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𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝟤𝟪 𝗈𝖿 𝗆𝗈𝗇𝖺 𝗅𝗂𝗌𝖺
{ 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗒 𝗌𝖼𝖾𝗇𝖾 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝖻𝗋𝗒𝗇 ＆ 𝖼𝗁𝗋𝗂𝗌 𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗌𝗍 𝗄𝗂𝗌𝗌 }

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𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭 🍁

I've never liked parties. Small get-togethers with friends are great, but anything with more than ten people makes my head fuzzy and my heart beat faster than normal. Having to attend parties and events is easily my least favourite part of being an influencer, and it makes it worse because Nick and Chris enjoy that side of our job. But that doesn't mean that I'm going to be in a good mood about being dragged to all these events.

"I fucking hate parties," I grumble, sinking lower in the seat of the uber. Usually, being out at night sends a trickle of excitement along my skin, but the only thing I feel right now is dread.

Bryn, Chris' kinda girlfriend, chuckles under her breath from beside me, but I don't spare her a glance. Unlike me, she is actually excited to go out. Thus, I have no desire to talk to her right now.

Nick groans at my complaint and turns around in the passenger seat to level his eyes at me in a stubborn glare. "Shut the fuck up. We all know how you feel."

"For the record, I don't really want to be going either," Chris pipes up from the other side of Bryn. "We barely even know the guy who's hosting. I don't understand why we're going."

"We've been over this," Nick snaps as he runs a hand through his hair in frustration. "If we're serious about having lots of guests on our podcast, we need to actively be making more connections. And Larray said that everyone is going to be at this party, so if we're not there, it'll look bad."

"If everyone's going, no one will notice if we're not there," I mumble as I tug at a loose hangnail, wincing slightly when I pull it too far.

"Bryn's happy to be going," Nick points out, his voice firm with stubbornness. "Maybe you both need to see things from her perspective."

"Not to argue with what you're saying," Bryn clears her throat guiltily. "But I'm happy to be going because I don't know anyone, therefore am not required to talk to anyone, and you said there's free alcohol."

I snigger under my breath when Nick glares at the brown-haired girl beside me. "Thanks for the help, Bryn. Guys, we don't have to stay for long. Let's just go in, say hi to the people we know, try to meet a few new people, take some pictures, and then we can dip. Okay? And Brynlee."

Since my arm is pressed against Bryn's, I feel the shiver that courses through her body at Nick's use of her full name.

"If you get plastered, I don't want to hear a word of complaint when you feel like shit," Nick warns, his gaze sharp. "I cannot deal with any more bitching."

Bryn salutes Nick, her lips slanted in a confident smirk. "Sir, yes, sir."

"I hate all of you," Nick grumbles, turning around to look out his window.

"Do you think he'll notice if we leave the party without him?" I mumble quietly, my stomach heavy with a sense of unease.

Chris snorts and leans forward to catch my gaze past Bryn. "You want to risk the consequences of how pissed he would be?"

"I can fucking hear you," Nick barks, his voice simmering with frustration.

"Nick, calm down," Bryn laughs, a bright cheery sound that has always put me at ease. She leans forward to lightly shake Nick's shoulder and I hope that she somehow manages to transfer her positive energy to him. "We're going to have fun, okay? Chris and Matt can pout in a corner and I'll walk around with you."

"I hate everyone but Bryn," Nick corrects himself.

I roll my eyes in disbelief and turn away from my bigheaded brother to watch LA flash by outside my window. Sometimes I wish I could run away to the forest and never have to deal with these stupid influencer parties again.

As soon as our uber stops in front of a house that looks like it should belong to a vampire, Nick opens my car door for me and hauls me out of the vehicle.

"Nick, I don't want to!" I groan as my slightly older brother drags me up the front walkway. "Let me go, motherfucker!"

Nick ignores me, but he releases my wrist and shoves me in front of him, laughing when I stumble over the front step. "Matt, we're here and not leaving for at least an hour. Try to have fun."

"If you define fun as drowning myself in the toilet, then sure, I'll have fun." I scowl at Nick, my head already starting to pound from the unnecessarily loud music. "I'm going to find something to drink."

"I'll come find you in a bit!" Nick blows me a kiss before he trots off to where Larray is standing nearby chatting with a group of people. He joins the conversation with ease and everyone is soon laughing at something that he said.

I huff under my breath and consider traipsing after Nick for a second. But when I notice Chris and Bryn enter the house looking like they're going to start making out at any second, I promptly turn on my heel. Nick said I had to be here, but he didn't say that I specifically had to talk to people. So I'll find myself a nice place to hide and wait the night out, and I'll make up some story later about the people I talked to. It's a foolproof plan. Except for the fact that when I step outside, my eyes instantly land on the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. I guess talking to one person won't hurt.

The girl in question has brown hair a few shades lighter than Bryn's. The curled locks are long and stretch down to her waist. She is wearing a black cropped top with a matching black skirt and fishnet tights that trail down her legs into her combat boots. Her lips are painted a cherry red and are pursed slightly as she stares up at the sky above. She is gorgeous, but I find myself most intrigued by the way she is sitting by herself outside while at one of the biggest parties of the summer. She is certainly dressed like she wants to be here, so why choose to be alone?

