"What are you thinking? Red?" I hold the satin red tie over my chest, "I think red looks good on me. There's a sort of power aspect."

"You look dashing, sir." My butler Harry complimented.

"I wasn't asking you, but thanks anyway," I sigh. "Jace!"

"What? What do you want?" He groans as he runs his hand through his hair.

"Have you not been listening this whole time?" I narrow my eyes at him. I invited him over for breakfast and let him borrow my clean up crew for the mess the party made. I expected him to have a hangover, I didn't expect him to be pouting like an orphanevery second of the day

"Yeah, man. I've been listening. I'm just-"

"You're justdrowning every room in bleeding misery. I'm trying to have a good day, Jace," I huff and shake my head. "Harry, wait outside the door, please. My friend and I have important matters to discuss."

"Will do, sir." He nods and I wait for him to leave the room before I turn to Jace.

"What is wrong with you?" I ask in a more sympathetic tone.

"After the party last night...when I went into my room, there was a drawer open..."

I snicker, "what was stolen? Your dignity?"

"The tape."

"The tape?" My heart stops in my chest. "What tape? And I swear to god if you say Ryan's tape I will-."

"Yes, Ryan's tape," Jace says, his voice sounding scratchy.

"You kept it?"I shouted but then stepped back and took a deep breath. If we speak too loudly, Harry will hear and might tell my father of our conversation. "Jace, my dear friend, I thought we agreed to destroy the tape and every copy of it. What possessed you to keep it? If jail sounds appealing to you, I can buy you a pretty prostitute to put you in handcuffs."

That tape places us at the scene of a merry little homicide we swore under oath that we knew nothing about.

"I thought that— maybe we could get a few lawyers and get ourselves out of this for good. You know, have a clear conscience and a clean record."

"I told you 'no' the first time you suggested that, Jace," I said through gritted teeth, "we left a crime scene. We were there. We did nothing to prevent it and for all they know, we helped kill Ryan and watched him die."

"We were high!"Jace balled up his fists, "it was a really bad trip...we were useless to him like that. I couldn't even feel my legs, you had to drag me out of the room, remember?"

"Is that what you planned on telling the police?" I ask, "that we would have helped but we were too far gone on illegal drugs?"

"No-"

"But Ryan was high on something worse, right? Something that had him lying there drooling while they beat the life out of him. Way to smear a dead man's name, Jace. No one liked the guy but that's still messed up. I think his family prefers the 'being killed by burglars' story they gave the papers."

"I get it, okay? I know, I messed up. But...what now?"

"Isn't your place covered head to toe in security cameras?" I question. He got in trouble when we were fourteen because he tried to smuggle whiskey for us when I slept over one night. I'm pretty sure he was caught on tape.

"Yeah, but there aren't any in my room. I'm sure you can figure out why..." He narrows his eyes at me.

"For God's sake, Jace. I'm not saying that there's dozens of footage of you with your hand around your dick. I'm saying that if there's a camera in the hallway, whoever stole it will be up there."

"No..." Jace sighs, "I made sure the cameras were on but not recording. I didn't want my parents finding out about the party."

"Dammit," I groaned. "I'll make a call to my lawyers and get them to prepare for a case."

"Well, I don't think whoever took it plans to tell anyone about it...or else we'd be arrested by now."

"I'm glad it's you here, today. You have better taste in clothes thanAlison does." I link arms with Heather as we strut down the sidewalk.

"We're shopping? I thought you invited me out for lunch," she frowned.

"Oh, cheer up," I playfully rolled my eyes at her. "We'll eat first if that is what you want."

"Well, seeing as though I'm running on water and adrenaline, that is what I want."

"What'd you do last night that had you sleeping through breakfast?" I smirk, "...Jace, perhaps?"

"No," Heather laughs. "I did attend his party, however."

"And you didn't stay with him? Are you two fighting about something?" I ask out of shameless curiosity. To outsiders, their relationship seems perfect, everyone wants what they have. But if you're near them for a while, it's obvious that they just feel comfortable together. It's sad, really. I'm bored just looking at them, I can't imagine how bored they are being a couple.

