Stolen Heart

Chapter 11

"What's the party for?" Chloe asked as she finished microwaving Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt Mac & Cheese meals. Lana was thankful for the discounts she got at work and grabbed a couple before heading to Chloe's place to get ready.

"I don't actually know," Lana replied while lifting the film cover to let the steam escape. "But remember, it's in Beverly Hills, so we gotta do fancy and stylish."

"Stylish, you say? I think we can find something that will be just fabulous."

After the girls finished eating, they rummaged through Chloe's small but mighty closet to build their outfits for the late afternoon soirée. Chloe settled on wearing dark jeans with a loose black button-down blouse that was sheer enough to see the black bandeau underneath it. She tucked the front of the blouse into her jeans and let the back stay out for that chic, fashionable look she always managed to pull off so well.

Lana on the other hand, was having trouble deciding what to wear. She started with a plaid red flannel until Chloe said, "Um, girl, did you say Beverly Hills or Beverly Hillbillie?" So, after some light debate, Lana ended up settling for light blue jeans and a light pink loose flowy tank top, which got Chloe's seal of approval.

As soon as 3:30 rolled around, Chloe and Lana headed downstairs to meet the boys. Lana introduced Chloe to Jack's friend Jeremy as they climbed into the back seats of Jack's BMW.

"Nice to meet you," Chloe said as she turned to Lana. She quickly gave a look with her eyebrows that said, 'Jack's friend is cute and why didn't you tell me?'

"So, Jeremy, I forgot to ask you yesterday. What's the party for?" Lana asked as Jack merged onto the freeway.

"I'm not too sure. I just heard my mom talking about the plans and calling the caterers. She hosts random parties now and then for her and her hundreds of friends. Like, for every occasion you could think of.

"She once threw a huge party because one of her maids' sons won the spelling bee at his school... She's never even met him. Also, she forgot to invite her maid and the son to the party. I think she's just bored with life so has taken it upon herself to be the neighborhood party hostess. My dad is always traveling for work, so I think it takes her mind off that."

Jack exited the freeway, and it took them about twenty minutes to get to Beverly Hills. The houses they passed in Jeremy's family neighborhood were unbelievable. I wonder how many celebrities live in this neighborhood.

Lana and Chloe's mouths dropped as Jack pulled up to the opulent mansion that was Jeremy's family home. Jack drove through the magnificent steel gates and down the long driveway toward the mansion. He pulled up to the valet and everyone stepped out of the car. Lana and Chloe's eyes stayed wide as they noticed unique features like the massive water fountain in the middle of the roundabout front driveway. And the flamingos and swans roaming around a pond in a large garden on the side of the estate.

A large luxury SUV pulled up behind them at the valet, and five women stepped out. Lana noticed immediately that they were all wearing black. She then started to look around and noticed everyone else on the grounds was wearing all black as well.

Jack looked over at Jeremy with eyebrows raised. "Dude, why is everyone wearing black? Is this a memorial?"

Jeremy glanced up as the possibility dawned on him. "Oh shit, actually I think it might be. My second cousin Stefan died, like, last week I think."

The group stopped, and Lana and Chloe looked at each other. "Are you serious?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, sorry guys. I guess this rager is going to be quite the downer."