"Hurry up, Em! It's almost eight and Luca should be on his way!" Sidney yelled as she burst into my room with Katalina, bombarding me with her impatience that Friday afternoon.

It'd been a whole day of trying to figure out what to wear it make this seem like a casual friend hang instead of a date. I didn't like Oliver like that and no matter how much Sidney was calling this a "double-date", it'd never be one.

I'd procrastinated the entire day after I'd arrived home to an empty house. Jackson was off doing God knows what and apparently mom and dad were in marriage counseling after dad had apologized profusely about the incident at dinner.

So staying home and lounging around as I wallowed in self-pity seemed like a good waste of time and a nice and effective way to put off homework.

"I can't believe you haven't even showered yet," Kat said, shaking her head in disappointment as she looked over what I was wearing. I'd scanned Sidney's outfit as well, seeing her in simple black leggings, Timberlands, and a t-shirt with a print of tropical flowers on a tan pyramid background. She was wearing light make up that Kat had obviously styled and her long hair was braided into two goddess braids.

She'd put effort into her appearance which heightened my suspicion that she'd liked Luca back. Sid never tried to impress, and even though her outfit nor makeup said nothing, the winged eyeliner and braided glossy hair did.

She cared if Luca liked the way she looked.

"Unless you're going in those short shorts and tank top, I suggest you get up and shower while Sid and I pick I something for you to wear," Kat warned as Sid grabbed the towel that was hanging off my door and threw it at me.

And with that, they pushed me into me and Jackson's shared bathroom and closed the door shut, blasting out The Neighborhood as I got in.

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"Kat!" I yelled as she yanked harshly at my hair, the comb no doubt having a bit of my scalp in it as well.

"It's not my fault that you were born with tu cabello esta bien espeso, pollita ingrata!" She yelled back at me, stomping her foot when the comb had gotten stuck again. It'd been the third time and Katalina was probably planning my oncoming death.

"I mean, I know you're the foreign one here but... were you even speaking human?" Sid mocked, stopping and spinning around in my desk chair with her hands held up in a 'just saying' kind of way when Kat glared at her.

She was many things but patient was not one of them.

"Your hair turns into flipping Incredible Hulk everytime you shower, it's not even fair!" She yelled, "Sidney's hair isn't even this hard to manage."

"It's not my fault! Not everyone was born with your fucking perfect silky hair!" Sid yelled from the closet. It'd been forever and she still hadn't found me an outfit that, and I quote, "will get me laid."

Rolling my eyes, I yanked the comb out and glared at my pouting friend before I stood up and sprayed heat protectant all over my hair before I began straightening.

"Aha!" Sidney yelled after two hours of mindless searching. I'd already finished my hair and Kat had time to do my makeup before running oil sheen through my waves.

Sauntering out of the closet, Sidney produced a tight black crop top with the words 'death over dishonor' in white letters and some skinny jeans. Before I could ask what I was putting on my feet, she grabbed my white Air-Force 1s before yanking off my shirt herself and replacing it with the top.

"I can dress myself, Sid!"

"Not when Luca just texted and said he's in the neighborhood!"

Rolling my eyes, I pulled the top down before pulling down my shorts and saying no to the skinny jeans, replacing them with the sweatpants that hung off my hips lightly and cinched at my ankles. Pulling on my shoes, I tied them before licking my lips and putting on Chapstick.

The doorbell rang ten minutes later, Kat running down to answer it in her Aztec print skater dress and burgundy heels. Phoenix was apparently taking her to meet his family.

Now, that was serious.

His family was almost never home and when they were, he wasn't there to see them due to football. That meant he was missing the game. So knowing that he was ready to take this step with Kat made her all giddy and pumped. I just hoped they used protection when he took her home.

"Why hello, cutie," I heard Kat downstairs through the paper thin walls as Sid's face morphed into shock.

"Um... H-hi. I-I-I'm here for... for um-"

"Sidney, I know," she giggled, "I can see why she asked you out, Sid likes the shy type." Kat's voice lowered a bit and I had it strain to hear as I opened the door, Sid putting some stud earrings in her second hole last minute, "just so you know, Sidney's not an easy lay and we'd like to keep it that way."

"But if things get a little... heated, there's a box of extra-strength condoms in her guest room, try not to use them all-"

Kat must've meant the condoms from the time her and Phoenix were about to go all the way, they weren't exactly ready for that kind of connection and apparently he didn't want to do that until she was sure.

He's too good of a guy to be true.

"Katalina-fucking-Hernandez," I cut her off, chuckling a bit as I quickly brought myself down the stairs, Sid spraying a little perfume on herself before coughing and shaking her head angrily, her braids moving with her.

"Remind me never again..." she muttered, not having to finish before I could understand.

