How to Get the Girl

                    LOVE ISN'T easy to come by. It doesn't just happen to a person. It takes time, a growing friendship between two people. A bond so strong that the mere thought of losing the other would cause one to break down. Love is two souls connecting so deeply that everyone who had once crossed through the mind has now vanished, and there lies the image of just one. The longing for only one. A kind of happiness brought by only one. Music blared through the speakers placed on the entertainment center, some annoying song Jace Reeves had never heard played, making him scrunch up his broad nose in disgust. Come with me to the Morris kid's party, Jace's first, and only, friend at Hilton High had told him earlier that day. It'll be fun, she said. Needless to say, Anya was wrong. The only thing that had given Jace any satisfaction so far was seeing some guy throw up on the lap of a redhead. That was classic. He huffed before jumping up to his feet, making his way to the kitchen. He could sense all of eyes that landed on him, knowing damn well that none of these people knew who he was, and he liked that. He minded his business, pulling out another beer from the red cooler at the end of the table, immediately popping it open and chugging it down. If he was going to be here, there was no way in hell he would be here sober. Crushing the can in his hand before tossing it onto the pile of plastic cups and cans scattered around the full trashcan, he took no time in reaching for another drink.  After popping this can  open, he leaned against the countertop, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his jeans' back pocket. He placed one between his lips, lighting it with the lighter from his front pocket, inhaling deeply. As he exhaled, he watched the grey smoke rise to the ceiling. He could not wait to get drunk and then to get the f**k out of here. With the cigarette between his lips once more, he glared at a group huddled in front of the refrigerator, across from him, who couldn't keep their eyes off of him. He was new to town, so obviously they would be curious as to who the stranger was, but instead of walking up to him and asking, they just stared.  And that's one thing Jace could not stand. "What?" he snapped at them. Just as he expected, none of them replied or approached him, but rather turned away. Shaking his head, Jace took another hit. This time, he watched as the smoke spiraled across the kitchen. He hoped someone in that small group would cough at the smell. "Jacey!" a girl with platinum hair suddenly emerged through the cloud of smoke, grinning from ear to ear.  He shook his head, urging, "Don't call me that again." Anya rolled her eyes, questioning, "Awe, why so grumpy?" The corners of her brown eyes frowned as she folded her bottom lip downward. The end of his cigarette lit up in different shades of orange as he inhaled. Exhaling, as he stared down at the much shorter girl, he stated, "This party sucks. You Hilton Heads, or whatever the f**k you are, don't know what a good time is." "Well, you're definitely not gonna have any fun standing alone in a corner," she pointed out to him. She reached out for his left arm as he used his right to bring his cigarette back to his mouth, tugging at the sleeve of his black leather jacket. "Come on." "What?" he groaned, exhaling. "Let's go have some fun," she  said. Jace and Anya only met because their families live in the same apartment complex. Two days after moving in, he and his mother received a knock on their door, and a mother, father, Anya and her two younger siblings stood on the opposite side with smiles on all of their faces and a pie in the eldest woman's hands. Jace didn't even think neighbors did that kind of s**t anymore. Anya, though, she dressed cool and listened to good music, not to mention, had an excellent sense f sarcasm, so that was enough for Jace to decide to hang out with her. He rolled his eyes at fake blonde, knowing damn good and well that he wouldn't have any kind of fun at this place until he was drunk. Maybe not even then. He groaned, "Stop." She arched a drawn on eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest, "So you're gonna be a little s**t, huh?" Jace nodded his head in agreement, taking in one last inhalation, "Yeah, that's exactly what I'm gonna be." Peering just past his friend, however, his blue eyes immediately lit up. Hia posture straightened, now moving his back away from the counter. As he exhaled his last ball of smoke, he tossed his cigarette butt into a red cup of liquor, not caring if someone was still drinking it. "Hold up," he patted the girl on her arm, walking right past her. Anya spun around to watch as he strode towards another girl, his eyes glued to the stranger, only causing her to chuckle to herself. The first thing he noticed were the many dark braids that dangled down to her hips; her hair was the same color as a Hershey's dark chocolate bar, one of the only candy bars he could devour in one sitting. The second thing he noticed were the tall pair of black boots she wore, stopping just mid-thigh. About two inches of ebony skin peeked out at him before the hem of a deep violet sweater dress covered the rest of her body – tight enough, though, to still show the small sets of curves she pertained. "Hey," he smiled at the girl, staring just a couple inches down at her. "You want a drink?" The girl could immediately smell the burning sensation of cigarette smoke coming from the boy, causing her throat to itch. "Um," she simply furrowed her natural eyebrows in puzzlement, holding up the cup in her hand, "no thanks." "How 'bout a smoke?" "Uh, no, I don't–" She shook her head, not having to finish her sentence, knowing that he understood that she wasn't a smoker.  She thought it was strange how a guy had, so obviously, bleached his hair and then dyed the ends lilac, only to leave an inch at the top silver and his roots their natural dark brown. Strange, but interesting. "Alright," Jace nodded his head. "Well, if you do want anything, you just let me know. I'm Jace." An intoxicating smile spread across her wine colored lips, almost making Jace kiss her right then and there. He bit his bottom lip, though, holding himself back, knowing that is not how you treat a woman. He arched one thick brow, questioning, as he tilted his head to the side, "So, Beautiful, what's your name?"  