"What the fuck do you wear to a children's party?" I asked Jodie over the phone whilst I hold 3 different outfits in one hand. I'm not exactly a clothes person but that doesn't mean I don't care about what others think. Ive never really been around kids seeing as I have no younger siblings or even cousins.

"Um clothes?" Jodie teased and I rolled my eyes, glaring at the phone and then realising she can't even see me.

I will honestly be so surprised if I graduate at this point.

"Yeah." I drawled. "Because I'm going to turn up naked."

Jodie snickered into the phone. "I know someone who wouldn't mind that."

I rolled my eyes, ignoring her comment and threw my phone onto my bed. I quickly put it on speaker and laughed at some of the things my best friend said. Every year, we would meet up on Christmas eve and have our own mini Christmas. Cole and Jodie had said to even invite Jake and Reece this year. I guess they were more or less in our friendship group now which actually kind of worried me because I was so comfortable with the two of them now and I had only started speaking to them less than two months ago.

I let out a dramatic sigh as I glanced from the clock on the wall and back to my closet. It was currently 11.30 am and I had less than ten minutes to get my ass into my car or I was going to be late.

"Just throw on something casual, it really doesn't matter Sam." I nodded and then mentally slapped myself because again she can't see me.

I can't be the only one who does that right?

"You're right." I replied and shut my eyes and grabbed the first jumper my hands found and thrusted it to my chest. When I opened my eyes, I actually grinned because I forgot I even had this. It was cream coloured cropped jumper with thin sleeves. I threw it on in a world record time and I even managed to avoid ruining my hair. I paired it with high waisted black skirt, black tights and ankle boots. I smiled to myself in the mirror because for once I really liked the clothes I was wearing. I hardly ever wore skirts or dresses, not because I was a tomboy, more like because they weren't comfortable.

I only had a little makeup on just to cover my red cheeks and nose I had formed since winter started. My normally messy hair was tamed back into a high ponytail with a few strands pulled out at the front to frame my face.

The sound of Jodie's voice made me gasp. "Sam get your ass out of there, ill speak to you later. Have fun!" She yelled and then I heard the phone end. With no time to faff around, I grabbed my purse and jacket along with my phone and practically leaped down the stairs two at a time. If I had time I would've congratulated myself for doing that without falling flat on my face.

It was a Christmas miracle!

"Bye dad!" I yelled into the house knowing he was about somewhere. I heard a yell back so I smiled and slammed the door shut behind me. I jogged to my car and surprisingly for late December it really wasn't that cold. I started my car and began the ten-minute drive over to Reece's house. The bright sun shone in my eyes as I drove and I smiled softly to myself.

To be honest I had no idea what I was smiling at but it didn't stop me.

I was kind of nervous to go to Reece's and I'm not really sure as to why. Lately, I had been enjoying his company much more than I would like to admit and it scared me. I hated him 2 months ago and he hated me.

So why did we become friends so fast?

I shook my head from any thoughts going further than they should have. Since I was younger I always over thought everything and I just couldn't help it. My dad always said my mum was the exact same so at least I know where I got it from. I inhaled the gingerbread scent I had in my car and almost groaned at how good it smelt.

Sometimes I think I'm really not normal and I know all my friends would definitely agree with that.

I slowed down my car when I spotted Reece's house. It was surrounded by cars and there were adorable princess birthday banners plastered all over the front. From here I could see people outside but the sound of a loud honk behind me made me jump in my seat. From the rear-view mirror I could see Elliot and Will and they were both laughing at me. I flipped them off but grinned regardless as I quickly parked my car, grabbed Ellie's present and leaned on my car waiting for them. They parked directly behind me and I smiled softly as the two emerged from the car.

They were both dressed in jeans and a jumper and Will was holding a massive box that was wrapped in pink Disney paper.

I muffled a laugh at their sweetness as I made my way over to them. They both grinned widely and it actually kind of scared me how in sync they were. "Sam!" Will grinned and thrusted the box into Elliot's arms which he scoffed at. He took it regardless and I suddenly felt myself being pulled into a hug by Will. Even though I had only met these boys once, I really liked them already.

