I’ve ever met.”

I shrugged, resting my head on the table. “I’m hungry.”

“We’re going to be eating at 9:30,” he responded.

“9:30?!” I snapped. “We have to wait an entire hour!”

“There’s a store down the street; go buy yourself some chips," he retorted, earning a frown from me.

“But I don’t want to go, it is dark out,” I complained.

“Shut up," he groaned. “Either stop complaining or go to the store.”

The DJ, who finally stopped playing classical music, announced another couple’s dance and Ethel’s eyes caught mine. She walked over towards Noah and me, so I nudged him. “What?” he snapped before he realized why I nudged him.

“Why aren’t you guys dancing?” she asked us. “You haven’t gotten out of your seat this entire time, Noah. We’re going to eat before the adults talk; there will be no dancing after 9:30 so I advise you two to dance while you can.”

I offered her a nod and she stared at us expectantly. Did she expect us to hop up and go onto the dance floor? “Well?” Noah crossed his arms over his chest. “Aren’t you guys going to go dance?”

I stared at Noah, only to see that he was standing up. Grabbing my arm, he yanked me towards the dance floor. Rather than stopping, he continued to pull me towards the exit. “Where are we going?”

Once we were out of the party, Noah sighed. “You said you were hungry, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah, but—.”

“But what? You don’t want chips, or something?” he asked.

“Or something sounds good,” I told him, swinging my purse back and forth as we walked in the direction of the gas station located down the street.

He didn’t bother to respond, so I stayed silent. When we arrived at the gas station, I looked around. My eyes landed on a bag of potato chips and I smiled, plucking it from the shelf. I grabbed a vanilla cake and a chocolate bar, placing them on the counter. The man behind the counter rang it up and accepted my money. Grabbing the bag, I walked towards Noah with my eyebrows furrowed. “Aren’t you hungry?”

“Nope," he responded, walking out of the gas station. He didn’t bother to hold the door, and I didn’t expect him to, so I held my hand out as I left the gas station. It wasn’t too hot out, a cool 50 degrees Fahrenheit. It wasn’t very windy, either, so I was grateful. I snatched the bag of potato chips from my bag and opened it.

Noah was ahead of me, so I didn’t bother to ask him if he wanted some. It was the polite thing to do; despite the fact that he said he wasn’t hungry. He ate about four hours ago, which is enough time to build an appetite. Especially when you’re six feet tall and weigh however much he does.

I finished the bag once we reached the halfway mark between the gas station and the gala. I quickly wiped my hands on a napkin that Marissa packed into my purse. I was grateful that she kept my hand sanitizer in there. Quickly rubbing that onto my hands, I let them dry before grabbing my vanilla cake out of my bag. “Will you hurry up?”

I looked up to see Noah standing a few feet away from me, his face annoyed. I was still standing beside the trash can. I planned to take the vanilla snack cake from the wrapping paper and throw the paper out. I hate littering. “Give me a second.”

I quickly tossed the paper into the trash before walking towards Noah, catching up to him. I quickly broke the cake in half, revealing a creamy, vanilla center. “Want a piece?”

He shook his head. I raised the cake up towards his face and waved it around. “You know you want to.”

He jerked his head backwards, away from the cake. “Your hand smells like hand sanitizer.”

I nodded. “Because I applied some, now take the snack.”

He shook his head, dodging the cake like a bullet. “Take it! My arm is getting tired from holding it up.”

“Then put your arm down and you eat the cake," he responded and I tripped on an uneven step, my ankle twisting and the cake slamming into his face as I fell. I managed to save my piece by holding it out in front of me. My hand that smeared Noah’s cake onto his face was now holding me upward. I don’t think I got any on his tuxedo.

I fell to the floor, my elbow scraping the ground, along with my knees and my left hand. Whatever traces of cake that my hand once had on it were now smeared along the grass. My right elbow was helping to keep me up, mainly because my piece of cake was in that hand and it was my motivation. As I stood up, wiping my knees and dress off with my left hand, I noticed Noah standing there with an annoyed look on his face.

His mouth was cover in vanilla cake, along with his chin and his cheek. His arms were crossed over his sides as I stared at him, holding back a laugh. He curled his lips into his mouth before his eyebrows furrowed. He continued to lick his lips, taking in the vanilla cake. “Good, right?” I asked, offering him a smile, despite the fact that my elbow was probably bloody.

