When she wanted to get away from home, she didn't expect anything like this. Lillian Sterling had finally made her entrance into the party that the rest of her supposed classmates were at. She wanted nothing more than to stay home and curl up in a blanket and bingewatch whatever drama she happened to be in on a Netflix account she wasn't even paying for.

So much for that.

Walking onto the floor, she could feel the music pounding from the bottom of her heels all the way to the very top of her body. She really didn't want to be here, but here she was. There were a lot of people, some of older, some her age, and some younger. Regardless, it was too stuffy for the British girl. She wanted to make her way outside to the balcony, just to take in the ice cold New York air, and get some space to herself. The longer she stayed here the less she wanted to be here. She didn't see anyone she recognized, not like she would be able to recognize anyone anyway. Staying at home all burrito'd up in a blanket sounded so much more tempting with every minute that passed. However, much to Lillian's dismay, someone had other plans.

"Excuse me, I don't think we've met?"

A nice, tall man came up to her. Lillian could already see, as well as smell that he had quite a few drinks on him. He had the perfect balance between being unkempt and tidy. His hair was like a bird's nest but the rest of him was like he was straight out of royalty. Lillian took a moment to check him out, before he continued with the interaction. He was definitely attractive, but Lillian just didn't like people for their looks. She wanted to test him out a little further.

"I'm Lucas."

"Lillian."

She shook his hand, looking up into his deep eyes. She swallowed a bit, knowing that a man in this state was often hard to predict and read. She tried reading him, but it wasn't working. For whatever reason, she just couldn't do it. Not while he was tipsy.

"So, Lillian, you wanna get a drink? It's on me."

Immediately spotting the fallacy in his request, this Lucas person blew it already. Lillian found her out, even though it might not have made the most sense, she was going to take it. Lillian really didn't want to deal with this fella. She didn't want to deal with anyone right now.

"It's an open bar. Nice try... Lucas."

Lillian scoffed and walked off, leaving Lucas to eat her dust. She finally spotted the door to the balcony, which, to her enjoyment, was sparsely populated. Perfect. She made a beeline for the balcony, before eventually feeling the cold, bitter, icy air hit her bare shoulders. She sighed, seeing her warm breath turn into a cloud of steam. She put her arms on the icy railing, staring off into the city which the ballroom presided over.

---

If there was one truth about Grayson, it was that he was not a man of crowds. This party did all but reaffirm that truth. Quite frankly, he didn’t look bad in the suit Andi had provided him; and the forced removal of his glasses did wonders to his appearance. Any other person would’ve likely gotten contact lenses as quickly as possible with a face like his, but not Grayson. The glasses made him stand out less, and that was a good thing. But these things didn’t make Grayson any less awkward on the party floor itself. The boy practically oozed discomfort. But that didn’t matter, he had found himself a nice, comfy wall to lean against. It was even near some snacks! Perhaps here he could simply await the end of the party?

Meanwhile, Samantha remained at one of the lobby’s cozy couches, still busy on her phone. After a few minutes scrolling through Tumblr, writing inspiration had suddenly struck her. Her thumbs were now quickly tapping the screen, gracefully turning her inspiration into a quality chapter of her ongoing fantasy fanfiction. From the outside looking in, you would think she was an angry girlfriend right in the middle of an ongoing text argument: her focused expression could easily be confused with anger. But in reality, she was nothing a young writer hoping to transmit her ideas into words. Writing provided the perfect distraction from what was turning into a shitty night.

Grayson could swear the party was growing more crowded still. How did people breathe in rooms this claustrophobic? Grayson felt like he could barely move a meter without bumping into someone. Not to mention, the people hungering for snacks seemed to be steadily growing in number as well. Grayson clearly only had one option left: Get out of this place. At least for a bit. Maybe he could catch a breather in the lobby? Knowing how busy it was here, it was a small hope. But what options did he have? He was going to die in here!

One elevator later, Grayson arrived in an area much less populated. Breathing a sigh of relief, he looked for a place he could sit silently and undisturbed. He thought a little more on Andi’s words, on how socialising here might help him out in the long run. Not really his forte by a long shot, indeed. Not that it really mattered, Grayson had other means of attaining his goals. He dropped himself into a comfy couch, enjoying a bit of well-earned rest after surviving the crowd.

A grin that went from ear to ear illuminated Samantha’s face. She had finally finished her chapter, and upon a few spell-checks and proofreadings decided it was glorious and ready to post. She tapped the “Publish” button on her screen and watched happily as her work was uploaded onto the site. It would be a nice new year’s eve surprise to her readers.

