⭑.ᐟ Life of the party 𝒩𝒶𝓉𝒶𝓁𝒾𝑒 𝒮𝒸𝒶𝓉𝑜𝓇𝒸𝒸𝒾𝑜 𝓍 𝒻𝑒𝓂!𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇
summary: in which you and Natalie have been best friends for years and unknown to you she has been harbouring feelings for you since the two of you met. What happens when she has one too many drinks and sees you giggling with some jock?
warnings: underage drinking and smoking, sneaking out, pining, homoerotic friendship. Wc: 2.7k.
You feel the cold of the wooden door against your cheek as you press your face tightly against it, listening to the quiet footsteps of your mother as she makes her way into her bedroom.
You let out a sigh of relief and glance at the clock that sits atop your door, 11 PM. Still too early and putting into account Nat’s usual tardiness it’s even earlier than that.
You face the mirror for the nineteenth time and run your fingers through your hair while looking at yourself in the mirror. It’s a party in the woods, one that’s meant to celebrate the yellowjackets recent victory among a few of your peers and the usual couple of college kids that always manage to find their way into high school parties. You’re wearing a dress, one that shows your cleavage and your shoulders, you’re not underdressed but you do wonder if you’re overdressed. You’re about to reach into your closet to change when—
The unmistakable dreadful sound of Nat’s Ford, pulling up to your driveway fills your ears, with its grinding sound that makes you wonder if today’s the day the thing explodes.
You make your way to the window and look at her through the glass.
Nat in all her reckless rebellious glory, arm swung outside the window of the car, half smoked cigarette balanced between her index and middle finger, untamed bleach blonde hair clinging to the side of her face and her signature cocky smirk that she flashes you anytime her eyes meet yours. So incredibly chaotic. So incredibly her.
You open the window of your bedroom with a click sound and leave it open, swinging both of your feet over and jumping onto the soft grass beneath you. You land with a heavy thud but don’t fall over, which is a plus.
Nat’s eyes finally meet yours, soft and unguarded, the kind of look she only reserves for you. She gets out of the driver’s seat and makes her way around her moms beat up car to open the door for you.
“How charming.” You comment while getting inside of the car and letting her close the door for you.
“Yea, yea. I’m a grade A gentlemen, princess.”
She settles inside once again. The car littered with cigarette buts and empty cans. But you can’t seem to mind, not when she’s around, you’ve recently realised she could do just about anything and you wouldn’t have cared.
She looks at you once again.
“You look… pretty.” She says while scratching the back of her neck and looking you up and down.
“Was that a compliment?” You tease.
“Shut up—“ She complains while throwing her head back.
“Uh— I won’t, wait. Are you drunk?” You question while tilting her face in a half assed attempt to confirm her sobriety.
“C’mon princess, I’d never risk your life.”
“Wouldn’t put driving under the influence past you. You know?” You comment, an uncomfortable weight suddenly settling into your chest as you point out her reckless behaviour. She wouldn’t risk your life but she’d risk hers and you don’t like that, in fact you hate the thought so much that you have to blink back tears at the thought of her being gone.
“C’mon—“ She starts. But then stops abruptly. “Whatever, you’re the one driving this piece of crap back to my trailer anyway.”
“What? You suddenly trust me with your car?” You inquire. “You wanna get trashed that badly?”
“Hey, free booze is free booze.” She says, lifting her hands up to make a point. “Plus, this car has seen shittier drivers than you. Trust me.”
The ride to the party is calm, filled with laughter and light banter while Nat throws cigarette after cigarette out the window.
At one point her hand settles into your thigh and you make no effort to remove it.
Eventually the two of you reach your destination— the outskirts of the forest that surrounds Wiskayok high, Nat’s hand leaves your thigh as she parks her moms Ford and you immediately miss her warmth. But she makes up for it by opening your door and grabbing your hand to lead you further into the trees and in the direction of the loud music that pinpoint the party’s location.
The gathering is exactly what you’d expect, high school kids walking around, seniors making out on the hood of their cars like there’s no tomorrow and the unmistakable stench of cigarette smoke and weed filling the air.
You spot Jackie, Shauna and Jeff in their own little corner, their whole thing always leaves you uncomfortable but you push through it in favour of hospitality and wave to them receiving waves back in return. Natalie doesn’t bother with the interaction too preoccupied in squeezing your hand tighter. Like she’s afraid you’ll disappear in between her fingers.
