Kyle...

I was 15 years old when I went to my first Gala. My parents had just gotten married a few months before and Dad was officially introducing us to the rich people's lifestyle, as I called it back then.

Dad was introducing us to every shareholder, board member, and family friend. It didn't take long for me to get bored and overwhelmed with it all. The long-winded speeches made it worse. The best part of that thing was the table full of food. By the end of the night, I'd sworn off Galas and I had made it known to my dad.

I expected him to be upset with me, but he wasn't. He was understanding and recalled how much he hated it as a teen too. But he also talked about its value in maintaining important relationships and creating new ones. We came up with a plan to have an area for the kids and teens to hang out whenever we hosted Galas or parties. I was proud of my input and was particularly grateful for the admiration I got from the other privileged kids.

I thought that night would be the last time I hated a Gala. But here I was, at the ripe age of 24, completely bored and annoyed at a Gala. The only difference was that I was with a different side of my family, surrounded by a new group of rich people that I didn't know. Maybe that was why I hated it so much.

I was being somewhat paraded around the room, being introduced to everyone as Anthony's basketball star son. Sarah may not like that I was here, but it sure looked like she loved rubbing that fact in her friends' faces.

Just like when I was 15, I put on a brave face, smiled and greeted everyone I was introduced to, and answered their questions. But there was one question that it seemed I was not allowed to answer.

"Where have you been this whole time?", "Anthony, where have you been hiding this boy?", or any question that inquired about my whereabouts for the past 24 years was taken over by Anthony, Bridgette, or Quinton.

"He's been staying with his mother." was the only explanation they gave and when anyone decided to probe further, they would shut it down.

A part of me was upset that they were hiding it. But what did I really expect? For them to announce that he was a deadbeat? That definitely wasn't going to happen.

I sighed in relief after what I was told was the final introduction, was over. I looked around, trying to find the large table of refreshments I had spotted earlier. Once I found it, I turned to the rest of the family.

"I'm going to find something to eat," I said.

"Ok," Bridgette answered.

"Aaron, why don't you go along with him?" Anthony asked his son.

"Yes, keep an eye on him," Sarah said, her eyes glued to me, "So he won't get lost." She added that last part to soften the blow.

Did she think I was a child that needed babysitting?

"I think he can find his own way around," Aaron said.

"You can introduce him to your friends and your basketball teammates," Anthony said.

Great, more introductions.

"But dad..." he began but his mother sent him a look and he sighed in annoyance. "Fine," he answered and simply started walking off.

I nodded at the others and followed him through the crowd of people. He was walking fast, probably trying to lose me. I would not be opposed to that.

I finally found the table, Aaron was there helping himself to an array of options. I grabbed a small plate that was close by and started doing the same. I have to admit, Galas do be having the best food. I tried my best to stop myself from stuffing my face. The image in my head of my mother giving me "the eye" certainly helped run that thought away.

"I know all of this is new and overwhelming," Aaron said standing next to me, "But you'll get used to it...soon enough."

There was a smugness to his words and posture that I could not stand. He had been like this since I got here. He tried to be polite when his parents or grandparents were around, but he was completely disinterested and smug when they weren't.

I tried to think of something to say back but was interrupted by a group of 5 teen boys. Aaron greeted them, but they didn't seem to care much that he was there.

"Is this him?" One of them asked.

"Yeah," he answered dryly. "Guys this is my half-brother Kyle,". He made sure to emphasize the half part.

"Hey," I gave a small wave.

"Oh my god," another in the back of the group said excitedly.

Looks like I have some fans.

"Man, what you did in that final game was amazing," another one said.

And with that, the praises kept coming. Look, my mother raised a somewhat humble kid, but that did not mean I wasn't going to lap up all these compliments. Nothing was wrong with agreeing with people when they say you're awesome.

I thought that this was going to be it. That they would fanboy over me and then go on their merry way. But no. They pulled me off to a corner and bombarded me with questions. Turned out most of them were on Aaron's basketball team and wanted as many tips as they could get.

