I sigh heavily and rub a hand on my forehead, a small headache slowly starting to form. The book mocks me, the words seemingly blurring together. I groan in defeat and slam the book shut, pushing it off my bed and onto the floor. Stupid homework. I grab my phone off my headboard to check the time, my eyes nearly bugging out in shock.

"Crap!" I roll off my bed and rush over to my closet to change out of my school clothes. Stopping for a second, I dial Gina's number then put her on speaker while I try to find a different pair of jeans.

"Y'hello?" Gina answers cheerily, the sound of chewing filling up the silence.

"Gina! Thank fudge, are you ready to go?!" I spot the pair of jeans in the corner and grin happily, quickly grabbing them and putting them on.

"Wha - No?"

I pause and look at the phone with shock, "Gina! Zander is going to be there any minute to pick you up, why aren't you ready?!" I button my jeans and start looking for a nice shirt, scrunching my nose up at the few I pick up first.

"Geez, woman, chill! I thought Zander would've told you himself but I guess the lil' turd didn't."

I frown in confusion, "Tell me what?"

She goes silent for a minute, then finally speaks, "I can't go tonight, I opted to stay home with mom." She sighs sadly, "I'm sorry, S, I wanted to go but she needs me right now."

I smile down at the shirt in my hands, my heart aching painfully for my best friend. "No need to apologize, G, I get it. And hey, maybe I could come over sometime and we can all hang out, maybe even make her favorite cake while we're at it?"

"Yeah, I'm sure she'd like that!" I can basically hear her bright smile through the phone. The chewing starts again and she laughs happily, "But I don't think she would like it if we made a big mess like last time."

I snort back a laugh at the memory of Gina and I having a massive food fight in her kitchen. The floor, walls, and even the ceiling were covered in flour and cake batter. Gina's mom found us giggling on the floor covered in ingredients, and one cake in the oven. She had sighed and shook her head at us, then smiled and told us to get cleaned up while she started cleaning the kitchen.

"She didn't even get mad at us then!"

Gina snorts loudly, "Yeah, until you left. Then I got an earful about it!"

I grin and shake my head, "Well maybe you shouldn't have thrown that first handful of flour."

Her scoff echoes around the closet, causing me to fall into a fit of laughter. "I did not! That was you!"

"That's your word against mine, but we both know who your mom would believe." I smile devilishly and put my shirt on, walking back over to my bed and jumping onto it.

"You're impossible," She groans in annoyance and starts eating again, "These chips are amazing, dude. Like, seriously, amazing."

~•~

"I thought you said it was just a few friends?" Zander grumbles in annoyance as he tries to find a parking spot near the house. There are dozens of cars, teens, and lights everywhere. People are dancing in the yard and filing into the house. I fiddle with my locket uneasily, my nerves bubbling up inside me.

"I thought it was . . ."

Zander parks near the end of the street, sending me a sympathetic look, "We don't have to go in, Cupcake."

I sigh and shake my head, wiping my clammy palms on my jeans. "No, let's at least go in and say hi then we can leave."

He nods in agreement and shuts off the jeep. I hop out, pulling my coat tighter around me to block out the cold wind. Zander rounds the jeep and gently takes my hand, pulling us towards the front door. I glance around at all the different people, some I recognize and others I've never seen before. Maybe they're from another school?

"Don't let go of my hand." Zander tightens his grip on my hand before pushing through the front door. People are everywhere, bodies tightly packed together on the makeshift dance floor. Music is pounding so loud that the house is shaking. I scrunch my nose up in disgust at the teens grinding against one another, others flat out making out with each other. Zander glances back at me with a grin, obviously spotting my discomfort. I glare back at him, causing him to let out a small bark of laughter. We continue to push through the mass of teens before finally reaching a less crowded area. I sigh gratefully, leaning against the counter as Zander digs around in the fridge beside me.

"Hey! You guys made it!" An overly excited Keagen stumbles over to us, a huge grin plastered across his face. He pats Zander on the shoulder then turns to me, pulling me into a sloppy hug. I smile and awkward pat his back, pushing his shoulders back so I can get him off me.

