Jack's POV
I brushed my hands through my hair as I raced down the hallway to try to talk to her before her bus left. I reached the stairs and stood on my tiptoes scanning the crowd when I saw her blonde hair making its way to the front doors of the building.
"KIM" I called out "KIM" but she didn't hear me. I started to push my way through the crowd. "KIM, hey Kim wait up." She heard me this time and she searched for the source. I waved my arms but she didn't see me and turned around again. I started to push through the crowd again. Then someone grabbed my arm, Donna, great.
"Hey Jackie, I can't wait for tonight." She said flirtatiously. "Maybe I'll save you a dance."
"Yeah whatever, look I am in a rush to talk to Kim. See you tonight." She rolled her eyes at the mention of Kim. I then turned around and chuckled to myself. I started to push more, she must have been close to the door by now.
"KI-" I was pushed from behind. I fell towards Kim who had turned around at the call of her name. Next thing I knew Kim was between me and the lockers. Really close.
"Hi Jack." She whispered.
"Hi Kim. I was looking for you." I said quietly.
"You found me." She whispered again. I stayed there for a little longer, not really wanting to move.
"Hey get a room" someone shouted from behind us. This snapped me back to reality. I pushed myself of the locker and stepped to her right.
"Ugh sorry a-about that." I said stuttering.
She cleared her throat, "Um- no it's a fine. Totally fine." She said blushing. "So you were looking for me?" she said as she started walking again.
"Uhh, yes well my parents won't be home till Sunday afternoon, so I would like to cordially invite you to my party tonight." I said putting my hands in my pocket.
"And why am I just hearing of this now?" she asked.
"Well I send out a mass text yesterday, but I wanted to invite you and person, and we didn't have biology today so I-" she cut off my rambling.
"Jack calm down, I was just joking."
"So you'll be there?" I asked.
She paused, "I don't know Jack." She replied. We were now outside.
"Why not Kim?" I said sadly.
She stopped outside her bus "Jack, don't do that."
"Don't do what?"
"Use your sad voice."
"Well I can't help it I'm sad. Why won't you come."
"Well…"
"Well what?" I asked mocking her.
"It's just at parties you drink a lot, and you're not a fun drunk." She replied quietly.
"What do you mean?" I ask confused.
"Well whenever you get drunk you hit on me, it's weird."
"Why haven't you told me about this before?"
"Well you never remembered, so I just never brought it up."
"I'm so sorry, Kim. I-" I was cut off by Kim's bus driver.
"You coming Kimberley?" Kim started to walk towards the door.
"Kim wait." I grabbed her hands. "If you decide to come tonight, I promise I will do my absolute best to stay sober. Cause I wanna hang out with you, and be able to remember it the next morning." I said looking right into her eyes.
"Jack" she breathed out, looking at the ground
"Please Kim. Pretty pretty pretty please. Please-" I begged
"Okay I'll think about it." She smiled, so did I, "Now can you let me go?" she pulled her hands out of mine. "Bye." She turned and walked up the stairs of her bus. Then the doors closed.
Kim's POV
"Boyfriends cute." My bus driver commented.
"Actually he isn't my-" slut whore Jack's wanna be girlfriend cut me off.
"Actually they aren't dating." Donna finished. "So Kimberley I heard you might not be going to Jack's party tonight. I personally think that you shouldn't."
"Why so you can fantasize about hooking up with Jack?" Grace asked.
"Grace it is not my fault if Jack finds me attractive."
"ughm SLUT ughm" Joanie coughed from our seat at the back of the bus.
"What was that Joanie?" she said venom dripping from her voice.
"Nothing slut." Joanie said with a smile. Donna just screamed.
"Hey Grace. Hey Joanie." I said smiling.
"Hi Kim." Replied Grace.
"Sup" said Joanie.
You we talked about school until Grace's house, where we all got off.
"So you are going to Jack's party, right?" Grace said.
"I don't know. Jack gets drunk and then he gets weird." I replied not looking up from my phone. There was a silent pause. I then looked and saw both Joanie and Grace staring at me. "What?"
