| Chapter Twenty-six (pt 2) |
| For the second time that night, Grace was wondering what she was doing here. She was having a horrible time. She truly stuck out like a sore thumb. She was the only person dressed in jeans and a turtleneck, and she seemed to be the only person who didn't know anybody.
Sure, she knew Justin, and if you wanted to get technical, she knew Trace, Sadie and Olivia, but since she hadn't seen any of them in the last hour, they didn't count. They'd entered the party as a group, and for a moment, Grace had thought that it wouldn't be so bad. She had shown up with a celebrity after all even if she did look like she didn't belong. Being a part of a celebrity entourage was very interesting. Everybody was looking at them, and Justin and his friends knew it. Sadie and Olivia couldn't have been happier with the attention. "Oh my god, it's Justin Timberlake," someone whispered. "I know," some else squealed. Despite the palpable excitement in the air, everyone acted as though they could care less. "Hey Justin," someone shouted as though he was their best friend. Justin, not know where the greeting had come from, shouted back, "Hey."After a moment to get used to the celebrity presence, everyone went back to their debauchery. A few girls in the corner were eyeing Justin; they whispered amongst themselves, probably trying to figure out who had first dibs. All five of them sent death threats with their eyes to Sadie and Olivia. Grace tried not letting it bother her that nobody had spared more than a passing glance in her direction. After a few moments to let themselves be associated with Justin, Sadie and Olivia immediately detached from Justin's arms. Sadie whispered something in Olivia's ear and pointed to somewhere to the left. Olivia casually glanced in that direction, and with a laugh, nodded. She started to walk off, but Sadie grabbed her arm. Turning back to Grace, she said, "Frat boys. 10 o'clock." She pointed again to the left. Grace looked over in that general direction and saw a large group of guys; they were of course all very handsome men. When she turned back, she saw Sadie staring at Justin, a huge smile on her face. "No, thanks." Sadie shifted her gaze back to Grace. "I don't blame you," she replied, rather cryptically, but before anyone could say anything, Sadie and Olivia were already on their way to mingle with the frat boys. A few moments after that, Trace was gone. He'd said he was going to get a drink, but he had never returned. Justin had stayed the longest with Grace. They'd found an empty spot on the couch and sat in relative silence. He probably would have talked to her more if so many people hadn't been clamoring for his attention. Everyone wanted to talk to the Justin Timberlake even if they were trying to act otherwise. Every once in a while, Justin would turn to Grace and offer to get her a drink or ask how she was doing, but then someone else would appear and take his attention. It continued like this for more than a half-hour. Finally, a guy came by and introduced himself as Ron, the owner of the house (well, actually, it was his parent's place but they let him use it, you know, whenever); he gushed and gushed about how excited he was that Justin could make it. "No problem, man," he motioned towards Grace, "This is my friend, Grace." Ron waved absentmindedly, but his attention never left Justin. "Hey, do you want to see the rest of the house? I have a couple of friends who would love to meet you. They're big fans." Like a gracious guest, Justin immediately agreed. "I'll be right back," he said to Grace before following behind a very eager Ron. He didn't come right back. It'd been over a hour, and the last time she'd seen him, he was engaging in a very lively discussion with a few people (Ron at his side, of course). He'd forgotten her like everyone else. If she saw him again, she might kick him. Or cry. God, she hoped she didn't cry. As more and more people began to move around the couch, Grace moved from her seat to a quiet corner. And here she was, holding up the wall again. She'd thought about going out back where a lot of people seemed to be going, but considering all these people looked and acted like extras from Clueless, she didn't have the confidence for it. The group of girls who'd been eyeing Justin earlier passed by Grace; they had all changed into bikini and every man within viewing distance couldn't stop staring. They knew it too. One of the girls glanced in Grace's direction and quirked an eyebrow; she turned to one of her friends and whispered something. The friend looked over at Grace and nodded. Smiling, the first girl broke away from the pack and approached Grace. “Hey.” “Uh…hi.” “I’m Lydia.” She adjusted her sarong and bikini top; although she was dressed for swimming, her hair and skin weren't damp. “I’m Grace.” She nodded her head, “Yeah, that’s cool.” “Yeah, I think so too.” “So,” she continued not acknowledging Grace’s remark, “didn't I see you earlier with Justin Timberlake?” Grace was surprised. She had assumed that nobody had even noticed her presence. It was nice to know that she at least ranked on someone's radar. “Yeah.” “That’s cool.” “Ummm…yeah…sure.” "You came with those other girls too, right? The blonde and brunette." "Yeah." Lydia nodded, "Oh, cool." "Uh huh." Grace knew what her next question would be before she even asked it. With an elaborate sigh, she tried to sound embarrassed as she said," I really hate to be nosy, but I'm just curious. Do you know if he's dating one of them?" "No, I don't think he is." Her smile was blinding. “Cool. I was just wondering.” She adjusted the strap of her top again, her eyes darting all around. She was on the prowl. “So, do you know where he is?” “Nope. I haven't seen him in a while.” “Are you sure?” “Umm…yeah, I'm pretty sure.” She couldn't keep the exasperation out of her voice. “Oh, okay. Cool. Just asking,” Her eyes swept over Grace, “So, are you with that other guy? Justin's friend. The short one." "No, Justin invited me," she made sure to stress his name. She had wanted to add "after he kissed me" but had enough self-control to stop herself. "Oh, are you guys related?” “No.” This had the makings of a good catfight. “Oh, cool.” It was said in a nonchalant tone, but the look in her eyes told a different story. “I just assumed that since you came together…” her words trailed off, allowing Grace to fill in the blanks. Grace probably would have returned with some catty remark that she’d feel guilty about later, but she held her tongue. With a very annoying grin, Lydia excused herself and returned to her friends. Grace had never been so angry in her entire life. She was mad at everyone, but Justin seemed to be the primary target of her fury. He was the one who invited her. He had to know that she was here because of him, yet he still had abandoned her. She was so sick of being inside that she left her post at the wall and followed a group of people out onto the deck. There were quite a few people there, but over all the noise, she could still hear the ocean. The thought of sitting on the beach and feeling sorry for herself seemed like a great idea, so she found a staircase and followed the path to the beach. It was there, halfway between Ron's beach house and the ocean, that Grace started to cry. She hated to cry, and if she known someone was only a few steps behind her, she would have stopped immediately. |