Out of Your League

Chapter 1

The boy across from me stared. And stared. And stared right at me without saying a word. We had been sitting here for a good half an hour now and still he hadn't said a word. This had to be my worst date ever. In fact, this had to be the worst first date in the world. Ever. And would be forever.

I was out. I was gone. I couldn't deal with this anymore.

'Excuse me, I'm just going to go to the loo quickly.' He looked up from my cleavage to my face for the first time since we sat down and he nodded, but he still didn't say a word. I jumped out of my chair and practically sprinted to the loo, or walked as quickly as I could in my heels without falling over. I passed a couple of tables, including one with two people clearly on a date. A date that was going much better than mine and reached the loos. A quick glance over my shoulder revealed my date now staring at my bum. Quietly, I gave a wry laugh, why did I always have dates like these? Maybe it was partly my fault – my dress and my reputation probably encouraged it. Clearly, I couldn't use the back exit if he was watching me, so I decided I had to use the loo window – not ideal, but I'd escaped through worse.

Being Colette Huntingdon was not always as easy as people thought. I was... famous. My parents were influential, I was friends with all the right people, and I was wild, unpredictable. I guess that's why people, specifically the press followed me: they were waiting for the next Colette drunk episode, they were waiting for me to strip in public or to rob someone. I was so used to the press following me by now that I know the back exits to just about every single restaurant, shop and bar in Kensington. I sort of have a reputation as a... slut, that's why I always end up with dates like this, they're only here to get laid. The dicks.

I yanked open the door to the loos. His desperate gaze was finally off me. Not that that would stop him, he would probably start perving on some other poor girl in the restaurant. I looked around for a window, any window and spotted one the just about low enough for me to clamber out of. I pushed open the window, lifted a leg up and out and used the momentum to pull the rest of myself out. Unfortunately, I misjudged the distance and fell. Right into a pile of garbage bags. Great, just fantastic, exactly what I needed to make this evening truly awful. I needed to go to a bar and drink the remainder of this awful evening off. Unfortunately, I can't because my parents are home and I will be in deep shit if I come home pissed. It's not like they're particularly strict, they care more about their reputation but me coming home drunk risks neighbor's seeing me and telling people. Which will start a rumour and that is what my parents will be so angry about. I don't normally care what my parents think, but I'm supposed to be going back to school in a few days and I would really like it if they let me go – they know not letting me go to school is more of a punishment for me – school for me is different than for most people. For starters, it's a boarding school. Anyway, my head was already spinning from the amount of champagne I had on the date so it was probably best not to drink anymore this evening.

'Daniel, can you come and pick me up? I'm round the back of the Coda restaurant.' My driver quickly agreed and arrived a few minutes later. A few minutes that I spent skulking around, hoping not to be noticed by the boy I left or by any members of the press, on duty or otherwise.

He pulled up in our sleek black range rover. It may look a bit second rate compared to some of the flashy cars you see, but my father paid to have it kitted out with all the best, and besides, I didn't need a flashy car that would make people pay more attention to me. I hopped into the car as gracefully as I could considering that only a few minutes ago I was lying in a heap of garbage.

'Can you take me home please?' I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. My parents disliked me at the best of times, so every time I came home when I was even a bit tipsy, they always had it out for me. Which is why I didn't want to go home.