Still glowing from her small accomplishment, Samantha locked her phone and glanced over the room. Party-goers and hotel guests came and went through the lobby, down the halls, towards the elevator or the doors leading outside… But never to sit at the lobby. So, when her green eyes landed on a person sitting in a nearby couch facing hers, Sammi was internally surprised. It was a male that looked to be around her age, wearing an expensive ensemble that very much favored his handsome features. Long dark locks reached the spot where his defined jawline started, and a shadow of a mustache and beard was visible. However, not even the outfit could hide the fact that he looked to be completely out of his element.

“Not much of a fancy party guy?” Samantha heard herself asking the guy, a curious expression on her face. In normal circumstances, she would’ve done her regular thing of becoming invisible. But for some reason, her gut feeling told her to be somewhat social.

Somewhat startled, Grayson left the safe confines of his own mind and focussed himself outward. His eyes affixed themselves on the young woman that had just talked to him. Grayson honestly hadn’t anticipated any conversation being initiated on him here. But perhaps that was a blessing in disguise. At least here there was some peace and quiet for a regular conversation, as opposed to the terror that was talking over loud music.

He studied her for a second before talking back. Instantly he recognized the all-white attire all waiters and waitresses had been wearing in the ballroom. Another blessing, as far as Grayson was concerned. If this was an actual guest of importance, Grayson would’ve actually had to mind lasting impressions. What were the chances he was going to walk into this girl again later? That put his mind at rest, somewhat.

Describing the girl was harder than it looked for some reason. She had a sort of ‘girl-next-door’ vibe to her. Something about her felt plain and ordinary. But that would sell her short. Because at the same time there was something undeniably pretty about her that he couldn’t quite put into words. Though Grayson didn’t really ponder about it.

“No, not really.” He answered with a small shrug. For someone who appeared so awkward, he actually seemed to have very little trouble keeping eye contact. He actually seemed quite a bit more relaxed than a minute ago. “Not my type of people.” Then again, what kind of people were his type? “What about you?”

In response, Sammi waved at her uniform, as if inviting the young man to take a look. “Not really my type of people either,” she said with a small smile and a shrug. “But when cash is tight at home, you gotta do what you can to stay afloat.” Keeping her green eyes on his dark brown ones, Samantha extended a hand. “Samantha Kingsley.”

Grayson chuckled a little in response, and then scratched the back of his head a little at the follow-up. His family had never really fallen on hard times. Not financially, at least. That said, Grayson had a thousand times the work experience of most rich pampers attending this party, living daily life comfortably on daddy’s money. ”Grayson Moyer.” He replied, shaking her hand. “Though it may not look like it, I came here to work too. Apparently I did such a good job fixing the DJ’s laptop that they wanted me to attend the party.” He laughed a tad awkwardly, not really sure himself if he was joking or bragging.

“You must have done a hell of a job then.” Samantha replied, looking mildly impressed. “No one is allowed at this party except the rich, the famous and the influential.” She noted the expensive suit again, and it brought forward a question that she voiced in a teasing tone. “So you usually go around fixing computers in expensive suits?”

Grayson shook his head with an amused grin. ”An interesting job, for sure. But no, the organizer let me borrow this. He looked down at his attire for a second. He sure wouldn’t mind owning an outfit like this. But at the same time, he’d rather wear something less… flashy. ”And really, it wasn’t much of a job. Just some high stakes for the management, that’s all.” He maintained the amusement in his grin. ”Important schmucks and stuff. I’m sure you understand.”

“Oh, yeah. Totally understand.” Sammi said, doing her best impression of a wealthy California girl with gestures included. She had immediately caught onto Grayson’s humorous tone and decided to follow his lead.

“Luckily the worst of them stay in Cali” Grayson responded, chuckling slightly. ”I’m from LA myself. But I certainly don’t miss them.” He shrugged a little. “Though going by this place, there’s just as bad stuff coming in from other states, huh?”

When Grayson had said he was from California, Samantha mentally smacked her palm on her forehead. Leave it to her to embarrass herself in front of people she barely knew. Thankfully, it seemed the young man wasn't fond of the girls in his hometown, because he pretty much agreed with Samantha’s statement. Not only that, but even added an opinion of his own. It looked like they were both of the same mindset of not liking entitled rich bitches.

Sammi shrugged. “Yep. You can't escape them. There's always gonna be some rich bitch screwing someone over everywhere you go…” she trailed off, absentmindedly touching the home button on her phone and glancing at the illuminated screen. When her eyes fell on the time, she gasped. It was five minutes past her break time.

“Shit!” she cursed in a mutter, shooting up from her chair and immediately straightening her uniform. Sammi looked up at Grayson with an apologetic look. “I'm so sorry to leave like this, but I'm past my break time, and if I don't show up as quickly as I can there can be consequences.” The dirty blonde began to rush away, but called over her shoulder “It was nice to meet you, Grayson Moyer!”

Soon enough, the young woman had disappeared behind the elevators closed doors. However, her cellphone remained on the couch she’d been on mere seconds before.

