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❝ stop being an oblivious bitch ❞
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𝘚𝘺𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘦'𝘴 𝘗𝘖𝘝

We pull up outside my house and I throw open the van door, turning to my friends.

"Have fun tonight, lovie!" Kiara smiles widely at me.

"Thanks, pookie" I grin, pecking her cheek.

"I hope you have fun too" JJ adds, turning his cheek to me expectantly and I laugh, rolling my eyes.

I peck his cheek and jump out the van, turning back to the Pogues again with a small smile.

"See you guys later" I tell them.

"Later, Sylvie!" They yell in unison as John B drives off and JJ pulls the door shut.

I head inside my house and walk straight up to my room, hoping I don't bump into any of my family members. Luck seems to be on my side because I reach my room without seeing anyone and I close my door behind me. I notice that I've got half an hour till Joshua gets here so I start getting ready immediately.

I start by curling my blonde hair into large ringlets before applying a little mascara and my signature red lipstick. After I finish my hair and make up, I head to my closet and throw it open. With a satisfied smile, I slip out of my clothes and pull on a red dress. It has thin straps and it's tight around the top but flows out from my waist to my mid thighs.

I pair the dress with a pair of white converse high tops that the Pogues signed in black sharpie years ago and smile down at them happily, getting the feeling that they're with me without actually being with me.

I hear the sound of a horn beep outside and I perk up, exiting my room.

"Where are you going?" I hear the voice of Wheezie ask and I turn to her with a smile.

"I have a date" I answer her truthfully.

"With JJ?" She asks curiously and I groan loudly.

"No. Why does everyone think I'm dating JJ?" I huff.

"I don't know" She shrugs and walks back into her room.

I make my way downstairs and open the door to see Joshua smiling at me.

"You look nice" He tells me and I smile.

"Thanks" I mumble sheepishly.

"Come on, let's go" He says, grabbing my hand and tugging me towards his car.

He opens the door for me and I smile gratefully, hopping in. I nervously twiddle my thumbs in my lap as he starts up the car and drives towards the party.

"So this is a Kook party, right?" I ask curiously.

"Yeah. You ever been to one?" Joshua asks me.

"No" I shake my head.

"Not even birthday parties?" He asks in surprise.

"I was never invited, just Sarah" I explain and he frowns.

"I'm sorry" He apologises and I shrug.

"It's fine. I learned to stop caring" I assure him and he nods.

We pull up at the Thornton mansion and I internally groan, worry flaring up in my mind.

"You didn't say it was Topper's party" I mention as we get out the car.

"You got beef with Thornton?" Joshua asks with a laugh and I shrug.

"Something like that" I answer.

We enter through the front door which is wide open and I gulp in anxiousness as we walk through the crowded house, the music thumping through the floorboards due to it's loud volume. The smell of alcohol is strong and people are everywhere, making me feel a little claustrophobic.

"Let's get you a drink" Joshua says in my ear and I nod, letting him pull me into the kitchen.

I watch carefully as he pours whiskey and coke into a cup before handing it to me.

"Thank you!" I yell over the music and he smiles, waving me off.

Out of pure nerves, I chug the contents and cringe slightly at the burn in my throat.

"Nervous?" Joshua laughs and I smile, nodding sheepishly "I like your shoes"

I glance down at them with a smile and look back up at his grinning face.

"Thanks! My friends got them for me a while back" I tell him and he listens to me, nodding along.

"Wanna dance?" He asks, holding out his hand.

I nod with a smile, grabbing his hand and following him towards the crowd of dancing teenagers. Trying my hardest not to embarrass myself, I loosen up a bit thanks to the whiskey I drank and dance to the loud music blaring through the room.

For the next hour and a half, I start to feel less and less nervous. I drink a lot of alcohol which is probably the reason for my nerves disappearing, dance to the music without a care in the world and speak to a load of people I never would usually talk to. Joshua stays by my side the whole time, smiling away and listening to my rambling as I get more drunk.

"You wanna get some fresh air?" The curly haired boy asks as I'm talking to a dark haired girl called Veronica who stopped me in the bathroom to tell me how cute my dress is and proceeded to get me a drink so we could talk more.

"Sure!" I grin, turning to the girl "See you 'round, Veronica"

"See you, girlie" She chirps perkily, sloppily pecking my cheek.

I discard of my empty cup and follow Joshua outside near the pool where people are swimming and socialising. He leans on a pillar and I stand in front of him with a drunken smile on my face.

"How you feeling?" He chuckles.

"Good" I giggle happily "Like, really good"

"You look it" He tells me in amusement.

"Thank you. For tonight" I say gratefully, leaning back on the opposite pillar.

"You're welcome" He smiles, standing up straight.

He walks towards me and I internally frown, not feeling a spark as he leans in to kiss me. His lips collide with mine and I kiss him back, but I feel absolutely nothing. I wrap my arms around his neck and he grabs my hips, pressing me against the pillar harshly.

"You're hurting me" I breathe out and he loosens up, making me relax.

His lips kiss down my neck and his hands fall to my ass, making my eyes widen. I pull his hands up to my waist but they just slide back down again, making me feel uncomfortable. He nips my neck and I decide enough is enough.

"Stop it!" I huff, pushing him off me.