"Hey Will." I hugged back and after a couple seconds we both pulled back and I turned to look at Elliot.

I raised my brow at him. "Asked my cousin out yet?" I teased and he rolled his eyes and pulled me in for a quick hug. Both boys smelt amazing and It was honestly a task not to inhale them when I was hugging them.

I just get creepier and creepier every day.

Elliot glanced down at the small box in my hand and then back up at me with his eyebrows furrowed. "Why's it so small?"

I chuckled and looked at his present. "Why's it so big?"

Will snickered beside him. "That's what she said."

We both looked at him with blank faces before the three of us burst into laughter. "Well you've certainly had no one say that to you." Elliot snickered and Will smirked at him.

"Belle did."

Elliot glared at him but then the two started laughing. I didn't even know what to say, I really don't get boys.

"We should probably go inside." I told them and they both nodded and the three of us walked towards the house. I went to ring the doorbell but Will just chuckled and barged right in the door. My eyes widened at how amazing the inside looked. Pink and purple balloons layered the entire downstairs and various princess themed things were also decorated around the house.

Elliot grabbed my hand and pulled me into the kitchen. The kitchen was massive which was no surprise if you had seen the entire house. At the back there was a beautiful white double door that opened up to the ginormous garden. I peered into the garden and there were 3 large princess bouncy castles, blow up slides along with a few other party things. Lots of children were running around on the grass with massive grins on their faces and I couldn't help but grin at them.

They were all so adorable.

"Sam you made it!" A women's voice called out and I spun on my heels to meet it. Elliot and Will had already disappeared to the garden where I could see them picking up Ellie.

How adorable.

The voice belonged to Amanda and I was in awe over how gorgeous she looked. "Hi Amanda." I grinned and pulled her in for a hug. She immediately hugged back and chuckled as we pulled back.

"So my son finally manned up and invited you?" She questioned, looking very amused.

"What do you mean?" I asked, placing my hands in the pockets of my jacket as I leaned on the heels of my boots.

She tsked and grinned. "Ellie's been begging him to bring you back." She then smirked. "Seems both my children are pretty infuriated with you."

What?!

A small laugh escaped my lips. "What can I say?" I joked and she laughed in response to this.

My eyes widened as I remembered something and I quickly grabbed the box from my pocket. Amanda looked at me with confusion. "I got something for Ellie but I just want to make sure its ok with you as some parents don't like their kids with stuff so its ok if you don't want me to give it to her and-"

Amanda silenced my rambling with a laugh. "Hunny you worry too much. I'm sure whatever it is she will love."

I nodded with a small smile. After offering me a drink and shooing me into the garden to mingle, I was awkwardly stood in the middle of the patio surrounded by parents that I didn't know. They all sounded so sophisticated and boring.

No wonder Amanda was inside.

Shrugging, I wandered over to the grass to find a familiar face as I held onto a plastic cup with one hand and Ellie's present in the other. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I spotted the familiar mop of blonde hair chasing the kids around.

I chuckled to myself as I approached him. The sun beamed down on us and the sky was a beautiful clear blue without a cloud insight. I walked across the garden to meet him but stopped when I went crashing into a body. I nearly went flying to the floor but thankfully two arms wrapped around my waist and hoisted me up.

I looked up at the person and nearly gasped as the dark green eyes bored into mine.

"Thanks." I replied and a slow grin emerged on Reece's face.

His eyes looked down at my outfit and back at me. Bear in mind, I was still in his damn arms! I was slightly crouched and his arms were wrapped around me so I didn't fall onto the floor.

He gave me a teasing look. "Now was that so hard to find something to wear."

I rolled my eyes and huffed, pushing him off me and standing up. "Yes." I replied but he just shook his head with a faint smile still on his lips.

He looked back up at me. "You look cute."

