“No, he actually went on a trip for work…finally. It’s been a lot better around the house without all the tension and shit.”
“Yeah, I bet. So when am I supposed to come?”
“Tonight, I guess, if you can. Like six?”
“Sure, that’s fine.”
“Okay, see ya then.”
“See ya.”
***
Five minutes later he called back.
“Okay, sorry, I guess we’re coming to pick you up; my mom just yelled at me for not offering, ‘cause I guess that was really rude or something.” Todd sounded embarrassed, like he was about to kill his mom.
Jill giggled. “Okay, that’s cool. Yeah though, you asshole. What were you thinking?”
“Oh, don’t even start.”
Jill giggled again. “Sorry. Okay, see ya tonight.”
***
Jill was excited to be back at Todd’s house. It had such a cozy, comfortable feel to it. The dining room was rustic looking, with an old wooden table and chairs. It was small but cutely and thoughtfully decorated, and Jill felt right at home. Todd’s mom was as nice as she’d been before. She asked Jill lots of questions about Aunt Marcy and was very sympathetic, explaining that Todd hadn’t really told her much about anything at all.
“You know Todd; he was just called and was like, ‘Yeah, Mom, I need to go to California with Jill ‘cause her aunt just died and Hilton’s on vacation. So that’s cool, right? Oh, but don’t worry, you don’t have to leave work, ‘cause her mom’s gonna give me a ride home to get clothes.’ And I’m like, ‘What?! I need some more details, Todd.’ And he just goes, ‘Oh, it’s cool, don’t worry, her parents are paying for my plane ticket.’ And I was like, ‘Now, Todd, are you sure they don’t mind?’ And he’s getting all annoyed with me and saying, ‘No, Mom! I said it’s cool.’ And then when you guys got back he was so vague about what actually happened there. I asked him where you went and he said, ‘I don’t know. LA, I guess.’ ” Mrs. Blake’s tone was teasing, and she smiled at Jill.
Jill giggled. That was so funny. That sounded like exactly what Todd would say. She looked at Todd, who was rolling his eyes and buttering a roll.
This was great. Jill felt like she and Todd’s mom got along really well, and she loved hanging out here and teaming up to give Todd a hard time. It made her wish more than ever that she were Todd’s girlfriend so she could come over more often.
“It was so nice having you over, Jill,” Mrs. Blake said as she dropped Jill off later. “We’ll have to do it again sometime.”
“Yeah, that sounds great!” Jill said excitedly.
“I’ll have Todd give you a call.”
“Okay!” Jill smiled wryly at Todd, knowing he was still half embarrassed by this whole situation.
“Don’t forget, meet me at midnight at our normal spot,” Todd said offhandedly as Jill closed the car door, then he made a face at her through the window.
Jill giggled, then turned and hurried into her house.
chapter 8) landon’s… hilton’s 16th birthday
“Well, thanks again for dinner. I had a great time.” Hilton smiled flirtatiously at Landon as she grabbed the handle to open the door of his Jeep.
“Oh, my pleasure.” When Landon grinned at her, Hilton’s heart raced. He was so hot with his blond hair that came almost to his ears and his blue-green eyes that reminded her of the ocean. He’d just gotten his left ear pierced too, and it was a total turn-on.
Turning to hide her giddy grin, Hilton pushed the door open.
“Hey, so what are you doing for your birthday tomorrow?” Landon asked.
“Um, my family’s all going out to dinner, and my aunt and uncle are coming for it. My parents are making a big deal of it, ‘cause I’m sixteen, you know. I’m excited, it should be a lot of fun. We’re going to Logan, and then we’re just gonna chill at my house all night and play games and stuff. And Jill’s coming too.”
“Oh, that sounds like fun.”
“Yeah,” Hilton said, grinning to herself. She could tell he wanted to be invited. But that’d make him too much her boyfriend, and she didn’t want it to be like that yet. “Well, have a good night. I’ll see you soon, I guess.”
“Yeah, I’ll give you a call on Saturday.”
She knew he was disappointed she hadn’t taken the bait and asked him to come tomorrow. “Bye, Landon.”
“Bye. Happy birthday.”
