[Nathan Andrew's photo above]

A/N: Anddddd, suddenly I lost count of days... Sorry for this late update! I'm having a hectic week, and I couldn't fit writing anywhere in my schedule but before bed (if I have some time left!).

C h a p t e r   0 4

Nikki's POV

"Is the party over?" I curiously asked while we trod over the stone pathway in between the healthy grass and trimmed bushes. "Or, is everyone dead asleep?"

There were cars parked near the house, but the event place itself was lifeless which made it strikingly out of the ordinary set up. No multiple colored lights of a disco ball, no music blasting the speakers, and no people in sight. Traces of mess however, were visible even on the roadside in front of the entrance, inferring that the shindig started at an extreme course to partiers.

Chase shook his head with a hum and said, "No, I don't think so... Nathan wouldn't let that happen, unless Scott misheard some things from his parents' timetable."

Hailey grumbled, openly frustrated at Chase's conjecture. "Are you freaking kidding me?? We travelled for two years--"

"Hours," I corrected in a faint utterance.

"Thank you, Nikki, but then again on some other situations it takes years to call it an hour." She emphasized, stolidly turning to me while I gave her a shrug as if exhibiting that I was fairly convinced with her assertion.

"Look, if the party was cancelled the two would let me know about it. So chill your bones out." He cheered before extending his hand to open the door.

The vision that welcomed us was confounding, only seeing the dark and be greeted by clothes and shoes thrown all over the place but without the dressers. Smell of alcohol intermixing with fresh deodorant to human sweat slapped my external nares awake, making me squinch in slight disgust. Suddenly, my eyes caught a slow movement on my right and saw Scott Vincent coming out from a room with a bottle of liquor in his hand.

"Bro!" Chase called for his attention before we approached him.

"Yow! I thought you guys aren't going to," He paused with a hiccup then continued, "make out..." His voice decreasing low at the end.

"Make out?" Hailey asked in confusion.

"What? How did you know?" He gave us a questioning look with his lids half closed and shoulders limped as we mirrored the same expression, quite confused. "Okay, A+ for snooping! Since there's nothing for me to hide, yes, I indeed made out with a... human, and it's not very good! I'm telling you, it was like I had my lips," He paused, pointing a finger on his mouth. "...pressed to her teeth or something."

Scott was an extreme soaker, and it was never a question regards to why he was acting that way. Wherever the party was, there he goes. His cycle was simple --yet arduous for someone like me; swigging, puking, dozing off, and it commences each time alcohols went out of the cooler.

"Sounds like you made out with a wall to me..." Chase rubbed the stubble on his chin before resting his hands heavily on Scott's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze and said, "I need to see Nathan though. Do you know where he is?"

"No, I don't think he went to the bathroom with me." He simply responded with a yawn that has been cut off with a gag. "Oh God, I'm so wasted... I hate my life..."

"Really?" Chase lightly chuckled. "You've been drinking for so long but never did you ever say that until now... Anyway, Nathan's just here, right? Because I think his phone's dead. Tried calling him for the whole ride but it was out of reach."

"Yeah, I think he's at the back."

"Cool, thanks!" He patted his back before turning around on his heel to jog but not after asking him a question, "Aren't you coming?"

Scott was groggily making his way to one of the couches, slumping his face on it with a muffled reply. "One thing my parents least wanted is a dirty carpet, especially not with semen."

"Oh," I supressed a laugh.

"Did I hear that right?" Hailey trailed off with her finger pointed to Scott and brows knitted in bewilderment.

Chase shrugged with his mouth pursed to display his disbelief to what he heard. "He had a bunch. Let's go."

We left the living room and sauntered towards the dining area. Even with the lights off, I was still able to adore and appreciate the interior design of the house. Ceramic beach sand color flooring, cream walls paired with a chocolate brown tile accent on one side while facing the elongated table with three drop lights lining the center and both ends. It was modernized but still presented relics of the ancient times in a slender shelf which served as the entrance frame to the kitchen.

"Scott lives here?!" Hailey asked in astonishment.

"You seem so surprised?" Chase half questioned while turning around with a glance.

"Well, this just doesn't look like him. A TV in the dining area, centralized ACU in the living room, and what's next? Am I going to see his bed in the kitchen? Or a toilet in his bedroom?"

