Chapter 3: Rosa Higgins

Rosa Higgins squeals her way into my bedroom window. She's been sneaking into my bedroom window for as long as I can remember. Her parents are abusive, and she needed a place to crash for safety. My parents found out about her sneaking into my room, and now they don't care if or when she comes over.

"What are you so happy about? It's a dumb party," I say, recalling Hunter being a dick to that Arlo guy. I wonder if I'll see Arlo so I can apologize.

"Why are you so depressed? I thought you were excited to make love on the beach."

"We made something on the beach alright. And I can assure you it wasn't love."

Rosa sits down on my bed and hands me a lollipop. She's convinced lollipops are a sex symbol. Her funny quirky is to suck them while Jeremiah is watching us. She can be quite the little tease when she wants to be.

"A lollipop? Seriously? Did you buy these to suck around Jeremiah tonight? Good grief, woman."

"Yeah, so what? He needs to see my tongue in action."

Rosa points to her red cherry-colored tongue.

"You might want to clean that off. It's not exactly attractive."

"Oh God, my tongue is all red. He will think it's blood when he kisses me."

Rosa panics around the room like a bird that has flown into a house.

"Rosa, get a grip. It's just some food coloring. Here's a new toothbrush. Just go brush your teeth."

Rosa grabs the toothbrush from my hand and frantically heads into the bathroom. The sink water sounds like a waterfall. I hope she doesn't flood the bathroom in her panic.

My phone beeps from a notification on my Instagram. A username appears in a private message ArloPhotos2000.

Arlo: Hey Emma, right? I hope you are doing well.

Emma: Umm, hi Arlo. I am fine. I am so sorry about what Hunter said to you. I was so embarrassed.

Arlo: Don't be. I am sure he was just looking out for you.

Rosa comes back into my bedroom. I don't want her to know about Arlo or why I had a horrible date today.

Emma: I need to go. There's a party in Lincoln East if you want to come by tonight.

Arlo: Great. See you there.

Emma: It's at 7.

I deleted my messages to Arlo so Rosa won't see them.

"Whose messaging you?"

"A pervert in Instagram is asking me to be his sugar baby."

"Those guys seriously need to fuck off. Like anyone is dumb enough to fall for that scam."

I put my hand on my chin and think about it.

"Marianne Porter, she's dumb enough to be a sugar baby. "

Rosa laughs and plops herself down on my bed. Apart from me wants to tell her about Arlo and that I invited him to the party. Oh God, I asked him to the party. Why did I do that? That will not look good to my followers. What a nightmare.

"Marianne? Totally! She would be a sugar baby. She probably is one now. Let's start getting ready for this party. "

I agree and will help Rosa find the perfect outfit for the party tonight. Model Perfect has selected my outfit for tonight. It's a little black dress with one strap on the side and all the golden glitter I would ask for. I sometimes want to wear yoga pants and look like a stay-at-home mom with a messy bun.

Hours pass, and the party begins. The crowds of teens start piling in around 7:30 p.m. Hunter grabs a microphone as his band, Aftershock, plays in the background.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this next song is one I wrote for my girl Emma."

My heart stops. Did Hunter write a song for me? He isn't a horrible boyfriend. He has his moments.

"That is so romantic, Emma. You are so lucky."

I pull out my phone and Livestream his performance. The likes and comments buzz, and for a moment, I want to put the phone down and enjoy my life without screens—just one brief moment.

I turn off the live stream and let Hunter finish his song for me.

She's my girl, the girl with the brightest eyes,

The reason there's summer fireflies,

She's my girl, the beauty of my whole world,

She's my girl...

The song ends, and I find myself blushing. Then I see Arlo in the distance, and the world goes quiet. But, seeing him in real life again makes me feel panicky, the way Rosa gets for Jeremiah.

Arlo walks towards me as Hunter begins another speech, "Ladies and gents, for our final song. But, first, I will sing our newest song, called Tidal Wave."

Arlo waits for Hunter to get lost in song before approaching me. Then, he signals me to follow him, and for some reason, I do. I follow him outside to the porch. There's nobody else, just us.

"You must be some special girl for Hunter to write a song about you like that."

Arlo's left dimple appears again on his cheek, and I feel myself trembling a little when he does.

"Are you okay, Emma?"

"Yeah, it's just chilly tonight. Thanks for coming."

"Why did you invite me tonight anyway? This isn't exactly my kind of crowd."

"I wanted to apologize in person for the way Hunter treated you earlier."

Arlo smiles. His baby browns find my green eyes. Something about him fascinates me, but I stuff it down because anyone could be recording me or taking a photo, and then it would be over. I can hear it now. Model Perfect's Not So Perfect Model Cheats on Aftershock Lead Guitarist. No thank you headlines.

"No worries. It wasn't your fault. Well anyways. I need to get going. It's been a long day. I don't think I'm going to stick around for too much longer."

"No, wait, umm, why don't you stay, and you can meet my friends."

"I don't think that's a good idea, model girl."

Did he just call me model girl?

"Excuse me?" I ask. For some reason, his comment puts me in a bind.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It's just you have a boyfriend, and he's popular. I don't belong here, Emma."

"Of course you don't. This party's only for the celebrities—the rich and popular kids. Get out of here, Arlo. Leave me alone. Inviting you was a mistake."

I've done a one-eighty on Arlo that I am sure will come to bite me in the butt later. But what am I supposed to do? He's right. We can't be friends. Not that we ever were.

"I thought you were a nice girl. I guess I was wrong."

"Yeah, I guess you were," I snap back. I don't want to push Arlo away because a part of me really likes how we talk and how he smiles. God, that smile, even though I've only known it for today, it takes my breath away.

Hunter comes out looking for me.

"I heard yelling. What the hell is going on? Wait, it's you again. I thought I told you to leave, Emma alone."

"Don't worry. I was just leaving." Arlo walks away, and as he turns his back, Hunter kicks him off the porch into the dirt nearby.

"You aren't going anywhere until I say so," Hunter says with a deep scowl on his brow.

Arlo puts his fists up, and the two start going at it. Hunter dodges a right hook from Arlo. Arlo ducks from Hunter's returning punch. Hunter kicks Arlo in the ribs, and Arlo jumps up again. Arlo punches Hunter in the left cheek, and the fight ends. Arlo wins the match.

"Goodbye, model girl. It's been real."

Deep down, I feel horrible. But I act like the victim. The concerned girlfriend is at her boyfriend's side. What am I supposed to do when the cameras are rolling, and my career is in the line? None of this makes sense to me.

My eyes meet Rosa's; at least she had a good night. Rosa and Jeremiah are holding hands. I'm glad someone found romance tonight. The only person to blame for this fight is me. I only wish I didn't invite Arlo to this party in the first place.

"Thanks for fighting for me, Hunter. I also really loved the song you wrote me." I kiss Hunter, and he kissed me back. Even though this relationship is hollow, it's better than being completely alone.