reason to be // h.s. au

prologue // amelia

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"Your turn, Amelia."

I glance up from my book and meet several pairs of anxious eyes, staring and waiting for me to spin the bottle.

"Pass."

"You can't pass," Brooklyn says.

I cross my arms over my flat, fourteen year old chest, questioning, "And why not?"

"Because. It's my party, and I said so. Spin the freaking bottle."

I exhale over dramatically to show that I'm clearly irritated and crease the corner of my book's page to mark the spot I would need to later return to.

Brooklyn smirks satisfactorily and watches as I grasp the mouth of the bottle between my fingertips. I begin to turn it, then release with enough force to keep it spinning.

As I stare at the rotating bottle, I wonder not who it will land on, but what that person's reaction will be. Not only did I want to pass on the game, I wanted to pass on the entire party. Brooklyn only invited me because her mom made her, and I only came for the same reason. Nobody here wants to talk to me, let alone spend seven minutes in a closet with me. I can't say that I don't feel the same way.

A gasp passes the lips of the girl next to me, and several other kids begin to giggle. My eyes flit to the bottle, which now rests peacefully still, pointing at some unlucky party goer.

I follow its pointed direction to a pair of worn Converse, tattered jeans, and a band t-shirt. I slowly raise my gaze past his lips--which are so red I wonder if he's wearing lipstick--and meet his eyes.

"No."

For some reason, the word didn't come out of my mouth, though it was teetering on the edge of my tongue. It came from Brooklyn. I turn to look at her, confusion etching into my features as I scrunch my eyebrows together.

"Not him. Spin again," she commands.

"Jealous, Brooky? Gotta crush on my pal?" her older brother teases.

"Shut up, Mark," she says, her cheeks flushing pink. "You guys aren't even playing. And besides," she mutters, a smirk stretching across her face as she finishes, "he's too old to do anything with her. She's only fourteen."

It's my turn to blush as she announces the fact that I'm the youngest of the group. I look down at my lap and pick at a hang nail while everybody laughs at her remark.

"And I'm seventeen," the male says, speaking for the first time.

"Graham," Brooklyn says, "Wouldn't you much rather prefer playing with someone closer to your age? Perhaps a fifteen year old?" She smiles sweetly as her long eyelashes flutter over her eyes.

"Well, Amelia landed on me. So I'm going in the closet with her," he says in a low, almost challenging tone.

I glance up at him, making eye contact even though it sends chills down my spine. It seems as if he hasn't taken his eyes off of me since the bottle first landed on him. A ghost of a smile plays on the corners of his lips as he stands and approaches me. He holds out his hand and narrows his eyes, as if daring me to refuse.

Of course, I don't. My lips parted in shock, I place my tiny fingers into his massive palm, and he pulls me from the ground.

"Graham, man, you don't have to," Mark says as Graham leads me to the designated closet. The tall male brushes his friend off and opens the door for me.

I glide in and immediately head for the corner of the tiny room. Dust settles over a stack of boxes, but I blow it off and sit on one of them while Graham closes and locks the door. It's completely dark.

"So," his raspy voice whispers, making me jump.

"So?" I repeat.

He chuckles and pulls a string, making the dim light flicker on above us. I watch as he takes a seat next to mine, and when he meets my gaze I look away. My heart flutters even faster than it did when he took my hand, which I didn't believe was possible.

"I'm guessing you're a bit...inexperienced with these things," he says. I don't trust my voice not to crack, so I just nod my head in agreement. He smiles, and out of the corner of my eye, I see a dimple become prominent on his cheek. "That's all right."

When I look at him, he's staring back at me, his eyes squinted. 

"So, you're good friends with Brooklyn?" he asks after a few more moments of silent observation.

"No," I answer, almost too quickly.

He grins at me, now showing two dimples, and raises his eyebrows. "You're having so much fun at her party, though," he deadpans. I don't bother replying, so he nudges me with shoulder. The only problem is, he leaves it there. "Don't worry, I don't want to be here either. I can't wait to get out of this place for four years."

He's talking about college, but I don't have a proper response. "I think our time is almost up," I say, hoping to fill the awkward silence lingering between us.

His lips quirk up into yet another smile. "We've got about four minutes left," he informs me.

"Why did you come in here with me?" I ask suddenly.

His answer is simple. "You landed on me."

I give him an impatient look. "But you didn't have to. You heard Brooklyn, I'm fourteen. I'm a loser. Why would you defend me?"

Graham stays silent for a long time. So long, in fact, that somebody bangs on the door to tell us that we've only got a minute left.

"I couldn't just...say no," he finally says. "They would've teased you."

"And what's to say they won't even after this?" I question. I can already hear their taunts. Poor Graham, they'll say. I bet he's infected now that they've been sharing the same air for so long.

"You can say we did something," he whispers.

My breath hitches at the suggestion. "Then they'll make fun of you, too."

"I don't care what anyone thinks, Amelia. Just... just say we kissed."

My voice trembles as I stutter, "I-I don't know. I'm an awful liar, and...and I don't know what it's like to be kissed."

I begin to question myself as to why I'm sharing such personal information with a stranger, but I don't really get a chance to put much thought into it as he brushes a strand of hair behind my ear.

My heart starts pounding so hard that I can feel it in my toes, and I wonder if he hears how fast my blood is rushing through my veins as his touch warms it up.

"Can I show you?" he whispers. I nod, and I can feel his smile as he pulls my lips into his.

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a/n - hey guys. this is just the prologue, and it really has nothing to do with this story except for explaining amelia and graham's past. i hope you enjoyed it, though. thanks for reading!