Chapter Two - "I Kinda Wanna Make Out With Both Of You"

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I grabbed my pen that was sitting in front of me and started scribbling down the notes that were on the board. I was in my Chemistry class and there were only four more classes until the end of the day – halfway there.

Friday was finally here, and it took way too long if you asked me.

"So what are the plans for this weekend?" Ashley leaned over and whispered to me.

I shrugged my shoulders and kept copying notes, while she picked at her nails and completely ignored anything our teacher was saying. She never cared too much for schoolwork, but that was because she was kind of a genius.

The difference between Ashley and her older brother Hunter's personalities couldn't be more opposite, meanwhile they were nearly identical looking. Ashley was incredibly smart, Hunter didn't really care. Ashley was quiet, gentle and, honest, while her brother was obnoxious, immature, and clever. They'd always gotten along really well though, which was good.

Ashley and I had been mistaken for being sisters more than my own sister and I, and we'd been friends for years. Her thick, white blonde hair cascaded down her back, and with porcelain skin and the prettiest baby blue eyes anyone had ever seen, she was a real life angel.

She had such a big heart and I didn't think that she could ever be mean to someone, except for  when she was sticking up for her friends, family, or boyfriend. Then she'd let loose and turn into a completely different person.

"Well, it's your birthday, think of something!" She nudged me, messing up the word I was  writing. I glared at her out of the corner of my eye and she just smiled at me.

"I don't know, Ash. Can't we talk about this later?" I whispered back.

"No, we cannot. You've been saying 'I don't know' for the past week or so and we need to figure it out because we're celebrating tonight and tomorrow," she demanded.

Another thing about Ashley – when she wants something, she gets it. Whether it was a material object or a piece of information. I never knew how she acquired that skill, but I always hoped it would rub off on me eventually. 

There were only a few minutes left in the class, so Ms. Webb said we could put away our notes  and that we were done for the day. I gladly shut my notebook and put everything back in my bag, then turned to Ashley beside me. "So we could go to dinner somewhere fancy. Or have a party at one of our houses or- oh my  God! I got it!" She gasped, suddenly coming up with a plan as a grin spread across her face.

"What do you got?" I chuckled, crossing my legs.

"The perfect plan!" She squealed and ignored all the strange looks our classmates gave her. I just laughed to myself and let her go on. "Okay, so tonight I was thinking we could all go to Level 3.  Then tomorrow we could go out to lunch somewhere, like pick your favorite place and we can all go. Then later on at night we could have a party for you! And it could be themed or whatever you want! This is the perfect plan, oh aren't you glad to have me as your best friend?" She grinned widely, clapping her hands together.

"I have three best friends, but yes I am," I smirked, noting Justin and Brooke as well.

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes and dismissed my comment. "What do you say?"

"Yeah, sounds good," I shrugged with a smile.

"Sounds good? It sounds great!" She shoved my shoulder excitedly.

Sure, she's a gentle sweetheart most of the time. But when she gets excited, she's kind of dangerous.

"Okay okay, sounds great," I reworded my sentence, chuckling at her.

Level 3 was a club in the city that we went to every once in awhile. The reason why it was called Level 3 was because the third level of the building was a hidden treasure. The first floor was a basic hotel-esque lobby, the second was a restaurant, and the third was a club. And not just any club, but one of the best that San Diego had to offer.

So yes, we were all underage, but on the weekends they let you in if you were at least sixteen, then anyone under twenty-one went to a different part of the floor.  They'd never been caught for having underage people in the same area as alcohol, which was why I say that it was such a hidden treasure.

We usually drank before we go and get dropped off, or sometimes people bought you drinks and you didn't question it. But either way, it was always fun.

The bell rang to signal the end of class, so we stood up and walked out together, going into the crowded hallway.

"I have my next class with Brandon, so I'll tell him everything and then we can tell everyone  else," she told me, taking out her phone and texting someone – most likely her boyfriend of the past two years whom she just mentioned. I'd bet money that the two of them would end up getting married.

"Alright," I nodded.  I waved goodbye to her as I headed in another direction, making my way towards my next class.

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My parents were hardly ever home. That was something I'd been used to for a long time, and it would never change. Not until I moved out and started my own life, at least. With my mom's demanding pharmacist job and my dad's marriage to his office, it was a wonder that I ever saw them at all. 

So when I came home from school to find my house quiet, clean, and lonely, I didn't dwell on it too long and just went right upstairs to take a nap. I woke up much later to my sister coming home from wherever she was, and had a slight panic attack that I slept too long and needed to start getting ready. Even if it meant shoving leftover lasagna down my throat in record timing as an excuse for dinner.

Now, I found the real struggle of being a girl and going out for your birthday – finding the right outfit. After looking at nearly every dress that was in my closet, I decided on one that I never even wore out before. A strapless, turquoise bodycon dress with a sweetheart neckline, that stopped about mid-thigh. Around the waist and in a crossover design on the bodice was a gold band, and I happened to have a pair of strappy gold heels that matched. I grabbed a pair of dangling, gold fringe earrings, and a cuff bracelet to slip on my wrist. 