Zander laughs loudly at Keagen, "Looks like you already started partying without us, Buddy." I give Keagen a once over, taking note to the way his body slightly sways while he stands. His shirt looks rumpled, his shoulders slumped down.

He grins widely again, "Only a few beers is all, I had to get the party started somehow!"

A few random guys show up then, hollering over at Keagen to join them while they start pouring out more drinks. He looks back at them and gives a thumbs up, then turns back to us. He points over at his shoulder at his friends and opens his mouth to speak, only stopping when he sees the understanding looks we send his way. He nods and waves before turning his back to us to jog, more like stumble, his way over to them.

"Happy birthday!" I shout after him, receiving a happy wave from him. I slump down against the counter and sigh tiredly. Not even here for ten minutes an I'm already worn out. Zander chuckles beside me, gently throwing his arm over my shoulder and pulling my body into his. I smile up at him softly, getting on my tip-toes to press a soft kiss against his lips. He kisses back gingerly, his lips curving up into a smile through the kiss.

He breaks the kiss to pull back slightly, his shining down at me with something new. He drops his arm down to grab my hand, nodding his head towards the group of people dancing together. "Wanna go dance, Cupcake?"

I look over my shoulder then back up at Zander, "I don't think that's a very good idea . . ."

He grins widely, "Nonsense, I think it's a great idea." He grips my hand and starts pulling us into the crowd of teens. We stop somewhere in the middle, a small patch of clear in the room. I stand awkwardly as everyone dances to the music, the occasional person bumping into me. I turn a scared look to Zander, my hands starting to sweat nervously. I'd rather be home under a pile of blankets right now.

He smiles encouragingly, leaning forward to yell over the music. "Just dance!" He shimmies his shoulders to the beat, doing a little spin then repeating. I grimace when another person bumps against me, my skin starting to get sticky with nervous sweat. I raise my hands slowly, glancing around me at the other dancers. I look back at Zander and shake my hands in the air, giving an awkward grin. He just stares at me for a second before bursting out into laughter, drawing attention from some others teens. I blush brightly and move forward to grab his arm, pulling us back towards the kitchen. Zander continues to laugh all the way back, using my shoulder as support. We stop beside the fridge again and lean against the counter. I cross my arms and glare at him darkly, which quickly develops into a pout.

"Stop laughing at me!" I whine softly, my cheeks burning hotly in embarrassment.

He wipes the tears from his eyes as he slowly stops laughing, until he looks at me and busts into anyone laughing fit. I roll my eyes and turn away, spotting a table sporting solo cups at each end. A few girls are at the other end, tossing ping-pong balls onto the table and landing them into the cups at my end. My eyes sparkle with interest, my hands twitching to toss a ball too. They notice my staring almost immediately, a tall girl with brunette hair smiling widely and waving me over. I shyly walk over to them, my hands clasped tightly in front of me.

"Hey, ever played before?" She smiles kindly and gestures to the table.

"No," I smile softly, my muscles relaxing slightly at her kind tone. "But I think I get the gist."

A shorter blonde girl nods excitedly, "Great! Let's get a few more people then we'll have a full game!" She waves over some more people, another girl and two guys coming to join us. She directs everyone to their respective sides, splitting us into two even teams.

"Whatcha playing?" Zander wraps his arms around me from behind, his chin resting on the top of my head. I grin excitedly as the game starts, my hands reaching down to intertwine with his.

"A game called Beer Pong, even though the cups are only filled with water since Sierra said, and I quote, 'There's no use getting good beer nasty with these balls'."

Zander chuckles softly above me, moving his head down to gently kiss the top of my hair, "Well, good luck, Cupcake."

~•~

I shout in victory, fist pumping with Fred and Sierra, and then doing a chest bump with Stan. Zander swoops me up into his arms, grinning down at me proudly before planting a huge kiss on my lips. I grin widely and bounce in his hold, the thrill of winning pounding through my veins. Fred waves us over, our team huddled together in a pose.

"Sarah, come get a pic with us!"

I nod quickly and run over to them, posing in the picture with a goofy grin across my face. Zander stands off to the side with a happy smile on his face, his eyes shining with the same look at before. He nods towards the steps not far away and takes a few steps back in that direction. I nod in understanding and quickly exchange numbers with them, then rush over to the bottom of the steps where Zander stands and waits for me. I reach him with a smile and take his hand, leaning up to talking over the music.

