The Heaven I Found In Hell (8 page)

"Because Nathan, you're a horrid brother."

"That hurt." He said, placing his hand on the spot where his heart was for exaggeration. The cute pout and heart-melting eyes remained on his face, while I contemplated carefully about how I was going to return what he said.

"Accept it. The truth hurts."

I opened my mouth and was supposed to add more things to say, but a voice coming from the side of the door spoke up, and said, "Why? Did anything happen?"

Cindy, Kendra, and Blake entered the room and sat on the empty spaces on the couches and chairs. We called a waiter and ordered a few drinks and some appetizers, before the conversation continued.

"What hurts?" Kendra asked, as she crossed her legs, and rested her hands on her jean skirt.

"That Nathan is a horrid brother." I answered, laughing softly. Kendra gave me a smirk, as she nodded continuously, eyeing Nathan in a mischievous way.

"Yeah, I'd never want to have such an overprotective brother." Kendra added, causing Nathan to call her a, "Loser."

"But he's a hot one, so I don't mind." Cindy said, with a playful laugh, which caused the guys to whistle, and the girls to make gagging faces.

"That's incest for me, Cindy!" Riley said, looking at her in bewilderment.

"Okay fine, fine…" She said, letting out a chuckle. "But I wouldn't mind having a hot sibling."

"Kudos to that." Kendra said.

I agreed and muttered out a, "Same here."

"Me four, as long as it's not someone like Nate." Riley said with a grin. She went over to her brother and ruffled his already disheveled hair.

Oh God…he looks even hotter now… Shut up, shut up you shitty brain! You're no good in sports, no better in school, and you really have low standards when it comes to defining 'hot'. Okay, fine…I'm fooling myself, but Nathan isn't 
that
 hot…

Riley messing up Nathan's hair caused the whole of to us to let out 'Aww's in a brother-sister way of cuteness. She apparently left me alone, as she decided to sit beside her sibling, and I was left alone resting myself on the loveseat looking like a loner. This caused a few people to laugh.

"Alex, you look so lonely…" Blake said with a light-hearted laugh. I went along with him, and patted the extra space beside me.

"You want to make me not lonely?" I said, winking at him, just as a tease. He opened his mouth and widened his eyes and returned the wink I gave him.

I caught Cindy's glare, and decided to discontinue flirting with Blake. I stood up from my seat, got a glass containing some kind of cocktail drink, and drank it like a shot.

"I'll just go outside. I feel like dancing." I said casually, the alcohol not taking effect yet.

"Do you want any of us to accompany you?" Nathan said in a brotherly tone. I pulled up one of my eyebrows at him, before I shook my head.

"It's okay, Nathan. One sister's enough for you." I said, as I left the group, and went over to the dance floor.

Thankfully, some stranger went over to where I was and started dancing with me. He had sandy blonde hair with a few black streaks complimenting greatly his tan-colored skin. He looked like a surfer, and I laughed at the thought. His physique was tall and his arms were well toned. After a few minutes of exchanging body heat those strong arms of his found their way to the lower part of my back, as his fingers started to draw invisible circles on my dress.

After what seemed like a couple of hours, but was only really half of an hour, I found his lips pressing down on mine. I returned the kiss, and the make-out session continued as we stood on the dance floor. Our bodies were grinding as our tongues clashed, and I found myself deepening the kiss.

I circled his neck with my arms, as his hands slowly trailed down an inch above my ass. The lustful kiss continued until I felt myself being pulled away from him. I felt arms encircle my shoulders, and I looked up to meet Anthony's worried face. Before I could even ask him why he cut the make-out session I was having short, he got a hold of my hand, and dragged me over to the bar. The worried look remained stamped on his face.

"What were you doing?" He asked sounding a little frustrated. He ran a hand through his ebony-colored hair, before exhaling deeply.

"Kissing. Why do you look mad?" I asked getting slightly annoyed myself. Ever since I had arrived in Ridgeway, all I've been doing was not understanding lessons, and being a humiliation during gym. I haven't even kissed a guy ever since I got here, and when I finally did, it had to be cut short.

So sue me for being a hormone-driven teenager just like everybody else.

"What was his name?"

"Huh?"

"Alex…" Anthony started getting aggravated with my denseness. "The guy you were kissing. Who was he?"

"I don't know." I said, as I sat myself on the stool getting a little help from Anthony, before I leaned my back on the bar ledge.

"You didn't even bother to ask his name?"

