Lies of Livingston

Wild party. Raging people.

LILLIAN:

August 24th.

    The day of the party my emotions were running at an all time high. Like everything I do, the party must be perfect. If it wasn't, I might as well pack my bags and leave Livingston for good.        

    Nathaniel came over early that day to help me prepare. By prepare, I mean he sat and watched me almost have a nervous breakdown as I rushed to make sure that everything was in place. He wasn't one who particularly cared about events like this or any event at all, but I didn't mind just having him watch me and flashing his same charming smile as I looked his way. I liked the thought of Nathaniel being near me, even if we weren't talking at all. 

    In the chaos that party planning brought, he managed to still have a bit of time for me as he slipped over a box with a diamond necklace inside.

    It was the same piece of jewelry that I was wearing on my neck today.  Although he didn't say much when giving me my gift, I didn't care. Any effort from Nathaniel at all was a miracle and I was more than happy to take what I could get.

    With the necklace placed around my neck, I knew nothing could bring down tonight.

VICTORIA:

    Although I wasn't one for parties, the one Lillian was having right before school was one that I couldn't pass up. I overheard her telling Nat all the details when she was over at our house a few days before. From the way that she was describing it, the party would be small and respectful, making it a perfect opportunity for me to experience some sort of high school fun without it being too overwhelming for me.

    I knew Nat would probably flip out over the idea of me being anywhere near him and his girlfriend. He didn't like me getting involved with his life, and Lillian and I didn't exactly have the best track record in our interactions. But that night, I didn't care. I wanted to be involved with some sort of Livingston party. Maybe it was because I was tired of feeling left out or maybe I wanted to prove that I, too, can fit in with the best of Livingston.

    My plan was to casually sneak into the party without Nat or Lillian even noticing. Looking back on it, that wasn't the smartest idea, but at the time it seemed completely logical and understandable.

    I swept some eyeshadow over my lids and took my hair out of it's tight pony, leaving it falling down to right below my shoulders. I very rarely wore my hair down, but I thought that tonight would be the perfect opportunity for me to showcase what I could look like with some effort. I must admit, I was quite fond of myself when I actually put some effort into my look. I only hoped that Andrew would think the same and would like what he saw. I quickly put on the new blue satin dress that I bought with leftover birthday money and headed outside to find Andrew waiting for me besides his car.

Andrew was dressed in a deep navy polo shirt and black slacks. From the midnight sky, I could barely make out his figure. But I knew better than to make fun of his outfit tonight: I was more than thankful that he agreed to drive me to the party. I ran my fingers through my hair and then I began walking towards him.

    "Are you sure you want to do this?" Andrew asked with the same judgmental look that he always flashes as I approached.

    "Yes, I want to do this. We are allowed to go to a party. It will be fun, you'll see." I reassured him with a smile as I jumped into the car and buckled my seatbelt.

    It would of been nice to get a hello, but I was happy enough to be driven to this party.

    We rode in silence for a bit and Andrew didn't seem to notice me or my outfit. I couldn't help but feel disappointed. It's not like I needed Andrew's validation that I looked okay, but a subtle compliment would have led me to not being able to wipe a smile off my face.

    "We weren't invited to this party so technically we are crashing it." Andrew said with his eyes on the road, not even glancing in my direction.

    "Stop being so dramatic. I have a feeling that we are going to have a better time than you think." I responded looking straight at him, not breaking eye contact.

    "I hope you're right."

    "I am right."

    The rest of the ride consisted of pure silence. I knew Andrew wasn't on board with going over to Lillian's tonight and without my persistent begging, he would have never of driven me. But for once I didn't want to be left out of a Livingston party and regardless of Andrew silently judging me, I had hopes that this party would be one that I would never forget.

ANDREW:

    Professor Austin's voice still trailed along, but I had doubts that anyone was still even listening or giving him the respect that he so desperately wanted. I glanced over in Victoria's direction, but her eyes looked lost and distant as they anxiously scanned the room. I could tell that she was not paying attention and I hoped she was daydreaming this very second. I wondered what she was actually thinking about, but as much as I didn't want to admit it, I knew exactly what thoughts were going through her head.

    We were all thinking about it: the night of the party.

    Victoria and I arrived that night to Lillian Summers house which looked more intimidating than ever.  Although there was only around ten cars parked outside, that was enough to make me want to turn around and go home immediately. Even though this was a "small" gathering, it didn't take that many people to make a Lillian Summers event feel overwhelming and scary. But regardless of my personal feelings, I knew that Victoria wanted to be here and so I would put aside any resentment I had and put on a smile and stand by her. Victoria deserved to have some fun and if this was what she wanted to do, then I was all for it.

     I could tell that she put a lot of effort into her look tonight. It was nice to see her with her hair down which, didn't happen, often and wearing an outfit I knew she felt confident in. In the car, I was trying to think of the right words to say to let her know I liked how she looked. But even something as subtle as "you look good" felt weird for me to say. I wouldn't say that to anyone, especially not her. After all, Victoria doesn't need validation from me and I doubt she would even care if I made a comment.

    Besides, I was fine just admiring her in my head.

    We stepped inside the Summers' home to see a grand staircase in front of us and a huge crystal chandelier hanging from above. Luxury wasn't something to shock the students of Livingston, but I could tell that both Victoria and I were astonished and intrigued by the riches Lillian had and that's coming from the richest family in Livingston.

    It was a good thing  I was at this party because I knew Victoria would never survive it all by herself. There were around twenty kids here, all dressed like they were going to a grand ball in there cocktail dresses and suits. With every word that left their lips, the intimidation level went up. Servers wore black tuxes as they came around with silver trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvre's. I must admit, the two of us were a bit starstruck. I knew Lillian was over the top, but this seemed a bit much for what she called "a small and intimate gathering."

    As much as I wanted to spit out every insult I could to make fun of it all, I resisted from doing so. Although she wouldn't admit it to me, I knew Victoria was secretly loving this event and I wouldn't ruin that by saying anything bad to put a damper on her night. Instead, I took her by the bar and got her a non alcoholic drink while we continued observing Livingston in it's prime.

It was quite the scene.....

Press "Continue Reading the Next Part" to go onto chapter 4!