Chapter 7

November passed quickly, and Stephen and I had finally started to evolve in our relationship, both emotionally and physically. Every Sunday, I went over to Stephen's house to have dinner and hang out with him. Every time we were together, I felt nothing but happiness. Summer started turning into fall, and fall slowly started turning into winter, and that was when the holiday's quickly approached us. Stephen went out of town every year to visit his family in Oklahoma. He was leaving the day that school let out for winter break, and I went over to his house after school.

"Please, don't leave," I pleaded, wrapping my arms around his neck as he lay overtop of me. We were upstairs in his room, waiting for his mother to come home so that they could leave.

"Believe me, if I didn't have to go, I'd stay here. I don't think that we're going to next year though," he said as he trailed kisses on my cheek. I sighed.

"I'm going to miss you so much," I said, burying my face in his chest. He shook his head.

"Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as you know it," he said with a kiss. I held onto him so tightly and nodded, kissing him back. We stayed up in his room, kissing for a while before his mother came home. When we heard her footsteps on the steps, we instantly split apart, pretending just to hang out. Karen knocked on the door and smiled.

"We'll be ready to leave in about a half an hour to drop you off, Rose. Is that Okay?" she asked. Of course it's not Okay, I don't want him to leave!

"It's fine," I said with a bright smile. She nodded and went back downstairs again. After she was in the kitchen, I crawled into his lap and smiled.

"So, what do I get as a going away present?" He asked with a sly smile. I grinned.

"Hmm... I don't know," I said, placing my hands on his shoulders. "I'll think of something."

After a few minutes of saying "goodbye" to each other, we went downstairs and waited until we had to leave. Finally, we all piled into the van and headed back toward my house. As every minute passed by, I thought of how much I was going to miss him. But fortunately, Annabelle was planning her annual Christmas Ball, and that was going to occupy most of my days. We arrived at "Tara" and Stephen walked me toward the door.

"Please don't leave me," I pleaded, throwing my arms around him and I sighed.

"I don't have a choice," he kissed me for a few seconds. I pouted, and he laughed.

"Merry Christmas," he said, and then walked back to the car. I waved when he looked back, and watched as the van drove down the street and disappeared. I went inside the house, and immediately, I regretted it. Decorations were everywhere, people were running around, and Annabelle was going crazy. Her annual Christmas Ball was being prepared for, and I wanted nothing to do with preparing. I ran upstairs quickly, hoping that she would see me, but I ran into Zach.

"You look scared," he said with a laugh.

"It's madness down there," I said, watching as Annabelle screamed at a decorator.

"Don't worry. It might be madness now, but when the ball starts, I think you'll have a good time," Zach said. "It's not really my thing."

"Why not?" I asked, leaning against the banister.

"Eh, it's just not fun for me," he said with a shrug.

"Come on," I said, lightly punching his shoulder. "There's going to be a whole bunch of girls..."

"Old girls," he said with a frown. "All of mom's old people friends are going to be there. But..." he said with a grin. "I'm allowed to bring a few friends."

"Oh, that's good," I said, wishing that I could have brought Stephen as a date. "I'm going to go work on a book or something," I said, going into my room and sitting down. I was really going to miss him a lot during this winter vacation. I sighed, starting to work on a novel, when Annabelle burst into my room, a man carrying a box after her.

"Oh, I have something for you!" She cried excitedly. The man put the box on the bed and opened it up. Annabelle picked up what was inside, and it was a crimson red dress.

"I bought it for you in November. Isn't it wonderful?" She giggled. I stood up and touched the fabric. The silky material ran through my fingers and I looked up at Annabelle.

"This is for me?" I asked. It was a spaghetti strap style with the material gathered on the left side, another piece of red fabric underneath it.

"Of course. It's a red and green ball! I saw it on the internet, and I knew that you had to have it," she gushed. "Try it on. I want you fitted for it."

I took the dress into the bathroom and changed into it, shivering because of the soft feel of the fabric, and I stepped out of the bathroom, and Annabelle squealed with glee.

