Saturday came too soon. Bee had been texting constantly to remind me about the party that I didn't want to go to. She threatened me with violence until I agreed.

When I finally got myself out of bed, I was surprised to see Mom on the couch with Taylor watching some Moana for the hundredth time. Between me going to school and her working we hadn't seen each other all week. I joined them on the couch, still in my pajamas with a scarf on my head.

"Do you have to go to the warehouse tonight?" I asked, slightly hopeful. If she did, then I'd have to stay home and babysit.

"Nope."

My hope deflated. We sat quietly as Taylor babbled the words to the song on the TV, completely zoned out. After a few minutes I built up the courage to ask.

"Did you take Taylor out of daycare?" Taylor had been at Ms. Coleman's this entire week. And I hated to go over there and pick her up because I had to endure all those nosy questions.

"You hear from your daddy yet?"

"Why doesn't Deshaun come around anymore?"

"When are y'all gonna do something about those weeds?"

I smiled and bore it, but I really want to tell that old lady to mind her business.

"It got too expensive," she said, still looking at the TV.

Another beat of silence passed as I pulled at a loose string on my shirt. Then I asked, "What if I got a job?"

She looked at me now, eyes narrowed. "Absolutely not. Your job is school. That's all you have to worry about. Let me handle the rest."

"I can do both. Just let me—"

"I said no, Jade." Her tone was sharp, final.

I dropped the subject and headed back to my room to work on some homework.

* * *

At around eight Bee sent another series of messages demanding that I meet her at the party in two hours. Since it was happening just down the block from her she could walk, I had to drive.

It took about an hour to find something to wear. I settled on a mustard yellow romper that looked nice against my dark brown skin. My hair was up in its usual puff and I kept my make-up simple. After adding a few accessories I was ready to go.

Mom let me borrow the car as long as I promised no drinking, which I never did anyway. Alcohol was disgusting no matter what fruity flavor it came in.

The house that the party was at was a plain two story house. With a large front yard that people were scattered across. Before I even had the car in park Bee was running over from the front lawn of the party, a red plastic cup in her hand.

"You're here!" She squealed, pulling the car door opened for me. "I thought I was gonna have to come to your house and drag you out."

She linked her arm with mine, taking a swig of her drink as we crossed the street back to the party.

The music was loud. The bodies were sweaty. Everything smelled like stale beer. Why did I come here again?

Bee lead me into the kitchen where a makeshift bar was to get a refill. While she was hit on by a red head guy that had no chance with her, I grab a bottle of water from the fridge.

Bee was sliding her phone into her the back pocket of her shorts as she walked over to me.

"You got his number?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. As far as I knew she was very much a lesbian.

"He was offering," she replied with a smirk. "Plus he's, like, really good at that science shit and I need a tutor."

I snorted. We made our way back into the mass of people in the living room area. There was a dance floor packed with moving bodies. Of course that's where Bee lead us.

After four songs, I retreated back to the kitchen for more water, leaving a dancing drunk Bee in her element.

When I got to the kitchen I froze in the doorway. Deshaun and two of his friends stood at the island mixing drinks. My first instinct was to turn back. I found myself walking towards them instead. They got quiet when they saw me.

I put my hands on the granite counter top as I leaned in. "So, which one of them did I have sex with?"

Deshaun's eyes doubled in size. His two friends tried to mask their laughter behind coughs or sipping their drinks.

"You tell me," Deshaun said, recovering from his shock. He leaned back on the counter behind him, trying to act all cool.

"You believing your own lies now?"

His lips curled up into a smirk as he took a drink. "I'm not the one lying. I saw you with Cash a couple of days before I told you to leave."

He told me to leave? All I could do was roll my eyes at how badly he wanted to save face in front of his friends.

However, he wasn't lying about me being with Ethan Cash. It was such an insignificant moment in my life I forgot it even happened.

"That's what this us about?" I asked, growing angry. All the looks and whispers I've had to deal with at school. Just because I playing wingman to Bee.

"So you admit being with him?"

I stood straight, crossing my arms over my stomach. "I was. But only because Bee was trying to get with his sister. He wouldn't get the hint and leave so I stepped in. We didn't do anything."

