The clothes I had tried on, laid on the bed while the others still hung on the wardrobe. Ives was throwing a party and she thought it'd be a good idea to have Jr communicate with some of the guests to get rid of the anxiety I felt whenever I had to speak. She and Mira had not spoken to me since the 'Natalie' incident. She would only drop books on the table and return to Mira's room to watch her. I felt terrible.
I didn't tell Jesse what had happened because I felt there was no point in telling him, but he knew something was up nevertheless. He encouraged me to attend the party even though he wouldn't be there, so there I was, picking out an outfit for the night.
When I was satisfied with my look, I sat at the back of the car while the driver took us to our destination. My heart found solace in my stomach when we arrived. Ives was outside greeting the guests and next to her was a charming young man who looked almost the same as Jesse. Tall and muscular but more on the lean side. When they noticed me, the young man moved towards me and offered up his hand.
"Good evening Amelia. You're looking stunning." He greeted me and placed a peck on the back of my hand. If there was one thing I had learned about Jesse's family, it was that the nice ones were never actually nice.
"Good evening..." I waited for his name.
He coughed "Don't mind my manners. Damon...Damon Ryles."
Jesse's cousin. He came up during most of our conversations. "I see you've heard of me." My expression gave me away.
"I guess. Jesse speaks highly of you." I commended as we made our way inside.
"I doubt that. He probably has an ulterior motive..." Not again. I thought. Why does everyone do or act the opposite way whenever they're with me?
"You okay?" Damon asked. "You keep spacing out."
I searched my head for any excuse, any at all. "Wine. Can you get me a glass?"
"BRB." Came his quick response. I turned my attention to the room. It was filled with people. Many of whom, I didn't know. There were no familiar faces around and somehow, this made me uncomfortable.
My phone beeped and a text came in from Ives. "Mingle." She said. From the other end of the room, our eyes locked and I knew she meant business so I grabbed the first person I saw. But of course, I panicked and couldn't remember "Bonjour." Ives shook her head at my poor performance.
"I see Ives is at it again," Damon said and handed my wine over to me. "She can be quite difficult but I hope you guys get along."
He took an empty seat next to me, "You're quiet."
"Not quite. I'd say Uncomfortable." I said not referring to him. But I heard him chuckle.
"Same here. I'd rather be throwing stones by the river." So, he heard that.
"Did she train you too?" Jesse said his cousin Damon worked for him and was someone he could always count on so it only made sense that she had trained him as well.
"No. She couldn't. I mean she was meant to buy couldn't." A hint of sadness trailed his voice.
I asked in a hushed tone "Why?"
He gulped the other half of his wine. "Natalie died that week." Not this Natalie again.
I was so tempted to ask who she was but I remembered how it was last time, and also I didn't want to ruffle any feathers at a party. "That must have been hard."
"I mean losing a twin is shitty but having people mistake you for her is even worse." That was all he said before looking away to focus on the party as Ives took the stage. She glowed.
"I want to welcome you all to this simple yet lavish occasion that I spent so much on." The room was lit up with laughter from each side. The wealthy had their definition of comedy, but it wasn't mine.
Ives spent more than ten minutes talking about the many achievements of the late Mr Erhart and promised Jesse would do better. They crept by with only slow, sad music playing in the background. I was unto my sixth glass of wine and I suddenly felt tipsy.
"I have to use the restroom," I said to Damon before storming off. I didn't see the benefit of this party. Everyone I tried to "mingle" with, gave me cold shoulders and walked away with their heads sticking out and their asses pooped up.
"I shouldn't have come," I muttered as I continued down the hallway. The more I walked, the more dizzy I felt, it was really hard to walk properly and I kept holding onto the walls for support.
I slipped backward and a pair of strong hands caught me pulling me to his side. "Just relax, you'd be fine." I tried to move away but his grip was too tight.
And no, it didn't smell like or sound like Jesse. "Let me go. My boyfriend is waiting for me." I said and kept struggling to break free. But his grip only got stronger and just before I blacked out, he put me over his shoulder and walked away from the hallway leading to the party.