Accept my tons of apologies for disappearing off the face of Wattpad. I'm terribly sorry😩

***

"Shitheads, the driver is here."  Summer announces, peeping out through my bedroom window.

I snickered while Cole whacked her head with one of my books he folded. The smile on my face faded quickly and I punched his arm. The one holding my book.

"Ow! What, the fuck?" He yelled.

"That's for manhandling my book."  I told him.

"Wait, you're not defending me?" Summer asked, struggling to put on a pair of stilettos to compliment her body fitted yellow gown. I admired her pure gold hoop earrings that sparkled in the light of the chandelier hanging above our heads.

Yes, I had a chandelier in my room. Deal with it.

"Let's go, girls." Cole said, grabbing Summer despite her hopping on a foot to get her heels in.

"Idiot." She made to hit him with her purse, but he caught it in mid-air,  laughing at her frustration.

Tuning out their bickering, I appreciated my look for the last time. Summer had forced me into a grey turtle-necked top and black ripped jeans, with a pair of black Fila Sneakers. It was the best I could do after turning down the gown she tried bribing me to wear. Imagine bribing me with bars of Snickers.

"Can we go now?" Cole asked.

"Sure." Summer threw her new phone in my locker, ignoring the dirty look I flung her. We all walked downstairs, Summer clinging to Cole and me to Summer's purse which contained mascara, eyeshadow, face powder and pads for 'wardrobe accidents'.

She had been ecstatic after getting the newest Samsung brand from me. I don't usually mind being the money bag of my friends. But sometimes, I feel sad that they can't give me much materially in the same measure as I give out to them.

Meeting Winter at the base wasn't as awkward as expected. He flashed me a liberal smile, a hand reaching out to fist-bump me and another playing with his Nikon Camera hanging from his neck. Mum wasn't home yet but I dropped a message at her office through the secretary seeing they were in a meeting. They were having plenty of those lately. I made a mental note to ask my mother what was happening in her company.

"You look amazing, Winny." Summer said, managing to give him a side-hug.

He grinned. "I always look amazing."

Cole scoffed. "Not as much as me."

Rolling my eyes, I smacked the both of them on their heads. "We should head out before the driver dies of boredom."

Summer chuckles. "I've never heard of anyone dying of boredom."

"People die of boredom. Look it up on your phone. What do you do with that thing anyway? Watch porn?" Winter and I joined Cole in laughing at Summers reddened cheeks. The love birds argued all the way out of the door and it remained just me and Winter walking in step.

"I'm smitten by your appearance this evening, my lady."

I didn't know whether he was joking or if he wasn't, but my heart did that stupid somersault.

"Thank you, and you do. I hope you get some fish this night." I mummured out the last part, slightly offended that his attention would be on some stranger tonight.

Before I  stepped out through the open door, Winter pulled me to the side and bored dreamy lines into my soul with his blue eyes. "There's only one fish tonight." For a second, his gaze drove to my lips.
"You."

His words stir up a lot of emotions in me, that had it not been for Alexander's party, I would have dragged him up to my room.

Outside, Summer made the driver take twenty pictures of us with my phone before we entered the glorious black limo with my new bodyguard who had done a perfect job of blending into the shadow. Noel or some name like that. It's hard to remember I'm been escorted like a puppy

"Summer, I'm running low on storage space." I complained, flipping through my gallery and seeing a lot of her pictures in there.

"Friends do things for each other." She replied.

Can you imagine that?

Cole snorted, pushing her hands away from his phone. "Didn't you get a new phone, or rather, didn't Aurora get you a new phone?"

We all laughed as she glared at Cole.

"I'm going to throw you out of this car." Summer threatened.

While they bickered and Winter acted as a mediator, my phone buzzed with two messages on Whatsapp. From mum and Jordan.

Jordan: Are you up for a visit this Friday? My, place? (7:34pm)

I hummed in surprise. He was asking me over to his place? It seemed like a big step I wasn't willing to take just yet.

Me: On Friday night is the night I spend alone, with my books. (7:36pm)

Jordan: nerd😜

I smiled.

Me: I don't mean to come off as rude but Friday's my personal time, I meditate, read, listen to music and write.(7:37pm)

Jordan: I'm not offended, Aurora. It's okay to have a life outside of me and your friends? (7:37 pm)

Outside of me?