"Oh! You're going to look so wonderful!" She cried, jumping up and clapping her hands.

"The belle of the ball?" The man behind her asked.

"Don't be silly Robert," she said quickly. "Of course, that's going to be me."

"Yes, of course," Robert said. I chewed on my lip as he started my measurements.

"The bust measurements are too big. You need to make them smaller," Annabelle advised, and I looked over at her.

"It's fine, actually," I said timidly.

"Oh no, my dear," she said, walking toward me. "You need to show them off. It's a woman's best feature!" She said with a laugh. I raised my eyebrow as Robert measured my bust and had the seam taken in. "That will be all Robert. Now go take the dress off," she commanded, and I went into the bathroom to change. Annabelle placed the dress in the box and handed back to Robert, who went downstairs.

"I think you're going to have a wonderful time at the ball Rose! There are so many wonderful young men from outstanding families that are going to attend. You'll just die!" She squealed excitedly. I glared at her. How many times was I going to have to tell her that I didn't want any other man!

"Sure," I said, sitting down on my bed.

"Well, I must be going. More planning to do!" she sang, sauntering down the halls and the stairs. I rolled my eyes, shutting the door behind her and starting work on my novels.

The days between school and the ball passed extremely slowly. Without Stephen to hang out with, or talk to, things seemed to go slower. He did call every night though, around seven to update me on his vacation. He was having a really great time, and he couldn't wait to see me again. He reminded me often that he missed me and couldn't wait to get home, and I was excited for his arrival. But finally, the day of the ball arrived, like the storm after the calm weather.

Annabelle was up at five in the morning, ordering caterers, and decorators around. I could hear her through the walls of my room, and around seven, I got up and went downstairs. I wish I hadn't. The downstairs was chaos. People were running around, the Christmas tree was being dragged in, and Annabelle was screaming at everyone. Once she saw me, she darted toward me and grabbed my shoulders.

"Go upstairs and get dressed. You have a hair appointment in 25 minutes!" she shrilled at me, and I ran upstairs to take a shower, gladly staying out of her way. After I showered and dressed, she pulled me into the car and we drove downtown to one of the best hair salons and spas in the city.

"I have an appointment...Annabelle Fugue?" She said, tapping her foot against the tile. The receptionist nodded and pulled us toward the hairdressing room, and sat us down.

"Someone will be with you in a minute," she said, wandering back to the lobby. Almost immediately, two hairdressers walked out of the backroom, smiling.

"Annabelle, how nice to see you again," one of the hairdressers said with a thick southern accent.

"And who is this lovely lady sitting next to you?"

"That's Rose, Nicholas's ward," she said, looking over at me. I raised my eyebrow. Why wasn't I her ward also? I asked myself. Then I realized that she truly didn't accept me into her home and her heart. I shook my head, realizing that it was stupid to cry over something that I would never have; a true mother figure.

"Oh how lovely," she said, smiling devilishly at my way. "My name is Loretta Swint. Nice to meet you Rose," she said. I smiled in her direction and looked back at the floor. "What do you have in mind for her?" She asked Annabelle.

"I was thinking an up-do with curls hanging down and such. You're the hairstylist. Do your job!" Annabelle cried with a laugh. Loretta laughed heartily and started to run her fingers though my hair.

"Child, you have beautiful hair," she said, looking at me through the mirror. I smiled and mumbled a quick thank you as she started to survey my hair.

"I have something in mind. Bear with me," she said, turning the chair around to dip my head under the sink. She turned on the water and picked out a shampoo and a conditioner to wash my hair with, and after she was finished, she combed it and stared at it.

"This might take a while. Do you want something to read?" Loretta asked, nodding at the stack of magazines sitting on a table next to her. I picked up a Vogue Magazine and started to read as she did her work. She started with a trim; she cut off about an inch or so and then dried. I had already finished two magazines by now, and she pulled out the curling iron and started curling my hair. I looked over at Annabelle, who was chatting away as her hair was being cut.