"No, we're perfect. I had business with some other people, people you wouldn't know," Heather shrugged nonchalantly.

"I know the president. If you were hanging out with people I don't know then they aren't worth knowing."

"I guess not then," she backs down too easily.

"Come on, give me their names," I nudge her.

"It's not important," Heather brushes me off.

"If it's-"

"Hey, look, croissants," She pauses at a café across from Vera Wang. I was seconds away from protesting, but she entered without me, leaving me to follow after her.

She eagerly stood at the counter, admiring all the baked goods they had on display. I don't particularly indulge in bread or anything high in carbs unless it's a Sunday. Fortunately, they had other things.

Heather ordered a croissant with fresh fruit and whipped cream, along with a caramel cappuccino. She's swallowing grams upon grams of sugar, it's a heart attack begging to happen. I ordered a peach yogurt parfait and water. I want to be able to fit into next year's spring collection.

We took a seat by the window and watched the elites storm the streets with bags full of designer clothes and boxes of diamonds. This is the purest state of life. I love that I belong here.

"Heather..." I say as I twirl my spoon in my yogurt.

"Hm?" She hums as she sips her coffee.

"I volunteered us to host 'The Addington Autumn Ball,' I already have everything planned out...but a few days before the dance, I'll need you to run some errands."

I've been planning this ballsince the last one. I was on the committee last year but no one would take my ideas because I was an underclassman. This time, the autumn ball is mine.

"The Ball isn't until next month, there's no way you planned it all out already."

"Do you realize who you're talking to?" I raise an eyebrow, "I won't be married until I'm 25 and my husband has graduated medical school with his doctorate degree, but I still have the wedding planned out." And I do. The duke and duchess will be sitting in the front next to Claudia Schiffer and Karl Lagerfeld. Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington will be in the second row on my husband's side. Most importantly though, Chris O'Donnell, my lover, will be my husband's best man.

"God, I haven't even bought a dress for that yet," she groans.

"For my wedding?" I furrow my eyebrows. As if she has a choice on what she's going to wear.

"No, Audrey, we're talking about the dance."

"Well, you have to match with Jace so maybe you should decide together," I suggest and she looks off into the distance instead of agreeing with me. "...You do plan on going with Jace, don't you?" My eyes narrow.

"Yes, of course, who else would I go with? He's my boyfriend." My skeptical expression does not fade because that was the obvious default response.

"I don't know, you tell me. You're the one running around with people you want to hide from everyone else."

"Audrey, drop it," Heather says sternly.

"Does Jace know about your strange company," I continue pressing her. "I bet it's really fun sneaking around like that."

"I'm not sneaking around with anyone, can you just stop?"

Her jaw clenches, a sure-fire sign that she's withholding the truth and I can always tell when someone is lying. Heather is way too easy, burdened with the biggest conscience. I know if I push hard enough, she will break sooner or later.

"Whoever it is must be really cute, cuter than Jace and cuter than the little Kendal babies you would have had together if the mystery guy didn't steal you away from him," I say slyly and look away from her as I put another spoonful of yogurt in my mouth.

"That's it, I'm going home," Heather rolls her eyes and stands up from the table

"Home to Jace? Or the people I don't know?"

"Call me when you're not being a bitch, okay, Audrey?" She glares before walking out of the door.

"Sweetie, I'm home," my mom calls out as she walks into the apartment. "Help me with the groceries, please."

I groan and tap Matt on the shoulder, signaling for him to come help as well. I opened my door and we walked out toward the kitchen.

"Hey, Ms. Rylin," Matt smiled as he took a bag out of her arms.

"Oh, Matthew, what a pleasant surprise. How's your mother doing, is she alright?"

"Ah, yeah, she's the same as always," he laughs lightly before assisting me with unloading the groceries.

