I woke up that morning like it had been any other morning. Little did I know, this was the beginning of the adventure of a lifetime.
My nose tickled ever so slightly to the smell of bacon creeping up the stairs. My eyes darted open, as wide as they could possibly be. I slept in. Not today, I couldn't sleep in. I hopped out of bed and grabbed my cell phone. 10:24. Two missed calls. I quickly swapped clothing. Jeans and a t-shirt. Last I knew they were clean. It was close enough, I was in a hurry. I grabbed my cell phone off my dresser and began to dial aimlessly.
"Ryanne! Where have you been? You KNOW what today is!" the voice on the other end scolded. Leah had been my best friend since we were born. We share everything, including our birthday. Our moms were neighbors in the hospital when we were born, and ever since, we have been inseparable. Our moms are best friends, our dads are best friends, and even our little sisters are best friends.
"You need to come over as soon as possible. We need to get ready" she continued.
"Yeah, give me 15. I'll be right there." I said as I rounded the end of the stairs and hung up my cell phone.
I went to grab a single piece of bacon on the kitchen bar when my mother spoke up.
"Remember, Ryanne. Ryder is going to that signing tonight. You agreed to take her."
"Mom, I have something really important to do tonight. Leah and I were invited to Jason Wright's party. We've been planning on going for three weeks. I can't let her down like that."
"A commitment is a commitment. You agreed to take her last month."
"Can't Rory take her?" I said, giving my 21 year old brother an obvious glance.
"Sorry, can't tonight."
I looked back to mom, and groaned.
"Can I drop her off with Lisa to play with Sarah while I'm at the party?"
Mom thought for a minute
"As long as Lisa agrees to it, I'm okay with it too. I'll give her a call in an hour or so."
"Thank-you! Call me when you get in touch with her, and I'll come pick her up." I said as I ran out the door.
Leah's family was close knit. Leah's mom's name was Lisa. She was a registered nurse and worked for the hospital down the street. Her dad, Mark, was a construction worker. Together they had Leah who was 20 like me, and Sarah who was a year older than Ryder at age 9. Our families were so close that they re-did the basement in their house as bedrooms for my parents and Rory. Leah and Sarah had trundle beds for me and Ryder.
Leah and I grew up together. For all I was concerned, she was my sister. I was 4 hours older, though. Ever since I can remember, we have been boy crazy. At one point, we swore we would both marry Justin Timberlake. We thought he was the dreamiest person that had ever lived.
Jason Wright was the hottest boy in school. Both Leah and I were crazy over him. We spent our days analyzing what he would say to us, and if it had deeper meaning behind it. This party would be the place to be tonight. And I was determined to go, whether I had to drag Ryder along or not.
Leah and I spent the whole day painting our nails, choosing outfits, and doing each other's hair and makeup until it was perfect for the party. Ryder came and played with Sarah for a little while, and mom and Lisa hung out.
At 5:00, Ryder was ready to go. Sarah and Leah decided to tag along.
We got to the city theater, and waited in line for over an hour. Finally, we were in eye sight of the boy band. There were five British guys, sitting behind a buffet table. They smiled, signed pre-printed pictures, took pictures, and gave hugs. I was surprised to see that girls my age were here without their little sisters. We finally got to the front of the line. The first boy smiled.
"What's your names?"
"Ryder"
"Sarah"
He signed a picture and pulled them in for a hug.
"Thank you for coming out today girls!"
On to the next. And the next. And the next.
We got to the last boy at the end of the table. He looked up at me and smiled gently.
"Hello, I'm Liam." He said, still looking at me.
"I'm Ryder! You're my favorite!" she didn't hold back on her words. He was her Justin Timberlake.
"I'm Sarah! Hi Liam! I love the way you talk!"
"Aw, I love the way you girls talk! You're so lovely!" He smiled at them and gave each of them a hug. He kept glancing at me awkwardly throughout the whole meet and greet. He took pictures and gave autographs to Ryder and Sarah.
"What are you girls' names?" he asked, glancing up once again.
"Leah"
"Ryanne" I smiled back at him, and he blushed and looked to the ground.
"Those are beautiful names" he smiled. "Would you like a picture as well?" he asked, motioning towards Leah and me.
"Sure, why not?" Leah smiled and shrugged. We got up, and Liam put his hand on each of our waists. His hand was trembling ever so slightly. We smiled, and got a Polaroid.
We finally got back to the car, and it was already 6:45. We had a 20 minute drive back to Leah's house, and a 15 minute drive to Jason's house. The party started at 7.
JASON'S PARTY
We walked in, and automatically, we saw Jason's smiling face from across the room. We looked at each other and took a deep breath. We both set off across the room, appearing to be calm cool and collected. Our hearts were racing. I could tell by the way she walked. She was anything but collected. And here I was, breathing so heavily, I wondered if Jason could hear it from across the room. I tried my hardest make it seem as if my feet weren't shaking every time I lifted one to put the other down. My cheeks were rosy, I could feel them. I was afraid to make eye contact. Maybe if he looked into my eyes, he could see how nervous I was. It seemed like forever, yet not long enough by the time we had approached him.
"Leah, Ryanne. Thanks for coming. You guys look great!" He smiled
"Thanks! You do too." Leah said with a slightly shaky voice.
"Oh, thanks. Just threw this on."
The night progressed rather slow. Eventually, everyone started to dance. Leah and I jumped in. I felt great. We were here. We made it. We were having fun, and that was all that mattered. A cute boy asked Leah to dance, and she went off on her own. I still continued to dance, even though Leah found someone else. After only about five minutes, I felt someone put their hands on my hips from behind me. I looked back over my shoulder, and Jason looked into my eyes and smiled. I smiled back. This wasn't a dream. Please don't let this be a dream. We danced for a while. Leah was still nowhere to be found. A slow song came over the radio, and Jason spun me around.
"Dance with me?" he asked as he raised his eyebrows.
I just nodded. Not a dream. Not a dream.
"You look really pretty tonight" he said. I could smell alcohol on his breath. Didn't care. Not a dream.
"Thank you" I smiled.
"Can I ask you something?"
I nodded
"What would you do if I were to kiss you right now?"
I blushed and looked down. He can't know that I'm nervous.
He leaned in and gently pressed his lips against mine. It wasn't what I had expected. Not in a bad way. Not in a good way. I...I didn't know what I thought. I was scared? That's what I thought. I was scared, and there was a boy attached to my lips. I leaned out from the kiss, and backed away slowly.
"Ryanne?"
"I-I have to go." i said quickly. Suddenly, Leah was right by my side. I was uncertain if I found her or she found me. But she was there. Tears started swelling up in the corners of my eyes. Don't cry. Not here.
I led Leah by the hand, and we got into my car, and I lost it. She held me for a while.
"He kissed me, Leah."
"Oh my gosh!"
"It was all wrong, Leah. I just-I jus-I couldn't do it." I fit in between tears.
Leah just held me. Everything would be okay.