I shook my head, and in that instant a tall figure emerged beside Anthony. "Did you get her?" Nathan asked worriedly.

Anthony nodded, and immediately, Nathan turned his head to face me, a look of worry seen in his eyes.

"What was his name? Are you drunk?" The brown-haired boy asked agitatedly.

He took a step closer to me, and enveloped me into a comforting hug. I asked him what was going on. Sadly on my part, he ignored my question, and continued with the interrogation.

"What's his name?" He asked again. "How many drinks have you had?"

"I don't know, and no, I'm not drunk."

He reacted the same way Anthony did. "You don't know his name?"

"Why should I?" I asked in oblivion.

The two guys that stood in front of me let out deep sighs in unison. Nathan wiped strands of his light brown hair away from his eyes, and started to explain why I should've known the stranger's name.

"Because you guys were ogling each other like you two were in a private room. You were on the dance floor, mind you."

"I don't get what you're trying to say…" I told the two of them. "It was just a kiss."

And again, Nathan snubbed what I had to say.

"Please don't tell me you got his number before even trying to know what his name was."

"I didn't get his number 
and
 his name…" I said to them, getting annoyed.

Gosh I didn't need a brother…two for that matter…
I rolled my eyes at what I thought.

"So what was that all about?" Anthony asked referring to the session I had a while ago.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Nathan asked in disbelief.

He rested his hands on edge of the stool I sat on, and looked at me closely in the eye. I could feel his breath trickling down my neck, and if he weren't acting like a nuisance, I would've kissed him in that instant.

"Nathan…" I mouthed out, sounding irritated already. "Anthony…"

They eyed me closely.

"That was absolutely nothing. I don't think I'm even going to see him ever again. It was just a one-time thing, and I won't be kissing him anymore…" I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "Do you guys understand?"

"Do you treat all your relationships like this?"

Were they trying to corner me…?

I gave them both a raised brow and asked what they meant. They looked at each other and exchanged looks, before they turned back to me and burned me down with their gazes.

"Alex, how many people have you gone out with?" Nathan asked, as he let out a deep sigh. He pulled his crossed arms up to his chest, and rested them there.

"I didn't know you had to count the number of people you go on dates with…" I said with a hint of sarcasm I didn't mean to use. By the looks on their faces which were a mixture of worry and plain nothingness, they weren't amused, and I felt myself getting even more irritated by the way they were treating me.

"Okay…how about the number of guys you've gone into a serious relationship with." Anthony said.

"I guess that's an easier question." Nathan added.

"Why should I?" I answered, but before they even opened their mouths, I continued with what I had to say.

"I travel a lot…I go to different places…I meet a lot of hot, young guys from different countries…and those guys also travel a lot…they go to different places…and they meet a lot of hot, young girls from all over the world…" I said sounding more frustrated than solemn. "Now…give me a reason why I should be committed and serious?"

"Alex…can you 
please 
think long-term? After a decade or so, you're going to look older, and there are going to be a lot more women who will look prettier and sexier than you. What you have now, your flawless face, your slender but curvy body, they're not going to look like that when you're 28 or so."

"You're going to have to settle down…"

"Are you telling me that I have to start looking for my future husband now?" I said in tone mixed of sarcasm and slight fury. I stood up from the stool and started to walk away from the two, but Nathan held a tight grasp on my shoulder, and wouldn't let go.

"I'm not telling you to do that."

"Can you 
please
 just fucking tell me what you're trying to say…just get straight to the point." I started as the anger inside me was about to reach its maximum. "Because as you might have guessed, I'm not as mentally inclined as I am academically."

And there goes a hint of amusement that I didn't mean to use…again.

"We're telling you to be serious. Because when you start looking for Mr. Right…"

I cut him off.

"Why is everyone telling me to think long term?" I seethed through gritted teeth.

"It's just the two of us." Anthony offered, hoping to placate me.

Apparently, the two of them realized that the bar wasn't really a good place to talk since people were starting to stare and listen to our heated conversation, so what they did was to drag me up back to the empty V.I.P. room (the rest might have been dancing), and continue the argument inside the private bathroom. I sat on the toilet bowl, with its cover down of course, while the two guys continued to smolder me with looks full of intensity. Looking from a few feet away, Anthony leaned his whole body on the tiled wall, while Nathan sat on the floor, right in front of me. I sitting down on the toilet bowl was looking down at him blandly, as he looked up at me with concern on his face.