Comfy Closets - Chapter 10: Chapter 10

"Gia, we are going to a party this Friday," I announced as I barged into her room.
"Wait, what? You never like going to those," she groans as she slowly sits up from her bed, the crumpled sheets wrapped around her like a cocoon. "And nice to see you too, coming to visit my sickly self," she quipped sarcastically.
After I left school, I went straight to Gia's house, needing to tell her what happened. Now taking the time to look at her, I felt guilty about disturbing her rest. The room was mostly dark with the exception of the dying sunlight coming through the slit in the curtains. Her eyes looked tired, with slight bags underneath and her skin was paler than what would be deemed as her healthy complexion. The space between my eyebrows creased as I now gazed at her with concern. "Sorry, G. Are you feeling better?" I asked, sitting near the foot of her bed.
She quickly grabbed a tissue from the nightstand and sneezed into it before she croakily answered. "I'm feeling better than this morning. I should be fine to go to school tomorrow." She then laid back down in exhaustion. "Now what were you saying about a party?" the redhead mumbled, her hair splayed across the pillow.
Taking this as my cue, I quickly caught her up on what happened in class and after school with Leah, skimming over the details but focusing more on what happened on the walk back. Her eyes slowly widened as I recapped the events, even sitting up again to listen more intently as I excitedly relayed everything.
"Well, now we know Leah is as smooth as me," she commented, more so boasting about her charm than complimenting the blonde.
"Yes, we all know your charisma is top-notch. Now move on," I deadpanned.
"Alright, alright," she chuckled to herself, wiping her runny nose with a tissue before she went on. "Well okay, I guess we'll be going to a party on Friday. Haven't been to one in a bit," she mused as she stretched her arms above her head.
"Yes! Okay, I'll tell Ash about it. He probably was already planning to go anyways," I said excitedly, whipping my phone out to text him. I was way more excited than any other time the word 'party' was mentioned before, and there's really only one reason why.
As I was doing that, Gia was staring at me with knowing eyes, a small smile present on her lips. "You really like her, don't you?" she said, making it sound more like a statement than a question.
My heart skipped a beat as she said that. Pausing my actions for a second, I glanced up at her and bit my bottom lip, not saying anything. She knew the answer to that already, but even if she didn't, I knew my eyes said it all.
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The next day, I did see Leah, but it was only in passing. I was on my way to third period with Ashton by my side, and she was walking the other way towards me with a bunch of her friends next to her, chatting amiably.
The blonde noticed me a second after I did and raised her hand slightly, mouthing a silent 'hey' as she neared. I reciprocated her gesture with a shy smile and a small wave that looked more like I was karate chopping the air. Instantly cringing at my awkwardness, I looked straight ahead again as I walked past, a clear blush staining my cheeks.
Ashton noticed my gesture and looked behind him with mild curiosity to see who it was I waved at. He was definitely going to tease me if he found out who it was. I had to distract him.
He turned his head back around, a little puzzled. "Was that Leah you-"
I cut in just then, saying the first thing that came to mind. "Ash! Do you know about that new movie coming out? I wanna see it."
He scratched the side of his head for a second, then decided to let the Leah thing go for now to answer my question. "Um, I don't know which one you're talking about. What's it called?" he questioned distractedly.
Shoot. I had no clue what movies will be released soon. I almost said Harry Potter nine, but thankfully, I stopped myself. "I-I don't know the name of it," I stuttered out nervously.
A crease formed between his brows as he grew confused. "Okay... Do you know the names of anyone in it?"
I blurted the first name that popped into my head. "Angelina Jolie!"
Ashton canted his head to the side, doubt now clouding his features. "Are you sure it was her? She hasn't done a movie in a while..."
Well, now I had to go with my lie or else he'd get suspicious. What have I dug myself into?
"Yeah, it's definitely her. And Brad Pitt is in it too." Why did I have to add that? I berated myself, mentally slapping my own face.
He narrowed his eyes sceptically, slowly catching on. "Are you sure you're not talking about Mr and Mrs Smith? That movie was released over a decade ago," he pointed out.
