jade reed 🏺 megara (arealslice) wrote in dunhavenic, @ 2017-11-25 09:26:00 |
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Everything had turned out more perfect than Jade could have hoped. She'd decorated their beautiful house in black and gold and had themed the food and desserts to match. Josie and Finn had both helped, though Finn had been less useful. Still, he took direction well enough and Beau had joined them before the party started and she'd roped him into helping with the finishing touches. Most people seemed to have gotten the memo, wearing a variation on the black and gold and someone had snuck in a few bottles of liquor. Alcohol obviously had not been in the budget, but she wouldn't pretend to be angry that someone had achieved that for them. Nothing had gotten out of hand and she was having a really great time, having indulged in a vodka drink herself. Jade had a gold hairpiece, glittery gold eyeshadow with winged eyeliner and deep red lips, and a black dress with gold sequins around the top portion under a sheer black panel halter that she'd made herself. She felt sexy and happy as the birthday queen, and a reigning queen at one of the town's two schools. So with a buzz in her head and a light heart, she didn't feel too annoyed with Kevin when he found her in a somewhat emptier corner of the house and wrapped his arms around her waist. She'd been avoiding him for quite a while, having grown tired of his poor jokes and sloppy kisses. He'd also been growing more handsy and it just didn't work. Still, he was cute enough and a basketball player, so she had held onto him. When he started pressing wet kisses to her neck, though, she grimaced and pushed at his arms. “Kev, not right now…” He didn't relent, moving to her exposed shoulders and tightening his hold so he pressed against her. She could smell the alcohol on his breath and feel a hard length pressing into her backside. “C'mon, bae,” he encouraged. “I've got a birthday present for you…” Jade was absolutely disgusted and managed to wrench herself free. “Are you fucking kidding me, Kevin?” she snapped, hands on her hips. “Your parents are gone all weekend,” he pointed out, giving her a drunken version of what she assumed was intended to be a sexy look. “I am not sleeping with you. God, I should've dumped you a month ago.” Anger clouded his face now as he scowled at her. He grabbed her wrist tightly and a trickle a fear shit through her, though so far it only served to piss her off more. “You bitch,” he snapped angrily. “I've waited on you hands and foot for four months and put up with your little diva act because Sullivan said you were good in bed, but you're nothing but a tease!” The name of her ex, the boy she had been fooled into loving, made her feel cold. What had happened between them was a secret she would take to her grave if she could and now this boy was trying to use it against her. She brought her free hand up and slapped Kevin hard across the face, tears stinging her brown eyes. “Asshole! Let me go!” Why did everyone have to be in the main part of the house right now? She wasn't one for rescues, but Kevin was drunk and scaring her as he grabbed her other wrist to keep her from hitting him again and pressed her against the wall so he could kiss her neck again. Before arriving at the party, Mateo didn't know who Jade Reed was. He didn't even know how old she was turning or that she was the youngest daughter of the town's mayor until he was in the car, on his way over to the party with a bunch of the basketball guys. Though he wouldn't yet call them his friends, given that he'd only been in town two weeks and had been getting used to the transition of Denver to Dunhaven during that time, they seemed like okay enough guys. When they'd insisted on him coming to this party, he figured that he'd be doing himself a disservice to not go out and take advantage of a social situation. He'd gone from having plenty of friends at school to exactly none, so he couldn't turn down an opportunity to meet new people. Still, it didn't keep him from feeling a bit awkward. Though he stuck around the guys he'd come with, most of whom were quick to point out the names of cute girls, he still was a bit slow to come out of his shell. He could do social engagements, but as everyone got progressively more drunk and he stayed incredibly sober, it was hard to know what to do with himself. The first person that had been pointed out to him was Jade. It had been from across the room as she was talking with someone else and it had become difficult for him to take his eye off of her since. Trying not to be too obvious with how his attention kept drifting back to the far too gorgeous girl, Mateo tried to work up the courage to talk to her. Surely he could wish her a happy birthday without it being weird, right? For as outgoing as he was, girls were definitely one of his hang ups. Before long, he found himself standing in his corner alone. The guys he came with were all talking or dancing, doing all of the things teenagers were supposed to do at house parties. Looking down in his empty cup of soda, Mateo sighed and decided to meander. He tossed the cup away in the kitchen, then went the opposite direction from where the bulk of the party