Every Little Thing

The trip to the party felt like it took forever, mostly because it took around twenty minutes to get there. We had decided to have the party just outside of town by the lake. It had a big enough beach for the team and the cheerleaders along with significant others, along with the fact that it had several fire pits so people wouldn't have to crowd around just one. Being November in Southern Missouri it was starting to get a little on the colder side at night. The lake is also surrounded by dense woods, which I'm sure people were going to sneak off into throughout the party. 

As we pulled up to the parking lot just up the hill from the beach I could see Amy's car just a few spots down, letting me know that Lily was also here. Letting out a slow breath I stuffed my hands in my pockets and followed Jace down to the beach. I could mentally see the giant grin he had on his face, being that he had a certain bounce in his step as we walked. There was music blaring from the speakers that someone had brought, and I could see the kegs over in the tree line. Everyone was drinking, dancing, and having a great time by the looks of it. Feeling Jace grab hold of my jacket I sighed as he started dragging me over to the kegs, which honestly wasn't surprising. 

"Want a drink tonight?" he questioned as he filled up his little red cup. Making a face I shook my head and slowly traced my gaze over the crowd. "If I'm going to have a drink, it won't be nasty cheap beer." I stated in a bored tone. "You've never had beer so how do you know it's nasty?" Jace questioned as he took a sip. "The smell, genius." I dead panned and looked at him with a raised brow. "Oh, come on it doesn't taste that bad!" Jace chuckled out taking another sip. "Two words. Piss. Water." I quipped, to which Jace laughed and shook his head. "Fair." he laughed out. Shaking my head I went back to slowly scanning the crowd, searching for the one person I really wanted to see, the only reason I came to this stupid party to begin with. 

"Have you figured out what you're going to say to her yet?" Jace questioned from beside me, having already refilled his up. "Not a clue... I'm going to wing it." I stated, narrowing my eyes slightly as I scanned face after face. "Well, the girls are over there, need me to go break the ice or you got this?" Jace questioned, a sly smirk on his lips. Looking over in the direction he had nodded to I spotted Lily and Amy chatting with the twins and Kole, laughing about whatever had just been said. She looked completely stunning as always, wearing dark skinny jeans, a dusty blue shirt under her cropped leather jacket, and casual biker boots. Her hair was perfectly curled around her face and whatever lip gloss she had been wearing the night of homecoming, she was wearing it again. "Actually...." I said quietly as Jace started to walk over, making him stop and turn to look at me. "Can you just tell her that I need to talk to her... in private. I'll be waiting by the trail head over there." I stated and motioned to the trail opening just off the beach.

Jace smiled wide and nodded, quickly turning and walking off towards the small group with an extra pep in his step. Moving over to the tree line at the beginning of the trail I leaned up against one of the trees and watched as Jace approached the group, wrapping his arm around Amy and planting a big kiss on her cheek. I watched as Lily looked at Jace then around the crowd. I'm sure she was looking for me, a sad expression quickly taking over her features before she looked at Jace, to which I assume he had started talking to her. Seeing him motion over in my direction, and her eyes quickly following, I had to fight to not smile when I saw the relief on her face. She looked back at Jace and tilted her head, her brows furrowing at whatever he had said to her. Seeing her shake her head start to walk in my direction I turned and slowly started making my way down the trail, knowing she would be next to me in just a few moments. 

My heart was pounding out of my chest, my footsteps feeling heavier with each step I took. I could hear her approaching by the sound of her shoes crunching the leaves under her, and the closer she got the more nervous I felt. After walking in a good thirty yards, I moved off into the dense trees, knowing exactly where I was going. There was a private beach that Jace and I liked to frequent, one that only a few of us knew about. "Caleb... where are we going?" I heard Lily ask quietly from behind me, making me glance back at her. "Almost there." I reassured her, my palms starting to sweat in the pockets of my jackets the closer we got to the beach.