"Please, Kim. He is not a weird drunk; he is a flirty drink. He comes over and tries to kiss you, tells you he wants to hook up, that he wants to be with you. And you know you want to." Joanie said with a nod from Grace.
"Well I do, but I want it to be real." I said looking down. "He can't get drunk and tell me. If he really wants to be my boyfriend he will ask when he is sober, and will remember the next day."
"Well you have to go, so we can go." Said Grace.
"Guys you can go without me, you will have each other, and Jerry." I said the last part directed at Grace.
"shut up." Grace said playfully. Grace says she hates Jerry cause he is an idiot, and loud, and obnoxious. But she so is in love with him; everyone sees it. Well not everyone mainly just Jack, Joanie, and me.
"Kim listen Jack totally likes you, he always has. But he can't just sit around waiting for you. He has no idea what your feelings are. If you don't go tonight you know who will. The little slut from down the street. She will hook up with Jack if he is drunk, he won't do anything. Cause he is drunk. Kim you have to go please." Joanie begged. Suddenly a little light bulb went off over my head.
"Alright I'll go… if Grace admits that she likes Jerry and promises to act on her feelings." Grace gasped and Joanie laughed. "And if Joanie finally tells Dillon that she has liked him since 4th grade."
"I have not liked Dillon since fourth grade. Thank you very much." She defended.
"Oh yeah third grade my bad." I smirked. "You can't tell me Jack won't wait for me forever. Dillon is completely in love with you and you with him. You have basically been dating since the 4th grade. So tonight just tell him how you feel." I smiled at her. However the feeling wasn't returned she was glaring at me. "And by the end of the night we will all have boyfriends."
"Deal" Joanie said. "Grace tells Jerry she likes him, Kim finally acts on her feelings, and I will tell Dillon I really like him and have him ask me out." This wasn't good I didn't think Joanie would agree. But now there was no backing out. I guess I'm going to the party.
"Now lets start with hair, and then Kim can tell me about this steamy make out in the hallway Stacy just tweeted about." She said laughing.
"WHAT?!" I said grabbing her phone. Joanie and Grace just sat there continuing to laugh.
Jack's POV
I went over my mental checklist.
Food, check
Drinks, check
Other Drinks, check
Music, check
Guest list, check
Cleanup crew, check
Tell Kim you like her, che- oh just kidding you're too chicken
I mentally silenced the voice in my head it was around so much last year, I pretty much learned how to shut it off. Then I started to wonder if Kim was coming, I decided I wasn't going to get drunk. But then I decided that is just what the voice wanted, so I stopped thinking about Kim. But then I started thinking about her again.
I win said the voice, then the doorbell went ding dong.
I opened the front door to see my three best friends standing there. "Jerry, Milton, and Dillon are you ready to have the time of your lives?" I asked smiling as I let them in my house.
"I'm ready to kill it, chill with the babes, and get krunk." Jerry said finishing off with a WHOOO.
"Problem I said, I can't get drunk."
"What? Why not?" asked Milton shocked.
"Let me guess, Kim?" said Dillon laughing.
"Shut up Dillon we all know the reason you don't drink is because Joanie would hate you then kill you, you are so whipped and you haven't even asked her out yet. I said laughing and Jerry agreed.
"Well no more." Dillon said, "Tonight I am going to march right up to Joanie and ask her out. And if she says no, I guess I will just have to move on."
"Good. I'm proud of you man." Jack said clapping him on the back.
"And I suggest you tell Grace how you feel Jerry before the new French kid Simon snatches her up. And Jack the same with you and Kim, cause the whole male population is a threat to your relationship." Dillon suggested.
"Well I'm just gonna focus on not getting wasted, and see where that gets me. And you guys have to help me." Jack said.
"Well, me and Milton will help. Jerry will probably just put the cup in your hand." Dillon said jokingly.
"Hey" said Jerry offended, standing up. "Ehh you're probably right." He plopped back onto the couch.
"Well I can't help. I plan on getting drunk. I am no longer in a relationship. Julie and I called it quits on the whole long distance relationship." He said in a low voice.
