Escapades At Family Parties

               When my mom began preparing for a party, she either started the day before or at the ass crack of dawn, even if the party didn't start till it was dusk.

I couldn't hear much of what she was trying to say because normal human beings didn't really get up at this time. My eyes were in full agreement as they too, refused to open fully.

The sun was barely up and there she was, standing at my door in her white morning gown and headband, trying to get me awake.

There was nothing I could do to convince my parents to give me the keys to my room. It was even out of the question, on top of that, I had to put up with such disrespect.

"Go away mom!" I groaned.

I did not sign up for this, and besides, it's her party, I didn't know why she had to pull me into it. I always got annoyed when my sleep was interrupted. Sleep is essential, sacred even. The sooner adults understood that, the better.

"Get off that bed Jules!" She said, having no regard whatsoever for my wishes. "We'll have breakfast first, then start. I'll be waiting downstairs, I need your help with everything."

She didn't need my help with anything and she knew it. All she had to do was just say the word and any number of men she wanted would come to put everything in their place. But this was another one of those bonding times and getting to know her son better as she put it.

I wondered if the world would crumble if she ever asked me what I wanted to do for a change. Like 'hey Jules, what do you want to do today?' 'Gee mom, glad you asked. Let's go for a drive and stop at random places and take absurd pictures together, not wake up at fucking three in the morning for party decorations'.

Fine, it wasn't three in the morning but that could never happen. As far as I knew, my mother had a reputation to keep and not even her son would get in the way of that.

I calmed down after grabbing my phone, it immediately flashed to life and Groot appeared on the Lock Screen.

I sighed deeply.

I knew that I didn't really mind helping, but sleep was not something I liked to sacrifice. If someone ever understood that, they could have me forever.

I dragged myself to a sitting position and released an exasperated breath then got off the bed.

My room was just like any other teenager's room I'd been in; huge with a little clutter.

               I went in the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. Pausing, I stared at myself for a few seconds. Sleep lines on one side, my brown hair in a fierce rebellion against gravity and the green that looked back at me appeared so dull I hated it all the more.

               I didn't like the color green, unfortunately it had to be associated with Groot, but I could look past that. It didn't mean I could look past my eyes though; I hated them. Ew.

There were specs of freckles scattered lightly over my shoulders, they weren't a lot, but they were definitely noticeable.

               I looked so angry that I broke out into a small smile despite myself.

After the bathroom, I walked into my closet and picked out the first hoodie I saw and pulled it over my head then reluctantly dragged myself down the stairs.

Andre immediately hooted with laughter when I reached the bottom of the stairs and pulled me to him, forcing me to bend to his height and disheveling my hair more than it already was after I tried to get it under control. "You look like crap, I'm so happy for you," he said then laughed some more.

I didn't fail to notice that he was impeccably dressed. Did these people sleep?

"You should know that I'm stronger than I look, so I would refrain from carelessly manhandling me if I were you," I told Andre.

"Aw, has my lord finally gotten the courage to challenge me to a duel? I can have the gym cleared out for us," he replied with one of his smuggest faces.

Andre was probably a black belt or something of the sort. It was probably why my dad was more lenient to not having guards around when he was driving. I could fight a bit decently, just nowhere near his level. Insane people.

I once lost a bet and Andre made it so the condition was for the loser to do what the other asks. He pulled me to the gym and said I needed to learn how to defend myself. Andre smiled menacingly and left me on a mat then went to sit down and watch. He asked me to pick an opponent from any of the guards to fight.

I foolishly picked my mother's bodyguard David, thinking it couldn't be that hard because I'd watched them practice a couple of times. Wasn't fighting just blocking at the right moment and hitting whenever you can? It shouldn't be too hard.

All I heard was Andre telling him to go easy on me and me not thinking he had to. The next thing I knew, I didn't land even a single hit on him when he'd rendered me motionless in less than ten seconds. The fist that crushed into my gut was not a blow my body would ever forget. It almost took the air out of my lungs. And I thought Andre had told him to go easy.