---

“You’re Audrey Huntsberg, right? The center of this whole party?”

Audrey Huntsberg shot the unknown woman a proud smile. Although she wasn’t surprised that this stranger knew her name (I mean, the real question was: who didn’t?!), it always flattered her when people recognized her as a person of importance. The social position she occupied had to be good for something. However, this time around, the lady of the hour was not her.

“As much as I would love for that to be true, the real center of this party is my grandmother.” the brunette commented, tucking a strand of wavy lock of chocolate brown hair behind her ear. The city lights could be seen reflecting on her big, sparkly diamond studs. “Whenever I’m the center of a party, you can easily tell. They tend to be much more exciting than this one is turning out to be.”

“Yeah, I suppose this kind of party is for an entirely different crowd, huh? I’m used to a different kind of one, too, but I don’t think your grandmother would be… thrilled if anybody here said they’d rather not come. I’ve got enough daggers aimed at me. Don’t need a new one. I imagine most are the same.” The British girl replied in kind, still as casual as her previous comment. She didn’t sound obnoxious or snobby, but her hiding her accent means that she didn’t want anyone inside to recognize her for reasons unknown.

“You are absolutely right! There are very few excuses my grandmother considers valid to justify not attending this event. Any other reason given is guaranteed to permanently remove you from the guest list of any further Miranda Priestly event. She and I both share the trait of neither forgiving nor forgetting, so I can see where she comes from. I know it may sound harsh, but sometimes you have to be strict in order for others to give you the place you deserve.”

There was a split second of hesitation, as the girl mused a thought. “Believe me, I know all about strict.”

Audrey raised a questioning eyebrow, her full attention now on the young woman next to her. “Really? And what makes you say that, Miss…?”

“Ainsworth. Eliza Ainsworth.” She sighed as if she didn’t want to divulge that information but found herself in a situation where she had little choice, “And my family isn’t exactly very different is what I meant. Probably goes without saying for most of your guests.”

Audrey’s arched eyebrows came together in a frown. “Eliza Ainsworth? I can't really say I've heard about you or your family before.” she shot the young woman a knowing smile. “But it makes sense, since judging from that accent you've tried so hard to downplay it means you're not from around here.”

Eliza pursed a brow out of genuine surprise, “Yeah, decided to get as far from Europe as I could. Dad’s recommendation.”

Audrey smirked. “Running away from your mistakes, I assume? I wish I could do the same…” she trailed off, unknowingly glancing back the way Alexandros had gone, her mind on the fiasco that particular conversation had been. The brunette quickly shook her head and turned back to Eliza with a sigh. “But, sometimes, you just can't. Anyway, as much as I would like to ask what was so big that you had to leave a continent, it's not like me to pry on a stranger’s personal life. So instead, I'll just say this: welcome to New York, Eliza Ainsworth.” she told Liz as she gestured with her arm to the skyline extending in front of them.

“Well, thanks for the welcome.” She commented, as if she wanted to comment on something else.

Still smirking, Audrey straightened up. “It was nice to meet you, Eliza. I’ll need to excuse myself. Please, do continue to try to enjoy my grandmother’s party. I’ve found with time that a few glasses of champagne can help with that.” With a parting wink, Audrey turned around and gracefully exited the balcony through the glass double door.

---

On the other side of the world, Marissa Guerrero was lying fast asleep on New Year’s Day. The past night had been a whirlwind. After months away studying abroad at Columbia University, the young baroness had gone back home to Europe to spend the holidays. Her Spaniard father, Monègasque-Argentinian mother, Belgian stepfather and very mixed twin sisters were glad to see her, excited to be told about her life in the United States. In between many official appearances, luxurious parties and family outings, time had flown by, and the dark-haired beauty soon found herself in attendance to King Albert’s New Year’s Eve ball at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco. Surrounded by her much more prominent and well-known blue-blooded relatives, Marissa drank, danced and enjoyed catching up with her loved ones. However, there was something secretly annoying her. In each conversation she engaged in, a single question stood out from all the others:

“So, Marissa: how is America?”

It was the very question that would exasperatingly follow the young woman everywhere that night. Every relative or acquaintance was eager to hear all about her experiences in the foreign country. Did she like it? Did they treat her well? Was it anything like home? Did she miss the European lifestyle? And to everyone that ask, Marissa gave the same answer: she loved it, and although she indeed missed home, she wouldn't trade her life in New York for anything in the world.

In the streets of the Upper East Side, Marissa didn't have to worry about having her every move followed and documented by the paparazzi like she did in Monaco and Spain. Unlike the rest of her royal family, her decisions on studying abroad had granted her the privilege of privacy: one that was very hard to come by for blue-bloods. By keeping a low profile and an image of ‘the invisible baroness’ since her early teen years, the raven-haired beauty had saved herself from constant scrutiny and pressure from the media the rest of her relatives faced. In America, she could be just another face in the crowd: and that's how Marissa liked it to be.