"I'm sorry man." I said placing my hand on his shoulder.
"It okay things weren't really working out. Her in New York, me here. We are on opposite sides of the country." He stated.
"Well tonight will be amazing." I said and we all agreed.
Donna's Pov (EWWWWWWW)
I waited for my dad to leave before I put on my skintight black dress. Then I snuck into the mini bar and grabbed about 4 little bottles of vodka and my special package. I was going to get Jack Brewer so drunk tonight, and show Kim how he really feels.
Dillon"s POV
People were just starting to arrive at Jack's party. I planned on going home tonight with Joanie as my girlfriend. I really was hoping she said yes. My plan was to just walk up to her right at the beginning of the party and ask her out. Then stupid Danny Fisher couldn't make a move on her like he had told the whole football team he was. Then I saw her she walked in behind Kim and Grace. She was dressed in a red and black pencil dress, with her hair pulled back. I was frozen until Jack shoved me from behind.
"Go make your move." Jack said as he walked past me towards Kim. I followed him. "I'm glad you came" he said to Kim as he grabbed her hand, "come on I got your favorite snacks." He said jokingly and they were gone.
"Hey Joanie, you look great." I told her and she looked scared.
"Uh, um I uh. Bye." She said and then walked away really fast. I was confused so I looked to Grace for answers.
"Sorry, I'll go talk to her." Then she walked away. "Um on a completely unrelated note Jerry isn't here is he?" she popped back.
"Um, yeah of coarse he is." I replied smiling. She was totally into him.
"Shit" she muttered under her breathe. Then walked away in the direction Joanie ran off in.
"Girls are weird." I said to myself. Then my courage to ask out Joanie was gone and suddenly replaced with curiosity as to why Donna was pouring bottles into the punch bowl.
Joanie's POV
I was looking for somewhere private and quiet to think. I was pushing through a crowd of teenagers when someone pulled me back by the arm. My heart froze at the thought of it being Dillon, but I let out a sigh as I turned and saw it was just Grace.
"Oh Grace, it's just you." I breathed with relief.
"What are you doing?" Grace asked clearly annoyed.
"Grace I can't just ask Dillon out." I said grabbing my forehead.
"Why not?" she asked, "and no stupid answers, you have to give me a good reason why you can't ask the guy you've liked for literally 7 years on a date." She exasperated.
"FOR EXACTLY THAT REASON!" I then turned and walked towards Jack's bathroom, with Grace hot on my tail. I opened the door, thank god no one was in it. Then I started to cry.
"Joanie what's wrong." She said hugging me.
"Grace there is nothing I would want more then to have Dillon as a boyfriend. I know he will treat me right, and I know he cares about me. But I can't lose him."
"Honey what are you talking about?"
"How many teenagers that date in high school actually stay together? Look at Milton and Julie, they were completely in love and they even broke up. If things didn't work out between Dillon he wouldn't be my boyfriend or my friend. I need him; he was my rock throughout everything. When my mom died he was the first one I told, he was the one who held me every night I cried myself to sleep. I have a thing with a Dillon that isn't worth the risk of teen romance." I started to cry again. "Grace I honestly think I'm in love with him."
"Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry." She said as she hugged me again.
"Grace what do I do?" I asked as I started to control my emotions.
"I can't decide that for you sweetie. It's up to you." She replied.
"I was afraid you'd say that." She laughed.
"Come on let's fix you're make up and get back out there." She said grabbing her purse.
"Should we tell Kim the bet is off?" I asked wiping the mascara off my face.
"Oh god no, I actually think her and Jack might get together. And I am going to make my move on Jerry." She said.
"So you do like him." I said smiling.
"A lot", she replied smiling.
"I'm so excited." And she started to re-apply my makeup.
Jerry's POV
I was scanning over the crowd from the DJ's booth looking for a certain brunette who apparently had disappearing powers. The other person I didn't see was a certain French kid who was trying to make a move on my girl. I saw Kim and Jack dancing in the middle of the dance floor. I hated to be a cockblock but I needed to find Grace and Milton was totally wasted in the corner. I slowly made my way through the crowd of dancing teens until I found the blonde and brunette dancing close, really close.
