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Weird Introductions
Malia's eyes briefly flash from the road to the screen.
"Do you mind?" she asks.
I immediately shake my head. "It's your car."
She answers the call right away, making me feel like she would have accepted it even if I said I did mind.
"Hey," she greets, smiling brighter than when greeting me earlier.
"Hey, where are you?" A deep voice comes over the speakers, shocking me for a second, as I thought Jalen would be a female. But, hey, who am I to judge the gender of someone based on a name, having been given a unisex name myself.
"I'm on my way. Is David there yet?"
"No. DeDe said she didn't want to go, so she told him to go on his own, but he thinks it's a trap."
Malia laughs, and then the guy laughs too, flooding the car with the sound of their laughter. I fiddle with my fingers in my lap, unsure of what else to do.
"Definitely a trap. She never wants to go out with us. What'd we do to offend her?"
"You mean what did you do to offend her. DeDe loves hanging out with me," the guy says rather confidently.
"Alright playboy, calm down. You shouldn't sound too excited when saying your best friend's girl likes to be around you," Malia says teasingly.
"Everybody likes to be around me," he says breezily.
Malia looks at me and shakes her head. "Anyway, my cousin's in the car. So if there's not anything important you have to say, I'm hanging up."
"Your cousin?" Jalen questions.
"I told you I was most likely bringing her," she says, then turns to me. "I said most likely because part of me thought you were going to back out."
I send her a nervous smile, unable to find my voice because I thought I'd back out too.
"I'm on speaker?" he asks.
"Mhm," Malia says while getting onto a highway and merging into a different lane quit recklessly. I close my eyes for a moment, worried for our safety. "Lyndon, this is Jalen. Jalen, this is my cousin, Lyndon."
My eyes open at her words, and I look at her as she nods her head towards the phone and me as she talks. Does she really find it necessary to introduce us while driving?
"Hi, Lyndon. Nice to, kind of, meet you," Jalen says, making my eyes fly toward the screen as if his face will magically pop up.
"It's Lyndon," Malia says sharply.
"That's what I said, Malia," he mimics her tone.
"Oh, he did?" Malia turns briefly to me and asks.
I nod my head and giggle. "Yeah, he did. Hi, Jalen. Nice to, kind of, meet you, too."
"Whatever," she comments as she switches lanes again, sending my heart crash-landing into my ass.
"Malia, you're driving?" Jalen asks.
"Yes, sir. Why? Want a ride? I'm already pretty far from your house, but maybe if you beg I'll feel nice and turn around."
Jalen laughs, and since this time he's the only one doing so, I'm able to just hear the sound, and it brings a smile to my face. "I'd rather walk than get in your car. I'm only asking so I can tell Lyndon good luck. I hope you make it out alive."
"Because you're such a safe driver?" Malia asks, but it's a rhetorical question. "Shut the hell up, Jalen. I've never gotten into an accident before. Why'd you call again?"
"I'm bringing the alcohol since David can't. I didn't see any requests by your name. You don't want anything specific or you're not drinking?"
Malia glances at me, before saying, "David never asks me what I want. I didn't even know we could request things. Was this always a rule?"
"Yeah. What's the point of getting the drinks if you're not getting what people want?"
"Such a generous boy you are," Malia says teasingly, before turning to me. "I don't want anything specific. How about you? Do you drink?"
"Is that even a real question?" Jalen snorts.
"I was asking my cousin, moron."
"Oh... that makes sense. Lyndon, do you want anything? Not just alcohol, I'm at a convenience store. I could pick up whatever."
I smile. Wow, he's so sweet.
"No, I'm good, thanks," I say lowly.
"Look at you, pretending to be a gentleman and offering to get her whatever she wants," Malia says while laughing.
Damn, I actually thought the kid was sweet and Malia went and ruined that idea. Here I was, thinking I already had one potential friend.
Jalen briefly laughs. "Anyway, I gotta go get this shit. Hopefully David shows up. Maybe you could convince him to come?"
"If he's not gonna listen to you, what makes you think he'll listen to me?" Malia says, a little defensively.
"Just try. You're meaner. That works better than me asking nicely," Jalen replies, the sound of a door opening coming across the line.