He nodded and I held out my right hand, offering him my piece of cake. He took it and continued to eat it while I stood beside him, smiling a small smile. Nobody can deny cake, not even the meanest people.

<<>><<>> 

Marissa was practically out cold on the table. Her head was resting on her arms as she snored lightly. Eric was sitting beside her, staring at her with a soft smile on his face, despite her messed up makeup and her sloppy hair. If I’m not mistaken, he’s in love with her. But what do I know?

The hour that we had to wait for the food came and went, and whatever food that was in my stomach was now gone, mainly because I spent half of the hour walking back from the gas station, and the other half laughing with Noah. He had a fit that he couldn’t be seen with vanilla cake on his face so I had to run inside and grab him some napkins, only to come outside and see him trying to rid his cheek of the cake with his tongue. In case you were wondering, he was failing.

Every time I looked at him, I had to stifle a laugh. All I could see was a boy covered in cake, even though he was no longer covered in vanilla frosting. They started handing out the food, which was a nice steak dinner or lasagna. I chose the steak dinner, while Noah chose the lasagna. The guy who was handing the meals out seemed surprised at my choice of steak but I didn’t think much of it. Steak is good, I like steak.

I looked at Noah and he rolled his eyes at me before going back to his food. I let out a quiet laugh, earning an odd look from Eric. “Am I missing something?”

I looked up at him and shook my head.  We continued to eat, everyone at the table practically inhaling the food. Marissa, on the other hand, was still asleep. They didn’t deliver her food. Ethel was glaring at her daughter’s head every so often though, and I had the urge to take Marissa back to her house and put her to sleep.

When we all finished eating, some adults came over towards the table. Noah quickly excused himself to use the bathroom and I glared at him before turning my attention to the ladies who approached our table. They weren’t the same ones from earlier. They aren’t as proper as Vivian. “You must be Kenna.”

My eyebrows furrowed and I nodded. They know me? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? “Yes, that’s me.”

“I’m Paige," the tan lady introduced, extending her hand for me to shake. I took it in my own. Her hair was dark brown along with her eyes.

“Nice to meet you," I smiled before taking the other lady’s’ extended hand.

“I’m Paige." She was definitely Asian. She had short black hair, with a single red streak down the side. My eyebrows furrowed as I told her that it was nice to meet her, too. They laughed at my expression while Eric stared in confusion. So they're both named Paige.

I just nodded as I stared at them. “You’re Noah’s date?”

I nodded again. “Yeah, that’s me.”             

“So, how is he? I saw him scurry off to the bathroom a few moments ago," the tan Paige said, her eyes glimmering amusedly.

“He’s okay,” I told them, nodding awkwardly. It’d be a lot easier if he were here to answer these questions for himself.

“How long have you two been dating?” the second Asian Paige asked me.

I began to stutter before shaking my head. “We aren’t dating.”

“Are you two friends?” the first Paige asked.

Deciding not to make things even more confusing, I nodded. “Yeah, we’re friends.”

“Ah, Kenna, do you like him?” the first Paige asked.

My eyes widened slightly at her bluntness. “Uh, no, I don’t.” Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell her. I don’t even know who they are.

“You didn’t sound so sure," she replied, winking.

The other Paige turned her attention to Eric, so I had to deal with the brown haired one, but they were equally as bad. At least my date wasn’t slumped over, sleeping on the table. “Well, I am.”

I tried to sound as polite as possible but it’s hard to do so; especially when people are demanding you tell them whether or not you like someone. “Okay, whatever you say.” She offered me another wink.

I pressed a smile, trying to make it look genuine. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find Noah.”

I stood up, pushing myself up from the chair. I walked over towards the area where Noah disappeared, my eyes narrowed in search of the dark haired boy. Once I spotted him talking to a guy around our age, I walked over. “Noah.”

“Hello, Kennedy," he stated once he glanced at me. I furrowed my eyebrows at his politeness. “This is Marissa’s cousin Floyd. Floyd, this is Kennedy.”

“So you’re Kenna?” Floyd asked, smiling at me. He had the familial brown hair, but his eyes were blue, like Noah's. I appreciated his face for a moment before glancing at Noah.

“I sure am Kenna,” I replied. “Hello, Floyd.”

He grinned at me, reaching out and taking my hand in his own. “It’s nice to meet you.”

