Lisa finds herself at Nelson's house every morning since the day of their promise, and every night she spent it studying. Occasionally sending a text here and there to make sure Nelson was at least attempting his own homework. They were settling into their slightly new routine rather well. Lisa Simpson found herself smugly happy about getting him to go to school so much too. She should make Bart buy her ice cream later.
Almost as if hearing her thoughts Bart appears in her doorway, knocking twice on her open bedroom door. "I can see you. You don't have to knock."
"It's rude to just walk into a girl's room." Bart jokes.
"Then stay in the hall." Lisa orders giving him an unamused look.
"Don't be like that Lis. I am actually here out of goodwill. Not that I much care for homework, but I know you'll get it done. So do you want to come to a party at the twins' house?" Bart asks choosing to lay his back, down across her bed.
She kicks one of his hanging arms lightly. "Why would the twins invite you?" Last time she checked they were still mad at him for mixing the two of them up at the party they through.
"Probably because I told them I would convince the other guys to go too."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"Well you're one of the guys, aren't you?" Bart asks offering his little sister a sweet smile.
Lisa was surprised to hear that from him. "Oh, Bart." How long had she waited for him to say something like that? Any acknowledgment at all of the fact the rest already considered to be so. She sets her laptop down before jumping to the other end of her bed. Wrapping her arms around Bart's neck.
He coughs pretending to choke. "So does that mean you're coming?"
"Yeah. Let me just finish my last calculus problem and I'll be right down."
"Cool." Bart gives Lis a thumbs up before raising his legs. He swings them down to use the momentum to raise himself up off the bed. He lands with an easy going laugh before scratching the back of his neck and walking out. Lisa rolls her eyes and looks back down at the homework. It was her last problem. Was Nelson nearly done?
Pulling out her phone Lisa realizes he had been silent for the last twenty or so minutes. So she sends, 'Hey are you going to the party tonight?'
Almost immediately he reads the message, but it took him a few minutes before finally replying with, 'I don't know. Still, have geometry.'
Lisa chuckles before sending, 'Well Bart just invited me. If you want I can come by early tomorrow. To double check your homework.'
Nelson's response was instantaneous, 'I'll go if you help me finish the homework tomorrow.'
'Deal.'
'See you at the twins' place in ten.'
Lisa smiles down at her phone. At least it wouldn't be a complete disaster. With both Bart and Nelson there she should be able to find something to do. Even if the party ended up not being her style. Promising herself to finish that last problem later, Lisa closes her book, sets in on the dresser drawer, and basically bounces over to her closet to find the perfect outfit. Bart was wearing an overly large red shirt, and baggy pants so it was most likely a casual party. Then again Bart would wear that to a suit and tie dinner if mother didn't remind him to change.
Opening her closest Lisa pulls out the first dress she sees. Along, cerulean-colored dress. Closing her door she throws her clothes off and slips the dress on quickly. Picking her black tennis shoes up from near the door, Lisa slips then on before running out of her room. Grabbing her phone as she passes, stuffing it into her bra. Without thinking, she hops on the stairs railing and rides it down sideways as if she was a child again.
Bart meets her with a shit-eating grin. Swinging the car keys around his finger, he opens the door just as Lisa's feet touch the ground. "Your door milady." He mocks a bow.
"Yes thank you, dear Reginald," Lisa replies with a curtsy. Bart locks the door, starts the car, and then they were off.
It wasn't too late. Closer to 11 pm then it was to 10:30 pm. Why the twins were having a party so early in the night she had no idea. Lisa was not one to complain when given a golden opportunity, however. So she smiles as Bart rolls the windows down and drives through the town. Albeit it is a short drive, but Bart didn't willing let her come to parties with him often.
As the twin's home comes into view Bart slows down and throws something at Lisa. It hits the side of her head. Looking down she sees that it was a pack of new gum. Bart winks as he pulls over to the side of the curb. "Just in case you need that tonight."
Lisa sighs. "What do you think is going to happen?"
"Nothing." Bart looks away trying to hide his smirk, "But there are a few guys here. I'm not saying take them to bed, but just in case you find one you might want to kiss."
"Yeah like that'll happen." Lisa laughs as she stuffs the pack into her black bra. Another downside to dresses never having pockets.
"You never know Lis. Anything could happen."
She ignores her bothersome older brother and slams her door shut in response. Bart always had his jokes. Even if they were just to point out how impossible it was for her to get a date that wasn't Milhouse. Lisa pats down her hair one last time before following Bart into the twins' house. She doesn't question why he didn't knock, but why the twins wouldn't keep the door lock.
