I looked like a different girl.
Everything about me seemed different. When I looked at my reflection, I hardly recognized my plain, average self. My makeup was on heavier than I usually did it: Stephanie had done winged eyeliner and made my lashes look ten times longer than they actually were, and my lips were plump, pink, and glossed. I was wearing ripped jeans and black strapped wedges that made my legs look a mile long. Steph had stuck me in a shirtsleeved v-neck burgundy shirt that hugged my torso and left a few too many inches of my stomach exposed.
My green eyes looked more vibrant than normal with the black eyeliner and mascara framing them as my gaze drifted to my hair. My blonde hair, which I usually leave in my natural waves, had been curled so the hair cascades down my back in soft waves. As I looked myself over for the umpteenth time, I was in awe by reflection. I wasn't used to looking like this. I wasn't used to looking good at all, period.
"You look amazing," Stephanie gushes as she claps her hands in excitement. "Thomas won't know what hit him."
Finally, I tore my gaze away from the mirror to turn around and grin at my best friend. My heart was pounding against my chest in nerves, and yet her words just boosted my confidence even more. "Well, what are we waiting for?"
She grins widely at me. "You're right. Let's go."
Stephanie drove my car to Justin Jones' house and stroked my ego the entire ride. I knew she was trying to build my confidence up, make me feel more assured that I would be able to pull this whole thing off, and it was working. By the time we parked down the street from Justin's house, I knew that I was mentally prepared to face the popular crowd at the party. Only the popular's went to the parties, and that was, of course, the crowd Thomas hung around, so I knew he would be there.
When Stephanie was in high school, she hung around the more popular crowd, too. She had a fling with Justin Jones during her senior year and our junior year, so it was no surprise she managed to get invited to his party with so much ease. It made me feel instantly better that she was here with me, because that meant that I was at least somewhat welcome here by association.
Stephanie opens the front door of Justin Jones' house and immediately I recognized a Kanye West song blaring through the speakers somewhere inside. The house was fairly big, with a large front room and grand staircase, which was currently littered with people who had red solo cups in their hand. I watched, to my satisfaction, a few people around the front door turn and stare as Steph and I walk further into the house, entering the kitchen.
As we passed the people in the front room, I could already hear the whispers. People were asking "Who's that girl with Stephanie Cain?" and "That can't be Lauren Collins, can it?". The shock factor that Stephanie was going for was definitely working. When we squeeze into the kitchen, I see a keg and a few coolers filled with beers on the floor, and that's exactly where Steph dragged me. We maneuvered through crowds of people, making a beeline for the booze, and I felt eyes on me the entire way.
"You're going to need a drink to calm down," Stephanie mutters quietly as she fills a cup from the keg and hands it to me with an encouraging smile.
I take the cup and glance around the kitchen, meeting the gaze of multiple guys who were checking me out, and multiple girls who were sizing me up. Once I noticed their stares, I took a long swig from my drink, suddenly understanding why people drank to make the nerves go away. Again, I swept my gaze around the room, keeping my expression indifferent, even when I noticed some girls whispering as they stole glances at me.
I was definitely not used to being the center of attention. Every time I break eye contact with the people who were staring at me blatantly, I took a sip of my drink. This little game I was playing with myself resulted in an empty cup before two minutes passed, and Stephanie chuckled as she filled it back up for me. As she hands it back, her eyes train on something- or rather, someone- behind me, and she glances at me fleetingly.
"I'm going to go say hi to Justin," Stephanie says suddenly. I turn to her with wide eyes, and she senses my discomfort and offers a smile. "You'll be fine. Stay here and I'll find you in a few minutes."
I force a nod and watch her walk away, back into the foyer so she can speak to Justin, and then look around again. My gaze trains on the living room, which you can see from the kitchen, and I see a familiar face with a familiar smirk that gave me the familiar feeling of wanting to punch him. Thomas was leaning against the fireplace with his arm around a girl, who was twirling her blonde hair in between her fingers as she giggled at something she said.
A hand slithers around my waist and before I can turn to see who it was, I hear, "Well hello beautiful. What's your name?"
I turn to see a guy in my History class, James, as he gives me a sly smile. His voice had come out a bit slurred, and I can't help but narrow my eyes when I realized he didn't even recognize me.
"My name is Lauren Collins, and we've been in several classes together," I tell him in a fake sweet tone, giving an equally as fake smile.
James' face falls when he hears this, his eyes squinting at me as he murmurs, "Lauren Collins... The name sounds familiar, but I don't remember you."
I lean in as if to tell him a secret and whisper, "Maybe you should start paying more attention, then."
With that, I slide out of his grasp and walk away from a guy I've never expected to hit on me in my life. He was an incredible athlete that has shamelessly copied off of me during tests so he didn't fail the course, but never someone who even bothered to say hi to me in the hallway or, apparently, remember my name. That is, until now. And that kind of pissed me off.
