Chris lightly tickles my side, almost making me slip on the stairs as I swat his hand away, earning a cheeky smile from him in return. He's in an extremely good mood, and I love his playful mood along with him in tux.

When we reach the bottom of the stairs, I feel a push before two arms wrap around Chris's neck, almost making him lose his balance as Stacey literally attacks him.

"Woah, slow down." He says, untangling her body from him.

She must feel me glaring at her because her eyes turn to me and then at Chris before she notices us standing on the bottom of stairs, her mind going in circles as she connects the dots that we're coming from upstairs.

"I'm just really excited to you see. We don't hang out enough." She pouts, and I notice her short black dress hugging each of her curves perfectly.

Chris glances at me before pulling me by his side, "Sorry, Stacey, I really need to rush right now. Dad's looking for me. I'll catch you later, alright?"

She opens her mouth to speak but before she can even utter a word, Chris drags me away from there and I gape at him. "You called her Stacey."

"That's her name, isn't it?" He says, making me laugh.

"I have no idea what happened to you, but I'm loving this." I tell him honestly and he gives me a genuine smile.

We continue to walk in the living room before he abruptly comes to a stop in front of three people. That's when I notice his father, with almost as charming looks as Chris, wearing a dark suit with a glass of champagne in his hand. Something about his personality immediately makes me feel intimidated.

"Dad." Chris gives him a small smile, getting his attention before turning to the other two men, "Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, nice to meet you." He offers his hand, all politely which makes me look at him in surprise because he is anything but polite.

"Christopher! You've grown up, boy!" Mr. Johnson firmly shakes his hand and Chris puts on the most fake smile I've ever seen on his face.

How are these people buying it?

"And who is this young lady?" Mrs. Johnson asks, obviously more interested in the gossip about the famous man's son's love life.

Chris looks at me, his fake smile disappearing for a moment, "My girlfriend." He says, sounding a little proud which makes my cheeks turn crimson.

"Adrianna Brooks. Nice to meet you." I smile at her and she grins back.

"She's beautiful. Nice choice, Topher!" Mr. Johnson says, and I notice how Chris visibly flinches from that name but it goes unnoticed by everyone else.

I give his hand a light squeeze as he pulls me a little closer to himself. "Well, if you'll excuse us." Chris's father says and the couple walks away with a nod.

"Dad, this is Adrianna," he says to his father and then turns to me, "Claire, this is my father."

I offer my hand out of courtesy to Mr. Jones, "Nice to meet you, Sir."

"Jacob Jones." He introduces himself, hesitantly shaking me hand which makes me nervous but I keep my expressions straight.

"Jay says the nicest things about you." I tell him, trying to sound sincere and he gives his son a varying look.

"Jay?" He arches an eyebrow and I curse inwardly for using his middle name out of habit, "Well, that's a little surprising for me, Ms. Brooks since this is the first time I'm hearing about you."

I pale at his words, not knowing what to say further and feeling a little insulted at the same time. Jacob Jones is a powerful man, and that gives him the right to be intimidating but the disapproval in his eyes is not about anything else other than pure insult.

Great! I had one parent to impress and he handed me disapproval on a silver platter. Fucking great.

"Oh, you would know if you came home once in a while, you know." Chris tells his father, making me snap my head at him and Jacob offers him a look.

"Christopher." He admonishes.

Chris shrugs, "Kidding, kidding. I know you have business to handle." He waves it off.

Before his father can reply, the whole Woods family joins us. Jordan comes to stand by my side and I smile at him. Everyone breaks into a conversation, trying to catch up on the lost time while I feel extremely out of place. But then I hear Stacey's annoying laughter.

She lightly touches Chris's shoulder and even Jacob smiles, "Always liked your humour, Stace." He tells her, making a sense of insecurity rising in my chest when I notice how Chris's father likes her.

"Well, your son would disagree." She retorts, giving my boyfriend a side glance which makes me bite on my tongue so hard that I almost draw blood.

"Stace." Leo warns her, giving me an apologetic look but I shrug it off.

That's before Jacob speaks up, "No, it's alright Leo. My son seems to have lost his path these days, especially parading a mark on his neck in his father's party." He says, staring at Chris who shifts uncomfortably under his father's gaze.