“I’m gonna go get a drink.” She informs, only now letting go of your hand. “Be right back.” She says, before disappearing into the crowd of smoke and bobbing heads.
You decide to walk around while you wait for her. You were almost halfway through the terrain when you feel a hand grab your shoulder.
“That was fast—“ You comment. But when you turn around you’re met with short black hair rather than Nat’s bleach blonde mullet.
Josh, you recognise. Tall, soccer player, darling of all the girls in your chem class. So, what did he want with you?
“Josh.” You say calmly, your eyes wondering over his figure in an inquisitive manner.
“You’re the chick from my chem class right?” He starts, in a poor attempt to make conversation.
“Seems that way.” You say, unimpressed. “I’m surprised you noticed, with how much class you’ve missed so far.”
“Cmon you know how it is, the ball takes priority.”
“I play soccer too, you know? And last I checked we’re the ones going to nationals, not you.” You point out.
You brace yourself for a pesky little argument over how women’s soccer isn’t the same as men’s and how theirs is much more difficult even though it’s the same sport and bla bla bla but, to your surprise, he laughs rather than mansplain soccer to you. So you giggle alongside him.
“Touche. Saw you girls last game by the way. You were brilliant. Star of the field, if I say so myself… Can I—interest you in a drink?” He asks, suggestively.
“Can’t— I’m driving my friend home.” You say, turning him down politely, your eyes scan over your surroundings for Nat, hoping she hasn’t gone too far with the drinking just yet.
“Oh, that’s alright. Water then?”
Now you feel bad, he’s actually— to your surprise— really nice. But unfortunately your heart only races for scuffed combat boots and bleach blonde mullets. And… where the hell is she?
“Josh… I really can’t—I’m sort of seeing someone.” It’s a lie, you wish you were seeing someone, seeing her. But you don’t want to lead him on so you settle for a half truth. Or rather half lie.
“Oh, that’s alright…” He says, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. “Nice talking to you though. Maybe another time.”
“Yea, you too.” You offer.
After he leaves, you turn around to go look for Nat, hoping she hasn’t done anything too Nat-like.
You spot a head of bleach blonde hair against a wall making out with some guy. Your heart drops momentarily but then you notice that the hair is too straight and too perfect to be hers, so you sigh in relief and face the other way.
You spot her near the trees two cups in hand, staring down the spot where you had your short conversation with Josh.
You smile, relieved to have finally found her. But when you start making your way to her she throw one of the cups on the ground and downs the other before turning away from you.
You’re left hurt and confused. But decide to push past in and run after her anyway hoping she’s just drunk and throwing a fit because she didn’t manage to snag a pack of cigs from an unsuspecting freshman or something silly of the sort.
But when you finally manage to reach her and grab a handful of her leather jacket she simply gives you a blank look and forcefully shrugs away from you muttering something under her breath that you can’t quite make.
The rest of the party passes by slowly and painfully, you’re left alone so you scan your surroundings searching for company while Nat cools down from whatever the hell got her so upset. You spot Laura Lee and Lottie sitting in a cooler, the latter with a half smoker cigarette in between her fingers and Shauna leaning against a truck staring Jackie and Jeff down with a red cup in her hand. Shauna looks like she’s going through something of her own so you decide your best bet are Lottie and Laura Lee.
“Hey.” You manage to say as you approach the pair.
“Hey. Where’s Nat?” Laura Lee asks, obviously confused as to why the two of you are not together given the fact that everyone jokes that the two of you are a matching pair, buy one take two kind of deal.
“She’s— mad at something.”
“At what?” Lottie inquires. Bringing the cigarette to her lips again. Which earns her a disapproving look from Laura Lee that she pointedly ignores.
“Beats me. I just hope she snaps out of it soon. I’m supporting to take her waisted ass home.” You offer.
“Here come sit.” Laura Lee invites. Making space for you in the cooler as she sits closer to Lottie.
The three of you engage in light conversation. Mostly about nationals, what you’re planning to pack and the private plane that Lottie's dad snagged for you all.
“Oh, there she is!” Laura Lee says, index finger pointing to the bonfire that’s placed a few feet from the three of you.
You follow her finger, your eyes squinting in the dark until you finally manage to make out Natalie’s figure, Kevyn and another boy by her side and… a plastic baggie with something inside dangling from her hand— absolutely not.
“I don’t think so.” You say before you’re bolting in her direction.