I tip my drink back and let the cool liquid slide down my throat easily before I walk into the living room. I find an empty spot in the living room where, even though guys were giving me hungry-eyed once overs and girls were glaring at my existence, nobody bothered me. Somehow, I end up finishing my second drink before I see Thomas again.
He's moved onto another girl, a brunette this time, and he's leaning down to whisper something in her ear. A sudden burst of confidence surges through me and, before I can think better of it, a plan formulates in my head. Maybe it's the way I feel invincible, riding on a high of confidence, feeling comfortable in my skin for the first time in a long time. But my lips quirk into a smirk as I set my cup aside and my gaze zeroes in on Thomas.
The only thing I was thinking before I sauntered over to Thomas was, if you're going to have a new attitude, might as well show Thomas you can play the player.
With exaggerated motions, I walk through the small crowd of sweaty bodies, swaying my hips as I do so. My expression is cool and calm as I run a hand through my hair, finally catching Thomas' eye as I near. He looks up from whispering in the girls ear and his smirk drop as he fixes his wide-eyed gaze on me, his eyes drinking in every part of my body, stopping at my swaying hips. I have a coy smile on my lips as I stop in front of him, and
Thomas lets go of the girl in his grasp.
"Lauren?" Thomas asks suddenly. He takes a step toward me, lust clouding his eyes as he rests a hand on my waist, as if to claim me.
My smile slips into a smirk as I reach my hand up to his chest, leaning towards him, until my lips are inches away from his. His eyes zero in on my plump lips as I put the next part of my plan into motion.
"Yeah, it's me," I whisper seductively, taking pride when I hear the huskiness of my voice. My finger traces down his chest as his breathing hitches, eyes completely glued to my lips, body tense under my touch. "You know what I want?"
He finally looks up at me, eyes sleepy with lust, as he breathes, "What, babe? Anything."
I lean in further, my breath blowing across his face. I'm so close that I can feel that he's hard underneath his jeans, his bulge pressing against my leg. I move my lips past his, barely brushing them, and settle at his ear.
Huskily, I whisper, "Not you."
Gracefully, I retract with a smirk, watching in amusement as his face falls and brow creases together. Satisfied, I take a step away so his hand falls off my waist, and turn around with a confident smirk on my lips. Just as exaggeratedly, I walk away while swaying my hips, absolutely sure that his eyes were burning a hole through my ass as I walked away. As I was walking away with satisfaction swelling in my chest, I make eye contact with a very amused Nathan Rhodes, whose surprisingly observant gaze was settled on me.
I broke eye contact to glance around, not surprised that most eyes were on me as I made my grand exit. If my confidence hadn't caught up with me, I would've been blushing at the fact everybody saw me tease Thomas like that. But instead, I was riding a high from my little stunt. As I walk out the room, my head began to feel fuzzy, and my heart was banging against my chest. I ignore it and go into the kitchen to grab another drink, and lean against the counter as I imagine how dazed and confused I had left Thomas.
I get hit on by two other guys that had no idea who I was before I finally decide to go outside for some air and to escape the overwhelming scene. This was the first party I've ever been to, and yet I could already tell it wasn't something that I enjoyed. Everyone was being drunk, loud, and obnoxious. What's fun about that?
When I finally got outside, I noticed there was an unoccupied bench, and was quick to sit down. I slumped on the bench on the back deck with a drink loosely in my grip as my head finally started spinning again. I never drank before- if you don't count champagne at a wedding, which I don't- and the few that I had drank was starting to take a toll on me. My hand raked itself through my hair before I leaned back on both hands, looking out into the dimly lit backyard.
And even though I was perfectly content, a voice came from a few feet away, so deep and husky that it forced me to look up and find the owner. "Hey."
Sure enough, it was the very bad boy I had a stare down with after I had teased Thomas inside. Nathan leaned against the side of the house, confidence oozing off of his being. The moon hardly illuminated the left side of his face, which showed off his strong jawline and dark eyes as he watched me observantly. We had hardly crossed paths in the past, but honestly, I didn't think he ever noticed me. Not that I blame him; most people didn't.
"Hey," I answer back, staring at him with a level gaze, my head spinning and vision blurring.
"Lauren, right?" He asks, his deep voice states more than asks, my name rolling off his tongue. I nod, surprised that he knew who I was. Nathan turned and the light caught his features, showing off a new smirk on his lips. His dark eyes were still fixated on me, looking down at where I sat on the wooden ledge. "You have good taste in music."
The words made a grin spread on my lips, my previous dizziness forgotten. "As do you, if you like what I do."
Nathan's jaw was chiseled and defined, giving him a sharp look. But, in the moonlight, he didn't seem scary or intimidating, and I didn't believe any of those rumors I've heard about him. Right now, with the faint glow of the moonlight outlining his features, Nathan Rhodes seemed like he couldn't do any harm.
