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Excuse the mistakes

Dedicated to ForgottenMinds, who made the badass banner on the side!

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“Don’t wear that dress.”

“Why?” I asked, looking from the mirror to Olive, who was lounging on my bed with Lillian, who was glued to the Tumblr app on her phone. “I thought it looked cute.” It was a dress I’d gotten from Anthropologie, and it was a gray, long-sleeved dress made out of the same material as a waffle shirt.

“It does look cute,” Olive confirmed, but she shrugged and said, “I just don’t think it’s a very good idea.”

“Why?” I asked again.                                                              

“Easy access,” Lillian replied without looking away from her phone, “You don’t need some drunken asshole reaching up your skirt with his douchey hands.”

“Yeah, I’m not wearing the dress,” I stated immediately, and my cheeks burned at the thought of a stranger sticking his hand up the back or front, or really anywhere, of my skirt.

As I pulled off my dress, I heard the doorbell ring, and a second later, loud and excited voices floated up from downstairs. Tonight was the night Duke and I were throwing the party, well, really Duke was doing it. Everyone was in good spirits because we’d won the football game by a landslide.

At first, I’d been excited for a party, but then I realized, after I’d already agreed to let Duke throw one, that I wasn’t going to know many, if any, people who were coming. Now, I was just nervous and uncomfortable. To make matters worse, olive and Lillian weren’t staying for the party. They were going on a date, no matter how much I begged them to stay. At least they were staying to help me change out of the plain jeans and t-shirt I’d worn to the game into something less boring.

“Let me find you something,” Olive said after a moment, and she rolled off my bed and pushed past me to my closet. As I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, I watched as she flipped through the clothes, mumbling comments that would make Joan Rivers’ jaw drop. After a few minutes, she pulled something out and turned around. “Wear this.”

“Ooh,” Lillian called from behind me, “That’s really hot. Wear that, Harper. It’ll make your boobies look bitchin’.”

“Bitchin’?” I replied, taking the hanger Olive was holding out to me, “Do people still say that?”

“Bitchin’, bangin’, groovy,” Lillian said, waving a hand dismissively, “those are great, seriously underrated adjectives that I intend to bring back into style.”

“Good luck with that, Babe.” Olive laughed as she sat back down on my bed and snatched Lillian’s phone from her hands.

As Lillian grumbled and made a grab for her phone, I slipped into my bathroom and shut the door. I made sure to lock the door between the bathroom and Duke’s room before I stripped out of the clothes I was wearing. I wasn’t worried about Duke walking in on me, seeing as he was downstairs already, welcoming the first of the partiers into our home. I was more worried about people wandering into his room, and from that, walking in on me naked in the bathroom.

Before taking off my clothes, I held up the hanger Olive had handed me. She’d picked out a bright red romper with a button up bodice and spaghetti straps. My mom had bought it for me a while ago, and I’d never worn it because I hadn’t ever had an occasion. Tonight seemed as good a night as ever.

“Incoming!”

Suddenly, the door from my room into the bathroom swung open, and before I had a chance to react, I was hit with a pair of shoes and a piece of material. “What the hell?” I spluttered, and I looked from the group, where there was a pair of black, strappy wedges and some sheer, black tights, up to Olive, who was standing innocently in the doorway.

“I was completing the outfit,” she stated with a shrug.

“Thanks for that,” I muttered, and she closed the door with a wink. Quickly, I pulled off my sweatpants and tank top, and I shimmied carefully into the sheers. Then, I stepped into the romper and tugged it gently up my body. I slipped the straps over my arms and then pulled on the shoes, which were pretty easy to balance on.

I looked at myself in the mirror, and I couldn’t help but smile at my reflection. My makeup still looked fine from the football game, and even my hair was looking cute, despite the wind that had whipped it all around at the game. I was happy with the way I looked tonight, and hopefully, a certain guy would too.

Wait, what?

As soon as I’d seen myself in the mirror and made sure I looked good, my thought went to hoping that it would make Duke notice me. When had my thoughts towards him changed from annoyance to attraction?

“God damn hormones,” I muttered with a frown, and I kicked my discarded clothes towards the hamper before hurrying out of my bathroom.

“You look like a babe,” Olive declared from my bed.

“Bitch please,” Lillian responded, propping herself up on her elbows, “She doesn’t look like a babe; she is a babe!”

