Joey could hardly contain her excitement that day at school.  It was Friday, which added to the glory.  All day, I would see her in the hall and she'd be giddy and laughing with her friends.  Her party was the talk of the school.  She and I were pretty much the only kids here with famous parents, so there was a bit of a wow factor.  Kids who hadn't been invited were extremely jealous.  Like Cara, who suddenly appeared in front of me at the end of the day.

"Hey," she greeted me simply.  I tried my best not to look at her cleavage, but I failed.  Quickly, I averted my eyes back to her face.

"Hi," I said.  "How's it going?"

"Oh, fine," she said, leaning against the locker next to me.  "Going to Joey's party, I assume?"

"Yeah," I said as I put a couple textbooks away and exchanged them for others.  The end of the school year was approaching and teachers were piling on the homework and projects.  "Should be pretty lit."

"I bet," she said, watching me.  "I heard Selena Gomez is gonna be there."

I looked at her.  That information was top secret.

"Uhhh...." I stammered.  I was under strict orders not to tell anybody.  Not even Joey.  That had been very hard.  My mom had arranged it all.

"Relax, Elliott," she laughed.  "I won't spill.  As long as you let me in."

I gaped for a moment.  Was she...blackmailing me?

"W-what?" I asked, staring at her.  She stepped forward, inches from my face.

"I want to be there," she told me deliberately.  "I want to party with Selena."

"Cara, this is Joey's party," I reminded her.  "Not homecoming. The guest list is really tight."

"Come on, can't you sneak me in?" she asked, adjusting the collar on my shirt.  My breath ceased momentarily and I could smell her perfume.

"Cara, I promised..." I trailed off when she cupped my chin in her fingers.

"I'm counting on you," she told me, giving me a long stare.  Her eyes lingered, then she was off.  I watched her walk away, her hips swaying side to side.  She knew I was watching.  I stood there, shaken, for a few moments before I got hold of myself enough to finish packing my bag.

A minute later, Joey was rushing up to me.

"Ready?!" she asked, grasping my hand.  It broke my heart that Cara had just been flirting with me and now here was Joey, full of joy and trust in me.  I just nodded and gave her hand a squeeze back.

We walked out to the front of the school where my mom was waiting.  She'd booked Joey an appointment at some fancy hair salon.  I tagged along because my favorite pretzel shop was next door.  I grabbed my snack then plopped down in the chair near where Joey was sitting.  She was showing the stylist pictures of a hairstyle she'd found online. She was nodding, telling her that Joey would look great.

Joey beamed as the stylist began working her magic.  I thought Joey always looked gorgeous, but I was blown away by the final product.  She looked like a movie star.

Afterwards, we went home to finish getting ready.  Joey's mom had arrived earlier that day and I knew she had mixed feelings.  We knew now that she wasn't going to try to force Joey to live in Chicago, so there was less tension.  Joey gave her mom a big hug and they started to chat.  Her mom complimented her on her hair and asked if she could help her finish getting ready.

They disappeared to Joey's bedroom.  I chilled in my own room for a while, knowing it would take a while for Joey to get ready.  Close to 6:00, Lin knocked on my door and told me it was time to start getting ready.  I planned on wearing some nice slacks, a dress shirt and tie.  The times I'd had to tie I tie were few and far between, so I had to go to Lin for help.

"Uhh...Lin?" I asked from his bedroom door, where he was just finishing up his own tie.

"Yeah, bud?" he asked.

"Could you show me how to tie this?" I asked him.

"Oh sure," he said.  "Come on over."

He began to undo his own tie, letting it drape around his neck.  He began to walk me through it step by step.  When we got to the third step, I got all jumbled so he stood in front of me and took over.

"Sorry," I told him as his fingers worked.

"'S'okay," he assured me as he tightened it.  He clapped me on the back and stepped to the side.  "Perfect."

I looked at my reflection.  I was looking...grown up.  And I liked it. 

"Do you think Joey has any idea about Selena?" he asked me quietly as he found his dress shoes in his closet.

"Not a clue," I told him.  "It should be a total surprise."

Lin seemed really excited about that surprise.  I went to my room to get my own shoes, then we went out to the living room to wait.  Alex and Jack were with their biological grandparents overnight.  As I waited, Lin and Clarita talked, and she fixed his tie a little bit.  Minutes later, Joey's door opened and I heard the click of her heels in the hall.  I froze, gulping as the steps got closer.  What emerged was a vision.

