Reconstructing Amelia (unedited)

Chapter 11

October 18th, 2019

I was waiting in the chilly October air, rubbing my arms together to generate some more warmth. I still felt guilty about leaving Javi at home even though he promised me he'd be okay. It wasn't that I didn't trust him, I just didn't want anything to happen to him while I was gone.

I wasn't wearing anything special, though I'd tried to dress nice. I was wearing leggings and a navy jumper underneath a jean jacket. Water had already seeped through my shoes from walking in too many puddles from the rain earlier this afternoon.

A shiny silver car pulled up to the corner I was waiting at, the tires screeching from the puddles. Alan stepped out onto the sidewalk, running a hand through his hair as he flashed me a smile.

"Hey, you ready?" he called. I nodded, moving forward. I was gripping the end of my sleeves tightly, my nerves building.

I slid into the backseat of the car, Alan sliding in beside me. Eli was driving and he shot me a wink as I fastened my seatbelt.

"Hey," he greeted. I offered a shy smile. "Are you excited?" I shrugged lightly.

"I guess so?" Eli glanced at me through the rearview mirror as we drove.

"What, you've never been to a party before?" he teased, chuckling softly.

"No, actually," I answered, shuffling my feet. Eli stopped laughing. Both heads turned to stare.

"Well you're gonna have fun tonight, I promise," Alan assured me.

Not long after that, we pulled up to a giant frat house, cars already crowding the streets. Eli miraculously found somewhere to park and the three of us filed out, crossing the small lawn and entering the house. Music was blasting and people were shouting and singing. Lights were turned low or on different colour settings, and the house smelt strongly of alcohol. I heard live music and sure enough, there was a small band playing in the living room, standing on coffee tables as a makeshift stage.

"That's our brother, Xander," Alan pointed at the lead guitarist, a slender young man with messy brown hair pulled back into a tiny bun, and deep brown eyes and lightly tanned skin. He looked completely at ease whilst singing and playing, and I noticed a soft grin on his face. I could definitely see the family resemblance. The song finished and he turned and kissed the bassist beside him, eliciting a cheer from the crowd.

"That's his boyfriend, Landon," Eli nudged me in the side as he gestured to the guy Xander was kissing. He had dark skin and curly black hair, his big brown eyes filled with love.

"What are you supposed to do at a party?" I asked, having to shout over all the noise. Alan grinned, grabbing my hand and weaving through the swarms of people.

"C'mon! You dance!" He started dancing in a way I'd never seen before while I just stood there awkwardly. Dancing was definitely not my thing. Alan frowned. "You don't want to?" I shook my head, a soft smile on my lips. He shrugged, pulling me towards the kitchen. Many people said hellos and whatnot as we passed. Several girls made innocent faces and batted their eyelashes at Alan. I had to remember that he was pretty famous after all. I felt incredibly intimidated. The girls here were wearing bralettes and miniskirts, dancing and having the time of their lives. I had to admit I was a little jealous. Not from the clothing, of course, but from how confident and independent they looked. I was nothing compared to them, barely a scrawny little waitress.

"What do you want to drink?" Alan asked me. I had no idea. He must've seen my panicked expression because he chuckled and ordered me a pop from one of the guys manning the kitchen. He handed me a Sprite can while he had one of those cliche red cups.