I control my emotions as I go back over to my Mom, still obsessing over curtains.

"Okay I found some! Hey did you see Roman in here?" She asks.

I shake my head.

"Well I'd like to find him! I just know my transaction will go well with him." 

We walk around the store and she finds Roman.

Mom smiles. "Roman I need your opinion on something."

"I'll be outside." I say, holding back my tears and I walk past them. 

I get out of the doors and I wipe my tears that have already started falling. Stop being a baby! If he doesnt want you then that is his loss. I sniffle and get that paranoid feeling again. There are so many people walking around! If this person wants to follow me at least show yourself!

"Angel!"

I jump and turn to my right. It's Claire.

"Hi." I say flatly.

"Whoa, what got up your butt these last few days?" 

"Look I just want to be left alone." I say, folding my arms.

"Or maybe you just need to get out for a little bit. See the city. Have some fun. Doesnt seem like you had any fun since youve been here."

I frown at her. "Since Ive been here? Youve only seen me one time. I dont want to do what you want to do."

I start to walk away and Mom walks out, talking to Roman. He looks at me and I roll my eyes, walking into the parking lot. Claire follows me.

"Hey! So I guess youre having man problems.."

"None of your business." I say angrily.

"Look! Im not saying anything about whats going on, Im  just giving you the chance to let loose and forget about your problems."

I stop and look at her, struggling to catch up to me in her high heels.

"Its not so easy to forget about certain things."

"But.. for one day.. you can push it aside and just enjoy life." She says, panting.

I stare at her and think about that for a moment. I dont want to be around her at all, but if it means that I can get away from all of this, for just one day, I will do it. Im not telling Mom and all she will do is talk about Roman like he's some gem.

"Fine. What do you wanna do?" I ask.

"Come with me." She smiles.

I walk over to my mom. "Hey Mom Im going with my friend. Be back tonight."

"Where are you going?" She asks, concerned.

"I dont know. A restaurant and stuff." I say, not caring.

"I gotta tell you what Roman was telling me-"

"Mom. I really dont want to know." I say, cutting her off.

"But.. Roman said she is-"

"Mom I have to go bye."

I walk away from her and catch up to Claire.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"We are going shopping for some clothes first! We have to look good when we go out!" She says excitedly.

Something must be wrong with her. Why is she always so happy? I mean, yeah be happy, but she is overly excited about everything. Maybe the drugs she takes makes her that way. Im just as bad for going with her, so I cant complain. We go in and out of stores all day, its very tiring. I buy one outfit, just something to wear tonight so she can leave me alone about clothes. She must be one of those rich kids who has nothing better to do than shop since her parents are so well off that she doesnt have to work or take responsibility at all. Maybe Im wrong. Dont care to find out.

"Angel youve been such a Negative Nancy all day!" Claire yells.

"Im in a bad mood. Dont know what to tell you..."

"You can tell me that you are willing to go to this cool club with me." She smiles.

"Sure." I say, walking beside her.

She stops me and I look at her.

"Are we going?"

"We are not going to this club if youre gonna be angry! I let this little attitude slide all day because we werent around people, but youre gonna kill the vibe with this anger. Do I need to get you drunk to have some fun?"

I frown. "What?"

"Are you trying to have fun or are you trying to get upset thinking about what happened today? Because I want you to have fun!" 

I think about what she is saying. She may be weird and all of that, but she does make sense. Im going out so I can get my mind off of everything that has been going on. I need to get my mind off of it otherwise Im gonna be mad all day, and I dont want that.

I nod. "Youre right. Im not into clubs, but I think it will help me today."

She smiles brightly. "Took you long enough! Okay we're going over my house to change and then we will head out around 10!"

I still dont think I can get used to this weird excitement that she always has. We get to her house.. her mansion and walk around. I walk slowly, eyeing the whole place. This is insane. 

"Wow your house is... really nice." I say, astonished.

She smiles. "Thanks. Cmon lets go to my room."

We walk up the very fancy, long stairs and past three rooms to go into her rooms.

"Are those your parents' rooms?" I ask.

"Those are just spare bedrooms. We dont really need them. We're thinking about making them themed or something. We really need an extra room downstairs. So I can have more parties in my house." She says, thinking out loud.

I frown. "Wow. Okay."

Exactly as I suspected.

We walk into her room and.... it is ridiculous. It looks like three rooms put together and then a patio and extended closet added on. Its really too much for one person. It might be too much for two people. She opens a door and her walk in closet is basically like a dressing room for a celebrity. A very large dressing room with a vanity, three more floor length mirrors, and clothes to infinity. Im sure she doesnt even remember what 90% of these clothes look like. Or when she bought them. She puts her bags on the ground and looks at me. 

"Get dressed! I wanna do your makeup when Im done with mine." She says giddy.

I go into the bathroom and change into the black jeans, and bright blue halter top that I bought. Seems nice enough. I fix my clothes and walk back into her closet to see her putting on her makeup. I thought she already had makeup on? Looks like she removed the old makeup she had and just put some more on. I shake my head. I will never be able to understand this place...