was. Nothing seemed closed off from the party goers and he figured that any rooms he wasn't supposed to go into would be locked. He didn't get that far, though. Turning down a hallway, he heard a girl call someone an asshole and request that they be let go. There was no debate. Mateo followed the voice and soon found Jade Reed herself, clearly trying to fight off the advances of some guy. Taking a few short steps toward them both, he took hold of the guy's shoulder and pushed him off, strategically placing himself between the two. "What the hell, dude? She told you to let her go." Jade was, honestly, as surprised to be rescued as she was to be in this position in the first place. The hot tears escaped and she wiped at them quickly, embarrassed. They didn't stop, though, Jade thoroughly shaken as she looked up to a tall, unfamiliar frame, all dressed in black, with a head of thick black hair. Kevin was actually looking at Mateo's face and scowled, glaring with an unbroken gaze. “Fuck off, asshole,” he spat. “This is none of your business.” And he made to shove Mateo aside with both hands. Though Kevin's hands did manage to make contact with Mateo, there was no success in the shove. Mateo was tall and solid, years of being involved in sports and working out between seasons keeping him that way. He reached out again toward Kevin, though, taking him by the shoulder and trying to hold him at arm's length. "C'mon, man." When he spoke, his tone was something between disappointed and irritated. "Maybe it's time you went home." “Maybe it's time you fucked off!” Kevin returned, raising a fist to aim a hard punch at Mateo's jaw. Had it not happened so quickly, Mateo might have sighed in further disappointment. He really hated that people like this guy had to exist, making the rest of the human population look that much worse. But while he didn't have time to sigh, he did have plenty of time to duck, grab hold of the arm that was swinging the punch, and turning him so he faced the entrance of the hallway. Mateo didn't want to actually hurt this guy, but he would go to a last resort as needed. "Go. Now." It looked like Kevin was going to continue to fight when Jade found her voice. “Kevin, if you don't get the fuck out of my house, I'll give my mom the idea that maybe she should check out what else your uncle is selling out of his shop.” He stopped struggling and pulled free, stepping away from them with a drunk stumble. “Cunt!” he shot at her before finally turning and leaving the house. Once Jade was sure that Kevin had left, she looked up at the boy who'd saved her from-- Well, honestly, she didn't want to think about it. Kevin was quiet, and usually so sweet. She never would've expected this from him. This new boy was a stranger to her, which itself was very unusual. She knew every teen in this town, even if only by recognizing their face in passing. His was certainly a face she'd remember. “Thanks.” She was still crying silent tears, trying to wipe them away without completely ruining her careful makeup work. Realizing it was a futile effort, she turned and headed quickly for the stairs without another word to Mateo, but when she reached her bedroom, she left the door open behind her as she grabbed a wad of tissues from the box on her makeup-covered vanity. Mateo was just about to ask Jade if she was all right -- Was there anything he could do? Did she need water? Someone else to talk to? -- when she turned and fled toward the stairs. Part of him wanted to stalk after Kevin and finish this, the way he had spoke to Jade making him even more angry after seeing how he had been physically treating her, but he doubted that would help the situation. Though Mateo looked intimidating enough to be made for a fight, it didn't mean he wanted to fight. In fact, he'd never actually been in one. Instead, his gaze drifted toward the stairs. Indecision washed over him. Did she want to be alone? Or should he follow her, to check on her? He doubted that he wanted company, but he also knew that he wouldn't forgive himself if he didn't at least extend the offer of support, even if he didn't know her. Mateo followed in the direction that Jade had went. It was easy to find her room, as it was the only one with an open door and the light flowing out. He didn't cross the threshold, though, but simply knocked lightly on the frame to announce his presence. "Hey, uh… hey." Internally, he cringed. How inspiring and helpful. "I just wanted to -- do you need anything? Water? Someone that isn't a stranger to talk to?" Jade had taken a seat at the vanity, but she looked at him when he appeared at the door. The tears were still escaping and she dabbed at them as she shook her head. He was sweet, she observed. “No, I don't… Josie would freak and… Finn would want to kick his ass and he's probably trying to inhale Charlie's face right now… I don't…” She have a wry chuckle. A house fit to bursting and those were her closest friends, nearly her only friends, though she counted the extended network -- Bea, Beau, even nerdy Juno -- among her friends due purely to proximity. “A stranger sounds just right, actually.” The tears were finally stopping, much to her relief. “Who are you, anyway? I know basically everyone.” The names sounded