His Sweet Sunflower

3. We are going to Trevor's party!

After school, Nora headed to Sarah's house for a sleepover. She decided to put the incident with James behind her and have a good time.

Sarah had been planning this for two weeks with her and two other friends Lucy and Ella. Nora didn't necessarily feel comfortable hanging out with them as she felt like they didn't fully accept her in their little group. She kept her feelings to herself for Sarah's sake.

Besides, they were not that bad. If anything, Nora was the odd one out. Lucy and Ella are both very outgoing and beautiful, just like Sarah.

Lucy had the perfect body like a model with long blond hair, and Ella looked very sophisticated with her black pixie cut hair and an amazing sense of style.

Nora felt ugly and insecure when she was next to them. She tried to tell Sarah about how she felt, but Sarah just blew her off and said she was being silly. Maybe she was. Nora was not the kind of girl to obsess over her looks but still...

Nora decided to stop overthinking and try to have fun. This will be a great night, especially since James won't be home to humiliate her. She felt relieved when Sarah told her he would be partying all night at Trevor's house. Sarah was disappointed about not being able to go because her mother thinks Trevor is a bad seed. On the other hand, James fits right in with Trevor's crowd, and Sarah's mom doesn't care enough to interfere with his life.

Nora knocked on the door and was immediately greeted by Sarah.

"Good news!" Sarah chirped. "Mom will be out of town to see a friend of hers, so we are free to do anything we want tonight!"

Nora's heart sank when she anticipated what Sarah was about to say next.

"We are going to Trevor's party!" Sarah uttered the dreaded words.

"f**k my life," Nora muttered under her breath.

"What? Sarah asked.

"I can't go to Trevor's party Sarah, James will be there!" Nora screeched.

"So what? You are going to let him ruin your every high school experience? You can't keep yourself away from him forever, Nora. He is my brother. You will run into him all the time. Besides, it is almost time for you to face him and stand up for yourself!" Sarah exclaimed.

"You don't understand. James has it out for me. It's not just light teasing anymore. He HATES me!" Nora cried.

"Oh, come on! No, he doesn't," Sarah shook her head.

"Just think about it. He never smiles at me. He always finds a way to insult me. He calls me names. If I weren't a girl, he would beat me up too," Nora rolled her eyes.

"You are exaggerating," Sarah said.

"I am not exaggerating! He mildly teases me when you are around because he doesn't want to piss you off. But when we are alone, he is much worse," Nora said. Her face was dark with sadness. It was so hard to make Sarah understand. No one was ever mean to her. Boys loved her.

"Just come inside and think about it, okay? We will look for a cute outfit for us, and maybe you will change your mind. Come on, Nora. We never do anything fun together anymore! Ella and Lucy will be here any minute too," Sarah took Nora's hand and dragged her inside.

Sarah frantically searched her closet to find clothes to wear for the party while Nora sat on the bed, watching and sulking the entire time.

"What's with the face?" Sarah asked when she finally noticed.

" I was thinking. You should really let me sit this one out. I mean, I am not exactly a party girl type, and you know Trevor and his friends don't like me anyway." Nora pointed out.

"But you never cared about what they thought of you?" Sarah looked at Nora. "You are only saying that because of James."

Nora fidgeted in the bed, "you know he will do anything to embarrass me in front of everyone."

"Don't worry about it, Nora. I will be there with you the entire time, and you know I am not afraid of my brother. He acts tough, but he is actually a big softy." Sarah smiled reassuringly.

Nora scoffed. "You know that's not true, but I will just try to avoid him, I guess." She didn't know. James always found her no matter where she was. It was as if he installed a tracker inside her so he could keep a close watch on her.

"Any-who! What do you think about this skirt?" Sarah held a mini silver sequined skirt that Nora would never be caught dead in, but it'll most likely look amazing on Sarah.

"It suits you," Nora said, finally smiling at her friend. "You will definitely break someone's heart tonight."

"Really? What about this?" Sarah held up a black top to go with the skirt.

Nora smiled and nodded in approval. She couldn't help but be supportive of Sarah. She was really excited about the party, and here she was, being a total buzzkill. She should at least pretend to be happy for Sarah.