Don't Give up on Me

"You know, I don't think I can take tonight seriously with you dressed like that," Zacky says into my ear as we weave our way through the people in Laura's large backyard.

I pinch his palm. "Behave. My dad is somewhere around here and I'm trying to make him not hate you as much as he does as it is. Save it."

"Oh, I will," he says, his breath sending chills down my spine before straightening up and acting like nothing had happened. If I had known that the lilac colored skater-skirted dress I was wearing was enough to incite this kind of behavior on a night so important, I wouldn't have worn it.

Actually, I'm totally lying. His words had adrenaline rushing through me and made me want to leave, even though we'd just arrived. And I wasn't even sorry.

"Serena!" I call out, and the blonde turns from whomever she was talking to and welcomes the both of us with open arms. Literally, she dramatically embraced he and I before introducing us to her aunt Sylvia.

"You're just as beautiful as your father described you. And your hair," she reaches for a straightened strand and rubs it between her fingers. I hated it when people touched my hair; it was the ultimate invasion of my personal space in my eyes, and I felt immediately uncomfortable. "God, I'm jealous of your hair. Its so voluminous and shiny, what do you put in it?"

"Shampoo and conditioner..." I replied, wanting to shrug. But, that'd be rude and completely ruin the illusion my father wanted to paint tonight. In his eyes, I'd already ruined it by bringing Zacky. But, I couldn't be bothered with caring. None of us were perfect, not at all, and I couldn't see why he wanted to pretend so badly that we weren't a middle class family who bickered more often than laughed with each other. But, you don't just tell people you're disappointed with your life. So you create a fairy-tale, one with that same cliche ending of love and happiness, and don't bother to care about the consequences.

Such as Sylvia directly snubbing Zacky by ignoring him completely. She laughed at my response before she left for another glass of Chardonnay, her eyes rolling at him once before she walked away. His black eye had healed considerably, and was barely noticeable. The cut, too, looked better than it had yesterday. But it was the piercings, the tattoo poking out from underneath the short-sleeve of his white T-shirt that automatically made them look down their noses. Not only did it anger me, it only made me hate today even more. I squeezed his hand to reassure him, but I knew he was expecting much more than the simple eye roll.

"We don't talk to her, much, to be honest. She's a bitch," Serena says, breaking the silence that had fallen between all of us. She smiles softly, trying her hardest to get us both to relax. It may have been out of charecter, but I appreciated the attempt.

"How many more hours of this do we have?" Zacky asks, scanning the large yard at the faces unfamiliar to us both.

"Andi, when does your father normally end things like this?" Serena asks, crossing her black-lace covered arms.

"Midnight..." I sigh, resting my head on my boyfriend's shoulder.

"Well, we've got four hours until we can sneak a drink or two and two until we can get the hell out of here," Serena says, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and grabbed Austin's hand, who had arrived during the conversation with her aunt. "Let's make the most of it."

She then led us through multitudes of people to where we needed to be-- our parents. She looked beautiful in her simple black party dress, her long legs already sunkissed with a healthy tan. Oddly enough, I was jealous; I couldn't hold a tan even if I tried.

"How many guys have you judged for wearing Hawaiian shirts?" I ask Zacky quietly as we walked.

"Ten, including your dad," he replies, my eyes wandering over to where my dad stood on the patio with Laura. Khaki cargo short and a blue and white flower printed Hawaiian shirt, what a lovely choice, Father, I thought sarcastically as I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him.

"I can't believe she's letting him walk around like that," I shook my head. "This is such bullshit."

"Uh, yeah," he says in an obvious tone. I wished I had let him convince me to stay home instead of doing this. I was a fool. This couldn't end well, either.

"I was just thinking the same thing," Serena says, listening in on our conversation. As we come closer to Laura and my father, I fight to suppress the urge to groan.

My dad's parents were here. They must've flown in last night or something, because I had no clue they'd be in town. And by the looks of it, they weren't too happy to see me either. They both hated my mother with every fiber of their beings, even before the divorce. They called me a mutt and she a setback casually, as if it were okay to even think such things. Openly racist, that's what Ryan usually said when we'd leave their home, both of us scorned by the harsh words spoken.

"Andria, my dear, there you are!" my Nana says, hugging me much too tightly. "Who is your compadre?" she asks mockingly in a white accent. My cheeks flush slightly.

My dad eyes me. No, his eyes told me. Don't you dare introduce him to them.

"This is my boyfriend, Zachary," I say proudly, and I meant it. An unintended smile appeared on my face as they cautiously shook his hand.

"Its nice to meet you both," he says courteously, though they didn't deserve it. Disgust covered their features, but he held his poker face. He deserved so much better than this, I thought before my father pulled me aside.

"Andria, I thought I told you he wasn't to come tonight," he snarls as soon as we're out of earshot. "He doesn't belong here."

"Nor do I, but I showed up anyways," I reply instantly. "He promised to be on his best behavior. Look at him, he's even talking to Pops."

My father looks over and sees Zacky nervously talking to Pops about something. "I can't believe you brought him after I ordered you not to. Look at him, black eye and all. How did that even happen?"

"Its none of your business," I said, crossing my arms.

"Oh really? Tell him to leave. Now."

"If he goes, I go," I argue, standing my ground. "You wouldn't want to cause a scene, would you, Dad?"

His face remains expressionless, though this meant he was having an internal struggle. "Fine. He can stay. But don't think I like it."

Image trumps everything. Who would've known? "Be nice," I told him before walking away and rejoining Zacky, my fingers curling around his tattooed bicep. He smiled down at me briefly, a nervous smile. I smiled back warmly before focusing on the conversation.

