You stood in front of the mirror in your bedroom. You desperately pulled at the hem of your shirt--You couldn't decide whether to tuck it in or not and at this point, you had probably untucked your shirt about a million times. With a huff you gave up and let your shirt hang loose, not bothering to tuck it in anymore. You threw a glance around the room trying to find your keys. God, you were such a mess, you had nothing in order and were honestly too socially drained to go to this party.

You plopped down on your bed and threw your head in your hands. Did you really have to go? I mean you could always text your friends and tell them you suddenly got sick. You pursed your lips remembering you used that excuse last week to get out of movie night.

Finally, you gave in and stood up. The guilt of not showing up was beginning to out-weigh the anxiety of showing up to this unknown desolate, so you held your head up high and searched for your missing keys.

"A-ha!" You shouted as you found your keys hidden under a pile of papers. You snatched them up and made your way out of the house. Luckily, you lived just down the block from these friends and could easily walk there...Of course, you would never tell them that or they'd figure out ways to hang out at your house 24/7. You pushed open the door and suddenly became engulfed in the cold air...It was then that you remembered it was the middle of December and was supposed to snow tonight. You groaned and made your way over to your car.

"Fine, I'll waste gas on a five minute trip," you mumbled under your breath. To say you were already irritated was an understatement, you hated having to go anywhere that you didn't want to go, especially parties. You started the car and quickly turned the radio on. "Come on Britney, I need some music to prep me," you said. In the next moment, Circus by Britney Spears was blaring from your car's speakers. You smiled to yourself.

"We've got this..." You said, hopeful that tonight wouldn't turn out to be a total disaster.

-----

You climbed out of your car and took in your friends' house. It was shabby that's for sure, but quaint, sort of homey. You made your way up to the red door that had a oddly calming affect on your already shaking self. Before you even touched the door to knock, it flew open.

"Y/N!!!" The woman shrieked. You winced and looked up to see a tall, blonde girl...Ally.

"Hi," you said softly. She scooped you into a hug. You closed into yourself and tried to avoid the hug, but were defeated nonetheless.

"Well, come on in, you must be freezing, you're practically shaking," she said, pulling away. Yeah freezing...More like anxious. You followed Ally into the living room. Your heart sank. There were about ten people huddled around on the sofas...Ten people you had never seen in your life.

"Everyone, meet Y/N L/N," Ally said, her voice projecting across the entire room. The party goers on the sofa all looked up and waved at you. Some smiled while others said 'hi.'

Your face reddened as you awkwardly waved back. This was social suicide and you desperately wanted to leave. You looked up at Ally.

"Hey...Where's Kody and April?" You asked upon realizing your other friends weren't there.

Ally chuckled. "Get this--I burned the turkey that we were supposed to have tonight so those two went to go pizza." She continued to laugh as if this was the funniest thing in the world. You tried to laugh along, but found yourself unable to do so...It just wasn't funny.

"Do you have any alcohol?" You finally spit out. Ally stopped laughing and looked down at you. She flashed you a cheeky grin.

"Ready to get wasted already Y/N? You haven't even had food yet," she said.

You shrugged and attempted a joke. "Being drunk will make that Walmart pizza go down smoother."

Ally chuckled. "Always the funny one Y/N...But if you want a drink, we have lots of drinks...They're in the kitchen," she said.

You plastered on a smile. "Great, I'll be back in an hour, probably drunk off my ass."

As you walked away you heard Ally giggle. What had gotten into you? What were you even saying? You furrowed your eyebrows. Wow, anxiety induced adrenaline was one hell of a drug.

Finally, you stood in the kitchen. You looked around--Everything seemed so modern. The countertops were slick marble and the fridge was a flashy silver much like the accompanying stove. You stared in awe at the beautiful appliances until your eyes finally landed on an upper cabinet. You could see bottles stacked behind the glass, so you took your chances and opened it.

You felt a pang of relief wash over you as you stared at all of the alcohol, you needed something to calm your nerves if you were going to enjoy this party and hey a little alcohol buzz would do just fine. You reached up and snatched one of the bottles that sat in the front. Champagne...Lovely. After glancing at the bottle and noticing the drink was a pink color, you decided to pop open the bottle, after all, it wouldn't hurt to try it. The Champagne was surprisingly fruity, but you weren't complaining, it tasted good, so you poured yourself a glass. You leaned on the counters and stared out the huge bay window as you sipped your drink. You were finally beginning to calm down.

"Nice! Someone has alcohol!"

Your head snapped in the direction of the voice. A short brunette girl stood in the door frame. She was wearing denim jeans that were ripped carelessly at the knees and a black pullover. The girl stared at you, a wide grin plastered across her face.

"Nora Allen," she said as she walked towards you. She extended her hand.

You eyed her curiously. "Y/N L/N," you said, taking her hand in yours--It was surprising warm. You guessed she had just arrived given that you hadn't noticed her in the lving room. You'd have to be blind not to see this beautiful girl after all.

"So...Y/N, what brings you to this party?" She asked as she hopped up on the kitchen island that stood across from you.

You pursed your lips, suddenly forgetting why you were here. "Uh..." You remembered. "Oh-I went to high school with the hosts and we were reintroduced a couple of months back so they invited me a couple of weeks ago..You know I didn't-" You realized you were rambling. Your cheeks reddened as you looked up at the girl, embarrassed.

She smirked. "Go on."

You looked away bashful. "Actually...Why are you here?" You asked, changing the subject. The girl shook her head and looked away.

"The tall one invited me because I called her cute. You see I work at Jitters and she's in there at least three times, if not four times a week getting coffee. I just so happen to flirt with her every time she's in there," Nora said.

You shifted uncomfortably. No offense to her storytelling, but you'd rather not hear about a beautiful girl such as herself, flirting with someone else.

Nora must have sensed your uneasiness because she added onto her statement. "Look, don't get me wrong, your friend is cute, but between you and me," she leaned in and dropped her voice to a whisper. "She tips me more when I flirt with her," she deadpanned.

You giggled. "Ally always did love her compliments," you said, remembering high school.

"So gorgeous, what have you got in the cup?" She asked. You felt your heart race at the drop of the nickname.

"Wha-What?"

"Your glass," she said, pointing to your Champagne.

"Oh...Just some kind of Champagne I found in the cabinet....I thought it would lighten the blow of this party," you said. You instantly regretted your words after you realized you might come off as a bummer or loner to this girl.

"I mean-"

Nora started laughing. "Ain't that the truth. I'm going to be honest with you gorgeous, I don't really like parties too much...Unless I know the people there," she said.

You smiled. "Yeah I get that. I'm honestly ready to just get out of here," you said. Nora smirked.

"So why don't we gorgeous?" She asked. You felt your face redden as she continued her use of the nickname.

"What do you mean?" You asked.

Nora hopped off of the counter and offered you her hand. "I mean, why don't we get out of here. I know a killer ice cream shop that's just down the road," she said.

You furrowed your eyebrows. "Don't you think it's too cold for ice cream?"

Nora shrugged. "Anything is better than being here right?" She added. You nodded and hopped off of the counter, careful not to spill your drink. You set it down on the counter and grabbed a hold of Nora's hand. The two of you made your way into the living room and snuck out of the door since everyone was occupied in a game of truth or dare.

You breathed in the cool air and threw a glance over at Nora. For some reason, you were glad to have met her...You felt safe with her.