In 1988 when Dylan Montgomery moves to Beverly Hills after her mother remarries, she must navigate the challenges of fitting into a glamorous but daunting upper-class life. Living across from the charmingly cocky Nicholas and his introspective broth...
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UPPER CLASS | cherriasian
september '88
It was Saturday now, just a little more than a week since I've become apart of the neighborhood, and finally my mom's housewarming. The evening of the party unfolded like an elaborate performance, complete with dazzling lights and the soft hum of laughter echoing through the spacious backyard. My mother had gone all out—catered hors d'oeuvres, twinkling fairy lights strung between the trees, and even a small string quartet tucked away in the corner of our backyard.
I was watching the beginning of it all at the comfort of my room which had windows facing both the front and back parts of my home. It was on the second floor, skewed to the right of the house. It was practically empty at the looks of it, without an ounce of myself painted, but somehow it was completely furnished with everything a girl my age needed. A vanity, a king sized bed, my own walk in closet, and even my own bathroom. Even though there was already four bathrooms in Tom's home. Yet somehow Tom still wasn't home, not even for his own housewarming.
After surveying the event for almost forty-five minutes, and ignoring my mom's motioning to come down from the outside, I forced myself out of the top floor once seeing the familiar big hair of blonde step on the deep green grass.
As I stepped outside, I felt the weight of expectations settle heavily on my shoulders, an unwelcome reminder that fitting in here would not be as effortless as I'd hoped. My mother, surrounded by a sea of strangers caught sight of my appearance, a smile I had barely seen now with her.
"Dylan! There you are!" My mother's voice cut through the clamor, pulling me back to the moment. She appeared before me, radiant in a flowing sundress, her enthusiasm infectious. "You must meet everyone! They're so eager to get to know you."
I nodded, forcing a smile, glancing down at her dress. It must be completely new as I had never seen it before. "Sure, Mom," I answered before pressing my lips into a thin straight line. But there was something in the way she beamed, the urgency behind her eyes—this wasn't just about me meeting people; it was about proving something. For her, for us. Tom's world was the one she'd struggled to belong to and we both knew it but I was just another final piece to secure our place here.
I swallowed back the bitterness that crept up after the thoughts cascading into my mind, "I'll try," I spoke again under my breath as she made her way back to the swarm of people I knew I was bound to speak to by the end of the night.
As I made my way over, I caught snippets of conversation, a mix of casual banter and the kind of gossip that seemed to flourish in this social stratum. It made my stomach church hearing how adorned the discussions were; nothing but careers and personal affairs that always meant an appraisal or validation in response.
I spotted Katie was among the crowd on the other side of my yard just across the pool, her presence a small comfort. She was in the middle of speaking to an older woman, no one else amongst their conversation. I began to make my way over to instinctively and once she noticed me her eyes widened in excitement and she excused herself.
