Don't Stop The Party

"I ain't gonna stop until I'm done (don't stop it)
I ain't gonna quit until I've won
Now baby don't you stop it, stop it(x3)
You can't stop us now
I ain't gonna stop until I'm done (don't stop it)
I ain't gonna quit until I've won
Now baby don't you stop it, stop it(x2)
Now baby don't you stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it
Even if wanna to, you can't stop us now
Don't stop the party" Don't Stop The Party by Black Eyed Peas


"I kinda see where she's coming from." Jordan told me Friday over lunch. We were taking a short, 30 minute lunch so we could leave early and get ready for Jenna's shower/bachelorette party.

"Ok..." I said, biting into my salad as I got her take on Rocky and my argument.

Rocky and I both have been cordial to each other, but neither one of us was letting it go. I told Jordan that Rocky not only was skipping the party, but she wasn't going to make the trip to Austin with us.

"In the grand scheme of things, you and Ethan weren't really together. You two are friends; Serena doesn't really need to know." Jordan commented.

"Yeah, but don't you think her reaction was a little extreme? All she had to say was bad idea. She made it seem like I had feelings for Ethan when I don't." I countered.

"You got a little extreme too."

"Only because I know something's going on with her. She keeps lashing out at me instead of talking to me." I complained.

"Shit travels downhill. I do the same thing when I'm upset: I take it out on my friends. Maybe the distance is a good thing."

"Maybe..."

"Definitely! We are gonna throw a kick ass party, then head to Austin and keep the party going! Nobody is getting in the way of that! You got it, Harris!?!" Jordan said, pointing her finger at me.

"Yes Ma'am!" I said, smiling at her authoritative tone.

"Alright! Let's move!" She continued, gathering her trash.

I nodded and quickly did the same.

At 3pm on the dot, Jordan and I left. The first thing we did was pick up the food. We ordered a spread of garlic knots, bruschetta, caprese skewers, antipasto, calamari, toasted ravioli, clams, and meatballs. For dessert, I set up the chocolate fountain with fruit.

After getting all the food in the refrigerator or the stove to stay warm, we set up the furniture and decorations. We stuck with a simple red, green and white theme. We had red and white checkered cloths with fake ivy lacing the table. Beautiful bouquets of red, white and green flowers and plants were scattered throughout the house. The chairs had white covers and cute little cushions Jordan found with scenic pictures of Italy. We set the gift baskets in the chairs.

About an hour and a half later, our work was done. We had classical music playing in the background to set the mood. I had to say, I was proud of our work. I took pictures before we hustled to the guest room to get ready.

I quickly braided my hair in a side ponytail and did a quick, 10 minute make-up routine. I wore a blue blouse and black slacks. Jordan wore a black simple dress with her hair failing straight over her shoulders.

We went downstairs and set all the food out and started making peach Bellinis when the doorbell rang. I rushed to go answer it.

The first person that arrived was Emily, Jenna's best friend. I ushered her in as she owwed and awwed over everything.

"This is perfect! She is going to love it! Much better than the strip club I'm still going to drag her to." Emily laughed as she sat her gift on the dining room table next to mine.

"That might not be necessary..." I hinted before leading her to the kitchen to get her a drink.

As I did, Jordan asked her how she knew Jenna. When Emily responded "We met in college." Jordan wrote on her a name tag "Emily- B.F.F.C" and handled it to her.

I knew the abbreviation stood for "best friend from college", but we planned to use the name tags as a way for everyone to guess what the abbreviation meant while they mingled.

The guest trickled in after Emily. Everyone was given drinks and name tags. Jenna and her sisters were the last to arrive.

"Sorry we're so late." Jenna said after I greeted her with a hug. She looked beautiful in cream linen pants and a floral embroidered flowy blouse in the same shade.

“No need to apologize, it's your party.” I smiled as I pulled back. I looked over her shoulder at her two sisters trailing her.

"Fashionably late, right?” The tallest sister greeted me, pulling me in a hug as well. She was about my height with us both wearing heels, but she was all legs. They were on display in the tight, dark floral mini dress she was wearing. I gave Jenna a smile as I hugged her.

