When Emily's mom pulled her nondescript 2000's sedan to the curb, the line of cars parked down the street wasn't lost on them. Gwen didn't go to parties that much for this very reason. If she hadn't taken the time to unfold her friend's wheelchair from the trunk and assist Emily into it, she would have unbuckled her seatbelt before the car was in park and blurting out a quick "thanks Mrs. Hack!" before slamming the side door behind her to scramble up the driveway.
"Give me a call when you're ready to go!" Emily's mom called out to them through the rolled down passenger window, into the cool night air.
"Will do," the blonde assured her, holding up her flip phone with her freshly polished nails and waving goodbye with it. The small pink bell charm attached to the cellular device let out a tinny jingle with the motion.
After the car pulled away and its taillights were out of view from down the street, Emily let out a sigh. "God, I hope we can find another ride home. I heard some car guys who race out in the dunes south of town will be here tonight. Wouldn't it be cool to ride with them?"
"Who told you that?" Gwen asked as they started up the driveway. She wasn't exactly sure who's house they were at, but she recognized the parking tag from her cousin's high school on some of the windshields glistening under the streetlights. This had to be it.
Not bothering to hide the distaste from her voice, Emily wrinkled her nose at the name. "Julie did. I think she's trying to set us up. She probably feels bad we don't have dates."
"Right," Gwen laughed, skimming her right hand past her unpierced ear to check for any flyaways that might have escaped the ponytail she'd pulled taut on the crown of her head. Her cousin's new girlfriend probably meant well, maybe even felt bad for having a date of her own, but her high school experience was so obviously public. "As if we have time for that."
Tonight wasn't their typical Friday night. Attending Bellwood's most selective preparatory school precluded drunken house parties or any hopes of having a steady boyfriend. Normally, Gwen thought blearily as she fought back a yawn, she would be getting ready for bed at this hour. Hopefully there was a cooler stocked with Red Bull inside.
It had been hard for Gwen to turn down her cousin Ben's invitation after an entire week of his constant nagging. He claimed the party was being thrown in honor of his saving goal at his school's last soccer game. Even though he knew full well that she had her own after-school activities going on, he had told her that showing up to see his gold medal in person rather than wasting the extra cellphone bill charge to send a grainy picture over text would make up for her not being able to witness his shining moment.
At first, she had relented just to keep him from blowing up her phone during her study hour, but as Emily and her had gotten ready beforehand, she had to admit she was glad to ditch her stuffy dress-code mandated sweater vest and stockings for a pair of seldom worn skinny jeans and a baggy hoodie. Despite the fact that it had her prep school's logo emblazoned across the chest, she practically felt like a normal teenager dressing down, a rarity throughout her intense high school career.
The bass line of the past summer's biggest pop hit thrummed from the other side of the front door. "I'm guessing we don't knock?" Emily mused as they lingered on the porch.
Before Gwen could withdraw a hand from the warm pouch of her hoodie to reach for the knob, the door flew open and a guy in a Bellwood North letterman jacket filed out. "Shit," he cursed upon seeing them, quickly stuffing what Gwen guessed was a pack of cigarettes into his jacket pocket. "It's the other Tennyson!"
Gwen blinked before glancing past him at the crowded entryway. Clearly, those gathered in the entryway had strayed from the dance floor to talk. Some eyed her from up against the walls, prying and eager to catch a bit of gossip. "Any idea where Ben is?" she asked, addressing the young man. His attention, however, was preoccupied with her friend.
"Sure," Ben's teammate smiled, eyes continuing to rake over the blonde. "Last I saw, he was out back. Want me to take you 'round?"
Feigning breathlessness, Emily splayed a manicured hand over her chest. "What a gentleman," she drawled. Rolling her icy blue eyes, she turned to Gwen. "That hill did look a little steep… I'm sure the grass is already slick. Guess we should take him up on it?"
Gwen shrugged. "Beats the stairs, right?"
"Yeah," Emily laughed while maneuvering back around the way they came. "They're a real bitch."
With the help of their newfound acquaintance, the wayward and admittedly handsome soccer player looking for a smoke break, they rounded the corner of the house to the scene out back. It was chaos.
If the backyard hadn't been obscured by rows of trees and oversized shrubs along the white privacy fence, Gwen would have balked at the ballsiness of everyone there. The place was littered with red solo cups. Whether it was sloshing in the hands of partygoers or spilled out on the lawn, alcohol was flowing everywhere.
"He's by the fire pit. I'll grab you ladies a drink," the soccer player told them once they reached steady ground. Before Gwen could request a proper jagerbomb, he had already ducked inside the basement, white plastic blinds slapping against the window in the back door.
"Seriously? What morons," Emily scoffed as they made their way to the fire on the edge of the patio.
Teenaged boys were jumping over the pit with a running start, whooping at each other while flames licked at their various colored skinny jeans. They were trying to avoid the can that had been thrown directly into the center of the pit.
Ben was looking on from the side, his brunet mop of hair thrown back as he bellied a laugh at the antics before him. A pretty raven haired girl—-who Gwen could only presume was Julie—-was clinging onto his right arm, tugging at his green sports jacket as she tried to conceal her fit of giggles. This caused the zipper to slide down even farther, revealing the rumpled state of Ben's black muscle tee.
"Let me guess," Gwen observed wryly as she came up to Ben's other side, Emily in tow. "The can's empty, isn't it?"
"Y-Yeah!" Julie practically wheezed, grinning at her with rosy cheeks and glittery glossed lips.
"Gwen!" Ben exclaimed, straightening up so suddenly that he nearly threw the raven haired girl off him. "You made it!"
Forcing a cough, he quickly zipped his jacket back up to the collar. Too late, Gwen thought with a weary glance toward her friend. The blooming bruises on Ben's neck had been hard to miss, even in the haze of the smoke.
"Julie, this is my cousin, Gwen." His green eyes didn't quite meet Emily's icy ones. "And her friend you've been texting. They go to the same school."
"Emily." the blonde said pointedly, rolling right up to the couple. She stuck a hand out, which Julie was eager to grab.
"Want to dance?" Julie asked the two, about to drag Emily along. "Or seat dance? Let's ditch these guys!"
"Um, sure." Emily relented, slipping her hand from Julie's in order to push off to follow her back to the house. "Maybe I can find that guy who was supposed to get my drink."
"What? You haven't gotten drunk—-I mean, a drink yet?" Julie gasped. Now she was a girl on a mission.
Before Gwen could follow suit, Ben gingerly grabbed her by the arm. "You have a moment? I need some advice."
"Hopefully not girl advice," Gwen joked. Her smile dropped once she realized how serious her cousin was being. Shadows danced across his face, but there was no mirth in his flat, dark pupils. "What's up?"
A/N: Feeling nostalgic. AF aired when I was in my teens. I get that it's a kids show, but I always thought Ben and Gwen's high school experience was so weird and different from mine despite the obvious lol.
Working on Part 2. Lmk what you think!