The next morning, Alex sat at the kitchen table, absently stirring her cereal as the usual chaos unfolded around her.
Claire was mid-argument with Haley, who, as always, was unapologetically sipping iced coffee in a way that somehow made it feel like a protest.
"I'm just saying, Haley," Claire said, waving a spatula dramatically, "promoting nightclubs is not a career. It's... it's an extended detour!"
Haley rolled her eyes. "You know what else is a detour? That haircut you gave yourself last year. Let's not relive past mistakes."
Across the table, Luke and Phil were huddled around what looked like a hairdryer duct-taped to a flashlight.
"I call it the Toast Blaster 9000," Luke declared proudly. "It can dry hair and toast bagels at the same time."
Phil beamed. "My genius lives on!"
Alex blinked slowly, then set her spoon down. "Mom," she said, a little too evenly, "next Friday… can I go to a party?"
Utter silence.
Claire stopped mid-spatula wave. Phil's jaw dropped. Luke dropped the Toast Blaster. Haley choked on her coffee.
"You?" Haley coughed. "You want to go to a party?"
Phil stood up slowly, as if Alex had just declared she wanted to drop out of school and join a traveling circus. "Okay, where's the camera? Is this a prank? Am I being punked? Is Ashton back?"
Claire squinted suspiciously. "What kind of party? Who's going? Will there be supervision? Are you drinking?"
"Mom!" Alex groaned. "It's just a semester-end party. No big deal. And no, I'm not drinking. I was invited."
Haley narrowed her eyes. "Invited by who?"
Alex looked down, trying to sound casual. "Just... someone from school."
Phil gasped. "Is it a boy?"
Alex's ears turned pink. "Maybe."
Luke whistled. "Dang, nerdy Alex got game."
"Okay, let's not call it that," Alex muttered.
Claire folded her arms. "I don't know. This is… unexpected."
Claire narrowed her eyes, still processing. "Wait a second… who invited you?"
Before Alex could answer, Luke snorted into his orange juice. "Someone blind, clearly." He laughed and high-fived himself.
Alex shot him a death glare, cheeks flushing. "Jasper," she said quickly, almost under her breath.
Phil's eyes lit up. "Jasper? As in Jasper Jasper? The kid who worked on that AP English project with you?" He grinned, pointing his spoon in excitement. "Oh, he was super cool! Smooth talker. Didn't he keep calling you something like… what was it?"
"Beautiful overachiever," Luke supplied in a mocking sing-song voice.
Phil snapped his fingers. "That's the one! He's got style. And confidence. I like him. Yes, you can totally go! You two would make the cutest couple!"
Claire, still stunned, blinked but then nodded slowly. "Actually, yeah. He seemed like a good kid. Polite. Respectful—well, in a roguish Shakespearean kind of way. And honey, we have been telling you to go out more. Socialize. Live a little. You're not like Haley—"
"Excuse me," Haley interrupted, pointing to herself. "This is the face of someone living her best life."
"But in your case, it would be healthy," Claire added, with a little pointed smile at Haley.
While her family continued chatting excitedly—Haley scoffing dramatically, Luke suggesting ridiculous outfits, Phil already planning a speech for "his little girl's big night"—Alex just sat there, spoon frozen halfway to her mouth.
She blinked.
Are you serious? she thought incredulously. This is the same guy who, in the nicest and most poetic way possible, called you two terrible parents. Sophisticatedly. Right to your faces. And you like him? You approve? Are you that dumb?
She stared at them, mouth slightly open, as they rambled on with embarrassing enthusiasm.
Unbelievable.
And somehow, that made her feel even more nervous… and just a little bit excited.
Later that day, after a blur of classes, Alex was at her locker, sorting through the books she didn't need to carry home. Her mind kept drifting back to the party. Her parents had actually said yes. Her mom had approved. She couldn't believe it.
As she slammed her locker shut, she turned to see Jasper leaning casually against the wall, his usual smirk playing on his lips, his blue eyes twinkling as he watched her approach.
"So, tell me, gorgeous," he said, his voice smooth, like he already knew the answer, "what's your decision?"
Alex, already knowing she'd agreed to go, couldn't help but enjoy the moment of suspense. She leaned back against her locker, crossing her arms with a playful smirk of her own. "I don't know… I'm still thinking about it."
Jasper raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Really? After all the convincing? The charming words? What do you want more , maybe a serenade in the hallway?"
"I don't know, Jasper," she said, tapping her chin as if she were deep in thought, playing her part. "It's a big deal, you know? I've never really been the type to party."
"Yeah, well, I'm sure we can fix that," he replied, his smirk widening. "But hey, you could always stay home, be the nerdy overachiever everyone loves. But where's the fun in that?"
Alex bit back a smile, her heart pounding at the challenge. She didn't want to admit how much his teasing got to her, how much it made her feel… special, for lack of a better word. But she wouldn't give him the satisfaction too easily.
"I suppose it would be such a shame," she said slowly, "to waste an opportunity like that."
Jasper's grin stretched across his face. "So you're in?"
She nodded, holding back a grin of her own. "I guess I am, but you'll have to live up to your part of the deal."
His face lit up, clearly pleased. "Don't worry, I'm always a man of my word. I'll have everything planned out—just wear something that screams 'gorgeous,' and you'll be all set."
"Alright, alright," Alex relented, the teasing dance over. "You win, Jasper. I'm in. But don't think you can make me regret it."
"I never regret anything," he said with a wink, pushing off the locker. "You'll have the best night of your life, I promise."
Alex rolled her eyes, but couldn't suppress the grin that tugged at the corners of her mouth. Maybe, just maybe, this wasn't such a terrible idea after all.
A/N:What do you think of the cover?