Andre didn't let me hear the end of it, but he made sure I practiced sometimes and I noticed that there were a few improvements here and there.

"You know I would never raise my hands against the weak, Andre, that's just the wonder I am," I replied.

"Come here Jules!" I heard my mom call as I left Andre to do whatever my mom had asked him to.

She sat at the table and smiled at me when I sat down. I didn't smile back, I just looked at my plate and filled it with food. As I ate, I kept my gaze fixed on the piece of art on the wall opposite me. Nude cherubs looked back at me with eyes that seemed cruel and kind at the same time.

"Good morning," she said.

Hardly. "Morning," I answered.

I wasn't comfortable, not really. It didn't matter though, enduring things was part of my life. I really couldn't wait till school started once again.

"You stopped eating," my mom said.

"I was lost in thought," I told her.

"What about?"

"How much I can't wait to get back to school," I said honestly.

She laughed. "You don't want that."

"Yes, sure." I plastered a smile on my face and continued to eat, then paused to ask. "Do you think it'd be alright if I made friends with someone random I just met?"

I wasn't asking for her permission, I didn't need that. I just wanted to see what she would say.

               "Who is this person?"

Just then, I got a call from Izzy, one of my friends from school.

"No phone calls," my mom said as she grabbed the phone from me. "It's our day."

She went ahead to answer the call. "Hi, Julian isn't available right now, please call later," she said and hung up.

What the fuck?

"You can't just do that mom," I said, sounding a little pissed off.

"What? I was just telling them to call later, you're mine at the moment," she said with a smile.

It was at times like this when she'd look a little worried and I'd feel bad that she was putting an effort to spend time with me and I wasn't so interested.

"So let me tell them that myself, what gives?" I answered.

She ignored me and got up from her seat, then handed my phone to Killian; my main personal bodyguard. "You can give it back to him when we're done arranging for the party."

He nodded and took the phone. I couldn't really blame him because his job description was basically to protect me and take orders from my parents. There wasn't much say he had in the situation.

My mom clapped twice and turned to walk away, her face in a constant smile. "Enough breakfast Jules, let's begin!"

This was bound to be a long day.

•••

The guests began to arrive an hour after the party was supposed to start. Security was tight around the premises because all the bodyguards were working at the same time and asked to be on alert, coupled with some of the guest's bodyguards.

The guests turned out to be more than I thought they would be. I got my phone back and apologized to Izzy earlier on, she told me she'd just called to check up on me and that made me happier than anything.

While I had the freedom to use my phone, there wasn't a lot I could do with it, not with the number of people who demanded my attention at the moment.

I entertained mom's guests so much it felt like I had thrown the party myself. It was until I found myself standing side by side with my mom again, my tall frame almost towering her lithe figure. "Your aunt Maggie is getting a little fat, isn't she?"

I wasn't ready to endure this too, so it was my cue to leave. No way in hell was I going to stand and gossip with my mom about my aunts, or anyone else for that matter. No freaking way.

In fact, it was high time they gave me a baby sister. If my baby sister didn't want to gossip with her, then we'd escape together. I wasn't exactly having the time of my life being an only child, another sibling would make me beyond ecstatic the more I thought of it.

In my attempt to slip away from everyone as quietly as I could, I wished I could have blended in with the people more. I was on the opposite side of the exit of the grand room with a sea of people separating me from it. It was either I was underdressed or the guests were overdressed and I wouldn't put it past either of us.

I was actually dressed formally but the hoodie I threw on just defeated the whole purpose, making it look like I couldn't care less about the dress code.

Just then, I bumped into someone, or to be more precise, they grabbed me.

"Oh little Julian! Look at you all grown up!" The person whom I hadn't seen yet said. It sounded suspiciously like my great aunt Susan.

I hated this. I cursed why I wasn't short enough to mix in better.

