Cinder

Chapter Five

//Cinder//

 The day had finally come, the day of Leighton's party. I couldn't quite figure out if I was nervous because of the party I was attending with a knowledge of a total of one person, or that the one person I owe a huge apology to for insulting his mother - who apparently was also going to be there tonight. 

I wanted to dress nice, perhaps my second impression could be better than the first if I wore something a little more classy than my usual jeans and tee combo. Instead, I rocked a jeans and blouse combo - because I assured myself the button-up feature made my outfit so much more acceptable. I even applied a little make up from the small cosmetics bag that belonged to my grandmother I found in the bathroom cabinet - it smelt just as old as she is but it did the job. 

I needed all the help I could get tonight, so grabbing my mother's necklace was the final touch I added into my look before gathering my jacket and heading out the door. Giving myself a pep talk and reminders of keeping my jokes to myself because doing so dug me a hole I'm hoping to crawl out of tonight. Quite frankly, my goal for tonight is not insult anyone's mother and possibly become acquaintances with a few pupils so I'm not eating alone at lunch again next week. 

Knocking at the huge wood door in front of me, I nervously awaited an answer - Leighton opened the door with a smile that slowly faded when he had laid eyes on me, and my reaction was one of the same. I eyed him and his outfit - he had on a blue suit, with a black tie. Was I missing something? Did I come to the wrong party?

"Uh, i'm sorry - I must have misunderstood something from your invitation... I'll go." I quickly mumble, covering up my pathetic excuse for a dress shirt with the jacket i'd brought with me. 

"No, it's okay. Come in." Leighton says, pulling me inside the door with a hand on my lower back - a gesture I didn't at all expect. A gesture that he also neglected as soon as his mother had made her way over to two of us, and my nerves instantly tripled when she eyed me up and down through her thick lensed glasses. 

"Ah, glad to see you made it. Just come from work have you?" She says, gesturing to the clothing I had dressed myself in, a outfit I felt good in until I stepped onto this family's front porch. 

"Misunderstanding is all, Mother." Leighton spoke, before I even had a chance. His mother dismissed us, and I was still comprehending the size of the house I was currently standing in - I was in awe of the luxury they call home. 

Leighton had lead me around to groups of people, some of them students and some of them friends of his mother - all seeming just as boring as the history teacher with the wrinkles, if i was quite honest. When I thought of a party, I thought of alcohol - and that's what I needed right now. 

I wandered from Leighton and found a group of elderly men and women sitting around a television set up on top of a fire - something that looked like it was from a lifestyle magazine. The table that was in between the two lounges the group sat on, was a tray of some form of champagne and wine - on the TV was a news report, a new lead was found on a car accident and the elderly discussed what they thought had happened, it wasn't until I made myself noticeable that I realised it wasn't any accident, it was the accident. 

"can we help you?" a man asked, quite rudely - fitting into the rich snobby stereotype. 

"I'm a friend of Leighton's, Cinder. Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear the news report - what was the lead?" I introduce myself with a hand out to shake as I usually do, but this was the first time that I was ever rejected a handshake. The man in front of me had said his name was John, and failed to mention the new lead. 

"My bet is they were drunk, you know how the young can be - so stupid!" A woman adds to the discussion, and I bite my tongue to interject. 

"Or on drugs! Or just plain stupidity and loss control!"  John added, and his ignorance had been something I could no longer tolerate. 

"They were sober, actually. They'd never taken drugs either." I say bluntly, with my hands in fists by my side. The group of elderly had all turned their heads to face me. This group of old men and women were not the same as the elderly that sat in my grandparents cafe, this group in front of me had no inch of respect. 

"And how would you know such facts? Are you a reporter?" One questions in a harsh tone, and the group chuckles to themselves, as if i offer as a joke to them.

"No reporter, the couple who died in the accident you're mocking - they were my parent's. So please, keep on voicing your opinions on what happened because i can tell you what you so desperately want to know." I say, raising my voice louder than I intended. This was the first time I'd really got upset over my parents - I never cried, I suspected the shock had stopped any emotional reaction. 

Leighton rushed to my side and asked what had happened, before I could tell him with tears starting to well in my eyes one member of the group had twisted the situation to their benefit, making me out to be in the wrong. 

"Your friend, here, come over and started yelling at us because we wouldn't give her a drink!"  An elderly woman hissed, waving her hands all over the place like a mad woman. I sent her a deathly stare, waiting for Leighton to say something to them. 

"That's not true at all! They were spreading stories about my parents." I tell Leighton, my hands resting on his chest, the fabric of his suit jacket was soft under my touch and a single tear shed from my eye.

"Maybe it's time to go, Cinder." He speaks in a quiet tone, ushering me towards the door and my stomach dropped. I'd never felt embarrassment quite like this. I was a joke to not only the group of elderly, but to Leighton and every person in this room that had witnessed me being shown the door. 

As the cold breeze outside hit my wet cheeks, I pulled my jacket over my shoulders and held it close. I began walking out the long driveway and kicked the obnoxious amount of plants on my way to the street, who needs so many small trees - I bet they're so snobby they pay a gardener to water them because they're too snobby to get their hands dirty. 

My hands find my phone when I remember the promise I'd made to my grandparent's that I'd call Asher if anything went wrong, before thinking twice about it I dial his number. 

"Hello?" He answers, a slight brit accent coming through that I'd failed to notice when meeting him. I also noticed, he sounded puffed - I hoped he's been exercising and not anything involving a girl in a bed and i'd interrupted.

"uh, hey. It's Cinder - Mamarie's granddaughter-" I say, fumbling the words coming from my mouth,

"i know who you are" he says, cutting me off, and I hear noise in the background.

"if you're busy it's fine, I just-" I say, trying to make out exactly what the noise is on the other line, because it was loud. 

"No, It's fine. I promised Mamarie i'd pick you up, I'll be there soon" He says before hanging up the phone, but a little too later after I heard him say a quick curse to himself, and yell loudly that he'd make it up to someone next week. 

Where was he? and what did he have to make up?

Whatever. it was none of my business.