☕︎☕︎☕︎

It's the last week of October and it's been about two weeks since Sebastian and I have been public. Sebastian still has not asked me to be his girlfriend officially and I've given up on that idea completely.

Ev and I are on good terms. It doesn't seem like my relationship with Sebastian has affected her at all which I appreciate. Everyone else was surprised at first too especially when I went back to school after Sebastian posted that picture, but they were happy to say the least.

Sebastian and I spend a lot of time together after school, but at school we hardly see each other because he's busy with sports and his friends while I'm busy with mine.

Sebastian and I see less and less of each other as the date for the play gets finalized and he has to rehearse with Everleigh more and more.

Even though them being alone kind of makes me nervous in a bad way, I can respect that. They can be professional and no one has done anything to break my trust. I've asked Sebastian if they practice the kissing scene and he said no and that they're just gonna do it on stage because practicing it won't be necessary.

Since I have a little more time to myself now, I usually get to talk to King a lot more. We text each other, but if we're ever free we call and FaceTime too. We always talk about our days and what we have planned. When it's my turn to cook for the family, he always helps by giving me new recipes and he usually asks me for advice on his outfits and taking care of his little siblings. It's weird because I'm the youngest in my family, so I don't know why I'm a reliable source for that type of information.

Sebastian is aware of how much King and I talk and how we're good friends, but he has no problem with that because he knows I don't hide anything from him.

Halloween is this Saturday and our family is hosting a Halloween party and game day for the staff members. The construction for that has been going on all week.

I'll be attending it for a little while, but then Roman, Landon and I are going to go to another Halloween party. Apparently, it's a tradition that this one house always has the craziest Halloween parties. The best part is that the party is open to everyone in high school even kids from the other side of town meaning King and his friends will be there too.

I made sure to ask if everything would be civil and both parties said that they would be. I really didn't want to go, but I sat down with my brothers and we talked about it. They said that they understand my fear because they also feel the same way, but they said that I can't live my life like this all the time. There's gonna have to come a time where I have to take the chance. I can't let my past keep me from making better memories and so they said I can and should go to the party.

The only rule is that the second I feel pressured into doing any drugs or think I won't be able to resist, I have to call Grayson, Aaron or Jaxson right away. If someone else is sober there, I have to tell them and they will help me get home.

Other than that, the week should be pretty uneventful.

☕︎☕︎☕︎

It's Saturday and today is Halloween. The party and games start at two and it's currently twelve. The party us starting really early because the staff is encouraged to bring their kids, but the invite made it clear that by night the atmosphere would change.

I have two costumes for today. For the office party, my family decided to coordinate and dress up as the marvel characters. Grayson is Iron Man, Aaron is Captain America, Jaxson is Hulk, Raven is going to come dressed as Betty Rose, Landon is Thor, Roman is Spider-Man, and I am Black Widow.

"Coming in your friendly neighbourhood Spiderman!" Roman yells running into my room and jumping on my bed as if he were actually Spiderman.

"Dude! You just ruined my bedsheets!" I groan. I fix the wig on my head and try to brush the hair.

"It can be fixed again," Roman says as he sits down with his legs hanging over the edge of the bed. He takes off his mask and breathes heavily. "It's sweaty in here."

"Ew, yeah your face looks disgusting," I say looking at him through the mirror.

"Geez, thanks Reese for being such a nice and supportive sister. I really appreciate the way you make me feel about myself."

"Aw, you're welcome," I smile.

"Shut up. Aren't women supposed to be nice and supportive? What the fuck happened to you?"

"I shared the womb with you, I guess you transferred some testosterone over to me," I force a smile.

"I'd like it back."

"Why? You don't feel man enough?" I tease.

"Sometimes I really just wanna beat the fuck out of you," Roman admits.

"Right back at you."

"Well, are you almost done? The photographers are ready downstairs and they're just waiting on you now."

"Is everyone done their solo shots?"

"Yeah, Landon's doing his right now. It's you and then family pictures," Roman shares.

I fix my lipstick and make sure the hair is perfect before I get up.

"Okay, I am ready," I say turning around. "Can you pass me my phone?"

"Yeah. Here," he says. He grabs it off my nightstand and throws it at me. I catch it with ease.

I leave my room and Roman follows pursuit.

The living room has been turned into a photoshoot room with lights, and a white backdrop. I watch as Landon poses for his pictures and the photographer's team working alongside her.

"Black Widow is finally here!" Jaxson announces as I walk down the stairs.

"Did Spiderman annoy you enough to leave your room?" Iron Man a.k.a. Grayson questions.

"Yeah, he's pretty annoying. I don't know why you decided to recruit him," I say as I sit down on one of the couches.

"Might have to fire him soon," Grayson whispers.

"You do know I can hear you?" Roman acts offended.

"Reese?" the female photographer calls out.

I head on over to the white layout.

"Good luck," Landon says as I stand on the marked spot.

"I'm Gina," the photographer introduces.

"Reese," I smile and shake her hand.

"You look really good," she says as she fixes up my hair a little bit.

"Thank you, Grayson got the costumes custom made," I tell her.

"Well, it was money well spent. Hopefully, we can get some really nice photos too," she smiles. "Are you a fan of Black Widow?"

"She's a badass, yeah."

"She is. So do some poses or whatever you'd like. I'll instruct you as we go?"

"Sounds good."

She walks behind the area and starts taking pictures. I do whatever poses come to mind and eventually pull out the dual batons that go with the costume to look even more badass. The solo shoot is about half an hour and once I'm done, we take group photos.

Once we're done, Gina and her team pack up the set. They're going to come back once the party starts and take more pictures later on.

Grayson hired a party planner for today's event so there's not much for us to do besides sit around, eat and wait for guests to start coming in.