The first thing she is greeted with is a living room full of her peers. Students of every grade from the high school, dancing as if they had never heard music before. Even Adrian and Sophie, two students from Bart's old elementary class, were there. Rumors were that the two had gotten together in freshman year and ran away. Maybe they came back for this one night of partying. Lisa makes a move over to the two sharing a slow dance while everyone else was jumping up and down, spinning their heads, and twerking around them.
Bart was quick to tell his sister to wait one moment as he disappears around the corner into another room. Lisa reaches out for her brother only to be bumped away by an already very drunk Martin. Lisa watches him, baffled. She didn't know he could even drink let alone that he would be here. With a slurred, 'watch it', Martin stumbles into another group of students. Lisa tries to follow her brother's path but is meant with a wall of dancers. A girl with dark hair and glasses grabs her hand and pulls Lisa into the fray.
With a woeful expression, Lisa tries to dance. Moving her arms up and down slowly she mimics the girl's moves. She was moving so much faster than Lisa herself. With ease, the dark-haired girl shakes to the tune. Occasionally she pauses and moves closer to Lisa before continuing. Lisa could feel her face growing warmer as they begin to move together. Until she heard a saving grace in the form of her brother's voice. She looks around and sees him leaning against the wall talking to one of the twins. Lisa tries to call out to him but loses her voice as she is spun around and brought face to face with another dancer. This one a guy she had seen on the basketball team. Lisa gulps as he tries to place his hands on her waist. Lisa moves back and bumps into the girl from before. Taking a deep breath she apologizes to both and slips into the room closest to her, the kitchen. She rushes over to the empty spot next to the sink. Resting her hands against the cool steel
"Lisa?" She looks up to see a very slight reflection of a large nose in the window over the sink.
"Milhouse?"
"Yeah. You doing okay?" He asks and she feels him set a hand on her upper left arm.
"I'm fine." She answers brushing him off. With a sigh she turns around, crossing her arms over her chest, and faces him. "Bart didn't say you were coming tonight," Lisa states in an attempt to start a conversation.
"He didn't mention you coming either." His response was accompanied by a nervous laugh.
"Well, here we are." Lisa rolls her eyes. Goosebumps crawling along her back from the touch of the cold, metal sink against her back. Suspicions suggest it was not only due to the sink that her skin was crawling.
"D-do you want to dance?" He asks motioning back to the room she had barely escaped from the first time.
"No. Not really. I rather stay here." His face falls and she could feel herself giving in. "Maybe after a break. I was just dancing before."
"Yeah, I saw. Okay." He leans on his side against the counter next to her. So he was planning on sticking around.
Lisa just wanted some space after her such close encounter from before. Quickly thinking up a plan to get some privacy Lisa excuses herself. "I have to find the bathroom, Milhouse. If you want some company I saw Bart just in the other room, and Nelson is supposed to be getting here soon."
"Oh. Well, do you know where the bathroom is?"
"Yes, Milhouse. Go have fun." Barely touching his arm, Lisa nods towards the other partiers. Walking away she stumbles into a hall with couples breaking off from the rest. They were pinning each other against the wall. Lisa twists through them trying her best to keep from touching any of them. Coming on a closed door she knocks twice. Receiving no response Lisa tries to open the door. Only to find it was locked. Hoping that wasn't actually the bathroom she moves along. There were only two more doors in that hallway, and both were locked much to Lisa Simpson's disappointment.
Finding that the end of the hall was clear she takes a seat. Why did she even agree to come here? Bart ditched the instant they were through the door, and she should have known he would. No one wanted to hang out with their little sister at a party. Feeling her phone buzz against her breast, Lisa jumps. Smacking her head for forgetting where she had put it, Lisa deftly pulls the phone out and checks to see who was messaging her now.
'Hey thought u were comin' to this thing'
She couldn't stop the smile from forming on her lips. Looking down the hall to see it was a little less full than it had been before, Lisa answers. 'I did. Bart ditched me. Go to the kitchen and wander down a hall past the couples making out in it.'
Her phone was not even down before she got a response back. 'Ur a peeping tom now? Didn't know ya were into that Simpson.'
Covering her mouth to keep from laughing, Lisa sends, 'You wish Nelson. I just got trapped looking for the bathroom.'
'How did you know my Christmas list?'
'What is it? Me watching you, or me trapped in a hall?'
'Could be both.'
'If this is your flirting. It's very odd.' Lisa shoots back as she wasn't really sure where this conversation was going.
'Maybe it is so what?'
'Then you need to try better.'
Setting down her phone now, Lisa presses her back against the wall. Looking up to watch the rest of the hallway she found herself actually feeling better about the whole thing now. At least she wasn't going to be by herself, or stuck with only Milhouse.
Seeing a shadow pass by at the end of it, Lisa takes a deep breath. Why there was a buzzing in her chest she was clueless over. Nelson and she had tried the whole flirting thing before when they were kids. It didn't work. No matter what either of them did, but (she considers) they weren't kids anymore.