vaguely familiar in the way that they all did when you were new and had a lot of information dumped at once. Josie, he was pretty sure, was her sister; one of the guys had mentioned that in the car, the identities of the mayor's kids, as well as her being the sister to the girl whose party this was actually for, a big enough deal to warrant a mention. Mateo had known everyone at his old school. He hoped he wouldn't be in the dark for long. "Mateo Huerta." He gave a slight wave, then wondered why he had to be the most awkward human being on earth. "I just moved to town a couple weeks ago." “I guess that explains it then.” She looked at herself in her vanity mirror and frowned. “Damn, he messed up my makeup…” She grabbed a makeup wipe from a packet began dabbing at the smeared bits under her eyes. Really, though, she didn't care much about the makeup. She could do it again just as perfectly in no time. She cared about the image. She didn't want anyone to know what had happened, that she'd been crying, that she'd been fooled by someone like Kevin... “Do you normally make a habit of saving damsels in distress, Lancelot?” she asked him, gesturing at her armchair for him to take a seat. “Or am I just special?” Mateo hesitated for a moment, unsure if it was really okay for him to enter a girl's bedroom. His experience with girls was limited, even just socially. This was probably the longest conversation he'd had with a girl in a long while where he hadn't blushed in some way. Deciding to just sit down, he took the steps into her room and made himself comfortable. Of course, that was easier said than done, too. What was comfortable, but not too comfortable? In the end, he decided on just leaning back, his legs stretched out with his arms loosely on the arms of the chair. Surely that wasn't awkward. "Ah… no." He felt the flush to his cheeks and swore internally. He'd been doing so well. "Not really. Er, I mean, I don't make a habit of it. I'm sure you're special. Just… yeah." Time to move to another state, Teo. Jade quirked a perfectly defined brow at him, growing amused. He was a total mess, she realized. Didn't he realize how attractive he was? How easily things could go for him if he relaxed? But this fumbling humility was intriguing in its own way. And that blush was adorable. “I am pretty special,” she confirmed, dusting fresh highlighter across her bronze cheeks before uncovering her mascara in a drawer. As she applied it, she turned to look at him again. “That punch didn't get you, did it? I swear, you would think he was a docile little puppy at school. Guess he fooled me…” "No," Mateo confirmed, shrugging a shoulder. Apparently this was one of the perks at being one of the sober ones at a party; he had his wits about him enough to be able to successfully duck a punch from a drunk guy. "Alcohol can bring out the worst in people. I would say that I'm sure that he's really a nice guy under it all, but my experiences have shown that it's when they're drunk that they're their most honest." Suddenly realizing what he'd just said, he cringed. "Er, sorry. I'm just the New Guy, so what do I know." Jade gave a soft snort, smirking a little as she touched up her gold shadow. “More than you think, New Guy. I think you're probably right.” She closed the eyeshadow and picked up her eyeliner, redefining her perfect winged look. “That's why I only get a little buzzed. Sober enough to save myself from what's in my head, drunk enough to blame the alcohol if I decide to say it anyway.” Capping the liner and picking up her mascara, she glanced at him curiously. “Do you not drink, Lancelot?” "Eh, not really." The real answer was that he'd drank exactly once at a party a couple of months ago, overdid it, and is pretty sure he actually threw up his stomach. The fact that his parents had actually believed him when he'd said that he thought he was coming down with something the next day when he battled a hangover was a miracle; well, that or was simply born of the fact that he had a pretty clean record, so why wouldn't they believe him? "Someone has to drive everyone home, right?" Jade grinned in response. “I guess so. Isn't it boring while everyone gets drunker and drunker, though?” Her mascara done, Jade inspected the repair and found it acceptable; no one would know she’d been crying. Satisfied, she turned to look at him curiously, crossing one leg over the other. "A little," he admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "But it does mean that I'm the keeper of crazy stories come morning, when half of them can't forget half the stuff they got up to. There's power in that." Mateo gave her a small smile at that, trying not to look at her too hard; she was even prettier than he'd realized, now seeing her up close, rather than just from across the room. "Not that I'd actually blackmail someone. I don't think I have it in me." Jade was used to being looked at, stared at even, and so she noticed more that he seemed determined not to. She correctly guessed what he was trying to do, though it made her curious to wonder why he was trying not to stare at her. He was too hot to be unconfident, wasn't he? It was intriguing. “Blackmail can come in handy,” she reasoned with a little grin before conceding, “but