I felt a warm feeling in my chest and I couldn't help the blush that was forming on my cheeks. "You too." I grinned cheekily and he narrowed his eyes down at me.

"We've been over this Sammy."

I deadpanned. "Do I care?"

He rolled his eyes but chuckled anyway and grabbed my hand, pulling me across the garden to where Ellie was. She was playing with her friends but the minute she saw me her little brown eyes widened and she came at full speed towards me and jumped in my arms. I was a little taken back but I quickly hugged her back and grinned widely down at her.

"Sammy!" She squealed into my arms and I quickly glared at Reece for the use of name. He just smirked back at me and I turned my attention back to the adorable little girl in front of me.

"Happy birthday sweetie." I commented and after a couple moments she pulled back from the hug and I handed her the present. It was wrapped in blue sparkly paper which didn't exactly match the theme of pink and purple but I didn't really care. I was now on my knees so I could be closer to her height and Reece stood to the side of us just watching.

He had an expression on his face that I really couldn't decipher.

Ellie beamed as she peeled away the wrapping paper to reveal a sparkling princess tiara. It wasn't really anything special but I just tried to pick something out that I think she would like and looking at the massive smile on her face proved me right. She picked it up and placed it on the top of her curly brown hair and her eyes were so big with happiness it warmed my heart.

"I love it! Thankyou!" She yelled with a slight lisp that made her even more adorable. After about 3 more hugs, she kept touching the tiara and smiling. What I couldn't believe was how polite she was for a now 5-year-old.

I glanced around the garden. "Wow what an amazing party. Who did this for you?" I asked her and her grin grew even wider.

She then looked at Reece and then back at me. Ellie was dressed in a bright pink Barbie dress and adorable matching pumps. She even had a fake little fairy wand tucked into her dress.

This kid was just the cutest person I had ever seen.

"Reecey did it all!" She beamed and looked up at her older brother with such love and adoration for him.

At least he gets it from someone lol.

I raised an eyebrow up at him. "Really?" He rolled his eyes, looking slightly embarrassed as he nodded.

I then turned back to Ellie, grinning ear to ear as we looked at him. "Aww isn't your bro the cutest person ever!" I teased and she nodded eagerly, running over to hug his leg. His face instantly softened as even Reece couldn't not see how adorable his sister was.

"I'm not cute." He murmured, sparing me a glare before looking back down at her.

He peeled her arms from his leg and gently pushed her back to her friends. Ellie turned to me. "Don't leave!" She demanded and ran off to the bouncy castle.

I chuckled softly as I brushed my hands down my skirt and stood back up. Reece stared at me with a very evil glint in his eyes and before I knew it I was being guided in the direction of the adults.

"Time for family revenge!" He whispered.

It's safe to say that Reece's family loved me. Well, at least I think they did. His mum's parents were all over me and kept on asking if we were going to get together. Apparently Amanda had done a lot of stirring, saying that we would make an adorable couple.

Much to my dismay, everyone agreed.

I think Reece's little cousin had a little crush on me which Reece found absolutely hilarious. His name was Alex and he was only 7 yet followed me around all afternoon. Even when I went to the bathroom he was waiting outside for me. I had to admit, he was an adorable boy. After spending about an hour talking to all of Reece's different family members and may I add every single one of them said that I would be perfect for Reece.

According to them, I was the only girl known to put him in his place and I was the first girl to ever be just friends with him. After that I spent some time with Reece, Elliot, Will and Jake doing nothing in particular. They were really fun company and I could see why the four of them were best friends. I tried to leave in-between because I thought I was out of place and intruding but they all forced me to stay.

Then there was lunch and a certain green eyed boy and I had a competition who could eat the most mini sandwiches in 60 seconds. Reece's family were actually riled up as they all rooted for me. I felt loved.

I won by 2 sandwiches. I don't know whether to be proud or embarrassed.

Fuck it, I was proud!

After that, I felt kind of sick so went to lay down by the pool and started chatting to one of Reece's cousins. Natalie was a year younger than us and went to school a couple hours away. She was super nice and I even got her phone number because we got on so well.