"How long have you been living with Annabelle?" Loretta asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Not very long, since August," I said, flipping though the magazine.

"Oh, that's not very long at all. Do you like it?"

"It's very nice there," I said.

"I was surprised to see you walk in today," she said. "Usually, she comes in with a man."

I sat up straighter in my seat. "A man? Do you mean Nicholas?" I asked curiously.

"No, I don't think it's him. I've only seen Nicholas a few times, and it doesn't look like him..." she trailed as she spray hair spray on my hair.

"Well, then it must be her son, Zach," I declared, coming to a conclusion.

"No, it's not Zachary. I've cut that boy's hair since he was three years old. It's not him," she decided firmly.

"Then who could it be?" I asked aloud, looking over at her. She was deep in conversation, wearing the hairdresser's ear out. I looked back at Loretta.

"Well, he's young, maybe about in his mid twenties. He had dark hair, and light brown eyes, and he's always sitting next to her, rubbing her back or making cute little jokes. I thought it just might be a brother or a close friend or something that comes along with her," Loretta explained. I pondered for a while and then blinked.

"Does she...does she rub the back of his neck when they walk?" I asked. She looked at me and nodded.

"Yes, she does. How do you know that?" Loretta asked.

"I've seen her do it. That's all," I said, holding in my surprise. Annabelle had a lover! I knew that she rubbed his neck because she had done it often when she was around Nicholas. I blinked a few times. How could she have a lover? She doesn't like sex! But she could have lied, she could have lied to everyone, I thought. Nicholas was going to be heartbroken. But he had done the same thing. I let the thoughts settle in my mind, and later on when the ball was going on, I would observe Annabelle like a hawk.

I sat there quietly, waiting for Loretta to put the finishing touches on my hair, and she pulled away.

"Take a look darlin'," She said, and I glanced in the mirror. I gasped. All of my hair was curled, and pulled up into a messy half pony tail with tendrils hanging down my face. I smiled and touched it, wondering if it was truly real. I had never had my hair done before in a salon, so I was experiencing a brand new thing. Loretta smiled.

"It looks great. Annabelle's already done. She's waiting in the lobby for you," she said, removing the black cape from my shoulders and shaking away any extra hair. I smiled, playing with the loose curls.

"Thank you Loretta," I said, turning around to face her. She grinner.

"Now you better come in an' visit me girl. You have some wonderful hair," she said, wagging her finger at me. I nodded and ran out into the lobby, where Annabelle was sitting in the lobby, talking on her cellphone. As soon as I walked out into the room, she closed her phone.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Oh, just the caterer. He can't really do much right," she said, shoving the phone into her handbag and standing up.

"You look absolutely wonderful! Let's get you home and ready!" She said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me out to the car. She was on the phone with her lover, I thought as I sat in the back seat. It was obvious that she was lying and trying to hide it. I shook my head, knowing that it would break Nicholas's heart.

We arrived back at the house and I went directly up to my room, pondering what I was going to do tonight. I didn't want to stick by her side the whole night, but in order to cure my curiosity, I had to at least be around.

I sat in my room, waiting until the ball was coming around when Annabelle burst into my room just as the guests were arriving.

"Don't come out yet!" she hissed at me, dressed in her ball gown. It was a dark green halter style, with ruffles going down the dress. She looked extravagant with her hair and her gown.

"Why not?" I asked, setting my dress down on the bed.

"Because you have to make a grand entrance. The whole family is doing it. I'm going to be by Nicholas's side, and you'll walk next to Zach," she said. I frowned, wishing that I was walking with Stephen, but I tried to put that thought out of my mind. "I'll come in here and get you. Just sit tight," she said, leaving the room. I slipped into the dress, going over to the vertical mirror and taking a glance. I couldn't believe that I was the same person. I smiled, smoothing out the ruffles in the dress when Nicholas walked in. He gasped when he saw me.

"Rose, you look so wonderful," he said, running over to me and sweeping me into his arms. I smiled, smelling the scent of his cologne.

