(I said rubbed top above, I meant ribbed lol sorry)
Phoebe stood there for a moment, unable to speak. Elide looked… stunning, with her dress and hair all done up. All of a sudden, she felt very drab in her top and black skater skirt, as well as exposed. "H-Hey. You look nice. Ready to go?"
Elide blushed at the compliment, “Oh um yeah I’m ready.” She shut the door and locked it, “You looked very nice yourself.” An understatement, Phoebe looked beautiful to her.
Phoebe noticed the blush but quickly brushed it off. It's probably the heat. It had been about a week since the incident in the bathroom, and to her relief Elide hadn't brought anything up since then. God, she's beautiful… "Thanks."
“Y-You’re welcome.” Elide brushed down her dress, suddenly feeling very self conscious and was having second thought about the party. She bit her lip as they walked.
"The stop is just up ahead," Phoebe informed Elide as they walked. "How are you?" She resisted the urge to gawk at the other girl, sternly reprimanding herself.
“Fine,” Tired, upset… “What about yourself?” Elide asked, looking up at Phoebe.
Phoebe bit down on her tongue to keep herself from remarking about how cute Elide's accent was. "Are you sure? Usually when people say 'fine' they aren't."
Elide refrained from rolling her eyes, “I’m sure, maybe a little tired but I’m sure.” A little was un understatement but it didn’t matter.
"Just checking," she said quietly. You're being pushy you idiot.
"Excited for the party?"
Elide shrugged, “I haven’t been to a party since-“ She cut herself before she could finish, “Doesn’t matter. I haven’t been to a party for a while so yeah, I guess I’m excited. You?”
Phoebe chewed on her lip and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, playing along. "Parties aren't usually my forte, but I think it'll be fun." They arrived at the stop just as the bus pulled in, jumping on.
Elide grabbed them a few seats and sat with a small sigh, pulling her dress down as it had hitched up, “Yeah hopefully it will be.”
Phoebe was extremely careful to keep her eyes focused on Elide's face. "Do you like dancing?" In a way, she missed the carefree attitude they'd had around eachother a few days ago. She wasn't sure what had happened since then, but now they were both slightly less.. cheerful. Maybe Elide was too tired, maybe she was uncomfortable around Phoebe.
Elide shook her head with a smile, “Not really. I suck at dancing anyway. Pretty sure I have two left feet,” She sighed, “What about you?”
"I mean, I take classes, but I'm not that good." She tried on a smile. "Do you sing?"
Elide shook her head, “No way. I have a terrible voice.” It was quite the opposite but she didn’t think so, “Do you sing?”
“I enjoy it, not sure how good I am though.” Phoebe rocked back and forth in her seat a little, strangely nervous.
“I’m sure you’re great.” Elide bit her lip and fiddle with the edge of skirt. The nerves were finally setting in.
The bus finally pulled into their stop and they got off, setting off at a brisk pace to where they hoped the party was. After about five minutes of searching, they found the place, mostly due to the flashing lights visible from the windows and the faint sound of music and laughter. “Here we are!” Phoebe rang the doorbell, steeling her nerves.
“It sounds like everyone is having a fun time.” Elide said, a smile beginning to form on her lips as she looked up at Phoebe.
Phoebe was about to answer when the door swung open. The grinning face of a tall redhead greated her. “Phoebe, hey! And you’re Elly? Elina?” It was Rowan, a friend of hers from school. “Hey, Rowan! This is Elide.”
“Nice to meet you Rowan.” Elide gave them a smile, rocking on her heels a little.
“You too—“ someone shouted Rowan’s name, so she shot them an apologetic look and disappeared.
“Well. Let’s go in, then?”
Elide nodded, “Yup. Let’s go.” She stepped inside the house, pushing some streamers out of the way as they walked into the living room.
Phoebe felt the crowds closing in on her as soon as they entered, swallowing a lump of anxiety and following Elide. She had to yell to be heard. “Wow this is a lot of people.”
Elide nodded, “Yeah. Yeah there are,” She already felt uncomfortable and wished she was home, “Wanna go find a drink or something?”
“Uhh I’ll pribably have water, you?” Phoebe steered them towards the kitchen, stumbling out of the way of a tall drunk guy.
“I’ll probably have the same as you.” Elide swallowed and stumbled a little as a girl bumped into her, cashing her fall into Phoebe, “Sorry! Sorry… I’m sorry.”
Phoebe, without thinking, reached out to steady her. “It’s fine, not your fault.” They slipped into the kitchen, and it was like they had entered a tiny bubble of tranquility.
Elide released a breath she didn’t know she was holding when they entered the kitchen. It was nice and quiet and not crowded in here, “That’s better…” She mumbled.
