A/N: Thank you to all of you who voted for my story Summer Beach Party in the FSOG Fanfic Followers contest Hot Summer Nights! Please enjoy :)
Summer Beach Party
By StrawberryPajamas
Bellevue High School Summer Beach Party Bash!
Hosted by Ethan and Kate Kavanagh
Saturday, August 25th 8pm till whenever
Madison Park Beach near 43rd St
Freshmen thru Seniors welcome! Special guest DJ Warhead for the music. Food and drinks will be provided—please don't drink and drive!
245 Going * 342 Interested
The Facebook invite had gone out to all the students at Bellevue High weeks ago, and it was all any of the teenagers in the area could talk about. The party was happening about a week before the new school year was about to start, meaning it was going to be the last hurrah of their blessed summer break. Ethan Kavanagh was going to be a senior this year and he was one of the most popular kids in school, and his sister Kate (a junior) was currently the head of the cheerleading squad—apparently, Mr. and Mrs. Kavanagh were going to be out of town that weekend and allowed their kids to have some friends over. That meant literally everybody at school was going to be at this party, and it was going to be unbelievably amazing.
This was the one chance all the unpopular kids could go to one of the "cool kids" parties without being laughed out of the place. At least that was what they hoped.
"I cannot believe you talked me into doing this, Mia."
Mia Grey had to practically drag her stubborn friend out of her mom's car, which she had borrowed to take to the party tonight. Dozens of other cars were parked around the block, and crowds of teenagers were gathering together near a huge dance floor on the beachfront. The sun was just starting to set along the horizon, and tiki torches were being lit around the entire area, lighting up everything.
"Ana, come on—what are you so worried about?" Mia asked, still tugging on her friend's arm. "You agreed to come with me to this party, and that I could dress you up for it. Why waste it by just sitting in the car?"
"Ugh. I'm nervous, okay?" Ana said, finally reluctantly getting out of the car. Mia had insisted she wear a short, royal blue sleeveless summer dress, some stylish sandals, and silver bangle bracelets on her wrists. Since Mia wanted to go to beauty school someday, she had convinced Ana to let her do her hair and makeup as well—Ana's chestnut brown hair was now hanging long and straight down her back, and on her face she wore dusky eyeshadow, pink lipstick, and light bronzer, completing the ensemble. It was all very pretty, but it made Ana feel uncomfortable.
"This doesn't feel right, Mia," Ana complained, following her best friend across the street toward the beachfront. "I'm used to wearing sweatshirts and jeans and glasses. I feel like such a fake wearing all this. What if everyone else laughs at me?"
"Ana, no one's gonna laugh at you," Mia said firmly, turning to face her. Mia looked gorgeous in a short bohemian off-the-shoulder pink dress with her dark hair in crimped curls. "Wanna know how the popular kids get popular? They look the part. They're all just as fake as you feel right now, but just for tonight, you and I can pretend to be a part of that fake crowd. If it's just for a night, why not enjoy it a little?"
Ana couldn't help but smile slightly, feeling oddly comforted. "I guess so."
"Great," Mia nodded, smiling. She hooked her arm with Ana's before they continued to make their way toward the party. "I promise, we'll have a good time tonight, and if things get too crazy we'll leave. Or we can get Christian to come by and protect us."
Ana giggled, remembering Mia's older brother was going to be at this party too. "Sounds good."
"Whoa, who's that?"
Christian was currently at the Kavanagh's beach party, having met up with a few of his buddies on the track team there. One of the guys in their group, Jose Rodriguez, was gazing at someone across the crowd, and Christian looked over to see what he was looking at:
He noticed his sister Mia and her friend Ana arrive… but Christian was shocked to see that Ana didn't look like herself at all. She had always been the quiet, bookworm-y type who sat in the library in a sweatshirt and messy bun, but now she looked like a completely different girl. She still looked like Ana, but… different.
Beautiful.
Christian felt his heart pound in his chest as he stared at her. "…Wow."
"Hey Chris, isn't that your sister's friend?" Derek asked, nodding over at her.
"She's fucking hot. Holy shit, how've I never noticed her before?" Jose asked, practically salivating as he watched Ana and Mia walk through the crowd. Christian knew Jose's reputation as a huge player who constantly screwed around. He was the last guy any parent would want around their daughter.
"Dude, relax—she's a sophomore," Christian said to him, feeling suddenly protective of Ana. Why the hell was he feeling this way?
"Who cares? I'm a junior," Jose insisted. "Is she seeing anyone? Wait, I don't care, I'm introducing myself anyway."
Before Christian could say anything, Jose began making his way through the crowd toward Mia and Ana. Christian was about to go after him when Derek stopped him.
