T W O

ELIZABETH.

“So you coming to the party later tonight?” I shut my locker and turn to James leaning against the next with a small smile on his face.

“Where did you even come out from?” I giggle and he steps closer, leaving only a tiny space between our faces. “You know I’ll find you wherever you go darling. “ he winks before leaning backward and I ignore the tingles those annoyingly reassuring words make me feel.

“You wouldn’t last a second without me. “ I reply to his earlier question with an intent to ignore his prior words and he smiles even wider as he moves to my side and throws his hand over my shoulder; a habit he’s quite fond of.

“You’re gonna have a nice time. “

“You say that every time then ditch me as soon as we get there. “ I hiss, slapping his hand off my shoulder and he pouts, rubbing the spot before he speaks, “That’s not true. I look after you all the time. “

“You only come looking for me when you need help with a girl. “ I glare at him and he shakes his head. He suddenly holds my face in his palm and I still for a second at the feel of his warmth.

“I might be with a girl every time but my eyes are always on you Elizabeth. “ he assures me with a serious look on his face and I feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest with how fast it’s beating. Beating because of his words. Beating because of him.

It’s not right. James doesn’t mean it the way my heart is taking it and it’s why I pull away from his touch with a step back.

“What do I do with you?” I mutter under my breath and begin to move forward with him trailing behind me no doubt.

“Oh shit. “ He suddenly says and I stop in my tracks to turn to him.

“What’s it?” I ask and he nods to the front. “It’s Giselle. She can’t see me. “ I look ahead to see the pretty brown-haired girl is indeed moving in our direction. Giselle is one of his many flings and unlike others, she refuses to forget about their one time together and instead sticks to him like a damn leech.

She’s definitely number one on my list of the most annoying people ever. No doubt James's too.

I think.

“Help me. “ James grabs my shoulder, breaking me out of my thoughts and I shake my head. “What? No. You got yourself in this. It’s your responsibility. “

“Come on. Just this time. I’m really sick of facing her and telling her the same things repeatedly, which she never listens to. “

“Maybe you need to check the type of girls you fuck. If you don’t like them clingy then don’t do it. “

James frowns. “You know I don’t do school. I was just incredibly horny and she just happened to be there. “

And it’s my turn to frown. “You—“ James doesn’t let me finish before he pushes me forward. When I turn to glare at him, he gives me a thumbs-up and a sweet smile. With a drop of my chest, I return my attention forward and Giselle is already before me. She tries to look behind me and I smile as I move along.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Can you like move? I’m trying to look for someone. “ For a girl who appears nice at first sight, she sure is feisty.

“Sorry. I um– got something here. Haha. “ I awkwardly chuckle and she throws me an angry look. After a few more seconds of stretching to the left and right, she finally gives up.

She stares down at me and I expect her to snap but she strangely smiles. “Aren’t you like James's friend or something? I see him around you all the time. “

“Yeah. Right- sorry got to get to class. I’m running late. “

“But I-“

“Bye. “ I wave and walk away quickly.

The things I do for James Hall I swear to god.

~

“Try to stay close. I don’t want to lose you. “ James says just as we walk inside the loud room, booming with explicit music and excited teenagers.

“Oh shit. This is bigger than I thought. “ James shouts over the loud music and I’m about to respond when a stunning girl suddenly appears before us. She’s dressed in a two-piece of jean shorts and a jean crop top which leaves her flat tummy on display. Her purple hair bounces off her shoulders as she smiles at James. She’s insanely pretty. The prettiest girl I’ve seen so far today and of course her attention is on my best friend.

“Hey, James. I’ve been waiting for you. “ She literally pushes me to the side to encircle her arm in his and I scoff.

“Do I know you?” I hear James ask and she brushes one side of her hair off her shoulder as she replies, “No, but you’re about to. “

I roll my eyes to the point where I feel like they’re about to fall off as they silently exchange words before James turns to me. “Lizzie, do you wanna—“

“No have fun and let me know when you’re done. “ I cut him off and walk away. I find my way through the crowd to the kitchen where it’s less loud and I let out the breath I’ve been holding in. I place my hands on the counter and hang my head. Not even five seconds in and he’s already snatched away. So much for looking after me this time.

I move away from the counter and grab the nearest cup I can find. I rinse it and ensure it’s clean before I fill it with water. Leaning against the island, I take gulps of the water and nod along to the unclear beats that come from the main room.

My alone time is however interrupted by an unfamiliar voice. “Hey. What are you doing in here?”

I turn my head to see a girl standing by the door. She’s dressed in a gown like me with a smile on her face. She has pretty eyes. Very blue pretty eyes that round out her blackish-blonde hair.

“Hey. I was just—“

“Not a fan of parties?” She asks as she walks herself in and I chuckle. “Not really. “

“You came alone?”

“No with a friend. “

“Your friend left you?” She lifts a brow and I shake my head. “No. Not really. He’s somewhere around having fun. He loves parties so it’s best if I don’t ruin it for him with my boring self. “

“Boring?” She lets out a small laugh as she stops by my side. “You don’t look boring. “

“And you know that by?”

She gives me a look down then meets my eyes. “I just know it. “ she whispers and there’s a second of silence before she says, “I have friends. A group. We’re just about to play a game. You want to come along?”

I’m about to decline her kind request when she suddenly grabs my wrist and smiles. “It’ll be fun. Trust me. “ Her words are comforting and I stare at her hold of me before I meet her eyes. They’re anxious, waiting for my answer. Taking a quick look around and realizing I wouldn’t want to spend the rest of the night in here just drowning cups of water as I wait for James, I open my mouth to tell her, “Yes. I’d love to try that. “

Her smile grows bigger as she pulls me along. “Oh they’re gonna love you. The name is Penelope by the way but I prefer Penny. “

“Elizabeth and you can call me anything. “ I respond.

And like that, she pulls me into the crowd.