Soon enough, there were hoardes of people streaming in.

The house was a spacious log cabin with large windows and plenty of floor space. It was decorated in such a way too. Even though it seemed like it was decorated to the taste of older people- since nobody had bothered to redecorate it since they didn't use th ehouse- it still looked lovely. It was warm and comfortable and I hoped the crowd wouldn't trash it.

The window panes were black and the furniture was grey, brown, and black with mustard and red accents. We'd moved all of it, though. Kyle had some decency and appreciation for living spaces and he didn't want any of his grandparents' things ruined. We also dusted, cleaned, filled plates and bowls with food, set up drinks (including the alcohol Jay bought and used his fake ID for) and cleared as much space as we could. We also set up an outdoor area. I was surprised that we managed all of this in such a short span of time. The cabin also had a small lake in the back but we figured it was best to block off the dock to keep drunken teenagers out of the water.

I was surprised Jay was so willing to help- he did a whole bunch of the work. He'd been so calm, -sweet even- throughout the whole trip. He often put his hand on my thigh or snaked an entire arm around my waist and one time he even gave me a kiss on the cheek. Jay Von Baron was actually smart. He could actually maintain conversations and everyone but Griffin liked him, although at some points I saw him trying to hold back a smile or laugh. 

I figured it was too good to be true. 

I was right.

The house was filled, and by twelve I could barely walk through the crowd. It was packed inside and outside and I wondered where all of these people had come from. 

I'd lost Jay, and was now talking with Savannah, Hannah, and two other girls from the area. Drunk people got along so marvelously. I'd only had a few sips of beer but Hannah could barely walk and was acting like the two blondes she'd just met were her best friends. Savannah was tipsy but she acted like she didn't just have three shots of vodka. 

I wanted to go find Jay and I hoped he wasn't drunk. He tended to act like an asshole when he was drunk and also I wanted him by my side, not latching onto me because he can barely walk.

I ran my hand through my silky hair that Hannah had straightened for me. 

She originally wanted to tame her own chocolate curls but when Darin had said that her "hair was so lovely and she was gorgeous," she decided to keep it natural and asked if she could straighten mine. I didn't look much different, as my hair wasn't curly, just wavy, but I liked the look. Jenny walked in and thought we were all giving me a makeover, so she had asked to do my makeup. I laughed and said "sure." I normally only wore mascara at most. My brows were dark and full and I had a nice complexion and slight freckles on my nose. But Jenny applied foundation, bronzer, a bit of smokey eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner, and a swab of lipgloss across my lip. 

I loved it. I wouldn't do this everyday but I really liked it. "Jen please do my makeup like this for every party." I had said. She laughed and said it was better than doing Hannah's makeup, who apparently wouldn't stop talking or moving when she had her makeup done. Upon hearing this, she threw a comb our way.

I scoured the crowd for a familiar head of dark hair but Jay was nowhere to be seen. I began to walk outside when I felt a hand on my shoulders. Despite being surrounded by people, the firm grasp on my shoulder startled me. I turned around and saw Griffin.

I heard him say something but I couldn't exactly tell what he was saying.

"What?!" I yelled over the music.

"I need to talk to you!" He yelled.

"Okay!"

"Let's go upstairs!"

I began laughing at our scream conversation as I followed Griffin up the stairs. The music had drowned out and up here it was just vibrations and the distant chatter of the people in the house.

Griffin gestured for me to go inside the bedroom. He followed but didn't close the door. I was relieved he wasn't going to try anything, although deep down I knew he wouldn't. Griffin acted like an indifferent asshole at times, but in his heart he was as kind as it gets.

He sat down on the bed and looked up at me, which I guessed was my cue to sit down too. I put down my cup on the floor and sat down across from Griffin.

"Whoo this bed is soft," I said, as I sunk into the bed.

He laughed. "I know."

I squinted at his face. "Your pupils are huge."

I saw a flush on his cheeks. Griffin regained his composure before looking at me. "Alina, are you sober? I thought you were. You never get drunk at parties. But if you're not sober then I'll wait until tomorrow."

I wasn't drunk. "Sorry. I was acting weird. I'm sober though." I chuckled. "I swear." 

Griffin shook his head but cracked a smile. "Alright."

"So what's up?" I asked him, picking at the frayed edges of the blanket we were sitting on top of. "What did you want to talk about?" I asked.

"That makeup looks really nice. And your hair." He looked at me intently. He used to complement me all the time, even when I didn't have makeup on. "You never wear makeup."

I felt heat on my cheeks. I tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "Thanks. Jenny did it- I can't do makeup to save my life."

He chuckled, his dimples showing. "I know you can't. Remember prom?"

I laughed. 

I tried to do my makeup for prom but just ended up looking like I'd been punched on both of my eyes. I just washed it off. Since I only had an hour and still had to get dressed and curl my hair, I just did mascara and highlight. Griffin was there the whole time. I'm pretty sure he even took pictures of how I looked. Before. And after. I was finished getting ready and he snapped a picture as I was laughing at something he'd said.

"What was that for?" I'd said.

"You looked beautiful."

My laugh faltered into a smile, and then I was back to silent. "What'd you want to talk about?" I asked again. 

"My bad." He ran a hand through his hair. He seemed to be having a hard time getting out what he wanted to say.

Jay would probably sit me down and speak everything on his mind, his confidence never faltering. 

Griffin, on the other hand, seemed slightly nervous. But only slightly. 

"What happened, Alina?" He asked. "What happened to us? You broke up with me, ignored me, then disappeared to Connecticut without a word."

I bit my lip. I had an explanation but I don't know if it was what Griffin wanted to hear. I opened my mouth to talk but then closed it.

"Alina, please."

I sighed. Griffin ran a hand through his hair.

"I broke up with you because it was either you or Erin."

I looked up at Griffin. His eyes softened. I was relieved that he wasn't mad but here I was hurting him with the truth. "So you chose Erin."

"Griffin, I didn't want to choose. But I couldn't do that to my best friend. We just broke up- it's not like I completely cut you off."

"But you did." He said. Tears welled in my eyes and I didn't know why I was crying. It felt like I was breaking up with him all over again. "You broke up with me then didn't talk to me, ignored me, and went to Greenwich without a word."

"I'm sorry." was all I could say.

"I have a question, Alina."

I nodded. That was the least I could give him.

"When yoou broke up with me, did you still like me?"

I bit my lip then looked into his warm eyes. "Yes." I did.

He looked like he was weighing something in his mind. A few moments later, he looked back at me again and spoke. 

"Do you still have feelings for me?"