"Dude, chill. If Ana had half a brain, she'd stay as far away from that asshole as possible," he said, and Christian grimaced.
"Yeah, I guess so."
He was going to keep an eye on Jose and Ana though. Just in case.
Ethan Kavanagh made his way through the crowd of people toward the stage, where he saw his sister conversing with the DJ about the music:
"…We're not going to open the dance floor until the sun goes down completely, so don't start playing the dance music until then. For now, you can play music as background noise, but just keep it to Top 40 hits. Okay?" Kate said in her usual bossy tone. Before the DJ could say anything, she had turned around and began to walk away. She quickly spotted her brother and grinned.
"Hey Ethan."
"Hey sis. Having fun bossing everyone around?" Ethan asked, smirking slightly.
"Hey, if I didn't boss people around, nothing would ever get done," Kate said flippantly, crossing her arms. "That's what Dad always says."
"Whatever," Ethan said before frowning down at her outfit, which was a pink and blue Hawaiian print bikini covered by a sheer blue sarong. "That outfit's a little revealing, don't you think?"
"It's the last week of summer—I need to look the part," Kate insisted, twirling around to show off her tiny bathing suit. "I don't have to worry about school dress codes when I'm at the beach! Besides, I want Christian Grey to finally notice me tonight."
Ethan rolled his eyes, knowing all about his sister's ridiculous infatuation with Christian Grey. "Kate, if Christian were interested in you, you would know by now. Your persistence is not doing you any favors at this point."
"Says you," Kate scoffed, placing her hands on her hips. "You think your method is the better way to go? I doubt Mia Grey has even the slightest idea of how you really feel about her, does she?"
Ethan felt the blush creep up his neck, embarrassed that his little sister knew that about him. "I don't know what you're talking about."
He knew he was lying—he had had a crush on Christian's sister since he'd met her a few months ago, but since she was friends with the more "artsy" unpopular people, and Ethan hung out with all the jocks, their pairing wouldn't really make sense. Ethan was currently dating a pretty blonde varsity cheerleader named Elena Lincoln, however, and that was working out fine for him.
"Whatever," Kate said, rolling her eyes. "Anyone with eyeballs can see the way you look at Mia, and you're the only one who's denying it. Bet you twenty bucks I can get a Grey before you can, big bro."
Kate gave her brother a wink before walking past him, lightly bumping his shoulder as she went. Once she was gone, Ethan rolled his eyes.
"Hi. You're Ana, right?"
Ana and Mia both turned to see Jose Rodriguez approach them through the crowd, smiling at them. Ana felt her heart stutter in her chest—she had never spoken to Jose in person, but she knew his reputation as being one of the cutest boys in school that all the girls wanted to date. Tonight he looked amazing wearing a pair of blue board shorts and a black wife beater that showed off his muscular arms and shoulders. Ana could only stare at him dumbly for a second or two before Mia nudged her with her elbow.
"O-Oh, um—yeah," Ana stuttered, blushing slightly before holding out her hand for him to shake. "Nice to meet you. You're Jose Rodriguez, right?"
"Guilty," Jose grinned at her, shaking her hand before glancing over at Mia. "And you're Christian's little sister?"
"Yup, I'm Mia," Mia smiled at him. "Is my brother around?"
"Last I saw he was over there, on the other side of the dance floor," Jose nodded toward the opposite side of the noisy crowd.
"Cool. I think I'm going to go say hi," Mia said, glancing over at Ana and giving her a telling smile. Ana's eyes widened in shock as Mia waved goodbye to them and walked away, leaving Ana and Jose alone together.
"So," Jose turned to Ana, smiling at her in a charming way. "Wanna go grab a drink, Ana?"
Ana felt her knees go weak as her heart hammered with nervous excitement. "Um, sure," she said tremulously. She followed him to a nearby table, where there was wide variety of snacks and a large punch bowl with red juice and pineapple rings floating in it. Jose ladled some of the punch into two plastic cups and handed her one.
"Thanks," Ana smiled at him before taking a small sip. It tasted like fruit punch with a weird, bitter aftertaste to it, and Ana realized there must have been some sort of alcohol in there. She'd never tasted alcohol before, and she wasn't keen to get totally trashed at her very first beach party, so she decided to pace herself and not drink more than one glass of this stuff tonight.
"So Ana… you're going to be a sophomore this year?" Jose asked her, gazing at her interestedly.
"Yeah," Ana nodded, though she felt a bit confused. "How did you know?"
"Oh um, well…" Now it was Jose's turn to look a bit embarrassed, and he lifted his hand to scratch the back of his head. "I asked Christian about you earlier. I wanted to know more about you… I just think you're kind of cool, that's all. I'm sorry if that's weird or whatever."
