You're invited!!!

You're invited to my eighteenth birthday party. It will be on 8360 Carlseburg way. Food and drinks will be provided, no parental guide or alcohol. Please RSVP at this number. (916)776-3809. Thanks, hope you can make it!

I stuff the letter in my backpack and swing it over my shoulder. The weight of it makes my shoulders ache instantly.

I start leaving the school to walk home with Zach. "Hey." He says walking up to me. I wrap my arms around him and we begin walking side by side to my house.

"So, you going to the party tommorow?" I ask him. "Yah, are you?" I nod my head slowly assuring him I'll be there tommorow.

"So, how was your first week of school?" He asks me. "Good, no trouble or idoits, ya know?" He nods in understatement.

"Hey, wanna go get some pizza and then go to my house. It's only ten more minutes away so we can heat it up." I offer.

"Yah, but I choose the toppings." He says smilling, I laugh and we run over to the pizza place and walk in.

"A pepperoni pizza with mushrooms, olives, bacon, green onion, and tomatoe." He says.

"16.68." The woman says, Zach hands a twenty and get his change back.

"We'll give it to you soon." She says smilling, then goes to the kitchen. "Ugh, my mom said she wants me to get her the pizookie they sell here too." I complain.

"What's so bad about getting a giant cookie?" He asks. "I have to pay for it." After thirty minutes we get our stuff.

"You hold the pizza, I hold the pizookie." I say to Zach already grabbing it.

"Okay." He says grabbing the pizza, we quicken our steps as we walk home getting there three minutes quicker.

"Oh, yessss. Pizookie." My mom says taking it from my hands. She sets it on the table along with the pizza.

I eat some pizza with Zach and then take a piece of pizookie with ice cream to my room.

I plummet on my bed and Zack sits on my chair at my desk eating his pizookie.

"I was shocked you lived here, this was my old room." "Really, where's your name on this wall?" I ask looking around it.

He placed his finger on the name Zach Rutherford. "Wait, really, that's interesting." I say, I feel his breath on my neck and I move back to my spot on my bed and eat my pizookie.

"Why is that so interesting?" He asks sitting back on the chair, "just...cause." I say looking down in my bowl.

"...cause...?" he asks wiggling his eyebrows at me.  I snort, "stop, you're so stupid." I joke, I finish my dessert and Zach and I walk downstairs to the backyard.

"So...?" He questions, "So...what?" I ask him as we sit down on the green patchy lawn. 

"What where you gonna say earleir. You said interesting when I pointed to my name." He says, I exhale and look in his eyes.

"Well, just that I found that name attractive and appealing because it's names from people in the band the neighborhood." I say.

He nods slowley, "so, tell me about yourself." I say to him, "what do you wanna hear?" He asks leaning in close to me, I smile.

"Well, struggles, happiness, secrets. The deep stuff, so I can understand you better." I say.

He looks off into the distance and back at the ground. "Well, my dad died in a car accident and my mom left me alone. She was so sad after my dad died, so, I had to be put for adoption. This was three years ago."

"So, noone has adopted me, but soon I'll be eighteen and can figure everything out." He says, "wow, I'm so sorry." I say, he shrugs, "yah, it's fine." He says.

"So, what's your story?" He asks me, "well, that's a long one." I say. "I have time, lucky for you." He says.

"When I was young I was really unpopular. People actually made fun of me occasionally. Through elementary and middle school. I worked my way to be popular."

"I had become the most popular girl in the school. But, found out my boyfriend was cheating on me with my best friend." Tears form in my eyes.

"So, I was back at the bottom. A guy I fell for, Michael, had tought me to have more fun. Life was better you know?" I ask him.

He nods smilling, "but my parents and I moved here. My dad got a promotion and a day later my boyfriend had a new girlfriend."

I'm crying now and look off into the distance. "My dad never cares to listen or talk to me. He knows barley a thing about me. And my mom tries to be there, but, she doesn't always succeed." I say, Zach hugs me and helps me up. I get on my feet.

"Thanks for listening, I've never shared wth anyone my story." I say, he nods smilling and we walk back in the house, together, hand in hand, talking.
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This is the dress I'm gonna wear to the party. I don't even know this girl and she invited me. Weird.

I put on the dress and some gold heels.  My make up is already done and my light blonde hair is in a messy bun.

I hear the doorbell ring and grab my purse. I reach the bottom of the stairs and see Zach.

"Let's go, the party won't be great till where there. So we'd better leave." He says, I smile and we walk out.

We get in my car and drive to the party and park. He leads me in, everyone is dancing, eating, talking, screaming, and having fun.

Most people already look tired from dancing. But, we just got here so Zach and I begin to dance.

"My friends should be here soon and you can meet them!" He shouts over the loud music.

I give him a thumbs up and we dance around for ten minutes. Then sit on a sofa with his four other friends crowding around.

"This is Kacey, Jake, Bryan, and Jesse." He says, the three guys all look like they are from the neighborhood or Arctic Monkeys.

But Lacey is pale with dark royal blue curls, grey eyes, and black ripped and spikey clothes.

"Ugh, finally a girl in the group. These guys can be real immature and stupid." She says. I laugh and look at them all again.

"Love your Steve Maddens." I say to her, she smiles looking down at them.

"Thanks, they cost my mom alot of money." She says looking down at them.

"So, what should we all do?" I ask them, they all exchange looks and Jesse gives a devilish smile.

"I think I have just the thing all of us will love." He rubs his chin and then guides us all out the house.