Telling Jade, Nicci, and Kim about Seth asking me to go with him to a party was quite nerve-wracking and arguably the scariest experience of my entire life. It involved a lot of yelling and long lectures about how he was bad for me and that I should stay away from him. You know, all that normal stuff which didn't get better when I told them that I agreed to go with him.

"We are not telling you all these things to screw around with you, Vega. We've known him significantly longer than you so we know some of the things he might do to you. He will break your heart, one way or another!" Jade repeatedly yelled at me. 

Normally I'm far too passive to fight back in any way. My typical reaction to being yelled at usually consists of sitting back and taking it, however, today wasn't a normal day and much to both mine and the rest of the group's surprise I stood up and yelled back at Jade. The three girls stood frozen as I scolded all of them for trying to control my life and that I was capable of making my own decisions. I knew none of that was going to end the argument though so I told Jade that if Seth did ever break my heart then she had my blessing to beat him up, as you can imagine this made her quite happy and the argument between us ended then and there. 

That didn't end their concerns though so Nicci worked her magic of flirtation and managed to secure the three of them an invitation to Mason's party, not wanting to start another argument with my new friends I bit my tongue and held back my objections about them coming with and spying on me. Besides, I had another problem coming my way one that might prove significantly more difficult than telling my friends about my date- I had to tell my parents. 

I'm not much of an expert in situations such as this. I'm even considering that I should be like those teenagers I've seen in the movies and try to sneak out, but as soon as all the possible punishments for being caught start to cross my mind I push the thought of sneaking out far far away. 

Luckily for me, I have the whole walk home and a few hours before my parents get home to figure out what I'm going to tell them. Only instead of finding solutions all I'm capable of doing at this point is finding more and more things I shouldn't say like the word boy for example. 

That's when it hit me, finally, a solution to my problem had presented itself. I didn't have to tell my parent about Seth at all, I could just tell them I was going to the party with the girls and to be extra careful I can tell Seth to pick me up down the street. 

I wanted to take a moment to congratulate myself on my genius but my mini celebration was short-lived when my eyes landed on my father's car parked out in the driveway. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and looked at the time in confusion, my father shouldn't be home for another hour or so. 

Filled with both confusion and an overwhelming sense of curiosity I slowly opened the front door and called out into the supposed-to-be empty house. 

"Dad!" 

I didn't get an instant vocal response to my cry but as I prepared myself to call out again a tall man with dirty blond hair walked out of the living room as if he belonged there. 

His eyes shine a soft blue in the small amount of afternoon sun that was streaming in widened in shock and awe as he silently examines me. I can briefly make out a smile tug at the corners of his lips, for an intruder he seems relieved and slightly happy to see me, which causes a pit to form in my stomach. Why is he happy to see me? 

"Good afternoon," he greets me in a British accent, his voice is calm and deep which fits with his demeanour. 

He is calm; I on the other hand am the complete opposite of calm. 

"Who are the fuck are you and what are you doing in my house!" I yell, my eyes racking over my surroundings looking for anything I could use as a weapon in case I have to fight him. 

My outburst shocks I'm slightly but he recovers quickly and that damn smile quickly returns. 

"Relax, darling, I'm not going to hurt you," he chuckles and holds his hands up in mock surrender. 

Just as I'm about to yell at him again another tall figure emerges from the living room. Thankfully this time it's my father and not another random stranger, and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. I'm not alone with this man. 

"Hi honey, how was your day?" he asks taking off his glasses. He doesn't seem freaked out by the man standing between us so this must be someone from his work. 

I can feel a small blush of embarrassment rise into my cheeks as the realization that I might have yelled at one of my father's coworkers or even his boss creeps into my mind. 

"Dad, who is this?" I ask in a much calmer and more polite tone. 

"Oh well... this is...um... this is," he stumbles but the man raises his hand silencing my father and turns to look at me. 

"My name is Chris I'm an old friend of your father's," He looks down at the watch on his wrist. "A friend who should get going, thank you for the help, Tim." 

"Anytime Chris," my dad smiles at him. 

The two men share hands before Chris walks past me and leaves the house. 