"Where is my grandson? Or should I expect more disappointment tonight?" Pops asks my father, his words hitting me in the gut.

On cue, Ryan joins us with a beer in hand. "Hello, Pops."

"Look at you drinking! Must be your mother's side that likes beer over fine wine," Nana says disapprovingly. I sighed. I just wanted to hide away forever.

Ryan ignores Nana's comment, instead greeting us all and even saying how happy he was that Zacky was here, surely surprising my father and grandparents. "You look muy bonita, Andi," he says, slipping in Spanish as he hugged me. "Don't worry about this; I've got it all under control."

"You're kidding," I whispered back, shocked.

"I'm not about to let them rip you of your happiness right when you've gotten it back," he replies, making me smile. "And I owe you both after that rad party you two dragged me to last week."

"Thank you," I told him genuinely before he pulled away.

"Did I ever tell you guys that I moved out here, too?" he tells my grandparents, making their jaws drop. Ryan winks at me, giving the four of us the cue to get the hell out of there.

And so we did. Serena found an unoccupied part of her backyard, underneath a shady tree. She got a beach towel from the bin for the both of us to sit on so our dresses wouldn't get dirty. It was awkward at first, but after Austin and Zacky got to talking about sports, Serena and I tuned them out and sat back against the tree.

"Last August, when you moved here, did you think we'd end up sharing a towel as we hid from our parents?" she asks quietly.

"Not at all," I replied honestly. "Not after our first encounter."

"Oh God," she groans, putting her head in her hands. "I was such a bitch."

"To be fair, you're still a bitch," I told her, but I had a smile on my face.

She manages to smile, too. "I know I apologized before, but, God, I'm sorry for treating you like trash. I was honestly just jealous of you, at first..."

"Why would you be jealous of me?" I ask in disbelief.

"You were the New Girl, Andi. It only took two days for the entire school to learn your name, to learn that you were a dancer, and was a talented artist. Back then, I was still spiteful, too, and after you had easily wormed your way in with my old friends, I dunno, it just... hurt."

I was so glad our boyfriends decided to go find drinks right before she started speaking, but I couldn't put my finger on why. Are we bonding?

"And then I saw you and Zacky flirting at Violet's party, and I saw the look in his eyes that he was so capitivated by you, that I lost it. I still wasn't completely over what had happened freshman year, so when the oppurtunity came to get him back, I took it... Twice. Looking back on it, I feel so bad that I did that to the both of you. I'm sorry. So, so sorry."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" I ask, dumbfounded by the situation at hand.

"I met Austin." An involuntary smile forms on her features, much like the one I had when I introduced Zacky to my grandparents. "I mean, we grew up together, but it was never more than a 'Hi, Serena' or anything. We started hanging out after you quit the team. He's just so laid back and nice, and I was a spoiled bitch who manipulated people like it was going out of style. Anyways, he just makes me want to be a better person. I like being happy, and being a bitch wasn't making me happy. I lost too many friendships to my stupid mouth.

"Look around here, Andi, do you see any of my friends here?" she asks. I shook my head. "No, and do you want know why? They used me and I used them, plain and simple. So I'm starting fresh. No more enemies. That's the real reason Austin stood up for Zacky to Micheal yesterday, aside from Micheal nearly hitting you. He knew I just wanted peace, and that hopefully helped."

"Wow," I said, completely taken by surprise. "I appreciate that, Serena, I really do. Everything in our past is water under the bridge." I lamely extend a hand out to her. "Friends?"

She laughed quietly, then placed her hand in my own. "Friends."

"I got your favorite," Zacky's voice says from a few feet away.

I take the amber-colored drink from him. "This has Jack in it."

"I swear Ryan only put a capful in," Zacky says as he sits beside me. "He put two in mine."

I taste his. "This has one capful," I tell him, switching our drinks. "But, thank you, babe," I tell him before pecking his lips.

"Gin and coke, you know me too well, Austin," Serena says as she sips her drink. "Today might not be that bad after all."

"Let's hope so," I reply, clinking my cup against hers before taking another drink.

Halfway through my drink, I feel a lot better. Not drunk, not even really buzzed. Just calm. Like I'd just smoked a cigarette. It was a great feeling. I hoped it would last.

"Everyone, if you would all gather around, I'd like to make a toast!" my father's voice booms across the yard. We all sigh, Serena and I standing carefully in our heels before taking our boyfriend's hands and walking back to the large patio.

"As you all know, Laura is a hard worker. Every day, my admiration for this brave woman grows every day," my father begins. Serena and I look at each other for a second, our eyes slightly rolling before we refocused on my father.

"She's a mother of two eloquent girls, runs two five star restaurants, and somehow managed to fall in love with a simple chef like me--"

The crowd "aww's" at him, just like he wanted them to. I sipped my drink, unfazed.

"She's endured the loss of her children's father, the loss of other loved ones, and faced rejection after rejection when she first started her dream. I share those same feelings, and connect with her on a level incomparable to any other relationship I've ever had."

You liar. What was 18 years with my mother to you? A waste of time?

"Which is why I want you to marry me, Laura. I have never felt a love so strong like this with anyone in my life. I can't imagine my life without you, Laura. Will you marry me?"

I drop my plastic cup in shock. No. No. This cannot happen.

Serena, too, looked just as angered and shocked as I did. We looked at each other in complete horror.

My father knelt onto the wooden deck, the shimmer of the diamond ring glinting in the sun. Laura, with tears streaming down her face, enthusiastically said yes, embracing him when he stood.

"Son of a bitch," I muttered before I reached for Zacky's drink and downed what was left. I was in for a long summer.