e rest of our friends are there waiting for us. This is something new, having already fallen into a bit of a routine, so we both are sporting confused expressions when we make it over to them.
"There's a party tonight at Jenny Carter's house. Who's going?" Trent asks excitedly before Cole can question them. I don't know who this Jenny is, but I'm out. The last party I went to ended in my entire family being murdered. No freaking way will I go to another one.
Panic starts to rise but they look so damn happy I can’t burst their bubbles. Trying to swallow it down, I glance up and meet Adam’s gaze.
"You in?" His entire focus is on me, and I swallow hard. Apparently he already knows everyone else's answer. I shake my head and avert my eyes. He seems concerned at my reaction but nods, easily accepting it.
"Of course, she is!" Abby exclaims, and I flinch. Of course she doesn’t notice my internal freakout in her excitement. "You can come over to my house and we'll get ready together!" I look over at her, my eyebrows furrowed as I try to find a way to burst her bubble.
When she turns the puppy dog eyes on me, I close my eyes and nod slowly, deciding to face my fears and go. She squeals so loud that we all cover our ears.
"Calm down, Abbs," Cole pleads, bumping into my shoulder before walking away. "I'll pick you guys up at seven."
"Maybe I'll find a girlfriend tonight," Abby jokes, before sighing. It stings, the thought of her with someone else makes me want to rage, but I pull out my notebook and write a quick note.
'I'll help you get ready, and the girls won't be able to resist you. But I thought I was your sweets.' I turn it around and show her, putting a pout on my face. She laughs but appears more relieved than anything. Apparently this was her truly testing the waters. I shake my head and give her a look that clearly conveys my exasperation.
"I'm sorry, I never know how people will take it," she says sheepishly, and I bump my shoulder to hers.
'Who am I to judge someone for being different?' I write, and she laughs as she reads it.
"You still want to come over?" she asks, and I nod.
'Sophia can just take us,' I add, and she grins.
"That beats the bus, let's go!" She links her arm with mine but I stop her and look pointedly at Alice.
"Oh, I'm out. I have a video chat date with my boyfriend tonight." Sending us a brief wave she hurries off.
"Oh yeah, she met him at summer camp last year. They're really adorable," Abby explains, finally pulling me away.
"It's cool, us guys will be fine without the extra pampering. Have fun without us," Trent calls after us, grabbing his chest as if we've wounded his very soul. I snort and turn around, following her out.
"Hey, Sophia!” Abby leans in the passenger window. “We were going to see if it's all right for you to drop us off at my house."
"Sure, are you staying the night too?" Sophia asks, looking directly at me. I shrug and glance over at Abby, who also gives me a questioning look like she's asking if I'm still okay with that. I nod, and she grins.
"Yes, she is! Is that okay?"
We both return our attention to Sophia, watching her expectantly. She chuckles and nods, almost appearing relieved to meet one of my friends. I’ve told her about them, but we haven’t done anything like this yet.
"All right, all right. Let's head to our house first so she can grab her stuff, and you can write down your parent's number in case there's an emergency while you're there. That work?" she suggests, and we both nod.
Sophia and Abby chat the whole way, but as soon as she pulls into the garage, we are out of the car before she can turn it off. I lead Abby through the house and up to my room before I gather up some hair products and makeup. I walk into my closet before walking right back out and grabbing Abby and dragging her in there with me.
"You need some help?" she guesses, cracking up. She doesn't hesitate to start shuffling through my clothes before shaking her head and turning to me and sizing me up with her eyes. "Let's grab a few things, but we'll check out my closet too. Grab a pair of skinny jeans, boots, and that sexy leather jacket."
Biting back a self-satisfied grin, I follow her orders and throw it all in a bag before grabbing my phone and keys off of my desk. Abby is already by the door, bouncing from foot to foot with a huge grin on her face. Shaking my head, I usher her downstairs.
"Ready?" Sophia asks as she looks up at us. I nod and smile. “Okay, let’s go.”
The drive to Abby's house takes less than five minutes, and Abby jumps out as soon as she parks in front. I turn to Sophia and give her a grateful smile.
"If anything happens, you call me," Sophia says, leveling a serious look at me like she can read into what we're planning but isn't willing to call me out on it. I nod before climbing out. "Make good choices!" she calls out to us before driving away.
"Do you think she knows?" Abby asks, worrying her lip. I nod because Sophia is too good at reading through lies. I pull out my phone and type a response to reassure Abby.
'She's a lawyer, she can read our lies. It's okay, she just told me to call her if anything happens.'