A year to remember

4. Alyssa

I thought the college guy, Tim, had been fairly good looking initially- well built and handsome enough- but I quickly realised he was a creep. There was a forced charm to him, which felt unnatural. 

When he had introduced himself to me, he had taken my hand, rather abruptly, in his and lifted it to his mouth and kissed it lightly, keeping his lips there for an uncomfortable moment too long. Then he looked at me, almost expecting something. Was I meant to fall over myself for this guy? I'll bet most other girls did. Not knowing what to do, I rewarded him with a smile.

"Want to go check you the rest of this ridiculously big house? I wonder how many bedrooms its got?"

I laughed, almost thinking it was a joke, but the cocky smile was back and his thumbs were rubbing my hand. It didn't feel nice, the way it should have. It just felt overly cheesy, but there was something more. He made me feel a little nervous, and not in a good way.

"Wow," I said slowly. "You certainly move fast."

"It keeps things interesting," he said still smiling at me. "So, what do you think?"

I pulled my hand away, "I think I should go find my boyfriend and check out one of the eleven bedrooms with him. It was nice to meet you, Tom."

"Tim," he corrected me.

"I don't care." I retorted dismissively.

A few hours later, Tim had disappeared I was ready to leave the party. It wasn't far from my place, and it was a nice night out, so I decided to walk. I also couldn't be bothered waiting for the car service to arrive. 

So there it was, another moment where I should have put a little thought into my decision, but I was Alyssa Vanderbilt; glamorous, on top of the world and I thought nothing could touch me. 

Boy, I was so naive. 

After just a few minutes of walking, I started to question my decision, but after a few more, I was seriously regretting it. My Louboutin heels weren't cut out for walking, and a small breeze that was gradually picking up made me begin to shiver in my tiny Gucci dress. But I had made a commitment to this outfit, and I would walk in these shoes until my feet bled if I had to. Alyssa Vanderbilt did not walk around outdoors in bare feet.

I started to regret my decision not to call the car service. I could hail a taxi, but they were disgusting and you never knew the kind of creeps you would get driving you. Instead, I made another poor decision; I cut through the park separating my place from Jared's, because walking around it would have taken too much time. 

Considering we were downtown, I didn't think it would be that bad of decision, and it was only a few hundred yards from one end to the other. But the trees overshadowed the small path leading through the centre of the park, throwing it into darkness. 

I searched blindly in my bag, looking for my phone, and that's when I heard a voice. No, not a voice. Two voices. I felt a chill run down my spine and I quickly stepped off the path and behind a tree, straining to hear more, but the only sound was my thumping heart. After what was probably minutes, but seemed like hours, I heard the voices again. They seemed further away this time. The park fell into silence once again. I was all alone. 

Taking a deep breath, I stepped out from behind the tree and walked quietly down the path. I held my phone in my hand, half considering calling someone, just for the comfort of hearing a friendly voice. But then I decided not to. I was Alyssa Vanderbilt; strong, beautiful and independent. I didn't need to call anyone. I wasn't weak and I wasn't afraid. Before long, I could already see the edge of the park, as car headlights cut through the darkness. I dropped my phone back into my bag and told myself I was being stupid, but even so, I quickened my pace towards the exit of the park.