Hilton stepped out of the car and turned to wave, then walked through her garage and into her house. As soon as she was inside, she raced upstairs to her room to call Jill.
“So how was it?!” Jill asked eagerly.
“Oh my gosh, it was so awesome! And he was totally hinting for me to ask him to my party tomorrow, but I didn’t.”
“Why not?! You should’ve!”
“No, I don’t know...I mean we’re not even together or anything. But I can’t believe he wanted to come! Aahh, I’m so in love with him, Jill!” Hilton gushed. She looked at herself in her mirror and couldn’t get the big giddy grin off her face. “I love being around him, and he’s soooo hot, and I always have so much fun with him. But it’s like he’s soooo perfect, and I’ve always wanted to be with him, so it’s like now that I almost have it, I kinda wanna draw it out, and make the anticipation last longer. You know? Does that make any sense? ‘Cause, aahh, I’m having so much fun right now! I love being a tease!” She giggled, and Jill did too.
“Yeah, I understand. I definitely know what you mean about the anticipation being awesome...I just wish I knew the real thing was coming for me and Todd like you do for you and Landon!”
“Well, just think about it this way. It’s like on TV shows, the best episodes are when you’re waiting for the couple to get together, ‘cause there’s more suspense and stuff. And then once they do, it’s not as exciting anymore. Like Ross and Rachel on Friends.”
“Wow, that’s so true! I never even thought of it that way.”
“Yeah, so it’s kinda the same in real life. ‘Cause, I mean, I want Landon and all, but I don’t want it to get boring with him. So I’m just enjoying this little game we’re playing. There’s more suspense, and I got bored with Reed so fast.”
“Um, yeah, but I doubt that’s gonna happen with Landon!”
“True...as long as he doesn’t suck at messing around!”
Both girls broke into hysterical laughter.
“Oh my gosh, Jill, I’m so bad!”
“But it’s so funny!”
“I know!”
“But I’m sure Landon won’t suck. I mean, come on. Just look at him. How could anyone that hot be bad?”
“Yeah, that’s for sure!” Hilton was still laughing. “Yeah, I bet Landon’s amazing. He’s already a way better kisser.”
Jill giggled again. “So did anything happen tonight?”
“No, we just went to dinner. But at least it was a real date finally!”
“Well, you went over to his house last weekend too.”
“Yeah, but that only kinda counts as a real date. Well, I guess it counts. But I’m glad he finally took me out.”
“Yeah, but when you were at his house you got to make out!”
“Oh, yeah, we did!” Both girls giggled some more.
Last week, the weekend after the Fourth of July, Landon had asked Hilton to come over, so she’d gone over to his house – his parents were at the lake cottage – and watched a movie on Friday night. They’d cuddled the whole time and made out for half an hour or so after the movie ended. It had by far been Hilton’s best date ever. She loved being alone with him, but she’d been happy when he asked her to actually go out to Logan tonight, because it showed that he saw them as more than just make-out buddies or whatever. She’d been pretty sure he did, but she was glad he’d finally asked her on a real date, because it kind of took things to that next level, where they were dating, but not officially together.
“So how long do you think it’ll be before he asks you to officially go out
with him?” Jill asked.
“I don’t know,” Hilton said thoughtfully.
“Would you say no if it was really soon?”
“I don’t know. I mean, obviously I wanna be with him, but I wanna draw it out a little longer. And besides the anticipation, I wanna make sure he really likes me a lot, you know? ‘Cause I’ve liked him for forever, and he just started really liking me that way this summer. So I don’t want it to be like, he kinda likes me, and I’m head-over-heels in love with him. I just wanna take it slow. Everything’s so perfect right now. But if he asked, I don’t know if I’d say no...”
***
On Saturday, Lorylyn’s dad dropped her off at Jill’s house at 3:00. As she was slamming the door to his Blazer, she heard another car door open.
“Lorylyn!” Hillary jumped out of her mom’s car at the end of the driveway and ran up to meet Lorylyn. She glanced back as Lorylyn’s dad backed out of the driveway, then grinned at Lorylyn, her eyes wide with excitement. “I started my period!” she whispered jubilantly.
“Yay!” Lorylyn cried, jumping up and down. “Oh, thank God, Hill!”
