Cry Until You Bleed

13- Reasons

May 17th, 2012

“Ana!” I hear somebody call my name from down the high school hallway. Both my best friend and I turn around toward where the voice comes from to see one of my other friends, Haley, hurrying toward us.

“You rang?” I raise my eyebrows at her as she flips her red hair over her shoulder. “What’s up?”

“There’s a party tonight at Ryan’s house and you’re going,” She tells me with an excited grin. “You too, Grace,” She says, facing the girl standing beside me as we shuffle towards the lockers to get out of everybody’s way as they all try to get to class on time.

“Ryan Gather?” I wonder with raised eyebrows, feeling an excited grin spread across my face because I recognize that name and I know that he has really amazing parties but as a freshman, they’re really hard to get into so I’ve never been to one.

She nods, her grin widening. “Yes! Max is going and he said that we can all go with him,” She explains. Max is her new boyfriend, who is a junior, so it makes sense that he could get us into a party like this.

“We’re definitely going,” I agree with a grin that’s widening just as wide as hers.

“You’re grounded, Ana,” Grace reminds me with a roll of her eyes. “Your dad would kill you.”

I shrug. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Gracie, we have to go. You wouldn’t be able to live with yourself if you didn’t.”

“What’d you do to get grounded?” Haley wonders with a small laugh.

“Nothing!” I insist. “He just got home early the other day and I had Devon over. He wasn’t too happy to find us making out on the couch and I’m sure that it didn’t help anything that we didn’t have shirts on.”

“Your dad saw you in a bra?” Haley crinkles her nose with disgust.

I cringe just at the memory of me floundering around the couch underneath of the sophomore boy as I tried to get my shirt on as fast as possible while Devon was doing the same. “Yeah. It was awful and I think it should have been punishment enough but nooo.”

“How far did you go with Devon?” She wonders as we all start walking down the hallway again toward the cafeteria since we all have lunch next.

“Not far enough,” I mutter. “He just took off after my dad came home. I don’t blame him, but he probably won’t talk to me again.”

“You two weren’t even dating,” Grace points out. “You shouldn’t go farther than that with a guy that isn’t even your boyfriend, you know.”

“Why not?” I wonder. “Virginity is so overrated. Anyway, I can sneak out for the party, it’ll barely even be a challenge. Can you get your boyfriend to pick me up around the block at nine?”

“I sure can,” Haley chirps. “Way to live on the edge, Ana.”

“Oh, yeah, because I’m just the most badass person you’ve ever met,” I joke. “Seriously though, I broke up with Matthew a month ago, I need to get back out there now. Making out with Devon Meyers on my couch until my dad walked in doesn’t count as ‘getting back out there’ either.”

“You’re one of the most well-known girls in the freshman class, I’m sure you’ll find somebody,” Grace sighs as we get into the cafeteria and sit down at our regular table near the middle of the room with the rest of our friends.