Before she could answer, though, a guy with broad shoulders and a pointed nose matched with a pointed chin walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. He was about the same height as Jace, only his hair was dark and brushes back behind his ears. Not to mention, he had a more muscular build to him, a much more muscular build. "Mario's Girlfriend is her name. First and last. You need something? Lost? What's up?" Jace smirked, admitting, "Just admiring a beauty. Thought I'd come over and hit on her." Mario pulled his arm away from his girlfriend, stepping forward towards Nick, declaring, "How 'bout I hit you?" Jace just laughed in the boy's face, questioning, "Oh, big man, huh?" "Mario!" the girl grabbed his arm, tugging his back to her. "Just let it go. He was just asking if I wanted a drink." "Oh, I know what he was asking for," Mario didn't back away and kept his dark glare on Jace. "Mario! He didn't do anything. Let it go!" Jace nodded his head, just egging him on, "Yeah, Mario. Just let it go." "Hey, hey, hey," another boy ran up to the two. He was shorter than the both of them, but he was strong enough to pull Mario back away from the new guy in town. "Mario," he was able to get the angry mam to tear his eyes away from Jace. "He didn't know. Just forget about him." Mario let out a deep breath before nodding his head in agreement. "Okay, yeah." His girlfriend smiled, placing a soothing hand on his back. Mario then pointed a single finger at Jace, demanding, "I'll leave with you a warning this time, but don't even think about talking to her again." Jace shrugged his shoulders, cracking a grin, "Oh, I'll be sure to hit on her again. I mean, f**k, look at her!" Mario clenched his jaw tight, narrowing his dark eyes at him once again. His friend patted him on the chest, stating, "Ignore him." "Come on, babe," the girl laced her fingers into his. "Let's get some air. It's hot in here." Jace watched as the two walked out of the living room, towards the backdoor, he presumed. He rolled his eyes at the thought of what had just happened. Of course she had a man. A girl like that would. "Dinah Sinclair," the guy who had gotten Mario away suddenly stated. "What?" He nodded with his head in the direction the couple had walked off to, "Her name." "Okay?" Jace scrunched his eyebrows together. "f**k off." The brunette chuckled, stepping closer to Jace. Keeping his voice low, he declared, "If you want her, I can help you get her." Jace only stared slightly down at the boy in confusion before he decided to turn and wall to another room of the house. He had absolutely no idea what the guy meant but was convinced he was probably being an asshole. It seemed to run through the veins of the teenagers of this town, as if they were all taking a dose at these shitty parties. Pulling out another cigarette from his pocket, Jace made his way back to the kitchen, chugging down the beer in his hand on the way. After tossing the can to the pile, once again, he lit the stick between his pink lips, watching the end of it burn as he inhaled the tobacco. He pulled out another drink from the cooler, popping the top of the can with one hand as he smoked with the other. Aa he exhaled the smoke, he lifted the can to his mouth, taking a quick swig. Jace then turned around to head back into the living room to sit back down on the recliner, but he stopped in his tracks when he made eye contact with a blonde girl standing almost as tall as him. He winked at the girl, watching as a smile crept up onto her face as she combed a strand of hair behind her ear. He knew all too well what that meant, so he took no time in walking up to her.  "What's up?" he asked the girl as he hit his cigarette. She shrugged her shoulders, glancing around the room, "Not much. You?" He blew the smoke to the side before responding, "Not much." "I haven't seen you before," she pointed out, her blue eyes looking him up and down. He smirked, c*****g one dark eyebrow, "Very original line." The girl grinned, biting down on her lip. He took another drag from his cigarette, noticing the short skirt she had on. "I just moved here over the summer." "Hm," she nodded her head. "So how do you feel about it so far?" Inhaling, then exhaling grey smoke, Jace blatantly stated, "It seems pretty shitty." The girl giggled, nodding her head to agree. She held out her hand, questioning, "So you gonna share?" He half smiled, looking into her wide eyes as he passed the cigarette to her. Watching in amusement as the girl brought the nicotine stick to her thin, red lips and inhaled deeply, he knew she had done this before. Not just smoked, but flirted this way. When she exhaled the smoke, she tilted her head back, allowing the smoke to reach the ceiling. The girl brushed her hair back behind her shoulder, suggesting, "So how about I make this party a little less shitty for you?" "Oh, yeah? And how are you gonna do that?" he arched a brow. She slid her hand into his and pointed with her head, "Let's get out of here." Without argument, Jace followed the girl as she led him up the stairs, watching her long legs with each movement. She pushed a bedroom door open, pulling him inside. As soon as she shut the door, Jace placed his lips against hers, instantly tugging his jacket off, not caring that he had just tossed his canned beer onto the floor.  She pushed his body toward the bed, pulling his white t-shirt up and over his head before he laid back on top of the comforter. Jace gazed at the blonde as she lifted her own shirt over her head, revealing a blue satin bra. She leaned over him, kissing his chest while running her palms over his torso. Gathering a handful of blonde hair, he lifted her head up off of him, only to kiss the side of her neck, listening to her soft moans in his ear. All Jace could picture, though, was her. Dinah Sinclair.