𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 - 𝙀𝙅 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡

↳ 18

"How do I look?" Gina asks, spinning around in her heels to face Ashlyn and Autumn. The two girls had been sitting in Gina's bed for the past half-hour, watching as the latter finished her make-up.

Her tight rainbow striped dress hugged her figure perfectly and she practically glowed, newfound confidence showing itself on her features.

Yes, it was Gina's first school party. She never stayed too long in any of her past schools due to her mother's constant need to move for work, so she didn't even bother to attend any dances nor make any friends. But East High was very, very different and she loved it.

Autumn smiled at her friend. She knew Gina had some rough times before the two met, and she was genuinely happy that Gina seemed to be finally allowing herself to enjoy her life without thinking if she'll have to move again.

"You look beautiful as always, G. Andrew will be breathless when he sees you," Ashlyn answers, making the girls giggle.

Ashlyn chose to wear a black suit with two glittery pink strips, which suited her very well. Her ginger hair was held back by a headband and she was wearing a necklace with a huge silver star.

"Well, I have a feeling Andrew's not gonna be the only one drooling over a girl tonight." Gina teased, her head turning towards Autumn in her beautiful baby blue dress.

A small smile appeared on Autumn's face at the subtle mention of EJ. Ashlyn nudged her gently, grabbing her attention.

"Don't you think you're kinda... Rushing into it?" Ashlyn asked cautiously, looking at her best friend. "I mean, EJ just broke up with Nini. I know you two are usually very lovey-dovey, even if none of you will admit it, but maybe you should be careful."

"Ash, I understand that you're worried, I do," Autumn said, placing one of her arms around the redhead. "Believe me, I wouldn't have said yes to EJ without being one hundred percent sure he is not using me as a rebound."

Ashlyn smiled, briefly hugging Autumn. When Gina playfully cursed at them, the two laughed, pulling the aforementioned girl into the hug as well.

﹏﹏﹏

Autumn walked down the steps in Gina's front porch, careful not to fall. To say she wasn't used to wearing high heels was an understatement.

Her attention was quickly ripped off of the task at hand when she heard a gasp in front of her. Her gaze shot up to be met with a smiling EJ.

"You look gorgeous," EJ said in a hushed tone, his wonderstruck gaze fixated on Autumn as he pulled her closer to hug her tightly. He wished he could hold her in his arms all the time and prayed that she was thinking the same.

Ashlyn cleared her throat and EJ pulled away, shooting his cousin a furious glance. Of course, he wasn't truly mad at her, he only wanted the moment to last longer.

Autumn giggled at his frowning face, gently grabbing his hand in hers as she pulled him towards his own car.

The senior immediately forgot all the exasperation he felt towards Ashlyn only a few seconds before when the warmth of Autumn's soft hand enveloping his, a pink blush already forming on his face.

He was sure she could hear his rapid heartbeat from a mile away and he silently cursed when her hand left his. EJ opened the passenger door for her, hoping she wouldn't realize how flustered she made him with such a small gesture.

"Let's party!!" Ashlyn shouted while she climbed into the backseat. EJ laughed, and soon the three of them were driving around Salt Lake City, screaming the lyrics to a random pop song on the radio.

﹏﹏﹏

"Next." Mr. Mazzara spoke, making EJ and Autumn step closer to the little table set outside the school gym.

"Good evening, professor." The girl said, smiling warmly at her teacher. "EJ has two tickets under his last name, Caswell."

After searching for a few seconds on the guest list, Mr. Mazzara smiled up at her. "Found it." Before crossing EJ's name off, the man frowned. "Wait, when did you become Nini?"

Autumn shrugged uncomfortably, shifting her weight from one leg to another. Ashlyn's words floated in the back of her mind: you should be careful.

Noticing her discomfort, EJ wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her against his body. "Well, luckily I found a better date." EJ joked, making Autumn smile slightly.

"Alright. You're at table 10 with the rest of the theater kids. Snap a photo on your way in." Mr. Mazzara said.

EJ guided her inside, his arm never leaving her waist. He whispered some stupid joke in her ear, making her laugh loudly while she grabbed both of his hands, dragging him to the photographer.

He pulled her into his arms once more, both of them smiling brightly as they took pictures in multiple poses. "I'm so going to frame one of those." Autumn declared, giggling as they made their way to their table.

Autumn sits next to Ricky and Big Red, smiling at her friends. Ashlyn and Carlos waved at the pair before going back to their conversation.

"So..." Autumn spoke, noticing the tension between her date and Ricky. "I know you too have your differences, but please, can you bury the ax, at least for tonight?"

The two boys nodded hesitantly, making the brunette girl sigh. That was the best she was gonna get from them.

﹏﹏﹏

"Don't assume Seb stood you up," Ashlyn told Carlos, trying to comfort him. "He was just in a... Farming accident."

"Not helping, Ash," Autumn said softly, sending Carlos a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure he'll show up. You should've seen how excited he was about coming as your date."

"He... He was?" The boy asked, his face lighting up. Ashlyn nodded, confirming Autumn's words.

Before Autumn could say anything else, she felt EJ's hand grab hers under the table. She glanced at the senior, grinning, before he leaned closer to her.

"You look beautiful when you're helping others, do you know that?" He spoke in a low voice. His words were only directed to her, and that made them all the more precious.

Autumn could already feel her cheeks burning when EJ abruptly stood up, still holding her hand. "I believe I owe you a dance." He said, and she giggled all the way to the dance floor.