"It's been a while, child," she said. Then suddenly, I was hugged tightly, inhaling way too much perfume.

Personally, I think the secret to perfume, no matter how expensive, was subtlety. But there existed the branch of aunts who didn't know this, and I had the misfortune to be crushed against one of them now.

It was one hug after another or a pat in the back but finally, I crossed the sea and reached the exit.

               It was where I spotted a guy I'd never seen before, looking so angry I felt a little concerned. I have no idea why, but I approached him, hoping he wouldn't lash out for no reason.

               We were almost exactly the same height, and his hair was almost one shade darker than mine. He had blue-ish eyes and the way his lips were set made him look a little bit cocky and generally not nice.

               "Are you alright?" I asked and he finally looked at me.

               He laughed a little and averted his gaze. "Let's just say this is not my kind of party."

               I decided he was interesting, so I paused my exit plan for just a little bit. "It does make sense that I haven't actually seen you at any."

               "Like how do you guys do this?" He asked and I was further amused. I hated these parties too!

               "The varsity jacket you're wearing, how'd you get away with coming to such a formal occasion with one?" I asked.

               "Look who's talking, hoodie," he said. "My parents forced me to come, so this is silently showing my rebellion." He pulled the jacket and looked at it with pride.

               "Are you part of a school team or something?" I interrogated him further.

           "River Falls High, basketball team," he said and smirked before having the weirdest look of possibly sadness on his face. Or was it just a frown?

               That was actually impressive. "I don't think I could even dribble a ball to save my life, that's amazing," I replied.

               "You don't even know River Falls High, do you?" He asked and was right on the money.

               I shook my head, a little ashamed. "I don't know a lot of places."

               "Come on," he flashed me a brilliant smile. "You're not from here?"

               "I am, but I spend most of my time at school," I replied. "Boarding school, far from here."

               He nodded in understanding. I didn't expect him to be the least bit nice when I'd approached him.

               "I'm Julian by the way," I added after a thought.

               "Kit," he said.

               "Well Kit, I'll see you around. Enjoy the rest of the party," I said as I needed to go.

               "And where are you going?" He asked suspiciously.

               "Anywhere away from here," I replied.

              "Hell no, you're taking me with you," he smirked and kept his hands in his pockets.

               I raised my eyebrows at that. "Aren't your parents keeping an eye on you?"

               "Aren't yours?" He threw the question back at me.

             "Mine have guests to entertain," I answered.

               "So it's your party huh?" He seemed to think about it. "So technically it's your fault I'm in social agony at the moment."

               I laughed at that. "Well technically it's my parents–"

               "Whatever Hoodie," he smirked. "You're taking me with you. Let's go."

•••

               "Aren't you going to take your phone?" Kit asked after we left my room.

               "No," I replied. It was the only explanation I could give him. The rest seemed to stay stuck in my throat.

               I led Kit through the hallways cautiously enough. I made sure to avoid eye contact with any one until I was caught by surprise.

"Escaping so soon, my lord?" Andre asked casually, almost causing me to jump off my skin when I was finally outside. "And I see you have a friend." He seemed particularly happy about that last part.

I was only glad it was him who had approached me and not an actual bodyguard because then they wouldn't take their eyes off me.

               "I'm going out," I replied and searched his eyes for anything. "We," I added and looked over at Kit. He had his arms crossed as he watched our interaction.

"But your father–"

"Doesn't have to know," I cut Andre short.

"Your mother–"

  "Is really preoccupied at the moment," I cut in once again.

Andre sighed. "Okay, where do you want to go?"

"No, you enjoy the party," I told him before he could cement any thoughts about taking me. "I want to drive."

I could see him thinking and weighing the options. "Let me just let Killian know," he said like it was a last resort.

The last thing I wanted was a bodyguard, and maybe we had some kind of friendship with Killian, but there was no way I was putting up with his intense eyes tonight. I shook my head to convince Andre. "Just cover for me okay? For us," I asked although I didn't have to.