"Oh, I didn't know that," I tried to play off, but I don't think he was buying it. "Oh well, okay. Um, bye," I quickly mumbled, taking that as my opportunity to slip away to my next class and left a bewildered Ashton behind. Maybe now was a good time to mention that I was not the best liar out there...
School soon finished and I went about my routine of snacks and homework when it was interrupted by a text from none other than Leah.
I heard the ding as I was in the midst of writing an essay, and so welcoming the distraction, I immediately picked it up. My first reaction when I saw her name was surprise, then excitement quickly took over. Clicking into it, I saw she had already given me a nickname in the chat.
Leah - Hey! It's Leah. You know, the oh so charming girl that loves to make you blush?
Lyssaaa - You got the wrong number, sorry. I'm not a blusher.
Leah - You sure? Because I can bet you're blushing right now...
I had already felt my cheeks heating up at her first text. Now looking at that comment, I didn't want to give her the satisfaction, so I quickly changed the topic.
Lyssaaa - Why am I the only one with a nickname?? That needs to change.
Thinking of one on the spot, I quickly went to set her a new nickname, and I've got to say, it was hilarious.
DiaLeah - Okay, I do not approve of this nickname. Just looking at the word makes me laugh
I actually laughed out loud at that, not able to control a wide grin from appearing on my face as I continued to type.
Lyssaaa - Fine, fine. I'll change it because it's also starting to make me feel sick haha
I begrudgingly set her a new one. It wasn't as creative but I thought it was kinda cute.
Leahbear - Aww, that's adorable. I like this one.
You're adorable, I wanted to say but I didn't have the guts to type it down. Before I could come up with something else to say, she had already texted something else.
Leahbear - Btw, I just wanted to tell you that I'll pick you up at around 9:30 tomorrow. Is that alright with you?
Lyssaaa - Yeah, that sounds good. A friend of mine is tagging along too. Hope that's alright??
Leahbear - No, I don't mind!
Lyssaaa - Alright, I'll see you then :))
Leahbear - See you then beautiful.
I stared at her last text for a couple of minutes afterwards, not believing what I was seeing on the screen. She called me beautiful!! I couldn't keep my mind from thinking of anything else but that for the rest of the night.
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"Girl, you are not wearing that, are you?" was the first thing Gia said to me when I opened my front door.
"No! I haven't changed from practice yet! I'm not going to a party in a muscle tank top. I may not have the best sense of style, but at least I know that," I defended myself incredulously.
"Okay, okay. Just making sure," she commented lightheartedly as she stepped into my house.
We walked up the carpeted stairs to my room and the instant Gia got there, she flopped onto my bed head first, letting out a sigh of bliss.
Playfully rolling my eyes at her, I went about getting ready. "I'm gonna take a shower, sleeping beauty," I called out behind me as I headed to my bathroom, hearing a muffled reply in return.
Forty-five minutes later, I was all fresh and clean with light makeup on and my natural waves let down to flow. I donned a white long-sleeved laced up crop top and high waisted jean shorts, showing just a tad of cleavage and a fair bit of my abdomen. It was an outfit picked out by Gia since she didn't trust my taste for an event like this. To be fair, I didn't go to parties much since it always got boring really fast, so I think I trusted her judgment on this even if it did show more skin than I was used to.
Her exact comment to get me to stop complaining was: "Leah will not be able to resist that. Trust me."
When it was nearing nine-thirty, I got a text from Leah saying she was nearly here, so I grabbed a jacket and the essentials and dragged a pouting Gia from my comfy bed.
As I passed the living room on my way to the front door, I heard my mom call for me. Sighing to myself, I slowly backtracked to the entryway and acknowledged her. "Yeah, mom?"
She and my dad were sitting on the couch watching a movie while my little sister was on the floor playing with her toys next to the coffee table. She narrowed her blue eyes that were so similar to mine as she questioned me. "Where were you going again?"
"I'm going out to see some friends with Gia, then going back to her place for the night," I stated as nonchalantly as I could, hoping she wouldn't catch on to what I was really doing. It technically wasn't a lie.