I nodded, shaking his hand awkwardly. I didn’t prompt the handshake, he just reached out and grabbed my arm that was going to grab Noah and drag him away. Once he let go of my hand, which took a bit too long for my liking, I turned to Noah who was looking around, bored. “Noah, you just left me over there with the chapter.”

“Chapter?” Floyd asked but Noah had understood me. He left me with two ladies named Paige.

I laughed, smiling awkwardly. “Yeah, chapter.”

Floyd expected me to continue explaining but I didn’t. Instead, I turned to Noah who had an amused look on his face, his lips curled into his mouth to hide a smile. He was obviously enjoying my discomfort. He shared a look with Floyd, who was smirking, before he looked back at me. “So Noah, I think—.”

“Are you two dating?” Floyd asked me, cutting me off. I turned to him, shaking my head.

“No, we’re not," I told him. “We’re…friends.” I stressed the word. I don’t think we’re friends. What’s with this guy and his incessant talking? Can’t he see I’m trying to have a conversation with Noah?

“Oh, so you’re single?” he asked me, his eyebrows rising.

My hands were now crossed over my chest. “What’s it to you?”

He smiled, raising his hands defensively. “Nothing, I’m just asking.”

I let out a huff of breath before turning to Noah. “As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted—.”

“What? Someone interrupted you? They’re rude,” Floyd said, a smirk forming on his lips.

I clenched my teeth, turning to look at him. “They sure are.”

Floyd nodded, a smile on his lips as he looked at me. I turned to Noah, letting out a dramatic sigh. “Eric wants to go home.”

“So tell him to go home,” Noah shrugged.

“He doesn’t want to just leave Marissa,” I told him.

“When did he say this?” Noah asked.

I shrugged. “He didn’t have to. I could tell by the way he was looking at me when Paige and Paige turned their attention to him.”

“Okay, so? What am I supposed to do about it?” Noah questioned.

I heaved a sigh. “You’re supposed to bring Marissa home.”

“And you can’t?” he asked.

I held out my hand. “Give me the keys to your car.”

He had a grimace on his face before he turned to Floyd. “Say your goodbyes because we’re about to hit the road.”

Before I could get my feet to work, Noah walked off, his long strides taking him into the crowd of people. I wanted to shoot a dart into his back. “So?”

I turned to Floyd. “I have to go. Bye.”

I went to walk away but he stopped me. “Wait.”

“What?” I asked, growing impatient.

Floyd was grinning at me, enjoying my annoyance. “Can I have your number?”

I stared at him, my mouth slightly open as a bewildered look found its way onto my face. “What? Why?”

“Because—,” I cut him off by shaking my head. Cute yet creepy.

“I have to go, bye.” I told him, walking in the direction Noah disappeared in. He was standing by the table, helping Marissa stand up. She was half awake, her head resting on Eric’s shoulder. I walked over and grabbed her purse along with my own.

Once Eric had Marissa in his arms, Noah walked a little ahead, intending to find to the valet man so he can get the car. “Noah!”

At the sound of his name, Noah glanced backwards and stopped, earning a sigh from me. “Noah! You just left me back there with Floyd!”

“I know,” Noah responded once I reached him.

“Why?!” I asked.

“He was flirting with you,” Noah shrugged. “We aren’t dating; it’s not my job to stop guys from flirting with you.”

“I was obviously uncomfortable!” I told him. “I would have helped you out if you were with a girl who was making you uncomfortable!”

He snorted again. “But it was funny. Did you give him your number?”

“No!” I exclaimed. “I ran away!”

“Wimp," he muttered.

“Noah!” I exclaimed.

“Do you have to be so difficult?” he groaned, rubbing his head as he reached the valet man.

“Nope, I choose to be,” I responded, earning a glare in response.

<<>><<>> 

After we got Marissa into the car, Noah drove me towards my house. The lights were still on and Noah noticed this. “Is someone in your house?”

I nodded. “My mom, she just got home.”

He nodded as I unbuckled my seatbelt.  “Thanks.”

“For what?” he asked me.

“Going with me to the gala and bringing me home,” I told him as I grabbed my purse.

“Oh," he responded.

“I’ll see you at school on Monday," I told him, awkwardly getting out of the car.

“I’ll see you," he responded.

I walked up the steps to my house and grabbed my keys from my purse. Noah drove away once I opened the door and stepped inside.