Of course, all good things had come to an end... of sorts.

“Soooo…” Marissa’s older cousin Pauline Ducruet began, green eyes shining with curiosity. The young women stood in a corner of the elaborate palace ballroom, where they had been exchanging stories from the months spent apart between glasses of champagne. They were joined by Pauline's younger half-sister Camille Gottlieb. “Richard Davis, eh? I must admit, I did not see it coming."

“Richard Davis indeed…” Marissa replied through gritted teeth, forcing herself to give her distant cousins her best fake smile.

That was the second most frequently asked question of the night.

Ever since the tabloids got hold of the news that she had begun dating the youngest child and only son of the real estate mogul a few months ago, the two had become the subject of plenty of articles and ‘exclusives’. The decision taken had caused Marissa’s quiet life in America to be slightly disturbed, which was something she didn't enjoy. Thankfully, Alexander Davis had quickly interceded in favor of the young couple by paying a large sum of money to keep the tabloids off the backs of his son and his new girlfriend, but even with this nothing went back to the way it was before. Although the bribes were successful and she was no longer being followed or the focus of things, Marissa was now even more vigilant and cautious about her every step. Now, she was careful even with the simplest of life’s pleasures, like buying coffee in the mornings from her favorite barista at Sprinkles Café.

It was an annoying price to pay… But it kept everyone happy.

“He is a beauty, that one.” Camille mused aloud, staring off into space as if she was envisioning Richard’s attractive face.

“But that does not matter.” Pauline quickly interfered, looking serious. She put a hand on Marissa’s shoulder, her expression that of a mother giving advice to her offspring. “External beauty will only last for so long. As long as he is nice and makes you happy, that should be enough.”

Marissa bit back a snort. Although she and Richard got along ridiculously well, she was well aware he was not nice, nor he made her happy in the way they were assuming he did. That was a story she hoped would never see the light of day.

She was graciously saved from saying any further lies to her cousins by the announcement that midnight was in the horizon. The members of the Grimaldi dynasty filed out of the palace's ballroom -with it's high ceilings, chandeliers and murals- and into the slightly more modern main courtyard. Prince Albert, Marissa’s third cousin, leaded the countdown, and soon they were down to seconds. Suddenly, midnight was upon them at last.

As the castle bells echoed through the night, signaling the twelfth hour and the arrival of a new year, Marissa Antoinette closed her eyes and made a wish. Fireworks of every color began to fill the sky. At that moment, her thoughts were all the way across the ocean and back in New York, with the one young man who’d stolen her heart with a single smile.

She hoped that, wherever he was, she would be in his thoughts too.

---

Once inside the ballroom again, Audrey’s signature scowl was right back on her face. The ballroom felt fuller than ever, so getting around became increasingly difficult. This only added to the young woman's annoyance, punctuated by the fact that she couldn't find her friends yet kept seeing Alexandros Mossos’ stupid, arrogant out of the corner of her eyes. Whenever she was forced by circumstance to look him in the eyes, a death glare was exchanged between the two, almost always ended by Audrey storming away in the opposite direction. It was after one of these tiny scenes that she finally came across Christian, who had been sitting in one of the cozy love seats in a corner of the room.

“I am positively pissed right now.” Audrey began, fuming through gritted teeth as she plopped herself on the empty space next to the dark-haired young man.

Christian’s handsome face turned concerned. He placed a comforting hand in his best friend’s shoulder. “What's wrong, doll?”

The brunette sighed, massaging her left temple with her eyes closed as she begged for God to bless her with the patience she so lacked. “Okay, so the reason I disappeared for a bit was because I was trying to hook up with this guy, right?”

Christian groaned, putting a hand against his forehead. “Please don't tell me it was the same asshole who obnoxiously barged into our conversation earlier.”

Audrey sighed frustratingly again. “I know, I know: I'm stupid and I shouldn't have. But I did, and it was nothing but a stupid mistake. He turned out to be this homophobic douchebag, and after putting him in his place I just had to get away. But even after I left, I keep seeing him everywhere. And he's so stupid, but so fucking attractive, and all I can do is shoot him death glares across the room, and it's just so- UGH!”

The young man couldn't hide the smile that rose to his lips while witnessing his best friend’s comical little tantrum. Audrey usually wasn't one for whining, so it was funny to Christian to see her all worked up like that. However, his good mood only served to annoy Audrey even further.

“What?” she said briskly, scowling deeply at him. “What's there to smile about? What's so funny, exactly?”

“You just can't seem to get away from the douchebags, can't you?”

