The Blake Girl

A party

The people at Country Day were pretty irritating most of the time but they did know how to throw a good party. Wealthy, unsupervised teens usually equaled a good time, that is, unless you found yourself on the sidelines observing everyone else having fun. I had convinced Becca to join me, but she had to leave unexpectedly to assist her sister. 

Not ready to head home just yet, I preferred the solitude here – or so I thought. That was until a boy with striking green eyes took a seat next to me.

"Some party huh? I never really liked them much." He said taking a sip of his drink while scanning the room.

"I like parties just not when my friend abandons me for her sister, and I end up sitting in a corner alone." I said my voice having almost a joking edge to it.

"Well, you may still be in a corner, but you aren't sitting alone does that change anything? Because it makes this a lot more enjoyable for me." He asked.

I tried not to show how I felt about the weird comment. "I guess I'm not sure yet." I responded not making eye contact with him.

I could see him looking at me out of the corner of my eye. "Want a drink?"

I finally turned to him, I almost felt bad for him I could tell he was just trying to be nice. "I don't drink." 

He nodded, "Well I'm Luke, so nice to meet you. My family is vacationing here and a friend invited me to the party."

I smiled at him, "I'm-

"Julia!" Yep, that happens to be my name just a little louder than how I would have said it. Also the voice was coming from Jameson Hawthorne, he walked up close. Taking one look at Luke he turned to me. "Bex called me said she had to go home and forgot you didn't have a car." 

I paled; I had also forgotten that she was my only way home. "Well thanks. It was nice meeting you Luke."

"Nice to meet you, Luke." Jameson copied; he was getting annoying in such a little amount of time.

"You too Julia," he looked from me to Jameson. I stepped in front of Jameson, "What's your number I'll text you later." He looked excited, I handed him my phone and he put the number in. "Bye." 

I turned around, I was really close to Jameson. I stepped sideways and walked towards the door hoping I was being followed by Jameson. I opened the door and looked he was luckily following me. He took the lead as we headed to his car.

The drive home was filled with an awkward silence, broken only by the occasional hum of the engine. I glanced out of the window, contemplating whether I should explain the situation with Luke or let the night fade away.

"So, who was that guy back there?" Jameson finally broke the silence, his eyes focused on the road.

"Oh, just someone I met at the party. His name's Luke," I replied, trying to downplay the encounter.

Jameson shot me a curious look. "Seemed like he was into you. You two hit it off?"

I sighed inwardly, realizing I might have unintentionally sparked Jameson's interest in a way I didn't anticipate. "Not really. We just talked a bit. Becca had to leave, and I didn't want to be alone."

He nodded, seeming to accept the explanation. "Well, I'm here now. Don't worry about it."

"You're here?" I repeated amused.

"Yeah, you're lucky." He said finally smiling even though it didn't reach as far as usual.

As we pulled up to my house, I thanked Jameson for the ride, still unsure how to navigate the complexities of the evening. As I stepped out of the car, he called after me, "Hey, we should hang out sometime when there's not a party going on."

I agreed, trying to gauge his sincerity. As he drove away, I couldn't help but wonder about the contrasting encounters of the night – the fleeting connection with Luke and the awkward ride home with Jameson. I wasn't sure whether I really was going to call Luke.  I decided why not I had nothing better to do.

He picked up after two rings. "Hello?"

"Hi, Luke?"

"Julia! Hi!" He sounder really excited. "I didn't think you would call me after tonight."

Now I was confused. "Why not?"

"Well, that guy seemed really protective of you, I assumed you guys were dating."

"We are most definitely just friends; he is just annoying."

"Interesting..."

"What's interesting?" I asked.

"It's just something you say, like hm interesting I was listening to what you said."

I smiled "Ok fine. So, where are you from?"

We ended up talking for hours, discovering shared interests and shared disdain for overly extravagant gatherings. Luke had a refreshing authenticity about him that I found appealing. As we delved into our respective lives, I found myself enjoying the conversation much more than I expected.