She was trying and she was trying hard to look nice for the night. It might've been just because she was proving a point or she really wanted this to go well, I wasn't sure. All I knew was that she was being more girly than usual and it was starting to become a little abnormal.

"What?" Kat asked innocently, smiling at me as if there was no way she'd have said anything mildly appropriate.

"Can you not pimp out our best friend?" I asked, tapping Sidney's back harshly when she had started coughing harder. Her eyes were wide and her hand was rubbing her throat as she stood up straight, blinking back the shock that looked to be almost swallowing her whole.

Rolling her eyes, Kat turned back around to Luca and gave a not-so-sly wink before gesturing not-so-subtly over her shoulder, her eyebrows wiggling. Luca stood there, his lips parted as he seemed to be taken aback, his lanky form resting against the doorframe in a plain blue tee shirt and some nice fitting jeans, he had a white hoodie in his hands which matched his shoes. He seemed uncomfortable and out of place as he scratched the place behind his ear and shifted from one foot to the other.

Sidney must've seen this because no later than Kat had finished, Sid was across the carpeted floor, her Tim's creating prints as she grabbed Luca's hand roughly, "Okay, we're going now," she said and in a second she was out the door, Luca's converse squeaking as she turned him abruptly.

I shook my head, smiling before I started walking outside, trailing them. Making it just out the door and down the two steps by the door before making it down the pathway.

"You crazy kids have fun!" I heard a thick Hispanic accent, Sid spinning around, her hand- that wasn't latched in Luca's -lifting up, her middle finger on display.

I briefly heard a laugh before the door slammed shut.

Walking closer, I noticed the blush forming on Luca's face, "So... Um, do you wanna..."

"Yeah..."

"M-my hand," he muttered, looking everywhere but at her, his nervousness radiating off of him.

Sid, jumping back and dropping his hand as if he had burned her, bit her lip as she moved around and hopped in the passenger seat of Luca's silver Sedan. I hopped in, as did they and the car was filled with awkward silence until we'd reached Oliver's house.

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Ringing the doorbell, I waited patiently on the steps, knowing that Luca and Sid were most likely having an awkward conversation in the car that was parked across the street in front of the park. I slid my feet back and forth creating a scuffing noise, my eyes roaming the house. It was an average sized house, I larger than the others on the block.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, me fiddling around with my sweatpants before I finally reached the iPhone 5 that laid nestled in a Marilyn Monroe case in my pocket.

From:

'Hurry up, it's getting awkward in here.'

Rolling my eyes, I put my phone on sleep before pushing it back in my pocket.

I went to ring the doorbell again, stopping when the door swung open to reveal Elliot Remmer, "What?" he spat, his eyebrow raising and his glare never ending on my face. His blue eyes contrasting that of his brother's. Elliot's hair was trapped in a bandana with anchors printed on it.

I licked my lips before opening my mouth, wondering why my lips seemed dry all of a sudden when I'd just put Chapstick on, "I'm here for Oliver..." I started, my voice coming out a little silent so I spoke again when he gave me a flat look.

"I see my brother finally got the nerve to get himself a girlfriend," he snorted before leaning back, his muscle shirt exposing the slightly muscled arms he possessed, "Oliver, your girlfriend is here!" He yelled before turning back to me, checking me out and then walking away leaving me in the doorway alone as I looked in through the crack of the door.

I heard a groan and Elliot's voice briefly say something along the lines of 'not cool man, don't touch the hair' before I'd seen Oliver's not-so-disheveled appearance come into play, "Shut the fu-"

"Oliver Julliard Remmer, finish that sentence and I swear, you won't be able to chew properly for the next year!" I heard a feminine voice that was most likely his mother.

"Yes ma'am!" Oliver rolled his eyes before shoving his phone into the pocket of his black skinnies, his belt separating it from The Neighborhood branded black tee he'd worn, a flannel placed over it.

"You look... nice," he muttered before closing the door, his hair properly fixed with the exception of that one strand that laid in front if his left eye before he pushed it back up, reuniting to with the rest of his hair.

"Um... thanks," I said back as he made his way down the steps, me slowly and leisurely making my way behind him.

Making it to the car, we hopped in. My knee was grazing Oliver's as we sat as far as we could away from each other in the tight car, the awkward silence becoming unbearable.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I turned off sleep mode and instantly it started buzzing, this alerted Oliver as he discretely looked over and sneaked a glance at me before his eyes went lingering back towards the back of the passenger seat.

Opening it, I noticed it was a text from Jan.

From:

'Have fun on your date. ;)'

Glaring at the back of Sid's head, it wasn't expected when I slapped the back of her head.

"Ow, you son of a motherbitcher, what was that for?" She asked, her hand coming back to rub her head as she turned around to face me.

"You told Jan that this was a date?"

(I already have the 'date' planned mostly but...)