"Right. That's not what he told me."

"Fuck what he told you!"

My outburst was met with the three of them laughing. A smug smile appeared on Deshaun's face. My fist clenched at my sides.

It was obvious I wasn't getting anywhere with him. Forgetting why I went in the kitchen in the first place, I left. Bee was in the corner making out with a blonde girl. Guess she forgot about Gia.

I tried to put Deshaun and his stupid, smug face out of my mind. The room was suffocating, though. There were too many people. The music was too loud. All I could see was Deshaun and his smirk. That girl in the hall that called me a slut. The whispers and the looks.

I stumbled out the front door. The fresh air felt good in my lungs and I sucked in multiple deep breaths of it. My heart slowly stopped ramming against my chest with every breath I took.

It must've been about thirty minutes I was out there before my phone vibrated in my bra. It was a text from Bee. Where are you????

Outside. I sent back before lowering myself down on the grass underneath a tree.

Moments later Bee plopped down beside me, leaning into me. She smelled of alcohol, her purple lipstick was smeared and her hair was up in a sloppy top-knot.

"My feet hurt," she groaned, sounding exhausted and we'd only been there for like two hours.

"You want to go home?"

She pulled away to look at me. "No! There's more dancing to do," she exclaimed. "Why? You ready to go?"

"Kinda. Yeah."

"Oh." She frowned, but only for a second before she busted into a goofy grin. "But I got you to come out tonight. Even if it was only a couple of hours. Baby steps."

She wrapped me up in a hug, giving me a tight squeeze. "Go home," she said, releasing me.

I shot her a look. "And leave you alone?"

"I'm not a loner like you, Jade. I have other friends."

"You sure you don't mind me leaving?"

She stood, then reached her hands down to help me. "Nope," she replied once I was on my feet. "But tomorrow, when I'm sober, we're talking about whatever it is that's bothering you."

My brow creased. "What are you—"

She began walking backwards back to the party. "You can't get nothing—" she tripped over a tree root, but managed to stay on her feet. "—pass me, Harris."

She disappeared into the house. I stood there a few seconds longer before turning and walking across the street. There was a group of guys on skateboards and drinking cans of beer, goofing off on the sidewalk near my car.

My heart nearly leaped out of my chest when one of them fell, taking the driver's side mirror with him.

"What the hell?" I shouted as I ran over.

The other guys ran off, laughing and leaving their drunk friend behind. Even with the lack of light it wasn't hard to make out who it was. There weren't many guys sporting long blonde hair in Bellcreek.

"Shit," Nolan said, holding the broken mirror in his hands like it was a baby bird. "That was my fault."

"Obviously," I snapped, snatching it from him.

"Sorry."

I had to do a double take. Was that really Nolan "Bad Attitude" Chambers? He had the same blonde hair that currently had crunched leaves stuck in it. The same golden brown eyes that were the size of saucers at the moment. The angles of his face weren't as harsh, softened with obvious drunkenness.

All in all, it was Nolan. Just a drunk one. Apparently, alcohol made him nice.

It was hard to be mad at him when he looked like a little kid who just broke his mother's favorite vase. All innocent looking.

"Just, uh, bring it to the shop tomorrow and I'll fix it," he said, running a hand through his hair.

"For free?"

He nodded vigorously. "Yeah. Of course. On the house," he said, cursing under his breath as he touched the spot the mirror should've been. "Tape. I have..." His trailed off as he jogged down the street and around the corner.

I stood there, unsure if I should wait or not. After a few minutes Nolan jogged back over to me, holding his hand out for the mirror. After I handed it to him, he got to work attaching it back to the car with silver duct tape.

When he finished he stood back, admiring his handiwork. "That should hold."

"Until tomorrow?" I confirmed, looking up at him.

"Yeah. Tomorrow." He tucked some hair behind his ear, eye tearing away from the car and landing on me.

He really was adorably cute right now. And that hair...No! I expelled the thoughts from my mind, got into my car and left.

//

Drunk Nolan is kinda fun to write...

&& Thank you for getting me to over a hundred reads in less than a week <3