"Wow, you got all dressed up for me?" Cam teased. He was standing outside, leaning against his car, waiting to drive us to Cherry's house. His eyes were fixed on Nacina. She wore a red-orange halter dress with gold accessories, the colors making her tan complexion seem to glow. Her black hair was pinned up with a matching flower, and her shoes matched the dress. Black, floral-printed stockings covered her legs.
"Of course not," Nacina replied. "This is my cake-eating outfit. I'm dressed up for the cake."
Cam pouted, then looked at me."You look nice too, Akina," he added.
"Thank you," I replied awkwardly.
Cam held the passenger door open for Nacina, then got into the driver's seat. I sat alone in the back, but Nacina made sure to keep me involved in the conversation so I wouldn't feel isolated. It barely worked—but it did work. And that made me happy.
I've never been to such a huge social gathering, and if I had to describe it in one word, I'd use "loud."
"Want to dance, Nacina?" Cam asked with a smug smirk.
"Why the hell would I want to dance? No one else is dancing! I don't want to be the only pair of dancing weirdos."She was going to keep complaining, but Cam grabbed her hand and dragged her to the middle of the room. He started dancing first. Nacina protested—but she was laughing the whole time, and soon, she gave in and danced with him.
"Boo!"Someone snuck up behind me and I screamed. It was Will. He burst out laughing at my terror.
"Hi," he said.I waved at him while clutching my chest."You look pretty… I think this is the first time I've seen you sleeveless," he commented.
"...Thank you..."I felt confused and anxious… and suddenly wished I'd brought a cardigan. My breasts are larger than most girls my age, and I hate how noticeable it is. (Once puberty hit me hard, I noticed people staring more. I hate standing out. That's why I rarely leave the house without a hoodie.)
Will grabbed my hand and interlocked our fingers. I stared at our joined hands. A strange feeling was boiling up inside me... What is this? Am I angry? I really wanted to pull away—but would that be rude?
"What do you want to do?" he asked, smiling.
"I... want to sit down," I answered honestly.
He laughed and led me to a table where Yai and Kriss were chatting.
"Oh hi, Akina!" Kriss greeted merrily. Yai glanced at me and waved half-heartedly.
"My boyfriend's here now. Thanks for waiting with me, Kriss," Yai said, rising to her feet and walking away.
"No problem, Yai-cakes! We can chat anytime!" Kriss shouted after her. I heard Yai chuckle a bit."I'm so glad you could make it, Aki!" Kriss exclaimed, leaping from her seat to hug me. I blushed from the sudden contact.
"Me too," Will agreed, hugging me from behind. Oh god. I'm going to die from a heart attack because of these two.
"Hey! What are you doing to my Aki?" Nacina interrogated, walking over with Cam close behind.
"Hugging," Will answered nonchalantly.
"Yeah, what he said," Kriss chimed in. A few seconds later, they both let me go. I couldn't help but sigh in relief, then instinctively stepped behind Nacina for protection. She patted my head to comfort me. It took me a little while to calm down, but after I did, I walked to the buffet table and filled a tray with Chicken Strips before returning to my friends' table.
That's when Cherry finally spotted us and left her guests to come our way.
"Hey, I hope everyone's enjoying the party," she greeted. Although she was smiling, her words felt empty and forced.
"Yes," I spoke first. Even though I hadn't been there long, I was sure everyone else was having more fun than I.
"You betcha," Kriss replied with a grin, throwing her arm over Will's shoulder. Will's face turned red. He looked at me, then quickly pushed Kriss's arm off. Kriss frowned deeply.
"Yeah... me too," Will whispered.
Nacina and Cam ignored Cherry, having moved on to a heated debate about dinosaurs.
"Well, I'm glad you are. The cake will be brought out soon," Cherry announced loudly to the house. Nacina's ears perked up, and she ended her conversation abruptly.
"Cake?"
Cherry nodded with a grin. "It'll be out any second now."
Right on cue, a man carried in a massive cake. It was chocolate with whipped chocolate frosting—but this tiered masterpiece looked more like a wedding cake than a birthday cake. It stood at least four feet tall.
Nacina took off running to get in line.
"Well… I'd better blow out the candles. Oh, thanks for coming and dressing up, Akina," Cherry said directly as she walked away.
I had already filled up on chicken strips, so I wasn't in the mood for sweets. Cherry had to climb a ladder to blow out the candles, and dozens of pictures were snapped.
Later, I got up to throw my empty plate away, passing by Cherry talking to some of her friends.
"See? I told you I could get her out of that hoodie. Sooo~ you owe me 20 bucks," Cherry bragged.
"I thought it was impossible, but you win," a boy I didn't recognize replied.
I glanced over and saw Cherry pocketing money.
"What stupid thing should we bet on next?" she asked excitedly. So that's why she invited me.
Nearby, I saw Cam chasing after Nacina.
"Put the cake down! You've had enough!" he yelled.
"I'll tell you when I've had enough!" she shouted back, somehow still eating as she ran. She was clearly enjoying her sugar rush, but I needed some air. I didn't want to ruin her night.
I stepped outside and sat on the porch bench. Moments later, I heard the door open behind me, so I moved over to make room.
"Are you okay?" It was Will's voice. I looked up and smiled at him.
"Yeah… I'm fine," I replied.
He brushed some hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear.
"...I was wondering... are you free next weekend?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said—because I am. I rarely have anything to do.
"Then do you want to go out to eat with me?"My heart raced. Honestly, I was kind of excited. This would be my first time going out with someone other than Nacina.
"Sure… sounds fun."
Will sighed with relief, then smiled and leaned in to hug me.
"Thanks."
I wonder why he's thanking me. Maybe he feels isolated too…No, that can't be right. He has other friends...
After that, Will went back inside. I decided to walk home instead of waiting for Cam and Nacina. I like walking, and the night air felt refreshing. I stared at the sky as I walked to take my mind off my aching feet.
About ten minutes into my walk, a strong gust of wind nearly knocked me over. I was forced to close my eyes. When I opened them again, a boy stood in front of me.
His reddish-brown eyes glowed faintly in the dark, and his curly black hair framed his face perfectly. But from his expression, it was clear—he was extremely ticked off.