His comment caused the Latina to roll her eyes, but her expression softened. The ghost of a smile could be seen in her mouth. “What the hell can I say? Douchebags love me.” she teased, softly elbowing Christian’s ribs. “At this point, I'm starting to think some jealous bitch cursed me.”

“Or it can be that you just have shit taste in men.” Christian teased back, gently shoving Audrey, who laughed.

“I mean, I have you for a best friend, so my shit tastes in men must be true.”

“Wow. Harsh.”

Their conversation was interrupted by Miranda announcing it was two minutes until midnight, and asking her family members to join her up on stage. Smiling, Audrey excused herself and made her way up, squeezing herself in between her mother and father.

From her current height, the young woman’s chocolate brown eyes could see the entire room: every face, every action. Although she attempted to concentrate in the present, counting down aloud the seconds to midnight with the rest of her family, there was one person who again caught her attention. Mossos was now rushing around everyone as if late to a previous engagement. Annoyed but captivated, Audrey’s eyes tuned to slits as she saw him approach some dumb red head in the crowd. And when the ball dropped, confetti erupting everywhere in celebration of the arrival of the new year, she watched in fury as he planted a deep kiss on the bitch’s lips.

‘This motherfucker!’

Although faking a bright smile in between hugging and kissing her family members onstage, Audrey’s eyes were blazing. Her eyes met Alexandros’ again, and from the way he was smiling smugly at her, the brunette knew he'd just pulled this stunt to get under her skin. Well, he asshole had definitely succeeded.

Damn him.

What he didn't know was that his little scene only added more fuel to the flames, and the scorned young woman was now determined to make him understand he was not the boss around here. This was her turf, and she he wasn’t about to let some arrogant playboy get away with pissing her off.

Once finished with the protocol congratulations, Audrey rushed back to Christian’s side. While they gave each other a hug in celebration of the new year, the young woman took the opportunity to whisper something in her best friends’s ear. He gave her a nod, and once the hug was broken he headed in the direction of the bar. The young man returned from his little excursion with a glass of deep red wine, which earned him a smile and an appreciative nod. It was then when Audrey took his arm, and the couple headed down in Alexandros’ direction. When they were close enough, the Latina made a point to ‘accidentally’ knock the wine glass from Christian’s hand and into Alex’s suit.

“Shit, man! I am so sorry!” Christian apologized in his most convincing way, pulling a handkerchief from the breast pocket of his suit and attempting to clean up the red stain the wine had left on Alexandros’ expensive white shirt.

Meanwhile, Audrey took advantage of the fabricated distraction to discreetly lean over to the red-haired young woman Mossos had been kissing and inject her poison on the form of a whisper. “Just a heads up, sweetie: you might want to get yourself checked out after that kiss. I heard from a very reliable source that he’s got herpes.”

As the young woman's eyes widened in shock and disgust in Alex’s direction, Christian smiled. He took that as his queue that their mission had been successfully completed, so he wrapped up his charade and moved to stand next to his best friend before the other guy could realize what was going on.

“Happy New Year!” the Latina said cheerfully, positively beaming as she took Christian’s arm, knowing the irreparable damage had been done.

With one last triumphant smirk at the furious Alexandros, the brunette flipped back her luscious brown locks, turned on her heel and walked away. She hoped the ignorant young man had learned the valuable lesson of night: Audrey Huntsberg is not one to be messed with.

“So, what’s your excuse? Just enjoying the view or had enough of all the white privilege doing white privilege things?”

Elizabeth nearly sighed in protest. Having Audrey Huntsberg leave to enjoy the party away from her was a relief, but it seemed like she just couldn’t catch a break. Suddenly the idea of jumping off the balcony like Wonder Woman seemed like an excellent idea in her mind. At least then she wouldn’t have to deal with such things. However, as far as she could figure it, she was stuck so she may as well made the rounds with nonsensical small talk — she was going to be going to the same university as the people she had “met” tonight, after all. She’d hate for what she did here to account to something on campus.

“I’ll have you know, I’m actually deathly allergic to white privilege.” Elizabeth quipped as she turned slightly to look at the newcomer.

“So what? You’re protesting by freezing your ass off out here? I’m sure that’ll teach ‘em!”

She nearly laughed and she hadn’t even smoked anything all night. “Yep. You caught me. I’m a regular Emmeline Pankhurst.”

Perhaps it was her conversation with Audrey Huntsberg moments prior, but the Elizabeth didn’t really feel the need to continue downplaying her “british-ness” if it was so obvious in the first place. Sure, she didn’t want people harassing her because she was a bonafide celebrity, but then again everyone at this party was one in their own right. Everyone who attended this party were in some way part of the high society or the Huntsberg’s inner-circle. The only thing Elizabeth found comfort in was the fact her family wasn’t here in New York with her. She knew the threat of her parents loomed over her like a hawk in case she messed up again, though she did know they were too busy to directly involve themselves in her life in a country over.