it's probably indicative of a mental problem if you enjoy doing it all the time. I had to learn how to survive, though. It's dog eat dog, being the youngest of four. Having a little dirt is a security measure.” She tilted her head as she looked at him, her hair draping down her back so one shoulder was bared. “Do you have any siblings?” "An older sister." Mateo felt his gaze drop, for just the briefest of seconds, down to her exposed shoulder, then popped back to her face. "She's six years older than me. I don't know if it's the age difference or what, but we've never really needed security measures. Though I do think she hated me a little in her teens, when Mom and Dad used her as their constant babysitter without paying her." That made Jade grin again, her devilish streak showing. “Yeah, they did that a lot to Jill with Josie and me. She's about eight years older than me. Then Connor is three years younger than her, and Josie's fourteen-and-a-half months older than I am.” She hopped to the next topic without a pause, probing him with her curiosity. “So where'd you move from? Why Dunhaven of all places?” Mateo could barely imagine living with three other siblings. It had been hectic enough with just him and Valeria, but he was pretty sure that had more to do with their personalities and relationships with their parents than anything else. "Denver," he answered. "My mom was offered tenure at the university. She's a Linguistics professor. It was kind of spur of the moment and it took her a bit to find a house and for my dad to get things sorted back home, so dad and I were in Denver until it was all squared away. So now we're in Dunhaven." He paused and gave a wry sort of smile. "In the middle of my senior year." “Shit, that must suck,” Jade declared immediately, frowning sympathetically. “I'd throw a total fit. You don't seem like the diva type, though. Have you made any friends here or did you get kidnapped and brought to the party as a poorly thought out hostage?” Again, he gave that tilted smile. "No, I'm not much of a diva," Mateo said, his tone a bit amused. "As long as I get my degree so I can go to college somewhere, I'll be happy." Though he'd been a bit annoyed and irritated about the move when his parents first brought it up, he'd quickly decided that it wasn't the end of the world. He'd had friends back in Denver, but they had all felt superficial. They would all be friends on Facebook as they went different places for college and eventually not talk again until it came time for reunions. "No hostage situations tonight, no," he shook his head. "Some of the guys on the basketball team insisted I had to come. Something about it being in the running for party of the year." “You're damn right it is,” she confirmed with a proud smirk. “And other than the mild sexual assault, I think I could at least be tied with Charlie's.” Even though she said it nonchalantly, what had happened with Kevin still shook her and her smile faltered as she looked away from him for just a second. When her eyes returned to him, she had plastered back on that confident mask. “So, I've decided you're too good-looking not to have friends, so you're going to share mine. Don't worry, they're all nearly as awesome as I am.” Mateo was observant enough to notice her looking away when she talked about Kevin's idiocy; he wouldn't have expected her to be okay with it yet, or ever, and it made him want to find the guy all over again. But, before he could actually act on that impulse, she surprised him. First he flushed at being called good looking, then he looked downright sheepish as she seemed to decide to ensnare him into her circle of friends. He pushed a hand through his hair in a bashful gesture. "Ah... okay. I can't complain about that." Jade’s black and gold trimmed eyes narrowed at him and she grinned. “Oh my God, you’re blushing!” she exclaimed, obviously finding the whole thing hilarious as well as rather endearing. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you!” "I'm not -- " Except he totally was. He definitely was. And the problem was that Mateo wasn't very good at hiding it. His ears would go red, then his cheeks -- it was a whole thing. He didn't necessarily know how he'd gotten to seventeen in one piece. "It's not your fault," he conceded with a small smile. "Blushing is one of my not-so-hidden talents." Her grin turned into a smirk, but it wasn’t overly unkind. She could be accurately be called a bitch a large percentage of the time, but she wasn’t outright cruel. “Well, it’s cute,” she told him reassuringly, wondering if that would make the blush deepen or if it had reached maximum redness. “Unless, of course, you want to make it go away…” She held up a tube of concealer teasingly, waving it a little as though she’d really come over and get started on him. His own smile morphed into a smirk; though his blushing didn't exactly lessen, he was a bit more confident than he'd been a few moments ago. It helped being called cute by a pretty girl, though it Mateo thought about that too much, he'd just blush more. Instead, he scrunched up his nose and shook his head once. "Nah. Not tonight. I don't know if you have my color." Jade scoffed as though offended. “You’re kidding, right?” Determined