Me: what are we? (7:37pm)

Jordan: this is not something we can talk about on whatsapp. I'll pick you up on Saturday evening. Hmm? 😃(7:38pm)

It was easy to figure out what topic we would drift into on Saturday but I wasn't sure about the availability of any answer, not with Winter breathing down my neck metaphorically and literally.

I hid my phone screen from him. "What are you looking at?"

"Boyfriend?"

Snorting, I shoved my phone back in Summer's purse. "Mind your fucking business, Winter."

He smirked, suddenly leaning in and pushing some of my twists behind my ear. "You owe me something."

I shivered in reflex. Summer cleared her throat. "Hello, there are living beings in this car. Take your-"

Flushed, I roughly shoved her into Cole. Winter smiled brightly before staring outside the limo. The mood changed when one of Mozart's came on.

This night would be a long one.

***

"Woah, it's huge!" Summer gushed over the beautiful brick mansion the driver stopped at.

"That's what she said." Winter teased, elbowing her playfully.

"Remind me why I'm hanging around you freaks again." She sighed.

We climbed outside, our feet touching the soft grass that shone from the rays of colourful tiny light bulbs lit all around the huge lawn.

"This is Joshua's Crib. Trent doesn't like parties at his house." The driver who gave guys name as Darcy explained. It was hard to tell if my friends were listening to him, because they just stood, observing the number of survive expensive cars parked close to ours and the new arrivals. I recognized some of Trent's team mates.

The house had two floors. The ground floor had transparent glass panes. It was easy to see the number of people inside.

And the cars were parked in an organized single file on both sides of the road.

A couple of guys and girls were outside talking and laughing. Liverpool won the Champions League trophy and that alone was enough reason to be happy.

"I hope you brought your cards." Darcy reminded us.

"Yes, we did." Summer waved hers in the air.

"I'll be waiting in the car. Have fun." Darcy flashed an attractive smile at us. Noel also stayed behind since he wasn't in the invitation list, but I'm sure if anything crazy happens, he'd come to our aid. I don't doubt his capable, muscular body.

Ew, did I just think that?

"They're cute." Summer whispered after we began our trip to the entrance of the house.

I rolled my eyes. "You have a boyfriend, Summer."

Cole's head whipped to me. "What?" He glanced at Summer but she was busy glaring at me.

"Y'all are keeping secrets now?" Winter asked, looping mine and his hands together.

"You're one to talk, hypocrite." I lashed at him. He faced me with a smirk.

"I should tell them where your hands have been."

Idiot.

"Aurora Harmony White!" Summer screeched. Winter and Cole chuckled.

"Not now, bitch." I engaged Winter in a death stare. Summer managed to seize me in a headlock, ignoring people's stunned faces. We laughed and argued until we reached the entrance.

A guy with handsome features checked our names on the invitation list. While he did so, Trent messaged me.

Trent: Where are you?

Me: Outside with my friends. Someone is checking our names.

Trent: I'm glad you came. Enjoy the party. I have something to take care of but I  will definitely find you later.

Inside, the house, my mind was filled with admiration for the designer if the party. The level of organization was awesome. The lights, the furniture, even the amount of people inside was carefully planned.

One of Justin Timberlake's was playing from the speakers.

The tables for drinks were manned by two guys, probably to ensure no one spikes the drinks.

A woman patted the females down for weapons and a man did the same for the males.

Winter shook hands with two guys he knew and when he waved at us to go ahead, I knew I would be a third wheel again.

"What do we do now?" Summer asked.

Cole nodded at the table with drinks. But when we got there, one of the guys were turned us away because we looked too young to ingest alcohol. I had to pull Summer away in time before she could curse at the poor guys.

"Let's check with those guys playing Spin The Bottle. Maybe there's free alcohol. I can't start this party sober." Summer threaded her arms with mine and Cole's.

"Your liver." I mumbled.

Summer grinned. "Hush now."

My smile fell when I saw Winter whispering into a girl's ear while his right hand pulled her closer. She giggled, running her hand down the buttons of his grey shirt.

What the fuck?

I was no longer in the mood to play games. "You guys go ahead, I'll just stand here and do my thing."

Cole flung me a look and Summer opened her mouth. "Are you-"

" I'm fucking fine. Now, leave me alone."

My friends took the best action they could. They left me alone and I watched as they easily settled in one of the sofas, Summer glowing with all the attention she was getting from the guys who created space for her and Cole to sit.
.
Cole caught my eyes above the heads of some people and he smiled sadly before putting his mind in the game.