“You know what?” Elizabeth's newfound friend quarter-turned to face her, “I feel very empowered. What you are doing for your fellow woman is going to change the world. I can feel it in my gut!”

“But yeah, I want to be as far away from that party as possible.”

“Yeah, you don’t seem like the type who would frequent the parties of the pretentious.”

Elizabeth smirked, the stark contrast between Audrey and this new person was miles apart. “You don’t seem like you’re too into them, either.”

“When you got parents like mine, the appeal of these uptight gatherings wane quicker than a gambling addict in Atlantic City.”

Atlantic City. It was a reference she knew of, though the only thing she had to use as a comparison point was the likes of Monte Carlo and Paris, the gambling epicenters of countries she had actually stepped foot in prior to a few weeks ago. She understood the sentiment, at least. She wasn’t sure who her parents were, but if they were anything like Elizabeth’s own she could relate. She could relate a lot.

“Likewise. Can’t imagine there’ll be much more to it, what with the night about to end.”

“Never underestimate the power of entitled, little bitches.”

The sentiment was a little ironic considering both her and this stranger likely fit into a box that could be best described as “entitled, little bitches”. Though Elizabeth never thought much of her entitlement; she had worked for all of her money since she was in primary school and only really used her parent’s name and influence to “get out there”. She wondered what kind of girl she was talking to if she didn’t like the entitled or pretentious despite having her status from her own parents. Elizabeth mused for a moment.

“I mean, if they want to go on about themselves until five in the morning then I think I’ll be staying outside. Maybe I’ll finally commit to leaping off this balcony and be done with it. At least you’ll get a good story out of that one. Crazy girl goes splat! Big party ender.”

“Wonderful. You take the expressway down and leave me to explain why the pretty girl decided to off herself.” She let out a weary sigh, “It’s been nice knowing you, Strange Girl on the Balcony.”

She chuckled as her hands gripped the balcony like a glove. “It’s Elizabeth, by the way.”

“Oh, fancy,” Ava held out her hand, taking Liz’s. ”They call me Ava. Ava Mossos. Quite honored, I’m sure.”

She took the girls hand in turn, a little surprised by the gesture given the informal conversation they were having prior. Still, she knew her manners. “Mossos, huh. You’re a long way from home. I can relate. Always good to have an ocean between you and the rest.”

The comment was one of familarity, friendly as it was. She knew the reputation of the Mossos Family, after all, her father had worked for them on a few high profile cases. In fact, that was how Elizabeth knew most of the big names in Europe that weren’t related to the music or film industry. And her interactions with a certain Mossos when she was a teenager was something she hadn’t been all that fond of remembering. How was Ava related to the family? She had to be a cousin or something. Her luck couldn’t have been that awful.

“A change of scenery does the heart wonders.”

“That’s the idea. Anyway, how familiar are you with all of this? New York, I mean. This is all new to me. For the most part. I feel like I’m going to need someone to show me around and well, you don't want me to immediately jump to my death so that’s a start.”

“You wouldn’t want to die for these asshats anyway. Live to spite them and pretend you don’t want to ring their necks by blending in. I might not be as informed as most are, but if you want to know about some chill hangout spots, I might know a few. Of course, that’s assuming you don’t mind some…extra support.” She said teasingly, getting one last comment in about the “asshats” inside.

Elizabeth raised a brow, “Extra support?”

“Something to take the edge off. You know, a little something extra.”

Elizabeth didn’t pretend to not understand the concept, though she was still a stranger in a different country; supposed to clean herself up and get her head on straight. But why did she always end up in the same position wherever she was and no matter what she did? The dark-haired Brit mulled over her thoughts as she nodded to indicate she understood what Ava was talking about. Being that she had come to America for the first time with no clue and no friends, she didn’t exactly want to reject anyone. That and her relationship with narcotics was hardly one she had removed herself from.

“Right. Extra.”

“Now, just allow me a few to give my stupid family a reasonable excuse and your tour of NYC can begin.”

Elizabeth watched Ava take her leave from the balcony before returning her gaze to the city. What exactly had she gotten herself into?

---

The last few days of Audrey’s holiday break were spent in absolute relaxation between sand and palm trees in a luxurious resort in The Bahamas. Although she was used to it, he NYC cold had consumed the most of her short patience, so the brunette had decided that the beach getaway was the perfect way to get some of her rich tan color back and gather her strengths before the new semester began. The vacation also provided her with much needed me-time, and a chance to enjoy her own company. Although she wished nothing more than to stay by the ocean for a while longer, soon enough it was time for her to come back. The young woman arrived home the day before term was scheduled to start, her sun-kissed skin glowing and 100% ready to get back to business.

