Chapter 227
We traded places and I stepped into the bathroom, holding the door open. I watched her as she began to walk back to the group and blurted out, "Do you think Bianca and I can ever not fight?"
Un-ask that question, Candace. I have a problem because I always need to resolve my grudges before New Year's Eve. For some reason, I feel like it's bad luck to bring negative energy to the new year.
"Bianca genuinely cares for him," I said, "So I'm wondering if there can be a... I don't know what I'm wondering. It's silly. Forget that I ask."
Oma broke the situation down for me. "When you got Zenon, Bianca lost him. She's in pain and you're in love. You've already won, Candace. You now have a chance to be the bigger person here."
Her words carried wisdom. The advice was really hard to follow. Why do I have to help her when she never helped me?
I've been humiliated by people like Bianca my whole life. She was no different. She made no attempt to make me feel comfortable or accepted. And now that roles were reversed, I'm meant to accept her?
This self-development thing is hard. It doesn't break the cycle if I forgive her... she's the one creating the cycle. People who are 'popular' and ostracize others... that's the cycle that needs breaking.
"Thanks Oma," I said. She's definitely given me a lot to think about. I just wasn't sure what I was going to do about it.
The air was heavy between us so I tried to lighten it. "I haven't heard you ever mention this but, are you dating anyone?"
"I'm single."
"Is there a guy or girl you like?" I asked, wondering if cupid could work his magic on more couples this New Years' Eve.
"I'm a senior in high school and boys are still so immature."
Her sparkling, six-inch stiletto heels clicked against the floor as she walked away.
I was about to leave the bathroom when I heard Bryce's voice echo around me:
"If everyone is not in the car in ONE minute, I'm leaving you all!!"
I froze and retracted my step back to the mirror. I stared at my reflection and slowly raised my eyes up to the ceiling. There was a speaker next to the lights on the ceiling.
Bryce had literally put a speaker in the bathroom of his own home.
"LEAVING YOU ALL!" he repeated loudly on the speaker, making me jump.
Is he breaking up with us on speakerphone?
I hurried out of the bathroom and joined the others as they walked out towards a stretched black car with tinted windows.
I stared at the beautiful villas along the street. It was the evening of New Years' and we were the loudest on the block. I felt grateful, thankful, for being able to experience this.
"Bryce, why do you have a speaker in the bathroom?" I asked him, turning around to see where he'd gone.
"Why wouldn't I?" he answered, herding everyone like sheep.
I can think of so many reasons...
I stepped into the car, sliding onto a seat in the middle row. I noticed Cynthia and Axel sitting together in the back and tried not to make a big deal about it.
If tonight went as Cynthia planned, she and Axel would be a new couple by January 1st. I couldn't wait to see it happen tonight.
"It's a twenty-minute drive before we reach the venue," Bryce said, slamming his car door shut, "so we need a DJ and a bartender. Who's volunteering?"
Tell me I know what a party is. Tell me this is not a figment of my imagination.
We rolled up to the venue, staring at it from behind the tinted windows of Bryce's chauffeur driven vehicle. It slowed down as we landed in a line behind two stretch limos.
"Is this Atlantis?" I asked, thinking it looked a lot like the photos I've seen of the famous hotel.
The light on the towering mansion made the walls look like they were golden, flickering from time to time. Guests walked up the front steps, wearing the most glamorous outfits I've ever seen. Some were elegant and others were outrageous.
They were treating this carpet like it was the Met Gala.
"Where do people even buy clothes like that?" I asked, staring at a woman wearing an ostrich outfit wrapped around a small part of her body.
"Is that an ostrich?" Cynthia asked, pressing her face against the window.
"It can't be," I said, rolling down the window so we could get a better look.
We were both pressed up against the window that, when the doors opened, we almost fell. Men in purple suits and matching top hats escorted us out of the car. So much for a graceful entrance.
I glanced back at Zenon and he laughed. Not exactly sensitive, but hey.
Handsome, hot Zenon whose hands kept finding a way to touch me. And mine to him. We walked up the carpeted steps together and I felt like his confidence was rubbing off on me.
I let my hand rub up his arm, feeling the muscles tense slightly underneath his shirt. His jaw locked.
We were checked off the guestlist and entered into... an open space.
There was no ceiling. And no people. In front of us was a massive black pool that matched the black sky overhead.
The walls were made of cobbled stone, painted gold that matched the tiles we walked on. Music was still reaching our ears, though I didn't know where it was coming from.
"Let's gooo!" Axel encouraged, having enough energy to spread across all of us.
Uh. Where?
We followed him around the edge of the pool, since he looked like he knew where he was going. He was moving his hands to the sound of the music.