Little Wolves (gxg)

Chapter 10 - Shish Kabobs

"Nelly! Honey, we're going to be late!" mom called up the stairs. I heard her, but I wasn't listening. For the past ten minutes I've been staring into my bathroom mirror trying to calm myself down.

I don't know what's going on with me. It feels like my blood is on fire. I just—gosh—I'm so excited. Avery is going to be at the cookout. I can't stop working myself up about it. I've never felt like this about meeting someone in my entire life. Not even when I met my favorite movie star in middle school.

Ahhh! This is what it's like to have a crush on someone? How wonderfully exciting. Another rush of adrenaline shot up my spine and before I knew it, I was biting my bottom lip trying to contain a smile.

I kept making up scenarios in my head about what I'd say to Avery and what she'd say back. So many things could happen, and maybe I'm getting my hopes up, but every scenario I've thought of ends with her and me at least being friends. I hope that's what really happens.

"Nelly!" my father called this time. I snapped my head to the hallway, hesitating only a moment before I headed downstairs. My mom and dad were waiting for me at the bottom, and as I hopped down the last few steps, they were practically gaping.

"Holy moly, I haven't seen you look this nice in forever!" mom gushed, immediately touching my hair. I smiled a thank you, appreciating the kind words, though I would have been equally as offended if she hadn't commented on my hard work.

When I tell you I spent hours on my appearance, I mean it. I kept re-doing my makeup because I continuously second guessed myself on how it looked or if it was too much. I curled my hair just enough to be bouncy, but not so tight that it would look stupid. I second-guessed everything until I was just too fed-up to redo it again.

"Ready, then?" dad puffed, shrugging on his flannel coat. Mom and I nodded, so he opened the front door for us. Almost immediately, I regretted my decision to wear a tank top. I quickly grabbed one of my jackets from the coat rack, which happened to be this furry, oversized, fleece coat I got from Walmart.

I could see the warm glow from the cookout in the Auden's backyard. My nerves left me for only a moment as the cold air captivated every sense I had. The party came into full view only after we were halfway across the street. There were a lot more people than I expected, but I couldn't stop my eyes from searching for Avery.

Agh!

How ridiculous am I being? This is absolutely ridiculous! I need to calm down but I am just so giddy it's impossible! If I try, it feels like I'm trying to swim against a tsunami. The logical part of my brain reasoned these strong emotions to be leftover nerves from moving across the country, but the superstitious part knows there's something different about this. I know it too, deep in my chest, because moment I saw that girl she reached in and put a string of lights around my heart.

"You made it! Welcome!" Jo Auden gushed as my family arrived at the party. Jo ushered my mother in for a hug. My mom smiled, then watched politely as Jo extended a hug to my dad, too. I thought she would greet me with a hug right away as well, but she stared at me sentimentally for a moment, then pulled me in.

That look was odd and it made me a bit uncomfortable but I shook it off quickly, mostly because my heart was beating so god damn fast that I thought it might slam right out of my chest. It was thundering—galloping—and I couldn't get it to calm down. I knew it was because you-know-who was nearby.

My eyes drifted. They were being pulled to the right, not of my own doing, and before I knew it... I was looking at her.

Avery was sitting in a lawn chair by a fire-pit, surrounded by Keating and Logan, lazily slouched into the back of her chair with her legs spread apart.