We have waiters and waitresses ready as well.

"Let's go through the haunted maze in the backyard," Roman is the one to suggest.

"No, you know I hate scary shit," I complain.

"Yeah, but it's not even dark outside. It won't be that scary," Aaron tries to persuade me.

"Okay, Captain American, I get it, you and your fat ass aren't scared of anything," I roll my eyes.

"Well Black Widow isn't supposed to be scared of anything either," Landon prompts.

"Grayson and Aaron hired one of the best event planners who then hired one of the best actors to be a part of this maze. Do you really think I have a death wish?"

"Oh, come on! You know it's a family tradition," Grayson says.

"Yeah, but dad used to hold my hand the whole way," I frown. Everyone becomes quiet.

"Okay, then I'll hold your hand the whole way through? How does that sound?" Gray offers.

I look around at everyone waiting for me to answer.

"Okay," I breathe out.

"Yay!" Everyone cheers. We all get up and start making our way to the backyard.

The maze is set past the pool and pretty much covers the whole acreage. We all stand at the entrance and one of the actors briefs us down.

"Welcome to the Price Family Halloween Maze! A couple of rules, there will be actors jumping out, they will chase you and they have fake weapons that will not cause any injuries. Please do not touch the actors or fight them. The maze takes about ten to fifteen minutes to complete. We recommend you walk slowly through the maze as some of the decors might cause you to trip and fall. Please sign the consent forms and make sure you read them through as we are not liable for any injuries caused. If you have any questions, please make sure to ask."

Another actor hands us clipboards with the consent forms and we all sign them. Grayson had already told us about the maze before, so we already knew what we're walking into. We all quickly sign the papers and give them back.

"Okay, enjoy everyone!" The actors walk to the side and let us through.

Grayson holds my hand in his and we walk at the front while the rest of the boys are behind us.

There's audio of creaking doors and a screaming lady playing. There are flashing lights and as we walk further down, the first enclosed space comes up.

"Fuck," I curse. I press my body closer to Grayson and stand just behind him grabbing his arm.

The room is pitch black with a white light constantly flashing on and off. The room narrows. Grayson and I hardly fit together.

As we keep walking, we see a window open.

Grayson halts and the rest of the boys crash into us.

"Bro!" I groan.

"Why'd you stop?" Landon questions.

"There's a window," Grayson says.

"And?"

"What if something pops up?" I say.

"Stop being a pussy," Jaxson insults.

"Yo, just hold up. I'm getting old. You don't wanna lose me to a heart attack do you?" Grayson threatens.

"Oh my God. Move out of my way old man," Aaron says walking past us. He walks past the window with ease and nothing pops up.

"See," he says stopping and turning to face us.

In that instant, a giggling clown pops down from the ceiling and screams in Aaron's face.

Aaron screams.

And then we all scream.

Aaron doesn't waste another second running to the exit and we follow pursuit. Once we exit the room screaming at different pop-up dummies, we stop and take a breather.

"How many rooms are there?" Landon questions as he leans over with his hands on his knees.

"Like seven?" Grayson says.

We all stare at him dumbfounded.

"You're kidding?" Aaron's the first to respond.

"Is Captain America a wuss now?" Jaxson teases.

"If that clown was laughing in your face, you'd shit it too," Aaron defends.

"Whatever you gotta say to defend your ego," Jaxson retorts.

"You wanna fight me? Right now? I'll show you who's a wuss then," Aaron says straighten up and cracking his knuckles.

"Now is not the time to fight!" I yell. "Especially each other. We need to fight the monsters first and make sure we make it out of here in one piece. Okay?"

"Yeah, I agree," Roman says and everyone else follows pursuit.

As we start observing our surroundings, I noticed the fake field of corn that was lining our path.

"Who wants to take the lead?" Grayson gulps.

No one volunteers.

"Fine," Gray groans. He extends his hand out and I take it. We start moving forward and through the path.

"Sh," Landon says.

"What?"

"Sh, listen," he instructs. Everyone stops and listens.

It's not really windy right now, but the cornfield starts moving and we hear a twig snap. A second later, a chain saw comes to life and we see it come out of the cornfield.

"Run!" we all yell and a gruesomely dressed actor comes out of the field chasing us.

"Come on, Re!" Grayson yells at me to keep up. I keep looking behind us and the man is still chasing us.

I see Roman fall and the man starts scaring him.

We don't stay around to watch because we all keep running until we're outside of the next room. A few minutes pass and Roman joins us again.

"What the fuck you guys?!"

"Glad to see you made it, brother," Jaxson breathes patting Ro's back.

"Yeah, no help to you," Roman pushes Jaxon's hand off of himself. "I'm never doing this again."

"You say that every year," Landon says.

"Shut up," Roman scolds.

"Well we have six more rooms to go through so..." Grayson reminds us.

In unison, we all say, "fuck."

☕︎☕︎☕︎

"How the fuck did we survive that?" Landon breathes as we run out of the exit.

"I don't know," I breathe out as well trying to catch my breath.

"Never again," Grayson gulps wiping off the sweat on his forehead.

"I swear that was longer than fifteen minutes," Aaron says.

"Obviously, we kept stopping to breathe," Jaxson says.

"I think I pissed my pants," Roman says.

"Ew," we all look at him in disgust.

"I'm kidding," he reddens even more.

"You better be," I reply with disgust.

"Shit, people are already here," Grayson says looking around.

"Oh, oh. People are already here and the hosts didn't even greet them," I tease.

"Let's get cleaned up and go talk to some people," Grayson says mostly to Aaron and Jaxson. "The rest of you be nice and talk to people. Let us know before you leave though."

"Yes, Captain," Roman salutes.

"Come on Roger we have business to attend to," Grayson says under character and the three men take their leave.