I flush with embarrassment as it dawns upon me that his collar actually didn't do a great job hiding it. My eyes move to Stacey and she's wearing a proud smirk on her face as the conversation turns extremely awkward. For me, it's insulting and heart wrenching because Jacob's comment isn't really meant for his son, it's meant for me.

"Dad." Chris's tone is clipped as he stares at his father.

I clear my throat, drawing attention to myself when all I wanted was just to excuse myself, so that's what I mumble before beginning to walk away. I notice Leo and Kate also choose that moment to separate themselves from the situation. But then I remember something and turn to Jacob, "Happy Birthday, Sir." I give him the best smile I can muster and he nods at me.

"Where's the gift?" Stacey asks, obviously getting the kick out of things since her parents are out of the earshot.

I open my mouth to speak but then close it up again. "I told her not to bring any." Chris defends me, making me look more pathetic than ever.

"It's common curtesy." Stacey argues, earning an approving look at her statement from Jacob.

Chris is about to say something back when I speak up, "She's right. It is common curtesy. I actually left the gift at the table where every else's presents are." I say, not breaking eye contact with Stacey who seems surprised by my answer.

She scoffs, "Really? What did you get?"

"A bottle of wine, something named M. Chapoutier Ermitage.. I can't pronounce it further." I say, trying to recall the name and her mouth falls open and Jacob looks surprised for a nanosecond before he stares at me.

"You mean M. Chapoutier Ermitage de l'Oree Blanc?" Jordan asks and I nod.

"That one."

"That's an expensive gift for a high school girl." Jacob speaks up, and I don't miss his condescending tone.

"My father's a fan of wine and has a secret collection he doesn't like to brag about." I shrug, trying to resolve the knot that has formed in my throat with a sudden urge to break down into tears.

This feels like a shit show.

"Scott's a legend." Chris smiles at me and I return a tight lipped smile.

I'm not mad at him. It just feels like the happiness I was feeling just moments ago has been sucked out of me with the way Jacob Jones is staring at me, like he would rather his son date a prisoner than me.

"Scott Brooks?" He asks, earning a nod from me. "He's a corporate attorney."

I nod again, "A damn good one. But you knew that already, otherwise you wouldn't have recognised his name." I say, not breaking eye contact as I tell him. Before I look at Jordan and Chris, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll catch you guys later."

Chris is about to protest but he must feel his father's glare on him as I walk away, a tear rolling down my cheek that I immediately wipe away before anyone can see. I hear my name being called so I come to a halt as I turn around to see Jordan.

"Hey, what's up?" I ask, wearing a smile and he gives me a look.

"I'm sorry about Stacey. She's just—"

I shake my head, "Hey, nothing to apologise for. I understand." I tell him before looking beyond his shoulder to see Chris engaged in a conversation. "Can you tell him that I went home? I'm not feeling so well."

He gives me a concerned look, "Adri, Jacob can be a little intimidating. Don't take anything he says to the heart, he's just protective of Chris." He tries to explain and I nod.

"It's not about that." I lie.

It's exactly about that.

Jordan looks uncertain but nods nonetheless. When I reach the front door, I open it and as soon as I'm out of the house, I feel a sense of relief when the fresh air hits my face. I hear shuffling behind me to notice that Evan, Luke and Breanna are silently following behind me.

"Why did you guys leave?" I ask, turning to them.

All three of them shrug, "We went for you." Luke says, making me give him a small smile.

"I'm just not feeling very well, so I'm calling it a night." I shrug and Breanna gives me a worried look but I offer her an assuring smile.

"Well, Luke and I are headed home then." She says.

"Which means you're going to end up finding a secluded place to park your cars and make out." Evan says, grinning and managing to make me laugh even though I don't feel like it.

Both of them flip their middle finger in the air to him as we cross the road and they get in Luke's car before driving off. Evan and I walk up to the porch of my house before taking a seat on the stairs.

"What happened?" He asks, his playful mood gone as he looks at me with concern.

"I'm sorry I disappeared with Chris." I say, realising that I left him alone.

He waves it off, "As long as you don't give me the details, I'm fine with it." He says, and I look at him, "Now, what spoiled your mood?"

"His Dad hates me. His Dad loves Stacey. Figure it out for yourself." I snort and he looks at me with surprise.

"An, it's impossible for any parent to hate you."