now, she crouched down to reach under her vanity, careful to mind where the hem of her dress rode. When she straightened up, she had pulled out an enormous case like a tackle box, but when she set it on the vanity and opened it, it was filled with foundations, bronzers, highlighters, blushes, and every color of face paint she could get her hands on -- all of this not counting the many pieces scattered on the vanity top or in its drawers. “Don’t challenge me, New Guy. I’ll be tempted to tie you down and prove you wrong.” Mateo laughed, not so much at the amount of makeup she owned, but at her words. "Somehow I don't doubt you," he said with a grin. "But remember how I have an older sister? I'm not unfamiliar with makeup experimentation." Realizing what he said, he quickly held up a hand. "Not that I'm volunteering now, because I'm definitely not." “No, you're not volunteering now,” Jade agreed, closing the lid of the makeup box. “Now is the time for going back to the party because I'm the guest of honor and don't have a choice. But don't think you're going to get off that easy. I'm not letting cheekbones like those ones get away from me.” Jade stood before him now, the distance between the chair he was in and the vanity she'd been at nearly closed, and she was smirking teasingly at him, though the spark in her eye suggested that she was deadly serious about using him at a later date. On instinct, one of Mateo's hands rose to his cheek and rubbed it gently. He didn't know if he actually had "cheekbones like those" or if she was teasing him, but it made him laugh nonetheless. Pulling himself to his feet, he let his hand drop and smiled. "We'll see about that." Jade led the way back down the stairs to the party. As they approached the living room where most of the people were gathered enjoying the loud music, she noticed her sister across the room with Beau and gave her a small wave. It occurred to her now that Mateo had the perfect opening to go rejoin his teammates and he would be leaving her. She would be alone in a crowded room and, for once, she was not okay with it Her stomach twisted as she remembered the sudden change in Kevin, his mouth wet on her neck and he forced her against the wall, arousal clear through their clothing as he pressed against her… What if he came back? What if he told his friends? What if…? “Dance with me,” she told Mateo suddenly, cringing a little at how scared and desperate her tone was even as she took his hands in hers to draw him out a little. A refusal and excuse was on the tip of his tongue -- Mateo didn't dance and he didn't really want to subject anyone to his attempts at dancing -- but they faded away when he recognized the tone and saw that cringe on her face. They hardly knew one another, but maybe it was because he had helped her before or maybe it was simply because he was a decent guy, he wasn't about to leave her by herself, especially when she seemed so uncomfortable. "Okay," he agreed, letting her pull him toward where others were dancing to the music from the speakers. Mateo leaned down closer to her, raising her voice so she could hear. "You're probably going to have to help me, though. I'm not much of a dancer." Normally, this admission might turn her off of him, but she smiled, the gentlest smile she'd given so far this evening. “Maybe you need a decent teacher, then.” She'd felt a small chill when his face had gotten closer, the good kind of chill, and she didn't want him to walk away. She'd been tired of Kevin for over a month and had never really cared much for him. He had been decent company most of the time and was attractive enough, but there was no spark. There hadn't been since Sullivan, but in hindsight she could see how it had been different, how he had used her and worn a mask. It scared her to think it, but Mateo didn't seem capable of playing those games. He seemed pure and genuine. She wanted to dig deeper, see if this front was his reality. She'd start with a dance. “It's easy,” she promised, still holding his hands. “Follow me.” She led him in a basic two-step, the pair moving side-to-side in unison for a few moments until he seemed relatively comfortable. “Perfect!” she praised, grinning broadly. She released one hand, lifting the other so she could lead herself in a spin underneath it, ending with her back to him. “Keep going,” she instructed, putting his hands on her hips with a safe two inches as a buffer between them, but she didn't feel any fear towards him. In fact, his presence soothed any chance of fear that she might’ve felt in the wake of what happened and she was able to keep up the rhythm of the dance, her hips moving, too. Mateo did his best to follow her instructions and while his movements were a bit stiff due to a combination of not knowing what he was doing and being self conscious, he wasn't a bad student. The only real hiccup happened when she spun so she was facing away from him, placing his hands on her hips. Though there was plenty of space between himself and Jade, it still wasn't like a middle school dance where there were full arm lengths between dancing couples; a flash of a memory hit him from his private school in Denver, recalling when one of the parent chaperones unironically kept telling