On Our Own

Chapter 22

I feel like all eyes are on me as I step down the staircase, although it's mostly in my head. Mostly.

Carter's arm is my lifeline, as I cling to it to stay stable. I try my best to look graceful as I descend down the stairs, and I probably don't look as bad as I think I do. After what seems like an eternity, we reach the last step.

Corrine appears as if from nowhere, causing me to jump in surprise. She wears a silver ball gown with white lace decorating her corset, and her normally outrageously curly, flaming red hair is straightened, so that it cascades like a waterfall down her back. She looks me up and down, and smiles in approval.

"You clean up nice," she warmly states.

"Thank you," I reply, my face turning almost as red as her hair.

"And who is this," she asks, gesturing to Carter.

"This is Carter," I laugh.

She nods approvingly, and walks away, approaching an older couple, probably looking for people to sponsor the ranch.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a blonde in a hot pink dress, walking straight towards me.

I turn my gaze towards her, and I'm less than thrilled when I see Chloe.

"Carter, hide me," I whisper into Carter's ear.

"Hey Taylor," she greets sweetly, masking the pure evil in her voice. She actually sounds friendly for once- what is she planning?

"Hi Barbie," I reply, matching my tone to hers. She laughs, not showing any signs of anger at my spiteful nickname for her.

We sit in silence for a few seconds, giving me time to notice something- her eyes are fixed on Carter.

"Aren't you going to introduce me," she flirts.

"This is Carter," I almost growl. "Carter, this is Bar-"

"Chloe" she interjects.

"So, is this your friend? Your brother," Chloe asks, the venom in her voice starting to show.

"No, this is my-"

"Boyfriend," Carter says, finishing my sentence.

"Oh," Chloe sighs, obviously disappointed. She looks me in the eye, and raises her eyebrow, as if challenging me.

Challenge accepted- Carter's mine.

"Well, we better get going," I sweetly chime, before leading Carter to the dance floor.

I daintily slip my arms around his neck for support, and he, sensing my lack of experience in heels, wraps his arms around my back, almost holding me up.

"She seemed nice," he observes, as we start to dance.

"She's a brat. She's been tormenting me since I got here, and now she's trying to steal you," I almost shout, turning a few heads.

"Shh, calm down," he says into my ear. "And about Chloe- she can try to steal me as much as she wants- she can't have me."

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We've been dancing for an hour or two now, and my stomach growls with hunger.

"Carter, I'm starving," I complain.

"Okay, there's food and drinks over there," he replies, pointing to an area with tables, and people bringing covered dishes to guests' tables. "I'm actually getting hungry myself."

He takes my hand, and leads me to an empty table for four, where I sit down. He goes to get our food, leaving me alone at the table.

I'm a little surprised he picked a table for four, when there were multiple available tables for two.

Until Serenity and Joy show up.

"Oh my gosh, you two look amazing," I squeal.

Joy's blonde hair is curled into ringlets, while Serenity's is in a beautiful fishtail braid.

"Thank you," they unanimously respond, taking their seats. Serenity sits across from me, while Joy sits to my left.

Carter comes back with our food- the course is an elegant chicken breast in white wine sauce, with sautéed green beans.

We all eat, and my friends get to know Carter. I almost feel bad for him, as they bombard him with questions.

Almost. But it's amusing, if not slightly awkward, so I don't stop them.

"I need to go to the ladies room," I say after I've eaten, standing up.

"Okay, hurry back," Joy giggles in a singsong voice.

I walk up the staircase, (the bathrooms are upstairs), and turn right. The girls bathroom is on the left side of the hallway, so I enter the door.

I didn't really have to use the restroom, but I wanted to make sure I looked okay. I check my appearance in the mirror, and smooth out my dress. I pull any and all stray hairs into place. I fix my makeup, and then leave the bathroom.

I'm about to turn back down the stairs, but something catches my eye in the window.

Although it's dark outside, I can make out the figure of someone heading into the barn.

A blonde in a pink dress.

Similar in appearance to a Barbie.

And despite myself, instead of heading back to Carter, I follow her.

A/N

Heyy. What do you think? sorry I didn't update yesterday, but I tried to make this chapter extra long. I wrote it in a hurry, so tell me if you see any mistakes!

Random Question: What's your favorite food?

It's sort of hard for me to decide. My favorite food changes very often. One day, it might be baked potatoes, the next, it might be (vegan) enchiladas. Currently, my favorite food is Szechuan bean curd (basically fried tofu) and fried rice from a local Chinese place. (Random side note: Tofu is terrible unless it's cooked right. If it's cooked wrong, it tastes like yucky goop.)

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On a very sad note, that kitten I told you about? I don't know if I told you her leg was in a cast because she was attacked by an animal before we got her. Well, we took her to the vet today, and they said the bone is completely shattered, and the leg probably has to be amputated.