Arguing in the Maxwell household was normal. Both of my parents were unhappy in their marriage, but they were too stubborn to get a divorce. Separating meant that people see us for what we were: liars. Our family unity was important to how everyone perceived us.

Harsh words were thrown around without care for who heard. Loud voices along with the sounds of things banging were normal. Every week, an argument like this would happen. It scared me, and my little sister at first, but we eventually became indifferent to it.

"See you guys later!" I yelled along with my miserable parents. Robin came from the kitchen with a bowl of ice cream, and waved goodbye.

Warm air blew in my freshly flat-ironed hair making me frustrated with how messed it was already. Small pieces of sun was shining down on me as my friends pulled into the driveway. Beer was in both of their hands as music blasted through the group. "Julia, get your ass in here!" Courtney yelled before vaping.

I jumped in the Jeep. Beer was poured over the three of us as we attempted to do waterfalls. Wet stains almost ruined our shirts, but luckily the party was going to be dark. Nobody would care enough to check in on how our outfits were.

"Julia!" My boyfriend, Bradley, yelled while jogging out of the mansion. Liquids dropped from his chin, and onto his bare chest. A muscular arm wrapped around me as I was lead inside. "Babe, I'm so happy you're here."

We kissed in front of everyone. People whispered out of admiration, envy, or maybe even both. Having a spotlight was torture for me. I hated knowing that everyone watched my every move. Being with Bradley made getting used to it a requirement though. Everyone watched every move he made, and being with me brought some of that spotlight towards me.

"Are you drunk already?" He nodded before downing another bottle. "It's still early."

Bradley shrugged while dancing to the music, completely carefree. "Who cares?! Grab a bottle and get fucking wasted!"

Music bounced off every single wall in the huge home. Crowds of teens filed into every corner, and entertained themselves in their groups. A lot of people made out while others tried to dance, but were too drunk.

Alcohol slid down my throat after being pressured to do so by an entire group of people wanting to see me "let loose." I pretended to be drunk after a while to get them to back off, but my mind was completely normal. Not being a light weight came in handy.

Hours of just tirelessly dancing, make outs, and swimming passed by. One thing after the next captured everyone's attention. Two fights broke out, and some almost drowned in the pool. Whoever owned the house had the luxury of living further away from anyone else in the neighborhood. Had we been next door to someone, a swat team would have to come to shut us down.

Courtney tapped my shoulder while pointing to an overly drunk Bradley walking over to me. A smile on his face which almost made him look like a zombie. "Are you okay?" I asked, and met him halfway to prevent him from passing out.

He gave me no further warning before kissing me roughly. All eyes turned on to us again, but my reaction was different. I tried to push him off, but he was too strong.

Laughter broke out once he finally stumbled off of me. One growing hickey was left on my neck, and I placed a hand to it. Anger blinded any rational thinking. Who the hell did he think he was? "Come on." Bradley smirked before following me upstairs.

"Yes ma'am." His words slurred, and were getting drowned out by the roaring music blasting through obnoxiously huge speakers.

Two people sat on a white bed making out. Both of them looked shocked to see someone else walk in. "Out!" I said with anger, and hot tears rising. They left quickly while shutting the door back. Bradley stumbled towards me, and was met with a hard slap. "What the hell is your problem?"

Red marks were left on his lightskin complexion. Even with the marks, Bradley was unaffected by my slap. It seemed to turn him on if anything. "Sorry babe. Why don't I make it up to you?" Strong alcohol beamed from his breath as rough kisses were placed on my face and body.

"No." I said, growing impatient with his childishness. Bradley didn't budge. As my hands pushed him away, his hold only became stronger. "Stop it! What is wrong with you?!"

This time, he became angry. All of the alcohol making it impossible to think clearly. "You know what, Julia? You're a real bitch!" I scoffed while crossing my arms. "All you are is just a fuck buddy for me. That's all you'll ever be to any guy!"

He slammed the door on his way out. For a second, it felt as if the ground was shaking.

Minutes passed before I decided to head out of the room. Bradley was already making out with someone new. Laughter came from downstairs as I walked down the shiny, white steps. Both of my friends were even laughing at the encounter. Everyone would be talking about this for weeks now. I'll be the laughing stalk of the school. Tears fell from my face as my feet carried me down the street, and back home.

Days had passed. Nothing happened, but school was around the corner. Seeing all of those familiar faces would surely stir up trouble. All of my social medias were deleted along with every contact on my phone. Isolating myself was the only way to recovering from being dumped. Even the thought of being humiliated like that made my skin crawl with anger.

Hot tears started to form at the corners of my eyes, and I barged out of my room to try to breathe correctly. Taking a walk would be my only way to calm down. Emptying my mind of everything, taking deep breathes, and allowing myself to accept the humiliation was my only way to figure out my feelings.

Time passed as I spaced out during the walk. People slowly started to fade away, buildings were gone, and the entire world was left. No one stood in my way to block the empty thoughts. Only soft music from my earbuds blasted, and drowned out the outside worlds chaos.

My peaceful world came crashing down as someone walked straight into me. Neither of us paid attention to the other while regathering our thoughts. "What the hell?" A low voice said through a wince.

"Sorry." I said innocently before looking at them fully. Beautiful, short curls were placed on top of his head. A fresh cut shaped the sides, and deep chocolate eyes stared back at me.

Anger left his face at my words. "No. That was my fault." I chuckled awkwardly. For once, someone had me speechless. "You're crying. Are you okay?"

Dried up tears stained my face. Even more embarrassment flowed into my heart, but his kind eyes didn't show any signs of judgement. Only a sincere concern for my well being. "Yes. Something tells me I will be soon."

He nodded before smiling. "I'm Adrian."

"Juliette, but everyone calls me Julia."

Adrian took my hand with care, and kissed it softly. The touch of soft lips made a wave of new excitement rush through me. Our eyes were on one another as the action happened. Romance in both of our intense stares. "Nice to meet you, Julia."

Hearing him say my name was better than any song ever made. Even Mozart would be appalled by the beauty of how it rolled perfectly off of his thin lips. The sound was a beautiful danger along with everything else about him.

"Nice to meet you too." I say in the same level of admiration. My voice wasn't as lovely, but it still seemed to capture his attention. Seeing me infatuated him for some reason.

A small distance became even smaller as he stood over me. Charming brown eyes stared down at soft, green eyes. "Walk with me?" His voice was extremely soothing. In a room full of chaos, all it took was just one word to make everyone go silent because of the silvery voice speaking.

I smiled, pleased with the idea of spending time with him. All sadness left my body as soon as our arms interlocked. "Of course." My soft toned voice whispered gently.

We strolled through a neatly placed trail around a beautiful park. Talking came easily. It was as if we had already known each other all of our lives. Adrian made my heart flutter with any and every word that came out of his mouth.

The evening went by beautifully now. No troubles could ruin our time together. I instantly felt a connection to him that was unexplainable. My heart demanded to get to know him.