I'm Your National Anthem

CHAPTER 3

So, change of plans for Sophia. She was going to a party instead. School was tomorrow, it was the last day of summer, so why not? She was looking to gain a good reputation at her new school, and crashing a party seemed like the best way to do it. She had told her dad that she would be back after dinner. She lied and said she had made a friend already, and they offered to let her eat with them. Her dad was so busy settling into their new house and taking care of the other kids, so he just allowed her to go and wasn't too concerned about getting the details of this so-called 'new friend'.

She knew it was absolutely creepy, but she had followed the four girls she had seen in the coffee store. They seemed to be heading straight for the party, well, at least she hoped they were. Lucky for her, they hadn't been driving anywhere, because she didn't want to go home and get her dad's car.

When the girls arrived at a cabin, Sophia knew she was at the right place. There was music blaring from the backyard, obviously meaning that there was some kind of party going on. She was scared. The girls knocked on the door, and she stood idly behind them. For some reason, they hadn't even noticed that she was following them. Maybe the party guy invited so many people that the four girls thought she was just another one of his party guests. A guy with brown hair who was wearing a Rosewood High jacket opened the door. He seemed startled to see the girls there.

"Aria?" he choked. "What are you doing here, sis?"

"Noel invited us," the girl with the hazel eyes, Aria, said. "Aw, look at my little brother! He's all dressed up to go to a party. Don't worry, Mike, I came here just to embarrass you in front of all your friends. Oh, and all the girls, too!"

"Wow, I love you, sis," he sarcastically said, opening the door wider. "Come in, and you better be kidding about what you just said! I hate being buddies with one of your friends. It's so weird. We're not supposed to collide at school, Ar."

"Kahn isn't really my friend, but oh well," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Man up, I'm not here for you. I'm here for other people. I'll stay out of your way if you stay out of mine. Oh, and we don't tell mom and dad anything that happens in here. Got it?"

"You bet," he said, letting them in.

Sophia popped up from the corner, and walked to the doorway. Hopefully the Mike guy would spare her and let her in for a little bit of honesty.

"H-hi!" he exclaimed, trying not to smile too hard. "You're new to Rosewood, aren't you? I've never seen you anywhere before."

"Yeah," she said, smiling back at him. "I just moved here. Last week, actually. I know that I wasn't really invited to this party, but maybe you would let me come inside anyways? I don't really know anyone in town, and I wanted to start off with a positive and social experience."

He had no clue who she was, but she was amazing. She was sexy, seemed smart, and he loved it. He couldn't stop smiling like a fool. Well, he wasn't going to say no to her, even if it wasn't even his party! He was sure that Noel wouldn't mind if he brought a cute girl in. Noel understood dating, he loved flirting with girls.

"Sure, of course," he said, moving backwards to let her into the party. "This is my friend's party, not mine, but he won't care. If he asks you, tell him that Mike let you in, he'll understand. Yeah, I'm Mike. Mike Montgomery. Who are you?"

"Sophia Brannigan," she said. "I'll be attending Rosewood High starting tomorrow. I'm going to be a junior."

He was melting inside. She was a hot, smart junior. She was older than him, and he maybe had a chance with her. He wasn't going to let this chance slip away from his hands. He shut the door behind him. He could use the fact that she didn't really know anyone else in town. He could be her guide, her first friend, and eventually, maybe more.

"I'm a sophomore, I hope you don't run away or anything," he joked, sitting down on the couch, and motioning for her to join him. She smiled and sat down next to him. "So, you're new here, huh? Where are you from? I'd love to get to know you a little bit. It's good to make some friends before school starts, you know."

First friend in Rosewood? She was excited. She was going to make this guy be her friend. She knew he was a sophomore and all, so they probably wouldn't have any classes together, but she was fine with it. Any friend was better than no friend. Besides, he seemed really cool, and definitely seemed sweet so far.

"Thanks, that's really sweet," she said with a smile. "I moved here from Florida, my dad got a new job here. I was sad about the move, but it seems the people here are really nice already. I think I might end up liking it here."

Was she flirting with him? Mike felt himself getting butterflies. He was tingly and happy. The junior girl he was talking to was probably the best girl he had ever talked to. Something felt right about conversing with Sophia Brannigan, but he didn't exactly know what. He was going to keep talking to her, though. He wasn't going to let the magic end.

"Florida, huh?" he said, tapping his fingers together. "That's great, really cool. I think you might like it here, too." His eyes met hers for a brief moment. "You should enjoy the night," he said, biting his lip. "How about you start off with some drinks?" She wasn't much of a drinker, but she nodded her head. She was afraid that Mike would think she was a loser if she didn't. "Are you light or heavy?"

