Right In Front of Me (Finished)

Chapter 28: The Christmas Party

***Avalon's POV***

        "Sorry, Grey, I just- just got a little freaked out back there. I d-didn't expect to see that... I was still pretending it wasn't happening." I say. I cover my face for a moment then look at Greyson between my fingers. "What?" I ask him. I am sitting in the passenger seat of Greyson's truck, and he is standing in the cold right outside my door. He shakes his head, then laughs, "This is gonna make Jackson's party tomorrow a little awkward." I remove my hands and laugh. "Nah, I'll just tell them sorry I freaked out."

        We walk into Jackson's house Saturday night, and his parents direct Greyson and I to the basement, where the party was. Everyone in our group is there, the girls dressed pretty much like me. The music is pretty good, too; it's just some soft-core dub step Christmas party music that I've never heard before. And, yes, Hallie and Hayden are there dancing with each other. Hallie looks marvelous as usual. They see us, and stop dancing. Hallie tells Hayden she'll be right back. She walks over to me, Greyson walks away to give us privacy, and she says, "Avalon... I... am so sorry. I should have told you."
"I already knew when I saw you at the mall." I tell her.
"Wait, what? Oh, Greyson told you, right?"
"Yeah, but I knew before that, too. He told me right before we saw you there. But Yolanda and I suspected it at The Snow Ball; we saw you sneak out of the janitor's office."
She nods. "Are you mad?"
"I was... confused, but now I'm kinda glad that you two found someone, and especially that I can trust both of you so I know you are making a good choice. I seriously hope you two have a long relationship. You deserve it."
She smiles. "Thanks." We hug. Then we go into the group to dance. Hallie is dancing with Hayden while I dance with Yolanda and Taylor. "So? Any further information on-" Yolanda starts.
"'Possible Classified Incident'? Uh, yes..." I interrupt.
"Spill!"
"Okay, what is going on?" Taylor interjects.
I move us further from Hallie, so she doesn't hear. I  fill Taylor in on what happened, adding also the information Yolanda hadn't heard. When I am done, they both look at each other, then at me. Yolanda asks, "So, what now?" That is a question I have been asking myself every second of the past day and a half.
"I don't know." I say simply.
"But what about you and Greyson?" She asks.
Taylor asks, "What about her and Greyson?" She gasps, then says, "Are you two gonna get together?!"
"I don't know!" I exclaim. "I don't know anything right now! All I know is that I am confused!"
"You good Avalon?" Diego asks. I just give him a hug, say, "Yeah, just... it's really weird."
"I can handle weird. Come here. Tell me." He says. We walk over to a couch and sit down. I tell him everything; he hasn't really been involved with the group as much since he just started interacting with the whole group when I was having a breakdown at school. He asks when I am done with my summary, "So... why aren't you with Greyson?"
"We're friends, and it would be so weird to date right? Well, I don't know, but Greyson probably doesn't even like me. I'm just a friend to him." I tell him. He looks unsure. "Then why has he been looking over here the whole time? He still is! Look!" I look over my shoulder to see Greyson staring. He just smiles, then walks over to Mason and Jackson, who are currently kissing their girlfriends, so Greyson just turns back toward me, and walk over to us. "Okay, that was weird. Gah, I hate being a third wheel!" Greyson says, standing in front of us. Diego and I  look at each other, then at Greyson. "Oh- oh, sorry, am I walking into the middle of something? Am I being a third wheel?" Greyson asks. Diego and I share a look, then he says, "Nah, I mean, don't get me wrong; Avalon's great and beautiful, but... I like Mercedes. Avalon had her chance to be with me earlier this year." I look at Diego. "Wait, you seriously liked me?" He nods. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry; I didn't know."
"It's cool; I've got Mercedes now." He says.
"Did you ask her out yet?" I ask.
"No... I want to! And, like, we kissed and stuff, but I don't know if that kiss meant as much to her as it did to me."
"It did, man. She's over there trying not to make it obvious that she's staring. They always like you if they are staring like that. Seriously. Go dance with her!" Greyson says. Diego hesitates, but stands up saying, "Yeah, I guess that is true. If they're starin', they're heart's song is a'blarin'." He looks at me. I know why he said that. Greyson was staring the same way Mercedes was. Diego gives me a serious look, then walks over to Mercedes. Yolanda is over there freaking out with Mercedes because Diego is going over there.
        "I seriously think they are a awesome power-couple." Greyson tells me, sitting down. I spread my body across the couch long-ways, my legs across Greyson's lap. I lean my head against the arm of the couch, saying, 'Poor Yolanda; she's the only one in her group without a boyfriend." Greyson says, "Not for long. Sterling might make a move soon." I just say, "I hope so." Then, Greyson starts to say something; but all he gets out before Jackson interrupts, is, "Avalon, I have to tell you someth-,"
        Jackson says, loudly, "Everybody sit in a circle; we're playing spin the bottle!" Everyone cheers. I look at Greyson. He looks at where everyone is sitting in a circle, and he helps me up. There is only room for us to sit on opposite sides of the circle.