Ana felt her heart pound even faster, and she could do little more than giggle, her face still bright pink. "Oh, no that's not weird. Um… thank you."
Jose grinned at her, and Ana couldn't help but smile widely back, for the first time feeling hopeful and excited for tonight.
"So, what do you like to do for fun, Ana?" Jose asked her, bringing his cup of punch to his lips.
"Hey Chris."
Mia approached her brother on the opposite side of the dance floor. He was standing with his friend Derek near the DJ setting up his soundboard on the stage. Derek was watching the DJ as Christian stared over people's heads at something in the distance.
"Hey Mia," Christian said distractedly, still gazing at something over her head.
"Um… what are you looking at?" Mia frowned, glancing over her shoulder.
"Jose went over to flirt your friend Ana," Derek explained when Christian didn't say anything. "He's just checking up on them."
"Oh, that's right," Mia turned and grinned at her brother. "Jose came up to talk to us, but it was obvious he only wanted to talk to Ana. I decided to step away and give them a little alone time together."
"You did what?" Christian's eyes snapped on his sister, looking shocked. "Why would you do that?"
Mia's smile turned into a frown. "Um… because they're clearly into each other, and I was trying to be a good friend to Ana."
"I don't know if that's a good idea Mia. Jose can be a bit…well… " Derek hesitated. "It just might not be a good idea for him to be talking to her."
"You're right, it's not," Christian agreed angrily, crossing his arms, and Mia gave him a bemused look.
"Since when did you care so much about Ana's well-being?" she asked. "It's just a little harmless flirting, and I want Ana to have some fun tonight while she's here. I know her well enough to know she isn't going to do anything too crazy with Jose, so what's the problem?"
"Mia, if you were a real friend to Ana you would make sure Jose isn't allowed anywhere near her," Christian insisted. "She can go flirt with someone… better for her. Jose isn't that guy."
Mia's eyes widened as realization dawned on her face. "Oh my God, you're jealous!"
"What?" Christian looked taken aback.
Derek suddenly laughed. "Oh my God dude, you totally are!"
"No I'm not—shut up," Christian said, though his face went red as he said that. "That's ridiculous!"
"Mm-hm, sure," Mia said with a sarcastic smirk. "So you don't want to be the one over there flirting with Ana right now? She does look pretty hot tonight, wouldn't you say?"
"Will you two shut up?" Christian growled, and he shoved Derek, who was still laughing at him. "Just because I feel protective of Ana doesn't mean I like her like that."
"Why would it be so wrong if you did like her? Seriously, Christian—you and Ana together isn't totally crazy," Mia went on sincerely. "She's an amazingly sweet person, and I know that you're very loyal and protective of the people you care about. I think the two of you would make an awesome couple."
Christian didn't say anything to that, but he glanced over Mia's head once again to gaze at Ana and Jose across the crowd. Was dating Ana something he really wanted to do? He had known her for a few years now, and while he had never felt particularly attracted to her, he had always noticed the cute expression on her face whenever she was concentrating on her homework, or the way she scrunched her nose when she laughed at a funny joke…
He gazed at her beautiful body in that tiny blue dress and her long brown hair glimmering in the light of the tiki torches. His pulse skyrocketed, and he frowned to himself.
Fuck, he was really screwed.
PEACE UP! A-TOWN DOWN!
The opening lines of Usher's "Yeah" suddenly blasted across the entire beachfront, and spotlights from the stage moved down to shine brightly on the dance floor. The whole crowd began to scream and cheer in delight, knowing that the party was finally about to begin—the sun had now fully set, and the flashing lights and tiki torches allowed the high energy of this beach party to come out completely. Teens moved onto the dance floor, dancing to the beat of the music.
"Oh man, I love this song!" Derek exclaimed happily. "I'm gonna go find Nikki, 'scuse me."
Derek hurried off, leaving Mia and Christian standing off to the side of the dance floor. Before either of them could say anything, they were approached by a blonde girl in a Hawaiian print bikini.
"Hi Christian," Kate Kavanagh smiled coquettishly, grooving to the beat of the music.
"Hi Kate," Christian smiled at her politely. Kate often flirted with him when they were at school, and although she was definitely very pretty, her bossy, domineering attitude really didn't appeal to him all that much.
"God, I love this song," she giggled, bringing her arms up to her head and moving her hips. "Wanna dance with me?"
Christian dearly would have liked to say no, but over her head he noticed Ana and Jose make their way onto the dance floor together.
"Sure, what the hell?" Christian said to Kate, and she beamed at him.
"Um, Chris?" Mia said behind him, but he ignored his sister as Kate grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor.