That feeling when you're around so many people but you still feel alone. You know that feeling? It sucks. It fucking sucks.
.
Within the range of my vision, Winter had his hands over the waist of that skinny girl he was with, and her hands around his neck. They smiled at whatever joke and rocked slowly to the sound of music.

I shouldn't have expected anything different from him. Once a player, always a player.

After speaking to some of the guys on the Liverpool team, I retired to a lone sofa on the balcony. The shadow cast by a potted plant nearby was enough to enshroud me. Sighing, I opened my writing app and finished the lines of my book while listening to Troye Sivan from my AirPods

Trent: Suicide girl, where are you??

Me: seated on a balcony. It feels diffrent here.

I  pressed the send button before realizing my typo. Trent showed up in two minutes, smiling down at me. His hair looked newly cut.

"Your haircut suits you."

His smile widened. "Do you think so? I'm keeping it the same for the next three months, only to annoy my team mates."

I nodded, gazing down at my phone's black screen.

"Not the party type?"

I regarded Alexander's eyes in the low-light. They didn't have their usual lazy droop.

"I came because you invited me and because of my friends." My tone wasn't friendly, but at this point, I was too angry to care.

Alexander studied my face from above. I could feel his gaze even when my eyes were straying to the lawn below. The footballer studied me for a whole minute.

"I'm going for a drive. Do you want to come along with me?"

Another minute passed before I responded. "Yes."

His facial expression remained blank. "Follow me."

I trailed behind him back downstairs letting myself get distracted by the ripples in his shirt as he moved. The whispers and stares we got didn't deter our silent exit from the house.

Alexander went to the side of the house where his car was parked. "Ready?" He unlocked the doors and held the front one open for me.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

During the drive, Alexander told me stories from his childhood, his family, his dog and his football career. He told me how being popular could be exhausting. I could relate with him on that one.

Even though I don't get accosted in the streets every now and then, but my every movement is followed. Being a footballer meant worse. He would be escorted by a horde of cameras.

I listened silently to his voice, a little hoarse from the chilly air. I listened because somehow, I felt the load of my own problems fading away.

Then, he asked me how I had been faring, taking time to apologize for not reaching out to me as often as he should.

"I understand, Alexander. At least I'm not dead."

Alexander parked his far under one of the cherry trees bordering the road, so that we could properly talk.

"My step dad was jailed last week."

He frowned, but kept silent, never taking his eyes off me.

"He deserved it though. The beast had been abusing me since he married my mother. Although I have no idea who put him behind the bars, but I'm glad they did. Mum told me he's bound to appear in court next month and I'll have to present my statement."

Alexander whistled in surprise. "Wow! That's a lot to take in."

I nodded, staring outside while chewing the insides of my cheeks. "And school continues next week."

Alexander chuckles. ""I never did like my school either."

"I'll survive."

He smiled warmly. "Of course you will. We should probably head back now."

I let him drive us back to his friend's house

⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜

"You have made my evening more enjoyable." Alexander said as we re-entered the building. There were lesser people, mainly because it was a few minutes after two in the morning, but despite that, most of them were knackered on the sofas.

"And you mine."

"Someone should send these people home." Alexander mumbled after he narrowly dodged a hug from a drunk red-head girl while we walked back to the balcony.

I laughed. "When was the last time you drank?"

Alexander grinned. "I drank water like an hour ago."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm talking about alcohol."

"I don't drink alcohol."

Surprised, I arch one of my brows. "Seriously?"

He nodded, staring up at the sky with a distant look. "Alcohol causes people to do stupid things. That and medically it isn't healthy-"

"-in excess." I quickly add, wondering why he's got that expression on his face.

"Whatever you say, Suicide Girl."

I gaze down at my phone which had brightened with a message from my friends.

S. J: babe, you better not be screwing a random stranger. At least send me the password to your credit card incase you show up dead some where. (1:01a.m)

Idiot.

Cole:Te party is ended since like an hour ago(2:00a.m)

He had to be drunk typing that.

When I looked at the football star, he was already looking at me.

"Leaving?"

I nodded. "My friends are knackered. We wouldn't want them accidentally burning down your friend's place."

Alexander chuckled. "Fair point. But how about you and your friends spend the night here. The roads aren't quite safe for now."

I remember reading on the news about some gang wars that recently started. When did we start having those in London?

"And you and your friends each get a signed Liverpool jersey from me."

Alexander's grin widened when I rolled my eyes at him. "Fine. But I'm not dealing with Summer's drunken ass"

He snickered.

°°°•°°°

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