Party I

"Yeah, go ahead. She won't do anything to you, especially when it comes to you," Claire said with a smile.

"Alright," Andrew said, getting up from the couch and walking toward the stairs.

Andrew was halfway up when a loud door slam echoed from above. He stopped for a second, blinking at the noise.

A few seconds later, he saw Alex coming down the stairs with a frown, muttering something under her breath while clutching a book to her chest.

"That lunatic, screaming out of nowhere," Alex grumbled.

Andrew and Alex's eyes met for a brief moment.

"I wouldn't recommend going up there right now. She's mad," Alex warned and continued on her way, clearly annoyed.

Andrew sighed in relief, seeing that Alex didn't suspect anything. He was here to get Haley's help with the prank he wanted to pull on Alex. He kept going until he reached the sisters' bedroom door.

He thought about what Alex had said, but he had no other choice—classes would start in two days, and he needed to plan everything before then.

Knock, knock.

"What?!" Haley's voice came from the other side, clearly irritated and with no patience whatsoever.

'Oh, great…' Andrew thought.

"It's me... Can I come in?" Andrew asked.

There was silence for a moment until Haley's voice was heard again, this time much calmer, with no trace of irritation.

"Come in."

Andrew opened the door and stepped inside.

Haley was casually lying on her bed, her laptop open in front of her. One hand rested on her head while the other lazily moved the touchpad. Her expression changed the moment she saw Andrew, shifting from pure annoyance to a more relaxed demeanor.

"What's up, Andy?" Haley asked.

"I need your help," Andrew replied, closing the door behind him and stepping closer. He sat near Haley.

"My help? With what?" Haley asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm going to prank Alex," Andrew said with a slight smile.

Haley blinked, and her grin widened instantly. Without hesitation, she shut her laptop and sat up slightly, looking at him with genuine interest.

"Did you just say a prank on Alex?"

Andrew nodded.

'He's finally getting revenge for the wedding thing,' Haley thought.

"I'm in," she said without a second thought.

Andrew laughed. "I haven't even told you what I'm planning yet," he said.

"Doesn't matter. If it messes with Alex, I already love it," Haley said with a shrug. "Just promise me you won't get back at me." After all, she had helped Alex slowly get Andrew drunk.

"I promise, I won't plan anything against you," Andrew assured her.

"Now tell me the plan," Haley said.

"There are multiple pranks throughout the day..." Andrew began, explaining his plan and what he needed her help with.

After five minutes, Andrew finished explaining everything, and Haley burst out laughing, already picturing how furious Alex would be by the end of the day.

"Too bad we won't get to see most of her reactions," Haley commented.

"Yeah, but we'll see her rage when she gets back from school," Andrew agreed with a mischievous smile.

"Oh! I have an idea!" Haley said, her expression lighting up.

"What?" Andrew asked curiously. If the prank could be improved, he was open to suggestions.

"There's this guy who drools over her—I think his name is Austin something. He came over a couple of times to do homework with her," Haley began, her grin widening with pure mischief.

Andrew frowned, intrigued. "And?"

"I'm going to tell him that Alex likes him," Haley said.

"What?"

"Yeah, yeah, listen," Haley adjusted herself on the bed, clearly enjoying the idea. "I'll talk to him and tell him that Alex secretly has a crush on him but is too proud to admit it. I'll say that if he wants a chance with her, he has to confess in a way she'll never forget."

"Confess in a way she'll never forget?" Andrew asked.

"Yep. With music, and obviously in front of everyone. Right after school. It'll be super embarrassing for Alex," Haley replied, smiling in satisfaction.

"There's no way that Austin guy would do something that risky…" Andrew said, shaking his head.

"Oh, he totally will. I'm Alex's older sister. To him, that makes me the most reliable source when it comes to her. If I tell him she's been waiting for him to make the first move, he'll believe me. And if I hype him up enough, he'll go for it without a second thought," Haley said confidently.

"I don't know, Haley… I'm not worried about Alex because I know she'll reject him immediately, but I kind of feel bad for Austin," Andrew said hesitantly.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Feel bad?"

"Yeah, I mean, the guy's gonna embarrass himself and realize you're a total bitch."

"I don't care what he thinks of me. Have you already forgotten what Alex did to you at the wedding? She got you drunk on purpose so you'd go wild and be the life of the party. You did things you would never do in your life. This is nothing compared to that. Austin is just collateral damage, and I'll handle everything," Haley said, completely set on messing with her sister.

Andrew looked at Haley and sighed. "Do whatever you want…" He knew that once an idea got stuck in his cousin's head, there was no stopping her.

"I will," Haley said cheerfully as she started planning how to get in touch with Austin.

After that, they started talking about other things until Haley's face suddenly lit up again.

"Andy!" she suddenly exclaimed, sitting up straight on the bed and grabbing Andrew's wrists tightly.

Andrew frowned. That tone… that sparkle in her eyes… nothing good ever came from that.

"What?" he asked cautiously.

"You have to come to Spencer's party!" Haley said.

