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He’s smoking.
I don’t think he’s smoked ever since I stole his pack. He finally accepted the tobacco chewing tablets I’d bought for him. Though I haven’t seen him use them more than a couple of times.
I haven’t ever seen Zach in a suit before, either.
He’s wearing one now.
It’s black and crisp, those pants and that jacket, with a white shirt underneath. The collar is open and probably a couple of top buttons too.
It’s hard to tell from here. There are a lot of people between him and me.
The ballroom is packed.
It’s another party; it’s Mr. and Mrs. Prince’s anniversary. A real celebration of love, what with all the red roses and crystal hearts for décor.
They have been planning this party for weeks. So it wasn’t a surprise, but still, I feel like I’ve been sucker-punched with all the love that’s being blatantly displayed.
Funny, how one night can change everything.
One phone call might mean your parents are dead and three little words could get you kicked out of a room, in the middle of the night, all naked.
I spy Mrs. Prince in the distance, chatting with a group of heavily decorated ladies. Heavily and expensively. She herself is sporting a rose-colored gown, again the color of love, looking like a million bucks.
Looking new and shiny and most importantly, healthy.
Apparently, make-up can hide a lot of things. Though it can’t hide how frail she looks. How bony and how, when she smiles, her artificially made-up eyes appear glassy. But I guess these people are not looking.
No one here cares about a woman who’s shrinking and disappearing with every event, and a girl with blue hair whose eyes might look a tad bit puffier than what’s normal for human beings.
To my credit, I’ve managed to be calm and not break down in the middle of the room like I want to.
My legs have the strength to carry me and my brain has enough sense that I smile and stop and present the tray full of champagne flutes at appropriate times.
Maggie wanted me to call in sick. She said it might be good for me to get some sleep and just rest, after the night I’d had. You know, with all the sobbing and crying like the world was ending.
And maybe it has.
Maybe it’s the apocalypse. The sun has scorched the earth and all life is dead, except for some unlucky ones like me.
Who are alive to see the love of their life transform back into the bully he used to be.
I’ve been making circles of the room, carrying my tray, and so far, I’ve avoided going over to Zach’s side.
He’s tucked away in a corner by the French doors that lead into the grassy grounds and the starry sky.
And he’s not alone.
He’s with his old gang.
Like the prince he is, Zach stands in the middle of the circle, his back propped against the wall. He keeps looking out the French doors every now and then, smoking his lungs away and drinking champagne.
Ashley is to his right, standing super close. So close that with every breath, her breasts are touching his arm. I want to tell her that he’s a fiend for big tits – a typical guy with simple needs. But I won’t. Let her find out the hard way.
To his left is Rob. He used to be the most vocal of the group and he’s also the one who tripped me on my second day at St. Patrick’s. I’ve never seen Zach be close to anyone, but if I had to pick, I’d say he was closest to Rob. Or at least, Rob saw to that because he never left his side.
Then there are Chase, Alex and Samantha, forming a semi-circle of sorts. I honestly had forgotten about them.
Samantha used to follow Ashley’s lead. Chase would repeat whatever anyone said and Alex would just snigger.
