Dear Peter, the one I love

TWO

PETER PARKS HIS CAR IN FRONT
of Danny Harley's house. There are people everywhere and the music is playing so loud I'm surprised the cops aren't here yet. I shift in my seat, I've never been to a party this crazy. I would much rather stay at home on a Friday night and bake cookies. But I obviously won't tell that to Peter. He notices my discomfort and entwines his fingers through mine. He gives me an encouraging smile, "You okay, Covey?" He says.
"This is a serious party, Peter. I've never been to one this big!"
"You'll be fine. Just stay close to me." He kisses my cheek and gets out of the car and opens my door for me.
"You got this." He says.

Inside is just as crazy and crowded as I thought it would be. It looks like half the school showed up! We walk through the hallway and enter the living room where Peter sees his lacrosse friends. I smile at them while Peter gives them high fives. I see Genevieve lounging on the couch with a boy. He is from a different school around town, he is in his second year of collage, and he is also Gen's boyfriend. Genevieve and Ashton-thats his name, have been going out for six months already. I know this because of Chris, of course. She spilled the beans about all things Gen. Apparently they met in summer at a beach party, and then they hooked up and then bam! They started dating. I was surprised when Chris told me she was dating again, because I've only ever seen her be in a real and serious relationship with Peter. Even if Gen and I are not friends anymore a part of me is glad that she found somebody else, and not only so she will stop trying to get in the way of me and Peter, but also because she needs this. Someone she can be with and look out for her, especially after her parents got divorced. Her mom found out her dad has been seeing that collage student a few months ago, and now they are finally divorced. Even if Gen was expecting it to come, no one can truly be ready for something like that.
"Hey want a drink?" I snap out of my thoughts, and nod to Peter. He disappears into the crowd to get the drinks. Now I'm standing in a room of people I barely know, or like. And he said I should stay close to him! "Lara Jean! You're here!" I turn around and see Chris. She dyed the tips of her golden hair red. Huh, thats new. She makes her way to me, "Wow Chris! I love the hair." I say touching the red tips with my fingers. "It doesn't look like shit?" She asks.
"No I love it, honest!" And I do, it looks edgy and cool on her. If I ever dye my hair a crazy color I would look like a Korean pop star. This is actually one of Chris' experimental hair styles I actually like. Last time she died her hair purple and it didn't look to great.
"You here with Kavinsky?" She asks taking a swing at her drink.
"Yeah, he is getting us drinks."
And like on cue Peter comes by my side handing me a drink. I look at the liquid inside, I turn to Peter "This doesn't have any alcohol right?" He chokes on his drink and looks at me, "No! Of course not Lara Jean. I know you don't drink. It's just apple juice."
Apple juice? Really? I appreciate that he respected my choice not to drink, but did he really have to give me apple juice? Why couldn't it just be Coke. "Right, yeah. Sorry." I say taking a sip. Yup, definitely apple juice.
"Oh LJ, you are so cute sometimes." Chris says teasingly before she sees someone and disappears in the crowd.
"I think you're cute all the time." Peter says putting his arm on my shoulders.
"Cute in quirky way?" I say teasingly remembering how he told me that when we were pretend dating. He remembers it too because a grin appears on his face as he pulls me closer. "Definitely in a quirky way."

The party wasn't half bad actually. I played cards with some of Peter's friends while he was playing Fifa.
"Bluff! Lara Jean." Gabe says to me. I put down my cards in frustration, "No! Not again." The boys laugh, "You're a terrible lier Large! Better luck next time." Says Gabe. Come to think of it, I'm not really a terrible lier, I mean I managed to lie to a lot of people before that Peter and I were dating, right? I think Peter is thinking of that to as he turns to me and smirks.
It's already eleven o'clock, my dad will kill me if I'm not home yet. He sends me a text:

Lara Jean, where are you?

I text back:

I'm on my way home daddy. Don't wait up.

I nudge Peter on the shoulder "Peter, I have to go home. My dad just texted,". He is worried."Peter checks his watch "But it's only eleven o'clock!"
"Peter!" I hiss.
He isn't paying attention to me anymore, his focus is on the screen. I groan, "Fine. I'll just ask Chris." I say and walk away to find her. I push through a crowd of people, and then I see her. She is talking to a boy, I go over to her, "Chris, I need a ride home. Can you bring me?" The boy looks at me, "I don't think you want her to drive, she is pretty drunk." Chris nods absentmindedly and giggles, before she pukes. "Yup, really drunk." Said the boy moving his chair away from the vomit. "Oh Chris..." I say sadly. I wipe her face with tissue and grab her bag. "Come on Chris, lets go. You can stay in my house tonight." I walk outside holding Chris to keep her from falling. I am not a fan of driving, especially in the dark. But I would much rather have me drive than an intoxicated Chris. I buckle Chris in the front seat, and go inside the car. Chris starts to sleep, and I'm basically all alone as I drive to my house in the night.

I help Chris into a shirt and pajama bottoms and I wash her face. She gets inside my bed and I slip in beside her. She cuddles closer to me and I say, "Chris, you should really stop getting drunk." She probably doesn't understand a word I said because she smiles and said "Kay."

Peter texts' me at 2AM,

Hey Lara Jean. Where were you? I didn't know you left! I was so worried. Until that Tyler kid said he saw you with Chris leaving. He said she was drunk. I hope you're okay. Text me back.

I put my phone on silent and then I go back to sleep.