"Jack, JACK" he turned around.
"What Jerry?" he said annoyed.
"Sorry to intervene" I said looking at both of them wiggling my eyebrows. "But I was wondering if either of you have seen Grace?" Kim was blushing really hard and looking at the ground.
"Yeah dude she walked outside like 4 minutes ago," then he leaned in close "Simon was following her, go kick his ass for me." I was about to charge off when I remembered my second reason for walking over. "Oh and by the way Milton is totally wasted and you know how he gets, I think you should put him in a room he is gonna completely pass out soon."
"Alright I'll get him." He told me then leaned in to Kim and whispered something in her ear. Then walked off towards Milton.
"So…" I looked at Kim.
"So… what?" she was playing stupid.
"So you and Jack, ya know he isn't drinking for you." I told her.
"I know." She replied.
"not a lot of guys would do that for just any girl." I said.
"What are you saying Jerry?" she asked.
"What I'm saying is I'm pretty sure Donna is here, so make your move." I said smirking.
"Yeah and so is Simon and is probably chatting up Grace right now, so you should probably get on that." She replied.
"Wanna just go after Jack and I'll go get Grace and we can pretend this never happened?" I asked.
"Deal." She said walking away, and I went the opposite way looking for Grace
Grace's POV
After being an amazing friend I left Joanie in the hands of her team mates. Then I started making my way to the punch bowl to begin my search for Jerry. But then I made eye contact with the foreign exchange student Simon and made a beeline for the backyard. I mean he was cute, but was weirdly obsessed with me and I was really into Jerry. I was walking to the backyard when I saw Jack and Kim getting steamy on the dance floor. Next thing I knew a drunk French kid was trapping m between his chest and a wall.
"Hello Grace." He said in his thick French accent.
"Hey Simon, would you mind moving." I asked a little creeped out.
"Now Grace why would I do that, I like you, you like me lets skip all the clichés and romance and get to the dirty things." He replied leaning into kiss me.
"No Simon you're drunk you aren't thinking straight." I said and he stopped.
"Of course I am silly girl. Now be quiet." He said leaning in again.
"Wait Simon, wait. You're right." I blurted out, and he stopped.
"What?" he said confused.
"I said you're right, I do like you. But I have class, could we go somewhere more private?" I said praying he would agree.
A smile that made me sick to my stomach appeared on his face, "I knew you would come around, we shall go find a bedroom upstairs." He then grabbed my wrist and I was suddenly in a death grip. He began to drag me into the house when he stopped.
"Let go of her." I heard someone say.
"Now why would I do that?" Simon said grabbing my wrist harder.
"Ow, ow. You're hurting me." I cried out.
"Simon I am giving you till the count of five before I knock the living day lights out of you." I recognized that voice. "Let go of Grace." He said sternly.
"No." Simon said defiantly.
"1" he started to count.
"She wants me, a rich foreign boy with an accent.
"2" he continued.
"Don't you get it; she doesn't want a piece of trash from a broken home."
"3" he said his voice cracked
"She wants me Jerry; she wants to be writhing under my strong body." Simon said taunting him.
"4" he said shaking with rage
"I can already hear her screaming my name." Simon continued. "Can't you?" He never made it too five. There was a horrible sound of Simon's face against knuckles and then he was out cold. Before him stood Jerry bright red face filled with rage. He was literally shaking with anger. I walked over to him and hugged him.
"Thank you Jerry, thank you so much. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't stopped him. Thank you, thank you so much." I said as I felt tears running down my cheeks. He wrapped his arms around me protectively. Then led me away from the crowd that had formed around us.
"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" he said as he pulled back and examined me once we were away from most of the people and the noise.
"Yeah my wrist is just a little sore from his grip." I said and rubbed it. He took my hand and started to rub it. I looked up at him and he was staring at me. Our eyes made contact and I was waiting for him to lean in and kiss me but he started to talk, boys.
