Studying You - Chapter Two
Stalker Romance | Short Story | Multimedia Elements
All of my work is meant for those who are 18+ and may involve dark themes.
Sienna
I got a text invite to a party at Jack’s shortly after I was done making dinner. I jumped on it. After the unknown texts, I really didn’t want to be alone.
I threw on some eyeliner and a sparkly silver dress. Dressing to stand out was another trick of mine for the illusion. When people saw you had that much confidence, they were less likely to question you. They were less likely to be brave enough to.
I convinced Christi, another member of the group, to pick me up for the party. I told her to meet me at a restaurant about 15 minutes away because my parents were having construction done on the house. I’d been lying to this group for so long that the lies just rolled off my tongue.
I biked over to the restaurant and hid my bike carefully in some bushes to its left. Biking had been tricky in the dress but I had a lot of practice biking in clothes I shouldn’t. I was grateful I’d decided to wear tennis shoes with the dress at least instead of heels.
Christi spun into the parking lot in her Mercedes, stopping just in front of me. She smiled at me as she rolled down her window.
“Love the dress. It’s a great contrast to your red hair. Come on, get in,” she said, her curly blond hair blowing in the wind.
I smiled back at her. Not one of my real smiles I gave Jenna. But one of the curated ones I’d perfected.
I slipped into the passenger side of her car as we sped out of the parking lot.
—
Christi blasted pop songs on the drive over. Even if it wasn’t my favorite genre, I was grateful for the music blasting from the car speakers. It meant I could avoid talking. I sank into the leather seats instead and let the music wash over me.
We pulled up outside of a huge brick house with a fountain in front. It would have been stunning if I hadn’t seen so many like it. Everyone’s house I’d seen in this group was elite.
There weren’t a lot of cars parked outside. Jack must have just invited the core group. That wasn’t unusual.
That group was made up of six of us—myself, Christi, Evelyn, Jack, Matt, and Adrian.
We were all stylish and influential. Everything from our outfits to our words dripped with power. And we all had our specific roles to play.
I was the preppy and bright cheerleader. Christi was the free-spirited blonde. Evelyn was the beautiful, but moody, artistic type—the kind that was cool without even trying. I honestly didn’t know much about them beyond the surface. I hadn’t wanted to. Christi’s mom was an alumni at a college I was hoping to get into, so I had been seeing her more recently, but I’d made sure to keep the conversation as superficial as possible. I didn’t want to know her secrets because I didn’t want her to figure out mine.
Jack was an All American boy—even down to the football skills and the sandy blonde hair. Matt was dead-set on following his father’s footsteps. He was more focused on school than the other two, and—even though acceptance letters hadn’t gone out yet—we all knew he was going to Harvard. Adrian was more of a mystery. He seemed to both hate his parents' money and have no problem spending it at the same time. And he loved pushing people’s buttons—just to see if he could get away with it.
For the most part, we all got along, but everyone knew that Adrian and I hated each other.
It was an ignored truth, even by us. But almost every one of these small get-togethers would have us screaming at each other at some point.
I bit my lip as Christi and I stepped out of the car and towards the front door.
You could hear the boys’ voices carrying as soon as we pulled the door open. Christi paused and listened to try to figure out which direction the voices were coming from.
“Game room,” she said decidedly. Her heels clicked on the floor as she walked that direction. I followed behind her.
The smoke filled my nostrils before we entered the room. I coughed as I stepped inside and took in the scene. The boys were all gathered around a poker table, cigars in one hand and playing cards in the other.
I forced my gaze away from Adrian. I hated his personality but even I couldn’t deny how attractive he was. It was hard not to stare at his forearms with the way his white button-down was pushed up.
I felt my cheeks flush. I hoped he hadn’t noticed my gaze went straight to him. If he did, I knew he’d use it to his advantage. He used everything to his advantage.
Evelyn called us over to her. She’d stationed herself at the mini-bar with a glass of wine in front of her. She patted to the two stools beside her, inviting us to sit down.
She turned to the open bottle of red wine at the bar and poured two glasses for us. We hung out often enough that she’d known she didn’t need to ask.
“So,” Evelyn said, taking a sip of the glass in front of her. “Hard to believe, it’s our last year, yeah?”
“Oh my god, I know,” Christi said. “At least we know our parents have to buy us awesome graduation presents.”
Evelyn smiled dreamily. “Ah, yes. I’m trying to convince my father to let me stay in Paris for the summer after graduation.
“What about you, Sienna?” Christi asked. “Think you’ll finally ask for a car?”
I didn’t miss a beat. “I don’t really like driving that much. I’ll probably ask for a trip like Evelyn.”
I was so used to telling lies that they hardly took any effort to think of any more.
I tuned in and out of the conversation. My gaze kept drifting back to the poker table instead—specifically to Adrian’s lips when he wrapped them around his cigar. It really wasn’t fair for him to be that attractive when he was such an asshole.
I needed some fresh air after my third glass of wine. I knew Jack’s house had beautiful gardens so I headed towards one to clear my head.
The crisp air instantly sobered me when I inhaled it as I slipped out the door and into the night.
My heartbeat began to speed up though when I heard footsteps behind me.
Swallowing, I turned around slowly and saw Adrian standing behind me.
He looked me over before he spoke.
“Nice dress,” he said casually, as he ran his hand through his dark brown hair. “Who did you borrow it from this time?”