"Mind if I join you?" Although the loud music can be heard from outside, my voice breaks the stillness woven through the air.

The brunette girl leisurely rolls her head to the side to look at me and her chocolate-coloured eyes narrow as she scans me head to toe. "Are you going to try to drug me or make out with me?"

"No," I say honestly. "I hate parties and was coming out here to be alone, but you seem to have already taken over the only place of solitude."

She waves her hand at the empty patio chair beside hers before tilting her head to return to star gazing. "Sit. Just don't piss me off."

My eyebrows raise slightly at the girl's blunt attitude, but I sit anyway. "No promises. I tend to have a knack for making people mad."

"I can relate to that." Her lips tilt up in what I think is a small smile and satisfaction rushes through me. "But I find it hard to believe you make people mad all that often. You are far too pretty."

My cheeks warm slightly at her compliment and I follow her gaze up to the midnight sky above, hoping she doesn't notice my blush. "My brothers would say differently."

She hums in response and doesn't respond.

My increased heart rate from my party nerves has slowed, and I am surprised to find myself actually enjoying this mysterious girl's company. "You have a habit of staring at the stars?"

"I find it wildly fascinating that there is so much out there," she says quietly, the defensive lines on her face softening. "It makes me feel so small, you know? Like in the grand scheme of it, my problems aren't that huge."

My throat tightens and my eyes fix themselves on the girl, desperately wanting her to continue to speak. Something about the way she talks is captivating.

"It doesn't matter who your parents are or who's fucked you over." Her voice reminds me of how a hike through the forest feels in the middle of fall. Not everyone may appreciate it, but some find it devastatingly beautiful and can't get enough. "It doesn't matter how many jobs you've had, who you're friends with, your dreams, your failures, your fears. The stars are there no matter what, and I find that oddly comforting."

"Humans are incredibly good at making everything about themselves, aren't they?" I respond in an equally soft voice, my eyes trailing over the faint stars. The lights of LA wash most of them out, but I can still make out the big dipper constellation. "It's nice to get some perspective sometimes."

I turn my head in time to see the girl beside me open her mouth to reply, but she quickly snaps her jaw shut and her relaxed facial expression morphs into a hard frown as she rises to her feet. "I gotta go."

My brow furrows in confusion and I stand to meet her gaze, uncertainty billowing in my gut. "Sorry, did I say something wrong?"

She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, apparently done with our conversation. "No, you're just kind of boring to talk to. I'm not having fun, so I'm leaving."

My unease is washed away by irritation and I match her pose by crossing my arms and scowling at her. "Sorry, I'm boring? I barely said two fucking sentences!"

She shrugs, her eyes wandering the yard as if I am not worth looking at. "Yeah, and I'm bored. Grow up. Not everyone has to like you."

"That is bullshit," I fire back, defensiveness creeping across my skin like a suit of armour. Usually, Nick and Chris are the only people who can get me really riled up, and I am normally good at keeping my cool in public situations. But the audacity of this girl to tell me that I'm boring with literally no context? That's fucking low. "It seems to me like you're feeling shitty about your life and you want to take it out on me. You said more than you meant to when you were rambling about how the stars make you feel and now you're trying to push me away."

The girl's glare grows deeper, and if looks could kill, I would be six feet under. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a dick?" Her shoulder knocks harshly against mine as she shoves past me to go back inside and I catch a whiff of her perfume. I can't place the scent, but it's intoxicating.

"Nope, but I bet a ton of people have told you that you're a bitch!" I call after her, my voice hard.

The girl smirks at me and lifts her middle finger to flip me off. "That's because I am a bitch." With that, she yanks open the back door to the kitchen and saunters inside, leaving only the lingering smell of her perfume behind.

I collapse back into my seat and scowl at the stars above. Of course my attempt at solitude was met by a girl with the biggest attitude problem ever. She may be beautiful, but with an attitude like that, I will be perfectly happy to never see her again.

cara's obsession ❀

the long awaited matt x callie fic is finally here 🤩🤩 i'm literally so excited for all the enemies x lovers scenes i now get to write

anywho, let's catch you all up on my life cause it's been a while (even longer if i haven't seen you since mona lisa!). for starters, i had one of the best summers of my life. i was working at a restaurant (which i loved), i got to work at camp for a couple weeks and talk to kids about jesus (my favourite thing to do), and i went to british columbia (where i grew up) for my cousin's wedding which was lovely.

now i'm back at school (boo), i lost my job cause the restaurant shut down (double boo), and i severely sprained my ankle (triple boo). but life is still good and i am thankful for all the blessings in my life! (all of you included :))

question of the day! what is something you're really excited for in the rest of the year and what is something you're dreading? i am dreading having to study and crunch for exams, but i am really excited to be more active in my church since i am co-leading jr youth and leading a new grade 8/9 girls small group!

i love you all soooo much and i am so excited to be back with you!! expect slow updates tho, i've got a heavy semester 🫠 see you soon 💋

🍉 🍉 🍉