Bulletproof Intro

"This time baby,
I'll be, bulletproof
This time baby,
I'll be, bulletproof 
I won't let you turn around
And tell me now I'm much too proud
To walk away from something when it's dead
Do, do, do, your dirty words
Come out to play when you are hurt
There are certain things that should be left unsaid
Tick, tick, tick, tick on the watch
And life's too short for me to stop
Oh, baby, your time is running out
I won't let you turn around
And tell me now I'm much too proud
All you do is fill me up with doubt" Bulletproof by La Roux


"So what's the theme of the party? Prom rejects?" Rocky said sarcastically as she eyed my dress.

I grinned as I put it away in my closet. "No bitch. It's super sweet 16 like the invitations said."

"Are you expecting everyone to dress like that? Cause I'm not. Just saying." Rocky replied.

"Good. Just wear whatever you want." I said, jumping on the bed with Justine. She just hopped on my bed to lay down.

"Eww Lily. You let that dog sleep with you?" Rocky asked.

"Not that dog. Justine." I corrected Rocky. "And of course. Where else would she sleep?"

"Urgh, the second you start letting that dog lick you on the mouth, I'm done with you." Rocky said, disgustedly.

I laughed, not telling her Justine has... "Let's go. The girls will be meeting us soon."

Friday night, Amber, Jordan, Sammy, Gigi and I were going to get our nails done. When we arrived at the nail bar, Amber, her girls, and Gigi were already waiting for us. Jordan showed up next. Sammy didn't show up until after Krista and April helped me pick out pink nail art.

"Hey, sorry I'm late." Sammy said as she joined us.

"You're right on time!" I told her. After she got set up, we chatted about the party: what we were going to wear and who was all going to be there.

"Mostly everyone coming in from Austin got hotel rooms at the night. Trevor and I got the presidential suite for the actual party and a regular room came with the table reservations at the club, so if you need to crash there will be plenty of room." I informed everyone.

"I might take you up on that. I love your kids Amber, but I can't deal with anyone when I'm hung over." Gigi replied.

"That's fine. Will works in the morning, so I'll be going home." Amber responded.

"I'm not planning on drinking, but I'll probably ride with you. Brandon has to close, but he's coming when he gets off. I'll drive us home so he can drink." Rocky said.

"Yeah, that sounds like the best plan. Alcohol and ex-boyfriends really don't mix well for you." I teased her.

Rocky flipped me off when the girls weren't looking with the hand that was finished. I laughed at her.

"Corey and I got a room too, but none of y'all are invited." Sammy grinned.

"Are y'all 'together' yet? Or should I say, been 'together' yet?" Amber asked her, looking to see if her daughters were paying attention.

"None of your business." Sammy said, refusing to answer.

"They have! Before she kept saying they were waiting." I concluded, hoping she wouldn't take that the wrong way.

"Think what you want." Sammy told me, coolly. The little smirk on her face told me she wasn't upset with my comment.

"That's how you know it's serious. She won't talk about it." Rocky declared. We all started laughing.

-------------------

Saturday evening of the party finally came and I was so excited. I gave myself an orange ginger shower scrub, washed and deep conditioned my hair. I loved the sweet, citrus spicy combination of the orange and ginger scent. It was my signature scent now that Jenna and my brother got me a gift card at Bath and Body Works for my birthday. My brother knew how much I loved their products so I bought the shampoo, conditioner, body scrub and wash, lotion and body mist all in the same fragrance.  I slathered on the lotion before packing up my things to head to Rocky's house.

All the girls were meeting there since it was the closest location to the hotel and there was plenty of mirror space. Rocky graciously allowed me to bring Justine to stay the night so she wouldn't be alone the whole time. I loaded her dog gates and supplies as well as my dress and beauty items in my car.

After getting Justine's area set up in the living room and opening the door for her to play in the backyard, Sammy started my hair and makeup. I told her exactly what I wanted. Sammy truly outdid herself. It was the most make-up I ever wore, but it was fantastic.

Sammy contoured and highlighted my cheeks making them look sculptured and glowing. She gave me a neutral smoky eye that looked so sexy once she put the fake eyelashes on me. My favorite, and the focus on my face, was the bright peach lip color I chose for my lips. It matched my dress perfectly and I loved the way it looked against my skin.

She pinned my hair up in curls that we were going to remove at the hotel when we put on our dresses. I brought Justine back inside the house before we headed to the hotel. After I checked in at the graffiti decorated desk, we went to the room to finish getting ready. It was a standard queen sized bed room, so it was a little cramped, but we managed.

Sammy wore a shimmery gold mini dress with matching heels. Amber had on a black, 3/4 quarter sleeved dress that reached around mid-thigh. It looked amazing on her body. Gigi chose skinny jeans and a slinky, low-cut red blouse while Rocky looked sexy in a purple bodycon dress with cut-outs on the sides.

Trevor hadn't texted or called me all day except a mass message to everyone giving us the room number. I was anxious to see him and the room. We had to wait for Peyton and Chris who were coming to our room first.

