The Party

I slam my locker shut and try to block out the gossip and chatter surrounding me. I can’t stop thinking about how I’m going to jump into bed the second I get home and rest after this excruciatingly long day of school.

“Elena!” My best friend, Shelby, yells across the hallway. I have difficulty locating her voice through the overwhelming crowd of people. Luckily, I don’t have to, because she suddenly appears right next to me.

“Are you going to Max’s party tonight?” She asks me.

She knows what I’m going to say. I open my mouth, preparing to speak, when --

“Before you say no,” Shelby interrupts, “You must know that we will be out by 10:30. Unless you want to stay longer, of course. Plus, you know who will be there?”

“Who?”

“Carlos.”

I close my mouth. She knows exactly how to shut me up.

“How do you know Carlos will be there?” I ask curiously. I’ve had a huge crush on him for two years now. 

“Max told me himself.” Shelby boasts. “We’ve been talking a lot more recently.” She smiles down at the ground, blushing furiously. Shelby can get any guy she wants. Even if -- especially if -- that guy is Max Sweeten. I’ve always envied her for how she can talk to guys so effortlessly, and how she knows exactly what to say and when to say it. There’s no awkward pauses or small talk, just Shelby being her usual, bubbly self. Carlos barely knows I exist, and I don’t have it in myself to talk to him. He only talks to me first when he needs help with the calculus homework he forgot to do the night before.

But as much as I would love to see him, I don’t have the time nor energy to get involved in a dumb high school party with even dumber high school people.

“Shelby, you know I can’t go. To be honest, I’d rather just relax and read a book.”

“C’mon, Elena, you’re only in high school once -- or, in Dustin’s case, twice --” She jerks her head toward Dustin, whose earbuds are glued in his ears at all times, the image complete with crumpled up papers spilling out of his backpack. “But you know what I mean. It’ll be fun.”

“Sorry, Shelbs,” I say.

She sighs, but I’m thankful that I finally get to go home. I walk out the heavy double doors of the school and make my way to the house.

The air is crisp and the breeze cool as I trudge through the freshly fallen leaves littering the path. Shelby always offers to drive me since she passes by on her way here, but it’s only a 7 minute walk. Besides, I could use the exercise (and the alone time).

When I arrive, I try to fish out my house key from my organized backpack. I always keep my key in the exact same place, but it’s not here. I shuffle things around for a few seconds until everything is in complete chaos. I sigh and I realize I must’ve forgotten it on my way out this morning. I quickly glance around me. Once I know no one’s watching me, I lift up the stone hidden behind the ugly frog figurine my grandma got my parents for Christmas. I see the spare key, snatch it up, twist it into the lock, and swing the door open. When I see the empty house, I do a victory dance and place the key carefully back under the stone. I kick off my shoes and set down my backpack next to the couch. Then, I head up the stairs to my room and flop onto my comfy bed. As much as I love Shelby, it’s nice to be by myself for a little while.

I grab my copy of Little Women off of my desk and open it to the place where I left off. I sit there reading for what feels like 10 minutes when all of a sudden, I hear a thumping noise downstairs. I’m in the middle of turning a page and freeze in my tracks. What’s going on? My immediate thought is that someone saw where I put the key and is now breaking into my house. But they wouldn’t try to rob me when they know I’m home, right? The only other plausible option is that someone is here to murder me.

The thump sounds again. I frantically stand up and snatch an empty vase off of my nightstand. If anyone tries to fight me, they’ll get a face full of glass instead. I creep down the stairs, careful not to make any noise.

“In here, guys!” Shelby’s voice rings.

Shelby? What is she doing here?

I pick up the speed as I walk down the stairs and see Shelby directing Max and several of his friends through my house. 

“Shelby! What are you doing?” I speak quickly. I need answers. Out of the corner of my eye, I see someone carrying a large speaker in their arms and another cradling bags of chips and sodas.

“Yep, just set the speaker down right there. And the snacks can go on the counter.”

“SHELBY!” I yell impatiently.

“What?” Shelby turns to look at me.

“What’s happening?” Conversation erupts outside as swarms of people enter my house. My eardrums rattle as the speaker begins playing music that I hate. “How did you get into my house?”

“Please, Elena, I’ve known where your family hides the spare key for years. It’s not really a secret anymore.”

I make a mental note to move the key.

“Okay, but why did you break in?” My voice rises and my worry escalates by the second.

“Elena, please don’t be mad, but I don’t want you to miss out on your high school experience.”

I don’t like where this is going. “What did you do?”

“You said you didn’t want to come to the party.”

“Yeah, so?”

“So,” Shelby states, “I’m bringing the party to you.” She smiles.