"I didn't know you had friends in Los Angeles." 

My dad shrugs. "Neither did I. I thought Chris still lived in London, but it seems he moved here just recently." 

It sounded believable but something about the way my father told the brief story made me want to question it further. But, I decided against it and just went up to my room to start on my homework and prepare how I was going to tell my parents about the party. 

Not long after I heard my mother walk through the door I rushed downstairs and pulled her into the living room where my father was still working. 

"Vega, what's going on?" my exhausted mother asks me as I gently push her onto the sofa next to my father who is looking at the two of us confused. 

"Yeah, what is going on here?"

I take a step back so that I'm looking down at them. Even after nearly two hours of rehearsing while writing an essay for English I still couldn't prepare myself from the nerves forming in my stomach. 

"Well, okay um...Jade, Nicci, and Kim asked me to go to a party with them tomorrow night and I would like to go." 

Even though I rush through the whole thing I know they still understood what I was asking. They were surprised by my request and I couldn't blame them, I've never been someone who wanted to go to parties always claiming that they seemed like a waste of my time and energy. but this case was different I had never been asked on a date before, at least that's what I think this is. 

After a few agonizingly slow minutes of watching them silently communicate with one another both of them nodded. 

My mom smiles at me. "You can go to the party." 

"Oh my god thank you thank you thank you!" I shriek, all of the nervous butterflies that were swarming the inside of my stomach had disappeared. 

"But there are a few ground rules," my dad says slightly raising his voice to overpower my shrieking.

I roll my eyes but my smile is still there. "Of course there are." 

"First off you have to be back home at ten p.m. sharp." 

"That's fine."

"No drinking, no drugs, and certainly no funny business with boys."

"Okay."

"How are you going to get there?" my mom asks the question I was preparing for. 

"I'm meeting Jade up at her cousin's house just down the road."

Satisfied with my answer they dismissed me and went about their own business while I rushed to my phone and looked for the paper containing Seth's number. After entering him into my contact list sent him a message. 

Me: Hey it's Vega from homeroom. Tomorrow when you pick me up, wait for me at Gerald's Corner Store.

Not five minutes later I got a text back.

Seth: Hey! Sure thing. Let me guess you don't want your parents to see me. 😏

Me: Yeah, I told them I was going with Jade, Nicci, and Kim. They would freak out if they saw I was going with a boy.

Seth: 😂 Yeah some parents are like that. See u tom.

Me: K

Me: Night 😴

Seth: Goodnight Vega 💤

A sigh of frustration breaks past my lips as I critically examine the last of my acceptable outfits. With the party and maybe a date with Seth on my mind, the whole day went by like a blur and now I've been standing in my bathroom for the last two hours trying to decide what to wear with only thirty-five minutes left until Seth comes to pick me up. 

Honestly, I feel like this is only a problem girls have, especially teenage girls and standing here looking at myself in the mirror I can't help but start wishing someone had written a manual on how to be a teenage girl going to a party for the first time.

If I were a writer I would consider doing it myself. I chuckle at the thought of it. The Problems of Being a Teenage Girl by Vega Kate Volume One. Chapter One: Choosing an outfit is the worst. 

"Too bad I don't have a good fashion sense," I sigh tossing the last outfit into the pile of my other clothes.

"I have something that will look good on you," my mom suddenly says from behind me which causes me to scream and my heart to nearly break free from my chest. 

"When did you get home?" I ask her once my heart rate gets back down to normal. 

"Five minutes ago. I came up here to see how you were doing and I saw all of this," she chuckles as she points at the heap of clothing on the floor.

"I don't know what to wear," I sigh. 

She smiles and cocks her head in a motion that beckons me to follow her.

"Come on, I have a dress that will look beautiful on you." 

Quietly I follow my mom to her and my dad's room and take a seat on their bed while she starts searching through her closet. 

"So what's his name?" she asks her back still facing me.

Chapter Two: Damn motherly instincts: Mothers know everything.

"I don't know who you're talking about?" I mumble under my breath trying to play dumb.

