As a Friend

Chapter 4

It's only been two and a half hours and I'm ready to go home but Kat is still reconnecting with her friends. Would it be rude of me to have Dominic come get me? I don't want to be here any longer, especially not after that awkward experience with Jaden. I'll have to barricade myself in someone's room to avoid going back to him. Just as I'm about to head back inside, my phone starts ringing. I look to see Kat's number flashing across the screen.

"Hey, do you feel like spending the night here?" she questions and my eyes widen.

"No, but it's okay if you do. I don't mind getting a ride with a friend." Here's my chance.

"Are you sure? I can drop you off and come back," she insists from inside the noisy house.

"No, it's okay, I promise."

"Okay, I saw you leave the house. Is everything alright?" she questions me in a concerned tone.

"Yeah, I just needed some air." It definitely wasn't the overwhelming feeling of almost making a potentially regretful decision.

"Are you sure?" she presses.

"Yes."

"Are you coming back in?" she continues to question me.

"No I think I'm just going to go now. I had a lot of fun though. Thanks for inviting me."

"No problem." She thanks me for coming and tells me to text her when I get home. Once we hang up, I call Dominic with intentions of asking him to come get me.

"Are you okay?" he speaks into the phone after the first ring. I hear people talking in the background and I figure he's playing foosball with his friends in the lounge of their building. I suddenly feel bad for interrupting.

"Are you busy?" I hop one from foot to the other.

"No, not at all," he dismisses but I can tell he's lying. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just kind of need a ride home." I hate to be a downer but this party was just what I expected it to be.

"I'm on the way," he assures me. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Unless you want to stay on the phone?"

"No, I'm fine." I try my best to sound like I'm okay. I know him; he'd probably assume I'm in danger and speed over here ready to beat someone up.

"Are you sure? Or are you being forced to say that?" I roll my eyes and laugh at his paranoia. Just like I said.

"I'm fine, Dominic, just get over here." He lets out a chuckle before letting me go.

Just as I end the call, someone yells out to me. "Hey!" I glance over and watch as a tall, lanky guy approaches me while scratching his head. "Did you see a Frisbee?"

"No..." I trail, wondering why he's playing Frisbee at night. If it's too dark to see it fly off, maybe you shouldn't be playing it. I keep the snarky comment to myself and peer around on the ground. I think I would've noticed a Frisbee fly past me. As expected, I come up short. "Sorry."

"No worries," he assures me as comes to a stop a few feet away from me. His brown hair is just long enough so that the tendrils reach his forehead. With a quick hand, he brushes them back and tilts his head at me. Slowly but surely, his lips pull back to reveal a set of braces, which have almost completed their work in straightening his teeth. From the dull lighting of the streetlight, I assume his eyes are brown. With an affable smile, he leans in a bit. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I reply in as perky of a voice as I can manage. He's not giving off any creepy vibes. There's more than enough room between us and if need be, I can describe him to Kat and she'll find a name. Deciding to entertain conversation while I wait, I nod at the street beside us. "I'm just waiting for my ride."

"Do you need a ride back?" he wonders, "to the school, that is. Unless, of course, you reside elsewhere. I can drop you off is what I'm saying. I know how Ubers can be unreliable."

I smile at his rambling. "Thank you, kind stranger, but I'm not supposed to accept rides from people I don't know. Especially not boys."

"Elias Hodge." He holds out his large hand. I give it a powerful shake and he nods as if he's impressed.

"November Camacho," I inform him. "But everyone calls me Nova."

"That's very easy to remember," he nods slowly. "Everyone calls me Eli but you can call me tomorrow."

I give a hearty laugh as I take in his features. He reminds me of Dominic in a less athletic, less player-ish way. He seems sweet and for some reason, he makes me feel comfortable. He isn't at all intimidating like Jaden was. I feel at ease. "You're very funny, Eli."

"Thank you, thank you, I try." He seems happy with my compliment. "So who do you know that was invited here? Just in case, you know, I want to get in contact with you again."

"I know Katherine," I respond as I glance back at the house. Maybe I should try to take one good thing from this night, even if it doesn't work out. I inhale deeply in an attempt to fill up on confidence. I recall Dominic's brief words of advice: 'he's more scared of you than you are of him, kind of like a spider, except much bigger.' "But you can always ask for my number if you'd like to contact me."

"That I can do," he responds eagerly as he fishes his phone from his pocket. He hands it to me and I add myself into his contact list. "Now the real question is, will you text me back?"

"I wouldn't have suggested giving you my number if I didn't have hopes you'd use it," I assure him, feeling a bit more confident now. That wasn't hard at all. He seems interested enough. I doubt my horrible flirting skills will deter him. Maybe he's just as awkward as I am; he seems satisfied with himself, too.

"Just out of curiosity...how old are you?"

"18." Please don't be 22.

"Oh, okay, good. Just checking. I'm 19."

I see Dominic's familiar four door pull up and I look to Elias. "That's my ride. Now the real question is, are you going to text me?" I tease as I start to back up.

"Definitely," he responds with a grin. I smile back and approach Dominic's car before turning back around.

"Eli!" I call and he turns around swiftly. "Good luck finding the Frisbee!"

"There was no Frisbee!" he yells back. "I just thought you were cute and I'm bad at starting conversations!" I laugh and shake my head as I get into the car.