Riley's POV
After putting the gown in my closet I climbed into bed and quickly fel asleep, waking up early the next morning I jumped out of bed with a yawn and a stretch and left my room to go take a shower and get ready for the day On my way to the bathroom I saw Avery also headed for the bathroom who was wearing what looked like a pair of Nates boxers and his shirt. I stopped dead and bit my lower lip then started to quietly back up, hoping to go unnoticed Too late. Avery turned around and spotted me when my foot made contact with a creaky floorboard"Oh hi there Riley!"Avery said, her voice oozing with fake kindness. She walked toward me with a cat like smile and casually leaned against the wal and crossed her arms over her chest, all without taking her eyes off mine"Hi" I said and tugged on a lock of my hair. I had been doing so good avoiding Avery...until now that is."So do you have a dress for the ball yet?" She asked me with a raised eyebrow I smiled back and told her "Yes I do actually". I thought I saw shock flash through her eyes"Oh" She said simply. Her eyes then flashed with something else and she ooked passed me."Natey!" She squealed and brushed past me. I turned around and sure enough, there wasNatestanding in the hallway.Averythrew herself at him just like the first night she was here and kissed him hard He returned the kiss with just as much passion. It hurt to watch. It felt like ittle pieces of my heart were being chipped away and falling into the pit of my stomach. My lungs felt as if they were being slowly crushed I dashed into the bathroom, not able to stand the sight of the two of them After I calmed down a bit, I got in the shower and took a very long time Then took even longer to straighten my hair and apply my makeup After I finished in the bathroom, I went downstairs but was almost knocked over by a man carrying a large vase of flowers All of downstairs was covered with people bustling about. Some were rearranging furniture, some were setting up chairs and tables, others were cooking and baking I spotted Mary in the middle of the living room and when we made eye contact she motioned for me to join her."Good morning dear!" She greeted me and kissed my cheek"Morning. Um..what is this all about?" I asked her."Oh for the ball of course! These things take a lot of preperation. So tell me! Which one, the red roses or the white?" She asked me and pointed to the two flower arrangments presented before her. I looked at them both and said "The white". Mary nodded and said "That was my first choice too""And before I forget! These are for you" She said and handed me a shoebox"Thank you" I said and opened the box. Inside were a pair of red Christian Louboutin patent leather pumps."I thought they would go great with your dress" Mary said with a genuine smile."Thank you! So much Mary. These really means alot to me" I told her."Of course sweetie! It was my pleasure" She said and hugged me tight I patted her back. Mary was so nice. I was really starting to like her."You! Stop right there! That goes in the other room!" Mary shouted after we broke the hug and started walking towards a scared looking caterer. I walked through the crowd of workers and made my way into the kitchen where Christian was sitting on a counter eating a poptart, out of the way of the cooks and bakers. He smiled at meand patted the spot next him. I joined him and he held out a box of pop-tarts to me."Pop-tart?" He asked and smiled at me, holding the box out to me."Thanks" I said and took one. "So you must be used to all this preperation and commotion huh?" I asked Christian shrugged and replied "Yeah I guess. These parties can get pretty boring though". I smiled and bumped my shoulder against his. "Then whats your idea of fun?" I asked him Christian smiled a sly smile and hopped off the counter. "Come up to my room and i'll show you" He said and extended his hand to me. I smiled and arched an eyebrow while laughing nervously"Its nothing sexual, promise" He said as I blushed. I took his hand and got off the counter. Christian pulled me through the crowd of workers and up the stairs into his very large bedroom. His walls were covered with posters and art, you couldnt even see the color behind them. Unlike all the other bedrooms in the house, Christians room was covered with gray carpet. His large bed was pushed in the corner. He had a big brown bookcase next to his bed crammed with books and then had shelves on his wall, also covered with books Christian also had a coffee table in his room with a small love seat and recliner facing a flat screen on his wall with every came console a teenage boy could ask for attatched to it"Nice room" I told him, looking around. Christian smiled and closed the door behind us. "Thanks" I walked farther into the room. "So? What is it you do for fun?" I asked and flopped down on the loveseat He motioned towards the came consoles and books. "This is what I like to do...when i'm home. When i'm not home. I