This didn't work and when she turns back to face me I can see her smile has turned into an amused smirk. 

"I was a teenager once and I went to parties with my friends but I never got dressed up for them. The only time I did that was if there was going to be a boy I liked at the party. So I'm going to ask you again, what is his name?" 

"You can't tell Dad," I say to her keeping my voice to a whisper so that nobody else but her can hear it.

"Cross my heart," she promises while making an X over her heart with her finger. 

"His name is Seth King, he's in my homeroom and my maths class." 

"Is he picking you up?" she asks with a mischievous grin. 

"Yeah, down the street."

She laughs at this. "That's a good plan, now let's get you ready." She turns back to her closet and pulls out a knee-length, long-sleeved red dress and a cute pair of silver heels to complete the outfit. 

"It's beautiful, when did you get it?" I ask as I marvel at the dress, pressing its soft fabric between my fingers. 

"About a year before I got pregnant with you. Obviously, I got too big to wear it and even after the birth I just never got back to the same weight I was before." 

"That's a shame it would look good on you."

"Well now it's yours," she says. "And the shoes," she adds. 

"Thank you," I whisper as I hug her. 

"You're welcome, now go get ready for the party."

Smiling like a goofball I rush back to my bathroom and put on the new dress and shoes. My time is running out so I quickly brush out my hair and leave it loose, and to add some extra bling I put on a small silver bracelet and a butterfly necklace I've had for a few years. 

As I finish getting ready my phone rings signaling a message has just been received. 

Seth: I'm at the location. How far are you, over?

Me: I'm on my way

Me: Over

Seth: Got it. See u soon.

Seth: Over and out.

I put my phone into my purse and rush down the stairs.

"Okay, I'm heading out!" I call out to my parents who have retreated to the kitchen. 

"Have fun sweetie!" my mom yells back.

"Ten p.m.!" my dad yells. 

"Bye."

I want to try and rush to his car but because of my lack of experience walking in heels, I have to take slow and small steps which gives me time to name the next chapter of my imaginary manual. Chapter Three: Heels: fancy shoes to make you look good, or a device designed to make you fall and break your neck? 

Eventually, I reach the corner store where I spot Seth leaning against the outside of his car wearing his normal outfit which consists of a black shirt, black jeans and sneakers it makes me start to wonder if maybe I overdressed, but as soon as he spots me a small smile tugs on his lips which eases my worry. 

I smile and nervously wave at him. "Hey."   

"Wow, you clean up well." He smirks, his eyes looking me up and down like a wolf looking at his prey. 

"Well, I try," I chuckle. 

His smirk turns into a smile. It's the kind of smile that could make any girl's legs feel weak. "Well, you look gorgeous and we should get going." 

When we get to the house I'm surprised to see how packed it was. Teenagers already holding drinks in their hands flooded the interior and exterior of the place and a small bundle of nerves started forming in the pit of my stomach. I'm nervous to go in but at least I'll have Seth with me, and if all else fails my friends will be here as well. 

"Your friend really knows how to through a party," I say as I climb out of the car. 

"Yeah, he does. Let's head inside." 

I follow closely behind Seth up to the front door. When he swings it open music begins to pour out of the house and I stare in shock and a mild sense of awe at all of the kids, cheering, drinking and dancing all over each other. The scent of alcohol reeks in the air and I have to force myself not to throw up. 

"You okay?" Seth asks me. 

"This is the first high school party I've ever been invited to," I suddenly blurt out. 

I expect him to burst out laughing call me a loser and then ditch me for the rest of the night but instead, he just nods his head and gently takes my hand in his. The cold feeling pulses through my veins but I ignore it and allow him to pull me into the house. 

"I'll be right there beside you!" he yells over the music and as much as I try to fight it I can't help but feel comforted by him. 

Not long after we joined the party Seth introduced me to a small group of his friends. He engaged in small talk with them while I stood slightly back. But, Seth didn't let me wander away too far and every so often he encouraged me to join the conversation, but I was still nervous so it was hard for me. 

Chapter Four: How do I make small talk at a party?

