Seven: Introductions

The lights flashed around me like a light show and the bass in the music was loud enough that I could feel the room shake. People were scattered around the whole place; some dancing on the dance floor, some spectating from the second story, which had a balcony that looked down onto the dance floor, some at the bar, and some lined at the tables and benches around the room. Diva's was packed tonight.

I had already witnessed two physical fights in which security had to drag the perpetrators away. I had also witnessed a man get caught cheating by his girlfriend or wife. Let's just say the slap she landed on his face was good enough to leave a mark.

It had only been two and a half days since we decided to move our meetup location from Joeli's to Diva's. Jace was able to pull through, and somehow everyone from the group was able to make it tonight.

I didn't know if I was excited that everybody made it, or nervous for the drama that was about to take place. If the drama was to happen between anyone, I'm guessing it would be between Caleb and Evan, who strongly dislike each other, or Evan and Will, also strongly dislike each other. Hell, it could even happen between Will and I, or Will and Haley. Either way, drama was sure to find its way to us.

If I knew these people, odds are whoever the drama is between, Anthony will try to play the middle man and calm everybody down, while Harley made jokes about it all. They were the two calm, peace makes of the group.

I specifically told Jace not to bring Will with him, but of course he does the opposite and invites him. I guess he needed his brother with him since he was still fighting with Kristen. She had let him come home finally, but they still aren't speaking.

Kaitlyn was able to make it tonight, and I was thankful Haley and I weren't the only girls for once. It was nice to not be in a room full of testosterone for once and she always did a good job of telling the boys when to chill out.

"I don't think I have seen Anthony this drunk since college," Kaitlyn says to me.

I laugh and take in Anthony's state as he dances on the dance floor by himself. He's surrounded by other people, but doing dance moves I haven't seen anybody from this generation ever do. It's honestly a sight to see.

"You have such a keeper," I joke with her, making a laugh erupt from her.

"Don't I know it," she tells me and flips her sandy brown hair over her shoulder.

Kaitlyn is very petite, quite the opposite of her husky boyfriend. Her face is small and almond shaped, and her skin is ghostly pale, just like mine. Her hair is light brown and matches her brown eyes almost perfectly.

While she may be overlooked for her small size, her voice was mighty. Kaitlyn wasn't a girl to be messed with and she isn't afraid to tell someone off if they get on her nerves. She use to scare the shit out of me when I first met her, but now she's a good friend to me.

"When is Tyler getting here?" Haley moans from the other side of the half circle shaped bench we were sitting on.

Haley decided that she wouldn't drink until after Tyler got here, saying she wanted to make a good impression. I could tell it was absolutely killing her to be sober while most of our friends weren't. She was a partier, that's for sure.

"He said he would be a little late. Had some work to finish up," I tell her.

"Is his friend cute?" She questions, crossing her arms over her chest.

"How am I supposed to know?" I ask her, scrunching my eyebrows together involuntarily from her stupid question.

Haley huffs and squeezes her arms tighter. Some would say she's being a drama queen right now, but that's just Haley. You either love her or you hate her and most people tend to love her.

"Have you talked to Kristen?" I ask Kaitlyn, suddenly remembering how close they use to be before Haley and I came into the picture.

She frowns and shakes her head.

"Haven't heard from her in weeks. Anthony told me her and Jace aren't doing so good. When he's not at work he's usually over at our house," she tells me.

I frown at the thought of Jace ignoring his responsibilities with Kristen. He's always been so stubborn with everything he does. It isn't that hard to just apologize to her and get it over with. He never wanted to talk anything out.

"Holy shit, Octavia!" Haley says, catching bother Kristen and I off guard. We both look at her, both puzzled at her outburst. "Is that your boy?"

I look behind me in the direction she was and spot two boys making their way through the crowd. One has long hair that falls in waves just at his shoulders. Another blonde hair, blue eyed, white boy to add to this mess. He's probably about 5'10, not the tallest, yet still much taller than me. He's wearing black jeans and a soft blue button up that's left unbuttoned at the top. I don't recognize him, but the boy standing to his left draws my attention.

My man looking like a snack.

I watch as he looks around the room, trying to find me. I'm sure my all black outfit did not help. I definitely didn't stand out in the crowd. I decided to try and dress hot, trying to show off my body as best as I could. I paired a long sleeve, skin tight dress with some thigh high, velvet boots.

I lift my arm up and wave Tyler over, and he smiles when he finally notices me.

When Tyler finally gets over to me I stand and hug him, smiling when he kisses my cheek.

"You look so beautiful," he whispers in my ear before pulling out of the hug.

"Y'all," I say, catching Kaitlyn's and Haley's attention. "This is Tyler and his friend..."

"Nick," Tyler's friend says.

Kaitlyn and Haley introduce themselves to Nick and Tyler, and Haley is quick to start her "interview process" on Nick.

Before anymore conversation can continue, Evan, Harley, and Harley's girlfriend, McKenzie, make their way to us as well, crowding the small bench where we were all seated.

"Hey! It's bench boy!" Evan yells, pointing a finger right at Tyler's face.