"Um, Grace could I maybe, uh. Um, could I just." He stuttered and kept flicking his gaze from my eyes to my lips. Aww he was asking permission to kiss me.
"Yes Jerry you can kiss me." I said cutting him off.
"Oh really? That's, uh that's great so I'm just gonna-" he continued.
"Jerry just kiss me before I-" I was cut off by his lips. My hand wrapped around his neck and I grabbed his hair. He placed one of his hands on my waist, the other cupped my cheek. Our kiss was about to get a little heated when pain shot up my arm. "Ow!" I said pulling back grabbing my wrist. It was throbbing.
"Oh my god Grace I'm so sorry." He said backing away. "I didn't mean to hurt you I'm sorry." I looked up at him.
"No, no it wasn't you. It's my wrist the kiss was um the kiss, it was great." I said awkwardly.
"Oh really?" he asked, shocked.
"Yeah, it was perfect." I said taking a step forward. There was too much space between us.
"O good, good, that's good." He said nervously, "so um Grace would you may be like to be my girlfriend?"
I smiled widely, "Yes Jerry. I would love to be your girlfriend." Then I pecked him on the lips.
"We should probably get some ice for your wrist." He suggested.
"Yeah" I whispered. He grabbed my good hand and intertwined our fingers, and then we headed back into the party.
Dillon's POV
I was searching around for Joanie all night. She was avoiding me on purpose; she was also ignoring my texts. Kim, Jack, and Jerry hadn't seen her since I had last talked to her. I had checked outside and I was 100% sure she wasn't upstairs, Joanie just wasn't that type of girl. So that left one place she could be, the main floor, which included the stage, a room full of bouncy balls, the band, the random mob of kids talking, the kitchen, and then dance floor. I knew she wasn't in the kitchen, the room of balls, or near the band. So I climbed up Jack's staircase to scope out the dance floor, that's when I saw Kristen, one of Joanie's team mates, heading towards the mob of talking kids, so I did a quick check and saw Joanie talking to the one the only Danny Fisher. I quickly made my way down the stairs furious. So she has been ditching me all night to hang with Danny, great. I made my way through the crowd, shoving kids out of my path, until I was right behind a girl in a red and black dress. I grabbed her arm, a little aggressively.
"Dillon?" she asked confused, then fear filled her eyes.
"Sup Marcus." He said calling me by my last name.
"Hi, Joanie, could I talk to you for a minute." I said trying to keep my cool.
"Excuse me, Danny." She said, then I pulled her away from her group of friends.
"Ow Dillon!" she whined.
"What the hell Joan?" I screamed at her.
"What is the matter with you?" she said releasing her arm from my iron grip.
"What is the matter with me? What is the matter with you? I have called like a gazillion times and texted about a million times. Why are you avoiding me?" I asked.
"I'm not avoiding you." She lied.
"Oh so you are hanging out with Fisher intentionally." I said sarcastically.
"His name is Danny, and yes I am hanging out with him because he makes sense, unlike you." She screamed at me. Now people were starting to stare.
"I'm not making sense, I have been looking for you all night, cause I needed to ask you something and here you are chatting it up with another guy." I shouted back.
"Another Guy? You don't own me Dillon, I don't have to check in with you every time I talk to another guy.
"Is everything okay here?" Danny butted in.
"Shut the hell up Danny." I snapped.
"Don't talk to him like that." Joanie yelled at me.
"Oh so now your defending him? Okay that's great." I said sarcastically.
"Have you been drinking? Or are you just insanely jealous.
"Look Dillon why don't you go cool down, then Joanie and I can head upstairs like we were talking about doing." He said smugly.
"What?" I asked, rage coursing through my veins.
"Me and Joanie will go upstairs and get the real party started and you can leave us alone." He replied.
"THAT'S IT" and I completely lost it. I shoved him into the wall and he slammed his head into the wall and crumpled to the ground."
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU DILLON?" Joanie screamed at me.
"What's wrong with me is that my best friend is a slut that prances around school giving it to every guy who barely even asks." The minute that sentenced left my mouth I regretted it. Joanie's eyes filled with tears.