"Bet a hundred. I say, no bed in the kitchen but definitely a toilet in his bedroom." I crooked a smile.

"Uhm, okay mine's, no betting my hundred, because I still need it in my pocket."

Once Hailey started talking in a long-winded wandering fashion it only meant she was starting to get bored.

"Remember in high school, Scott rides a school bus? He has no sports cars --or even a car in particular, he doesn't look like he owns a single comb to even brush his hair, and he wears one pants for one week!"

"You sound weird." I spoke in jest with a grin while keeping myself from laughing. "How'd you even know he wears one pants for a week?"

"Actually, Scott had two cars, but they ended up wrecked on their first drive. He also likes his hair messily done and would rather let a girl finger-comb it for him. And, about the pants, I don't know," He trailed off, looking at Hailey before continuing, "...why you'd say that, because he spend most of his money buying matching clothes."

"Oh, well at least you tried. I just made that one up anyways to make the statement longer. You know, school essays?" She giggled, leaving both Chase and I shaking our heads with a sigh.

After a few steps, we reached their backyard. People were on their feet but neither one of them were dancing. There was no music which was strangely odd to have in a party. The lawn was wide, connecting fences stood on each sides to barricade the neighbors' passage. A pool was situated at the right corner with a diving board, and a billiards table on the far left.

"I didn't know it's a--" I trailed off, scanning the area until reaching the disco ball hanging near the disc jockey's booth, in which the DJ itself was missing. "Quiet pool party-ish... Where's the DJ?" I turned to Chase and saw him on his phone instead, dialling Nathan again.

"Well, I care less if it's a quiet pool whatever, I just need food right now." Hailey enunciated the last words with her eyes narrowed towards the grill where barbecues where being cooked directly over a medium heat. "Give me a second." She said before making her way to it.

I inwardly chuckled and asked Chase a question with regards to Nathan, "Did it ring?"

He let out a deep sigh and shook his head before slipping his mobile back in his pocket. "He must have sorted out some stuffs."

"Oh, you guys should try their barbecues. They're so delicious!" Hailey exclaimed as she walked towards us with both her hands gripping a stick with BBQ.

"Are you sure you didn't take them all?" I asked.

"Of course not! They're unlimited. For now at least!"

"Wow, you guys attending a tween's birthday celebration?" Someone behind us mocked with a chuckle.

Chase and I spun around only to surprisingly come face to face with Nathan in a khaki beach shorts and a muscle shirt with his hands folded to his chest. I intently turned back around to look at Hailey, only to find out that she was gone. Skimming the area, I reached her with my eyes, placing the barbecues back om the grill and started reapplying a lipstick.

"If you meant your party, yes." Chase deadpanned before giving him a man hug. "What happened here, anyway?"

"Dick Jerk's late." Nathan answered with a huff, expressing disappointment.

"Who?"

"The DJ. Learn your acronyms." He said, then turned to me and mannerly asked, "Sup, Nikki?"

I slipped a small smile with his suave disposition towering over me, turning my palms clammy. "Nothing much," How's your tooth? "How's your... Nash?" I cleared my throat and fixed my sentence, "Nash, how's he?"

"Jeez, you ask how's my little brother when he's not even here?" He chuckled. "Well, he's doing good, turning eleven in two months."

"Is that another party?" Chase questioned, slipping his arms warm in his pockets.

"I don't do preteen parties." He spoke before his gaze suddenly demagnetized from us. "Hi, Hailey. You look beautiful, by the way." He remarked with a smile forming on his lips.

I casted a glimpse at Hailey who looked stunning than ever, until I spotted a barbecue sauce near her lips. Brushing a finger on my cheek, I tried to let her know about it, but to no avail.

Suddenly, everyone started screaming with joy as the Dj's booth been occupied and the music began to make everyone's heart leap along the beat.

"Hey, Drew!" Nathan called, asking for the Dj's attention as he decreased the volume for a moment. "Twenty percent deduction, or an hour extension! Your choice!"

"My fault! Don't worry, I'll make it two for fifteen percent increase!"

"Nonnegotiable!" Nathan shouted back with his middle finger which made Drew chuckle after slipping his headphones back and worked on the disc.