She turns around after she is done and gets up, patting the chair in front of the vanity. I sit in the chair and she picks up a brush.

"I dont wanna look like a drag queen. Something small. As natural as possible." I tell her.

"Fine!" She says. "Close your eyes. Be done in a minute."

I close my eyes and I start daydreaming while she is doing my makeup. It feels nice. I dont think Ive ever worn makeup. Not even at prom. Its a good thing. It can irritate your skin. I try my hardest to keep my mind from going back to what happened this morning... and then going back to what happened a few days ago at the lake... and why that happened this morning after what happened at the lake was so perfect it was almost like a dream, but I know it waas real. And I know Roman didnt forget about it. Im just so confused. Maybe-

"Done! Take a look." Claire yells.

I open my eyes and I smile a little. It looks nice. She didnt go overboard. Im surprised. Just some eyeliner, blush, lipstick. Kinda like a new face. Almost. I resist the urge to touch my face and get up from the chair. I look at my watch.

"Are we leaving soon?" I say, putting my jacket on.

"Yes! We are leaving right now." She says as she grabs her purse and closes the door to her closet. "Ready?" She says, excitedly.

I smile. I actually am ready. "Yeah. Im excited."

"Great! It's gonna be a night you'll never forget." She winks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I jerk myself up, sweating and panting, my chest hurting from the way Im breathing.

"Oh God..." I hold my chest, its burning. The room is spinning. I hold my head. I keep thinking about what happened last night, but I cant remember. Why cant I remember? I look down and my clothes are ripped. I start to freak out. What the hell happened last night?? I get out my phone, almost dropping it, and I text Claire. She doesnt text me back right away so I call her. The answering machine says that the number has been disconnected. Before I give myself a hernia freaking out, I try to calm down. I need to talk to Claire to see what happened last night, but I have no idea how to reach her. I breathe slowly and get up cautiously. I stumble to the bathroom and wash my face, drinking some water. I cant go to work today. Im guessing I have a hangover. I stumble back to my bed, picking up my cellphone and calling off. I lay back on my bed. The room is still spinning. I need to eat something. I need to get normal again. I know one thing. Im NEVER going out with Claire again. I walk cautiously down the hall and into the kitchen. I see that Mom left me some soup on the counter.

You looked a little peaked last night. Hope this helps. Love you.

- Mom

Peaked? I know she knew I was drunk. Im sure Im going to have a long lecture when she comes home. I deserve it. I think about what I can remember from yesterday. I know what I didnt deserve. I didnt deserve to be dumped before we even got together by that asshole Roman! I can feel all of my anger building up and I put my soup in the microwave. I am seething as Im waiting for it to get done. I snatch it out of the microwave and turn to Lifetime Movie Network, wrapped up in my blanket, eating my soup, and watching the drama unfold, mad at the world. May not be the best way to deal with situations, but, I have the day off, what the hell.

Mom walks in and smiles at me.

"Hey Angel. How was your day?"

"I probably have some weird hangover and I hate Roman. How was your day?"

She looks shocked. "Explain both."

"I dont know. I woke up dizzy. Stumbling. I mean, those are drunk symptoms. I dont remember anything from last night. And Roman just rejected me after kissing me like a romantic movie kinda kiss!" I say, angry.

"Okay honey listen, I am going to call around to this Claire to make sure there was no foul play. I knew I couldnt trust her! And uhh.. dont worry about Roman. Im sure he had a good reason for not getting too serious with you." She goes to the phone.

He didnt have a good reason! He's a heartbreaker and he likes it that way! 

"Thanks Mom. Im going to sleep now. Goodnight." I kiss her and get in the bed.

I really want an explanation. I want a good explanation right now!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These last few days have been hard. VERY hard. I see Roman everywhere I go and I dont want to. All he does is ignore me. He claims he wants to be friends but then ignores me. He knows we cant be friends. Not the way he kissed me. Not the way I felt. Mom is still investigating that night  with Claire. She hasnt gotten anywhere with it yet, but she is pushing to figure out the truth. We all want to know the truth. I am halfway through my 10 Steps for World Domination book. Its funny but very interesting and seems true. The mailman comes by and gives us our mail. 

"Thanks Jim." I say, taking the stack of letters.

"Have a good day Angel." He smiles.

I look through the mail and put it on the table. All for Mom.

Except one.

This letter is really fancy looking. It has my name and Mom's name on it. I tear it open and it's a professional looking.. invitation?

You are cordially invited to join the Winchester Family at their Annual Royal Ball. Please wear the correct attire and arrive in a timely fashion. Time is of the essence. RSVP before Monday. 

I read over the letter again. A ball? Who throws balls anymore? Odd... But hey might be a nice event. Ive never heard of a ball being shut down by the police. Maybe I can talk to some important people there to investigate about that night at the club. Maybe not.... anyways, a ball could ease my mind about the way my life is going right now...

~~~.~~~