As the shadow comes closer Lisa felt her heart beat faster. Pulling her legs up to her chest she rests her cheek on them. An attempt to seem closed off when in truth everything about her felt bare. Once the light disappears from over her figure she knows that he found his way after all. Had a part of her hoped it was someone else or was this simple anticipation playing with her emotions. In a scene like this, it was all possible.
He takes the empty space to her right. Bumping his head against the wall, and letting his legs stretch out. Risking a glance Lisa saw that Nelson looks almost as nervous as her heartfelt. He turns his head towards her and almost catches her eye. Luckily Lisa used to directing her attention somewhere else at any given moment. Saved her a lot of times from getting caught in trouble at home. He is quiet, too quiet. Nelson was only ever this silent during an exam. She could feel his eyes peering down at her. Sitting even like this the height difference was clear. Lisa had little hope of ever not being looked down on by most of her male friends. That was one advantage to knowing Milhouse. She wasn't the shortest person in the group thanks to him.
After who knows how long Nelson breaks the silence. Clearing any thoughts of Milhouse and friends away. "Do you want me too?"
Her mouth goes dry. Stumbling she asks, "Doo I wa-ant you to what?"
Do you want me to flirt better? Is what she wanted him to say. Instead, he pushes his hair back and shakes his head. Instead, he clarifies, "Do you want me to stay back here with you? I saw Milhouse. He told me you wanted space."
Feeling disappointed Lisa buries her face into her knees. "I'm fine. I just needed to step away from the party, and Milhouse isn't always the best company. Especially during parties."
Nelson nods, hopefully, understanding. "Yeah, I saw him with two cups of whatever the twins are serving at this party of theirs."
"You haven't tried it?"
He shrugs. "Didn't have the chance. Came to find you. Would've taken one of Milhouse's but he was already drinking from both. So I guessed he wanted them alone."
"Fair guess." Lisa acknowledges looking back up now that her heart was calmer. "If you want to get a drink now you can. I'm just going to stay here for a few more minutes and then I am going to go dance again."
Nelson raises an eyebrow, "Do you want one?"
"No. Why the look?"
"I just didn't take you as the dancing sort."
"Maybe that's because you've never danced with me before," Lisa argues sticking out her tongue.
"Come on Lis, you know I suck at dancing."
"I can show you."
He laughs. "No offense. You're a genius, but I don't think even you can teach me how to dance."
Lisa smirks. "Challenge accepted." Collecting some spit in her mouth Lisa spits on her hand. Offering it to Nelson she dares him, "Unless you admit you just are scared to learn."
"Nothing scares me." Nelson defies spitting into his own hand and smacking it against her own.
"Grab the drinks and meet me outside." Lisa orders. Releasing his hand she pushes herself up.
"What are you going to bring?"
"Some music we can actually dance too," Lisa explains with her usual smile. "Trust me, Nelson. You won't learn by listening to what's out there." She offers him a hand up, but he chooses to use the wall.
"Alright Captain. You're in charge, but don't let it go to your head. I still don't think this will work."
"Ye of little faith." Lisa mocks before taking off at a steady pace through the hall. Feeling more confident she walks through the kitchen and pushes her way through the crowd in the living room. Ignoring everyone around her Lisa walks out the front door and leans on the trunk of Bart's car.
Opening her phone Lisa quickly creates a new playlist of songs she thought would work for the training. Hearing the door open and close again behind her she tries to hide her excitement. Sneaking off in the middle of the night wasn't much like her, but if Bart needed to reach her she would leave her phone's sound on. Nelson closes the door behind him, tucking one of the two six packs under his other arm.
"Thought the bottles would do better than just two cups." He explains over one of the six packs to her.
She takes it with a curious look. "How long do you think we'll be out?"
He shrugs and opens one. Putting it to his lips Nelson finishes the drink easily as Lisa watches on. Once it was empty he drops the lid back into his box and put the empty bottle into its holder as well. "Figured it would be best to have some extra just in case these lessons go as poorly as I think they are about too."
"Alright, Muntz. Follow me." Lisa wraps a hand around her own case of beer.
"Wait, we aren't going to dance here?" Nelson asks gesturing to the sidewalk and grass between the car and grass.
"Nope." Lisa shakes her head and begins walking down the street.
Nelson runs to catch up. Once by her side, he begins to argue against it. "Then I don't know about this Lisa. What if someone notices you are gone?"
"As long as I answer Bart when the messages and I go home tonight no one will question a thing. You aren't scared, are you?" Lisa asks clearly teasing Nelson.
"I mean, a little. We are out in public with beer, and if I get caught again,"
"Just leave the beer with me and run." Lisa waves her hand about as if that was obvious. "I'll tell them I took them from a party in order to keep the teenagers there from drinking it. If they still take me down then my parents will bail me out. Worse comes to worse Bart will be in more trouble then I will." Taking a quick turn, she darts through a small space between two fenced in yards.