"Like what you see?" His voice interrupts me, sounding arrogantly amused.
I frown, and then blink at him with a blank expression. "You ruined it."
"Ruined what?" He looks amused again as he studies me.
"Any chance of us being friends," I say with a nonchalant shrug. "I don't like arrogant people."
Nathan scoffs, "Sorry to break it to you, but your boyfriend is the most arrogant person at this party."
My face scrunches up in distaste when he refers to Thomas as my boyfriend, and I voice my thoughts: "Thomas isn't my boyfriend."
Nathan stares at me in silence for a moment, not saying anything. A slight, dull pain shoots in my head, and I feel another headache come on. My brows crease together and my lips part as I squeeze my eyes shut at the newfound pain when it comes too much to just ignore. When my head stopped spinning, I opened my eyes and smoothed my brow, and saw Nathan laughing at me.
"What?" I snap, my voice fiercer than intended, but even though this was the boy that nobody messed with, I refused to back down.
His eyebrows shoot up in surprise at my sharp tone, but a smirk raises to his lips as Nathan looks at me daringly. "Have too much to drink?" When I don't answer, there's a confident arrogance in his voice as he continues. "Let me guess. You're the goody two shoes who doesn't go to parties, and now that you've drank too much, you can't handle your liquor."
I haven't drank this much ever, sure, but I wasn't about to admit that Nathan was right. As it always did, my stubborn side reared its ugly head, and I decided to prove him wrong. Apparently, proving him wrong meant standing up quickly as I ignored the consequences for such a quick movement. With a few blinks, my vision cleared, and I set a glare in Nathan's direction, a silent I told you so. His chest rumbled with laughter; it was a nice sound, and my lips even threatened to quirk up at the sound of it, but I had a point to prove.
I confidently take a few steps closer to Nathan, stopping a few feet in front of him. Being closer, I could make out his face more appropriately. From here, I could see that his eyes weren't grey but a grey-blue, and there was some dark stubble on his chin. His hair was outgrown of its cropped style, messy and dark on top of his head. I focused my gaze on his face, smiling at my own success, even putting my hands out and shaking them.
"Ta-da," I announce sarcastically. "I feel fine, thank you very much." And when he watched me wordlessly, I let out a breath and narrowed my eyes at him. "No need to give me that look."
Amusement was evident in his features as his smirk quirked into a smile, even just for a moment. "And what look is that, kitten?"
"Don't call me that," I say instead of answering him, scrunching my nose in distaste as I catch his eye.
He shakes his head slowly, looking entertained. "You seem to have a lot of problems with me."
Before I can think better of it, I snap, "Well, you seem like an ass."
The door opened and a harsh yellow light flickered on, and I glared at the person who walked out. Asher, one of Nathan's friends, came strolling out of the house with a goofy smile on his face when he sees us. "This is where you were hiding, huh Rhodes?"
Nathan shrugs. "It got boring in there."
Asher rolls his eyes, and then his gaze shifts to me. His eyes widen a fraction, as if he genuinely hadn't noticed me there, before his easygoing smile returns to his face as he nudged Nathan. "You mean you found a pretty lady to keep you company."
Before either of them could say anything else, I muttered, "I'm going back inside."
With that, I extracted myself from the uncomfortable situation of being in between two of the baddest boys in our entire school, and slipped back into the overcrowded party. I instantly regretted my decision when I saw the hungry looks the guys were giving me when I walked in, and contemplated taking my chances with the two bad boys instead of socializing with these sleazy guys.
I go back into the kitchen because it's the least crowded and lean against the wall after getting myself a new drink. I scan the crowd in front of me to realize people were watching me yet again. Mostly popular girls, and the cliche queen herself: Nina Alexander. Nina was watching me from the living room, where she stood among her minions, speaking as they stared directly at me. I pushed my fear to the side and held her gaze for a long moment, a silent refusal to back down.
"Hello gorgeous," A slick voice says beside me, pulling me out of my staring war with Nina. "I don't believe we've met before. I'm Jax, and you are?"
I stare at the boy on the football team who I'm pretty sure cheated off of me in Calculus this year. He had a buzz cut and unsettling dull eyes, which were currently fixated on me, paired with an all too familiar predatory smirk.
Despite my dislike for the guy, I entertain the conversation, momentarily thankful for any sort of distraction. "Lauren Collins."
His eyes squint as he looks over my face. "The name is familiar."
A knowing smirk tugs my lips. It was unreal how many popular boys who would never spare a second glance in my direction were suddenly hitting on me, calling me beautiful and gorgeous, giving me pet names... All because of a wardrobe change. Even Thomas, who broke up with me because I wasn't worth the trouble, was practically falling at my feet when I showed slight interest in him. I didn't answer him, just kind of shrugged and ran a hand through my hair, looking around for Stephanie.
