Chapter 5 | Tacos And Party Games

~Juliette~

"Do you know anywhere I could get a job around here?" I asked desperately. "I have been looking everywhere online but none strike my interest."

Me and Melina were currently on my couch continuing our Harry Potter marathon. We just got home from school a couple hours ago and decided to have a lazy day. "Hmm...." She tapped her chin thinking about it. "I could recommend you to my boss. I work at a café 3 blocks down the street"

"Yes please! I really need a job right now.

"Great! It would be awesome to have a friend work with me and we are really low on staff right now." She said excitedly.

After another hour we decided to have some dinner and we were trying to figure out what to eat. "I could cook?" I suggested. "How about tacos?"

"Yes, I'm starving."

"We should invite the others over too." I added.

She nodded, "I'll call them." She pulled out her phone and proceeded to call our friends.

After she was done she came back to the couch and flopped down. "Do you remember Brynn mentioning a guy named Luke?"

"Uh yeah. Him and someone named.... Parker?"

"Yeah. So you know how they were on a business trip?" She questioned and I nodded. " Luke came back early so is it okay if he comes too?"

I smiled, "Of coarse."

She tapped on her phone a couple times. I'm assuming she's texting somebody so I get up and walk into the kitchen, preparing to make tacos. I started frying some hamburger for dinner when I heard a knock on my front door.

I shuffled over to the door quickly looking around to make sure my home was presentable before I let anybody in. I opened the door to come face to face with a older looking guy maybe about a year older then I am, but it was hard to tell. He had black hair and dark blue eyes that looked like the ocean.

"Hi I'm Luke." He held out his hand for me to shake. He smiled with dimples much like mine but not as defined.

I shook his hand. "I'm Juliette."

I saw something flash through his eyes before he put on a tight smile. "Pretty name."

I smiled and said thank you before I opened the door wider for all of my friends to come in. Everyone was here .

"Dinner is going to be a while. Is there anything anyone wants to do?"

Scarlett gave us all a wide grin. "We could play a game!"

"A party game? Aren't we a little too old for that." I chuckled.

Isaac scoffed. "No! Let's play spin the bottle!"

"Nuh uh, I'm not kissing any of you disgusting boys!" Melina cringed.

I chuckled again and Scarlett suggested never have I ever. "It would give us a chance to get to know Juliette a little better," She said.

I smiled, "But that's a drinking game."

"We could do the hand version! Unless you've got some alcohol?" Scarlett wiggled her eyebrows and winked at me.

I shook my head and everyone turned to look at Melina. "I know Melina's got some!" Issac said in a sing-song voice.

She glared at him, "I don't have any. Maybe my dad has some but that's just suicidal!"

"Oh come on Melina," Scarlett whined. "It'll be fun!"

"My dad counts it all. He would find out."

I looked at the others. "She's right. I don't really want to piss off my landlord."

"We'll just play the hand version then." Noah suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. I'm just going to check on the food quickly."

I jogged to kitchen to stir the hamburger and get everything out for the Tacos. After I finished setting everything up for dinner I turned to leave the kitchen and join my friends but someone stood in my way.

"So what's your story? Luke asked, looking at me curiously. "Don't you find it kind of suspicious a girl shows up out of nowhere with no family and no explanation as to why?"

I glared at him. "I don't think it's any of your business." I shot back.

He raised his eyebrow at me and took a step closer. Luke looked at the group and then back to me, "You better be who you say you are." He turned around and walked out of the kitchen, towards everyone in the living room.

I clenched my fist as I watched him walk away. What the hell is his problem! I let out a short breath and tried to calm myself down. I'm going to have fun with my friends whether he's here or not.

As I approach the group they all stand up and form a circle sitting on either the couch or the floor. I sit down on the couch between Scarlett and Isaac with Melina on the right of Isaac and Noah on the left of Scarlett and Luke and Brynn in between them.

"Alright let's get started. Does everyone know how to play?" Isaac asks.

Everyone nods except for Melina who shakes her head. "Not really," she states.

"So everyone holds up 10 fingers and we take turns going in a circle. One person States something they haven't done before and if someone in the circle has done it they have to put one finger down. Normally you would take a sip of an alcoholic beverage but we don't have any. The last person with a finger up wins.

Melina nods in understanding and Isaac volunteers to go first.

"Never have I ever...." He looks at me with a smirk. " Had a dog."

I playfully glare at him, "singling me out I see. Fine." I put a finger down as nobody else does.

We are going clockwise so I'm next. "Umm.... Never have I ever been to a party."

Everyone gasped at me and put down their fingers.

"You've never been to a party! You are definitely coming with us to the Halloween party Cole is hosting!" Scarlett squealed.

Scarlett took her turn next, "Never have I ever broken a bone." Luke and I both put a finger down and Melina asked how it happened.

"Yeah how did it happen Emerie." Luke interrogated.

"I gave him a hard glare and answered. "I broke my arm falling off a bike when I was 9." What? I couldn't exactly say I've broken multiple bones from street fighting.

Next was Noah. "Never have I ever eaten raw fish," he said before Melina, Brynn and Isaac put down a finger.

I looked at Melina and scrunched up my face, "Yet another food topic we disagree on."

"What! You don't like sushi?" Melina questioned.

"I never said that. I said I didn't like raw fish." I replied.

She grumbled, "Same thing."

It was now Brynn's turn who wiggled her eyebrows and had a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Alright let's make this interesting. Never have I ever been in a physical fight."

I internally groaned. Should I lie to them and say I haven't or should I tell them the truth. Luke is already on my case and I'm not really that close to them yet but I feel like I should tell the truth. I just won't tell about the street fighting.

I put yet another finger down as well as everyone but Melina but I can't ever imagine Melina getting in a fight. Or her doing anything bad.

They all look at me with questioning looks. I sigh maybe I'll open up a little. "Ever since I was little I was bullied, so eventually I had enough and stood up for myself. They all nodded in understanding and I asked them the same question.

They all looked at each other as if they could read each other's minds and then answered my question. "We and the neighboring town high school don't get along very well.

I heard the oven beep which meant that the taco shells we're done heating up so I got up and told everyone to keep playing while I got everything set up.

Isaac stood up as well. "I can help," he offered following me into the kitchen.

I pulled out the shells and asked Isaac to get out the cheese, lettuce and veggies.

I began chopping the tomatoes and cilantro as Isaac cut the lettuce and grated the cheese. I stirred the spices into the hamburger and put everything neatly into bowls. As I was doing this I felt Isaac staring at me the entire time.

I span around to look at him with a curious look. He seemed deep in thought. "Is there something wrong?" I asked him.

"N-no. Why would something be wrong?

I shrugged. "You're acting kind of weird."

He shook his head and turned his attention back to what he was doing.

I sighed and set the table for everyone.

"Guys it's ready!" I called everyone over to the table. I took a seat at the table preparing to be grilled by my new friends

~•~

Too be continued in part 2.