She stared me down some more, trying to see if I was lying but she seemed to not have spotted anything as she let me go. "Alright, be safe."
Letting out a silent breath of relief, I smiled and said my farewell to them, Gia yelling out hers enthusiastically as she waved like a maniac. Don't worry, they loved her.
Finally stepping out of the house, I felt the cool air brush gently against my exposed skin, causing slight shivers to erupt from my body. I quickly slipped on my jacket and walked to the car that had just stopped in front of my house.
Opening the front door to the black car, I spotted Leah in her seat smirking at me. "Hey Lyssa," she said, her voice all husky and alluring.
"Hey," I replied, smiling at her cheerfully and admittedly a little flustered by her voice.
As I got into her car, I subtly analysed her, giving her a small once over. She wore a maroon halter top and ripped skinny jeans, exposing a bit of her tan abdomen. I couldn't tear my eyes away for a few seconds, however when I did manage to and brought my gaze back up to her eyes, I noticed she was not looking in that direction, but a little bit lower...
The laced up top was definitely a good idea, I thought as I blushed bright red, thankful the dark setting was enough to cover most of it from their view.
When the blonde did look up, her cheeks displayed the embarrassment she felt for being caught. She visibly gulped and cleared her throat nervously. "Um, y-you look nice"
"Thanks," I mumbled as I looked down and fidgeted with my fingers, the compliment drowning me with the feeling of flattery.
I heard someone clear their throat just then, and unlike the last time, it was very fake and intentional for the sole purpose of catching our attention. "Umm, okay. Hi, I exist," Gia mentioned, waving sarcastically at us to remind us of her presence in the backseat. "Nice to see you, Leah."
The hazel-eyed girl turned slightly in her seat, looking surprised as if she had just noticed there was another person in the car with us. "Oh! Hey Gia! Didn't know you were the friend Lyssa was talking about," she said, giving her a friendly smile before turning back around to start moving the car towards our destination.
"Wait, how do you two know each other again?" I questioned, confused by the familiarity present in her tone.
"Oh, we're in the drama club together," Leah answered.
Right, I should've figured it out when she mentioned that the other day. Damn my slow brain sometimes.
Nodding in acknowledgement, I gave her a side glance and noticed that her blush was slowly fading. Smirking, I decided to mention it. "I see I'm not the only blusher here..." I trailed off, referring back to our text conversation from yesterday.
The corner of her lip twitched up, her eyes showing amusement as they were fixed on the road. "Maybe it's just you who has that effect on me," she slyly commented, a smirk now taking over.
My cheeks started flaring up again, making me curse my non-existent ability to remain stoic and cool. I quickly tried to come up with a smooth come back to that. "Maybe I do. I guess I have that effect on everyone, but you most of all, DiaLeah," I grinned cheekily.
At the mention of her nickname, she burst out laughing, lifting one hand off the wheel to cover her mouth as her eyes lit with joy.
"I can't believe you came up with that for me. I don't like it very much, especially because it's not true, so you better come up with another" she said jokingly, her laugh settling down to a chuckle.
I giggled too at her reaction, loving how comfortable I already was with her, just joking around like this. "Alright, alright," I conceded.
Just then, I heard a ding go off on my phone, indicating that I received a text. Turning it on, I clicked into the text and saw it was from Gia. I furrowed my brows in confusion as I started reading it.
GiaTheQween - I feel like the biggest third wheel right now. I might just yeet myself out of this car to avoid all the flirting I'm witnessing.
Looking up into the rear-view mirror, I saw her with her phone in her hands, looking at the screen and smiling cheekily to herself. I forgot she was there again.
Before I could send her a text back, Leah announced that we had arrived. So instead, I sent a meaningful glare her way, and all she did was cackle quietly, almost sounding like a cat trying to cough up a hairball.
Leah parked the car somewhere close by and we all go out, me breathing in a large breath to ready myself for the night to come. Gia was the one who took initiative, confidently walking ahead.
"Let's smash this party, ladies."