"I'm gonna get something to drink. I'm thirsty," I announce.

"Yeah me too," Roman says.

"I'll come too," Landon says. We head inside to the bar and ask for some drinks. I get some lemonade while the boys get Pepsi.

"Look at that, Black Widow!" I see a man dressed as Robin yell. Batman follows behind him and I recognize them immediately.

"Greg!" I smile and I give him a hug. "How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you? You haven't been by since the last time I saw you," he complains.

"Well, I've actually been really busy with school and my relationship," I hint. His eyes widen.

"Relationship? Babe, did you hear that? This little girl is in a relationship!" he says excitedly. "You're gonna have to tell me all about it and the special guy. Omg, is he here?"

"I will and he's not here," I laugh. "I'm meeting him at another Halloween party later on, but are you not going to introduce me to your husband?"

"Oh, shit. I'm so rude. William this is Reese, Grayson's youngest and only sister and Reese this is my husband William. He is a director and works in the film industry," he shares.

"Hi," I smile shaking his hand.

"I've heard a lot about you," William smiles.

I hear Roman clear his throat next to me.

"Oh, shit. Almost forgot. These are my brothers as well. Roman is my twin and this is Landon, he's a senior in high school," I disclose.

They all shake hands and exchange greetings.

"You guys can order drinks. We'll get out of your way," I say and we all move to the side allowing Greg and his husband to order whatever they'd like.

"You know I've only read about the Price family parties? This is the first time I actually get to attend one and I will say, I am not disappointed," William says.

"Well, you're in for a treat because the party is just getting started," Landon makes known.

We continue to chat for a bit until I notice Astrid Garcia walk in as Katniss Everdeen. Her costume is spot on and I think she even dyed her hair brunette because it doesn't seem like she's wearing a wig. Grayson was busy talking to a few people, but as soon as he notices her, he pauses. He lifts his cup for a sip as his eyes maintain their gaze on her.

She notices him and they lock eyes.

Without breaking eye contact, she walks towards him. He walks away from the group of men and they walk halfway towards each other. For a minute, neither of them say anything.

She breaks the silence first.

"I feel like I'm interrupting something," Greg says.

"Mm?"

"I can just feel the sexual tension between the two of them," he says.

"Did everyone notice?" Roman questions. We all respond with a yes and we start laughing.

"Clearly, we need some lives of our own," Landon says.

"Talk about yourself boys," William replies and Landon puts his hands up in defence.

"We're gonna go talk to other people and the games should be starting soon too," Greg shares.

"Yeah, they should be. It was good seeing you," I smile.

We say our goodbyes before the two men go off and enjoy their time.

☕︎☕︎☕︎

It's nine pm now and we're just heading to the other party.

I got carried away playing the games at our party because I was winning. Honestly, I was okay with not even going to this party but Sebastian and Ev guys kept calling and wanted me to come.

I changed into my second costume for the day which is Katherine Pierce from The Vampire Diaries. It's her modern-day look with the leather jacket, jeans, tank top, wavy hair and her necklace.

It's a simplistic costume because I knew I wanted to be as comfortable as possible at the party.

Sebastian and I were going to dress up as the Joker and Harley Quinn, but I decided this morning that I just wasn't feeling that costume. I had to order in this outfit last minute, but the event planner knew her way around and got everything together for me.

Landon decided to keep his Thor costume on while Roman changed into an inmate costume which he said is coordinated with his friends' costumes as well.

"The party is in full swing," Landon says. He drives down the street and we notice it's filled with cars. He finds an empty spot and pulls into it. We climb out and Landon locks the car.

"Here are the keys," Landon says handing them to me. "I might end up drinking. I mean most likely I will, so everyone just Uber home when you're done with the night?"

"Deal," Roman says.

"Okay," I say putting the keys into my jean's pocket.

"If there's an emergency, message in the group chat. Okay?" Landon instructs. "And Roman, don't be a dumbass and mix your drinks. Choose one and stick to it."

"Anything else, dad?" Roman jokes.

"I'm being serious. Grayson expects me to be responsible for you two. I mean fuck it up and you lose your privileges, not me."

"Okay, okay. We get it," Roman huffs. We walk down the street. The closer we get to the house the louder the music gets.

There are a lot of people here and none that I really even recognize. Half the people are either drunk, half-naked and or drugged out on other substances. The front of the house is littered with blue and red cups.

As we walk into the house, Roman grabs my hand and squeezes it gently.

"It'll be okay," he yells over the music and I nod knowingly and give him a small smile.

I take out my phone and read the message from Sebastian saying they're sitting out back by the pool playing Truth and Dare.

Landon leaves us to go hang out with his own friends while Roman and I walk to the back.

I spot everyone by the pool huddled in a group.

"Hey," I sneak up behind Sebastian. 

He kisses me and I immediately feel the alcohol on his lips. Not even thinking twice, I wipe off the taste from my lips and take a deep breath.

No one notices because they're all too drunk.

"Sebastian!" I complain noticing his costume.

"What?"

"Why are you dressed as The Joker and not Stefan?"

"Oh shit! I thought we were going as The Joker and Harley Quinn," Sebastian frowns.

"No! We decided to go as Stefan and Catherine this morning, remember?"

He lets out an awkward laugh.

"I might have started smoking early today," he sheepishly admits.

"There goes our picture," I groan rolling my eyes.

"Sorry, Candy," he apologizes. He goes in for a kiss, but I turn my cheek. His eyebrows furrow in question, but I pretend like I didn't notice. Instead, I look around the group notice everyone's costumes.

Everleigh is dressed as an angel, Sarah is a devil, Zoya is a dark angel, Phillip is dressed as a nerd and Jake is dressed... as himself?

"Jake, are you dressed as yourself?"