“Thanks guys,” I replied with a laugh, and I grabbed my phone off of the charger and slipped it into the pocket on the front of my romper.

“Well, now that you’re all beautiful and ready to party,” Olive said as she stood up and stretched her arms, causing her shirt to lift up and reveal her midriff, “I’m going to take my girlfriend out on a date.”

“Are you sure there’s no way I can get you guys to stay?” I asked, and Lillian shook her head and rolled off of the bed.

“Nope,” She quipped, “It’s date night, Harper. You know the rules.”

“But,” Olive said, holding her finger up, “As a consolation prize, we’ll walk downstairs with you, okay?”

“Woo,” I replied unenthusiastically, and I crossed over to my bedroom door as Olive and Lillian pulled on their shoes and grabbed their stuff. Together, we walked down the hallway, and when I got to the top of the stairs, I hesitated.

Our house was already filled with classmates, many of whom had red Solo cups in hand. The music was loud, making my heart beat to the rhythm of the songs. I was nervous. This wasn’t my scene; I preferred sitting alone in a quiet space, listening to music and doing art or reading. Preferably, I’d be wearing a pair of pajama pants with dancing penguins on them and a baggy sweatshirt. I was out of my element tonight, and I was also alone.

“C’mon Harper,” Olive drawled, pulling gently on my arm. Reluctantly, I followed her and Lillian down the stairs. When we reached the front door, I thought about asking them to stay again, but I knew that their answer wasn’t going to change.

“Have fun, you guys,” I said, and I opened the door for Olive and Lillian.

“We will,” Olive replied, and she placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a reassuring squeeze. “Be social, Harper. Make new friends, break down barriers, try new things, and all that jazz.”

“I’ll try,” I said unenthusiastically, and Olive laughed before she and Lillian walked out the front door and towards Olive’s car, which she’d parked at a safe distance down the street. I watched them go for a moment, and then I shut the door. I might be acting a wee bit overdramatic, but it felt like I was sealing the lid of my tomb.

I turned around, took one look at my now extremely crowded house, and decided to make a beeline for the kitchen. The kitchen had plenty of people in it too, but I could still retain my personal bubble, so I wasn’t complaining.

I went to pour myself a cup of soda, probably Coke or Sprite, but before I could, I felt someone swing their arm over my shoulders and thrust an already filled cup of liquid in my hand.

“Hey Harper!” a perky voice said, and I glanced over to see that it was a girl named Courtney. We’d known each other since kindergarten, and we talked in class and at lunch sometimes. We were friends, but not as close as me and Olive.

“Hi Courtney,” I replied with a small smile. I couldn’t tell if she was drunk because Courtney always seemed hyper and a little out of control. I sniffed to see if she smelled like booze, but my nostrils were flooded with the stench of too much perfume.

“This is a special punch that I made just for tonight,” she said, gesturing towards the cup. “You better drink it because I worked hard on making it just right!”

“Oh, Courtney, I…” my voice trailed off as Courtney raised an eyebrow and gave me a look that pretty much told me I wasn’t going to end up drinking the punch. I was pretty sure there was alcohol in the cup, but I didn’t feel like putting up a fight. I didn’t need to draw attention to myself tonight.

Just one sip, I told myself, just to appease Courtney.

One sip.

*

“Harper?”

“Leave me alone to die!”

“Harper, are… are you drunk?” Duke asked, staring at me from the doorway of the bathroom.

“No,” I slurred, and I attempted to sit up from where I was leaned against the cool porcelain of the bathtub. However, another wave of nausea hit me, and I lurched towards the toilet, barely making it in time. “Ow,” I moaned between bouts.

“God damn it, Harper.”  I heard Duke sigh, and a moment later, all my hair was pulled back from my face, and there was a hand rubbing my back. If I wasn’t enveloped in a haze of crappily-made, alcohol-filled punch, fatigue, and nausea, maybe the gesture would’ve resonated more.

After a few minutes, I’d emptied the entire contents of my stomach into the toilet. I dry heaved for a minute, and after I had calmed down enough, I leaned back from the toilet and into Duke’s arms. “Ow,” I moaned, carelessly wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, “no part of that was fun.”

“I can imagine,” Duke replied with a light chuckle.

