Miss Grande

Chapter 48: It's Always A Pleasure

   My finals ended up going well. I passed them all, my lowest score being an 88. I was proud of myself, and it was really rewarding to see my hard work pay off.

   Miss Grande ended up giving me a 98 on the final which brought my grade from a high B to an A. I was happy that being honest worked out so well. Still, it was weird being so vulnerable. I was never too good at discussing my feelings, and it felt weird to put them all down on paper and hand them over to someone.

   Since my first semester ended, my senior year was half way over. I was just under 6 months away from graduating. I still had 2 weeks of December and a week of January until second semester started. I had a few things to work out with my schedule, like my empty class period and a class I needed to be switched out of, but those were things I would worry about after my month came to an end.

   These next 3 weeks would be about my friends and, dreadfully, my family. There were a few things I was excited about though. For instance, my brother would be coming back home, and we had the annual New Year's Eve party at my mom's work.

   I'm aware of how uncool it is to spend the start of your new year at some company party instead of out with friends, but my mom was always one for appearances. It didn't hurt that the food was always good, and I could have a friend tag along.

   I usually brought Selena or Camila, sometimes both, but this year we all decided that Trent would be coming with me.  I was excited for him to meet my brother and for him to experience it all.

   The fancy party never disappointed- good food, pretty dresses, giant fireworks- it was a beautiful experience. With Trent being a new friend, I was really looking forward to sharing the experience with him.

   My father picked my brother up from the airport the week after my finals had ended, which was a few days before Christmas and a week before the new years party. He had finished the semester earlier but wanted to stay a while longer to hang out with his friends. His girlfriend would be joining us after Christmas for the New Years party.

   Trent showed up at my house on Christmas Eve for my family's Friendsmas. It was my family tradition to spend Christmas Eve like that. We usually had tacos and exchanged gifts. It was only our closest friends, which was Camila, Selena, and Trent for me. I thought about inviting Katie but decided against it as we hadn't been talking much since everything with Justin happened.

   Trent and my brother got on well enough, cracking jokes and being stupid. It was really entertaining to see Trent out of his element but still fitting in perfectly with his surroundings.

   Most of the gifts I got, from Friendsmas and Christmas, were fuzzy socks or oversized t shirts. They were really comfortable, and I ended up living in then until the New Years party came.

The excitement really settled in the morning of New Year's Eve. I started my makeup and hair early and was almost perfectly ready by the time everybody started showing up.

   The men in my party-consisting of my father, my brother, and Trent- all wore plain, black tuxes with special bow ties to match the dress of whichever lady they were escorting. My father's was a deep blue, crushed velvet. My brother's was a pastel yellow. Trent's was a transparent blush, cover in sparkles.

We arrived in a huge car and had to walk down the "red carpet" which was really just the company photographer taking pictures for next year's party and the company booklets.

Once inside the place, my breath was taken away. The high ceilings were see-through, giving an unobstructed view of the night sky and allowing people to see the fireworks later, although some people would be going outside for the view. There were warm colored lights hanging around throughout the room that gave a welcoming and relaxed environment. The glow of the room kept everything visible without the harshness of bright lighting.

Snack tables lined half of the walls of the open room. There were desserts, fruits, vegetables, small sandwiches, and basically any snack you could name. Some of the things employees had brought but others were catering from various different restaurants.

One of the walls not lined with snacks was the stage for speeches yet to be given and karaoke later on while the other had pictures from previous parties and a hall that lead to bathrooms and stairs and offices.

Women in beautiful gowns and men in fancy suits littered the floor. Some where dancing while others were sat at tables conversing.

It was beautiful.

I saw Mister Edward walking towards us and leaned over to Trent. "That's my mom's boss, Mister Edward. He owns the company." Trent nodded right as Mister Edward got close enough to greet us.

"Welcome! It's great to have my favorite, hardest working employee and her beautiful family."

He talked to my mother and father, discussing boring adult things like stock investments and whatnot. I zoned out and stopped listening until he turned to me.

"Y/n, it's always a pleasure," he kissed the top of my hand. It wasn't gross or creepy like it was with most older men. He was a very kind man, like Santa is always described as. He was good at the heart, and it was well reflected through his actions and personality.

"It's nice to see you again," I did my best to contain my excitement. "This is Trent, my boyfriend."

Trent extended his hand, and they exchanged a quick handshake and basic introductions.

"You've really outdone yourself this year!" I complimented.

"Thank you! This year is very special though. My daughter is back in town after being gone for so long. She went off to college in California and had a job out there for a few years. It took everything in me to convince her to come back home and find a job here, but I managed. I'll introduce you to her! I'm sure she's around here somewhere." He started looking around for her.

I gave Trent a small smile, doing my best to hide my anxiety. New people always made me anxious. He wrapped his arm around my waist reassuringly which helped to calm me down.

"There she is! Sweetheart, please come over here," he called out.

I heard heels clicking against the floor as it overlapped with the sound of people chattering and glasses clinking randomly throughout the huge open room. Trent smiled down at me before we both turned our attention back to my mom's boss.

"Y/n, Trent, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Ariana."