Elevator 14 // Austin Mahone

Chapter 1

"Brinley Maria Rhodes, you're too young to be home alone."

"Too young?!" I shouted at my dad. "I'm 17 years old, dad, I can stay home alone if I want!"

"Get in the car. You usually get away with things, but this is not one of those times."

"What am I gonna do? Call up all 3 of my friends and throw a party between now and 9pm when you get back?"

There was no use in arguing with my father. I ended up in the car, on the way to work with him. He was the head of security at a hotel/casino on the Las Vegas strip. Apparently, watching drunk people gamble and smoke is safer than being alone.

He's only ever like this during the summer. During the school year, we're both so busy that we hardly see each other.

He's your classic way too protective and controlling father. I'm always told it's because I'm "too beautiful" to be alone. And, oh my god, I can't even look at a guy without being grounded. It's times like this when I wish my mom hasn't left. All of our insane family moved out to Alaska, including my mom. She didn't care that my dad didn't wanna go. She left us both behind, saying she'd come back. That's yet to happen.

Going to work with my dad usually wasn't that bad. Everyone knew me and they'd pay me to do a couple jobs for them all the time.

Today was especially hectic at the hotel, because that singer Austin Mahoney Boloney or whatever the hell his name is was staying here for a day or two. Fans were literally everywhere. That's where my dad came in, kicking them out one by one.

I don't even get what the big deal is, the guy seemed like a rich heartbreaker that cared about himself only. And girls like that? This is what's wrong with our society.

Lunch time finally came around, and my dad never failed to make sure I was personally escorted up to the employee lunch room. Since, you know, I could look at a guy while I'm making my way up there. My dad has to be around to scold me for that, of course.

We were the first ones in the elevator, standing in the back all alone. He clicked the 10 button and the doors were about to close when a guy and his wife or girlfriend (literally, dressed in a bikini) came in.

"Aren't you cold?" I asked her. I get it was like, 106 degrees out, but even I got cold walking through the lobby in shorts and a t-shirt.

She just looked at me and then back at her phone, which was all rhinestoned and glittery.

An old man came in an nearly slipped as he entered. He seemed sweet though, as he greeted us politely. The snobby two didn't even bother looking up from their phones. The old man clicked the 47 button.

Great. These elevators go to the highest floor first. So I'm stuck with these 4 people for 47 floors, plus going back down.

Make that 5 people.

Just as the doors were about to close, a guy stuck his hand between it. "Is there any more space?" I couldn't see him from the back since bitch #1 and bitch #2 were standing right in front of me.

No one said anything, so the older guy told him there wasn't any space.

"Please, I'm getting mobbed by fans and I need to get to my room right now," he pleaded desperately as a roar of I LOVE YOUs came from down the hallway.

Mobbed by fans? Who are you, Beyoncé?

So, we finally let him in and then it came to me that I'm in an elevator with a celebrity. Austin Mahone was like 2 feet away from me. But then something else came to me. I don't care.

He clicked the 6 button and then I air-strangled him from the back of the elevator because now I was gonna be stuck with him for basically the entire time. He moved against the left wall and I could see him from there. As soon as we made eye contact, I looked at my dad to make sure he didn't notice.

I literally can't even look at guys around my dad. Do you see why this is difficult?

Austin smiled, probably just to say hi, but I shook my head and looked down. 5 seconds later, when he was still looking, I made sure again that my dad wasn't looking. Austin smiled, nodded, and crossed his arms. He's catching on.

The woman dropped her phone and practically started crying. All I could do was laugh as quietly as I could while she dramatically refused to bend down to pick it up since "one of you guys could be a pedophile".

Her husband didn't seem to care at all, so my dad picked up the phone and gave it to her. He was now standing on the other side of me, so Austin jumped at the opportunity and took my dad's old spot, right next to me.

What the hell is he trying to do here?

I just nervously watched the numbers on the screen go up in hopes that Austin wouldn't say anything.

34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 39, 39, 39...

The number 39 flashed a few times and the elevator abruptly stopped completely, sending me falling right into Austin. 3 seconds later, the lights went out.

"What the fuck is going on?" The younger guy yells and bangs on one of the walls like that was gonna change anything.

"Excuse me, there are children in here!" The old guy acknowledged.

"Are you okay?" Austin question as he struggled to help me return to my feet.

"I'm fine." I pulled my brown hair out of my mouth and looked for my dad, who I couldn't see, but I knew was already on his phone contacting the front desk.

The girl started complaining about anything she could find to complain about, the younger guy kept yelling at the older guy to do something, and the older guy was repeatedly telling the younger guy that he's "not an elevator mechanic."

They started clicking buttons including the emergency ones, but nothing was working. So looks like I'm stuck on floor 39 with 4 strangers and my dad. The only thing that came to my mind was what do I do if I need to pee?

I looked back at Austin (even though I saw nothing) and expected him to say something.

"Let me see your hand," he said.

"What? No, why?"

"Just give me your hand."

I lifted my hand up and put it in front of me.

"I'm Austin," he said, finding and shaking it.

I didn't know where to look since there was no light, so I looked at where I thought our hands were. Because he wouldn't release them.

"I'm Brinley..."

Let go of my hand.

"Nice name, Brinley." I was positive he was smiling just by the way he said it. And then I smiled, I didn't even know why, but I knew my dad was right behind me, so I stopped. Even though he couldn't see or hear me over everyone else, I was still scared.

"Thanks. Um, you probably shouldn't, like, flirt with me. My dad will kill you and me both," I said a little quieter than I did when I said my name. I was glad that everyone was talking at the same time. Just need to warn him and go on with my life.

"So asking for your name is flirting? So if these lights were on, since I'm holding onto your hand right now, people would think we're married. Is that how it works?"

"You kept trying shit when you could easily tell just by the way I looked at my dad that he wouldn't like it. I'm not dumb. You're not about to get me in trouble, popstar, my life is already bad enough."

He laughed and released my hand. "Maybe I was trying shit, maybe I wasn't. But now that I know how much you're scared it's gonna happen, I'll make it happen."

"Okay, seriously, fuck you," I whispered.

I contemplated actually strangling him. It might solve a few problems. But everyone shut up when my dad said he was contacting help.

"We're stuck in elevator 14," my dad says on the phone, then repeats, "Elevator 14."