the kids to have room for the Holy Spirit between them, like something out of a ridiculous teen comedy. They didn't have parent chaperones here, though, and Mateo was all the happier for it. In fact, he barely knew anyone. This wasn't like Denver, where he'd known everyone at school because he'd been attending with them since they were in Kindergarten. This was a new town and there were no expectations on him thanks to years of shared experiences and memories. It was a bit freeing. Still -- it wasn't freeing enough for him to be anything but perfectly respectful. Even had he not witnessed her encounter with Kevin, Mateo would have been that. He danced, but didn't inch in closer to her and didn't move his hands any higher or lower than where she'd placed them. Jade was surprised that he didn't close the gap or move his hands. It wasn't like he was disinterested, but he was… shockingly respectful, to a degree she wasn't used to. She had forgotten these guys still existed and it was refreshing, enough to make her feel comfortable enough to step back into him, not pressed hard against him or grinding, but with her back still loosely molded to his chest. She put her hands on his just for a moment to insist he stay, that he not release her thinking she'd done it by accident, continuing to dance with her hips moving slowly to guide him in the same movements. “No… weaknesses, whatsoever?” she asked him, scooting closer with her dress sleeve deliberately fallen down to offer her shoulder seductively. She felt a twist of guilt as she moved in on him with a husky voice, but she forced it aside. This was for her freedom, she reminded herself. “No… trick knee? Ruptured… disks?” As she said the last word, she was practically on top of Hercules, placing her hand firmly on his chest. Her cleavage was on full display, her eyes and lips in the perfect seductive pout, everything about her practically gift wrapped with “Wonderboy” on the label. But he laughed nervously and moved her sleeve back up onto her shoulder, swallowing what was obviously both desire and nerves. Meg forgot herself as the shock coursed through her. Between her ex, Hades, the river guardian, and countless others, she'd come to expect she would only ever be viewed one way. She'd used it to her advantage, of course, but she didn't understand what Hercules was doing. “No,” he answered her. “I-I-I’m--I'm afraid that I'm, uh, fit as a fiddle.” He got up sharply and hurried to put some distance between them as Meg rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically, placing her head on her hand. “Wonderboy, you are perfect…” she muttered in frustration. He laughed, utterly clueless and innocent, skipping a rock across one of the fountains as he replied, “Thanks!” The rock he'd skipped hit a statue at the end and the arms came off loudly as Jade stumbled back against Mateo. “Sorry,” she muttered, momentarily disoriented, adding without thought, “Weak ankles…” "It's okay," Mateo responded automatically, moving his hands for the first time so he could get a more solid grip on her as she stumbled. Even though he had the reflex to help her, it was through his own vague fog of disorientation, having had seen the same scene play out in his own mind. No, that wasn't right -- it was more than just seeing it play out, but as though he had actually had a part in the play. Except that wasn't right, either. It felt real, like a dream, except he obviously wasn't dreaming. He was dancing with a pretty girl at her birthday party. He shook his head once, attempting to clear his mind from the vision of the pretty young woman that had been flirting with him. He could almost feel the fabric of her dress as he'd fixed her sleeve, the feeling of the rock as he'd skipped it an improbable number of times across the fountain before it had hit the statue with a resounding crack. There had been a lightness there, as though there was no one else he'd want to spend his time with and Mateo didn't know what to make of it. He focused on Jade instead, leaning in a bit closer to her ear to ask over the music, "Are you okay?" “Fit as a fiddle,” she confirmed before realizing what she'd just said. Her brow furrowed and she turned in his arms, staying just as close and leaning against his chest. In the fog of that vision, she found herself desperate to cling to him as though he were an anchor. Two warring urges raged within her: the urge to flee and the urge to kiss this near stranger hard on the mouth. God, what was in that drink she'd had? “I wish the party was over,” she admitted quietly, more to herself even than to him. She wanted everyone to go home so she could take a break from her perfect Jade facade and figure out what was happening between them, or if nothing was and she was simply going insane… Mateo's brow furrowed at her admission, glancing up at the people around them and then back to Jade. He barely knew her, but he found himself suddenly protective of her. That wasn't an uncommon feeling for him, especially when it came to friends, but he hardly knew her. "You do have the power to end the party," Mateo said, giving her a slight smile. "Or maybe you should just get some air?" “I can't end the party,” she said quickly, that same, poorly disguised note