Chapter 2 – Ace Anderson

• Serena
• “Do you have to go to this party?” I whine, lazing in my bed. Dreading the idea of leaving the comfort of my home. It is Friday night, I just wanted to stay home and binge watch my favorite show.
• However, I knew better. Even without her asking, I will have to accompany her. Ever since I had discovered her party problem, I had never allowed her go to partying by herself.
• I am not a big fan of parties. In my personal opinion, party is the very definition of hell. Dumb college student gathers I one place get drunk then do shit that they’ll regret later.
• “Yes! Ace Anderson is going to be there tonight, and I want to meet him.” Clara chimed excitedly from the bathroom. I roll my eyes.
• Ace Anderson, hottest guy school. He is good at everything. Good looking, good grade, good at sport. Not to mention good with the girls. Rumor to be the prince of parties. Always the last one to arrive, but never failed to gather a crowd.
• I have never met him in person, and I wished I never would. I don’t even know what he looks like. How did I know these information about him? Clara never shut up about him.
• “Why would you think someone like him will look at Cinderella like you?” I insulted our status, which I’m not ashamed of.
• We are not exactly Cinderella but somewhat similar. Me and Clara are orphans, abandoned by our family. We had the chance further our education through grants, scholarship and work full time to sustain our life and support the orphanage.
• “What are you wearing? You look like an escort asking to get fuck.” I cringe the minute she walk through the door. I chastise her settling into a sitting position.
• Clara had on a tight red body-con dress that showed her everything. Thigh, cleavage, and it barely covered her bottom. One look at her and I shakes my head, disapprovingly.
• Clara gave me an angry glare before turning to the full-length mirror we had in our dorm room and started doing her make up. I wasn’t going to let it go and started rambling about how unsafe it was to be walking at night with that get up.
• She is unfazed and ignores me. I frown, getting out of bed to shake some sense back into her.
• “Are you listening to me?”
• “Nope.” She cunningly smile and turns back to the mirror to add the finishing touches to her look. Seriously, this girl knows no fear at all, does she?
• “I’m seriously concern for your safety here.” I was perplexed at her nonchalant attitude toward this.
• She is going to get into trouble by dressing like this. She twirls around and poke my forehead with her index finger.
• “Ok, mom I get it, but I won’t change and if you are worry…” she pause, giving me another sly smile. “Why not go with me?” There it is. I was right on the money when I said I would have to accompany her.
• “No!” A simple but stern answer from me. I went back to lazing on my bed, but Clara was relentless. She saunter over and sit next to me.
• “Please…you know how much I can drink and how I am when I’m drunk.” She wraps around my arm and beg me with the most irresistible puppy eyes.
• How could I not know, I’ve known her for over a decade. We first met a Kat orphanage home. She was four and I was 5 years old at the time.
• My parents passed away in a car accident. The relative didn’t want to take me in so, I was drop off at the orphanage along with only a bag of cloth.
• When I first got there, I was scared, helpless and alone. I didn’t talk or try to connect with anyone. I would often sit in the back of the room, staring off into space.
• For two months straight, I sat in silent. Some kids try to make small talk, but I refuse to say anything due to the shock of having seen my parents take their last breath. I was there, with them, when the car flipped over.
• Kat used to tell me it was a miracle that I survived but to me it was more of a curse. Sometimes, I wonder why God let me live. Can’t I just go with my parents? Or did I do something so malicious, so evil that even death didn’t want me. This is some kind of punishment. For what? Only God know the answer.
• Anyway, that is enough about me. As for Clara, Kat open the door one faithful morning to a shivering to the cold in nothing but a torn adult t-shirt and two lollipops in her hand. Needless to say, she was taken in with the rest of the kids.
• When I saw her, she was as scare as me when I first arrived. Some kids tried to take way her lollipop, but I stepped in. After returning the lollipop to her, I return to my corner and continue to stare into space.
• To be honest I don’t know why I help her, when I’ve never messed with anyone before. Maybe it is because when I look at her and I saw myself. She had the same fear in her eyes, that I understood too well. Or maybe I just wanted her lollipop. Who knows?
• After I saved her, she came over and handed me her lollipop, willingly. Clara smile and said, “I’m Clara, let be friend.” Her eyes sparkle as she smiles at me.
• I accepted her lollipops, but I still refuse to talk to her for few more days. She persisted and my god she doesn’t know how to shut up. She wouldn’t stop talking about her obsession with Bell from beauty and the beast.
• One day she is going to find her prince charming, get married and have a kid with him. I told her prince charming don’t exist and she goes, “But they do. When I found the right guy, he will be the prince charming in my heart.” She smiled as if they had fallen in love already.
• It took me awhile, but I eventually opened up. Clara still holds on to those childish dream until today. After high school, we entered college and here she met her prince charming: Ace Anderson.
• I still remember the day she came running to me and screamed into my ear the name of her prince charming: Ace Anderson. I almost died, choking on my water.
• She had never talk to him or met him in person and that is why she insisted on going to this party. My concern was her lack of alcohol tolerance. It only took her two shot to get drunk.
• When she is drunk, she starts offering herself to every guy that crosses her path. How did I know this? Well, this girl never failed to drag me to all the parties during our high school days. And the same thing happens every time.
• She takes the smallest amount of alcohol and then off she goes. Stumbling and twerking in the middle of the dance floor. Whispering and groping random stranger.
• When they guy starts touching her inappropriate area, that when I become her personal bouncer and intervene. I was worried for her safety, dignity, and virginity; that is the only reason why I say “Fine, but we go in you meet Ace Anderson and we are out of there, deal?”
• “EEEHHH! I love you! Muah!” She throws air kisses at me, to which I block all of it. Clara jumps up excitedly and rushes to her closet to pull out the same dress as her, but in blue. She wiggles it in front of me, smiling. Probably hoping we are going to go into the party like a pair of twins in body-con dress.
• “Nah-ah, you want me to go I’m going in jean and hoodies.” She opens her mouth to protest. “No but.” I concluded and proceeded to pull out a torn-up Jean and giant hoodies.
• I get dressed, more like my grandma get up to tell the world I didn’t want to be there, and we are off to the party. It was a 25 minutes’ drive from the dorm to the frap party.
• From the looks of it, this seems to be the biggest party she ever drags me to. There must be over a hundred people and more still pooling in. I sighed audibly when we got up to the open front door, earning a frown from Clara.
• The big two-story house had loud deafening music and disco light everywhere. It smells of boozed, smoke and sweat. Clara squealed excitedly, but I sighed and sighed again. Ugh! Why do people like these things?