On the first day of the semester, the quad of Columbia University was filled with neatly-arranged rows of tables, each representing a different student association. Audrey Huntsberg was standing behind the Delta Gamma table, proudly representing her sorority alongside her ‘sisters’ and serving as a counselor of sorts. In the Delta Gamma house, requests for pledges that were not Legacies were accepted in January, so it was important that all possible new recruits were properly oriented before they decided to ‘try out’ for the most prestigious sorority house in Columbia.

After the first hour and a half of manning the table, Audrey switched positions with another Delta. The young woman was schedules to perform with the dance team in thirty mimutes, so she’d taken a moment to do her warm ups. She was right in the middle of practicing her splits when she saw a familiar face make his way through the campus grounds, and immediately heard herself groaning loudly. She recognized that arrogant attitude anywhere, along with the entitled strut and the frustratingly handsome face that came along with it.

“You have got to be shitting me…” Audrey muttered under her breath, gritting her teeth.

What were the odds that, out of all the universities in the state of New York, Alexandros asshole Mossos would be enrolled in the same one she attended?

Un-fucking-believable.

She heard the intriguing murmur of interest coming from some of her fellow Deltas, and she was quick to intervene before they could get any creative ideas. “Eyes and hands off of that one, ladies. He's mine.” Audrey declared, shooting her sorority sisters the look her grandmother had made famous decades before.

None of the woman dared to say or do anything. The rumors of what had happened to the woman who had tried to get in between Audrey and Julius Bergman while they were still dating was always fresh in everyone’s minds, and served as enough of a warning of the consequences of messing with the Latina.

Distracted as she was glaring at Mossos’ stupid face, Audrey didn't realize what time it was until a text message from the dance team captain pulled her back into reality. She had five minutes to make it up the stage, so she pocketed her phone inside her cozy Delta Gamma hoodie and raced through the Quad, up the stairs and to the stage. The brunette arrived just in time to make it to her position before the captain gave the signal to start. A second later, Katy Perry’s ‘Swish Swish’ began to play over the speakers.

A crowd of students gathered around the foot of the stage. In typical Audrey fashion, she gave her everything on the dance floor, and it certainly got her noticed. The young woman was on fire from the first step, hitting every move with grace and undeniable passion. All eyes were on her, and exclamations of amazement were heard after her brief solo on the second time the chorus was sang. When the dance number was over, loud, enthusiastic clapping along with whistles of approval served as proof of how well the group had done. But although the team as a whole had been impeccable, in everyone's eyes, it was obvious who had been the star of the show.

From her position in the second to last spot of the first row, Audrey wore a satisfied smirk in her beautiful face, her eyes glued on a certain someone in the crowd. ‘Stare at me, Mossos. Take a long, hard look at what you could have had, but lost. Reflect on your mistakes and try harder the next time, papi.’

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So far, this university thing wasn't much different. The visits to the campus hyped this thing up like it would be a life changing experience. But so far, it wasn't jack-fucking-shit. Everything felt the same. There were cliques, professors being overbearing and putting restrictions on what you can and cannot do. All the classes the advisors put Lillian- or "recommended her" to be in, were things she had taken before. But for whatever reason, her credits didn't transfer and she had to do this mumbo jumbo all over again. Her dreams of leaving calculus and physics behind for the rest of her life would have to remain as they were for now. Her major didn't even involve these things, but the stupid education system made her retake these classes. On top of it, she was also placed into an American History class, as if Lillian really needed to learn about the country she was merely going to school in. Not like she was a citizen. Why did she need to know it? Why did it matter if she needed to know how many wars this country has been in or what President Trump has been up to?

Why did anything she was taking right now matter? She was here to get a degree and move on with her life. No longer did she want to derive the function of the graph. Why? That was the word of the week for Lillian. Everything she had experienced so far seemed like it was straight out of a shitty teenage drama you'd find running on the CW. Overhearing some murmurings, she learned about a website that contained rumors and secrets all across campus. Who was even behind it? If it was anything like the show, then it was definitely some rich uppity kid with nothing better to do than to ruin some lives. Just... why? The more she found out about the school, the more it felt like she was living in a teenage story instead of actually coming here and getting something done with her life for once.

At the moment, the British girl was set up in the school's library. Tucked away in the corner on one of the highest floors, she was sitting in front of a screen and scrolling away on whatever website she was on. It was nice to get away from the population that this school held. Everyone she saw seemed to be the same. Ugg wearing, Starbucks drinking, and bun-wearing girls were all over the place. She despised those sorts of people. They followed the crowd and typically had no brains of their own. It was sad, really. The men weren't much different, either. Unlike the women, they actually had some variety, but not the good kind. There were either roided up, braindead frat boys, or bone-thin, brainy nerds. It was an odd phenomenon that she had observed, but it was living up to what she had seen on television.