"Yeah, aren't I a genius?" he cocks.

"Uh... sure," I smile not trying to be rude. He seems too drunk to even notice my judgement. I'm not even gonna deny the fact that I'm judging him because he could have easily done better.

"So what are we doing?" Roman questions.

"Playing Truth or Dare, it's Everleigh's turn," Nate says. "So truth or dare?"

"Dare," she slurs.

"Kiss who you think the hottest guy in the group is," Nate dares.

"Okay," Everleigh shrugs. She looks around at all the guys. When her eyes land on Sebastian, I feel my heart skip a beat.

Even though we're outside, I feel the temperature rise.

She wouldn't kiss Sebastian, would she?

I watch as she starts walking closer to us. I feel my heartbeat become faster with every step she takes. When she's one step away from Sebastian, she turns to her left and kisses Roman.

"Whoa!" all the men cheer. Roman is taken off guard, but he curls his hand around her waist and pulls her in closer for a longer, more lustful kiss.

"Ew, Ev," I pretend like I'm about to puke.

"Oh, shut up. You know your brothers are hot," Ev brushes off as she walks back to her spot.

My jaw drops and hits the ground as my eyes widen in shock at her confidence.

"Okay... then. Um... Reese, you down to play?" Carter asks.

"Sure," I agree.

"Truth or dare?" he questions.

"Truth,"  I pick.

"Has Sebastian hit it yet?" Carter asks. If I was drinking anything, this would be the time I would spit it out.

"Whoa, man. That's my sister," Roman cries.

"Close your ears," Nate suggests.

"Don't answer that," Roman says to me ignoring his friends.

I shrug looking at everyone who's waiting for an answer.

"Come on, man. Stop being a party pooper," Nate groans.

"Yo," Nate takes someone's drink and tells the guy to fuck off. Nate hands Roman the drink. "You just need to loosen up."

"Come on, man," Roman rolls his eyes. Nate doesn't back down and Roman eventually gives in taking down all the contents in the cup. "Ewh."

I cringe looking at Roman taking it down and almost wanna puke.

"Now, Reese answer the question," Carter says.

I look at Sebastian for confirmation and he is looking down at his cup. I don't know if he wants me to tell them the truth or not, but he's not really helping me out here either. If he's not giving me an answer, then I'll just answer truthfully.

"No," I answer a little quietly.

"Mm," Nate replies. "See, not that bad."

Roman rolls his eyes at his friend and I watch as Everleigh eases a little bit. The game continues with a bunch more truths and dares. By this time, Roman is just as drunk as the rest of them.

I get bored so I pull out my phone and text King asking if he's here. He replies saying he'll be here in a bit. I complain to him about how Sebastian didn't dress up as Stefan and how upset I am about that. He just laughs it off and said that Sebastian and I can try again next year.

I realize everyone had quieted down and look up. Clearly, it's my turn again and so I pick truth as I put my phone back in my pocket.

"Reese, you're being so boring. Choose dare," Zoya urges.

"I'm just a boring person I guess."

"Come on, do a dare," this time it's Sebastian using his sultry voice. I bite down on my bottom lip contemplating.

"Fine, but I'll see if I want to do it or not," I concede.

"Okay," Zoya smiles.

"I dare you to take a shot off of Sebastian," Sarah dares.

"Sorry, I can't," I instantly decline.

"You can't or you won't?" Jake questions.

"Whichever will help you guys know th-that I won't be completing that dare."

"Oh, come on! He's your boyfriend," Everleigh adds.

"I know, it's not that," I hint.

"Then what is it?" Phillip asks.

"I just don't do drugs," I explain.

"Have you ever done anything?" Carter queries.

I remain silent. I look down at my shoes not trying to answer any more questions.

Roman is the one to switch the subject and everyone else follows pursuit.

I remain feeling a little bummed. I'm just not ready to share my past with anyone yet.

My phone rings.

It's King.

"I have to take this," I tell Seb and head over to the side where it's quieter.

"Hello?"

"Hi," King breathes.

"Hi," I smile.

"You look sad," he says. I start looking around to see if I can spot him.

"Where are you?"

"Up, on the balcony with the rest of my friends," he says. I look up and spot him.

"Are you dressed up as Damon?" I question. I have to squint because he's so far away, but I can make out the outfit that resembles Damon's attire.

I mean Damon and King both have very similar attire at times, but I think it's the boots that give it away. King doesn't wear boots, Damon does.

"I did a good job, right?" he smirks.

"Oh my, God! Yes! What the fuck! You said dressing up wasn't your thing."

"I know, but I know you really wanted to take that picture so..."

"Wow, thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. I mean I'm not Sebastian, but-"

"No, it's fine. I can match my costume with my best friend too!" I smile.

"Wanna dip?" he asks.

"Didn't you just get here?"

"Yeah, but it's kind of boring and you seem pretty sober too."

"I am."

"Then let's go on a walk. Partying is getting old anyway," King says.

"Okay, I agree."

"Meet me out front in five minutes?"

"Deal," I say and we end the call.

I turn around and walk back to the group that had stopped playing the game. Instead, they were now split up into smaller groups having separate conversations.

"Seb?" I pull him from his friends.

"I'm gonna go on a walk," I tell him.

"Alone?"

"Uh, no. King's here. He said he's sober and so am I. We thought it'd be a good idea to get away from this for a bit," I share.

"I can take you on a walk. I'm not that sober, but-"

"No, I know, I- I just want you to have fun. I don't wanna ruin your night."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I am. You're having fun, I don't wanna ruin that."

"Okay, thank you," he smiles. He kisses my forehead and I smile back at him. "Bye."

"Bye," I say walking away. As I walk to the front, I text in the family group chat saying I'm about to leave the party with King and we're going to take a walk.