        "Alright, does anyone want to not play, and therefore be a total buzz kill? Nope? Good." Jackson says; and we all laugh. "Okay, so the rules are: If the bottle lands on someone of the same sex, and you are not comfortable kissing them, you can kiss their cheek. Also, if the bottle is between two people, you have to kiss both. Does anyone not know the rules? Ah, I'll go over them anyway. So, you spin the bottle, and depending on the persons sex, you will kiss them... I guess, where, you need to, and then the person to the left of you will spin. Got it? Great." Jackson tells us, the sits down, placing a root beer bottle in the middle of the circle. "Who will start?" He asks. He decides that Yolanda will start, since she is the only one who has not kissed anyone this school year. I can tell that she is a tiny bit angry that he pointed that out. She throws him a playful glare, then nervously spins the bottle.
        It lands on Hayden. Yolanda looks at me, and Hayden looks at Hallie, who smiles at him. They both shrug, then lean in and kiss shortly. Jackson, then, announces  that none of us can go bragging about having kissed one of us. Next to Yolanda sits Taylor, who licks her lips, then wipes them off on the back of her hand. She is really nervous about kissing anyone who isn't Mason. Mason gives her a thumbs-up. She smiles, then spins the bottle. It lands on Diego. They kiss, then both pretend to be spitting out germs. We all laugh, and then it's my turn.
        I touch the bottle lightly, but don't spin it yet. Lana says, "What is the, according to Marry, School Slut nervous to kiss someone?" Everyone either laughs or goes, 'Ooooooooooh!" I push Lana over, then spin the bottle. It lands between Mason and... Hayden. Oh shoot. I look around, and Diego says, "That is totally on Mason. Pucker up, bruh." I send a mental thank-you to Diego; he knows how awkward it would be too kiss Hayden. But Jackson says, "Rules are rules; it is between Mason and Hayden. Go for it, Avalon! You are the only person who has landed on two people, and you are complaining?" I look at Taylor who seems to fine with me kissing her boyfriend. It is right then that I tell myself that I have to be okay with it if someone has to kiss Greyson; everyone else is so understanding about it just being a game. So I lean over to Hayden to get it over with first. That is when I decide to take Summer's advice.
        I kneel down right in front of him, grab his head, place my thumbs over his mouth, and kiss them. Nobody can tell that it was fake when I look around. Except for Greyson, who is silently laughing to himself. I shake my head at him. Everyone is now doing the 'Ooooooh's. I lean into Mason, and kiss him softly and briefly. Then I sit back down and look at Taylor. She's fine.
        Next, Hallie must spin, and she gets between Greyson and Lana. Oh gosh. I remind myself to be fine. I look down, and when I look back up, I see that Greyson is looking at me for my reaction. I bite my lip and look side to side, trying to avoid his eye contact. Hallie kisses Lana on the cheek, but then she hesitates in front of Greyson. All at once, they both grab one another and kiss. When they part, Hallie sits down, red-faced. Hayden looks very bitter to the fact that she kissed him that way. Greyson looks at me, and I pretend to think it's funny.
        Mercedes spins and gets Jackson. Mercedes walks over to him, squats in front of him, and they just look at each other. Then as a joke, they roughly kiss each other, Jackson laying down on the carpet, and Mercedes still kissing him. He sits up, then, and they grab each other's necks, moving they're heads left and right, then they part and she sits down. "Whoo!" Mercedes shouts. We are all laughing. It was seriously hilarious to watch them do that when we know they both like other people. Diego kisses Mercedes, just to point out that she is his to kiss.
        Next Diego has to kiss Lana, and then Greyson spins. In the middle of the bottle spinning, Jackson's parents burst into the basement. We all look at them, standing up to hide the bottle. "Mom, dad, what are you doing down here?" Jackson asks, trying to escort them back upstairs. "There is a big snow storm coming. Y'all better get going if you want to beat it home." His mom says.
        We all whine, and grab our stuff, kissing goodbye. Jackson's parents are swept back upstairs by everyone leaving. It is just me, Greyson, Jackson and Lana in the basement when I drop my bag, spilling everything out. I am rapidly putting it back in when I turn to see what Greyson is looking at.
        The bottle. It is pointing right at where I was sitting. He looks at me, and I just shrug it off, like it's no big deal. We stand up once everything is back in my bag, then we turn to leave, stopping to notice Lana on top of Jackson on the couch, sweetly making out with him. She rolls over so that her back is on Jackson, her head on his chest. I ask, "Lana, do you need a ride?" She shakes her head, saying, "No, I'm staying here for the holidays while my parents are in Alaska. I don't know why they would voluntarily go somewhere colder than here." We laugh, say goodbye, and we leave to drive home.

        The next morning, I wake extra early to go shopping for Greyson's present. I still have no idea what I am getting him. I get dressed, get ready, and walk out the door with a granola bar in hand for eating on the way there for breakfast. I drive to the mall, in search of the perfect present for Greyson.