Chapter Fifteen

News of the party spread rather quickly during the week. It got to the point where everyone said that they were going. Which – yikes since I didn't plan on getting drunk this time around. I'd face to face them sober. The fact that Sabrina and Parker were throwing the party under the guise of thanking the prom committee helped their platform a bunch, and it could only get better after the party.

The idea of the party didn't faze me at all. What did have my stomach in knots was the fact that it wouldn't be me kissing Sabrina that night, it would be Parker. That was the goal for the night – to have people see them be all couple and to have people vote for them to be prom queens together. It's what I'd signed up for, but this party would be the last of my involvement. It had to be, for my own sanity. It'd been a busy week of assignments and schoolwork, so I didn't get to see either of the Jenkins sisters. I was a little embarrassed to admit that I'd been replaying Sabrina kissing me on top of the roof every time I craved her lips on mine – which was admittedly a lot. Probably too much to be considered normal.

To take my mind off of what I'd more than likely see later that night, I joined Dad in the sitting room. Knowing I was going to head to a party in the next two hours, he grabbed a six-pack from the fridge, cracked open two beers and handed me one, making good on his promise after my last party at the Jenkin's house.

"You're such a bad influence," I teased him, clinking my beer can against his.

"I'm actually being responsible here." He opened out the recliner on his chair. "You drink two beers, which should be fine, you go to the party without worrying about your limits. Then next time you go out, you can be prepared and have fun without me worrying about you."

"I wasn't planning to drink at all."

"If I can manage to persuade you with one offer, how do you think it would've gone tonight if someone else offered you?"

I slurped on the beer and avoided answering his question, but he kept looking at me. "Fine. Point taken."

He turned his attention to the TV. "Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

"Waiting on Anna first, she's coming over soon."

"I don't understand how them girls can have house parties. Where are their parents? All I know is, you wouldn't be able to get away with it."

"They travel for work a lot," I said.

"What do they do?"

"No clue. Something . . . businessy."

"Maybe you should stop at one beer."

"Funny."

The doorbell rang, making me jump in my seat. We weren't expecting anyone but Anna and she always stormed into the house without a second thought, so it was weird. Dad and I played a quick game of rock paper scissors to see who would answer the door. I lost. With a sigh, I climbed out of the chair, finding it hard to shove down the recliner, and skidded down the hallway in my fluffy socks and nearly whacked into the front door in my haste to answer it.

The doorbell rang again.

They knew someone had just arrived at the door because they could see my shadow behind the window panel, as I could see theirs.

I swung the door open and was going to mention that very fact - but it wasn't Anna standing there. It was Sabrina, and she looked . . . beautiful. She was wearing this dark blue and frilly dress that ended at her thighs and had her hair was in this low bun that was held together by a braid. She noticed me gawking – of course, she did, I offered no greeting, and I hadn't yet moved to the side to let her in.

She leaned forward, giving me a soft kiss on the corner of my lips and backed up with a cute smile.

"Anna's sick . . ." She explained her presence and nodded inside. I led her up the stairs as she continued to talk. "People are going to show up even if I cancel."

"Is she bad?"

"Fever, chills, coughing, the works."

"Give me a second."

"You're brain blasting."

"I'm brain blasting," I confirmed and sat at the end over the bed as she walked back and forth in front of me in her heels. "Well . . . if she can entertain the thought of sleeping in my bedroom, send her over here."

"You'd stay here with her?"

"Of course."

"I love my sister, I do." Sabrina stopped pacing and stood in front of me, cupping my cheek, and she wore a guilty grin. "But if you stay in here with her for the night, you'll only get sick too, and that means . . ." She pushed me back on the bed and climbed on top of me, then leaning down, so her mouth was grazing mine, she whispered, "We wouldn't be able to do this."

She kissed me and let out a surprised gasp when I flipped her over and pinned her arms down. Not giving her a chance to speak, I recaptured her mouth, and she cradled mine as if we did this countless times before. Then she gained control back, ready with her tongue to send me into a mess of pleasure. Now it was my turn to gasp which emboldened her to push me up so that she was no longer flat on her back. She held onto the back of my neck to keep me in place so that I now sat in her lap; chests pressed together.

The kiss got intense. To hold us steady, her hands went behind her back and pressed against the mattress. I wanted everything. I was completely and totally into this kiss, and then it stopped. My eyes opened, and I realized that I was breathing pretty hard and had totally forgotten what we were on about in the first place.

But then I took note for her fighting back a smile and realized that I'd been played again.

"Ugh. Fine. But only if she's okay with it. And I'll be leaving early."

"Deal." She shook her smallest finger against mine. "Now, let's get you ready."

I got up and off her and opened the wardrobe, gesturing for her to get to work. It didn't take long for her to pick out my clothes; she seemed to have an idea in her head before coming over. Skinny jeans, red blouse top and she somehow kept going back and forth between my makeup and hair so that they were done at nearly the same time.

Before we went over to her house to collect Anna and her things, I explained the situation to Dad, and he promised to keep an eye on her. People were already showing up by the time we hopped under the fence and into her backyard.

Anna was totally out of it. She wasn't even conscious when we dragged her up into my bedroom and put her in my bed. I set the alarm on my phone for every hour to go and check on her – even though I didn't plan on sticking around at the party for that long. I brushed Anna's hair back off her face and frowned as her chest heaved as if to cough but couldn't quite manage it like her body was too physically weak to see it through.

With half a beer in my system . . . dealing with this much drunk people would be effort, to say the least.

"Come on, let's dance," Sabrina said, leading me out to the garden again.

"I'm really not a dancer."

"Is it that you can't dance, don't like dancing or don't want to dance right now?"