Ana had never believed in fairy tales before, but tonight she really did feel like Cinderella at the ball. She was sure a guy like Jose would never have noticed her if she came to the party in her usual dowdy clothes, but since Mia wanted to show off her beautician skills, Ana got to come here looking like one of those Barbie dolls that usually got popular at school.
And now Jose Rodriguez was actually talking to her. This all felt like a dream come true.
The two of them chatted with each other for awhile, talking about school and their friends and classes they'd taken. As it turned out Ana was in a lot more advanced placement courses than Jose had ever gotten to take, which Ana thought was pretty funny considering he was a whole grade above her. Jose was clearly much more interested in sports and running for the track team than he was in academics, which suited him just fine.
When Usher's "Yeah" began to play and people moved onto the dance floor, Jose's whole expression perked up. "Hey, d'you wanna dance?"
Ana glanced over at the dance floor, feeling inexplicably nervous. "Oh, um… I don't know."
She had never danced in this kind of setting before, so this would be a whole new experience for her. Jose grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the crowd of people dancing to the beat.
"C'mon, it'll be fun!" he insisted, pulling her along, and Ana decided to just go with it. This whole night was about her taking risks anyway, so why not?
They got onto the dance floor, where over a hundred kids were gathered together; everyone was packed together tightly, and Ana had a hard time making her way through the crowd. Jose was still holding her hand, so at least they didn't get separated.
Once they were in the middle of the dance floor, Jose stopped walking and turned to Ana. They were very close together, and Ana stared into his eyes, her heart pounding in her chest. He smiled before he started dancing to the music, and Ana soon followed his lead, swaying her hips and lifting her arms up in the air like with everyone else was.
Yeah! Yeah!
Shorty got down low said, come and get me
Yeah! Yeah!
I got so caught up, I forgot she told me
Jose was getting really close, and Ana wasn't sure how she felt about that—she may have enjoyed talking to him tonight, but when it came to this sort of touching, she was pretty clueless. She didn't want to seem rude, so she didn't push him away when he placed his hands on her hips, but she couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze as they danced.
Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a familiar face, and she glanced over to see Mia's brother Christian being dragged onto the dance floor by none other than Kate Kavanagh. Kate was one of the most popular girls in school, but she was extremely tenacious when it came to dating. Ana knew she had always had her sights set on Christian, so Ana couldn't help but giggle seeing the two of them together—Kate looking determined and Christian extremely regretful. He glanced over at Ana and waved, smiling slightly, and Ana smiled back.
But what I do know is the way she dance
Make shorty alright with me
The way she get low
I'm like, yeah, just work that out for me
Christian and Kate ended up only a few feet away from Ana and Jose, and she watched out of the corner of her eye Kate get up really close to Christian, grinding up to him to the beat of the song. She then turned around so her back was to his front, and her slender hips shimmied and swayed against his, her scantily-clad butt pressed up against his crotch.
Ana frowned to herself. Am I supposed to do that to Jose?
She looked over at Christian, and couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable he was—the expression on his face almost made her giggle. He glanced over at Ana and raised his eyebrows, clearly weirded out by Kate grinding up on him like this, and Ana couldn't help but smirk at him.
The song finally ended, and the crowd on the dance floor all cheered. Ana couldn't help but feel relieved the song was over and Jose finally took his hands off her.
"Hey so, um… I think I'm gonna go back to my friends now," Jose said to her. "Can I talk to you later?"
"Oh," Ana said, surprised. "Yeah, sure. See you later."
Jose smiled at her before turning and walking off. Ana, feeling a bit happy she wouldn't have to dance any longer, made her way off the dance floor just as "Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera started to play.
She walked back over to the table with the snacks and punch bowl, thinking she could grab a bite to eat before circling around and looking for Mia. Before she had a chance to, however, she saw someone hurrying off the dance floor nearby, and she glanced up.
"Christian?" Ana looked surprised as Christian walked quickly toward her, glancing around him nervously.
"Come on, let's get out of here," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her away.
"Why? Where's Kate?" Ana asked, glancing around the area as well.
"I asked her to get us drinks, and she could be back at any moment. Hurry, let's get out of here before she finds me."
Ana laughed as she allowed Christian to pull her away from the crowd and toward a more secluded area of the beach, where Kate was sure not to find them.
Ethan was glad to see so many people having a good time at his party. Everyone was drinking and dancing happily, and he had to hand it to Kate that the DJ she found was phenomenal. He was playing all the hits, which made the crowd scream and cheer in delight whenever a new song came on, and it added to the energy of the whole party.
Ethan circled the area, greeting some of his buddies as he went. Near the back of the dance floor, Ethan noticed Mia Grey standing alone with a cup of punch in her hand, listening to the music.