She didn't really know much about alcohol, but she said, "Surprise me."

"I like a girl who's a risk taker," he said, getting up with a grin. "I'm gonna go get us some drinks. You hang in there, Sophia. I'll be right back." He got up from the couch and went to Noel's minibar to get drinks.

While he was fixing drinks for Sophia and himself, Noel walked up to him. He slid over, grinning at his buddy.

"Okay, so you brought a mystery girl in here," he said, nudging his friend. "She's a cutie, man! As long as she's not a serial killer, she's welcome here. Where did you meet her? What's her name? Tell me all about her, Mikey!"

The lacrosse player turned to his best friend and explained, "She just moved here from Florida. I don't really know her. She wanted to make friends and stuff before school started, so I invited her in. Her name's Sophia Brannigan, and I think I may be in love with her already, Kahn! She's perfect."

"Love?" he snorted, shaking his head. "I think you're rushing things, Montgomery. You two aren't even dating. I mean, she's smoking and all, but you can't be in love with somebody you just met, can you?"

"I never believes in love at first sight, either, man," Mike said, his smile sincere and adorable. "Well, that was until I met her. I swear, when I looked at her, something was different! I think I love this girl already."

"Dude, it's probably just attraction," Noel said, shaking her head. "You don't really love her, and I know it. Flirt with her, grab her, bang her, and that's it. That's how you get her for one night. You're stupid if you think you're actually in love with her. I think you're just a little too confused."

"Of course I want to have sex with her, but that's not all there is to it, Noel!" Mike cried. "I want a relationship with her. You don't know how strongly I feel about her, and I assure you that it's extremely strong. Give me some tips, you're good with girls! What do I say to her to get her attention?"

Noel shrugged and said, "Be subtle and mysterious. Girls like that sort of thing. Oh, and be subtly funny, but don't do anything stupid... like knock knock jokes. No one likes those."

Mike rolled his eyes and said, "Come on, dude, I'm not stupid! I wasn't going to screw everything up with a hot girl by telling her knock knock jokes. I'm trying to be the best version of myself. I think I might have a chance with her. She looks at me like I actually matter, and I love it. She makes me feel happy."

"You are such a sap," Noel said, slapping his best friend's back. "Go talk to her, man. Why are you talking to me when you have the so called 'love of your life' sitting across the room? Get the hell out of my sight, mofo!" He playfully shoved Mike away, closer to the couch where Sophia was sitting.

Mike slid back next to her, handing her a drink in a red cup. She offered him a smile, even though she was beyond nervous. Alcohol. She didn't know if she was ready to drink. She was scared as hell. Sighing deeply, she took her first sip of the party drink. And... it tasted like shit. She had smelled that scent before during her dad's Super Bowl party. Beer. Shitty beer. She hated the smell of beer so much. She tried not to cringe, because she knew she could possibly scare Mike away. She needed a friend.

"Ooh, look, your brother's talking to a girl, Aria!"

Mortified, Mike turned to see one of his sister's friends teasing him.

"Oh, we saw you at the Brew!" Aria exclaimed, stepping near the couch. "Hi, I'm Mike's sister... Aria Montgomery. I think you're wasting your time talking to him, you should come with us instead. You have a girlfriend, Mike. I'm saving your ass."

"You've got to have the wrong idea... We weren't flirting or anything, I don't like him that way, I just met him," she mumbled, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Mike, if you thought that I was flirting with you. I meant what I said... I just want a friend for tomorrow. If you want to talk as friends, I totally get it. But, at least you have a girlfriend. I'm going to keep walking."

"If you want some friends for tomorrow, why don't you hang out with us?" Aria asked, her smile glistening. "My friends and I would love to have you around. You can meet them all. There's four of us. And knowing my brother, he was probably flirting with you. He has a girlfriend."

Mike slapped his forehead and yelled, "You always ruin everything for me, Aria!" His glare was intense. "What happened to staying out of my way tonight, huh?"

"God, I love you, little bro, but you are being such a pig," Aria said, shaking her head. "Have you forgotten that Avery exists? Ding dong, douche bag, she's your girlfriend. Stop flirting with other girls while you're in a relationship. Maybe hanging out with Noel is rubbing off on you in bad ways!"

"Thank you, but it's fine," the girl said, biting her lip. "I'm Sophia Brannigan, it's really nice of you to welcome me like that. Is it too late to take you up on that hanging out with your friends offer?"

"No, of course not," Aria said, smiling. "Come with me. And Mike, stop screwing around with girls."

"Stop watching me so closely!" Mike screamed as his sister walked away.

