The Boy That Stole My Heart

Chapter Twenty-Four- Party Time

The party had been going for only an hour now, and I had lost track of Zoey. I was seriously just starting to hope that maybe she went home. This sort of party isn't her thing, and I didn't exactly want to force her into being here.

"Riley!" I heard barely heard Callie call from the other side of the room. "There you are!" She began walking toward me, swaying. She was obviously drunk already. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, she is a typical party girl.

"Hey," I said doing a sloppy version of our handshake when she reached me. That's when I noticed she was being flanked by two, unfamiliar people. The new kids I suppose. "Who is this?" I said, mesmerized by the tall, muscular boy with dirty blond hair behind her. His eyes were blue. Not the ordinary sky blue, or the color of the paint flaking off of the old house down Callie's street, or even the little cute flowers that spring up by the side of some of the roads. His eyes were blue like the sea, crystal clear blue- shimmering and crashing and churning. Looking into his eyes you could hear the waves falling against the shore, see the foam flying into the air. His eyes were blue like the sky right before the sun disappears- a dark rich indigo, with specks of green and brown here and there. His eyes were blue like that warm wool sweater that you put on when the air gets that chill- comfortable, warm, and familiar. His eyes were that kind of mesmerizing blue. I couldn't help but be drawn in by them. He smiled a warm, bright smile and my cheeks turned scarlet.

Sage noticed I was staring at him.

Due to falling suddenly into Sage's eyes, I barely noticed the shorter girl on Callie's other side. She had blond hair, and an innocent looking face. Her eyes were blue as well, but more like the color of the noon sky. She reminded me a lot of my sweet, innocent Zoey. Once again, I grew nervous of her whereabouts. If she's in any kind of trouble, I couldn't live with myself. If anything bad happens to her...

"This, my dear best friend, is Audrey and-" She slurred and began trailing off as a new song began playing. "This is my jam!" She pulled Audrey onto the dance floor and they both began dancing wildly to the music. While Callie's dancing was extremely sloppy, Audrey's looked as graceful as a dove flying through the soft morning sky.

"I'm Sage," The boy introduced himself, still smiling. I swear, he could be a movie star with the smile. I looked down at his biceps again. Maybe more like a Calvin Klein model. "You must be the famous Riley. Honored to make your acquaintance, milady." He bowed, his voice held a twinge of an old English tone in it. I couldn't help it, I giggled. In all the time I was in England, nobody talked to me quite like that, it was nice to go back to the old ways of America. The culture difference is shocking.

"Good sir," I mimicked his old English tone, curtsying, "The honor is all mine." Then in an elegant swoop he bent down and kissed my hand. My cheeks turned scarlet, and I looked away, completely incapable of saying anything else.

"Would you do me the greatest honor of accepting my hand in a dance?" He asked, offering his hand to me. I took it gratefully and smiled at him. At least one of us could keep our cool. Then again, Sage probably had girls throwing themselves at him left and right. He led me onto the dance floor and signaled to the guy who decided to run the music to play a slow song. There were a few boos from the people who were grinding on their dates, but not many. More people came onto the floor with their dates, or flings, and danced to the soft music. It was almost just like a ball. Except there were no floor length dresses, no tuxes, and no formality. It was.. comfortable.

"Where are you from?" I asked, hoping to keep the conversation going. I didn't want to fall into an awkward silence with a guy like this.

"LA, actually." He replied, looking a little shameful. "So is Audrey. We grew up together." Tears pricked his eyes, and I decided I better not push it. After a moment of silence he asked, "Where are you really from? I can tell you have a hint of an English accent, but you knew Callie really well."

I laughed, "I'm from here originally, actually. I spent the first semester of the year in England because my parents were going on a trip and they wanted me to go to a boarding school. They didn't really want me in the house alone for a long period of time. Then some... things happened while I was in England, and they let me come back home if I agreed to be on my best behavior. The plan was to stay with my grandmother, but mom was right. She didn't really want to have a teenager living in her house for an extended amount of time. She's in her nineties now. So I live here with Callie and her family instead. Just until my parents get back home." I took a breath and glanced at him. "And that was probably more than you wanted to know."

"Nah, I'm just glad to see your out of your shell now. I was afraid you'd be too scared to talk to a guy like me," he replied.

"So, what's it like in LA?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, for most people they'd say it's an amazing, friendly place to live. Audrey and I... Well, we grew up in a foster home. It wasn't exactly easy for us, we lived on the bad side of town. Sort of like the area where Hollywood Undead, do you know who that is?" He started to explain.

"Yes!" I squealed. I already loved this kid. Hollywood Undead is my favorite band ever.

He chuckled. "Well, it's the bad part of town that they always sing about. It wasn't exactly safe for Audrey. I grew up always having to protect her."

"So, why'd you move to Malibu?"

"Because, Anne, our old foster mom, lost guardianship over us. They sent us here instead. Now we're living with a woman named Jessie Malcolm. She said her daughter had killed herself a few months ago." He explained.

Malcolm. That was Jen's last name... That means.. They're living with her mom! Oh God, what if he finds out the dark secret Callie and I are hiding?

~*~

Well, I know it's been a couple weeks since I last updated, but here you go my little fishies! Enjoy! Now that you met Sage and Audrey, what do you think? What do you think about their past? What do you will happen next?

Stay tuned for the next chapter in The Boy That Stole My Heart!

Ciao,

Katie xoxo