She looked so pretty tonight, wearing this off-the-shoulder pink summer dress that showed off her slender shoulders and long tan legs. Her short dark hair was curly tonight, and her chocolate brown eyes glimmered happily as she listened to the music, her body swaying to the beat as she idly sipped her drink. Ethan swallowed before approaching her, his heart beating anxiously in his chest.
"Hi… you're Christian's sister, right?" Ethan asked once he reached her, trying to sound casual.
"Oh, yeah. I'm Mia," Mia introduced herself, smiling at him. "And you're Ethan Kavanagh, right? I think we've met before."
Ethan smiled, pleased she remembered him. "Yeah, I actually know we've met before. I was trying to sound all cool and casual just then. Did it work?"
"Not really," Mia said, though she grinned at him. "But it was a good effort."
Ethan couldn't help but chuckle. "Thanks."
Mia smiled at him before turning her gaze toward the crowd. "Cool party," she noted, glancing around at all the people now dancing to "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry. "You and your sister really know how to throw a fun beach party."
"It was mostly Kate's effort," Ethan admitted. "I just wanted to invite a few of my friends for a small house party, but she insisted that a beach party for all of Bellevue would be way more fun. I suppose she wasn't wrong."
"Yeah, but I just think she wanted an excuse to throw a party and make sure my brother Christian was here," Mia noted. "She's been so desperate to get him to notice her, it's embarrassing."
"I know, right?" Ethan laughed. "I've tried to tell her how annoying she's being, but she just won't listen to reason. She and our dad are way too alike."
"God, some girls just cannot be subtle," Mia shook her head.
"Really?" Ethan asked, turning to face her. "So you think girls need to be more subtle in order for a guy to notice them?"
"It depends, I guess," Mia said, looking over at Ethan before frowning slightly. "Why do you care how girls flirt? I thought you already had a girlfriend."
Ethan's spirits sunk when she mentioned his girlfriend. He cleared his throat, glancing down at the ground. "Oh yeah. Um… Elena and I are sort of dating at the moment, I guess… but it's complicated."
"Uh huh, sure it is," Mia said, her voice dripping in sarcasm. "So you didn't approach me just now so you could hit on me?"
Ethan frowned at her, feeling like a dick because he knew she was right. "Elena and me are together for appearances, alright? I'm a football player and she's a cheerleader… we just fit the stereotype, y'know? It doesn't mean I like her that much, or that I don't think about other girls I might want to hang out with instead."
Mia blinked, staring at him. She seemed a bit affected by what he was saying, but quickly tried to hide it. "Why don't you? Hang out with the girl you want to, I mean."
Ethan shrugged, looking down. He was a coward and he knew it, but he didn't want to admit it to her. "I don't know."
Mia didn't say anything, but a moment later they heard a loud giggling coming from nearby. She and Ethan looked over, and were shocked to see Elena Lincoln herself being pulled off the dance floor by Jose Rodriguez. The two of them didn't notice Ethan and Mia nearby as they snickered and hurried off toward where the cars were parked, hand-in-hand, clearly about to go hook up. Elena's white blonde ponytail bounced in the firelight as she rushed away with Jose.
Ethan turned to look back at Mia's shocked face. "Well, it looks like my situation just got a lot less complicated."
"So… you and Kate, then?"
Ana and Christian had wandered off together toward the shoreline of Lake Washington, the music and revelry from the party a distant sound. Darkness surrounded them as they walked along the sand, but Ana felt perfectly safe being alone with him—it was just Christian, whom she had known for years now.
"No, Kate and I aren't together," Christian insisted. "She just asked me to dance, and I was stupid enough to agree. I've regretted the decision ever since."
Ana giggled. "Well, you live and you learn."
"I suppose so," Christian said, smiling slightly. The two of them lapsed into silence as they continued to walk along the beach—beside them they could hear the lake lapping up against the shore, and the calm sounds felt comforting to Ana.
"So are you having fun tonight?" she asked, and Christian shrugged.
"I am actually, despite Kate throwing herself on me on the dance floor," he said, and Ana giggled. "I saw you out there with Jose Rodriguez."
"Oh, yeah," Ana smiled, blushing slightly. "He and I were talking a bit beforehand. I think he's pretty cool."
Christian was silent for a moment or two. "You think so?" he asked, his voice sounding a bit odd.
Ana glanced over at him. "Um, yeah," she said, frowning slightly. "Why do you care?"
"It's just that…" Christian hesitated. "Jose's not as nice as you think he is. A lot of the stuff he says to girls isn't true—he just says that stuff so he can get them to like him. Or he'll talk to them for a bit before dropping them if he doesn't think they're willing to go down on him."