"Where're we going?"

He gently tugs on my hand and leads us up the steps, the music slightly fading into a soft background noise.

He stops at the top of the steps, "I needed to go to the bathroom, I wasn't very comfortable leaving you down there with friendly Fred." He grins widely when I roll my eyes, then goes down the hall to the bathroom. My phone buzzes in my pocket, indicating I have a text. I smile widely at the goofy picture of my team, quickly saving it and sending it to Gina.

"There you are," I look up from my phone to see a smiling Keagen at the top of the steps, "I was wondering where you guys disappeared to, I thought you might've left."

I laugh lightly and shake my head, "Nah, we stuck around for a bit. Who knew beer pong could be so fun?"

He laughs too, then excitedly points towards a closed door across the hall, "Dude, you've got to see this awesome painting I got from my parents, you'll love it!" He skips down the hallway, actually skips, and grabs a pair of keys from his pocket to unlock the door.

I frown in confusion and point at the now unlocked doorknob, "Why'd you have it locked?"

He looks back at me sheepishly, "I didn't want anyone breaking into my room."

Realization dawns on me of the double meaning, a light blush covering my cheeks. "Right . . . That'd be awkward."

He chuckles and nods, then pushes open the door and waving me forward. I step into the room and look around curiously, my eyes stopping on a jaw dropping painting of the sky. I gasp softly and walk closer to it, my fingers hovering over the beautiful piece, yet not touching as if I were to break it. 

He sighs happily from somewhere behind me, "Beautiful, isn't it?"

I nod quickly, my mind still in awe of the sight. "It's breathtaking." I turn around to face him, only to stumble back when I find that he's standing a little too close. His eyes stay glued to the painting, his hands pushed deep into his pockets.

"It's only half as beautiful as you," His eyes fall from the painting to my face, his smile sad, "Too bad you're already spoken for."

I blink up at him in disbelief, taking a step back again and awkwardly clearing my throat. "I should go . . ." I move forward and brush past him, only to be halted by his desperate cry and grip on my arm.

"No! Please - I - Sarah, I need you. Please don't go," He cries out, his grip on my arm squeezing painfully.

"No, Keagen, let me go." I state firmly, jerking my arm out of his grasp and walking forward again.

He lunges forward, pulling me flush against his chest with his arms wrapped around me tightly. I faintly hear the sound of two knocks on the door before he's pushing forward, forcefully slamming his lips against mine. I cry out in shock, my hands flying up to his chest to push him away. He shoves his tongue in my mouth, his tongue leaving the bitter taste of alcohol in its wake. He moans loudly against my lips, his hand moving to get tangled in my hair. I desperately try to fight him, my lips feeling bruised already with the brunt force of his kiss. The door flies open behind me so fast that it hits against the wall, causing Keagen to pull away from the kiss but not releasing his hold on me. He smirks at the person at the door, and I swear my heart stops beating in my chest when I hear his brokenhearted voice.

"Sarah?"

~•~

I am DEAD. It's currently 3:00 a.m. here and I just finished this chapter, holy fudge. But it was so worth it!
It has definitely been a very long day, I'm so ready for sleep. I apologize for the week long wait, I've been super busy and with summer coming up, it's only going to get worse!

*TRIGGER WARNING*
There's only a few more chapters I have left to write for this book!! I'd say about maybe at least give or take 7 more I want to write for sure, maybe a few random chapters, then that's the end! My baby has grown so much 😭❤️

Since the end is nigh, how would everyone feel about a spin-off story for Gina?! (Take note to all the *hint's* I've put in the past chapters author's notes!!) I think there would be lots of room to see Gina's story!

Omg, Zarah no!! Keagen needs to go!!
Part two is coming soon!

Song added: Here's to never growing up, by Avril Lavigne !

What's everyone's favorite food? Personally, I mostly anything involving chocolate (even though I'm lowkey allergic to it) 😍❤️😂

Don't forget to Vote, Comment, Share, AND follow! 😉❤️

Stay put!
~Molly