Jaxson is the only one who replies right away with a thumbs up and says stay safe.

When I get to the front, King is already there waiting for me.

"Damon Salvatore," I speak in character.

"Katherine Pierce," King turns around. His eyes devour every inch of me as his lips form into Damon's signature smirk. "You just can't live without me, huh?"

"I'm in love with you, Katherine Pierce. Of course, I can't live without you. I searched for you for years! How dare you ask such a ridiculous question?" he continues.

He gave it his best shot, but I end up laughing not being able to stay in character any longer.

"Oh, come on? Was I that bad?"

"Just a little," I tease.

"Can't even lie to your best friend to keep his feelings?"

"Please, King Baxston does not have feelings."

"But Damon Salvatore does and he's in love with you."

I stare at him not knowing if there's supposed to be another meaning behind his words.

"Well, Damon should know better. Katherine is in love with Stefan."

"And there it goes, my heart shattered into a million pieces," King puts his hand over his heart and acts as if he's in actual pain.

"Okay, stop this buffoonery," I urge. I take his hand and he turns around as we start walking down the street.

"Rate my acting," he says and I let go of his hand. I put my hands in my pocket and he puts his in his pockets.

"A solid three."

"A three?" he sounds offended.

"Mm-hm."

"Why so low?"

"You can do better."

"Okay, I'm sorry not everyone is like you born with the perfect acting skills."

I laugh.

"Why are you sober?" I change the subject.

"I could ask you the same question," he says. He looks at me from his peripheral vision, but I continue to look straight ahead ignoring his gaze. "I got that phase out of the way in grade nine and ten. Especially after my breakup with Everleigh, I drank a lot."

"Mm."

"Your turn," he says.

I take a deep breath.

"I'm almost a year sober. I went to rehab for a while to achieve that," I share. My heart is pounding against my chest. This is the first time I've said those words out loud to a stranger who hasn't personally witnessed my past.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I hope I didn't make you share anything you weren't ready to," King apologizes.

"No, it's okay. I haven't told anyone else yet. I don't think I'm ready to let everyone know at this moment."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For sharing it with me," he breathes. "I won't tell anyone."

"I trust you."

"Good."

"I have a question," I start.

"Yeah? Ask away."

"Have you decided what you're going to study in university?"

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna apply to be a civil engineer and study at UCLA."

"That's so close to my house," I speak a little excited.

"Yeah, so I'll probably commute and save on having to pay rent," he explains.

"That's a good idea."

"Yeah and I'm planning on getting a scholarship for football, so hopefully I can get a full ride. Even if I don't, my biological dad has to pay for my college along with child support until I graduate and get a job," he shares.

"That's good then, you don't have to stress too much."

"Yeah, I have it better than most. I just wanna get the scholarship and be able to pay for myself otherwise my biological dad is gonna hold that over my head for the rest of my life."

"Your biological dad's a dick, isn't he?"

"Is it that obvious?" he jokes and we both laugh.

We remain silent and walk through the vacant street.

"Can we sit down? I'm getting tired," I ask. He looks at me a little concerned. I know it's probably coming from the fact that we only walked for like five-ten minutes and I shouldn't be tired, but I am.

"Sure," he replies. I walk over to the edge of the sidewalk and sit down. King does the same sitting next to me. I hesitate to rest my head on his shoulder, but I'm so tired that I just give in and lean my head.

All of a sudden the world seems to be crashing down and enclosing on me. I feel my heart racing again and I start breathing rapidly.

The smell of alcohol, the weed, the drugs and the whole party scene resembles a blur of my past. I had ignored it while I was there, but I can't seem to be strong enough to ignore it anymore.

"Are you okay?" King finally speaks up.

Tears drip down from my eyes down to my cheek and onto his jacket.

I sniffle and wipe away my tears still not lifting my head up.

"I-I," I breathe deeper trying to clear my head. "I shouldn't have come today."

"It was hard, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was. Especially being the only sober one in my whole friend group."

"Did they try to pressure you into drinking?"

"Yeah, but they don't know so I'm not mad. Roman changed the subject as soon as he saw the opportunity."

"Why haven't you told Sebastian?"

"We just haven't had that conversation and he's into that kind of stuff. I mean he doesn't do it often, so I don't want him to feel guilty about doing it once in a while either."

"If he loves you, he will respect you and be more careful around you. He doesn't need to stop doing it."

I let out a chuckle.

"We haven't said I love you to each other yet."

"Oh, shit. My bad," King says.

"No, it's fine. I don't know. Sebastian and I might have rushed a little getting into a relationship. The sexual tension was and is still so high it just felt right, but I don't know if we really even know each other."

"You guys will figure it out."

"I hope so," I sigh.

"We should head back," King suggests after a few minutes of silence. Silence can be uncomfortable at times, but with King, it feels calming.

"Yeah," I agree. We get up and I dust myself off. We start heading back to the house. "I don't really wanna go back in."

Before King can reply, my phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Re? Are you doing good? Thought I'd check up on you," Grayson says.

"I'm good," I reply.

"Are you still with King?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Is he sober?"

"Yeah, he is."

"The only one?"

"Yup."

"Okay, can you pass him the phone?" Grayson questions.

"Why?" I ask taken off guard.

"I just wanna talk to him," he says.

"About?"

"It's guy stuff. Just pass him the phone, Re."

"Okay," I roll my eyes. I extend the phone towards King and he looks at it confused. "Grayson would like to talk to you."

"Uh... okay," King hesitates but takes the phone. "Hello... I'm good, you?... Yeah, I am... Yeah, the Harley... No, I don't mind... Don't worry, she's in good hands... Yes, sir... see you," King finally says and ends the call.

"What did he say?" I question as King hands me my phone back.