"These are my sisters Carly and Amanda." Jenna introduced us. I gave Amanda a hug too which she shyly returned. She was shorter and carried extra weight, but she looked so pretty in a floral pattern skirt and blue top. You could definitely tell they were related, even without the coordinating outfits. They all shared similar features, dark hair and dark eyes.

"Nice to meet y'all. I love the outfits! Did y'all dress alike growing up?" I smiled as I took them to the kitchen.

"Not since we were old enough to pick out our own clothes." Carly giggled. "I thought it be fun before my sister is no longer a Rossi." She explained as I handled them all drinks.

Jenna smiled. "I will always be a Rossi at heart."

"And an Ortiz by marriage." I smiled, raising my glass. "Salute!"

"Cin Cin!"

After greeting everyone, we all made our plates and gathered in the living room. We mostly made small talk about the wedding as we ate and drank.

When we finished up, we played a guest scavenger hunt. Everyone was given a list of simple yes or no questions like "Do you have more than 2 sibling?" or "Have you been out of the country?" The object of the game was to find someone who could say yes to the question.

It was a great ice breaker: it helped me remember names and faces as well as get to know everyone better. We compared answers, shared stories and revealed what our abbreviations meant.

After that, we split into teams to play wedding catch phrase. Jordan timed us as we tried to get our team to guess the correct wedding related term like "I Do", "Here comes the bride" and "In sickness and in health." The game become less structured and more hilarious as the clues got sillier. Probably because we got drunker, but Jenna was having a great time. So far, the party was a success.

We ate dessert before Jenna started opening presents. She got an arrangement of gifts, including lingerie, spa certificates, a subscription to a wine club (according to Eliza, her married friend, she was going to need it), a digital photo frame, and Mrs. Embroidered items, like a coffeehouse mug, key chains and a robe. Since it was an Italian party and Jenna eventually wanted to go back to Italy, I got her a Roberto Cavalli swimsuit and shades. I figured even if they didn't go to Italy soon, she would need it when they moved to California.

"Lily, this is too much." Jenna gasped as she looked over the swimsuit.

"No it's not. You're family now." I smiled at her.

"Sister!!!" Carly exclaimed, giving me a hug. "I have a birthday coming up."

Everyone laughed at her then the doorbell rang. Jordan grinned.

"I'll go get it." She exclaimed.

Jenna gave me a wary look. "Who is that?

"A surprise!" I smiled.

"You said no strippers Lily." Jenna reminded me.

"I know sis. No strippers, I promise." I replied while everyone groaned.

Jordan came back with Evan. He was dressed in loose pants and a white button down looking as cute as I remembered. He was carrying a little easel, just as we discussed.

"I thought it would be cool instead of photos, to have caricatures." I lied. "This is Evan. You're going first Jenna!"

Jenna nodded and I set her up in a chair in the middle of the living room. Evan set up his prop in front of her.

"What do I do? Just pose?" Jenna asked.

"Just sit and relax. I'll take care of the rest." Evan told her.

I had to bite my lip to hold in my chuckle. When Jenna was relaxed, Jordan left the room. Evan pretended to draw while everyone looked on. The music changed from the slow, classical tune and "Don't Stop the Party" by Black Eyed Peas blared through the house.

Jenna knew what was going on before Evan moved from behind the easel.

"You said no strippers Lily!" Jenna cried out, looking like she didn't know where to look: me or Evan. Jordan returned with the bachelorette swag I bought from the sex store.

"It's not strippers." I proclaimed, placing a penis covered veil on her head and a light up penis lei around her neck "He's a dancer that happens to take off his clothes." I corrected her.

I grinned as Evan ripped off his shirt and the girls cheered. That decided it: Jenna's eyes were glued to him. I moved away to let her enjoy her dance.

Jordan and I distributed necklaces that featured penis shaped whistles, party beads, feather boas, and tiaras. The new party theme was pink and penises and everyone was loving it. I left with Jordan to get the penis shaped shot glasses and filled them with whipped cream vodka.