Malia shrugs her shoulders and switches lanes once again, getting ready to exit off the highway. "Sure, Jay, I'll text him."
"Thanks. I'll see you both later," he says lowly.
"Bye," I say, but my voice comes out as a mere whisper. Hearing him say he'll see me later makes me nervous to actually see him and all of these other friends Malia has.
"So, yeah, that's Jalen," Malia announces once she hangs up.
I look out the window, and wait until she successfully exits the highway before continuing our conversation.
"He seems nice," I comment, wondering what their relationship with one another is. It didn't seem romantic, but I can tell they're close.
Malia snorts, but covers it up with a cough. "Yeah, he's... nice, I guess."
I don't respond, not knowing what to say.
"David is another friend of mine that was going, but I guess he's not anymore," she explains.
"DeDe is his girlfriend?" I ask, trying to piece together this friend group.
"I guess girlfriend is what some would call it," Malia says with a smirk. We reach a red light and she looks over at me. "I'd say it's more of a friends with benefits thing, but that's just my opinion."
"If he's worrying about her wanting him to not go to the party, I'd say that's his girlfriend," I joke.
Malia laughs. "The day David is capable of commitment and is in an actual relationship is the day pigs fly."
She seems so sure of her words I don't even bother challenging them, or commenting on it anymore.
"What about you?" I ask instead.
"What about me?" she asks, as the light turns green and she continues driving.
"Are you seeing anybody?"
A ghost of a smile crosses her face. "No, I'm not. How about you? Do you have somebody waiting for you back home?"
Her words come out teasingly, but I nod my head anyway and proudly share my relationship status. "Yes, I do have a boyfriend."
"How's he feel about you moving? Long distance is tough," she says matter of factly, making me wonder if she's tried it before, which worries me if she did because that means it failed since she's currently single.
"He was upset and didn't want me to go, but what could he do? I didn't wanna go either."
Her eyes flick over to me, then she nods her head once. "Did you miss New York at all when you first moved?"
I shrug my shoulders. "Maybe a little, but definitely not the way I miss Florida right now. It's a completely different feeling."
"I'm glad," she says, eyes focused on the road. She peeks over at me and sees my quizzical face, so she explains. "I'm glad the move was good for you. It seems like you really loved it out there."
I look toward the windshield, hoping she's turned back to the road because, well she's a not so great driver when she's looking, and because I don't want her seeing my reaction.
Because I'm skeptical.
The way she said it, as if I was the only one who moved and gained a better life. She might not have left the state, but she literally became royalty.
Carring-Co, her stepfather Kendrick Carrington's company, is the wealthiest and greatest insurance company in New York. Hell, it was even ranked as top five best in the country for two years straight. Everyone knows the name Carrington, and being a Carrington means being at the top. Malia has undoubtedly been given all the privileges that come with her new last name. I'm assuming that's why she even took it in the first place.
"Are you hungry?" she asks me, dragging me from my thoughts. I frown, realizing I was sitting here like a dumbass staring off into space for a couple of minutes. "I'm not sure what kind of food will be there, if any at all. We can stop and get something quick."
I'm about to object, but then I remember my father ruined my meal and I never finished. Maybe now I can finally pig out, but then again, Malia might want to go to some restaurant that serves crappy food for extreme prices.
"Where would we go?" I ask, just to be safe.
"Wherever you want. You are my guest," she says, briefly turning to smile at me.
I nod my head in agreement. "Perfect."
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I chose a burger joint not too far from the warehouse. While Malia picked on fries, I downed a burger and some chicken nuggets before we hit the good ole' open road again.
"So, who's going to be there?"
Malia groans. "We went over this already. People from school."
"Yes, I know that, but can I get names? A brief summary and description of them?"
She looks at me as if I just asked for her liver. "What the fuck, Lyndon? It's not a test."
"I'm not making it a test. I just like to know these things in advance. You know, to have an idea of what I'm walking into."
Malia says nothing, instead navigating the car into a parking lot that's almost filled to the max. I'm shocked she even managed to find a spot, especially one so close to the building.
Once she turns off the car, she reaches her hand to touch my shoulder. "You're acting as if I'm about to walk you into your execution."