"A lot of options there."

"People have strong opinions about dancing."

"What about the option that I can dance but don't want to?"

"Given your slow walking . . . I decided against giving you that option."

"Okay. You caught me. It's option A, B and C all into one."

"I thought so." Sabrina waved to a bunch of people asking her to join them. "Do you mind if I go for a bit?"

"Of course, yeah, go on, I'll catch you later."

She squeezed my arm and leaned in to whisper, "I'll teach you sometime."

My chest was warm as she walked away and joined the crowd of the crazy dancing fools.

I sat in a lounge chair by the pool on the opposite side of the garden and kept on glancing up to the window of my bedroom. The curtains were cracked slightly. By the shade of the yellow light, the only bulb inside that room that was on was the one that belonged to my bedside lamp. Who knew how long I'd been staring at that window when I was interrupted by somebody sitting at the end of the lounge chair sideways so that they could face me. It was more than enough time for my neck to stiffen.

"I thought that we could mope together," Maisie said as a way of greeting, handing me a cup with God knows what in it.

"You can drink that."

"Staying sober through the pain? You're a better woman than I am," she said, gulping back the contents of the cup.

"What pain am I supposed to be feeling?"

"You're sitting right across from them. How have you not seen them yet?"

"Seen who do what?"

Maisie sighed like she felt sorry for me and then nodded in the direction of the people dancing on the opposite side of the pool. "Parker and Sabrina, of course, who else?"

They were dancing all sexy-like, with Parker behind Sabrina, hands interlocked on her stomach, swaying back and forth, with the occasional nip to Sabrina's neck.

"Bet you regret not taking the beer now. Am I right?"

"Maybe," I admitted, managing to tear my gaze away.

It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. Even if it was? I had no right to say a thing at all. No complications. Easy breezy. That's what we promised each other. If I wanted more than that, well, too bad. And if I couldn't deal with it, well that was my problem. There was a choice to be made, whether I could deal with this whole easy-breezy business. By the lurching of my chest, it was a no so far. But the night was young.

"Yeah, I'm not letting you torture yourself like this, come on, let's go somewhere we can't see them. Even if it is hot." Maisie grabbed my hand and hauled me up. She swayed a little, and maybe she was a little drunk, but she was of her mind enough to know what we should do, unlike me. "Hey, where's your friend? She should be the one holding your hand and telling you you're worth so much more than that and all that nonsense."

"Anna? She's sick."

"Oh damn, that poor girl." She winced and sat on the kitchen table.

"She's in my bedroom, she's fine, I should probably go check on her actually."

"Wait with me for ten minutes?" She pulled me down so that I sat below on her on the chair next to the table. "Until Sasha stops grinding with that Chester dude? They're gunning for prom king and queen you know?"

"Wow."

"Yeah, don't tell her I said this, but she has no chance. The heteros are not winning it this year, and that is fact."

"You're probably right."

"Don't tell Sasha or Parker but I'm voting for Jack and Gerald . . . oh, your lady crush is coming. Quick." She grabbed my hand. "Put your hand on my thigh . . . Hey Sabrina! Nice party."

Sabrina waved her off and let her arms drape down my shoulders so that she was hugging me and the chair from behind. She dropped her chin onto the top of my head. "I was looking for you, Sam."

I smiled at Maisie as she winked, hopped off the table and left us to our own devices.

"I've been right here."

"With Maisie."

"Yeah, with Maisie."

"Her hair is pink," she whispered as if it was a secret. "You don't like girls with pink hair, do you?"

"What is your problem with pink hair anyway?"

"Only magical people should have pink hair," she told me. "Tweeting about your million crushes is plain old human."

"You're so drunk, aren't you?"

I turned around and grabbed her as she stumbled backwards, and she was back to wrapping her arms around me, but this time it was a proper hug. "Hug me back."

Looking around, no one was paying attention to us; I did what I was told. "Anna was right. I'd die."

"Can you let go of my head so I can kiss you now?"

She was literally snuggled into my neck without me restricting her whatsoever. "How about this, we get you into bed."

"That sounds so much better than what I had planned."

I swung her arm over my shoulder and wrapped my hand around her waist as I directed her upstairs. And as soon as we got inside her bedroom she was in my face and kissed me – only she missed by an inch and ended up planting a chaste kiss on my nose – which took her three seconds to notice. She bopped my nose, and the force of her hand pushing off my face sent her backwards, toppling back onto her bed.

"I failed," she said quietly. "I can't kiss you."

"It's okay," I reassured, locking the door to the room. Then got out her pyjama bottoms out of her drawer. With some effort, I slid it beneath her dress. All the while, she clung onto the back of my neck and was planting sweet kisses on my cheek and neck. While holding onto her back with one hand, I grabbed the t-shirt beside me. "I'm going to need you to raise your arms for me, Sabrina."

Complying much quicker than I thought, she raised her arms and swayed. I was super lucky her dress came off easily. Averting my eyes to the side, I pushed the t-shirt down over her head and pulled the strands of hair out from the back.

It was like she was waiting for me to be done because as soon as it was positioned on her right, she pulled me down curled all around me, snuggling me tight and close.

"I'll cuddle you instead."

"Okay," I laughed and gave in because well . . . she was warm.

"You should take off your clothes too."

"You're not naked, just so you're aware."

"Oh. Wow. How did that happen?"

I closed my eyes and tried not to laugh out loud again. "Magic."

Sabrina pressed her faced into my upper back and sighed. "You should probably dye your hair pink then."

"Maybe tomorrow."

"You can change in a few minutes . . . let's just lay here for a while. Okay?"

"Okay."

Was it my fault that I fell asleep like that?

Probably.