Kiss Cam

Ch. 36 - Hit Me, Baby, One More Time

Once in my party clothes, I head downstairs to meet my parents in the kitchen. My dad is attempting to aid my mom in whatever delicious-smelling food she is cooking for the two.

"Hey, Asher's here to pick me up," I say and kiss my mom's cheek. "I'll see you guys tomorrow morning."

My dad pulls me in for a quick hug. "Have fun at the party."

"Call us when you get back to Sam's after the party," my mom orders. "I won't sleep until I get that phone call."

I salute. "Yes, ma'am."

As I'm heading out, my dad stops me. "Wait!" He throws a medicine bottle my way, which I skillfully catch. "Your brother forgot to take his heart medication today. When you see him at the party, tell him to get a brain."

"I tell him everyday, dad," I laugh. "Bye, guys. I love you!"

I stick Wren's pills in my coat pocket and head out the door. Asher and his beat-up truck wait for me in thedriveway.

"Hi," I greet when I slide into the passenger's seat, kissing his cheek.

"Hi," he says in nearly a whisper, as if I took his breath away. "Hello. Hey. Hi."

I smile softly. "So, how does the beach house look?"

"Riley, you ordered five-hundred balloons, a ball-pit, and an insane DJ kit for Zander!" he laughs. "It looks like a freaking circus."

"It was all necessary," I say surely.

When we get to the beach house, there are only a few minutes before everyone arrives. I go through the checklist to make sure there's enough food and drinks for everyone. As I'm racing through the house, Asher pulls me into his arms for a hug.

With my face smushed against his chest, I ask, "why are you impeding me from completing the checklist?"

"Because you need to relax," he laughs and kisses the top of my head. "It's just a party. And I already checked to make sure we had everything. You need to have fun to night. Do you remember what that's like?"

I place my finger on my chin. "Hm, no. Don't really care though."

As I try to break away, he holds on to my hand to keep me from running. "Riley, I know you think that this party is your only way to show Sam how much you'll miss her and that you're her best friend. But no party can do that."

"That's not what I'm doing," I deny, crossing my arms over my chest. He stares me down until I cave. "Okay! So, maybe I'm a little worried that Sam will move on in Nebraska. Not from Zander and her relationship with him, but from me and our friendship."

"You have to tell her that," he advises. "I don't think five-hundred balloons and a ball-pit qualify as friendship-savers."

I nod, knowing he's right. "It helps though, yeah?"

He laughs and rubs the side of my arm. "Yeah, it helps."

The party kicks into full-gear pretty quickly. More people than I expected showed up, but I'm sure that's because of the promised 'no parents' thing. I'm not much of a partier myself, but Asher seems to have things under control.

I catch Sara walking in with some of her friends and head over. "Hey, Sara, have you seen Wren? He stupidly forgot to take his medication and I'm supposed to give him it if I see him."

"I'm sorry, but I have no clue where he is," she says apologetically with a frown.

"Okay," I pause, "well, have you talked to him at all today? Is he coming to the party?"