"I can't believe you're actually trying to talk me into this." I stood in the middle of my bedroom, cross armed, raised eyebrow, insisting on not giving in.
But goddammit if they weren't melting my heart away. They all had their best pouty faces on, ones I couldn't, for the life of me, ignore. I was about to scream at Kwan for ganging up on me, but I knew it wasn't his fault. It was Danny's and Tucker's.
They've been my best friends since the second grade, when Danny saw me brooding alone in the corner of the classroom. He and Tucker, friends literally since birth, approached me. It was evident that it was Danny's idea, but Tucker warmed up to me in no time. Five simple words, and suddenly they were my whole world.
"You wanna be our friend?"
Well, that is, until sophomore year.
At the end of freshman year, Danny and Tucker had started a work out competition. It started because Tucker was jealous of Danny's growing muscular physique from ghost hunting, so he had to get in on the action. In no time, they were both useful assets to the weightlifting team with Danny joining football and Tucker joining wrestling afterward.
Thus began their relationships. Danny finally got his chance at Paulina, who adored the queen-like treatment he gave her. Tucker ended up with Star since they were both the horniest people in all of Casper High. I hated it at first, and I'm still not too fond of the two girls I still think are using them. Then, Kwan found me.
We had become the outcasts of our groups, and it didn't take long for him to invite me to hang out with him while on the sidelines of the popular group. I jumped at the opportunity, knowing I'd get more time with my boys than just secret meetings and ghost battles. Not long after that, Kwan and I found ourselves making out behind the bleachers after a football victory.
I had noticed Paulina and Star growing accustomed to me hanging out with them. In fact, Star has asked me if I thought she could pull off a half-goth look. I immediately said yes, knowing it would please Tucker, and I found myself giving her makeup tutorials and pairs of black skinny jeans.
Paulina, she was a different story. She used Danny, absolutely taking advantage of him. She never ceased to talk endlessly about how much she wanted "the ghost boy," but of course Danny didn't mind. Since, after all, he is the ghost boy. He never told her, knowing she'd never keep the secret that she was dating him the whole time. I hated Paulina, but tolerated her for my best friend.
Which brings us to senior year. We're a week away from graduation, our little trio now a six-people-with-random-lingering-others group. We were all well into our relationships, but in the end, our friendship was stronger.
That's why it was Danny's blue eyes convincing me into this disaster party, not Kwan's.
"Come on baby," Kwan stood, making his way to me. "I'll make sure your favorite drink is there, some weed, and nothing else. Parties aren't like they used to be since Dash got, uh, sent away."
I raised an eyebrow at him, never understanding why he stood by the lug of a human, even after he got sent to jail for selling cocaine. I looked over to Danny, who was wearing his devilish half grin that never ceased to melt me into a puddle.
Sure, Kwan was great. Danny, however, would always be my first love.
"Fine," I grumbled. I ignored the hoots, hollers, and fist bumps exchanged between the three most important men in my life. "If anything goes south, I'm taking you down with me." I murmured to Kwan, who just kissed me in response.