"Just the basic rundown of if I'm sober and if I can take you home and stuff. I was gonna offer to take you home before because you said you didn't wanna go in anyway," King explains.

"Grayson's so weird. I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize," King laughs. "He's just protective and loves you... a lot."

"True, but I would appreciate the ride," I smile. "I just need to tell Landon, Roman and Seb."

"Okay, I'll wait outside," he says.

"Okay," I say just before I head inside. I try to see if they've come inside now, but no one comes into sight, so I head to the back again.

Everyone's still outside, but they're sitting down now on the grass.

"Look who's back," Philip slurs.

Sebastian turns around and when he spots me, he smiles. The smile only lasts a few seconds, because then his face turns into a scowl.

He gets up immediately, concerned.

"Were you crying?"

"Uh... no. Why?" I try to lie.

"Reese, don't lie to me. Were you crying? Did King do something to you?" Sebastian raises his voice.

"N-no, Seb. I-I m-mean-"

"Answer the question, Reese!"

I flinch.

"Yo, don't raise your voice at my sister!" Roman yells. He gets up, but fumbles. It takes him a few seconds to regain his stance and walk over to us.

"King did something to her. She's been crying," Sebastian falsely accuses.

"No," I start crying again. "K-King-"

"See, fuck that guy man!" Sebastian rages past me. I look at Sebastian heading inside in anger.

I run after him.

"Seb! Seb!" I yell trying to catch up. I can hear Roman and the rest of the crew behind me yelling for us to stop.

When I make it outside, I spot Sebastian yelling at King. King is calm up until Sebastian swings at him and misses.

"Sebastian stop!" I yell. He doesn't listen. He tries to swing again, but King easily dodges. Sebastian looks like an utter fool at this point.

Roman and Landon walk past me to control Sebastian.

I walk towards them once Roman and Landon are standing in front of King as barriers.

"Are you okay?" I ask King.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What's his problem?" King questions.

"He thinks you did something and that's why I'm crying."

"Oh," is all he says and quiets down.

"Ask him! Ask him what the fuck he did to her to make her cry so much!" Sebastian yells catching the attention of everyone around us.

"We will just fucking calm down," Landon says. Landon pinches the bridge of his nose and I can tell it's hard for him to comprehend what the fuck is happening.

"Just shut up," Roman instructs.

Sebastian clenches his jaw but follows the order.

Roman and Landon turn around and I wipe away my tears.

"What happened?" Landon questions.

"King didn't do anything. I was overwhelmed from being at the party," I explain.

"Are you sure?" Roman insists.

"Yeah. King and I are both sober. Grayson even talked to King and asked him to drop me off, I just came to tell you guys that."

Landon and Roman look at each other.

"Okay, we believe you. We'll talk about it tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. So do you want your keys back?"

"No, keep them. We'll Uber home. You're sober bro, right?" Landon tries to confirm.

"I would pass a breathalyzer test with exceeding points," King retorts.

"Okay, you saying such a big word proves your sobriety for me because I can't even say br-breath-ah- fuck it! See I couldn't even say it sober. Reese, text us when you're home, please," Landon says.

"What about Sebastian?" I ask.

"We'll deal with him," Roman confirms.

"Thanks."

"Don't worry about it," Landon shakes his head. "Get home safe."

Landon kisses my forehead and so does Roman before King takes my hand and we head to where he parked his bike.

"Hey," a girl yells as we walk down the street. She's dressed as a girl from the purge. "Are you guys Damon and Elena?"

"No," I laugh. "I'm supposed to be Catherine."

"No, Katherine has curly hair."

I run my hands through my hair and realize that the curls have fallen out.

"Oh, the curls must have fallen out," I tell her.

"It's meant to be. Damon and Elena end up together," she explains. I feel King look at me for my reaction, but I drop my head. Our hands still intertwined.

"Hey, can I ask you for a favour?" King asks the girl.

"Yeah."

"Will you take a picture of us?"

"Sure," she says with a smile. King hands her his phone and he turns me to face him. The girl gets the phone ready. I don't know if she has already started taking pictures, but I'm too nervous now to pose for them.

King puts his index finger underneath my chin and lifts my head. My teary eyes meet his grey irises and I'm lost.

His thumb caresses my cheeks wiping away the tears and he flashes me a smile.

"Smile," he says and I copy him. It wasn't forced at all it just came instantly as he said it.

He pulls me to his side and wraps his arm around me from behind resting his hand on my waist. We both smile for the picture and the girl taps the screen multiple times.

I feel the necklace I'm wearing fall and catch it in my hands.

"What the heck."

"Is it broken?" King questions.

"No," I examine it. "The hook just came loose."

"Oh. Here, I can put it on for you," King offers. I look at him and his palm. I put the necklace down in his hand and turn my back to him. I pull my hair to the side and King hooks the necklace back on. The hair on the back of my neck stands on its ends as his hot breathe travels by.

"There," he says and I drop my hair.

"Thank you," I say turning around.

"Here you go," the girl hands King his phone back.

"Thank you," he says.

"Yeah, thank you," I thank her as well.

"No problem. You guys are cute together," she smiles genuinely.

"We're just friends," I clarify.

"Well that won't last long," she laughs. "Have a nice night."

"You too," I reply as she heads towards the party house. "She was sweet."

"Yeah, she was," King replies as if he's lost in his own thoughts.

"Did she get any good ones?"

"I'll send them to you when I'm home."

"You better," I insist. We finally reach his motorcycle and like always, he straps on the helmet for me. "Thank you."

"Anything for you," he says. He climbs on first and I stand there confused.

"You're not gonna wear a helmet?"

"I only brought one. I didn't think I would need another one today," he admits.

"Are you sure? I can Uber home then. I don't want you to put yourself in danger."