               His gaze shifted to Kit and I watched as Andre's usually friendly demeanor convert to a serious one. "What is your name?"

              "Kit," he answered.

                "Other name," asked Andre.

               "Pierson."

               "Robert's kid?" Asked Andre. At this point I shouldn't be surprised that he knew such a thing, but I still was.

               "Uh yeah?" Kit said.

               Andre nodded and turned back to me. "Fine, just be careful," Andre said after what I knew was careful thought. "And be back before midnight Cinderella, or my charms will wear off."

"Yes dad," I replied.

He scoffed and turned to walk away from us, going back to the party like he hadn't seen me. Calling him dad sounded like a joke to him but to me, it wasn't quite that simple.

               "I wish I had someone that cool," Kit said as we walked to where I knew one of my cars were parked. "Are your parents that strict though?"

Somehow I knew exactly what he was asking. He was asking if I really couldn't go out without bodyguards.

               "Yes, it gets a little tiring," I replied nonchalantly, trying to hide the fact that I was embarrassed. Thankfully, he didn't say anything else about it.

It was more than an hour later that I parked my car exactly where Andre had parked just about a week ago at the Grand Hall.

"What is this place?" asked Kit. "I mean I know what place this is but why are we here? You're into art and history and stuff?"

I didn't know what to say to him, how to explain why I was here. I thought maybe the best option was to agree to throw him off. I am not averse to that idea either. "It's just–"

I stopped at the beginning of my sentence because his ringtone was so loud and sudden it caught us both unaware. Kit looked at his phone and groaned. "I have to take this or I'm dead."

He walked out of the car and talked to whomever had called him, my best guess was that it was his parents. The sound came out muffled until I took a peek at Kit and noticed that he had one hand in his pocket as he blew out an exasperated breath. The cold air of the night made his breath visible before he clenched his jaw. Maybe they already caught up to the fact that he wasn't anywhere near the party.

Kit finished talking to whoever was on the other side and got back into the car. "Look, Hoodie, I have to go, or my parents are going to put me through some annoying shit."

I nodded as many things went through my head. Among them was that it would be easier if he just left because then I wouldn't have to explain to him what I was doing wandering inside the Grand Hall aimlessly; it took some pressure off my back.

"I'll see you around," he said and began to get out.

"Okay. It was nice to meet you," I answered.

"You too, hoodie," he said was gone.

I watched him round up the car and disappear further into the street. My guess was that he took a taxi or something like that. I guess I made a friend. It made me feel a little happy. Okay maybe we weren't exactly friends, but he seemed friendly enough.

I walked into the museum the same way I did the last time. I told myself I was just bored and here to look at art to pass the time. But there was that annoying voice at the back of my head making assumptions that that was a lie. You're just hoping he's here and you know it.

I denied the thought and moved on to study the pieces of art, or in actual sense, pretend to.

This wasn't like me at all. I moved on to other stuff until I came face to face with a painting that made me smile. It was the one of Aphrodite at sea, where I'd gotten him to speak to me. I wondered what his name could be.

He had been so passionate and irritated that thinking about it made me struggle to stop the smile that spread across my face. After walking around and looking aimlessly at everything, I decided that I had spent just long enough hoping for the impossible. I couldn't help the disappointment I felt as I got back into the car.

What was I thinking? That I would come back and he'd just be there waiting? This is stupid, I thought as I started the ignition, then paused after two seconds.

At the corner of my eye, I noticed the shoes. The sneakers I had at home but had no clue where. Before I could take in the rest of the person in, they'd already ushered themselves into the building.

I tensed behind the wheel and cut the engine off. After that, I checked the time; 23:13.

If l left now, I could still make it in time before getting Andre in trouble. If I didn't, I definitely wouldn't make it in time. I didn't want to get Andre in trouble. I really didn't.

I sacrificed a precious minute or so, thinking hard as my fingers fastened on the door handle in contemplation.