Beginning of a New Era

Chapter 4

The room was filled with loud chanting and yelling. It also seemed like everyone at this party was crowded in the small living room to watch. Caspian was trying to talk to me, but from all the noise I had no clue what he was saying. Most of my focus was on Lexi and this other girl. They were currently trying to rip out each other's hair. The other girl had fire-red hair and a feisty look on her face to match it. Lexi was yelling at her, but I couldn't hear any of the words coming out of her mouth. 

I quickly started to shove my way through the crowd. Which honestly sounds easier than it was. People were so focused on the fight that they didn't notice me shoving through them. It took me a while to get to the girls. I noticed Kat and Sam trying to break up the fight when I got into the middle. Kat was trying to grab the redhead, while Sam tried to grab Lexi, who was fully focused on the girl and fighting against him. I glanced back and realized Caspian was behind me, his face full of panic and worry. He pulls his gaze away from the girls to look down at me. 

"Help me get Lexi!" I tried to yell at him over the crowd. I also pointed to Lexi and hoped he would get the hint. He stared at me for a minute before he nodded and quickly went over to Lexi and started helping Sam pull her away from the redhead. They manage to pull her back as me and Kat hold the redhead in place, who shoots several death glares at us. Now that I am closer, I can smell the alcohol on her breath and her pupils are large, she slurs her words as she curses at us. It was a while before we were able to break up the fight and get the redhead to leave. I am definitely angry that this jerk decided to come after Lexi, but starting another fight isn't something we need right now. I took a deep breath to calm myself and clear my head. Caspian decided the best thing to do was get Lexi home. Lexi has definitely had too much to drink, but is calmed down and leaning most of her weight on her boyfriend. Caspian quickly thanked Sam and Kat for inviting us over before taking Lexi outside, I gave them a small smile and went to follow him. I stop at the door for a moment and glance back in time to see the beautiful brown-haired guy from earlier. I quickly disappear out the front door before he can say anything. Everything else went smoother once we got Lexi in the care and arrived home. Caspian dealt with Lexi and getting her to bed. Honestly, I was thankful he took care of that. I feel as though I got hit with a ton of bricks as exhaustion sweeps over me and the next thing I knew I was falling asleep in my bed.

It was late the next morning when I woke up. It looked dark outside and I almost thought I woke up too early, until I checked my phone. It was almost eleven. I stretched and then got up and opened my curtains. I was met with dark fluffy clouds that covered the sky and a window covered in small raindrops. I smile widely as I take it all in. If there is one thing you must know about me, it's that I love the rain. I have always loved it, the smell of it and the feeling of it on my skin. Plus it always gave me a good excuse to wear my hoodie. It never rained that much in my hometown, but when it did I was always out in it and soaking all of it up. I grab my phone and open Spotify, I open the playlist I've made just for rainy days and hit play. Anchor by Novo Amor fills the room and I smile to myself. I head over to my closet and pull out my favorite oversized hoodie and a pair of leggings to slip on. This hoodie has definitely seen better days, but I still love it. It has a few holes in the sleeves and the pocket on the front is slowly coming off, but I wouldn't trade it for a new one. It makes it unique and shows it is well-loved. I adjust my hair into a messy bun before I grab my phone, pause the music, and head downstairs. 

I can hear some voices float up the stairs as I get to the bottom and head for the kitchen. As soon as I walk in I have all eyes on me, which consist of Caspian, Lexi, Kat, and Sam. Which I am surprised to see Kat and Sam here, but their warm smiles welcome me so I return the smile. Before I know it, Lexi is pulling me into a bear hug and squeezing me tightly, I giggle and wrap my arms around her in a more gentle way.

"Good morning, Gracie! I hope you slept well! Caspian made pancakes and coffee if you'd like some." Lexi pulls back and smiles at me. I notice she looks slightly hung over, but doesn't seem bothered by it. Her blonde hair is pulled up into a ponytail with a few loose strains and has managed to get more dressed than me. She has on a cream-colored sweater and light-washed skinny jeans. 

I smile back at her and then glance at Caspian who is wearing a dark grey hoodie and black jeans. "Thank you, but I am more of a hot chocolate kind of girl." I giggle and Lexi grins. She points me in the direction of the hot chocolate pouches and soon I have a steaming mug of hot cocoa. Lexi has started up a conversation with the others so I politely excuse myself and slip outside onto the back porch. I had to wait for my hot chocolate to cool so I decided to set the mug down out of the rain and pull my phone out. I resumed the playlist and set it next to the mug. Like Real People Do by Hozier fills my ears and I smile before I step into the rain and close my eyes. It isn't raining hard, but it is enough to soak my hair and clothes. I move to lay in the grass and soak up as much rain as I can. 

After a few minutes, the rain is suddenly blocked from my face and I frown before opening my eyes. I gasp when I am met with those same icy blue eyes from last night, the only thing that makes it so much more intimidating is they are a few inches from mine.