The party

"Guys, guys, guys!" Jonathan shouted as Nyxie's group of friends walked past him in the halls. Everyone grinned, not slowing down, but motioning the guy to go with them. He winked at the raven-haired girl he had been kissing just a moment before, and caught up with the group, jogging to do so. "Still up for the party tonight?"

Kaitlyn, whose arm was linked through Nyxie's, grinned at the boy. "Obviously. Are you still up, though? I mean, judging from what we all just saw, you'll be pretty busy the whole night, I assume."

The guy chuckled in amusement, as did the others, while the blonde simply lowered her head and stared at the ground, trying to ignore how her best friend was feeling up her upper arm. "You've gained weight lately?" she asked Nyxie loudly as if it were one of the most natural things in the world to tell your friend in front of others.

The group laughed at her pink cheeks as she faked a smile, and Jonathan took the crowd sniggering as a sign to be a jerk again, asking for more attention. "That's why I dumped her!" he claimed proudly, the whole group ending up in a giggle fit.

Not Nyxie.

She felt the urge to start crying, as she usually did, but knew they would tell her they were just joking around and to stop being a baby about everything. So, she laughed with them, and a few seconds later, gave Kaitlyn's cheek a kiss before tugging her arm free and disappearing to the bathroom. Inside the stall, it was safe to let her emotions out, as long as she did so quietly.

#

At night, while Nyxie's parents were assuming the girl was having a sleepover with her friends, she arrived at the party. She had never been the popular girl but had the privilege to hang out with them, mostly because of Jonathan who had started flirting with her during their Sophomore year. She always knew he was a player, and kind of a jerk, but when a cute rich boy complimented her, she couldn't have just said no. And so, as they started dating, she was in the gang.

The two years following were full of heartbreaks, knowing her boyfriend liked to be with other girls as well, but she stayed quiet about it, until one day when the guy voluntarily left her. She didn't cry or even feel bad, knowing the relationship had been toxic, and mostly about sex as many teenagers' were nowadays. She knew she didn't have to pretend to have feelings for him anymore. And it made everything a lot easier.

Now, as Nyxie stepped inside the house with music blaring from the stereos, she smiled at one of the jocks who winked at her while flirting with someone else. Her eyes moved to the dark-skinned girl in his arms. She was pretty. She had curves (something the blonde lacked), dark hair, big lips, and looked like she was a few years older than most others at the party.

Her age group was the most represented, obviously. They were finishing high school in less than a week, and most of the Senior class was partying together every weekend, in different houses. She always felt bad for the hosts of those, knowing their furniture and personal space were about to be destroyed.

Nyxie bit her lip, tearing her eyes off the girl's face who was now looking as well, and moved to the backyard, hoping to find her friends there. When she didn't, she smiled kindly at a guy who offered her a drink and accepted it. The boy started flirting with her, but a second later, Kaitlyn appeared and grabbed her arm. "Sorry, Michael, she's taken," the brown-haired girl smiled hugely and tugged her friend back inside.

"What's up?" Nyxie frowned. "I'm taken?"

The girl sent her an apologetic smile. "Do you mind if I make a move with him, Nay?" The blonde's face mirrored something similar to confusion. "You know how I told you about the man I'm dreaming of? Right, well, Michael looks kind of like him, and maybe I'm dreaming of him in a few years when he'll be older and maybe he's the one."

Nyxie scoffed quietly, shaking her head at the stupidity. Everyone knew the first dream soulmates had of each other was about what the other one was doing at the said moment. Most people's first dreams included them sleeping, but some who worked night shifts saw them working in drive-throughs or hospitals or wherever they did. The worst scenario the blonde had heard of was one of her friends' soulmates having a threesome, and he being forced to watch it the whole time he was asleep.

So, Nyxie knew if Kaitlyn's one and only really were Michael, she would have known that already, but still, she gave her friend a small nod and an encouraging smile. "Go for it. I wasn't interested anyway."

The dark-haired girl disappeared outside immediately, and once again, Nyxie was left alone. Sighing, she leaned against the wall, eyes moving to the same curvy girl who had caught her eye when first stepping inside the house. The girl was beautiful. Really, really beautiful. She had big curves, and Nyxie knew her friend group would call her fat, but she was digging that. The girl was wearing a crop top and high-waisted jeans, not embarrassed of her body. She loved that level of confidence, knowing she herself didn't have it but wished she did.

A sudden cat whistle pulled her out of her thoughts, eyes moving to the doorway where it had come from. A jock with a disgusting snarl on his face was looking at two gay guys kissing, and suddenly most people around them were booing. Nyxie frowned softly, but when a few of her friends stood next to her, she started doing the same, laughing when the two boys left, one catching her eye for a moment.

The whole room laughed when someone slammed the door shut to make 'a statement', and she did the same, eyes reflecting sadness while doing so. "Can I have this dance, Sallow?" one of the boys behind her asked, using her family name.

The blonde turned around, feeling bad for the two boys who had been forced to leave but smiled at the taller guy. Nodding, she accepted his hand and let him lead her to the living room where everyone was jumping around, drunk.

While screaming to the songs and laughing at the boy's dance moves, her eyes caught the curvy girl's body in the crop top. Her boobs were jumping up and down, in unison with the music, and the girl was getting whooped by a lot of older guys. She bowed at the cheering when the song was over, and the blonde found herself smiling. But, as the black girl met her gray eyes while showing off her perfectly white teeth, Nyxie lowered hers quickly and moved in to kiss her partner's lips.