Taking a sip from her cup, she sighed and pulled up a syllabus for her English Composition class. At least this was something that Lillian actually enjoyed. Looking at the required reading, she had found out that all the books they were going to break down were all things she had read before. "The Great Gatsby", "Catcher in the Rye", and "Fahrenheit 451". What exactly was this class? Those were all books she read in secondary school. For crying out loud, no wonder she had gotten into this school. The system here definitely wasn't shit compared to what she did back home.

Upon hearing a voice, Lillian looked up from her screen to see that someone had the audacity to sit at the same table she was sitting at. She looked around and saw plenty of vacant tables. It was odd. Why did she come to this table out of all of the ones in this area, or in this library, even? Her brown eyes were practically drilling a hole into the girl that had just arrived. Did some force push her there? Was something or someone pushing her there? Either way though, she'd have to survive this interaction. It'd be the first of many at this university, anyway.

Upon listening to what she had to say, it was more up her alley than she had previously anticipated. Lillian honestly thought that the words that would be coming out of that girl's lips would be something completely irrelevant. She was absolutely ready to get up and ditch her. She didn't have a qualm with abandoning her. There were thousands of students here and crossing one of them would be the least of her worries. But, a complaint about the English Composition class she just so happened to be looking at. Nosy, nosy. Lillian wasn't too fond at how someone was looking at her screen and violating her privacy - but at least someone else understood her pain. The girl did have a point, though. Gatsby was pretty pretentious, and so was Holden.

"I guess. Gatsby is just a beta male, he hasn't a single idea that whatever he's on about is rubbish. These books are elementary, it's complete " Lillian rolled her eyes and tapped her pen on her computer, before listening to the rest of what the lady had to say. "Listen, I'd be careful about what you say," Lillian pointed her pen at the girl she was conversing with, "Some of these trust fund babies could ruin your life. And I mean ruin it." Honestly, Lillian was a little offended, but at the same time, a little impressed that this girl had such bravado and bravery to openly insult the rich. She was a member of that club, so she knew firsthand what would happen when they were crossed. Depending on how bad the offence was, things could've gotten wild.

Lillian folded her arms and placed them on the table, leaning on them and staring into the girl's eyes. After a few exchanged words, Lillian had decided she had enough of this shite. Taking her pen, she made an up and down gesture toward the girl, squinting.
"Listen, I think it'd be best for both of us if you bugger off things get out of hand. I'm not interested in listening to whatever's coming out of your gob, and I'm definitely not in the mood to think about whatever's already come out of it." Lillian flashed a smile as real as Kim Kardashian's rear, "Now, please, sod off."

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It was the start of a new semester for the students of New York’s Columbia University. Marissa Guerrero sat quietly in the back seat of the Cadillac SUV, watching the city through heavily tinted windows her way to breakfast. The young woman had flown back to the Big Apple from Monaco the past afternoon, and getting a good night’s sleep had been rather difficult. Funny things like that happened to her when her body clock was still on European time, and it was because of that very reason that Marissa had found herself awake a few hours before her first class was scheduled.

She'd decided that a good way to start her day was to get a hot drink with a pastry on the side. The question was: what was a good place around town to find those two items? The answer was plain, simple and obvious. The place to go was none other than the Upper East Side’s crown jewel: Sprinkles Café and Bakery. And that's where Marissa was heading on this cold, yet sunny morning.

After a twenty minute wait, Marissa exited Sprinkles and was once again inside the back of the Caddy. It was a short drive to Columbia, so there wasn’t much time for thinking this time around before her driver was notifying her of her arrival to campus. The raven-haired young woman thanked the man and left the vehicle, heading in the direction of the school.

Hot chocolate in hand and banana nut muffin neatly tucked inside her handbag, Marissa now made her way around the lush greens of the university’s vast campus. Even in the wintertime the grounds remained beautiful, as if unbothered by Mother Nature’s mood swings. She walked slowly, taking in every detail of her surroundings: the lilac flowers growing in a nearby bush, the thick trunk of the tall oak tree in the quad, the many faces of fellow college attendees in various locations and actions…

Marissa was passing through the bleachers when she noticed a familiar face sitting alone in one of them. Alexander Bryant had been one of her classmates in last semester’s World History class, and even though they didn’t speak much beyond the occasional chatter of class-related things, the young woman felt she could approach him without seeming weird or too forward. She wondered why he was looking so sad and lonely, and decided on the spot to offer him some company. After all, she still had about an hour and a half before class.

“Good morning, Mr. Bryant. Marissa said cheerfully, offering the young man a kind smile. She always used Mr., Mrs. or Miss and the last name when referring to people outside her inner circle. Maybe it was just one of those Monaco things that stuck.“Would you be open to some company?” she asked softly, pointing to the empty space beside him.