"It's only a ten-minute drive to your house. I'll take the helmet back for my drive home," he laughs.

"Fine," I exasperate. I climb onto the bike and wrap my arms around him pressing my front to his back.

He starts driving right away.

We're home within ten minutes. I climb off and also take off my helmet. King turns off his bike.

"I'll walk you in," he says.

"Okay," I reply and put the helmet down on his bike before we start walking to the door.

"The party at the house is still going on, huh?" King says.

"Yeah, come inside for a bit," I offer.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," I say.

"Okay," he smiles in return. I open the doors and we walk inside.

There are fewer people now than before, but still quite a few. The music is playing loudly and many are dancing.

"Hey, you made it home!" Aaron's the first to greet me. He hugs me and gives me a kiss on my forehead. "Who's this?"

"King Baxston," I introduce.

"Oh, you're Baxston's kid?" he questions. "I didn't know Richard even had a kid."

"Yeah, that's my biological dad. My mom and him divorced when I was young," King shares.

"Oh, shit. Sorry, I wasn't aware," Aaron apologizes.

"It's okay," King smiles back.

"Thanks for bringing Reese home."

"It's my pleasure. Reese is good company."

"Really? Haven't heard a lot of people say that about her," Aaron teases.

"Aaron!" I scold. "Why can't you ever be nice?"

"I'm just teasing you," he laughs. The party planner calls Aaron over to her and he leaves us to go attend to her.

"Do you want something to drink or eat? There should be food in the kitchen."

"I ate before I came to the party," King makes known.

"Smart."

"Did you?"

"No, I only ate breakfast this morning. I forgot to eat," I admit.

"Reese fucking Price please explain to me how one forgets to eat? Are you human? You're also the last person I'd expect who would forget to eat," King claims.

"I don't know. I guess it just slipped my mind with everything going on. I was kind of stressed out about having to go to the party," I detail out my feelings.

"Next time, just don't go. If you're not ready, you're not ready. Don't make yourself do things you're not prepared for because it's just going to risk your progress not help it."

"Yes, dad," I roll my eyes.

"Let's go get you some food," he urges.

We make our way to the kitchen, but stop when we run into Greg and William.

"Hey, oh my God! Is this the lucky man? He is damn fine if I may say so myself," Gregory goes off without giving me a chance to speak.

"Babe," William scolds Greg.

"Oh, come on, Babe. No need to be jealous. I'm married to you and I have to appreciate art when I see it."

I watch King blush and scratch the back of his head. He lets out a small laugh probably feeling awkward.

"This is King, he's my friend. Sebastian is the lucky man if you say so, but he's at the party still," I share. King says hi and gives them a small smile.

"Oh shit, sorry," Greg apologizes clearly embarrassed by his previous assumption. "But why is that?"

"It's a long story."

"Come by the office soon and I would love to hear all about it."

"Okay, I will," I smile.

"We were just about to head out and call it a night," William explains.

"That's good. Did you guys have fun?"

"It was amazing," William smiles. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Happy you guys had fun."

"We're about to have a lot more fun at home," Gregory slurs looking at William like he is ready to devour him whole.

"Okay, I apologize on his behalf. He had a few too many drinks today," William speaks flustered under his significant other's gaze.

"It's all good," I laugh. "You guys have a good night."

"Bye," William says.

"Well, they're quite... nice?" King says as we walk into the kitchen.

I laugh.

"Yeah, they are."

"I say they make it to the car before they start fucking like wild animals," King predicts.

"I mean, I'll be surprised if they make it past the driveway," I laugh. I watch as King thinks about it for a minute.

"True," he agrees and both start laughing.

I start looking around at the different options of food laid out. Most of the plates are empty, there's a few slices of pizza and other entrees left. The rest is candy, chips and few other miscellaneous snacks.

Sighing, I jump and sit on the counter. I grab a piece of Reese's cup and take a bite.

King watches me and starts laughing.

"What?" I question.

"The irony," he says.

"Yeah," I smile swallow the content in my mouth. "Reese eating a Reese's cup."

"Yup," he laughs. "Imagine if you didn't like Reese's cups."

"That'd suck. I'd have to be renamed a candy that I actually liked then."

"True. Is there any reason why you were named Reese?" King questions. He walks around and grabs a plate. I watch as he tries to cover the plate and pull together a full meal.

"Yeah. My parents were also high school lovers actually, but they were both from poor families. The first date my dad took my mom on was roller skating and she said that he had bought her Reese's cups. Apparently, they were expensive back in the day and she appreciated that he had gotten them for her. He didn't even know it then, but it was her favourite candy. She knew right then and there that she would marry him one and well she did. Naming me Reese was just to commemorate their love in a way."

King puts the food in the microwave and heats it up.

"That's sweet," he says. I laugh noticing the pun. "Okay, I did not mean for that to be a pun."

"I guess you're just naturally a funny guy," I say. He chuckles in response and I watch as he takes out the warm food. He takes out some cutlery before walking over to me.

I stare at the plate in his hands.

"It's for you," he says.

"I can't eat all that."

"Oh come on. You haven't eaten all day."

"I know, but this is too much for me in one sitting. You have to eat with me," I say.

"Are you serious?"

I nod.

"Fine," he gives in. I take the plate smiling and rotate myself so I can sit crisscross on the counter. King grabs more cutlery for himself and looks at me weirdly. "You want me to get on the counter too?"

"Yeah... how else are you gonna eat with me, silly?" my words are laced with attitude.

He just rolls his eyes in response and gets on the counter. He crisscrosses across from me and starts digging in.

The plate consists of rice, chicken and a few vegetables.

"Mm," I moan.

"Food really turns you on, doesn't it?" King notices.

"Yeah, it does because it doesn't disappoint me like men do."

He chuckles in response and takes a bite of the chicken.