"Did you just move here?" Jax is persistent, eyes raking over my body, as if it will help him remember me.
I settle my gaze on him and feel confidence well up in me again as I speak to him. "I've lived here my entire life. I think we're in Calculus together this year?"
Recognition dawns on his face, but only for a second before surprise takes over. His eyes bulge as they look over at me again, resting extra long on my legs and chest. When they meet my gaze, my eyes are narrowed, watching his movement and gaze. The smirk raises to his lips again, and I feel myself grow tired of his company. It was time to find Stephanie.
"Wow." Jax whistles. "You look... Different. Sexy different. Jax likey."
I want to punch him when I hear him refer to himself in third person.
"Thanks, I think." I mutter half heartedly.
"Do you wanna go somewhere a little quieter? Like, upstairs? I'm sure we can find a room..." Jax trails off when
I turn to stare at him in shock, but I think he takes my look of shock as an acceptance or something, because he grins widely. "Come on, babe."
Jax reaches out to grab my hand, but I crease my brow and dodge him narrowly. I push myself off the wall and turn to face him, nose scrunched in distaste. "No, I'm not going to sleep with you. I'm going to find my friend."
Easily, I walk away in a desperate search for Stephanie. I just wanted to go home; my head hurt, I was tired of socializing, and I hated feeling multiple pairs of eyes watching me. My feet lead me through the living room, dining room, front room, and up the stairs. I was currently searching the upstairs hallway, which was filled with couples groping each other against the walls. The entire place reeked of beer, and I resisted the urge to pull a face at the smell.
"Stephanie?" I ask, knocking on a bedroom door.
I'm greeted with a grunt and "Go away!" before I scurry off, figuring Steph wasn't in there. The next door is at the end of the hallway, and I knock on it loudly but get no response. Cautiously, I knock again before opening it, peeking inside, hoping nobody would scream at me or I wouldn't walk in on drunk kids having sex. Luckily, the room was empty, untouched by anyone tonight. Thankful for the empty space, I slid inside and dropped
myself on the bed, letting out a moan of comfort.
Not even a minute later, the door creaks open and I hear an unrecognizable guys voice. "Are you usin' this room?"
I look up at him and nod. "Yeah, sorry."
He looks like he's 6'6" with a muscular frame and buzzed brown hair that matched his brown eyes. I don't remember seeing him in school before, but I do keep social interactions to a minimum, and wouldn't recognize him from previous parties. The guy standing a few steps in the doorway looks at me, confused.
"Why are you in here alone?" He seems to be asking innocently before I see the annoyingly familiar smirk next.
"Pretty girl like you shouldn't be alone."
I stood up now, put my hands on my hips, and snap, "Listen, I don't want to flirt or hook up with you or even talk to you. If you even try to lay a finger on me, I will break your hand. I want to be at home, in bed, sleeping. Unless you can give that to me, get out of this room."
It surprised both of us when I snapped, but I kept a stony expression on as I glared at the guy. His eyes went wide and I could tell he was thinking "this girl is psycho", but I didn't care. It was the truth, and I was no longer going to be afraid to state it. After a moment, the unknown guy muttered some obscenities and walked out of the bedroom, leaving me in peace once again. I walked towards the door to shut it behind him, but the very bad boy I had left minutes ago was standing there instead. There was a smile on Nathan's face; not a smirk, like I had been seeing from greasy guys all night. The rareness of it made it all the more important.
"You want to be at home?" Nathan asks, clearly having heard my little rant. I nodded dumbly and he held out a hand. "I can bring you home, and get you one step closer to your bed."
The last thing I expected was to be offered a ride by my schools mysterious bad boy, whom I've hardly ever interacted with. I didn't expect to change my entire way of living and feel so confident in my skin. Surely, I didn't expect to get drunk, yell at Nathan, just to have him be nice to me at the end of the night. But even though I didn't expect any of this to happen, I decided to continue to go with the flow of things, and see where this new attitude of mine takes me.
"Did you drink?" I ask warily.
"Nope, I knew I'd be driving tonight." Nathan assures me. "So, what about it? I'm trying to be nice here."
I let myself smile at his impatience and nodded, taking his outstretched hand. "Yeah, let's go. Bring me closer to my bed, please."
With a strong hold, Nathan led me through the upstairs, down the steps, and out the front door. We walked a little down the street until we reached his car and he had to help me get in. I don't remember how long it took, but we got to my house and I thanked Nathan for the ride. Despite the fact I had told him earlier that we would never be friends, I felt myself slowly start to warm up to him. Very slowly, but I still did.
When I got out of the car, I even offered a civil smile. "Thank you, Nathan."
He nods at me, any traces of his smile from earlier gone, and replaced by a small smirk. "Goodnight, kitten."