usually hang out at central park or the Met museum, or Dina's coffee, or anywhere in Brooklyn really" He explained taking a seat in the chair across from me."Dina's coffee?" I asked He nodded. "I'll have to take you sometime. It's great""Actually," I started "I have been there. A few days ago, Nate took me" I told him"Ah, but if it werent for me, Nate would have never found the place" Christian told me. I smiled to myself and looked down at the coffee table. A battered old copy of War and Peace was sitting there with a ripped bookmark marking a page"Tolstoy huh?" I asked and picked up the book. Christian smiled and said "One of my favorites" You could tell it had been read alot by the condition it was in Looking at this book made me curious to see what else Christian enjoyed reading"So whats the difference between the books on the shelves and the books in the case?" I asked and stood in front of the case, running my finger along the spines of his books"The ones in the case are my absolute favorites" On the shelves there were alot of classics which made me smile, thinking about all the books I had at home that I could notbring with me to boarding school"No way!" I exclaimed and grabbed a thin book off the case. "Romeo and Juliet is one of your favorites? Its one of mine too!" I told him excitedly and opened the book to see alot of notes written down and pages marked."Of course Romeo and Juliet is one of my favorites" Christian said. "But not alot of people know that, so we should keep it between you and me" He said and winked while flashing me an awarding winning smile. I agreed and placed the book back in its spot "So which one is your favorite movie?" I asked him curiously. Christian smiled "Favorite one on three?" He asked.I giggled and shook my head yes"One...two..." He counted down "...THREE!""The older one!" We both shouted at the same time then burst into a fit of aughs"Really?" Christian asked. "I thought you were going to say the other one. I thought no girl could resist the charm of Leonardo DiCaprio" I smiled, "Leo is awfully good looking in that movie but I dont know. The older one is just more...""Real? Accurate? How Shakespeare meant for it to be portrayed?" He finished for me."Exactly" I said and smiled"Well now that I know you have great taste in literature. Whynot try your hand in Nazi Zombies?" He asked and tossed me a contoller."Bring it on" I said and took a seat next to Christian on the loveseat After playing the video game for about an hour, I angrily threw my controller down after dying 10 times in the last 10 minutes Christian chuckled and said "Your really good at this game" Then looked at me and bit his lip. I crossed my arms and playfully glared at him "Better than you!" I said, even though it wasnt true, not even a little."HA!" Christian said. "I used to have a pet turtle...even HE's better than you at this game" He told me kindly and patted my knee. I giggled and stuck my tounge out at him "Shouldnt you be reading Romeo and Juliet or something?" I asked and arched eyebrow"Ooooh" Christian said and jumped on me, pinning me to the couch I smiledand grabbed his shirt collar"Low blow, that hurt you know" He told me while smiling"Oh i'm sooo sorry! How can I ever make it better?" I asked"Welllll" Christian said and leaned in closer to me, "We can start with a kiss" He whispered I smiled as he leaned in even closer to me. Just as our lips were about to touch, I pushed Christian off of me and onto the floor Christian had his hands placed gently on my waist, so I unfortunately also tumbled down, landing on top of him We both started laughing until our eyes teared up That feeling of pure happiness I got when Christian came to the boarding school was coming back, and I liked it"Are you ok?" Christian asked. I smiled "Yeah, im fine. What about you? Christian opened his mouth to respond but was interupted by the sound of someones throat clearing I looked over and Nate was standing by the couch. I blushed madly and quickly stood up"Hey Nate" Christian said cooly as he stood up. I stood there embarassed ooking at the floor"Hey. Mom needs your help downstairs" He said. Christian nodded and left the room Great. Just me and Nate. I broke the silence first "Wheres Avery?" I asked suprised she wasnt attatched to his hip."Shopping. Looking for a dress for tonight" He told me then flashed me a smile "Speaking of dresses, did you like the one I picked out for you? You oked really good in it so..." Nate said and slightly blushed. "Yeah. I loved it. Thank you" I said and couldnt help but smile."Ok. Great. Well, I should probably go help out downstairs" He said and turned for the door"Does your mom need anymore help?" I asked "I'll help if you need it" Nate smiled and shook his head "No you just relax" He told me and left the room I sighed with boredom so I wandered over to Christians book case and picked up Romeo and Juliet, where I sat and read it until I fell asleep on the love seat
YOU ARE READING