"Thank you," I mumbled modestly, looking down at my feet.

"Are you ready to get out there?" He asked. I nodded.

"Sure, I guess. I've never done this before," I admitted with a shrug.

"Well, don't let those people know that."

I nodded and smiled. "Is it time yet?"

"Just about," he said, looping my arm with his. We walked out of my room and to the mouth of the staircase where Annabelle was waiting, with Zach by her side.

"Alright. Richard is going to be making an announcement for us, and then we will all go down slowly. OK?" She asked. I looked down at the lobby and saw many people pouring inside the house, hanging up their coats and revealing exquisite clothes. I gulped, knowing that there were more people waiting, and it would be the first time that Annabelle's friends would see me. What would she tell them?

"Rose! Pay attention!" Annabelle hissed as Richard started to make his introduction. Annabelle and Nicholas locked arms and slowly descended down the staircase. I turned to Zach.

"I think I'm going to slip," I admitted as he pulled me down toward the stairs.

"You know how to walk," He murmured as we walked downstairs. It seemed a little ridiculous to make such a grand entrance, but that's how Annabelle wanted it. I could feel everyone's eyes glued to me as I walked downstairs, and I secretly was fervently praying that I wasn't going to mess up. Finally, we were at the bottom steps, and we walked over toward the middle of the room.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen," Annabelle announced. "And welcome to the ball!" Men and women started cheering and whistling and when they quieted down, Annabelle continued. "I honestly hope that you have a wonderful evening tonight. Drink and be merry!" The crowd cheered again, and the small orchestra that Annabelle had hired resumed their playing. I looked at Zach and he shrugged.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked. I'm sure Annabelle and Nicholas didn't want me hanging around when they were hanging out with their friends.

"Just hang out with me. Besides, Andrew is going to be here," Zach sang, walking over to the group of boys that hung in the corner. I groaned, remembering what had happened in the pool with Andrew. I slowly walked over to the boys and they all busted out into large grins.

"You look nice Rose," I heard repeatedly as I saw Annabelle in the corner of my eyes. She was in the middle of the group, surrounded by men. She was laughing, holding a champagne glass in her hand and talking to a particular person. I waited for him to move so that I could see his face. I finally jumped when I saw him, but couldn't glance at him long.

"You OK Rose?" Andrew asked, slipping beside me.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," I said, drawing my eyes away from Annabelle. He tried to slip his arm around my waist and hold me close, but I pushed him away and went to stand by Zach. Everyone started talking and laughing, and Nicholas and Annabelle were allowing us to have a little bit of champagne. Andrew took advantage of that immediately, and before I finished one, he had downed four. For most of the first hour, he was hitting on me, whispering things into my ear, and finally, I had enough of it.

"Do you want to head upstairs for a second?" He whispered in my ear. I suddenly had a wonderful idea, and I smiled.

"Sure," I said in a sultry voice. He grinned and took my hand, leading me upstairs into one of the empty guest rooms. He shut the door behind me and stood there.

"You look so sexy in that outfit," he said, walking toward me. He put his arms around me, and I let him do it. He kissed my neck.

"Why don't you sit down? I'll take care of things," I said, lightly pushing him down on the edge of the bed. He licked his lips, and started to loosen his tie. I slowly walked toward him, locking my eyes with his and sitting down on his lap. He clutched my back and brought me into his chest, his lips going everywhere. I let him kiss me, except on the lips, until I grabbed his tie, stood up, and threw him on his back on the bed. He looked up, extremely happy, and thought this was part of four play, until I raised my leg and held it up above his groin area. His smile dropped immediately, and he didn't move.

"Look at me right now," I demanded, making sure that he was looking at me. "I have a boyfriend, and it's not you. I'm sick of you trying to hit on me and it's not going to happen again, is it?" I asked, threatening to bring my high heeled shoe down on his groin. He shook his head fervently and I smiled.