“I know! I can’t believe it! I was three freaking weeks late! Aahh!” She hugged Lorylyn. “Oh my gosh, I feel so much better now!”
“Hey, guys, I’m out here!” Jill called as they let themselves in her front door.
Hillary and Lorylyn followed her voice to the kitchen.
“Oooohh, that looks good!” Hillary exclaimed when she saw the huge cake Jill was frosting. She grinned. She was so relieved to have finally started her period that she hadn’t been able to stop smiling all day. It was like a huge weight lifted off her shoulders.
Lorylyn grinned too and dipped her finger in the bowl of caramel icing on the counter. “Mmmmm,” she moaned. “Excellent.”
Jill beamed. “I know. I can’t wait for tonight! I don’t think Hilton has any idea.”
“How’d her birthday party go yesterday?” Lorylyn asked as she licked more icing from her finger.
“Oh, it was really fun. Her parents are gonna take her car shopping next week. And I gave her my present yesterday so she wouldn’t be suspicious or anything.”
“Okay, well Brady should be here to pick us up at six. So that way we can get everything ready at Landon’s before she gets there. Brady said Landon needs help decorating.” Lorylyn rolled her eyes. “Hopeless boys.”
The girls all giggled.
“And Dirk’s coming with Todd and Bennett, right? And they’ll be there by seven?” Jill asked.
“Yeah, basketball conditioning gets over at six-thirty. I can’t believe they’re practicing on a Saturday afternoon,” Hillary said, rolling her eyes.
“Why don’t they all just skip?” Lorylyn asked. “Landon is. And it’s optional.”
“Yeah, ‘optional’...which really means ‘highly recommended if you wanna play next year, unless you’re already a star like Landon so it doesn’t really matter,’ ” Hillary said, rolling her eyes again as she scooped her finger into the icing bowl. “Wow, Jill, this is awesome!”
“There’s another cake still in the oven,” Jill said. “Do you think two will be enough? ‘Cause there’s gonna be a lot of other food too.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Lorylyn said just as the phone rang.
Jill grabbed it off the wall. “Hello?...Oh, hey, Hilton.” She grinned at Hillary and Lorylyn, and they both covered their mouths to hide their giggles. “Oh my gosh, he did?! That’s awesome!” Jill said, turning away from the girls. “Well, have fun, let me know how it is, okay?...All right, see ya later! Bye!” She hung up and burst out laughing. “Guess what, guys? Landon just invited her over to the lake cottage tonight!”
“Oh, did he now?” Hillary asked. “Well isn’t that sweet?”
Jill giggled. “This is so awesome! She has no clue!”
***
By seven, they basically had everything ready. Jill had set out and arranged all the appetizers on the patio table, and she’d left the cakes in the kitchen to be cut later. She and Lorylyn and Hillary had wrapped the picnic table benches with crepe paper and hung streamers across the doorway going into Landon’s house from the patio. There was a huge happy birthday sign hanging across the door as well, and they’d cut out big construction paper block letters to put on the stone wall that spelled out:
HAPPY SWEET 16 HILTON!!!
Dirk, Todd, and Bennett had arrived, as well as Cassidy, Sam, Kat, Lindy, Andy, Brooke, Matt, Ashley, Amy, and several other people. Lorylyn had said Brady and Landon had discussed having a small party with just close friends, but it was hard to tell where to draw the line...such as with Brooke. Lorylyn said Landon thought if they didn’t invite Brooke and Matt, Matt would wonder why he’d been dissed, and since Hilton herself hadn’t had a personal problem with Brooke or anyone else, it was easier just to invite everyone.
Jill thought Hilton would like that better anyway; she probably wouldn’t have liked Landon deciding which people should be invited to her party, and she wouldn’t want anyone to feel upset or excluded.
“How are we gonna do this?” Lorylyn asked, surveying the setup to make sure everything was in place. “Like just wait back here in the yard for her?”
“Yeah, I think that’d work,” Jill said. “Let’s like, all be standing over by the patio so it’ll take her a minute to see us when she first comes around. Oh, wait! She’ll probably just go in the front door, ‘cause she thinks it’s just her and Landon!”