On the other side, there were bushes. Lisa pulls the loose ends of her dress taunt to one side. Making her way through Lisa looks back to see that Nelson was struggling to pass the fences. "Such in your gut." She advises before looking back ahead. Jumping free of the bushes Lisa hurries past the last few houses. Through the space between the houses on either side of her, Lisa walks. Nelson calls out for her to wait. Watching him catch up, she points ahead.
"Just a little farther. At the end of this street."
"Then why didn't we just go through the twins' backyard."
"More likely people would have seen us jumping the fence with beer. Especially since they aren't really keeping their music down." Nelson nods with a confused look on his face still.
Lisa grabs his free hand to make sure he stopped falling behind. In a matter of minutes, they passed the partying house. The music seemingly even louder now than it had been before. Lisa takes Nelson to the end of the street where there was a small patch of trees. She waves out her hand holding the beer and states, "Viala."
"How did you know this was here?" Nelson asks looking about the very tiny clearing. If they sat crossed-legged then it should be just enough.
"Bart told me. Apparently, this is where she took, um, his ex." She explains choosing not to finish that sentence. If there had been any other option she would have taken it, but now was not the time to be picky. This was close, private, and they wouldn't be found with the alcohol by any adults.
"Oh." Was all Nelson says as he sits across from her? He leans against a bush, and Lisa wonders if that hurts him at all.
Lisa tucks her legs under herself as she takes a seat. "So why here?" Nelson questions and Lisa lists off all the reasons she came up with in her head. "Oh."
"Why else?" She thought those reasons were pretty solid.
"Thought maybe you just wanted some privacy," Nelson notes opening another beer.
Lisa pulls one free from her own box. "If I wanted privacy I would have gone home without telling anyone." She takes a sip. Finding that she was not cringing at the taste she looks at the bottle label. Watermelon. Not her favorite flavor, but it was better than just plain old Duff. "I'm glad you came," Lisa admits quietly before taking another drink.
"Yeah," Nelson mumbles back. Setting his second bottle now and moving on to a third.
Wanting to catch up, Lisa chugs the rest of her first and opens a second. "Nelson, do you remember the first time we kissed?" He comically spits out the bit of his drink in his mouth. She laughs.
"Uh, yeah. Why do you ask?" His eyes dart away from her.
"I was just reminded of it. Us alone, surrounded by nature. Reminds me of it." She sighs and looks down at her drink.
"Keep talking like that and you'll make things awkward between us," Nelson grumbles.
Lisa shoots him a look of disbelief. Snorting she announces loudly, "Please if things between us were any more awkward then they get when you have me over then you'll just freeze in place."
"You don't know that!" Arguing back. Well, at least it was better than disturbing silence.
"Wanna bet?" Lisa asks.
"Even if I did you wouldn't be able to prove anything."
Lisa takes a large swig of her drink. Setting it down carefully in the grass she sits up a little straighter. Her knees almost touching his feet now. His face grows red. "Wha-what are you doing Lis?"
"Proving you wrong," Lisa admits with a smirk. "See all I did was sit up and you went rigid from just the thought."
"Shut up." Nelson orders looking away.
Lisa sighs knowing this whole game would grow boring soon. "Alright, Nelson. You win. I'll leave you alone." She promises sitting back down. Looking back at her bottle she starts to chug that one as well. When it was nearly empty her phone starts to ring. Pulling it back out she sings Bart's ridiculous hair. She really needed to change his image on her phone.
"Hey," Lisa answers trying to sound as normal as possible.
"Where are you?" Bart asks and she could hear Milhouse asking him what she was saying in the background.
"I'm fine. Got claustrophobic so I left." Lisa lies.
"Well, where are you? Mom wants us home soon." Bart explains and she could hear a girl whining next to him.
"I'm outside and down the street. I'll meet you at the car."
"Okay." He hangs up and Lisa stands up. "Time for me to go. Later Nelson. You can have the rest of these." Leaving him and the drinks behind Lisa hopes for a moment that he would stop her. That he would grab her and kiss her, or at the very least offer to walk her back to Bart's car. Instead, she leaves the clearing alone. Making the rest of the walk that way as well.
Bart was already waiting outside for her. Milhouse snoring, sound asleep in the back seat of the car. Lisa ignores Bart's presence and hops into the passenger side. He gives her a look and she knows he wants her to spill the beans. He doesn't ask her too though. Bart knew better than to push Lisa for answers when it comes to private matters. She would tell him when it was less of a problem. So in this case, in a few years. Lisa stares out the window as Bart drives away. At least tomorrow wasn't a school day. It may just give her a much-needed break after tonight.