"The boy on the arm?" Andrew asked.

"Yes, that one!" Haley replied excitedly. "Look, if you go, my mom will let me go. It's so frustrating that she doesn't trust me, but it's better than missing the party."

Andrew sighed. He didn't like parties. Too many people, too much noise, alcohol, shallow conversations he had no interest in. But then he looked at Haley—her expression was almost pleading.

She was his cousin. His family. They got along well, and she was helping him prank Alex. Besides, one party every now and then wouldn't kill him… probably.

"Fine, I'll go," Andrew said.

"You're the best!" Haley cheered, throwing her arms around him.

"Tell my mom yourself. If I bring it up, we'll just end up arguing one way or another," Haley added as she pulled away.

Andrew nodded and left the room. He headed to the living room, where Claire was scrolling through something on her tablet, a cup of coffee in her other hand.

"Aunt," Andrew said to get her attention.

"What's up, Andy?" Claire asked, looking up.

"I'm going to Spencer's party… and I wanted to ask if you'd let Haley go," Andrew said.

"Why do I feel like she put you up to this?" Claire asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Because she did," Andrew answered honestly.

Claire sighed and rubbed her temples. "I don't love the idea of her going, but if you go, at least I know she won't do anything crazy." She studied him for a moment, then pointed at him with her coffee cup. "But you're responsible for her. If anything goes wrong, I will know."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll watch her like a child," Andrew nodded.

"You better. Home by midnight, understood?" Claire said.

"Understood."

Now, he just had to see how chaotic this party was going to be.

By 8 PM, Andrew was at Spencer Patine's house. The guy with the arm.

His uncle was a beer-bellied man with a scruffy beard who wore sunglasses for no apparent reason.

Claire was right to doubt the so-called "responsible adult" supervising the party.

Andrew didn't come with just Haley. He had asked Pippa, and although she didn't like parties either, she decided to come along so he wouldn't be alone.

The rest of the group—Leonard, Zach, Cara, Lauren, and Howard—also came, all of them far more excited about attending a high school party than the two of them.

"Well… this is a party," Pippa murmured, crossing her arms as she took in the disaster around them.

The house was at peak teenage chaos. Music pounded against the walls, colorful lights flickered in the living room, and the air was thick with a mix of cheap perfume, pizza, and something that was probably not incense.

Pippa, like Andrew, wasn't a fan of these kinds of events. Both preferred quiet nights at home, watching movies or just hanging out without having to shout to hear each other.

"I can't believe it! The two biggest antisocials in the group have caved!" Zach exclaimed with a teasing grin, giving Andrew a firm pat on the back.

"I really thought this day would never come," Cara added, watching them with mock solemnity. "It's the end of an era."

"Mark this date in your minds, kids. It won't happen again," Lauren declared.

"Finally, a real party," Howard murmured excitedly, eyeing a group of girls in low-rise jeans and cropped tops taking pictures with a pink digital camera.

Andrew exchanged a look with Pippa—both wearing the same resigned expression.

"Our goal is to keep an eye on Haley," Andrew said, leaning toward Pippa so she could hear him over the music.

"What?" Pippa asked, not catching what he said as she was distracted by a group of idiots attempting skate tricks inside the house, breaking furniture in the process. If this were her house, she would've kicked them out already.

"Keep an eye on Haley," Andrew repeated, leaning in closer to her ear.

Pippa tensed slightly at the feeling of his breath so close but nodded.

Meanwhile, their friends had already scattered, each one exploring what the party had to offer. Howard and Leonard, despite being nerds, walked with an unusual confidence.

Before meeting Andrew, they had been frequent targets for pranks and bullying at school. But now? They were best friends with the star quarterback. No one dared to mess with them anymore.

Pippa spotted Haley sitting on a worn-out leather couch with her boyfriend Dylan and a group of other kids, chatting and laughing.

"There she is," she pointed out to Andrew.

He nodded and was about to move closer to keep an eye on her, but before he could take two steps, someone intercepted him.

"Andrew?!" a guy exclaimed in surprise, looking at him as if he had just seen a celebrity.

Andrew stopped and sighed, already knowing what was coming.

"Hey, Andrew's here!" the guy shouted, instantly drawing the attention of several others.

Within seconds, a small group of people had gathered around him, greeting him with admiration and excitement.

"No way! Our quarterback actually showed up to a party!"

"Spencer! Spencer, come here! Andrew's here!"

From across the house, Spencer Patine—the host of the party—turned his head at the sound of his name. When he spotted Andrew in the middle of the commotion, his face lit up with pride.

"Andrew!" he called out with an exaggerated smile, pushing through the crowd like he was welcoming a VIP guest. "I knew you'd eventually come to one of my parties!"

Andrew closed his eyes for a second and let out a long sigh.

Keeping an eye on Haley was going to be harder than he thought.

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What do you think of Pippa as the female lead? Do you like her relationship with Andrew, or would you rather see him with someone else in the future?

This is just a question, nothing more...

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