Chapter 48

ANGEL SINCLAIR.

As soon as I arrive at Lorenzo's house, I see that some people have already arrived, like two or three. I greet some of them, even though I don't know them, and enter the house looking for him. I find Lorenzo in the hall, ready for the party.

"Angel, you look beautiful!" he smiles when he sees me.

"Here's your present," I say, holding out the bag to him.

"Wow, it's very nice!" Lorenzo says when he sees the watch I bought him.

"I'm glad you like it, go ahead and put it on your wrist," I say.

Lorenzo puts the watch on and I smile. He hands the bag to the maid to leave in his room and we both head for the pool area. We meet Ashley and Ian, who have arrived together. Ian has probably gone to pick Ashley up from home, which makes me think of a thousand things.

"Wow! Ian picked you up?" I ask softly in his ear.

"Yes, he offered, but it was no big deal, just a kind act," she says and I laugh.

"He must be crazy about you," I say.

"But I'm not that into him," Ashley replies, sounding sincere.

"But why not?" I ask, "He's handsome, he's cool, and on top of that he's rich, which is the most important thing," I say.

"Ian's not my type," I roll my eyes.

"Okay, Ashley. If you want to spend the rest of your life stranded, I can't do anything for you, but don't moan about it afterwards, because I'm not into moaning," I say.

"It's okay, you don't have to worry," she shrugs.

What's wrong with this girl? She seems to have turned into someone else out of nowhere, someone I don't know, because she's never been this dry and distant. I don't want her to think that just because I've made friends with a new person I'm going to let her down, because that's not going to happen, unless she does it herself and walks away from me of her own free will.

"Angel, would you like a drink?" Lorenzo asks and I see the waiter standing next to him.

"A fruit cocktail, please," I say and the waiter hands me a strawberry cocktail.

"It's delicious!" I say.

I take a break from the cocktail to dance to a song with Lorenzo, a typical Spanish song that he likes. He's not really my type, but I dance for his happiness. After the dance, we change the playlist and put on the more upbeat electronic music we usually hear here. After all, the vast majority of the guests are American.

After a few minutes, I start to notice an abnormal movement in the house. Lots of people arriving, including some from the school. I look at Ashley who is holding her cell phone and she turns around, showing me a social media post.

"It looks like the party was leaked on the internet," she says.

"How is that possible? It was supposed to be a private party and look how many people are arriving here now," I say, looking around.

"What happened? Why are there so many people in my house? I don't even know these people and it's my birthday," Lorenzo asks, approaching us.

"Ashley said that the party was leaked on the internet and people started showing up," I explain.

"Leaked by who?" he asks, looking very confused.

"I don't know, Lorenzo. I have no idea," I say.

"What now? What do we do with all these people?" he asks.

"We can't expel them all, because there are some people from the school here and it could get bad. As long as they're here, we'll let them carry on. There's nowhere else to run," I say.

"All right," Lorenzo says, convincing himself.

I greet a few people from the school and almost drop my cocktail glass when I see who has just arrived: Bryan. As usual, he's with Cedric. I don't want to dream that he has anything to do with all this. Bryan has no idea what he's doing, because he had the nerve to show up here.

"What's he doing here?" Lorenzo asks with a serious look on his face and I nod.

"I have no idea," I reply.

"Do you want me to ask the security guards to send him away?" Lorenzo suggests.

"No, there's no need for that. It'll draw too much attention at the party and I don't want people talking about it. Bryan is insignificant and I don't mind his presence that much."

"All right, then. I'll be nearby, come and stand next to me," he says, pulling me by the waist.

I have my back to Bryan, avoiding even looking him in the face. I want him and Cedric to go to hell, together, if possible. I focus all my attention on Lorenzo, because he's today's main attraction.

"I need to communicate with my parents, I haven't spoken to them today and I haven't even replied to any messages," he says loudly over the sound.

"Call them," I suggest.

"Gee, I don't have my cell phone here!," he says, reaching into his pants pockets, "I think I left it in my room, can you get it for me? I'm afraid I'm going to leave here and this whole thing will get out of hand," Lorenzo asks.

"Yes, I can. I'll take the opportunity to go to the bathroom, because the cocktail has left me a bit tight," I say.

"Right, I'm waiting for you here," he says.

I leave the pool area and enter the house, seeing that there are people all the way here, but everyone is being monitored by the security guards. I go up to the other floor, which is empty, and enter Lorenzo's room. I see his cell phone on the dresser and go straight to the bathroom.

When I've finished urinating, I pull up my panties and am startled when the bathroom door opens to reveal Bryan. I automatically pull down my dress and look up at him, who is staring at my legs.

What did Bryan follow me here for? Will this boy never leave me alone? As long as he keeps after me, it'll be impossible to forget him. And if we stand here for another five seconds, it'll be impossible to keep our posture.