"Good. Now go downstairs, and pretend that NOTHING happened. Understood?" I asked, raising my foot and putting it down on the ground. He nodded and ran from the room, scared. I sat down, extremely satisfied with myself, but inside, I was feeling a little guilty. I had let Andrew kiss my neck and I pretended to be happy with it, but what I was I going to tell Stephen? I'm going to tell him what happened, I decided, and I fixed myself up and went downstairs. Andrew had evidently left the house, and I was satisfied with that. Once he was gone, I started to have a little fun, and the champagne was going to my head. I decided to walk around the house, and I went into Nicholas's office to take a breather. Sitting there at his desk, was a tall, dark boy smoking one of Nicholas's expensive cuban cigars and a glass of whiskey in his hand.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" I asked, leaning against the doorway. He turned toward me, took a puff from the cigar and smiled.

"Who are you?"

"I asked you first," I said, stepping into the office and closing the doors behind me. He grinned.

"Well, if you must know, I'm Jonathan Jackson, son of Arthur Jackson the third," he answered in a cocky tone. He took a swig of the whiskey and set the glass down on the table.

"You shouldn't be smoking those, or drinking that whiskey. How old are you anyway?"

"I'm 17," he said, flicking the ashes off of the cigar. I blinked.

"You're underage. For both smoking and drinking," I said, walking closer to him. He smiled.

"I've been drinking since I was 15 years old. And I've been smoking cigars for almost a year," he answered, swinging around in the chair.

"Why aren't you out at the party?" I asked, sitting down in one of Nicholas's leather chairs.

"Because they're extremely boring," he said, waving his hand in the air. "My father drags me to these things all the time. I've never seen you around here though. Who are you?"

"Rose Clairmont," I answered, lifting my head high.

"Well, Rose Clairmont, what the hell are you doing here?" He questioned.

"I'm Nicholas Fugue's ward," I answered, remembering that Annabelle didn't want me as her ward.

"Oh. I see," he mumbled, killing the cigar in the nearby ash tray. "A drink?"

"No, I'm fine," I said, rolling my eyes.

"You don't like me very much," he said, looking at me suspiciously as he stood up to pour himself another drink.

"I don't know you," I said with a laugh.

"Don't you want to know my background? To check and see if I'm not a criminal?" He asked me. I shrugged.

"Well, what does your father do to produce so much money? The only way you could have been invited is if you have lots of money," I inquired, feeling witty and giddy at the moment.

"Well, my father owns two oil rigs in Louisiana, and my mother, who is not here tonight, is in a multi-million dollar corporation," he replied, downing the whiskey quickly.

"Then you have a lot of money then," I murmured. The band got louder, and Jonathan started to dance like a fool.

"These parties can be fun," he said, laughing as he sat down at Nicholas's desk.

"Sure," I said. He looked over at me and smiled.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" He asked.

"I do, he's on vacation," I mumbled, wishing that he were here. "I better be going, Annabelle is probably looking for me," I added, standing up, and as soon as I went to the door, it flew open, and Annabelle is standing there.

"Rose, what are you doing in here?" She asked, surprised.

"I was just wandering off. Were you looking for me?" I asked. She blinked and nodded.

"Yes, I was. We're about to give the annual toast. Oh, have you met Jonathan?" She asked, looking over at the desk. He smiled and gave a short wave to Annabelle.

"Yes, I have. Should we go?" I asked quickly.

"Ah, yes, I'll be out there in a second," she said, glaring at Jonathan. I walked out of the room and realized that the clasp on my shoe had broken. I had kneeled down on the floor to fix it when I heard Annabelle talking.

"What are you doing in here? I told you to mingle around?" She hissed.

"Annabelle, those things are boring as hell. I wanted to stay in here," Jonathan said, the springs of the chair moving as he stood up.

"They are not. Just deal with it. Please?" She pleaded. After a moment of silence, I heard the unmistakable sound of soft kissing. A cold chill ran down my spine. And I looked into the room slightly. Annabelle was locked in an embrace with Jonathan, and they were kissing passionately. She was cheating on Nicholas with a 17 year old boy?