 When we returned to the living room, Evan was down to red, tight short shorts (my request- No g-strings out of respect for my brother!) and had propped himself up on his hands on the floor, pelvis on Jenna's lap, grinding like it was his job. Because it was. It was amazing!

Jenna was flushed, but she definitely wasn't complaining when it was over. Her sister Carly immediately took her place in the chair when Jenna got up.

"Tell your brother that I reprimanded you severely for that." Jenna said after I handed her a shot.

I grinned. "Will do sis!"

Most of the girls got lap dances. I passed since I indulged at the strip club and started a little clean up of the kitchen. Evan was outstanding and earned every dollar we tipped him. After he left, the party winded down. The last thing we did was pass around the guest book to write advice for a good marriage. I laughed as I read Carly's comment:

Marry the stripper!

We probably should have signed the book before the alcohol. I read over the comments. "Don't go to bed mad" "Continue to date" "the grass is greener where you water it."

 Jordan wrote in bold, capital print: COMPROMISE. It was all good advice but I really had none to give. What did I know about making a long term relationship last? Urgh.

I just wrote what I hoped was true: "love conquers all". I signed my name before passing it on.

The girls filed out while I started cleaning up. Jenna and her sisters were waiting for my brother to come pick them up. Jenna offered to help, but I declined. Instead, Jordan helped her organized her gifts, throw away any gift wrap, tissue paper and trash, and move them to the front door. When her sister left to get her gifts together, Amanda came to help me clean the kitchen. Carly stayed in the den, uploading pictures on her Instagram.

I was starting the dishwasher when I heard Cam arrive. They began to load the gifts in the car. I stayed in the living room removing the decorations. I was pleasantly surprised to see Trevor when he joined me.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I said, gathering all the scattered trash and party decor.

"Making sure you get home safely." Trevor said, grabbing a bag to help me. He picked up a penis necklace and held it up to me with a grin.

"Yours?" He asked.

"Mine!" Carly exclaimed, grabbing the necklace from him.

"Carly, this is-" I started.

"Trevor. We've met." She said with a little smile. I narrowed my eyes at them before continuing to clean. I just met her, when did they meet?

I just nodded and finished gathering all the trash. Trevor and I took it all out together.

I said goodbye to Cam, Jenna and her sisters before we went back in the house. Jordan left too. I thanked her for her help and told her to call when she and Derek left for Austin.

"Are you ready?" Trevor asked me.

I shook my head. "No, I gotta wait for the dishes to finish so I can put them up."

"Leave 'em." Trevor told me.

"I don't wanna give Rocky another reason to flip out on me." I replied.

Trevor came and gave me a hug. "Wanna do something while we wait?" Trevor asked, suggestively.

"Sure... break down the chocolate fountain." I smiled.

"You're no fun." Trevor grumbled.

"Party's over!"



We went to my place after we had everything put away. I was so exhausted from work and the party, I went straight to bed. My alarm woke me up and I left Trevor in bed to pack for Austin. I threw a few outfits in a bag before throwing it down the stairs. I went to my bathroom and brushed my teeth and washed my face. I was getting dressed when the door opened.

"Trevor!" I exclaimed, quickly pulling my jeans over my hips. "Don't you knock!"

"I've seen it all before." Trevor said.

"It's called privacy!" I exclaimed.

He shrugged. "Telephone..." He said, handing me my phone.

I grabbed it from him and answered.

"Lily, can I ride with you and Trevor today?" Jordan asked me.

"Of course. Derek too?"

"He's not coming. Something came up at the hospital." She said, disappointed.

"Aww, I'm sorry Jordan-"

"It's ok. No, it's great. We had a great party, now we're gonna have fun partying in Austin!"

I smiled. "Alright Jordan." I hung up and smiled. I was definitely going to show her a good time. She deserved it. She was right: No-one was going to get in the way of that...

...but I probably jinxed myself when I told Trevor the party was over.