How he managed put up with her, I would never know.
“Sorry, to leave you alone with them,” Tristan said, though I wasn’t sure he was as sorry as he claimed to be.
“It’s fine, I know where they hide the good stuff.”
“I miss drinking,” Behan pouted.
“Okay, time to go home,” Tristan said, leading her down the stairs.
For a brief moment, I wished that Thea was with me, but I pushed that thought out of my mind, as I headed inside. Sure enough, it was just as bad as Bethan had made it sound.
It always felt as though I had jumped back into the 1920s for my parents’ parties. The white marble floors, the grand chandelier, and the crystal glasses. Everyone here was a somebody, and they dressed to prove it. Thousand dollar suits and gowns, Rolexes on the wrist of every man in sight, and diamonds and pearls adorning the necks, ears, wrists and hands of every woman present. This was the Black Family Party.
“Thank you,” I said directly to the server’s face, as he handed me a glass. He nodded, somewhat dazed.
Happens every time.
They usually spent the entire night being waved off and ignored by all attending patrons. Whenever someone actually said something to them, it shocked them out of their minds, like I had just ripped off their invisible cloak.
“Levi!” my mother called out to me.
She was dressed in a red floor-length gown, and had the same green eyes as mine, with light, grey-brown hair, that stopped at her shoulders. She kissed my cheeks and smiled. “I’m so happy you’re here. Did you manage to see Bethan? She just left.”
“Yes,” I said with a smile, “I caught her on her way out. You look beautiful.”
“Thank you, honey.”
She wiped her lipstick off my cheek.
“She’s marked you too, I see,” my father said, as he came up behind her. “Glad you could make it, son.”
“I had an option?” I replied, earning myself a stern look from my mother.
My father stood toe to toe with me, with salt and paper hair, and brown eyes. He used to hate parties like this one, until he retired. He was the former district attorney, before becoming a judge, and now, he was the man who threw parties, to talk about his past glory days. I felt bad for him sometimes.
“Come with me, I have someone I want you to meet,” my mother said as she pulled me into the dining room where the rest of her guests were.
“Mom, slow down or you’re going to trip over your dress.”
Why was she such in a hurry?
She hushed me, and led me over to the bar where a pretty brunette with bright blue eyes, wearing all black, stood.
“Sharpay, this is my handsome son, Levi. Levi, this is Sharpay London. Her mother and I were pledge sisters in college. They just recently, moved to Boston.” She introduced us with the widest cat-like grin on her face. “Oh, I’ll be right back, you father is calling me,” she said, as she beat a hasty retreat.
“Wow, she is not subtle at all,” I whispered to myself.
I should have known.
Why didn’t I listen to Bethan? Why didn’t I run when I had the chance?
The last time my mother had set me up with a woman, I ended up marrying her. And just look at how well that worked out!
“She’s actually much better than my mother who practically dragged me here by my hair,” Sharpay laughed.
There was no denying that she was pretty. Some may even say beautiful. But she wasn’t the one I wanted.
“I’m sorry about this, I thought I had made it clear to her that I wasn’t available.”