I went to the closet to grab my clutch. I stopped in the mirror to admire the loose waves in my hair that was pushed over one shoulder.

Finally, there was a knock on the door. Peyton was in leggings, a cute blouse, and a blazer. Chris matched her in dark jeans and a blazer as well. Peyton frowned when she saw us.

"I look so undressed!" She moaned.

"I told you Lily was wearing a prom dress." Rocky laughed. I laughed too and we headed out the hotel room and up to the presidential suite.

We knocked on the door and Cam answered it, smiling warmly at me.

"Wow sis." He said, moving over to let us in. "You look beautiful."

"You sound surprised." I chuckled, giving him a hug.

"Nope, just proud." He said, as he pulled away. "And impressed on how you got Trevor to set all this up, while wearing pink." He grinned at me.

'All of this' was the room. The room itself looked fit for royalty. From the moment I walked into the double doors, I knew it was going to be an incredible night. I walked into the massive living room that was decorated modernly with art, mirrors and chrome lamps. Against the wall was a huge entertainment center with two leather couches facing it. Trays of deli meats, cheeses and fruits adorned the glossy tables by the couches.

The hot food and drinks were set up on a long dining room table in a little kitchen area of the living room. The table sat underneath a beautiful chandelier and was decorated with a white tablecloth with happy birthday written in pink print. Pink and white balloons decorated the rest of the room and it looked so beautiful. The simple elegance that was made for a queen.

I smiled broadly at Trevor when he emerged from the bathroom. I can't lie, my heart skipped a beat looking at him. He looked so handsome. He wore khaki pants, with a white t-shirt tucked into the front and an open peach striped button down. He had the smallest hint of a 5-o'clock shadow, but his hair looked like it had been trimmed from last time I saw him. He returned my smile, his blue eyes lightening up as he approached me.

"What's the verdict?" He asked, reaching out to wrap his arm around my waist.

"You're amazing." I gushed out, smiling up at him. When a camera flashed, I looked up to see Jenna watching us after she took the picture, with a silly smile on her face.

I blushed, knowing that she heard what I said and quickly corrected myself. "It's amazing. The room is amazing. Everything looks perfect Trevor. You did an amazing job."

"Hey now, he had some help!" Bilal exclaimed, coming out of the second bedroom. I pulled away from Trevor to greet him with a hug.

"Of course he did. Thank you Bilal!" I smiled.

"Anything for the birthday girls." Bilal joked. I pinched him on the arm.

"Owww!" He exclaimed, rubbing where I pinched him.

"What's wrong with you?" Noorie asked, as she looked him over curiously.

"Lily pinched me!" He ratted me out.

"Don't be a girl." I teased him before hugging Noorie and Mara.

"Alright y'all. It's officially party time. Birthday shots!" Sammy called to us from the long table. I smiled and hugged Lamar and Patrick. Sammy must have let them in. We joined her as Ian, one of Trevor and Bilal's friends from Austin, played some music." It's My Birthday" by Will.I.Am filled the room. We stood around the table and took our first shots together. I clinked glasses with Trevor before we tapped them on the table and drank them down.

"Oh shoot. I forgot something." Trevor said, leaving the table.

"Are you not drinking?" Bilal asked Rocky, causally.

"Not tonight." Rocky answered, in bored tone.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Bilal asked.

"He'll be here soon." Rocky answered, with a polite smile. They had a weird little stare down. Not hostile or flirtatious, just curious, like they were trying to figure each other out.

I took that opportunity to introduce everyone around the table. Not everyone was here yet, but I figured I would try to play the good host for the time being.

Trevor came back with a bowl of gummy bears. He fed one to me and I munched happily. It had a weird, but familiar flavor, so I grabbed a few more. My eyes widened when I recognized the taste of alcohol.

"What the fuck is that?" I asked, excitedly.

"Peach Ciroc soaked gummy bears." Sammy grinned. "I told him you would love them."

 "You all realize you just turned me into an alcoholic?" I said, grabbing a few more.

"Special occasions only." Trevor laughed at me, before passing them along.

"I don't know Trevor. My church preaches every day you wake up is a special gift from God." Amber joked, grabbing some gummy bears. I busted up laughing with a few others. That was the snarky girl I loved.

"Amen!" I praised.

We ate and drank and danced around to a birthday playlist as we waited for more guest to arrive. Some of Trevor's coworkers arrived, and I was surprised to see Cat and Amelia. Cat not so much, she was on the guest list. Amelia, yes. Trevor was too, but he quickly recovered and greeted them both. Corey had made it too from work. I was complimenting Trevor on the party again as we sat on the couch when he explained to us how much Sammy helped out with the planning.

"She picked out the hotel, got us the package. All I did was tell her what I wanted and she ran with it." Trevor admitted.

I was already getting tipsy and emotional. "Sammy! I thought you hated me. You did all this for me?"

"For y'all." Sammy corrected. "Peace offering. Bygones and shit." Sammy smiled.

Corey grinned and raised up his can of sprite. "To bygones and shit."