"Bench boy?" McKenzie asks, confused by the nick name Evan had came up with.

Evan shrugs his shoulders up and down before speaking. "I don't know, he was on a bench when I met him. Therefore, bench boy."

McKenzie shook her head in dismay at Evan. The oldest of the group, yet the most childish at heart. Evan could get on your nerves easily, but he is always there when you need him. Out of everyone in the group besides Haley and Jace, Evan was my closest friend.

"His name is Tyler," I correct Evan, knowing it was no use because he would most likely continue calling him 'bench boy.'

I can't help but to wonder where Jace is at. I was nervous about Jace and Tyler meeting. Jace has always had negative opinions on almost every boy I've brought around and I didn't want Tyler to fall into that category.

It's nice meeting you both, but if I don't do something with my drunk boyfriend he might break a bone out there," Kaitlyn says to Tyler and Nick.

She hurriedly rushes over to Anthony, ushering off the floor where he is currently trying to break dance. It isn't exactly a break dance, but more of him spinning in circles while laying on the ground.

Down to seven.

"Nick!" Haley yells, catching not only Nick's attention, but everyone else's as well. "Grab a drink with me?"

Down to five.

Harley and McKenzie begin whispering to each other, giggles leaving both of their mouths. It makes me remember why I don't hang out with couples .

I could tell Evan felt the same way by the faces he was giving the pair.

"Could you two get any more obnoxious?" Evan asks them both, breaking their giggle fest.

"We could act like you and that would do it," Harley claps back, making Evan huff.

McKenzie and Harley take their diss towards Evan as a chance to bounce on the remaining three of us. Instead of sitting here, they choose to dance and head towards Anthony and Kaitlyn.

Down to three.

"Tavi, you're suppose to have my back!" Evan complains.

"It seems to me like you walked into that one," Tyler laughs from beside me.

I peer up at him, our height difference showing drastically from our seated position. My head stopped right at his shoulder, and I had to crane my neck just to get a look at his face. I didn't know what it was about a boy being taller than me, but I was easily attracted to it.

"You know what?" Evan says as he stands abruptly from the seat he was just in. "I'm not going to let you couples bring me down. I'm single and sort of young still. I'm going to go find me a girl."

On that note, Evan uses finger guns to shoot at both Tyler and me, and I feel second hand embarrassment from his actions. I can only roll my eyes and hope Tyler doesn't think my friends are too weird.

As he walks away, though, I feel sort of a rush of emotion in my body.

Down to two. Alone at last.

"I'm glad you came," I say, breaking the silence.

"Did you think I wouldn't?"

"I didn't think this was really your scene," I shrug it off.

"Most definitely not my scene, but I wouldn't pass up the chance on getting to see you again," he tells me, making me feel lightheaded but in a good way. "I also didn't expect 'meeting friends' would mean this many. I only thought maybe two."

"There's a whole lot of us. We're pretty much a dysfunctional family."

"Is there anyone I haven't met yet. Besides your friend who was spinning on the dance floor?" He asks me, laughing at the recent event of Anthony's break dancing.

"Jace, Kristen, and Caleb. Though, Kristen never comes out."

I miss Kristen, too. I feel guilty every time I think of her. A girl I call my friend, who has no idea how I flirt with her boyfriend and how her boyfriend flirts with me. A girl who was there for me when I went through my breakup, who had no idea that her boyfriend spends most of his time at my apartment, or that her boyfriend texts me nonstop. A girl who invited me into the friend group when I was the outcast, who doesn't know that earlier this week he was in my bed and I was on top of him.

It didn't mean anything. Jace and I were just friends and that's all I could let it be. Besides, I do really like Tyler. I may still be getting to know him, but the attraction is definitely there.

"I wanted to get to know your friend, but it seems Haley is going to be taking up most of his time," I chime in as I watch Haley and Nick talk at the bar.

Nick is chatting away while Haley looks almost bored with the conversation. They must be talking about something other than Haley or drama. Those tend to be her favorite two topics.

"He's probably talking about his girlfriend," he chuckles.

"Tyler!" I shout at him, hitting his shoulder. "When I said to bring a friend I meant bring a single friend!"

Tyler's face twists with confusion before realizing his mistake.

"I didn't even think about that. To be honest, Nick is the only person I consider a friend," he confesses. "Everyone else to me is just business associates and coworkers to me."

I feel a pinch of disappointment from Tyler's answer. I couldn't judge him on how he chose to dispute his relationships with other people, though it would be nice to meet his friends. I guess it would mean more time with him, but he's always working.

Speaking of his working, he has yet to tell me anything about it. Whenever I ask, he dodges the question completely or gives subtle answers like, "you'll find out eventually," or, "I do a bunch of stuff." It's never a real answer. All I know is, the boy has money.

You could tell by looking at him. He was clean cut; his hair always done nicely and his clothes were fresh. He always wore a watch, which I saw as pointless considering he carries a phone with a clock on it. The black Rolex did look nice on him, I'll give him that.