Was it weird that I got on with Reece's family so well?

For some odd reason I felt like I fit in with them and they were all really funny and enjoyable to be around. I chuckled to myself imagining Reece's family vs mine in some competitive game. When it turned 5pm, people begun to leave much to the children's dismay. They all looked like they were having the time of their lives and I had to admit. It was a pretty fucking cool children's party.

To say that I'm 18, I had a huge amount of fun messing around on the bouncy castles with the 4 boys. Also, pushing Reece over as much as I could was the best part of my day. He kept losing his balance and went tumbling down when I poked him, pushing 3 kids down as he went. Safe to say the 4 of us could not contain our laughter. I stayed a bit longer than everyone else so in the end it was just me and Jake who weren't part of the family there.

It seemed as if Jake was part of the family the way he knew everyone and they knew him. I was now on my way home because it was around 9pm and i had been there pretty much all day. It was now pitch black and Reece had offered to drive me home but I turned him down because I didn't want to leave my car.

After a couple minutes I was home and I quickly exited my car but my eyes widened when I saw Jodie sitting on the front step with her face in her palms. I rushed over to her and I could see her shoulders shaking.

"Jodie?" I called out worriedly and her head snapped up to mine. Tears streamed down her face and she had mascara marks staining her cheeks. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and I instantly took a seat next to her pulled her into a hug. She rested her head into my chest and I stroked her hair as she cried softly.

A few minutes later she had calmed down and she looked up at me. "What happened?" I whispered softly and that's when I noticed how cold she looked.

"Shit, let's go inside." I stood but she just shook her head and nodded towards my car. I nodded and we both walked side by side back to my car. I sat in the driver's seat and watched Jodie climb into the passenger seat next to me.

"Sorry." She sniffed, her voice sounding extremely strained and raspy. "I just don't want your dad to see me."

I nodded in understanding. Jodie was like a daughter to dad and he was over protective of her just like he was to me.

I stared at her and waited patiently for her to tell me what's wrong. She took a deep breath and stared down at the floor. "I need to tell you something."

My heart was beating fast and I was really worried about what she was going to say. Jodie was one of those girls that hardly ever cried in front of people and I was the same. I had only see her cry a couple of times in my life so I know it would be important.

"I broke up with Harry."

She looked up at me. "Oh shit I'm sor-"

"Because of Cole." She blurted out and my eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" I asked warily, afraid of making her more upset.

She sniffed again and hastily wiped a tear. "Please don't hate me for not telling you." She paused and I smiled softly at her as she took another deep breath. "Last week, at Jake's party me and Cole were really drunk and we-" She gulped. "We hooked up."

Oh shit.

Before I could say anything, she carried on. "The morning after, I felt so awful for cheating on Harry so I told him what happened. He said he could forgive me if I promised that I had no feelings for Cole at all but I couldn't lie. It wasn't right that I was dating Harry when what I felt for Cole was so much stronger, so I ended it."

Wow, this was a lot to take in.

"I was pretty upset afterward but I knew it was for the best. Me and Cole haven't spoken since that night until today." She paused, an extremely hurt expression on his face. "We've been avoiding each other all week and even when we hung out as a group he wouldn't even look at me. So today I decided to be the bigger person and talk to him about my feelings but he shut me down before I could even say anything." Another tear rolled down her cheek. "He told me it was just a stupid drunk mistake and that it didn't mean anything and we should forget it ever happened and go back to being friends."

"Jo-"

"I'm so fucking stupid Sam. I was ready to tell him how I felt but he doesn't feel the same, he never will."

Without saying anything, I started the car and pulled out of the driveway. "You're not stupid Jodie." I told her. "You're the most amazing girl I know and anyone would be so fucking lucky to have you." A small grin appeared on my face.

"W-where are we going?" She stammered from behind me, hurriedly wiping away the stray tears that had managed to escape why she was talking.

I turned to her and gave her a warm before looking back on the road. "To fix things."