I glance around the packed parking lot, and now that the car filled with her music is off, I can register the bass coming from the nearby building, focus on the lights flashing, and hear chit chat and laughter from this far.
My execution is what this fucking feels like.
"This is a close parking," I comment, hoping to distract from the I'm gonna shit my pants face I'm currently displaying. My nerves are at an all time high right now.
A smirk comes to Malia's face. "As if I'd walk more than I have too."
Okay, this is definitely feeling like an execution. An abandoned warehouse is reminding me of medieval times, all these people I don't know are the watchers, and Malia is the queen of it all.
She makes a move to get out of the car, and I hurriedly follow, scared of standing alone in this parking lot. Now that we're here, the word abandoned is settling in.
Once she walks around the car I grab her arm without thinking. My touch must be too rough because she instantly pushes her elbow back, shaking off my grip, whirling her head around in a matter of seconds.
I look at her with shocked eyes, not expecting that. I thought the one thing I had over Malia would be strength, or at least my fighting skills. Years of living with Noah has prepared me for any physical violence. But I'm starting to think that if we got into a brawl she could give me a run for my money.
Is there anything this bitch can't do?
"I have one more question," I say, raising my hands up in surrender, not wanting to test my theory of who would win.
"Okay, ask away. Just don't grab me in a dark, empty place like that again," she says with a laugh.
"Can you just tell me who'll be there that you know? So far all I got is David, who won't be there, and Jalen, who will be there, but I'm getting some vibes telling me he's not someone I should talk too. So maybe just a couple more names of who else you know?" I ask pleadingly.
She frowns. "You can associate with Jalen. He's not a rabid dog."
We continue walking, though I don't feel satisfied at all.
"I know everyone there. I can't possibly give you all of their names. Plus, some people said they'd go but won't show up, and some people never said anything but will show up anyway."
Well of course Queen Malia knows all the peasants ready to watch me die. Die of social embarrassment, that is.
"So everyone here is your friend?" I ask as we reach the doors. There's two men in suits guarding it. "What in the fuck..." I trail off. I thought this was some party teenagers were throwing in an abandoned warehouse? This is starting to look like an actual club.
One steps to the side and the other holds open the door, nodding towards Malia who barely spares him a glance as she breezes through. I stick behind her as if I'm her tail, scared one of the guards will grab my shoulders and haul me back, because I clearly do not belong here.
"You didn't even give your name," I comment in awe. That was entirely too fucking easy for Malia.
"I told you I know everyone," she says while wrapping an arm around my shoulder. Her heels give her extra height, allowing us to be almost equal and giving her the ability to bring her mouth near my ear as she whispers, "but not everyone here is my friend."
She pulls her head back after that, but keeps her arm securely around me as we reach a sea of people. Most of them part as soon as they see us, well, once they see Malia. I'm too shell-shocked by the tone she said her words in to process where in the hell she's leading me.
She claims they're not all her friends, but they move out of her way and make her walk to wherever she's going a hell of a lot easier for her. Someone made sure she got in here with no problems. People look at her with smiles and some even wave. How are they not her friends? They clearly want to be.
But I'm getting the feeling she doesn't call them her friends because she doesn't want too. The opportunity to do so is all hers, but I see she hasn't returned one smile or wave as we walk. She doesn't acknowledge them at all.
I feel like I'm walking with a movie star.
We reach stairs, and I once again trail behind her like her tail as she goes first. There's two more guys in suits, and I'm getting the vibe that this is the VIP section.
They nod at her as they move the rope for her to pass, but immediately place the rope back before I can get in.
"Um, hi," I mumble stupidly to their stone cold faces.
No emotion whatsoever. Cool.
"Let her in," Malia demands, and just like that, they're mumbling an apology and allowing me to get by.
Just as I'm about to openly praise Malia for having so much power, she's looking at something over my shoulder. Before I can even turn around, she's rushing off in that direction.
Again, I follow, because what the fuck else am I supposed to do with myself?
"Look who decided to show up," she says teasingly.
I look to who she's talking too, and I can't say the sight isn't pleasing.
The guyâthat I'm assuming is the one she addressedâwalks closer to where Malia's standing. "I knew you wouldn't have any fun without me."
