[FREE STORY WITH EXCLUSIVE CHAPTERS]
When George Shaw tries to find a plan for the last fifteen days to spend with his best friend, who he's had a crush on for as long as he can remember, all he needs is a map to plot out a road trip and his daily h...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
WHEN ABBY JUMPED IN THE CAR, SHE WAS CRYING.
I had been checking my reflection in the sun visor's mirror whilst waiting for her, and I immediately pushed it up when she swung the door open and settled in the passenger's seat. When I turned my head, I noticed she was crying but she immediately wiped her tears off her sleeve and faked a smile at me. Her mascara was ruined, her eyes red. I was actually excited that this was our first official party together but seeing her like this made me forget about anything else at that moment.
"Abby," I said hesitantly, placing my hand over her shoulder. "What's wrong?"
"I'm fine," she said, pulling her sun visor down and wiping the mascara under her eyes.
I let out a sigh, unbuckling my seat belt and motioning my body towards her. "We don't have to attend that party, you know. We can just stay in—watch a movie or something. Anything you like. If it stresses you out, we can call it off. It's a stupid thing, anyway. We won't be missing out much."
Abby held my hand and looked into my eyes. "We'll talk about it later, okay? I want to go to that party now and be among your friends as a couple. I need it, George, please." I didn't quite understand what she'd meant by that, but I just nodded and buckled my belt again before starting the engine.
As I drove off to Stacey's house, Abby took out her makeup kit and fixed her makeup. There was a silence lurking between us, and I didn't want to push my chance further and ask her about what was wrong. She said we would talk about it later, tonight probably, and I took a deep breath, deciding to focus on right now—on the party itself.
Stacey's house wasn't too far away, so I parked the car in the driveway a few minutes later than the time they set the party. It looked lively there: the sound of party music echoing out of the house mingled with the people's yells, and though the sun wasn't down yet, I could see the silhouette of the moon in the sky right above the house.
Abby's prolonged sigh filled the air, and she flashed me another grin when I turned around to check on her. The smile spreading around her lips failed to hide the dark clouds within her eyes. Restless, I took her hand firmly and planted a kiss on the top of it. "I won't let go of you during the party this time."
"I know," she said softly. I had no doubt that party night was playing in her mind, too. "I won't shy away this time and hold it again if you ever let me go."
With that promise given, we walked out of the car and entered Stacey's house hand in hand. Someone I hadn't seen before answered the door, probably because she was passing by and coincidentally heard the ring, and immediately vanished among the crowd of people climbing upstairs. I took a step inside and held Abby's gaze to make sure she was comfortable. She gave me a reassuring smile, though her hand was shaking against mine. I'd walk out if she didn't ask me to stay—knowing about her phobia of crowds.