Hanna, who had pointed out Mike's flirting to Aria, followed the two girls to the hallway of Noel's cabin. The tan girl was standing there, sipping from a red cup. The girls joined her in the hallway. Sophia was still extremely nervous. Was she actually going to become friends with the coffee shop girls who she found super intimidating earlier?

"Guys, where's Spencer?" Aria demanded, growing impatient. "She's the one who was practically pleading for us to come to this party! Emily, weren't you with her like a second ago when Hanna and I left?"

"Yeah, but Toby finished talking to his friends, and he wanted to talk to Spencer privately," Emily said, biting her lip. "They went in the room up three doors from here. And who's your new friend, Aria?"

"That's what I was going to tell you all!" Aria exclaimed happily. "Wait, he wanted to talk to her? God, I hope he's not breaking up with her or something. She would be devastated." She turned to the new girl and asked, "Hey Sophia, do you want to come with me to get our other friend?"

Sophia nodded slightly, and followed Aria. The hazel eyes girl walked to the door Emily had described, and popped it open without a knock. Inside was not a sight either of the girls were expecting to see. Spencer, Toby, and a whole lot of lip action. Her hands were running through his hair, and he was holding her waist. They immediately retracted their hands and lips when the door swung open, their arms flying to their sides. They separated from each other, leaving a lot of distance between them, as if that would make up for what they were just doing. As if they thought they would look innocent again.

"H-hi, Aria!" the brunette choked, coughing. "How's it going? You have a new friend? I see. That's fantastic, you should tell us all about her."

"No wonder you're not a fan of PDA," Aria mindlessly mumbled. "I wanted us all to meet this new girl, but it seems you were too preoccupied to talk to us."

"No, no, it's fine, I'm coming," she said, sighing. "I'm sorry... sorry that you had to see that. I promise, I'm not some slut that makes out with guys for fun. This is Toby, and he's my boyfriend of two years."

Aria chuckled and said, "She's not lying when she says it; he's no stranger." The tiny girl turned to their new friend. "She's far from a party girl. She's a bookworm, actually. Always is studying, always has her nose in a book. She's a smarty pants! Meet Spencer Hastings, your human form of Google." The new girl chuckled softly as Aria continued, "So, Spencer, you should meet Sophia Brannigan, she's new here."

"Hey there, bookworm," Sophia quietly joked, smiling up at Spencer, causing the smart girl to laugh. "It's nice to meet you."

"You, too, Sophia," Spencer said, offering a smile. She nudged her boyfriend hard, causing him to cringe.

"Damn it, Spence, I'm sorry," he whispered to his girlfriend. He finally spoke aloud, "Yeah, it's great to meet you, too. Hopefully you didn't forget my name, but if you did, I'll do you a favor. I'm Toby. Bonus— Toby Cavanaugh."

Sophia giggled adorably, and then Aria turned to her and said, "Now that you've met these two love birds," she chuckled softly before continuing, "we should continue and meet the other two: Hanna and Emily. They should still be over there in the hallway, but if not, we can go on a little scavenger hunt. Come on, Sophia."

...

After meeting Hanna and Emily, the group started getting into a good conversation. Sophia was actually having a good time at her first party. She was very satisfied with the group of friends she had found. They seemed cool, and they were actually a lot nicer than she expected. Maybe judging them by the coffee shop scene wasn't the best thing to do, because they were all awesome.

"—and then when we were slow dancing, I tripped on an ice cube and fell! Broke my leg, and practically ruined the dance for us," Toby Cavanaugh concluded his story, causing the whole group to burst out in laughter, including Sophia.

"It's true," Spencer said, chuckling and nodding her head. "That's why you never let Toby Cavanaugh take you to a school dance. He's a real klutz. School dances clearly are not his scene. Hmm, babe?"

He grinned at her and pecked her cheek.

"That's an awesome story," Sophia commented, earning a smile from Toby. "Hey, guys, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get another drink. I'll be right back."

"Do you need a buddy to come with you?" Hanna offered. "You know, 'cause Mike might come back and start harassing you again."

"Hanna!" Aria scolded. "Mike isn't like that. I know he has a girlfriend all, so hitting on Sophia was wrong, but he's a good guy. He wouldn't do it again, unless that asshole Noel told him to go for her again."

"Who is this Noel Kahn guy that you guys keep talking about?" Sophia inquired, scratching her head.

"Oh, god, don't even get me started!" Hanna cried, her eyes going wide. "He's the one that hosts these parties. I mean damn, the guy can throw a good party, and he's super hot, but he's a dickwad, excuse my language. He's always pulling pranks and saying douchebaggy things. Plus, he always has short affairs, and never can keep a relationship. I don't think he's had one long term relationship throughout all of his life!"

Sophia was shocked. What kind of guy could be like that? She was certainly glad that she didn't know Noel Kahn. Yet.