"Okay, as I was saying, since it's a pool party we have to follow the dress code!" He began yelling to defeat the loud sound for us to hear. "Girls, stay warm, but if you want to be cool the bathroom's always open!" He clicked his tongue with a wink, with his one hand gestured to the powder room.

"But, you... Well, we don't allow anyone in pants to dunk in the pool! I have board shorts you can borrow! Let's go!" He added while they walked their way inside as Chase gave me a nod and a smile.

"What do we do?" Hailey asked, still eying the boys until they were no longer in sight.

I started with a shrug then faced her with a simply reply. "Blend in."

Bright stars sprinkled the charcoal sky as the music arises to awaken the night. Like the trees, hips swayed with the beat while the wind carried boisterous laughters and chatters to the west. Gentlemen boozed the night up and the ladies took a shot as they giddily swam either on pool or land.

"So, by blend in you meant the other way around?" Hailey asked while munching the nachos down her throat.

I impassively stared at her and let my eyes roll before responding, "No, I actually meant the right way around!"

"Nikki, look at them! They are wearing two-piece! We on the other hand, are in our three and four-piece!"

"Not everyone... See that girl over there?" I pointed towards a brunette haired lady in a denim short shorts and a neon green brassiere, drinking a cup of liquor while dancing with her free hand up in the air. "She's wearing a three-piece as well, while that one at the corner wore one-piece... It's all about the number of pieces, okay? So, we blended well!"

"Okay, you did make your point but, I'm still hungry for some more! Would you like me to get you whatever there is on the table?"

I nodded my head and said, "It's okay but you don't need to double the amount per snack. I mean, we can always share and who knows, eventually start our own picnic-beside-the-pool while at Nathan's party."

"I don't understand a word you said because of how you whisper when we're at a loud place but I'll be right back, okay?!"

We both stayed on a folding chair next to the poolside while waiting for everyone to become weary and go home so we could hit the dance floor. Regards to Hailey's best plan on killing time in a pace by eating lots and drink lots --of water, we probably won't be dancing no more. I released a sigh and reclined on my seat as I waited for my best friend to come back. My gaze then spontaneously traced down the chlorinated pellucid water which laps upon the tiled floor with the colorful lights reflecting from above.

"Cannonball!" Some guy yelled, switching everyone's attention on him for a moment when he leaped from the springboard, which then followed a wide splash of water tackling me.

"Oh God, no!" I yelped, instinctively looking away while having my arms a distant from my face, covering it from the beads of clear liquid.

Everyone cheered and applauded at the guy when he popped his face out of the water with a shout of an exuberant delight. Folks then were electrified that even some Jack's and a few Jill's came tumbling after.

I chuckled at the lively sight of people connecting on one interest, and momentarily met Chase's gaze who was a couple of feet away from me with a long stick as he attempted to do billiards with Nathan and other guys.

He gave me a wave of a hand and mouthed a question with a thumbs up, asking if I was doing okay. I sent him a reassuring smile and a slight nod, telling him I was fine. Latterly, he turned his back on me after Nathan tapped on his shoulder to have his turn on the rectangular table.

Soon, I wondered why Hailey took long enough while grabbing barbecues when it was only a few walks away from the grill. It has been a minutes, and I heard my stomach grumble a complain so I decided to look for her while I grabbed myself some refreshments to quench my throat and stomach. I was about to heft myself up until a man's voice cracked from behind, saying something.

He awkwardly cleared his throat thereafter with his approach being a fail before casually continuing, "Enjoying the party?" He asked, occupying the seat next to me which was Hailey's.

I gradually turned my head to look at the guy after noticing I was the only one near him. "The party is good, yeah... I'm sorry, do I know you?"

The guy was holding a disposable red cup both with his hands in front of him, and his back slightly inclined to allow his elbows rest on his knees. He wore a sleeveless shirt together with a bracelet tattoo clinging around his upper arm and a black stud inserted through his earlobe. His unkempt dark brown hair shaded his forehead while gazing ahead, yet seemed like far from where and what he should be looking.

Hazel eyes glimmered from the lighting, staring me back with a genuine smile plastered across his face. He somehow reminded me of someone I saw somewhere...

"Do I... Do I know you?" I asked, "I mean, I feel like I've seen you before?"

I'm certain I saw him somewhere...

A/N: I know this chapter is pretty long, but please don't hate me! 😥😅