Ring of Love

Family

Ally's pov:

Walking down the stairs with Zoe clung to my arm and Axel not far behind, I couldn't help but notice the amount of attention drawn to us. It felt as if everyone at the party was giving us looks, and the feeling made my stomach churn.

Why is everyone staring?

Earlier in the night, not one person gave a single glance my way. But now, it was as if we were the center of attention.

I try not to make any eye contact with anyone as I get to the last step, but the harsh whispers around me grab my attention.

I turn my head a bit towards the right to see a group of girls whisper to one another while looking past me, or to be more specific, at Axel.

So that's why.

Oh gosh... please don't tell me I somehow crossed paths with Mr. Hotshot or something. The last thing I want at my new school is to draw unnecessary attention to myself.

Why? Because people are mean, and I would rather find a comfortable place at the bottom of the social ladder than at the top.

My reasoning? If no one knows who you are, then no one has got anything bad to say.

Here in New Jersey, no one knows who my family is, and they especially don't know of my father, who is a well-known businessman back in California.

It's not that I'm embarrassed by my family, it's just that people tend to give you a certain stereotype once they find out your family has money.

Shaking off the feeling of everyone's curious glances, I keep moving straight ahead towards the spot we left Sofia in.

I'm hoping she isn't mad about us being gone for long, but once we explain the situation, I'm sure she will understand.

Zoe is looking a bit better, and I feel that no amount of 'thank you' can express how grateful I am for Axel's help.

Embarrassing to admit, but all I did was freak out and be the most unhelpful person ever.

So again, thank God Axel was there.

Once we arrive in the living room, I look towards the spot where we last saw Sofia...

But she wasn't there.

"Oh no," I say under my breath, sudden panic in my chest at the thought of something happening to my friend. I turn my head left and right, trying to find her familiar face, but I see her nowhere.

Don't freak out. Maybe she found Claire and the two of them are still here somewhere.

But my stomach drops when I find Claire with the guy she was with before talking, with no Sofia in sight.

As quickly as I can with a half-awake Zoe on my arm, I make my way towards Claire.

"Claire!" I say, grabbing her attention. She turns towards me with a small smile, but that quickly goes away as she sees the state of Zoe.

"Oh shit Zoe, are you alright?" Claire asks, taking Zoe from my grasp and examining her from head to toe.

Zoe nods her head, but since she was so out of it, the action makes her eyes shut.

"I'm going to take that as a no," she turns toward the guy she was with, "it was nice talking with yah, but I got to go. Call me!" She winks at the guy as he begins to walk away, before turning towards us.

"Where's Sophia?" She asks.

"I don't know," I respond. I quickly fill her in on all the events that had happened in the past hour, and that's when she finally notices Axel, who has quietly been standing behind me.