American Dream ➵ Patrick Bateman

Chapter One

7:06. That's what the clock read as I watched it tick from across my room. I had accepted the invitation to a dinner with a family friend, Evelyn Williams, and I was dreading every single moment leading up to that lunch. Every time we had seemed to go out to eat with each other, she just complained about her piece of shit fiancé that went by the name of Patrick Bateman. I took a deep breath before rising from my memory foam bedding and waltzing to my porcelain bathroom. I opened my mirror cabinet, above my sink before rinsing my face with cold water, careful not to damage my pores.

I grabbed one of my facial cleansers from the cabinet and began to softly cleansing my skin. I did have a routine in my mornings but it wasn't too intense or severe, with the fear of using he wrong products in the wrong order and causing damage to my face. I liked to consider myself perfect. Thinking of myself any less could cause mental health problems and I didn't need anymore than I had. After all, the tendencies I had around adult men wouldn't diagnose me as sane in any way possible. In fact if anyone found out how I spent last night I would probably be locked away and maybe even put to death. No amount of money or pleading from a lawyer could save what terrible fate I would face.

I closed the cabinet after finishing my routine and waltzed to my closet. Even though I had a much bigger closet with more clothes than I could ever desire, every time I spent any time with Evelyn, she would degrade my clothes saying how they weren't to her standards, even though I knew my shoes alone cost more than anything she could purchase herself. She relied on those around her. From her parents, to her supposed fiancé, which in my opinion I don't think it will ever last. After all they can't even pick out a date. I picked out an outfit consisting of shades of browns and whites to compliment my ashy blonde color in my hair.

I got dressed before heading down the flight of stairs in my apartment, catching a cab once I arrived outside. " Espace please, and hurry I'm already running late." I told the driver as he started to head towards the direction of the restaurant. I absolutely hated when Evelyn was in charge of the restaurant choice because she always chose something over the top just to flaunt her money. She had been like that since we were younger. See, our parents knew each other from working, to be exact, my father was her father's boss but they still made more than enough to provide for their families. But the difference between us is even though I came from money, I chose to find work for myself in a Brokerage Firm titled "Muriel Siebert & Company", which was founded in 1969 by a woman named Muriel Siebert. Shortly after being hired I was promoted to Vice President and am one of the top stockbrokers at the firm. Meanwhile, Evelyn still mooches off her parents and now Patrick as well.

Once I arrive at Espace, I pay the driver, plus throw in a little extra as well for a tip, before walking through the doors. I can already see Evelyn at the table with six other people, two of which dressed in a very odd fashion, but who am I to judge? I walked over to the table and was instantly greeted by Evelyn embracing me in her arms, "Alexandra it's so great to see you again. I hope you've been well. Please, sit." I pull out the chair and sit next to a dashingly handsome individual.

"Everyone this is Alexandra, she and I were best friends growing up together. Allie you know my cousin Vanden and this is her boyfriend Stash." Evelyn explained pointing at the people I had mentioned earlier. I waved slightly to them before she gestured to the couple on the other end of the table, "This is Luis and his fiancé Courtney, over here you have Bryce, and finally there's Patrick, who you've heard so much about." I slowly turn my head and see that I chose to sit next to the man himself, the fiancé who's so terrified of commitment I have to hear about it nearly every single day. And of course there's Bryce, when even though Evelyn complains about Patrick, she proceeds to have an affair with Bryce. Which looking at both of them now, Patrick is a much better looking individual.

"So as I was saying before Abigail showed up," Bryce started to say as I rolled my eyes at the fact he called me by a completely different name, "If you want the job done right you have to do it yourself." He continued on before I began looking down at the menu. I listened to him ramble about his job, which to my surprise seemed to be something similar if not the same thing I do at my place of work as well. I read over the menu items before hearing Bryce start saying number that were completely off and not at all correct before choosing to speak up myself, "You're wrong."

He stopped in his tracks before raising an eyebrow at me and looking over, "Oh really? And what exactly would you know about what I mean honey?" He spoke with a degrading tendency behind his voice, an easy tactic that a man like him would use to make me feel dumber than I actually am. I started to correct him, giving him the same tone of voice, to which my surprise seemed to draw not only him in, but Luis and Patrick as well. After finishing my reasoning, Bryce sat there for a moment before looking over at Patrick, "Well shit Bateman I think she's right." I nodded in assurance before looking over at the man next to me who had a blank, but deadly stare as he stared what felt like daggers into my skin. I scoffed before looking back at Bryce who moved on from the conversation and began to talk about Sri Lanka.

- - - -

By the end of the night, I had become more well acquainted with those around me and discovered that Courtney was definitely marrying someone who was gay. I proceeded to say my farewells to everyone after we paid for our meals and I began walking to the door. As I waited for the cab, Evelyn and Patrick walked out and waited for their car to be pulled around. Patrick had his arm wrapped around Evelyn as she giggled obnoxiously, I glanced over to see instead of looking down at her, Patrick had his eyes on me. Looking me up and down, as he embraced his "fiancé". I scoffed and rolled my eyes before climbing into the cab that stopped in front of me, "Men."