He smiles at her, white teeth shining against his dark skin. I don't know if I should be jealous of his perfect eyebrows or the fact that he seems so at home right here, in a social setting, something that's easily making my skin crawl.
Why did I even agree to this?
"Who's this?" the guys asks, eyes looking me up and down. They linger a little longer than some might deem appropriate, and I fidget, feeling a little judged.
"My cousin, Lyndon," Malia says, lightly touching me with her hand. "Don't look at her like that."
Oh, good, she caught the uncomfortable feeling floating in the air too.
"David," he says as an introduction, moving the glass from his right hand into his left, than extending the former out for me to shake.
"Lyndon," I say as I take his hand, ignoring how cold it feels from holding whatever he's drinking. "But, uh, that was already said."
I drop his hand after and look toward Malia, feeling stupid all over again. So this is David. And after this interaction, I'm guessing he's someone else I can cross off my list of potential friends. No matter how handsome he is.
"How'd you break out of your cage for the night?" Malia asks him.
He smirks at her, and if I wasn't feeling nervous hearing the loud music and seeing all the people dancing downstairs, I might have been able to enjoy the sight.
"You make it sound like I'm some animal being held against my will."
Malia shrugs a shoulder nonchalantly. "With the way she tries to tame you, I'd say you are."
"Don't worry, baby, she can't ever change me," he says with a wink.
Malia's eyes roll at the nickname, then she nods toward his drink. "Jalen's here already or you bought that yourself?"
"Yes to both. I bought my own liquor, and Jalen's here with the rest." He nods his head to the side, where a small circle of people has formed around a tableâa table I'm assuming Jalen's at with the liquor.
"Thanks for never having to ask what kind of alcohol I want, by the way. I appreciate you knowing my taste so well," Malia says as she reaches for his drink, takes a sip, and hands it back, before nodding her head toward the small crowd. "Come on, Lyndon."
David shakes his head as she walks off, calling out to her retreating form, "Now I gotta go get a new drink. Lord knows where that mouth's been."
I follow after Malia, who raises her middle finger at David. Once again, she easily maneuvers her way to the center of the circle with me in tow. She walks until she reaches a guy who's back is to us. She lifts her hand and places it onto his shoulder, lightly squeezing. And then he turns around and blesses my eyes.
I don't think I have ever seen a sharper jawline in my entire life. And his navy blue eyes contrast so perfectly with his pale skin.
"Hey," he says quietly once his eyes land on her. And then they lift over her shoulder, landing on me. They remain on my own eyes for a second longer before he's smiling, a single dimple appearing on the right side of his mouth, by his pink lips. "You must be Lyndon."
I nod my head and then take a step forward to be able to hear him better. I'm assuming this is Jalen, but I'm afraid to even say anything and look stupid.
"Yup, Lyndon," Malia says pointing at me. "And Jalen," she continues, pointing at him. "She'll be going to Arlin this year."
Jalen nods his head approvingly, gaze never leaving my face. "I'm sure you'll love it."
I'm sure I won't, but I'm not going to argue about it with this guy. "We'll see," I say instead.
"How'd you get David to come?"
Jalen points toward the other side of the room. "He made Danny come with him, and I guess DeDe trusts Danny to keep watch."
"Poor Danny," Malia pouts, bottom lip sticking out.
Jalen's hand lightly grabs her chin, thumb reaching out and pushing her lip back in. "He'll be fine. He needs to start getting out more anyway."
And now I'm back to questioning the relationship between them. Again, it doesn't seem romantic, but they're extremely close and touchy. Plus, she's gorgeous and he's insanely hot. I find it hard to believe there's nothing going on.
He drops his hand back to his side. "Are you both coming to the private room?"
"I thought this was the private area?" I snap my mouth shut, not meaning to question it out loud.
Navy blue eyes drift to me right after, and it feels like I'm going to be sick with the way my stomachs moving around the longer his eyes are on me.
"This is for friends of ours. But we always have our own room, just in case we want to get away from the crowds." Jalen waves his arm around to prove his point, and I see more and more people are slowly filling the small area.
"Let's go," Malia says, using her hands to lightly nudge Jalen and I.
