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Socializing is a skill I’ve mastered since I was a little girl, but I don’t enjoy it one bit.
A server hands me a fruit punch mocktail and I take it with a sweet smile, quietly thanking him before finding myself a lonely corner to stand. I watch the people interact with each other; except, I can’t help but think how all of this is so…fake.
These events are the ultimate power trip. A place where gossip festers, secret rivalries are made and worst of all — reputations are ruined by extremely judgmental, rich brats.
I’m sipping on my mocktail when my gaze falls on someone familiar. Someone I recognize. Someone I never want to see at these types of events.
Our eyes meet from across the room, and I blink in astonishment. The social mask I’ve been wearing, the one that covers my emotions and the ugliness that resides in me, cracks open.
He sees it — my shock and dismay at seeing him.
And Jasper smirks knowingly.
But how can I be so stupid?
I should have known he would be here. I should have expected it, at least. Except it completely slipped my mind earlier, while my mother was rushing me to get dressed.
Now Jasper is here. We’re in the same room, and this is not Berkshire Academy, with students our own age. This is a public gathering, with cameras and disparaging eyes from well-established adults.
Shit.
Fear creeps back into my heart and I lick my lips. Gripping my glass harder, I try to hide the way my hands shake. I move toward my father, and when I’m close enough, I grab onto his elbow. More for support than anything else. I need something— someone to keep me upright.
“Did you know Jasper was going to be here tonight?” I whisper to him, as he briefly gives me his divided attention.
He stares at me blankly, and I already have my answer before he responds. “What did you expect?” His tone is stiff, almost as if he finds me bothersome.
I swallow, almost choking on my saliva. “Why didn’t you warn me?”
“What’s there to warn you about?” he scoffs. “Stop acting like a petulant child, Riley. Don’t embarrass me here.”
I’m not trying to! I want to scream.
But he won’t listen.
My father never listens, unless whatever he wants to hear benefits him in some way.
I let go of him, and he goes back to his conversation with whoever he was talking to. Suddenly, everything begins to sound louder. The voices, the laughter, someone’s coughing; I even hear a distant sneeze.
My heart thunders against my rib cage, and I stride away to the bathroom. My legs are shaking so bad, I have to grab onto the sink.
Breathe, Riley. I remind myself. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.
I eye the toilet through the mirror’sreflection and the insistent need to purge fills me again. The need to get rid of all the disgusting shit I consumed earlier. I can almost imagine the grease of the pizza, the calories that came with the whip cream and Oreos that I ate, building into my stomach. Festering like a raw, hideous wound inside my flesh.
The bathroom door clicks open. “I have to say, you look pretty ravishing in that dress.”
My stomach sinks before I ball my fingers into fists. His voice is grating and I push away the fear that slides through my veins, like acid.
“This is the ladies’ bathroom, Jasper. Why are you here?”
He walks up behind me, his bigger body looming over mine. I’m tall at five foot seven. While Jasper is not much taller than me, he’s more muscular. “Because you’re here.” His dirty smirk widens. “You look pale, Smelly Riley. And I’ve haven’t even begun terrorizing you yet.”
“This is not the place for it,” I hiss.
Jasper shakes his head and I don’t miss the way his eyes darken with something sinister. “No, this is the perfect place for it.”
His arm goes around me, his hand cupping my breast over the gown. My jaw tightens and I fight off the aggression coursing through me. I can’t imagine how much trouble I’ll be in if I punch Jasper here, at the Christmas gala.