He tries to put on an innocent look but it melts into a wide smirk and I frown in confusion. He brings his fingers to his lips and whistles loudly, making an uneasy feeling settle in.

"What did I tell you, boys?" He grins proudly as Topper and Kelce appear at each side of me "She's too easy"

"Fine, you win" Topper huffs as they both hand him cash and then he turns to me "You just cost us 200 dollars because you couldn't stop being an oblivious bitch"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about" I stutter anxiously.

"It was a bet, blondie. 200 dollars says I could get you to kiss me" Joshua explains and I feel tears welling up in my eyes.

"You didn't actually think he liked you, right?" Topper laughs "Oh, I almost feel bad"

"What a desperate little slut" Kelce scoffs and the other two nod in agreement.

"Are you actually crying?" Joshua teases me as tears roll down my cheeks and I turn, walking away.

"Where do you think you're going?!" I hear a voice yell and I turn my head to see Rafe smirking at me.

"Rafe, please" I plead but he ignores me, pushing me roughly.

A scream leaves my lips as I fall backwards and hit the water. I'm engulfed in freezing cold water and I look up to see everyone crowded around the pool, looking down at me.

I swim up to the surface and as soon as I exit the calm of the water, my ears are filled with loud laughs and people yelling things at me like 'stupid Pogue'.

A hand reaches out and I look up to see Veronica with a sympathetic smile. I grab onto her hand and she yanks me out the water.

"Sylvie!" I hear someone yell and I turn to see Sarah trying to grab my arm.

"Stay the hell away from me!" I spit, storming away from her.

I keep my head down and try to tune out everyones laughs as I make my way to the front door. I finally reach the cool air outside and start running, my legs burning as I force myself to keep going.

I get far enough from the party that I can slow down and I fall into a slow walk. Tears stream down my face and my body starts to shiver from the cold air hitting my wet body.

how could I be so stupid? of course he didn't like me

My tears eventually dry up and I'm left only with the reoccurring thought that tells me it's my own fault. If I hadn't let myself believe that anyone could like me, then I would never have been put in that situation. If I had just woken up and realised I'm unlovable, I would never be walking through Figure Eight soaked and crying.

Without even meaning to, I find myself outside the Wreck and I look into the window. I see Kiara dancing with John B while Pope and JJ stuff their faces with food. Suddenly my reflection stares back at me and I frown deeply. My hair is knotted and dripping onto my already wet dress, my mascara is running down my cheeks, my eyes are rimmed red and my lipstick is smudged at the corner.

what a mess

I let out a shaky breath and push open the door to the restaurant. The bell chimes and the Pogues turn to me. All their faces fall and I wrap my arms around myself, feeling insecure about the fact I let myself fall into the Kooks' trap.

"Hi, guys" I choke out.

"Lovie" Kiara sighs, rushing over to pull me into her arms.

A pathetic sounding sob escapes my lips and I wrap my arms around her, hiding my face in her hair. The boys wrap their arms around us as I cry and Kiara squeezes me tightly, as if she's trying to hold all my broken pieces together.

We all pull away and Kiara pulls me over to the table, sitting me down.

"What happened?" The Carrera girl asks me in concern, holding my hand for comfort.

"It was just a bet" I whimper "He never liked me"

"Motherfucker" I hear John B curse angrily.

"Kelce called me a slut, then Rafe pushed me in the pool and everyone just laughed" I explain, hiccuping.

"I'm going to kill them all" JJ snaps, storming out the door.

I jump up but John B shakes his head, chasing after the blonde.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯'𝘴 𝘗𝘖𝘝

John B grabs JJ outside the Wreck and the Maybank boy tries to fight him off.

"Get out of my way, bro!" JJ demands.

"You think I don't wanna beat them black and blue? Because I do" John B hisses, grabbing the blonde's shirt roughly "But now is not the time"

"Why the hell not? I know exactly where they are!" JJ argues.

"Because that girl in there- the girl I know you're in love with. She is hurting, and she doesn't deserve us running off to start fights when she needs us!" John B shouts at him.

JJ pauses and his gaze moves to the blonde Cameron girl crying in Pope's arms.

"You're right" JJ sighs.

"Really?" John B asks in surprise at how easy that was.

"Yeah...I'm in love with her" JJ admits with a longing look on his face.

"Then tell her" John B replies simply.

"What if she doesn't feel the same way?" The blonde asks fearfully.

"Oh, please" The Routledge boy laughs "She's been obsessed with you since her and Kie split"

JJ's lips tug up into a smile and John B rolls his eyes at the two teens who are clearly head over heels in love.

𝘚𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘢'𝘴 𝘗𝘖𝘝

JJ and John B enter the restaurant again and I manage to sober myself up, smiling a little in amusement as Kiara tells me all the evil things she's going to do to the Kooks.

"I swear to God, lovie. Snap, Crackle, Pop and their little bitch won't ever have children" She assures me and I giggle.

"Thanks, Kie" I smile gratefully.

"Always, my love" She smiles.

I let out a quiet yawn and John B chuckles in amusement.

"You staying at the chateau, Vie?" The brunette asks me and I nod.

Another yawn leaves my lips and the Routledge boy rolls his eyes, sweeping me off my feet. I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes sleepily.

"Thanks, Johnny" I mumble.

"Don't mention it" He replies.