"Ew, Christian!" Ana said, blushing at his reference to blow jobs. "Don't be gross—Jose isn't like that. He's been nothing but nice and respectful to me all night. We had a really good conversation, and he wasn't being a liar or a creep or anything."
"I've known Jose for years, Ana," Christian insisted. "I've seen him do stuff like that to tons of girls in the past. I just want you to be careful around him, alright?"
Ana stopped in her tracks, turning to face Christian before putting her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "Why do you care, huh? What would it matter to you if Jose and I liked each other? Is it really so ridiculous to think that someone like him might actually like someone like me?"
Christian glared right back at her. "I'm not saying it to be mean. I just meant that I care about you, and I don't want a jerk like Jose taking advantage of someone as sweet and innocent and amazing as you. I would hate myself if he ended up hurting you in some way."
He had spoken without thinking, and Ana could only stare at him, a stunned expression on her face. The silence stretched between them as they stared into each other's eyes, the sounds of the party far behind them.
"I, um… I have to go," Ana muttered after a moment, and with that she turned around and rushed back toward the party.
Ana hurried across the sandy beach back toward the party, hoping the strappy sandals Mia lent her would stay on her feet as she rushed along. She could hardly believe what Christian had said to her—did he really like her in that way? Was he actually jealous of her and Jose? She couldn't deny that Christian was definitely cute, but she had always just kind of known him as Mia's older brother and nothing more.
Trying to shake off these confusing thoughts, Ana made it back to the crowd of partygoers, and she glanced around for Jose, wondering where he had gone.
"Hey Ana."
Mia approached her from the crowd, and walking beside her was, surprisingly enough, Ethan Kavanagh.
"Hey Mia," Ana smiled at her friend before turning to Ethan. "Hi Ethan—fun party."
"Thanks Ana," Ethan smiled at her.
"Have either of you seen Jose anywhere?" Ana asked, glancing around the crowd again, hoping to get a glimpse of him. "He said that he wanted to catch up later."
Mia and Ethan didn't say anything, but instead glanced at each other with worried expressions on their faces. "Um… Ana?" Mia began hesitantly, and Ana looked at her. "I think there's something you should know."
Ana frowned, glancing between her and Ethan. "What are you talking about?"
"It's Jose," Ethan said hesitantly, glancing over at Mia. "Mia and I saw him a few minutes ago sneaking away from the party with my girlfriend Elena. We think they went to his car to… you know…"
Ana felt as if her heart had fallen to her stomach, and a flush spread across her cheeks. Were they serious?
"He snuck away… with your girlfriend?" Ana asked Ethan, her voice shaking slightly.
"Yeah. She won't be my girlfriend for much longer, I'll tell you that much," Ethan said, his voice stiff.
"…Ana?"
The three of them turned to see Christian approach them from the beach, glancing between them. "What's going on?"
Ana, her heart pounding, glanced away from him to stare down at her feet.
"I was just telling Ana that Jose and my girlfriend snuck away to go hook up in his car," Ethan said to Christian, his voice flat. "It's all kinda fucked up."
Ana couldn't bring herself to look at Christian—not only did she feel bad for Ethan, but overall she felt humiliated by this whole situation. How could she have been so stupid to think Jose actually thought she was special? He was clearly a dick who would slept with other guys' girlfriends, and surely Christian was going to rub it in her face that he was right all along.
"Excuse me," Ana muttered, not looking at anyone as she pushed her way through the crowd of partygoers, wishing fervently she could just go home.
Christian watched helplessly as a clearly-embarrassed Ana rushed away into the crowd.
"Ana?" Mia called after her. "Crap," she muttered sadly. "I'm going to go see if she's okay."
Mia hurried after her friend, leaving Ethan and Christian alone together. Despite how glad Christian was that Ana now knew Jose's true character, he felt awful she was so hurt and embarrassed by what happened. He wished he could do something about it.
"I'm sorry, man," Christian turned to Ethan. "Elena's a bitch."
Ethan shrugged. "Yeah I know, but I've suspected for awhile that she was cheating on me, so it didn't come as a total shock. I didn't really like her that much in the first place… there's actually another girl I've been interested in for awhile now."
"Really?" Christian asked, and his mind suddenly went to Ana. "You should go for it, man. Life's too short—you should be with the person you want to be with. It's that simple."
Ethan didn't say anything for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Hm… maybe you're right."
"I know I am," Christian said, and he suddenly grinned, a plan formulating in his head. "Hey, you don't happen to know where Jose's car is parked, do you?"
"Um, I think it was toward the northern end of 43rd Street near the beach," Ethan said, pointing. "That's where Mia and I saw them sneak off to. Why?"
"No reason," Christian said, gazing in the direction Ethan pointed. "Jose's car is a red Impala, right?"
