Everything was gold.
The huge chandelier dangling from the ceiling refracted light off of clear cut diamonds and flooded the ballroom with a a golden haze. The walls were painted liquid gold, as well as the golden tablecloths at each table where some of the partygoers were gossiping at. The confetti, which was scattered all over the tile floor, was glittering gold.
At the very top of the staircase, a young girl wearing a plastic gold crown on top of her platinum blond hair made her entrance and looked down on everyone. Her glamorously gold dress fluttered around her legs and attracted everyone's attention.
It was Cassie Aster's eighteenth birthday party and she wanted everything to be perfect.
The chocolate water fountain had to be perfect, the eighteen-layered cheesecake had to be perfect, the music had to be perfect and most important of all, Cassie had to be perfect.
I waited in the wings as she descended the stairs. We met up when she reached the bottom.
"You look amazing!"
"I know, right," she smirked then gave me a once over, "Nice dress."
"Thanks." I was wearing one of her old dresses that she didn't want anymore. It was a plain silver dress with sheer straps and the faintest hint of sparkle. It was much simpler than her sparkling ballgown.
"Let's get this party started with a round of tequila," she grinned devilishly.
"Mom and Dad will kill you if—"
"If they ever find out, which they won't. I mean, would it kill me if I drank just one glass, the birthday girl's entitled to have some fun at her own party." She gestured with her hand to follow as she headed to the bar.
I followed, but only to make sure she wouldn't go back on her word.
When we got to the bar, she smiled at the young bartender with different colored eyes, who also happened to be very attractive.
"A shot of your finest tequila," she purred in her most sultry voice while I awkwardly stood off to the side.
"Are you even old enough?" He asked teasingly and she pouted, leaning her elbows on the counter.
"A woman never reveals her age." She winked and he grinned.
"Give me your number and we'll call it even."
"Done."
He turned around and Cassie beamed at me. Flirting was second nature for her.
"This one's on the house, birthday girl," he happily handed her a shot and looked sideways at me, "Do you want one too or—"
"No, thank you," I interrupted, "Someone has to be the responsible one." I added, not wanting to seem uptight.
"Do you have a pen?" Cassie suddenly asked the bartender and he handed her one with a slip of paper. Cassie scribbled down her number and signed her name with a heart.
"If you need another drink you know where to find me," he smiled, pretty impressed.
We weaved back through the crowd and blended in with the dancing teens. Cassie downed the shot in one gulp and put the empty glass in some random person's hands.
"Have some fun, sis, you need it!" She cheered, moving to the nocturnal beat of The Weeknd.
"I'm having plenty of fun!" I argued.
"You look like you're constipated, Mad." She burst into laughter at my awkward dance moves. I couldn't help it, I wasn't spontaneous.
My eyes drifted to the line of guys at the back wall and found one who stood out from the rest. He was well-dressed, very well-dressed, with short dark brown hair that complemented the gold glow in the room and captivating eyes—
That were looking right at me.
Or Cassie, I couldn't tell.
His stare was so intense that it made me want to disappear. It was the way a predator would eye its prey right before going for the kill. Still, he didn't look away and I felt compelled to hold his gaze.
Cassie's voice brought me back to reality.
"Hey, let's request a song!" She grabbed my arm and pulled me over to the DJ's stage. I looked back over my shoulder but the mysterious man had disappeared into the crowd.
After requesting a few songs, we started dancing again. Sometime later Cassie's feet started to hurt and she needed a break from standing in her four inch stilettos. We found a table next to the ice cream bar and she immediately looked at her phone.
"Ohmygod, he just texted me." Cassie elbowed me in the stomach as soon as we sat down.
"Who?" I leaned in.
"The hot bartender, obviously." Cassie rolled her eyes. The plastic crown slipped off her head but she didn't seem to notice.
"Boys literally fall at your feet, what makes this one different?" I asked curiously.
"I'm into older men now."
"What did he say?" She handed me her phone and I tried to read it but I somehow messed it up, ending up in the photos app.
"You suck at technology." Cassie laughed at me and took her phone out of my hands.
"We can't all be as obsessed with our phones as you," I was terrible with technology. Computers, televisions, phones, tablets, even microwaves. I could mess up just about anything that needs electricity.
"Anyway, his name's Landon and he just asked me to go out with him!" She held onto her phone like it was her life-line.
"Are you going to say yes?" Even though he was older? And she just met him?
Cassie continued to scroll through her phone, a smile still plastered on her face.
"Our parents aren't here so who are they to tell me no?" Mom and Dad left for another meeting in Seattle on Sunday so for the next week, Cassie and I had the house to ourselves. They threw this party as an apology of their absence. . . not that Cassie minded.
Someone tapped Cassie on the shoulder.
"Would the birthday girl care for a dance?" A good-looking boy with curly hair asked. Cassie smiled even wider.
"Sure," She stood up and smoothed out her dress before turning to me, "You coming?"
"It's okay, I'll stay here," I shook my head.
"Are you sure?" She asked again, "Maybe he has a hot friend."
She waggled her eyebrows in her admirer's direction but there was no way I could go dance with a boy without having a heart attack.
"I'll be fine, go have fun," I told her and she shrugged before turning on her heel to follow the boy. I picked up her plastic crown and placed it on the table so I could give it to her later.
.•*•.
I yawned so strongly that tears leaked from my eyes. During the intermission, I ended up eating some of the food our parents paid for and later walked outside for some fresh air. Nature always made me feel better.
Cassie found me two hours later.
"Wow, that was fun," Her cheeks were flushed and her eyeliner fading. Her heels were strung in her left hand with her purse in the other.
"Should we call an Uber?" I asked and peeked at her phone. It was midnight exactly.
"Actually, Landon offered to drive us home." She raked a hand through her blond hair, the curls falling to messy waves.
"Can we trust him?"
"Of course, he's totally trustworthy." Cassie looked me in the eyes and I looked at the bartender. He seemed okay but could we trust him to take us home safely? We barely knew him.
"I don't know,"
"Maddy, stop worrying, he won't kill us. I'm pretty sure he doesn't even own a gun."
That wasn't the point but I didn't argue with her. Cassie was stubborn like that. Besides, he was only trying to be nice, right?
We waited about a half hour until our ride was ready. Cassie's "older man" picked the both of us in his black Mercedes. He was dressed in the same clothing, a pristine white shirt and black dress pants.
But what really made him stand out were his eyes: one was brown and the other blue.
Cassie took the passenger seat so I sat in the back, not that I minded. I didn't want to be the awkward third wheel of my sister and her date again.
As I got into the car, I looked back at the country club entrance and stopped breathing.
He was watching us. The man with the well-dressed suit and short brown hair.
A truck blocked my view for only a second but he had disappeared again. Gone like he'd never existed. I could've sworn I saw him but maybe my eyes were seeing things
I was either hallucinating from exhaustion or going completely insane.
Hopefully, my mind was still intact.
Hey everyone! This is the fourth book in the series but you don't have to read the others to understand this one. I can't wait for you to read this, I hope you like it! Please vote, comment, share ♡