Joey was beyond gorgeous.  She was wearing a pretty green dress that came to her knees, paired with a beautiful sparkling necklace and earrings.  I'd seen the hair, but now she had full make-up and a special glow in her eyes.  Next to me, Lin was tearing up.

I really wanted to kiss her right now, but could tell this was a family gig and I needed to keep my space.  Lin and Clarita fussed over her, telling her how beautiful she looked.  Joey teared up a bit at the site of her parents losing it over her, especially her dad.  She and Lin were really close.

Soon, we were out of the house, taking a limo to the party.  When we walked in, the party was in full swing.  There was a DJ, who introduced the guest of honor, along with her parents.  The crowd roared and there was an electric energy in the air.

Soon, the music was pounding.  There was alcohol for the adults, but I'm pretty sure some of the kids were finding ways to get to it.  People were dancing everywhere, happy.  My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out.  Cara.

I'm downstairs.  Let me up?

A picture was attached, and she looked incredibly hot.  There was cleavage visible, which I'm sure wasn't a mistake.  One of my good buddies, Liam, had a huge crush on Cara and he was here at the party.  I knew it would make him happy to see her, so that's how I justified it.  I went down stairs and let her in.

She was wearing a ridiculous amount of perfume and eye makeup.  As she followed me up the stairs, she chatted away, excited about Selena.  I tried to reply politely, but not sound too enthusiastic.  We reached the party again, where the host was now starting the speeches.  I sipped at my drink as Lin talked about how his little daughter was growing into a beautiful young woman.  There was emotion in his voice and I could tell he was having a hard time.  The DJ cued up a song, You Don't Have to Let Go, by Jessica Simpson.  Lin held Joey tight the whole time as everyone watched.

At the end of the speeches, the DJ announced there was a special guest performance.  I watched Joey as he continued.

"Please welcome the one and only....Selena Gomez!"

The crowd went wild and Joey gaped, in shock, as one of her heroes emerged from behind a panel, giving her a smile and a wave.  Joey's hands went to her face, flabbergasted, as she broke into her first song.

The energy in the room was absolutely ridiculous.  I wasn't a great dancer, but I couldn't help myself.  I'd managed to get access to a bit of alcohol and it helped loosen me up.  I alternated between dancing with Joey and my friends, but really it was just a huge dance mosh.  The night was amazing.

A couple hours and a couple drinks later, a slow song hit and I stepped to the side to take a little break as Joey danced with a couple friends, being silly.  I watched her move and suddenly felt a hand grasp my forearm.  I was pulled behind a panel.

I barely had time to react when I felt lips on mine.  It was hard to see since the lights were down low, but I could smell her perfume.  Cara.

I pushed at her shoulders gently but firmly.  "C-Cara!  What are you doing?"

"Shut up, Elliott," she told me, lunging for me again.  I tried to push her away more but she was insistent.  Her mouth was on mine again, her hands going to my face as she kissed me more. 

"Cara!" I stopped again, pulling away.  "Joey's my girlfriend.  I can't be..."

"Why are you wasting your time with her?" she asked me, looking confused.  "She's a freshman.  She's a tomboy and her chest is flat as a board."

I really didn't like how she was talking about Joey and I just stood there, confused.  In the confusion, she leaned in again, aggressive, and continued to kiss me.  That's when another body came around the corner.

"Elliott, where are-"

Joey stopped dead in her tracks and the look on her face killed me.  I pushed Cara away again and she stumbled back, then turned to see Joey.

"Joey," she said judgmentally, looking my girlfriend up and down.

Joey didn't answer her.  Her eyes were on me.  "Elliott?" she asked, confused.

"Joey, it's not what it looks like-" I started, and she looked sick as I moved towards her.  She gave me a disgusted look and bolted for the door.

Shit.  I had really messed up.  I had ruined her quinceanera, and I had possibly ruined things with her.  I leaned over, feeling sick to my stomach, and rested my hands on my knees.  Cara's fingers snaked across my back as she walked by to rejoin the party.

"Find me later," she told me in a seductive voice, apparently unfazed by the fact that my girlfriend had just caught our lips together.  Something I had never wanted.  Something Cara had forced on me.

I had no words.  I just found a chair and sat down, putting my head in my hands.  What the hell was I going to do?