Page 3

song suggestion: I Did Something Bad—Taylor Swift

After that quiet, and totally not tense dinner... Maya rashed upstairs to get ready for this party while I was praying my mother not to send me.

"Grace, this is a great opportunity to make new friends. You have to go with Maya," she insisted.

"Mom, I don't c—" I tried to argue.

"Grace, get ready... do that for me..." was her last plea.

I nervously get in my room, pacing back and forth, trying to get this thing off of me but I realize... I had no fucking choices.

I opened my suitcase, trying to figure out what I was supposed to wear. Of course, I couldn't ask Maya what she was wearing...

I decided to wear a white dress with small pink and red flowers, with thin straps. It was tight at the top but loose at the waist.

I applied my pink lipstick again and added some soft eyeshadows.

My blue eyes went well with these light colors—that was my comfort zone, I guess.

I took a deep breath and left the room.

I was freaking nervous.

Maya eventually came out of hers at the same moment and she suddenly looked in my direction like she had seen a ghost.

I stood there in awkwardness.

"Are you trying to embarrass me?" she demanded, expecting me to say something.

What the hell?

Is this a proper question?

"No..."

She looked over at my face and then at my dress, "It's supposed to be a party, not a freaking kindergarten reunion."

Her words almost made me lose control.

Almost.

Because I'm not letting her have that power over me.

Though, I couldn't help it—my gaze widened as I looked at what she was wearing: a tight black Prada dress, just above her thigh, fancy gold earrings and necklace, and shiny black heels.

Her makeup was dark, with cat-eye eyeliner, smoky eyeshadows, and deep red lips.

I was shocked.

Without saying a word, she brushed past me, rushed into my room, and started quickly opening my suitcase.

"What are you doing?" I asked nervously.

She huffed loudly.

"Is this your suitcase?" she sounded disgusted.

"Yeah, but please don't make a mess." I said, watching tensely as she went through it.

"Your closet is already a mess, Ohio." she replied, tossing my clothes around.

"Wh—"

She effortlessly straightened up and tossed me a dress. I caught it in the air—it was my blue dress, the darkest and shortest one I had.

"Wear this. It's the least bad."

She looked at me with another judgmental gaze and stormed out of the room—slamming the door.

How is this even normal?

She's driving me crazy.

~

I reluctantly changed my outfit to match what she wanted.

Now I get it, she didn't want to look bad because of me.

Yes, we have a narcissist here.

I opened my door again, but Maya disappeared out of nowhere.

Sounds good...

"She's already in the car! The black one!" Nelly exclaimed from downstairs.

Too bad...

I waved goodbye to Nelly and left the house, spotting her Jaguar, already roaring, clearly in a rush. I sat on the passenger side, not even daring to look at her once as we stayed silent for endless minutes.

The car was almost overwhelmed by the scent of her expensive perfume.

"What's this party about?" I asked, when my awkwardness was getting too much.

"21st party," she replied, annoyed.

She pressed the gas pedal, making me grip the seat as the car sped up.

How does she drive so well in those heels, by the way?

Maya stared at me for a moment, then looked back at the road, raising her brow.

"Are you 21?"

"I'll be in September..."

"Doesn't look like it," she said immediately, teasing me like it was a bad thing.

"Maybe that's just because I don't try so hard," I muttered.

I could feel the tension slowly rising.

"You'll catch up eventually." She smirked and suddenly swerved the steering wheel.

Her hands so damn steady and precise.

"Oh, and by the way, there's gonna be a ton of booze, just so you know."

I rolled my eyes. "Got it."

"And I have zero problem drinking, 'cause I'm already 21." Her voice teasing again as she shrugged nonchalantly. "Guess you're not ready to keep up, huh?"

"I said that I've got it." I repeated.

I was struggling so hard to maintain my composure.

And I could tell she was enjoying how much she had teased me so far.

Her finger turned up the volume on the car's playlist, and the song playing was 'I Did Something Bad.'

She smirked, satisfied, and her fingers drummed firmly on the steering wheel.

It's like this song was written to mess with me—just like this girl.

And I was starting to even theorize that she put this song on purpose to boost her confidence.

Whatever.

We arrived at this house—or mansion.

Another one for riches families, and their riches kids...

"What, huh?" Maya demanded rolling her eyes as she saw that I was disappointed.

"Nothing."

"I knew you couldn't handle it, Ohio," she scoffed at me.

Maya got out of the car, and her friends crowded around her.

I got out too, but it felt pointless—obviously, she wasn't going to introduce me...

"Oh, you must be the new roommate!" a girl exclaimed in my direction, her voice full of energy.

The word felt heavier than it should.

"Nice to meet you," she said, and before I could raise my hand, she grabbed it and shook it enthusiastically. "I'm Lily!"

Her hair was long and curly, messy in a way that suited her, her makeup incredibly perfect. Apart from that joke, she sounded chill and kind.