"Speaking of men, I'm sorry about the way Sebastian was behaving. He shouldn't have reacted like that," I apologize.

"No, it's not your fault. He just needs a reason to fight me," King shrugs.

"You handled it pretty well."

"Mm," he says swallowing the content in his mouth. "He was drunk and I didn't wanna make a scene. I could see how much his reaction was already hurting you. I didn't wanna beat him up and make you feel worse."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For considering my feelings. A lot of people get lost in their own feelings that they usually don't give a fuck about how it'll affect others."

"I know. I..." he breathes thinking about the right words to say. "-I've seen how much my biological dad has affected my mom and what his actions had done to her then I watched my dad, my step-dad, and how he took care of her and helped her. Both of them are men, but my dad is a bigger and better man than my biological dad will ever be. I just want to be the man my mom would be most proud of. Don't get me wrong, I have my flaws, but I always make my decisions weighing the good and the bad. I rarely lose control... now."

I look at him in awe.

"I can respect that," I say looking right into his eyes.

When he notices my gaze, he stops chewing and swallows the content in his mouth. I watch his Adam's apple bob.

"Reese," he breathes out not losing eye contact.

"Mm?"

"You have to stop staring at me like that."

"Like what?" I tilt my head ever so slightly and bite my bottom lip almost unconsciously.

"Fuck, don't do that," he breathes. His eyes drop to my lips.

"Do what?" I ask acting dumb.

"Don't do that."

"Don't do what?" I tease further licking my lips.

"Fuck it," he says. In one movement, his hand pushes the plate off the counter and it hits the cupboard across from the shelf breaking.

Just as he leans in, the kitchen doors smack open and we both stare at the couple aggressively making out.

My eyes widen when I notice it's Iron Man and Katniss Everdeen.

I shriek covering my eyes.

"You guys!"

"Fuck!" I hear Grayson groan.

"Shit!" Astrid breathes out.

I don't know what's going on, but I can hear some shuffling and then it goes silent except for the heavy breathing. I peek through my fingers and notice them standing a decent distance apart. I drop my hand cautiously.

King is now sitting up.

"What are you doing in the kitchen?" Grayson questions. His costume is fucked up and that's sad considering he paid a good amount of money for it.

"Eating! It's what normal people do in the kitchen!"

"Yeah? Where's the food!" he accuses.

I look at King just as flustered as me. His cheeks a rosy pink, I can tell he was caught off guard too.

"The plate fell!" I point at the plate on the ground.

"How do plates just magically fall on the ground?" Astrid is the one to question.

"Um, Astrid, your shirt," I point out. She blushes even more and turns around to fix it.

"Sorry," she clears her throat.

"Grayson, you have a room, use that," I smile making it even more awkward.

"Um, actually, I think I should get going. I-I have a meeting early tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow's Sunday," King calls her out on her bluff. I snicker.

"Yeah, I know but it's an International meeting. Time zone and shit," Astrid tries to string together her lie. "Bye."

"Bye," Grayson says and she practically runs out of the kitchen. "What the fuck, Reese!"

"What?" I yell dumbfounded.

"You're a cock blocker!"

King laughs at that and I give him a deathly stare. He shuts up immediately.

Good boy.

I turn my attention back to Gray.

"Grayson, you are a grown-ass man! You should not be having sex in the kitchen where we all cook our food!"

"It was gonna get deep cleaned anyway!" he huffs.

"Isn't there a rule not to sleep with your business partner or something?"

"Mmh! Reese!" he groans. He fists his hands and clenches his jaw. He breathes deeply calming. Not going to lie, I have never seen Grayson so sexually frustrated before. It's quite entertaining. "That's fine. It's fine. Whatever happened, happened, but you can't tell anyone you saw this."

"It's gonna cost you," I cross my arms.

"What is the price?"

"I don't know yet, but just remember this the next time I ask for something," I smile.

"Deal," Grayson says. "Hi, King."

"Hey," King waves.

"You better keep your mouth shut too," Gray threatens.

"Lips are sealed," King motions zipping up his lips and throwing away the keys.

"Good, I'm gonna leave now," Grayson says.

"Yes, thank you," I reply. I watch as he leaves and return my attention to King who's sitting with his legs dangling down on the side of the counter now.

"I should get going too," he says jumping off. "Sorry about the plate."

"Don't worry about it."

"Someone will clean it up?"

"Yeah," I assure. I jump off the counter and meet his gaze.

"Do-"

"I-"

"Shit," we both talk at the same time.

We both become silent again waiting for someone to start.

"I should go," he starts.

"Yeah. It's getting late," I remind him.

"It is," he says licking his lips. He turns around and starts walking to the doors, I follow behind. "I don't know what was about to happen before Grayson and the girl walked in, but I'm glad they did."

That's when I felt it.

A sharp pain in my heart that I hadn't felt for a while now.

I did not miss this feeling whatsoever.

We make it to the main door and he opens it for himself. He turns around to look at me since I hadn't responded to his last words yet.

"Glad we're on the same page," I force a smile. "Thank you for tonight."

"My pleasure," he half-heartedly smiles back. "I'm sorry if I crossed any boundaries."

"You didn't," I confirm.

"Good."

"Text me when you're home safe."

"I will, good night."

"Good night," I reply and with that, he turns around and leaves. I close the door once he's out of sight.

Instead of dwelling on everything that had happened tonight, I walk up to my room, take off my shoes and plop onto my bed.

I am so drained, I don't even care about showering and or taking off my makeup.

Sometimes it's just like that and that is okay.

It doesn't take me long before I fall into a deep sleep.

A/N:

Third update this week and probably the last for a while because I have to get back to my homework now😭

Let me know how like the story so far!

Do you prefer longer chapters or shorter chapters?