"Leo," She smiles, "guess what I brought?" I watch her take white containers out of one of the bags. "Your favorite!"

"Mom, you didn't have to buy this," I smile at the smell of the stir fry and fried rice.

"I had a little extra saved over after I paid all the bills and went grocery shopping," she shrugged. "Thought I'd bring takeout for my jellybean." Her thumb brushes over my cheek endearingly.

"I begged you not to call me that in front of my friends," I sigh and look over to Matt who is choking on his laughter.

"No, come on, jellybean. Don't be like that. It's adorable," he continues laughing.

"You see what you do?" I groan and my mom just waves me off.

"I used to call him all sorts of things but he claimed he was 'too old' for all my nicknames." She tells Matt, "but I just had to keep jellybean, I've called him that since he was a baby. My little jellybean." She puts her hand over her heart.

"It was the least humiliating thing you called me, I let you keep it. It was better than cookie-monster and cupcake."

"Cupcake?" Matt hunched over as he laughed hysterically. "Oh my god, man. I'm going to ruin your chances with every girl by bringing that one up."

"Alright, that's enough," I stop them both. "Come on, Matt. The show is about to start." I grab some of the food and head back to my room.

Matt follows after me and flops onto my bed with his mouth full and food in his hands.

"Hey, be careful! Can you try not to spill Chinese food on my bed? I just got these sheets washed," I complain while picking up pieces of rice from the linen.

"There's probably been a lot worse on your bed than fried rice," he says suggestively.

"Yeah, well, that's none of your business," I smirk and sit on the bed next to him."Now...are you ready for this?"

"Hell, yeah. Fucking Radiohead, turn on the tv," Matt says excitedly as I reach for the remote.

Matt and I share the same taste in music and always plan a little sit in every time MTV Unplugged books a good band. It's as close as we've ever gotten to an actual live concert from these people.It used to be more of us who hung out here together, but after a while, they all found something better, I guess.

I saw Danny near the park earlier, but he was with Val and she barely let him wave at me. She's had him on a pretty short leash since they started dating a few months ago. I warned him about getting in a relationship, I couldn't handle giving away my free will for a girl. He's always buying her things and calling her a thousand times a day just to end up seeing her later on. Sounds more like voluntary incarceration than dating.

"Hey, look who it is," I point toward Zach climbing onto my fire escape. He taps on the window with his knuckles covered by his sleeve. "Open it for him."

Zach lives downstairs, he moved in last year with his dad and really hot older sister. I tried a bunch to get with her, but she managed to lock down this college guy and you can't compete with college guys.

"Did you start without me?" Zach asks once he gets his feet back on the ground.

"No, we just turned it on. Sit down, I'll get you a soda and some food."

He hopped on the end of my bed causing Matt to almost spill his food again. "Just the soda, I ate before I got here."

"Cool."

I grab two sodas in my hands for Matt and Zach and then place a cream soda under my arm for me. I rarely drink soda but whoever thought of making a cream flavor deserves a presidential award, maybe even the presidency itself.

"See you in the morning, jellybean." My mom rushes over to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Tell your friends I said goodbye, as well."

I sigh, "you work too hard."

She's here when I wake up in the morning but leaves when It's time for me to go to school, that's when her shift at the bakery uptown starts. I see her again in the evening, two or three hours after I get home, but then she has to leave for her second job, she's a waitress at the diner not too far from our apartment.

"I work because I love you." She ruffles my hair before grabbing her jacket and keys. "Don't go to sleep too late and try not to make any messes, okay, Leo?"

"Yeah, alright. I love you too." I wave her off as she leaves out of the door. I had almost forgotten that I was holding the sodas until I felt my hands getting numb and water started dripping off the cans. "Uh— Grape right, your favorite?" I ask Zach.

"Ah, you remembered." He smiled and took the soda from me.

"My favorite is orange but thanks anyway," Matt complains when I hand him a grape soda as well.

I shake my head and sit down next to him on the bed. "You want orange? Go get your own soda then."