We begin walking and I can't help but feel everyone's eyes on us. When it was just Malia and I, I knew we were getting some looks and special attention, but this feels different. They wereâsomewhatâsubtle looks toward Malia, and now... there is no subtlety at all.
Literally everyone watches as they move, and I can even feel a few disgusted and annoyed glances coming my way. What the fuck did I do?
Another guard is present, standing in front of a door. He sees Jalen and steps aside, saying, "Is the girl allowed in?"
Clearly, he means me, because I can't possibly see anyone not letting Malia in anywhere.
Jalen smirks and turns toward me. "I don't know about that. It depends on what Lyndon's willing to do."
My heart rate picks up, clearly understanding the hidden meaning in his words. Or maybe I'm just overthinking it.
"Nothing. I am willing to do nothing," I say as evenly as I can with my newfound nervousness.
His eyes travel down my body. They move quickly, observing me from head to toe in a matter of seconds, before looking into my eyes again. "That's a shame."
Malia shushes him and then motions for the guard to let us in. "Jalen, what did I say about being an asshole to my friends?"
"She's not your friend. She's your cousin," he says matter-of-factly.
"Then even more so you need to leave her alone," she says authoritatively.
The way she spoke could have probably made any one of the people in this building listen to her, but Jalen merely smirks and continues walking into the room.
"But I don't want to leave her alone," he says in a fake whine.
She ignores him and makes her way over to a couch, gracefully sitting down and pulling out her phone.
I awkwardly stand by the threshold, not sure if I should sit by her or explore the room a little. I feel so out of place, and I really wish I was home.
Ugh, where is home though? Certainly not at the house my parents made me move too.
"Come, Lyndon," I hear Jalen say from the other side of the room. He's grabbing a bag of plastic cups and little plastic balls.
I walk over, feeling like a dog following its owners command.
"Make yourself useful," he says jokingly, handing me one of the plastic bags.
I follow his lead and start opening them. "What're these for?"
He stops his movements and looks at me with wide eyed. "You're asking me what the cups and ping pong balls are for?"
I look up at him, kind of annoyed at the fact that it feels like he's trying to make me feel dumb. "Yeah. That's what I asked. Are you deaf?"
He tilts his head a little to the side and narrows his eyes. "And if I said I was partially deaf you'd feel pretty fucked up right now, wouldn't you?"
My stomach drops, hands stopping from ripping open another bag. Oh shit, barely one minute alone with someone and I've offended them.
"I didn'tâ"
I cut my own words off when I see a sly smile take over Jalen's face.
"You're not partially deaf... are you?" I ask, honestly not able to tell. He's smiling now, but he sounded and looked so damn convincing two seconds before.
"Nah," he laughs. "I'm not."
I scrunch my face at him, not caring how unattractive the facial expression. "Now who should be feeling like the fucked up one?"
"Hm," he hums thoughtfully. "Still you for not knowing what beer pong is."
"I know what beer pong is," I say defensively, ripping open another bag a little too aggressively. "I just didn't realize..." I shut up once I examine the ping pong balls I just opened. "Oh. How'd I not make that connection right away?"
I look up to see Jalen already looking down at me, dimple on full display.
Holy shit, he's so good looking.
No, what am I saying? Firstly, he's kind of a douchebag, and secondly, I have a boyfriend. A boyfriend who's barely answered my texts all day... but still a boyfriend.
My hand instinctively reaches for my phone, and just as I'm scrolling through the group chat that's flooded with pictures from the senior kick-back partyâthe party Jess swore she'd FaceTime me forâI'm reminded all over again that I'm where I do not belong.
And I hate it. I hate it here. I hate my parents.
My fists clench, anger flowing throughout my entire body.
"So," Jalen's voice catches my attention, but I don't look away from my tightening grip on my phone. "Wanna play a game?"
I'm ready to shout no, I don't want to play a fucking game, but the words get caught in my throat when I finally look at him. He's smirking, and there's a dangerous glint in his eyes. I'll probably end up regretting it, but right now, I want a distraction. And this dark blue-eyed boy seems like the perfect one.
So, I nod my head and ask, "What do you have in mind?"