Aaron didn't seem to like that he wasn't the center of attention and would often try to steer the conversation in a different direction. It didn't work at first, but it eventually did. Soon enough they were talking about some girl Aaron was into who was at the party. They were trying to come up with ways to impress her, and every last idea was horrible. I could help...but he didn't like me, so he and his homies would have to figure it out on their own.

Though the stupid ideas were entertaining, they reminded me why I didn't hang out with teenagers. I was about to walk off and find a random corner to hang out at when I was approached by someone. I hadn't seen him around, he must have been someone Anthony forgot to introduce me to.

"You must be Kyle Young, Anthony's boy right?" He asked.

"Kyle Wright," I corrected, "And yes, I'm his son."

"My apologies," he stretched his hand out. "Terrence Washington, Lawyer. I used to work for your grandfather and father," he introduced himself.

I shook his hand. "Oh. Well, nice to meet you, sir," I said.

"Nice to meet you too son," he smiled. "Well, how are you enjoying the festivities so far?" He asked.

"It's been going ok," I said, trying my best to hide my true feelings, but Mr. Washington caught on easily.

"It's boring isn't it?" He asked.

"Yes," I admitted with a chuckle.

"Look, don't be ashamed. I hated these too. Being a kid from the Bronx, it took me a while to get used to this."

My ears perked up. "You're from the Bronx?"

"Born and raised," he smiled proudly. "You're from there too?"

I shook my head. "Brooklyn. I grew up there with my mom and grandma," I said.

"Ah, a fellow New Yorker then," he smiled. "Good to see another one of us here."

The group of boys erupted in laughter, over something stupid most likely, and I tried again to hide my feelings of annoyance.

"Uh, my daughters are hanging out on the balcony," he pointed to large double doors that lead outside. "You should go check it out. I'm sure you'll find some companions..." he bent forward and whispered, "...closer to your age."

Again he had read my mind and I was grateful for it.

"Thank you," I whispered with as much gratitude as I could show.

"No problem."

I placed the small plate in my hand on the closest table and proceeded to walk away. "See you around Mr. Washington," I waved.

"Sure thing Kyle."

And with that I was off, heading to the doors.

I walked through the doors and onto the balcony. I was surrounded by small groups of people, most of whom were teens or young adults. It seemed like this was THE spot. A part of me was relieved that I was around people my age, but another part felt like it was the first day of a new school with zero friends. How was I supposed to approach this? How would I know which cliques to infiltrate?

"Kyle?" a voice said and I turned to it.

"Noelle?" She looked different from the last time I saw her, I had to be sure. It's not because I forgot her name again, I promise.

"Oh my god," she walked over, pulling me into a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm visiting my dad," I said once she let go of me. "He came to this thing and I came along."

"Came with my parents as well," she said.

I was a bit surprised by that. When we hung out, she did not behave like the kind of girl who was a part of this kind of environment. Maybe that's why she came to New York, to get away from it.

"Come on, let me introduce you to my friends and my sister," she said, before leading me to a group of people standing around in a circle.

I walked over nervously, wondering if I would be able to fit in.

"Hey everyone, I want to introduce you guys to someone," she said once we reached the group, "this is a friend of mine from New York, Kyle. Kyle, this is Brodrick, Chris, Kamryn, and Alexis," she introduced.

They smiled and waved. Brodrick looked a bit shocked to see me but pulled himself out of it quickly. He looked familiar, but I couldn't place where I saw him.

"Nice to meet you guys," I said.

"Kyle here is a basketball player for the New York Panthers," Noelle grabbed onto my arm.

"Wait, are you the same Kyle that shot the three-pointer in the final seconds of the playoffs?" Chris asked.

"In the flesh," I grinned.

"Man, that was impressive!" he said excitedly.

"Thanks man."

"Where's Naomi?" Noelle asked.

"She and Celeste ran off somewhere," Chris answered.

"Of course they did," she rolled her eyes.

"They're right over there," Brodrick pointed out.

She spotted them and called out. "Naomi, Celeste, come over here. I want to introduce you to someone."

I hadn't spotted them before, but I did once the two turned at the sound of their names.

A knot formed in my stomach. Or maybe it was butterflies, I had no idea. All I knew was that my body was reacting in a way it usually wouldn't.

Why?

Because she was here. Gold dress was here.