My head lolled onto his shoulder, and I looked up at Duke. I could smell the cologne he was wearing, and his smile was infectious. I glanced up and down Duke’s body in what I thought was a sneaky way (let’s be real; it probably wasn’t), and I blushed. He was wearing a pair of jeans that rode in just the perfect place on his hips, as well as a black t-shirt that hugged his body just right. Duke looked hot. I wish I could see it was the alcohol talking, but it wasn’t.

“You look hot,” I blurted, and then I slapped my hand over my mouth and giggled. Okay; that was the alcohol talking.

“You’re really drunk, Harper,” Duke said, shaking his head. “Let’s get you upstairs and into bed. Most people have already headed home anyways.”

“I don’t wanna move,” I whined, and Duke snorted.

“You don’t really have a choice,” he stated, and he stood up. “C’mon Harper,” Duke said, holding out his hands, “up we go.”

Reluctantly, I lifted my hands up into Duke’s, and he gently pulled me up to my feet. I stumbled as my head swam, and I found Duke’s arms wrapped around me to steady me. He was about a head taller than me, so I was face to face with his chest.

“Ooh, muscles,” I mumbled, poking Duke in the chest.

“Yeah,” Duke drawled, looking down at me, “Yeah, you really need to lie down, Harper.”

“Okie dokie,” I replied with a yawn, and I let Duke lead me out of the bathroom. Unfortunately, I had made the mistake of getting sick in the bathroom on the first floor, which mean I had to attempt the stairs. Duke had to pretty much carry me up them, and I was so sloshed that I couldn’t register that people were staring.

“Alright Harper,” Duke said as we reached my bedroom door, “We’re almost to your bed.”

“Mmm bed,” I echoed, grinning at the thought.

Duke opened the door to my room, and without warning, he scooped me up in his arms bridal style. I screamed out of both fear and amusement, and Duke just rolled his eyes at me. Three steps later, he was placing me gently on my bed. He pulled off my shoes with only a little bit of a struggle, and then he brushed my hair out of my face.

“Comfy?” Duke asked, reaching towards my blanket.

“Not yet,” I replied, and with as much stealth as I could muster, I grabbed Duke’s outstretched arm and pulled, causing him to lose his balance and fall on top of me. He managed to catch himself from smacking his head into mine by putting each of his hands on either side of my head.

“What the hell, Harper?” he asked, his voice a mixture of frustration and confusion.

“Kiss me.”

“What the hell?”

“I said kiss me, Duke.”

“Harper, this isn’t you’re aunt’s wedding. No!”

“But I like you,” I whined, pouting like a brat. “I have a massive crush on you, and I wanna kiss you. I’m an adult! I’m allowed to kiss the boy I like!”

“You have a crush on me?” Duke asked with a frown.

“Yeah, and I don’t know how it happened,” I replied lightly, “I mean, you’re super hot and all, but I used to think you were a tool. Maybe I still think you’re a tool. But you’re a nice tool, who stands up for me, and I like that. Plus, you’re different from other guys, like Justin. And like I said earlier, you are not too painful to look at.”

“Harper, stop unbuttoning your fucking shirt thing!”

I hadn’t even realized that I’d reached up and started unbuttoning the top of my romper. However, sure enough, the top three were already undone, and you could see the top of my black bra. Duke could see my bra.

Guys, I really need to learn my lesson and stop drinking.

Duke took my moment of distraction and jumped off of me. Quickly, and with limited contact with me, he pulled my blanket up and shifted me so that I was on my side. Then, he backed away slowly until he reached my bedroom door.

“Go to sleep, Harper,” he said calmly, “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

Duke closed the door, and a second later, I was asleep.

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Look! A wild update appeared!

How is this story at almost one million all ready?! That's so awesome! Thank you guys a  bajillion!

Sorry it's been so long, but I had exams and tons of essays and yeah. Also, sorry to the Thin Ice readers, but the chapter update, which was almost done, was accidently deleted (which I discovered a couple days ago) and I need to rewrite it. In the mean time, this was already pretty much written.

If you haven't eaten pretzels with Nutella, you're seriously depriving yourself. Go do it. Now. You've already read this update so you don't have anything else to do. lol jk but not.

Also, go check out the band the Virginmarys. For some reason, I cant' post videos on the side, but I still want you to check them out!

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