Selena

19 | The Fourth

SELENA MONTGOMERY

"Oh yeah that nightmare! It was about me meeting this guy who I thought I loved and saved me from my oh so terrible life to turn around and be so much worse than anyone else on the entire planet!"

Is that what Adam expected to hear when he threw that question at me out of nowhere. I think not.

"What nightmare?" I ask in a sickly sweet voice, wiping away all previous emotion.

"You know what nightmare."

"Please, enlighten me." I was getting annoyed of his prying. He hadn't asked questions for a while, so why now.

"Fine, we'll talk about this later," he conceded easily. Way too easily. 

After moving to the city, heartless to outsiders, I learned how to cover up my emotions and vulnerabilities. 

That's what I always told myself. 

I know what the real truth is thought. If I open myself up to feeling everything again, too many emotions will come flooding out. And I'm scared it will never stop.

"We're going out tonight," Adam states abruptly breaking me out of my thoughts. I don't bother to ask why or argue knowing it's useless. I go back to reading my book and giving him the cold shoulder.

"My mother hosts an annual Fourth of July party." Today is the fourth. It's strange knowing I've been here for about three weeks now. 

"The fourth of July is an American celebration," I point out while turning a page in the book. I can't understand a lot of the words and put them aside in my mind to ask Enzo what they mean later. 

"American mother." He reminds me and leaves the office. "What do I wear?!" I yell after him, rushing out to see he's already halfway down the hall.

"Dress in the closet. White." His answer is short, brief, and frankly frustrating.

I make my move to go to the infirmary, but I run into Rossi instead. He drags me with him to Adam's room. 

The entire time he doesn't shut up about he visited the best boutiques in Milan to find me the perfect dress for tonight. I just found out about it five minutes ago and Rossi is acting like he's been on a witch hunt all week. 

He shoves me into the closet and tells me to try on the dress to see if it fits. 

I spot it in my section of the closet. It wasn't there this morning, but now an elegant white dress has appeared. The material feels buttery soft and I slip the dress on with ease. It fits perfectly. 

While I look at myself in the mirror, Rossi keeps yapping away. 

The event is later tonight, but since Adam's mother is throwing it we have to arrive early. Apparently, the mansion I've been staying at is there family home. The one his mother lives at and where the party is tonight is more of a beach house. Rossi goes on and on about the fireworks. 

When I walk out of the closet, Rossi gushes at me. 

"Oh darling, you look absolutely stunning. Like an angel." There's a mischievous glint in his light blue eyes and I hear a knock on the bedroom door. 

He goes to open it, revealing two of the maids that will apparently be doing my hair and makeup. Rossi pushes me back into closet to take off the dress so I 'don't ruin it before the party'. I don't understand what all the damn fuss is about. 

I am finally ready after about two hours of being poked and prodded at. I hid in the bathroom for about an hour just taking a shower and washing my hair. The maids are just the same girls, younger than me.