“Oh, shit! Okay, we have to tell Landon to meet her out there and bring her back here. ‘Cause if she goes through the house, she’ll see the cake and stuff before she sees us, and she’ll miss the signs.”
“Landon!” Jill called, waving him over.
“Yeah?”
“Okay, you have to bring Hilton around the house; you can’t let her come through it. ‘Cause it’ll mess up the way we have stuff set up. We wanna be waiting back here and get everybody by the patio, and then shout happy birthday.”
“All right, so should I like, meet her when her mom drops her off and bring her around here?”
“Yeah,” Lorylyn said. “Oooh, tell her you’re having a picnic!”
“Oooh, yeah,” Jill agreed.
“Okay.”
“Well, you should go wait for her soon. ‘Cause what if she gets here a little early? You can’t miss her!” Lorylyn pushed him toward the side of the house, and he obediently walked around to wait in the driveway.
“Okay, we have to get everybody over by the patio!” Lorylyn said.
They managed to corral everyone, which was already about seventy-five people, into the area around the patio and grill.
“Wait, how will we know when they’re coming?” Jill asked suddenly, shooting Lorylyn a panicked look.
“I’ll have Brady wait inside, and when he sees her car, he’ll come back out.” Lorylyn rushed to tell Brady, and he went in the patio door.
“Hey, try to stay quiet!” Lindy shouted. “So she doesn’t hear us when she comes around!”
Jill was glad someone else had said it; she’d been scared everyone would ruin the surprise, but she didn’t feel like she had enough authority to say that to so many older kids.
All of a sudden Brady rushed back out. “They’re coming already!” he hissed.
Shit! Jill thought. She hoped Hilton hadn’t heard Lindy yell. She looked at Lorylyn and they grinned at each other excitedly, then Jill turned her attention to the corner of the house and waited.
When Hilton and Landon came around the side of the house, Hilton was hitting at him and laughing.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HILTON!” everyone screamed.
Hilton whipped her head around to look, and her mouth dropped open. She stared for a second, then giggled and jumped up and down. “Yay!” she cried. She turned and gave Landon a tight hug, holding onto him for a minute, then she ran over to Jill and Lorylyn.
“I’m so excited!” she cried, hugging them both. “Thanks, yo
u guys!” Then she turned and hugged Hillary. “Thanks, Hill! Yay! Were you guys all behind this? I know Landon didn’t make these decorations!”
Jill grinned. Hilton must not have heard Lindy yell. The surprise had worked!
***
Later, Lorylyn caught up with Jill when Jill went inside to use the bathroom. “Hillary’s not pregnant!” Lorylyn whispered. “She started her period today.”
Jill touched her hand to her heart and rolled her wide eyes in relief. “Thank goodness.”
“I know.”
“She must feel so much better now. I did notice she was a lot more normal this afternoon at my house.”
“Yeah.”
“So how cute are Hilton and Landon tonight?” Jill asked with a grin.
“Oh, I know. They’ve been dancing for forever. They look adorable.”
“Did Brady say anything about whether Landon’s gonna ask her out tonight or anything?”
“No, he didn’t say anything. That doesn’t mean Landon’s not gonna do it though.”
“Yeah. I know Hilton’s having a lot of fun just with the way things are right now, so it might be better if he didn’t.”
“Why, do you think she’d say no?!”
“Probably not.” Jill shrugged. “I just don’t think they should rush it.”
***
“Landon, thank you so much for the party. I was so surprised. You’re awesome,” Hilton said, looking up into his eyes as they danced on the patio.
Landon grinned. “No problem. I wanted to make your sixteenth birthday special.”
“You definitely did. I love it.” She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him and pressed her body into his.
Landon’s arms tightened around her waist, and Hilton let herself sink into the kiss. It was amazing...soft and tender....A happy contented feeling flowed through her body, all the way down to her toes.
As they pulled back from each other they shared a private smile.
“You’re so gorgeous,” Landon said.
“You’re not too bad either.”
“Gee, thanks. I still really like you though.”
“I like you a little.” Hilton grinned and giggled. “Okay, I guess I like you a lot.”
“So will you go out with me again sometime?”
Hilton practically sighed with relief. She’d been scared he was going to ask her to be his girlfriend, and she still wasn’t ready for that yet. “Of course I will.”