of panic lighting in her voice as when she'd told him to dance with her earlier. “I--The gossip…” But his second idea was much better suited to her need to be in control. She relaxed a little again, still leaning on him, in his arms. People would gossip anyway about the two of them, but that kind of gossip she could tolerate. She knew how to spin that to her advantage. He was hot and played sports. She usually moved on quickly, so if they decided to read more into this than what had been established, she wasn't afraid of what might be said. “Yeah, that's probably a good idea,” she agreed. But it didn't seem to matter one way or another if he had been planning to follow her because she slipped her hand into his and tugged him along with her to the back door so they could slip out onto her back deck. Unlike when she had taken his hands to lead him into a dance, she noticed now every point of contact, every nerve on their palms making contact and seeming to set her hand aflame. But she didn't let go. The sharpness of the cold air stung her skin and helped shake the lingering daze of the vision she'd had and she moved in closer to him and his warmth. “God, I have to seem like a total head case, don't I?” she grumbled, staring down at her feet in their black heels. “I really know how to make an impression…” Mateo hadn't been expecting her to take his hand, but he found it to be more of a pleasant surprise than he might have expected. He didn't pull away, instead letting her lead him through the party and out the back door. He could feel the eyes of the other partygoers on them, most of them probably wondering who he was in the first place; some of the Aurelius and Athena kids might have recognized him from classes, but he would have been a new face to the public school kids. It didn't really bother him, though. He'd never cared too much about what people thought of him. The chill of the night air was a bit of a shock after being inside, but a nice one. Like her, it helped clear the fog of what he'd just seen and focus more on her. Jade was obviously cold as she stepped in closer to him and he wished he'd worn a jacket or sweater or something to give her. Instead, he just let his arm wrap around her shoulders -- again, as respectfully as possible. "Don't worry about it," Mateo replied, giving her a smile. "I'm not big on judgement." The way he held her was sweet and almost innocent and it made something within her chest ache. She thought about that other boy -- Hercules, of all things -- and she realized that something in him was Mateo, just like she was the girl in the purple dress. She still felt those things she'd been feeling, the weird twist of guilt, the undeniable attraction, and the emotional connection that was unexpected and undeniable. Even in the fresh air, she still found herself feeling those things now for Mateo even though she had only just met him. The night always seemed to hold a magic in it that was unique, though, and she didn't want to fight it, no matter how awkward it might be in the sobering sunshine, so she finished what he'd started with the respectful hold and leaned into his chest again, releasing his hand to loosely wrap her arms around his waist, too. “Head cheerleaders don't get to avoid it,” she said quietly. This was a side of herself -- vulnerable, bitter about the social hierarchy she helped to perpetuate, honest and without sarcasm -- that she rarely showed, even with Josie and Finn, but she didn't want to put on her mask right now. “I feel like I've known you for, like, forever, which is really fucked up in a way, so will you tell me something personal about yourself so I can justify the weirdness?” To his credit, Mateo stiffened only a little bit when she looped her arms around his waist and relaxed just a second later. He found himself surprised that he agreed with what she was saying; there was something about her that left him feeling like he knew her. It wasn't because she was like other girls he'd met in the past, because that wasn't it at all. It was a connection that he hadn't felt before, not even with the friends he'd had in Denver, but he couldn't explain it -- nor could he explain why his mind kept drifting back to the weird vision he'd seen. But, her question gave him something else to focus on. "Oh, um. Something personal? I don't really -- I mean, I'm pretty boring." He paused, then decided, "I'm adopted?" Jade gave a soft, amused snort and looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. “How is being adopted boring?” she challenged, amused. The fact he'd volunteered had sufficiently distracted her for the moment and she wrinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes as she thought it over. “So… Mateo Huerta. Are you actually Hispanic then? Cause it's kinda hard to tell.” Mateo let out a soft laugh. "Yeah, I'm actually Hispanic. Would kinda suck to be a white dude named Mateo Tomás Huerta." His smile twisted into a soft smile. "I'm half, I guess. That's what I've been told. My parents are both, though." “God, that's so weird...” she observed, as tactful as ever. Realizing how that might sound, she added, “I mean, not weird weird, but, like, trippy. There's been a couple times I wished I was adopted, but I can't quite