I giggled but repeated it. "Bygones and shit."

Trevor did the same and we toasted before drinking.

The sip of rum and coke hit me immediately and I leaned forward to set my drink down on the table. "Alright, those diabolical bears are starting to hit me."

"Have you ate?" Trevor asked me, concerned, as I leaned back. I noticed he rested his arm behind me so I relaxed in his embrace.

"I did. Fucking gummy bears." I smiled at him.

"Real food." He clarified, smiling.

"Next time I get up." I promised.

"What do you want?" Trevor asked me.

I was looking at the spread of food when Jeremiah's "Birthday Sex" came on. Sammy grinned at me, lecherously.

"Birthday sex. Birthday sex. It's the best night of the year...." She sang, smiling at me and Trevor.

"I don't know. I'm gonna go look." I flushed, getting up quickly, sending Sammy an evil look. She just laughed at me.

I made my way into the kitchen area to grab some food when I overheard Amelia talking to Cat.

"This is so lame... what are we? 12?" Amelia said, her back to me. Cat saw me and tensed, awkwardly. Amelia turned to me to see what had Cat so distracted. When she saw me, she gave me an icy stare and a fake smile. Food forgotten, I made my way over to them.

"Thank you so much for coming!" I said, cheerfully. I turned to Amelia. "I appreciate you chaperoning Cat." I told her.

"Cat doesn't need a chaperone. It's hard to believe, but we're all adults here." Amelia laughed.

"Oh, I just figured you were chaperoning since you weren't invited." I said, causally. There was a knock on the door as she opened her mouth to respond.

"Excuse me, I need to take care of my guests." I said, emphasizing the word guests, before leaving them.

I didn't care what Amelia's game was, but she needed to realize I wasn't the one to play with. I knew in Austin she and Trevor had some kind of history. With her blond hair and blue eyes and petite body, she definitely was Trevor's type. Regardless of whatever history they had, I wasn't going to put up with her being a bitch, especially if she came all this way to OUR birthday party.

I opened the door and was thrilled to see Jordan, Derek, Q, Steven, Yolanda, Heather and Kendall.

"Hey guys!" I said, letting them in and giving them all a hug. "Thank you for coming!" I said, enthusiastically.

"Wouldn't have missed it. You look great!" Jordan smiled.

"Thank you! So do you!" And she did in a one shoulder, midnight blue mini dress. They all looked amazing.

"Everyone, this is my work crew: Jordan, Q, Heather, and Kendall. Yolanda is Q's girlfriend and I used to work with Steven and for Derek. Work crew, this is everyone!" I said, loudly over the music. After everyone greeted them, I led them to the food and drink area.

After taking shots with them, I left them to make their plates while I checked my phone. Rachel texted me saying they were on their way.

"Who are we missing?" Trevor asked me.

"Forrest and Rachel are on their way. Gabriel, Serena and Blake are with them. Malik and Jackie are meeting us later at the club. I think that's it." I responded.

"Cool. I'm going call the club and make sure the tables are ready. We should be leaving in the next 10 minutes." Trevor told me.

"Sounds good." I nodded.

Trevor went into the bedroom to make the call. I headed back to the living room to eat something quick. Amelia stopped me on the way.

"Can we talk?"

"No. I'm kinda in a hurry." I told her, uninterested.

"It'll be quick. I apologize if I seemed bitchy. I'm really not. It's just weird you know, the only thing we have in common is Trevor, so it's just awkward." She stated, sincerely.

"I've been Trevor's friend long enough. I get it. It doesn't have to be awkward." I said, simply.

"You two are more than friends though right?" Amelia asked.

"I don't know. It varies day to day-" I stopped myself. God, I needed to stop drinking or stop talking...

"Well, we only hook up when he's not in a relationship. So even if he moves to Austin, you have nothing to worry about." Amelia informed me.

Austin? What the fuck? The confusion must have read on my face, cause Amelia gave me a sympathetic look.

"He didn't tell you?" She said, more like a statement than a question. "Maybe it was a birthday surprise!" She brightened, before turning away from me.

I stood, frozen in that spot. Trevor was moving? Even if it was just an option he wasn't considering, why didn't he tell me?

Because he was considering it?

"Hey." A voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see Amber. "Everyone is looking for you to take pictures before we head out."

"Here I am." I said, forcing a smile.

We went out in the hallway to take pictures. As we made our way to the club, I pulled my brother aside.

"So, Trevor in Austin huh?" I asked.

Cam sighed. "Yeah, it's an amazing opportunity. Risky, but if he's gonna take risks, this is the time to do it."

A tiny piece of me that was hoping Amelia was a lying bitch broke and I deflated.

"Don't worry. Even if it doesn't work out the way he wants it, he has his degree to fall back on. He'll be ok." Cam told me.

I nodded, speechless. I decided to take both Amelia's and Cam's advice: I wasn't going to worry about Trevor. Not tonight. Or anymore. I was officially sticking to my plan and worrying about myself.


***Check back tomorrow for Bulletproof Outro***