"Well, not if you're Jacob Jones, sweetheart." I argue and he sighs, taking ahold of my hand and I try not to feel effected from his touch and fail miserably, only making me feel worse about myself so I discreetly pull my hand back to myself. "I just want to be alone, Ev." I whisper and he nods.

"Goodnight, An." He stands up but not before leaning down to press a kiss on my forehead.

When he disappears through the driveway and goes to his house, my hand reaches up to my forehead where his lips were a minute ago, and I touch the skin there.

God, can't things be easier for me?

I officially hate wearing dresses. If I can't have a nice impression on someone by dressing up nicely, then I can't impress them at all. They either like me or they don't.

Standing up from the porch, I unlock my house before slamming it behind me and letting out a loud frustrated groan as I remove my footwear. I slip out of my dress, wanting to get out of it as soon as possible as I walk up the stairs and throw it down the banister before entering my room in a strapless bra and my underwear.

I feel like knocking my dresser out when I hear my name being called from distance. I turn around to find Evan staring at me through his window and my mouth falls open when I register that I'm only standing in my underwear.

Evan doesn't even try to keep his eyes off my body as his gaze roams around my pretty much naked body from head to toe. His lips are parted as he continues to stare, making me turn the colour of beet root. I immediately shuffle to the window and shut it before drawing curtains.

This time, I do knock out the stuff from my dresser with an annoyed scream. I look up at my ceiling before removing the uncomfortable bra and putting on a baggy t-shirt that ends up on my upper thighs. I wipe away the thick liner and untangle my hair, throwing it into a messy bun above my head as I plop down on my bed and rummage through the comforter for my phone.

I look at the time and it's almost past ten which makes me doubt the next thing I do as I scroll through my contact list. When I reach the name I've been looking for, I hit call option.

When I receive no answer for five rings, I'm about to hang up until I hear a very sleep laced, "Hello?"

Who goes to bed before ten? Well, old people I guess.

"Hey. It's Adrianna." I say, hesitantly, taking a deep breath.

I literally hear an audible gasp on the other end in response before the person speaks up again,  "What's wrong? Are you alright? Do you want me to come over?"

A small smile involuntarily comes over my features when I notice the worry and concern laced tone. "No, I just wanted to ask a few questions."

"Go ahead, An. What is it?"

I sigh, "What was your first impression of me? I mean, the grown up me."

There's a moment of silence that follows before I hear a little shuffling in the background. "I thought you were beautiful."

"I don't mean physically, I mean overall impression." I breathe, rubbing my temples.

Before a response comes, I hear another muffled voice in the background, 'Who is it honey?' The person asks. It doesn't take a genius to figure out who it is.

"It's Adrianna." I hear Cassandra speaks to her husband.

I'm a little surprised that she tells Damien my name. But his next words leave me even more shocked, 'Is she alright?'

"I don't know, I'll be downstairs in the living room." She mumbles back and then I hear a little shuffling and a door being shut. "Hon, what's wrong?" She asks, making me sigh.

"Tell me, what did you think of me?"

"I thought exactly what I said, you're beautiful. Inside out."

For some reason her answer makes tears prick in my eyes so I close them shut as I take a wavering breath.

"Let me give you a hypothetical situation. Forget that we're biologically related but one of your sons brings home a girl exactly like me. Would you approve?" I ask, trying to make it as less awkward as possible.

I hear her laugh on the other end, "If either of my sons bring home any partner remotely like you, that would make my life so much easier," she pauses before continuing, "I would approve without a doubt."

"You're biased, and you want me to like you so of course you'll say that. Would Damien approve?" I ask, trying to make sense.

"Well, I would have to ask him. Should I?" She replies back.

"He has never met me." I think out aloud.

"Well, do you want to meet him?" She asks.

"Nope." I say way too quickly then bite on my bottom lip, "I don't know. I have no idea why I called you.. you're the only person who met me after I've grown up and the rest of the people are biased. But then, so are you." I trail off.

"What's this about, An? Talk to me."

Well, she hasn't been there for me for the past eighteen years. She might prove something and become useful now.

•••

am i awesome or what? i update daily which is hard as fuck even though it looks like a cake walk. but i'm managing too much all at once.

anywayyy, thoughts on Jacob Jones?

vote. comment. support. x