When I finished getting dressed, I touched up my makeup a bit and straightened my hair until it  was as smooth as I wanted it to be, since I lost some of it during the day.  I ran my fingers through it a few  times and smiled at my reflection in the mirror. 

"Melissa!" I screeched for my sister. 

Seconds later, I heard feet thumping down the hallway before she swung open the door to my room. "What?"  

"How do I look?" I put my hands on my hips, looking down at my shoes for a moment. 

When she didn't say anything, I looked back up at her and her jaw was slack. "Amazing!" She finally squealed. 

"Thank you," I smiled, blushing a little. 

"Why couldn't I have gotten Mom's looks?" She huffed, walking into my room and plopping down on my bed. 

"Oh stop, Dad's got good looks too.  We're just really different," I chuckled. 

"I guess," she shrugged, playing with the ends of her hair. 

Melissa was fortunate enough to get my dad's warm brown hair with a bit of curl to it, big green eyes, and round face. Total opposite of me with blue eyes, straight, ashy blonde hair, and oval face. She was a whole five-foot-three (with me being two inches taller), fifteen years old, and the spunkiest freshman in high school I knew. I loved her to death and we got along really well for sisters – we hardly ever fought.   

"So where are you going?" She asked a few minutes later as I was getting my things together in my clutch.

"Level 3," I nodded, glancing at the clock that read 7:43. 

"Oh, exciting."

"Yeah, I'm gonna head over to Ashley's now so I'll see you later," I said, and she followed me to my door. She gave me a quick goodbye and headed to her own bedroom.

I texted Justin to tell him to meet me outside my house in a minute and he agreed to it. Hobbling down the stairs in my shoes, I saw my mom standing at the kitchen counter making dinner for herself when I got to the first floor.

"Hey, I didn't hear you come home," I approached her, walking slowly and hearing my heels echo in the room. 

She spun around from the counter to see me and her eyes widened, while she looked from my toes back up to my eyes. "Yeah," she cleared her throat, nodding. "About a half hour ago."

"Oh," I nodded too, looking down at my feet.

"Going out?"

"Mhm. Level 3."

She didn't say anything as I lifted my head and our eyes met again. My entire body tensed up while she looked as if she were debating on saying something to me, but instead, she let out a breath and shook her head. 

"Okay. Have fun, and be careful," she finally said.

"I will be," I smiled small. 

She smiled back and then I walked to the front door, shutting it behind me once I was outside. And as I set foot on my porch, I let out the breath that I didn't know I was holding in.

Our relationship was a bit shaky, to put it simply. It wasn't always, but I was used to it.

Shuddering the uneasy feeling off, I noticed Justin standing in my driveway, leaning on my car and staring at his shoes. He looked really nice and I smiled at him, even though he didn't see me yet. 

"Hey." I got his attention and his head perked up with his dark eyes widening instantly. The same reaction as Melissa and my mom.

"Oh, um, hi," he leaned forward and got off my car, clearing his throat. "Wow. You look nice."

"Thanks," I smirked, unlocking my car and getting inside it. "Now I just have to make it to  Ashley's house without killing us from driving in heels."

"I'm glad I put my life in your hands all the time," he chuckled, buckling his seat belt.

It took a whole two minutes to drive to Ashley's and I parked out front once we got there. I  texted her to tell her we were here, and she opened the front door with a smile. Then her jaw dropped. 

"Oh my God, you guys look so good. I kinda wanna make out with both of you," she gaped, letting us inside. 

"I heard that," Brandon called from the living room. 

"Good," Ashley called back playfully, smirking at us.  "But seriously, you stepped it up a notch tonight."

"It comes naturally, I guess," I joked and walked in to give her a hug.

The four of us hung out in the kitchen and started mixing up some drinks while waiting for the  rest of our group to arrive.  And by 9 o'clock, we all had a nice buzz. I was more excited than anybody because the whole point of us going out was me – we were celebrating me. 

I think I'd be lying if I said I wasn't ecstatic.

"Did I tell you how good you look tonight?" Chase came over to me, talking quietly and wrapping his arm around my waist. 

"Only a few times," I grinned up at him. 

"Well, I'll say it again. You look amazing. I'm really tempted to just rip that dress off of you," he smirked too. 

"Don't. This is my first time wearing it. I don't want it ruined," I playfully smiled.  He rolled his eyes with a smile and leaned down to peck my lips. 

Moments later, Hunter came into the kitchen and dangled his keys impatiently, signaling that he was ready to go. We all cheered and headed outside, piling in his dark blue Suburban, and heading to our favorite place in the city. 

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A/N - Things are a little tense with Mama Radcliffe, eh? (Ew I can't believe I just said "eh?" pls ignore me). What do you think is going to happen at the club? And what do you think of Lindsay's friends so far? I know we don't know much about them yet but all that good stuff is coming soon, I promise.

Thanks for the love on this story if you're enjoying it. I love ya lots.

Photo: Ashley O'Keefe, played by Aurora Mohn

Song: Happy With Me by HOLYCHILD

xoxo, sabbbycat