 Apart from that I followed my dad's rules and declined all drinks and other stuff that was offered to me. Much to my surprise, I noticed Seth wasn't having anything to drink as well. 

"You don't have to not drink because of me!" I yell, hoping that he doesn't feel like he has to be different for me. 

"I don't drink anymore!" he yells back at me. "Besides, I can't drive you home if I'm drunk." 

"Good point," I laugh

He goes back to talking to one of his friends and as much as I want to try and continue this date thing we have going on I decided that maybe I should leave early since he isn't interested in me. 

Just as I'm about to tell him about my choice he turns to look and me and says, "I need to hit the head, I'll be right back and we can go dancing."

"Okay."

I watch him run up the stairs leaving me alone with his friends who quickly become interested in something else and they too leave me all on my own. I decide to look at some stuff on my phone as I wait but as I'm about to take it out I feel a hand wrap around my shoulder. Thinking it was Seth I looked up with a bright smile on my face, but to my surprise, Toby was standing there looking down at me. 

"Hey." 

"Hi," I say back to him. 

"What are you doing here?" he asks. 

"I'm here with Seth." 

At the mention of Seth's name, I see his smile disappear and a scowl of hatred takes its place but it doesn't last long so I decide not to ask any questions about it. 

"So why are you here?" I ask trying to keep the conversation going.

"I just heard there was a party and I pitched up. Although if I knew you were here I would have dressed up better," he smirks. 

He starts to lean a bit closer to me and I start to feel uneasy when I notice his lips and much too close to mine for my liking. 

"Toby—" As I'm about to tell him to take a step back a figure pulls him away from me. I look over at my rescuer and I'm relieved to see it's Seth 

"What the fuck is going on here?" he growls at Toby who pulls himself out of Seth's grasp and walks back over to me. 

"What do you think?" Toby smirks as he leans closer to me our arms just about touching. 

Seth glares at me and I can almost the thoughts swarming in his head. 

"Seth—" I start to try and explain what was happening or not happening in this case but he barely lets me get any further. 

"You know what, Toby, I think I'm done with this one you can have her."

Dread and confusion wash through me as I start to understand the meaning of the words. 

"What do you mean by that?" I ask my bottom lip wobbling as tears start to pool in my eyes. 

Seth scoffs and shakes his head as if angered by my lack of understanding. 

"I was trying to get you to sleep with me you stupid bitch," he chuckles. "But it doesn't matter anymore, you're not worth my time."

Shooting one last glare at me and Toby he turns around and walks away disappearing into the crowd. 

Chapter Five: What do when the guy who I thought was nice is actually just trying to get into my pants? My heart feels like it wants to snap in two and as much as I want to cry right now I refuse to do it in front of all of these people.

"Well, now that he's gone we can talk," Toby says clearly oblivious to the pain I'm in at the moment. 

"I just want to go home," I snap at the second boy who also only seems to want to sleep with me and isn't interested in me at all. 

I mentally curse the fact that my ride has ditched me and struggle not to laugh at the fact that that could be a good title for chapter six for a make-believe annual that was turning sadder by the minute. 

"I'll take you." 

"No, we will take her," Jade hisses from behind us.

I quickly turn to face her and the rest of the group relieved to see their faces and even more delighted that they came. Chapter Seven: Always have friends there for backup.

"Bye, Toby," I quickly say before he can start arguing with Jade and the four of us girls rush out of the house and into Jade's cars. 

"Jade," I mumble breaking the silence that was plaguing the car.

"Yeah."

"You were right about Seth," I sigh trying my best not to cry.

"I'm sorry girl." She reaches over and gently rubs my back all the way back to my house. 

When I got home it was ten o'clock on the dot and I wasn't surprised to see my dad waiting by the door for me.  

"Just in time," he says with a smile. 

"Yeah, night, Dad."

"Night, sweetie."

I head up to my room and quickly change out of my dress and into some fluffy PJs. As I climb into my bed I think back to the harsh words Seth said to me and scolded myself for being so stupid to believe that someone would find me interesting in that way. 

Tears rush back to my eyes and for the first time since we arrived in Los Angeles, I cried myself to sleep.