Ethan smirked at his friend. "What are you planning, dude?"
Christian chuckled. "You'll see. Come on."
He motioned Ethan to follow him toward the DJ booth, ready to put his plan in motion.
"Ana, wait!" Mia caught up to Ana, who was just pushing her way through the crowd of people with no aim of where she was going. "Please, stop!"
"I want to go home, Mia," Ana finally stopped and turned around so she was facing her friend. "This night was just a big waste of time."
"Don't say that," Mia insisted, gazing at Ana sadly. "I know Jose was a jerk to you, but at least you learned about it before you got more involved with him. Trust me, this is the best possible outcome."
"I know," Ana said, glancing down at her feet. "I realize that Jose was a jerk, but… I don't know, I guess I just hoped he would be different with me, that's all. Christian had actually tried to warn me earlier that Jose was an asshole, and I got angry at him for saying that. I'm so embarrassed."
"Don't be," Mia said sympathetically, pulling her friend in for a hug. "I'm sure Christian understands your situation. He's not a jerk like Jose—he's sweet and compassionate, and he's very loyal to the people he cares about. He would never do to girls what Jose does to them."
Ana couldn't help but smile slightly against Mia's shoulder as she hugged her back. "Yeah, I know."
Before Mia could say anything else, the music suddenly cut off and and the colored lights stopped flashing. Mia and Ana pulled away from each other as the people on the dance floor stopped dancing, glancing at each other in confusion.
"Hey everyone," The DJ's voice boomed out over the soundsystem, and everyone turned to look at him standing onstage with the mic. "What's up, Bellevue —how y'all doing tonight?"
His question was met by cheers of delight from the crowd.
"Good to hear," the DJ chuckled once the noise died down. "You Bellevue kids really know how to party! I'm gonna continue playing the music for you in just a minute guys, but before I do, our rockstar host for the evening Ethan Kavanagh would just like to know where his lovely girlfriend Elena Lincoln has run off to."
Everybody in the crowd looked at each other, murmuring among themselves and asking if they knew where Elena was. Ana and Mia exchanged a glance.
"Has anybody seen her?" the DJ went on, gazing curiously around the crowd. "No one? Oh well, I guess we should look in the last place we saw her then."
Suddenly, one of the yellow spotlights turned so it was shining on one of the cars parked on the road near the beach. It was a red Impala, and with the bright light now shining on it, everyone could clearly see in the backseat two people getting it on. Jose and Elena quickly separated and scrambled to cover themselves, shielding their eyes from the light as they did so.
The entire crowd suddenly erupted in a resounding OHHHHH! when they realized Elena had been cheating on Ethan with another guy and was outed by the DJ. Ana and Mia could only stare at what was happening, eyes wide with shock, and Ana looked over at the DJ booth to see Christian and Ethan both standing on the stage, grinning as they watched the scene unfold.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Elena Lincoln and Mr. Jose Rodriguez!" The DJ announced, clearly trying to contain his own laughter as everyone watched and laughed at Jose and Elena scrambling out of the car and running in opposite directions, desperately trying to cover up their nakedness. The damage was already done, however, and the entire crowd continued to laugh and boo at Jose and Elena.
"Practice safe sex, y'all," the DJ said to the crowd, and everyone laughed. "Now let's get back to the party."
Next moment, the colored lights were back on and pop music began to play once again. Everyone moved back onto the dance floor, still laughing and chattering about what had just happened, and Mia turned to Ana, grinning widely.
"Still want to leave, Ana?" she asked, giggling, and Ana couldn't help but laugh.
"Actually, I think I'd like to stay. At least for a little while," she smiled, and Mia grinned.
After the excitement of Jose and Elena being publicly outed, the party actually ended up winding down in the next hour or so. Pretty soon a majority of people had made their way off the beach and began to head toward their cars, still laughing about Jose and Elena. As embarrassing as that whole situation had undoubtedly been for the two of them, Ana couldn't help but feel gratified Jose and Elena got what they deserved. Neither of them had shown their faces for the rest of the party, which was probably for the best—Ana wondered if they would even show up when school started next week.
"Aren't you glad we came tonight?" Mia asked, hooking her arm through Ana's elbow as they followed the crowds of students back to the cars.
"Honestly, yeah—I had a really good time tonight," Ana grinned. "Even that time I spent talking with Jose. He may have ended up being a jerk, but I'm glad I know that now. I guess I do have some things I need to learn about boys."
"You're one of the smartest people I know Ana, but there are just some things you can't learn out of books," Mia stated, and the two girls laughed.
"Hey Mia."
The girls turned to see Ethan Kavanagh approaching them. "Hi Ethan," Mia said, and Ana couldn't help but notice her blush as she smiled at him.
