Living with the Millers

Chapter 15 - Just for One Night

Chapter 15 - Just for One Night

Flying in a private jet is a totally different experiance than being crammed in a small plane like a bunch of sardines. I could actually hear myself think, and listen to my music without blasting out my eardrums. Once we were in the air, most of the kids were busy watching a movie on the big screen. I immediately put my headphones in and drifted into my own world. Every few minutes I would fidget in my seat, trying to get comfortable. The dress I was wearing was itchy as hell, and I kept having to remind myself not to lean my head back so I wouldn't ruin my hair.

It took just over an hour for us to land in Florida. As soon as we stepped foot off the plane everything exploded into chaos. As we were whisked away into a limo, I grabbed Arielle's hand. She smiled up at me, practically jumping up and down with excitement. I had told her we were going to a ball like the one Cinderella went to in the movie.

"Are we there yet?" She asked me with the biggest grin.

"Almost," I laughed, ducking to step in the car. I was surprised we all fit inside, this limo somehow seemed smaller than the one that had picked us up in Tennessee. We did fit, though, and we were off. The sun was just barely setting, painting the sky bright orange and pink. Florida was different than Tennessee. I hadn't traveled much in my life, but I had never really thought about how different things could be. Instead of big, open fields, all the streets were lined with big buildings and palm trees.

"It's pretty here," London gasped, eyes glued out the window. It was like she was taking in every single second she could. She had always been the type of girl to like big cities, I had always known one day she would move to Los Angeles or Miami and become a big designer or something. Tonight was for my sisters. Even if it wasn't my scene, I would enjoy it for them.

"Okay you guys," Savanna coughed, gathering our attention. "Remember, tonight is a press event for us. There will be reporters, there will be pictures, so please, I'm begging you, try to keep it together." Her gaze trailed to Ben, making him snort. "Yes son, I am talking to you." That made us all giggle. "I expect all of you to be on your best behavior."

When we pulled up the the Gala, my jaw just about dropped. I'm not even exaggerating when I say there was a red carpet lining the sidewalk all the way from the street, up the steps and into the front doors. I never thought I would've been sitting at the end of one of those, like I was at some fancy movie premier.

One at a time we got out of the car, immediately blinded by flashing lights. People with cameras practically swarmed us, snapping pictures every second. The moment my feet touched the ground I felt self-conscious. Was my hair a mess? Did my makeup smudge? Was my dress wrinkled? All these thoughts flew through my mind as I tried to remind myself not to make any weird faces. To be completely honest, I wanted to dive back into the car and not come back out until the end of the night.

Suddenly, I froze. It was like my feet had just stopped working. All the blinding flashes and people surrounding me shut me down. I could feel my heart racing and my palms starting to sweat. It was hard to breathe. I shut my eyes to try to drown out the sound, but it was as if all the flashes had multiplied. I couldn't even dive back into the car because it had driven away already. And just when I thought I would die of embarrassment, an arm snaked around my waist.

My eyes snapped open as I looked up, coming face to face with non-other than Benjamin Miller. He smiled at me, motioning for us to walk. The roar of people surrounding us still rebounded in my ears, but with Ben leading me I started to walk. The flashes were blinding, and my heart was pounding faster than it ever had before, but something told me with Ben's arm around my waist I was safe.