"Don't talk to me ever again" she screamed then slapped me across the face. Next she disappeared into the crowd sobbing. I then noticed the whole party was my crowd. I stormed out of the house to the backyard.
"Pour me a drink." I said to the kid with the cups. I just wanted to forget this night completely.
Jack's POV
I had sadly left Kim to go help Milton with his drinking issue. I had arrived and Milton was dancing on the table and a bunch of kid's were chanting his name. I pulled him down off the table
"Let's go Milton." I said as I pulled him through the crowd and upstairs to my room. When we got there he was crying. "Dude what's wrong?" I asked.
"I want Julie, all I want is Julie. I didn't break up with her. She met some guy at her new school. Some kid named Dillon, captain of not only the soccer team captain, but also the president of chemistry club. She said she really liked him, and she had to end it. But I still love her."
"Man I'm sorry, that really sucks. But you got to move on. There are many smart, pretty girls in Seaford. But right now you are completely wasted and are about to pass out. So why don't you just take a nap here." I suggested. He agreed and was passed out before I left the room. I then walked downstairs and was ambushed by Donna.
"Hey Jackie. You looked parched. Here have my punch." She said flirtatiously.
"Sure why not?" it seemed harmless so I chugged it. But something was wrong there was something in the drink and I needed more of it. "Hey Donna where did you get this punch?" I asked.
"From the punch bowl. Come on I'll walk you there." She said as she looped arms and led me through the crowd. At that moment I forgot about everything except getting more punch, it was just so good.
Grace's POV
I had just gotten an ice pack when I saw Joanie crying again.
"Excuse me Jerry." I said and pecked him on the lips. I then intercepted Joanie on her way out the door. "Joan what happened?" I asked.
"Dillon is an ass and I just want to go home." She said as she continued to sob.
"Alright let's just find Kim." I saw Jack at the punch bowl and figured she would be with him. So we headed over there. "Jack, JACK."I said trying to get his attention. He turned around to look at me and I knew something was wrong. His pupils were dilated and his eyes were bloodshot. He was high.
"Oh heyyy Jerry. How did things work out with Grace?" he asked his speech slurred. So not only was he high, he was drunk. Kim was going to love this.
"What the hell Jack. You are supposed to be sober." I said sternly
"Mom what are saying I am as sober as dad is." He said smiling while making little to no sense.
"HEYYY HEYY KIM, KIMMY OVER HER." He called out to Kim. This wasn't going to end well.
"Jack?" asked Kim confused, "Where have you been?"
"He has been with me almost all night." Said Donna snaking her arm around his waist.
"What the hell Jack?" said Kim.
"Yeah what the hell Jack?" said Jack to Donna then pulled away from her and stumbled towards Kim trapping her between him and the wall. "Look I talk a lot of shit when I'm drinking baby; I'm known to go a little too fast. Don't mind all my friends I know they are all crazy, but they're the only friends that I have. I'd like to skip the small talk and romance. That's all I have to say so baby can we dance?" he said reciting the lyrics to a song.
Kim's POV
Well Jack broke his promise and is completely wasted. He leaned in and whispered in my ear "Kim I have always really liked. So can I kiss you?" he said and when I looked at his face he had on his puppy dog eyes. I am disgusted in myself that I actually weighed my options. "Jack you are drunk. I'm going home. Goodnight." Then I slipped out from between him and the wall. I walked quickly by Grace and saw a crying Joanie. So I walked back. "Let's go home?"
"We were coming to find you." So I was pissed off, Grace was glowing, and Joanie was still crying, we got in Grace's car and drove to her house to sleep this night away.
"Why so happy?" I asked Grace miserably once we were in her room getting ready to go to sleep.
"Jerry and I got together." She said.
"I'm happy for you." I said.
"I'm sorry about Jack." She said quietly.
"It's fine, any idea what happened to her." I said motioning to Joanie who had fallen asleep in Grace's bed.
"Apparently her and Dillon got in huge fight and Danny Fisher was knocked out. But that's what I heard." She explained.
"I just want to go to bed and never go to bed." I said as I lay back and sleep away my sorrows.