"Unfortunately, I've known Maya since we were little... my bestie, you know..." Lily shook her head dramatically.

Maya stayed silent, purposefully giving her nothing, but I could see the slightest sign of a smirk on her face.

"I'm Grace," I smiled.

"Grace, I'm needed for these birthday arrangements," she said, with an apologetic smile.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." I replied.

"But I'll leave you in good hands... Maya's got you, I'm sure. Right, Maya?" She gave her a quick wink before leaving with the others.

Maya shot her an unamused look, her eyes narrowing slightly as if to emphasize her irritation.

Looks like it's just me and her again...

I started walking, unsure exactly where to go, while Maya just stood there, unbothered.

Suddenly—I bumped into a guy who just appeared out of nowhere.

"Grace, I heard, right?"

I looked up at his blue eyes, and, caught off guard, I just nodded.

Maya nervously straightened.

"What are you even doing here?" she demanded, glaring at him with disbelief.

I didn't understand if she was joking or if it's just her way of talking harshly with everyone.

He ignored her words and came next to me, "I'm Nick, nice to meet you." He smiled warmly.

"Hi..." I said, smiling back.

"Come with me, Grace? I'll catch you up about this party..."

I dared to look at Maya's pissed expression towards us before I accepted his invitation.

Honestly... he seemed like a normal guy, so I followed him around the mansion, where the party was already a mess.

I don't know what's worse: the noise, the crazy amount of wealth, or the fact that I have to stay and endure it.

"So, Grace, I have never seen you, where are you from?" Nick asked me.

"Ohio." I replied, hoping he wouldn't make any jokes about it...

"And what are you doing here?" He raised a brow.

"Ehm, my mom is dating Victor—I mean, Maya's father... that's why I had to move here..."

He laughed, "I see... I don't think Maya is okay with all of this situation going on."

"Believe me... I've noticed."

He sat on a couch near the huge pool and made space for me to sit beside him.

"Maya is a lot to handle," he said seriously, like he was warning me.

"I hope it's not necessary a bad thing..." I gave her the benefit of the doubt.

"It is." He insisted.

I shifted uncomfortably on the couch as his words only increased my tension more.

"You don't like her, right, Grace?" Nick smirked.

I'm confused, are they friends or not?

"Oh, she definitely hasn't done anything to make me like her." I replied firmly.

Nick didn't seem surprised by that.

"And you don't like these people, either?" He insisted.

Well... he had a point...

"I'm not like them," he said immediately, leaning in. "So there's a chance that you'll probably like me," he whispered in my ear.

I laughed, and he caressed my back slowly.

Finally someone who is actually being nice, unlike Maya's rudeness...

"So, what do you do, Nick? Are you in college or...?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm studying law, and... I'm working in a library in the city."

He gave me an uncomfortable look as he mentioned his work, one I couldn't quite get.

"That's nice, I like reading..." I smiled kindly.

"So I have another point with you..." He teased.

I was about to speak when very loud laughter and shouting caught my attention—

Guess who they shouted to?

My dear housemate Maya, of course.

She suddenly caught my gaze in the distance and raised a brow in a challenging way.

I just couldn't help but get caught in her stare.

Everyone kept cheering loudly for her as she smirked and drank the shot in one gulp.

I rolled my eyes.

Her attitude was exasperating.

But then, I noticed something weird... when she finished the shot, her face changed for a split second, looking kind of sad or regretful.

Unusual.

What is this about?

"Do you want to take a sip too?" Nick asked, waking me up from my thoughts.

My lips pursed in a thin smile, "Yeah, why not."

We got up the together and entered the mansion.

I glanced at Nick as he poured me the beer, he is... good-looking.

He is tall, with an athletic body, short blonde hair gelled on his forehead, and blue eyes.

We kept our conversation light and easy for a while, and I almost forgot about all the negativity that happened me today.

Caused by Maya.

"I think you and I can get along well, Grace, we're not like these people..." He casually said, drinking his beer.

"And how are these people?" I finally asked.

Nick grinned. "They only care about appearances, or their lifestyle."

Does that mean he's not as rich as they are?

Is this whole referring to Maya?

"I think you might be right, Nick..." I lowered my gaze. "But some of them are probably just hiding how fragile they really are..."

Okay... who am I referring to?

Nick burst out laughing in this hilarious, teasing way. "But who cares, right?"

"Yeah..." I whispered.

"Hey..." Nick leaned to my ear, his tone low and inviting."Sadly, I didn't come here on my motorcycle, but do you want me to drive you home in my car? 'Cause I think Maya is nowhere to be found..."

Nick was probably right, she was likely missing or drunk, and I wasn't in the mood for any fights.

I accepted his offer.

As we started walking to his car, I noticed how everyone was definitely drunk by now.

I stopped, feeling suddenly uneasy.

"Maybe... I have to tell Maya, you know," I said, pondering it. "It's not that she actually cares, but..."

"Okay," Nick shrugged nonchalantly.

"Let's find her."