wrap my head around what it would feel like…” Jade paused a moment, then continued, “Which saying all that probably makes me sound even more like a head case, so I'm sorry. I don't think you're weird or anything. And I like your name.” Again, Mateo found himself laughing. "I'm kind of weird. You just haven't been exposed to that side of me yet." It wasn't all that untrue, at least he figured; everyone had their thing and he was sure he had plenty. "But no, I don't think the adopted part is the weird part, though. I don't really think about it. My parents are my parents, even if they aren't the ones that had me. Just like my sister is my sister." “That makes sense,” she decided, nodding against his chest and feeling relief flooding her that she hadn't put her foot too far into her mouth. “When did you find out?” she probed, but immediately spoke again before he could reply. “Oh, but it's my turn to be personal, isn't it? I'm half-white, too.” "Yeah, I know," Mateo replied, then immediately cringed. "That sounds creepy, but it's less creepy than that. I saw the pictures of your family in the house." Quickly trying to change the subject, he answered her question. "I was six. My parents were waiting for the right time to tell me, which was kind of easy to do since I blend in with them pretty well. But I broke some of my sister's stuff by accident and she got mad and told me that she wished that Mom and Dad had never adopted me." He laughed at the memory now, softly. "Not exactly how my parents wanted me to find out, but it was what it was. My sister still feels bad about it now." “Oh my God, that's horrible!” Jade exclaimed, but she brought one hand up to cover her mouth as she laughed somewhat wickedly. “That sounds like something that would happen in our family… Okay, okay, so, say something in Spanish. I'm assuming you know it because I'm culturally programmed to make borderline racist assumptions like that.” Mateo laughed, his free hand coming up to push through his hair almost bashfully. He could speak Spanish, of course. Both sets of grandparents spoke English to varying degrees, but preferred speaking Spanish; on his dad's side, it was their native language. Growing up, he had spoken both languages interchangeably and his parents had forced him to take French in school, because they claimed it wouldn't be fair if he took a class that he had been fluent in since he was a toddler. He wasn't really sure what to say, so he just started to talk. "I don't really know what to say," he started, the words in Spanish as he flashed her a tilted smile. "I'm sort of terrible at being put on the spot, especially when I'm around a pretty girl, because God only knows you're a very pretty girl and I can't believe I just said that." Mateo stopped and switched to English, cringing a bit. "I was going to just quote 'Despacito', but I figured that was cheating." The slightest bit of color rose in her dark cheeks, despite the layers of makeup she wore. “Yeah, it would be,” she agreed, grinning. Then she switched as well. “You speak very fast for me, but I captured ‘chica bonita.’ Thank you.” Her accent was horrendous and she said “very” when she meant “too” and “captured” when she meant “caught” or even “understood,” but it was a passable attempt. Despite over two years of study, Spanish was her weakest subject, something that frustrated her and her teachers since she was so bright and excelled in most other subjects. Despite the flush that he felt carry up his neck and the internal scolding he gave himself for not assuming that she could at least vaguely understand Spanish given how popular a language it was, Mateo had to smile as she spoke it in return. He had lucked into being bilingual, thanks to his parents. And while knowing two languages had helped him a great deal in his French classes, he knew the struggle of having to learn a new language. The fact that she tried at all was nice to see. "Not bad," he replied, still smiling. "I grew up speaking Spanish for my grandparents, so it's as normal to me as English." Jade smirked a little, enjoying as he displayed that “secret talent” again, his neck flushing now. “I wish I'd been that lucky,” she told him. “Then I wouldn't be doing so horribly in Spanish class. I'm barely making a C and I actually do study, despite what Señora Lea thinks…” Quite without his permission, Mateo's arm squeezed around her once in what he hoped was a comforting manner. If it wasn't, oh well. "I'm sure there's plenty of other things you're too good at for your own good." “Oh, of course,” she agreed with absolutely no humility to be found anywhere. “But not all of them are required to graduate high school.” Despite how close she was pressed against him, the cold was winning and she shivered involuntarily. “I might've gotten too much fresh air,” she admitted with a grin. “Come inside and dance with me again. It'll warm me up.” Mateo returned her grin with one of his own, though it turned to a teasing cringe. "You mean I didn't scare you off with my dancing before?" He was clearly joking, though, when he motioned toward the door. He wasn't sure he would deny Jade anything, which was already a worrying sign -- a worrying sign that he was happily going to ignore. "Ladies first." |