broken ✱ daniel seavey

two: real life

august 30th
6:21 pm

"i swear," arty started as she opened the door to our apartment. "you're a 'type a' idiot."

"that is highly offensive," alexis rolled her eyes, strolling into the living room, falling onto the couch.

"i think claire's the idiot," nova threw her arm around my shoulder, walking with me to the kitchen—which was part of the living room.

"how am i the idiot?" i turned to her, smiling.

"you're dating james lansing," she said simply, grabbing a water bottle and moving to the couch.

"cat, what are you doing?" alexis shouted across the room. we all turned to look at cat.

"bitch i'm throwing out this picture of your cousin! she's such a bitch!" she tossed the photo, and frame, into the garbage.

"you got that right," nova laughed. "try eating thanksgiving with her."

"alright, what did you guys bring to wear?" i asked them.

"some random shit i found in my closet," cat flopped down next to alexis.

"yeah, and you'll still look like a ball of hotness," nova rolled her eyes playfully.

"i packed a white dress and a black jacket. i'm trying to get a boyfriend here!" alexis stated.

"me too! so i have a really cute outfit. you're all going to be quaking," arty flipped her hair.

"i'm wearing pink. i don't even like pink," nova sighed.

"then why are you wearing pink?" cat asked.

"because it makes me look tan," nova smiles cheekily.

"alright, i have the perfect outfit in my head," i pivoted, walking into my room.

i grabbed my clothes out of my closet and brought held them up to show them. they all responded positively.

"alright, jake paulers. let's get rollin," arty said, leading the way to the bathroom.

"i forgot my eyebrow pencil!" cat shouted as she dug through her makeup bag.

"i have the same color as you, we'll share," arty said.

• • •
7:33 pm
• • •

"damn, you look fly as hell," i said as i took photos of alexis for her instagram.

"yeah, i better. it's cuffing season, you know!" she posed.

"i wish i didn't have a boyfriend; i want to find guys with you," i sighed.

"don't talk about sad stuff while i'm taking pictures!" alexis laughed. "okay, that's enough. what about not wanting a boyfriend?"

"delete that shit right now!" nova shouted from arty's room.

"hell no!" arty shouted back, followed by both of them laughing loudly. "cat, no!"

"i have to evacuate," cat shouted, opening the door and walking over to us.

"alexis, get your ass in here! we're taking mirror selfies!" arty yelled, popping her head outside of the open door.

"coming, hoe!" alexis shouted back, walking to her room.

"how are you doing?" cat asked me.

"what do you mean?"

"this is going to be your first party with james there since, you know," her voice got softer as she neared the end of her sentence.

"i think i'm fine."

"for now," nova joined the conversation. "i hope he doesn't do the same thing again."

"i hope he does. maybe it'll help you realize that you deserve better," cat said.

"ready to rock n' roll, bros?" arty asked, walking out of the room.

"hell yeah!" nova threw her hands in the air.

"let's get lit!" cat jumped.

"i can't believe i'm friends with you," alexis joked.

• • •
8:01 pm
• • •

"shit! i can hear the music from here!" alexis said as i drove closer to austin's, my boyfriend's best friend, house.

"half of them won't even remember tonight," cat rolled her eyes. "no drinking for any of you!"

"i won't!" nova said.

"i won't either," i stated, turning my head slightly to see their faces.

"i can't promise that," alexis held in a laugh.

"alexis!" we all shouted, laughing afterwards.

i parked as close as i could to austin's house, which was still a decent walk away. we each had side conversations until arty spoke up.

"heels weren't built for walking," arty rolled her eyes, already taking off her shoes.

"you're acting like you're already drunk," alexis said. "my feet can tolerate pain."

"that's why i wore sneakers," i skipped ahead of them.

"because you're naturally tall!" cat shouted at me. alexis caught up to me.

"are you nervous?"

"why would i be nervous?"

"because you're biting your nails," she looked at my nails, which were grossly chewed off. "we're fixing that. cat and i were going to the salon tomorrow because she wants to get her hair dyed darker. you're coming."

"i guess i don't have a choice," i turned into the familiar driveway.

"look who it is!" a boy jogged up to arty and nova. "the two girls we need for beer pong. plus, you're hot!" he grabbed their hands, pulling them to the beer pong tables.

they turned, looking back at us with looks of annoyance. cat, alexis, and i laughed. we walked into the house, which was the source of all things hell-ish.

there was someone throwing up behind the bathroom door, few people dancing in the living room, tons of people making out in miscellaneous places, and james.

"you made it!" he shouted over the blasting music, making his way over to us.

"of course!" i smiled, ignoring the smell of beer radiating off of him.

"come with me," he whispered, grabbing my hand. he intended to take me somewhere, but i stopped him.

"i think i'm going to dance with cat and alexis, actually," i smiled. "i'll find you later, though."

"that's alright," he said, tilting his head to smile at cat and alexis. he walked away, people filling in the path he left. he was perfect; the boyfriend that everyone wanted. how did i get him? i don't know. it seemed too good to be true.

"why didn't you go with him?" alexis asked me, walking to the middle of the living room, where most of the dancing was taking place.

she had always thought that james would be the perfect boyfriend, but then he became distant. she told me not to give him a second chance. i gave him one anyways.

i shouldn't have.

alexis started to dance. some guys filled in the empty space around us, possibly wanting to dance on us.

"i'm just not in the mood to deal with him right now. he's drunk," i started to dance next to alexis.

"forget him," cat danced in the middle. "it's just us three, right now."

"just us," i said.

i let my thoughts become shadows and ignored them for the night. i wanted to have a good time, for once.

except, this would be the worst time.