It is so loud and way too smoky was Bailey's initial thought as she entered the medium sized house.
It was crowded to the point of being stuffed. The minute they'd entered someone had knocked into her, she thought she'd even felt a groping hand, which was really the second time it had happened since she'd moved to Haven. It had been unheard of in her old town. Maybe she'd reached that growth spurt and she hadn't notice, but other people, , did.
Bailey had lasted about ten minutes, standing awkwardly next to Gwen while she had what would have probably been a civil conversation if it hadn't been so loud. She'd foreseen this awkwardness. Bailey wasn't a mingler and, no matter the promise or not, the changes wouldn't happen over night.
And it being the end of the week, Bailey already felt drained. So she gave in to the need to get to a corner quick and migrated towards the empty black leather couch in the back. She quickly slipped into a line to grab a closed bottle of something first, the only thing she'd paid attention to was that it was closed, and once she reached the couch, flopped down.
It was quite comfortable and luckily no one was looking for her. She would stay a few hours just to show Gwen she was attempting to enjoy herself, and then politely leave, but calling a cab in Haven may prove to be a challenge. The house, of junior named Samantha Levy, who she had yet to be introduced to, also seemed to live in a secluded area on the other side of where Bailey lived.
Just as she was fully getting comfortable in her couch potato ways she saw Gwen notice where she'd gone off to. She gave the girl a small, reassuring smile, but it did nothing to stop the red head from bulldozing her way towards her.
"I've been looking for you. What are you doing back here?"
Bailey shrugged. "I just don't feel comfortable at these things."
Gwen chuckled, giving a knowing nod, and flopped on the couch beside her, causing Bailey to bounce up and down. Gwen rested her feet on the glass table in front of her and slouched into the cushions, sighing happily.
"Gwen, you don't have to stay here with me."
She shrugged. "I'll stay. I want you to feel comfortable around me, around my friends, so I'll stay and we can just talk until you are."
Bailey smiled gently at her. "You should enjoy the party."
"Bails, I'm good here. I'm enjoying it now."
Bailey shook her head. "I think we could end up being best friends," she mumbled.
Gwen turned towards Bailey, seeming to think about it, and then gave her 600 kilowatt smile. "Okay."
"I take a while to open up, but I'm really going to try. I've been making some fairly big steps, so if you promise to just give me a chance-" Bailey started.
"Bailey?"
"Hm."
"I said okay," she informed. "I've never had a best friend."
Bailey snorted and gave her an 'are you serious' look. "But you have so friends."
She shrugged. "I've talked about things with you I've never talked about with anyone. I feel some type of connection with you..." she paused, sliding an awkward look towards Bailey. "I'm not hitting on you by the way. I'm all about men, but I just wanted to let you know. Most of my friends are guys too, if you hadn't noticed. Kate sat with us today because of you. Raj and Harper I'm just friendly towards, Willa's best friend is Seth, or rather used to be, Damien and Grayson have known each other since they were in diapers. And I can't really call Damien my best friend, because brothers don't count. Grayson's always gotten on my nerves. So it's safe to say I see potential for us. I've dated Oliver, so that can't really count either. I'm pretty sure you're the closest thing I have to a best friend."
"It hasn't even been a week since I moved here." Bailey made the obvious comment.
She'd been thinking it, but wanted this to happen.
"I have amazing judge of character."
"That's good."
Gwen chuckled. "Okay."
Bailey smiled. "Okay." She paused and bit her lip before speaking again. "Do you like to read?"
Gwen shot her a smirk and reached for her Sak purse. She dug into the brown bag and pulled out a black box. "My reading glasses," she said as she flipped it open.
She settled the glasses on the bridge of her nose and then reached into her purse again, pulling out a paperback. "I'm always prepared."
They laughed and started talking about the book she'd pulled out.
"Bailey, don't you do it!"
"Oh come on Gwen, it's not a big deal. You promised you'd learn."
The red head in a black string bikini, held her fist up in defiance. "Push me in and I'll hit you."
"We are going to Costa Rica this summer and you ARE going to learn how to swim before we go."