When you finally reach her you snag the bag from her hand and swat away her attempts to get it back.
“No! Absolutely not.” You tell her, voice firm while you cage both of her hands with one of yours and hold the baggie behind your back with the other.
“Hey, that's mine!” The redhead says.
“Then take it.” You throw the bag in his general direction and watch him scramble for it. Bending his body in unnatural ways just so the contents of the bag don’t fall on the dirt beneath your feet.
“We’re going home.” You demand, gripping Nat tighter while you try to shake some sense into her.
“You— can’t tell me what to do.” She drunkenly rambles.
“Yes, I can we’re leaving, now. You’ve had enough.”
“I can’t go asshole I need to take you home.”
“No—“ she starts, hand now gripping your arm as she tries and fails to appear steady and sober. “Go be with your new boyfriend and leave me here.”
Her self deprecating commentary would make you sad on her behalf if you weren’t so damn confused.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“John—” She slurs the name. “Or Josh or Jay or something like that… why are there so many J names…” she rambles.
“You like him better than me.” She slumps over now. Arms circling your waist while her head rests on the crook of your neck as she leans heavily against you.
“Nat—” You start, softly. “Hey, calm down please.” You manage to say as you rub her back.
“Breathe, you're just drunk.” You offer, you’ve never seen her like this Nat has never been a crying drunk so what the hell is happening right now?
“I like you so much…” she says against your neck. “I always have— even when you had that weird horrible pastel pink phase in 6th grade.”
You’re stunned, but you let her continue.
“And now you leave me here for John.” Her head lifts up from your neck. A string of saliva connecting it to your neck for a few seconds before her sad green eyes meet yours. “Why?” She pleads. “Is it because he’s tall?” She asks, with such a serious expression on her face that you almost want to laugh.
“Why don’t you like me.” She pleads, her eyes watery now.
Your heart breaks at that, you want to tell her that you do like her, that you’ve liked her for years, that you turned down Josh for her, for the possibility of being with her. But at the same time she’s drunk so you don’t know how much of this she truly means.
“I do like you.” You offer.
“No, you don’t. Not like— I like you.” Nat protests, with such fire in her gaze that you wonder if the mere implication of you liking her more than she likes you managed to sober her up, somehow.
Is what she says before she smashes her lips against yours. It’s not the first time the two of you have kissed but it sure feels different.
But you pull away. Almost immediately leaving her sad eyes even sadder.
“You’re drunk.” You say, because the possibility of this being just another drunk make out session between the two of you hurts worse than the pain in her irises.
“I had like 4 beers.” She complains.
“You were about to take whatever the heck is in that bag.” You spat.
“Since when have I encouraged you to do drugs?” You say, throwing your hands in the air at the accusation.
“To forget you.” She confesses.
“What?” You question, softly. Maybe she meant what she said after all.
“I’m not drunk… Ok— I’m a little drunk.” She sighs. “But I meant what I said.”
“Obviously.” She says, matter of factly.
“I did too.” You admit. Because you did, you liked her. Hell you loved her. You loved her style, her quirks, her loud and brash personality, you even loved her weird smell of cigarettes mixed with cheap vanilla perfume.
She takes a step closer to you, tentatively, like predator studying its prey.
Her lips find yours again. Soft and gentle it’s not much more than a peck but you close your eyes regardless and feel her fingers curl around your waist.
She steps back and looks you over waiting to find rejection in your gaze. When she finds none she goes for it again.
This time more firmly. Your lips lock with hers for a second time. What started soft turns passionate fast when you feel her tongue pass past your lips and into your mouth, demanding entrance like it belongs there, like it always has.
You grab the back of her head, your fingers pulling harshly on the bleach locks while you suck her tongue into your mouth. Which makes her moan into the kiss.
After a few moments the two of you pull away breathless, panting and searching for air.
“You believe me now?” She asks, unable to mask the annoyance in her voice.
She smiles softly and interlocks her fingers with yours, once again.
“Hot.” The redhead mutters.
Natalie turns to her friends, who are still there, for some reason.
“What are you two assholes still doing here?” She snaps looking between the both of them.
“We’re leaving.” Kevyn says, lifting his hands up in surrender while grabbing his friend by the neck and leading him to the other side of the bonfire.
“Sorry about that.” Nat says while squeezing your waist.
“It’s alright.” You concede.
And you let her kiss you again soft and passionate, the bonfire illuminating both of your faces while the crowd and the curious glances blur into the background.