He also wasn't from around here. I could tell by his accent that he was from north, though whenever I ask about his past, he also dodges those questions. I guess it's nice to have a guy always want to talk about you, but I can't help but to want to know about him.

I find his secretiveness and mysterious persona to be quite hot, to be honest. I feel like a detective, discovering more and more about my victim. Of course, Tyler isn't a victim and this is just casual; nothing business or job related.

"Do you want to dance?" He asks me, breaking my train of thought.

"Yes," I nod.

Tyler stands and holds his hand out for me. I take it and follow him to the dance floor, fighting past the crowd of people.

The one thing I loved about Diva's was their music choice. Most other clubs stayed trying to play newer songs with ridiculous remix's. I hated the techno and auto tuning they did to songs I enjoyed the way they were. Diva's Dj stuck to the 2000's hits and currently they were playing The Way I Are by Timbaland.

I didn't exactly know how to dance, but I just followed suit with whatever everyone else was doing around me. It seemed to work and I blended in just fine.

I couldn't say the same for Anthony earlier.

Tyler and I were pretty much chest to chest, just feeling the music and appreciating each other's presence. Our bodies rubbed against each other occasionally and I wondered if turning around on him would please him or if he would think of me as a hoe.

I am a hoe.

I push back my second thoughts of it and turn around on Tyler, putting my rear right into his crotch. He seems to not mind as his hands go right to my hips to guide me along with the beat of the music.

I have to bite down on my bottom lip to stop the smile from breaking my attempt at looking sexy. It isn't that I am not enjoying this in a more sexual way because I am. It's just being around Tyler makes me happy. When he touches me I just want to smile, but at the same time I want to take all my clothes off and take him to bed. It's a weird mix.

I peer around the room, barely seeing anything but bodies dancing around me. I could see McKenzie and Harley dancing together. I could see Anthony and Kaitlyn at the bar and Kaitlyn forcing Anthony to drink water. I could see Nick and Haley sitting beside each other in silence, both just looking anywhere but at each other.

Evan is nowhere to be found, but knowing Evan he's either found a girl and is harassing her for her number somewhere, or he's been rejected too many times and left on his own. I hope it's the latter for every girls sake.

I feel gazes resting heavy on me as I danced. Looking around the room, it takes me a while to find who they belong too.

In the corner of the room, seated at a booth barely visible is two people I recognize. One I think about daily, and the other I try to keep out of my mind for many reasons.

Jace and Caleb.

My eyes immediately go to Jaces, and I gulp at the look he gives. His eyes are burning into me and his jaw is clenched tight. His brows are drawn together and lips are in a firm line.

He leans over from where he's sitting and whispers something to Caleb, who nods as Jace speaks. Caleb's eyes don't leave me as Jace talks. Unlike Jace, Caleb looks at me with a look of admiration and longing; like he's seen me in a whole new light.

My hips start to slow as I watch Jace stand from his seat and start to head towards the exit to the building. It isn't until Tyler leans over my shoulder and kisses my cheek that I notice I have come to a complete stop.

"You okay?" Tyler questions, voice in almost a whisper as his lips brush against my ear.

I nod to him before speaking, trying to figure out exactly what to say. "Do you wanna get out of here?" I ask him.

"Already? Are you sure?" He asks me.

I turn to face him and put on a smile, but I'm sure he can see right through it. Tyler isn't that stupid.

"I just want to be alone with you," I say as seductively as I can, hoping it would be enough to make him want to leave and not ask any questions why.

"My place?" He asks me and I nod to confirm. "Let me go talk to Nick first."

"I'll be waiting outside," I say to him and he nods and kisses my head before heading toward the bar.

I let out a breath and immediately make my way to Caleb, who looked surprised by my approach.

Caleb is quite the contrast to the rest of the group. While the guys are all tall, Caleb is only 5'6, being the same height as myself. His dark skin is a contrast to mine and it's all sourced from his Hispanic background. He wears his hair shaved, but you'll never see it due to it constantly being covered with a hat. He has a thicker build, but overall he is an average looking guy.

The one thing about Caleb that makes him stand out from the rest of us (and makes me wish he was never made part of the group) is his personality. Caleb could dish all the hate in the world, but could not take it. It made him and Evan have some serious beef, and made him call me a bitch on countless occasions.

Though he calls me a bitch behind my back, he's constantly talking about me. It's left a running joke in the group about his unrequited love for me. That joke can be sourced from Evan, who acts quickly upon any chance to remind him of his unrequited love for me.

"Octavia, hey," he says, his voice smooth, yet still laced with surprise.

"What did he say?" I ask, getting straight to the point.

Caleb reaches back and scratched the back of his neck, trying to play dumb.

"Don't know what you're talking about," he brushes it off.

"Don't play that shit with me. I caught you both staring and Jace had looks to kill. Then he whispers to you before leaving. What did he say?"

Caleb sighs, clearly struggling with his conflict between ratting out one of his good friends, or coming honest with someone who is very annoyed at the moment.

"If you want to talk to him," Caleb starts, catching my attention, "he's out front."

That's all I needed to hear from Caleb before I head towards the exit of the building.