Technically, the trip to Costa Rica was for graduating seniors, Gwen and Bailey were only soon-to-be seniors, but Gwen pouted enough to the principal that it became a trip for both. There was no better place for Gwen to practice than the Atherton's huge Olympic sized indoor pool which was directly next to a spiral staircase that Bailey had fallen in love with the minute she'd seen it.
"You know, I was thinking that I'll just most likely tan anyway," Gwen tried to reason, backing away from the outstretched hands of her best friend.
Bailey shook her head. "Not on my watch."
"This is all Damien's fault," she said, plunking her hands on her slender hips. "He never should have told you I couldn't swim!"
"Don't blame him. He just didn't want you to drown when we go swimming on the beaches."
"Oh look. There! He laughing at me! I knew he did it on purpose. Just look," she pointed up at the twirling stair case that expanded into a balcony. "Listen here you punk-" she cried out.
Bailey turned, only to see Grayson and Damien walking off the last step of the stairs, then onto the deck near the pool, clad in a pair of swim trunks, smirking in their direction. Bailey swallowed, dropping her gaze to her feet and her face flamed as she saw her somewhat childish choice in bathing suits. A white two piece boy short set with brown polka dots didn't exactly scream sexy, but maybe she was being a little harsh. Bailey still refused to visit a tanning salon, so her skin was still the porcelain pink tint it was nine months ago when they'd moved to Haven. Now she found herself second guessing her decision. Being practically naked in front of her crush and his best friend was something she would never get used to.
Grayson immediately came up to Bailey and draped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her to him. "Hey gorgeous, how's it going?"
Her cheeks flushed and she glanced down at the concrete beneath her feet. "It's not. She refuses to get into the pool," Bailey mumbled.
Damien frowned at them. "Well, I think that's why we came out here. Bails you need us."
Gwen growled at her brother. "Aren't you supposed to be like an adult now that you're graduating Mr. Yale?"
Damien flushed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck. "You know I haven't decided."
"What's to decide? You got into the school you and Dad have been striving for since you were a toddler."
"Get in the pool," he demanded suavely changing the subject.
"Absolutely not, it'll mess up my newly dyed red hair."
"Why do you always choose red anyway?" Grayson questioned, his hand sliding up and down Bailey's arm.
"It's her favorite," Bailey replied just as Gwen said, "It's my favorite."
"I just got a flash back of dumb and dumber," Damien teased.
"Speaking of colleges," Grayson started.
Damien groaned, his green eyes flashing with displeasure. "Come on man."
Bailey turned and looked up at Grayson. "You got in?" she asked with pure pleasure.
He glanced down and nodded, leaning forward to drop a kiss against her lips. "I got in."
Grayson had been struggling with which school he wanted to go to, he had the grades, but Stanford hadn't been his fathers' first choice. It was actually how he and Bailey got closer and cocked a scheme that was absolutely ridiculous. But looking at Damien now it really wasn't working anyway. Bailey could safely say that Grayson was her second best friend though.
"I'm so proud of you!" Bailey smiled, turning her body completely to hug him tightly to her.
Grayson pulled away slightly and cleared his throat. "Should we take this inside?" he asked raising an eyebrow suggestively.
"Yeah, please do," Damien called out in disgust as he walked around towards Gwen. "Bails, I thought had swimming duty. I'm doing all the work!" he complained.
"Don't do it, Damien. If you value your manhood, you'll leave me be," Gwen snapped in warning.
"Who says that?" Damien asked his arms wide and shrugging.
"Every romance novelist I've read."
He darted, she screamed, they laughed. This was going to be challenging.
--
. He let out a growl of frustration as he adjusted his pants and watched the teenagers darting around the pool from behind the safe embrace of shadows and trees.
He couldn't take her. He swore he'd never take anyone from his town. Her hair type wasn't on the list this time either. He wouldn't break code because his dick wouldn't obey. God did he want to slice a knife through her skin, to hear her begging him to stop as he screwed her.
His jaw clenched and he reached forward, digging his finger nails into the tree trunk as Grayson tossed Bailey screaming into the water. Gwen had yet to be thrown in, but he could care less about her. His eyes were solely for the brunette.
He really couldn't take someone from his town, at least not her, not now, but maybe, he smiled slowly. Maybe.