"Hey Ethan," Ana greeted him too. "How are you? I don't think we saw you after everything went down with Elena and Jose."
"I'm doing alright, although I feel like everyone wants to talk to me after they learned Elena cheated on me," Ethan said. "All the girls want to flirt with me and all the guys want to shake my hand. It's maddening!"
Ana and Mia both giggled. "Well, at least they like you still."
"True," Ethan chuckled. "By the way Mia, um… I was hoping to have a quick word with you before you left?"
"Oh… sure," Mia said, her voice unusually high-pitched. Ana didn't miss the heavy blush on her cheeks as she stepped away from Ana and followed Ethan to a less-crowded area of the beach. Ana watched them with a small smirk on her face.
"Hey Ana."
Ana turned around and smiled when she saw Christian standing in front of her. "Hi Christian."
"Is Mia around?"
"She just stepped away for a minute with Ethan," Ana said, nodding toward where they had walked away. "I think he wants to ask her out."
"Seriously?" Christian asked, suddenly alarmed. He gazed over toward where Ana was looking. "So she was the girl he was talking about earlier?"
"I guess so," Ana said, turning back to him. "I think they'd make a good couple."
Christian grimaced, clearly upset over the prospect of Ethan dating his little sister. "If you say so… but if he hurts her in any way, he'll have me to answer to."
"I'm sure he knows that," Ana smiled. "And Mia knows it too… she really admires you, you know."
Christian's face softened as he smiled at Ana. "Really?"
"Of course. She always talks about how loyal and protective you are to the people you care about," Ana said, and she couldn't help but blush a little. "She's not wrong."
Christian gazed down at Ana, a smile still on his face. There was an expression in his eyes that made Ana's heart pound. "You really think so?"
"Yeah, I do," Ana smiled sincerely at him. After a moment, her smile faded into a small frown. "I'm sorry about what I said to you earlier, by the waterfront… you were trying to warn me about Jose, and I should have listened to you. I really am sorry for how I acted."
"It's okay, Ana," Christian said sincerely. "I'm sorry Jose was such a jerk to you."
"It was you, wasn't it?" Ana asked. "You had asked the DJ to expose Jose and Elena hooking up in his car?"
"I paid him 20 bucks," Christian admitted, scratching the back of his head. "You were clearly upset by what he did, and since Elena had always been such a bitch to Ethan, I figured I'd do both of you guys a favor."
Smiling widely, Ana stepped forward and kissed Christian on the cheek, surprising him. "That was really sweet of you to do for us, Christian. Thank you."
Christian blinked, and after a moment he smiled widely at her. "I was happy to do it Ana," he said sincerely. He suddenly looked a bit nervous as he glanced down at his feet. "Look, um… I don't know if you were doing anything tomorrow, but I was wondering if maybe you and I could—?'
"Yes," Ana said immediately, smiling widely.
"…go to the movies," Christian finished, a grin breaking out across his face. "You want to?"
"Yes, of course I would. I'd love to," Ana said, blushing bright pink.
"Cool," Christian said, his smile matching hers.
They both stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, their hearts seeming to pound in sync. As one, they slowly began to lean toward each other.
"Oh my God!"
The moment was broken by Kate Kavanagh, who they hadn't realized was standing only a few feet away, watching the two of them. Kate looked horrified as she glared between him and Ana. "Christian, how could you?"
She was practically shouting, clearly wanting the people around them to hear as they walked back to their cars. Christian, undeterred, put his arm around Ana's waist.
"How could I what? Ask the girl I like out on a date?" he asked, turning to look down at Ana. Ana smiled back at him.
"B-but…!" Kate stuttered, looking angry enough to punch something. "I've been trying to get with you for months! How could you not know that? And we were finally starting to hit it off tonight too—how could you do this to me?!"
"We danced one song, Kate, and I've regretted it ever since," Christian said, rolling his eyes. "Let's go, Ana."
Turning away from Kate, Ana and Christian walked toward the cars, his arm around her waist and her leaning into his side. Kate was shouting something after them, but neither they nor anyone else in the vicinity could bring themselves to care what she was saying.
Ana looked up at Christian beside her, her heart warming with a powerful emotion, and she smiled when Christian looked back down at her. Without thinking, she stopped in her tracks, causing him to stop too, and she leaned up to press her lips against his. After a moment Christian responded, smiling against her lips, and Ana couldn't help but smile back, her heart beating a furious tattoo against her ribcage as she enjoyed her very first kiss with a boy.
After several blissful moments, they parted, and Christian smiled down at Ana with an emotion she knew reflected her own. Without another word or a glance back at Kate, who had seen everything, they made their way together back to the cars.
This coming school year was sure to be the best one they ever had.
THE END