𝐑𝐘𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐒 was a social butterfly, effortlessly making friends wherever he goes. But his life took an turn when his father was elected as the President, pushing Ryder into a world of politics and scrutiny. Forced to relocate with his step...
"You trip a lot." I giggle, his hands still holding onto my shoulders.
"I guess I do, right?" I look up into his browns, and then look down at his smile, his teeth almost glowing from being pearly white.
Finally, he lets go of my shoulders. "Be more careful, I don't want you to actually fall." "I'll try." I respond as we walk ahead to the doors.
Two doormen open each side for us and as we walk in I'm welcomed by someone on the other side of the door. I'm greeted by an even bigger chandelier than the one in the lobby.
Inside is what looks like it used to be a large ballroom and is now decorated and remodeled with fancy tables for eating and plants everywhere. Waiters come out of doors and walk around the place, offering drinks and small appetizers to people, photographers take pictures of people, reporters align their cameras towards the reserved area in the front of the room for when the president will probably make his speech, and most importantly, Ryder's father and the first lady stand towards the front of the room, socializing with a couple guests.
It's not much different from the fancy events my parents make Summer and I attend, just way.. fancier.
"This is really, really, nice." I mumble to myself.
"This way, our table is this way." He leads me to the front of the room, there's a table, fancily decorated with cutlery with a sign on it. Reserved for the Adams family.
Before I can sit down in the chair an older couple approaches us, Ryder smiles at the sight of them, making his left dimple show. The woman smiles at Ryder and goes to kiss his forehead, the man gives him a hug.
"Grandma, Grandpa!" He smiles at them both and I take a moment to see the resemblance. "Ryder? Who's this? Is she your girlfriend? She's very pretty–"
I nervously chuckle as he cuts her off with a "No."
"We're just friends.. Mrs. Adams" I interject. She mouths an 'Ohhh..' and smiles at me.
"It's nice to meet you.. Miss...?" His grandfather holds out his hand and I accept it. "Oh! Ms. Davis. But you can really call me Kaia."
As I look at his face I can't help but think I know him from somewhere. Where from? I've had to see his face at least twice. "You were a Senator, right?" He raises an eyebrow. "Yes, a couple years ago. I'm retired now." I nod.
"She's smart." I can hear Mrs. Adams murmur and I can't help but smile.
"Are you coming back to Maine this summer, Ryder?" His grandfather asks. Ryder puts his hand in his pocket, "I think so, you'll be spending the summer at the lakehouse, right?" His grandfather smiles. "You know it, and maybe you can bring your friends this summer."
Ryder grins. "We're going to talk to your father and step-mother, but we'll be back." His grandma says while giving us both that warm, comforting smile. She looks like she'd bake amazing cookies.
As they walk away I turn to Ryder. "They're nice." He lets out a soft laugh. "My grandma can be a little overwhelming, despite her old age, I'm sorry."
"It's okay. She's great." I've never met any of his family but by the looks of it they seem like good people.
I sit down in my chair and Ryder sits next to me. "What's your favorite animal?" He asks. I take a moment to think, going through all of the cute animals.
"Cats. I love cats. Why?" I ask.
"It's just something to talk about."
"So then what's your favorite animal?" I inquire.
"Dolphins. Their big heads are weird but cute. Have you ever seen a dolphin smile?
I shake my head.
He pulls out his phone to show me a picture. "They're different. Not a lot of animals can look cute while smiling." I laugh and look at the photo.
For the rest of the night we spent a lot of time laughing, searching up sea animals we had never heard of, drinking sparkling apple juice, eating, talking to his grandparents, and talking about our favorite animals. Here's what I've learned so far: His favorite animal is a Dolphin, he got stung by a Jellyfish when he was 5, his grandparents own a lakehouse in Maine that he visits every summer (and they're they cutest old people in love i've ever seen), and his favorite dog is a Labrador Retriever.
I don't know why I made space in my brain to remember that information, but I did.
About thirty minutes before the night was going to end Ryder's father stepped up towards the front of the room, in front of the microphone to make a statement.
I had never actually asked for the exact details on why this event was hosted, but I was curious to find out.
He clears his throat out and my mind goes back to the day he made the speech at our school's orientation.
"Tonight has been a wonderful night and I'd like to thank everyone who attended tonight's dinner. Thank you all." He gives a long speech about politics. I don't care to tune in too much because I'm not the biggest fan of politics. Finally, he puts the mic back and the room roars in applause.
I check the time on my phone. "It's late, actually so... We should get going.. Right?" I ask Ryder.
He nods. "Of course." Ryder stands up and waits for me, he says his goodbye to his grandparents and we walk outside of the hotel, getting right into the car waiting for us.
Towards the end of the car ride I ask. "Monday it'll be 98 degrees. How about you and a couple of friends come to the beach with my friends? We usually go when it's hot and none of us are that busy."
"Sure, I'll invite them, we'll be there." He responds and I smile.
"Tonight was fun, really fun." I say and he smiles. "I never really knew you before. I didn't know you got stung by a jellyfish and I didn't think I'd care but, you're really cool Ryder."
"I feel like you've convinced me to get a cat now. How long did we even talk about animals tonight?"
"Maybe.. An hour?" I laugh.
The car stops and I look outside the window. The driver opens up the door for me and I step out of the car.
"See you in Marine Bio?" He asks. I nod and wave. "I'll see you there."
if you were wondering what Kaia's outfit looks like:
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