Saving Grace

I followed John up the staircase like a lost puppy. Shouts were heard welcoming him but he seemed oblivious to them. I watched the stairs, careful not to tumble backward in my heels; it could be problematic.

He reached the end of the hall and opened the only door there to expose a surprisingly clean room. My eyes scanned the airy bedroom, searching for anything wrong but found nothing out of place or unusual.

I pictured his room to be completely opposite of what it actually was. I thought it would be a pigsty with childish posters sloppily decorating the walls. I was surprised that the bed was made.

Then again, maybe Bree had cleaned it up for him. 

John turned from tossing his luggage on the mattress to look at me. "What?"

I shrugged. "Nothing."

"Come in."

I realized then that I was still standing in the doorway. I nodded, stepping inside and setting my things beside his on the bed.

The sun filtered through the venetian blinds, slats of sunlight decorating the off-white carpeting beneath the window. I turned to John, the feeling of the squishy fabric beneath my stilettos weird and awkward. "Ready Amelia?" John asked as he held his arm out, motioning to loop my arm through his once again.

I sucked in a breath before replying. "No, not really."

"You'll be perfectly fine," he said with a reassuring smile.

I sighed and reluctantly hooked my arm through his. "I suppose I'm ready then."

He nodded before leading us out to greet his family and friends.

-----

I felt arms wrap around me from behind and I immediately gasped, ready to spin and use the self-defense moves I had learned in college. "Patrick!" a womanly voice scolded before I had the chance to do any harm to the person. The arms immediately were yanked from my waist. I turned, my eyes wide with surprise to see a boy and girl, the girl had a handful of the boy's shirt in her fist. "I am so sorry. Pat has absolutely no manners when it comes to meeting new people," she apologized, shooting the boy within her grasp a deadly glare.

I looked between the two before I felt a hand land on the small of my back. I felt myself tense at the touch and my mind only thinking of the hand resting oh-so-casually near a place that I didn't want to be touched. "Amelia, this is Pat and Linnely," John introduced. "Pat is the drummer in my band and Linnely is his girlfriend and unfortunately, my cousin."

The girl's jaw dropped lightly before she balled her free fist and punched John in the shoulder. "These boys are so rude!" Linnely cried turning her wide, round, aquamarine colored eyes to me. I had never seen eyes such a brilliant color. The blue and green that streaked her dirty blond hair only brought out the unusual shade of her orbs.

I smiled a little at her. She seemed nice.

"We're not rude, we're simply out-spoken," Pat corrected before turning his brown eyes to me. "Welcome to Tempe, Amelia," he said with a smile as he held out his calloused hand.

I smiled back and placed my hand within his. Before we had the chance to shake though, he tugged me forward causing me to crash against his chest. "Screw being formal," he laughed.

If I thought my embrace with Bree was awkward, this was ten times worse. Now my face was being squished to a chest belonging to a boy I barely knew. Not only that but my cheeks, being chubby, were squished making me look like something resembling a fish with my lips being forced to purse.

I heard a girlish giggle before Linnely cut in. "Pat, I don't think she likes your hugs," she stated, her voice shaking with her laughter.

The boy released me with his lower lip shoved outward in a pathetic excuse for a pout. "Everyone loves hugs," he stated.

I smoothed my hair back into place laughing at his words. His eyes grew to the size of saucers. "You don't like hugs!?"

I shook my head. "No, not really." 

"You are a freak of nature!" he cried. Linnely didn't hesitate to smack him across the back of his head.

"Patrick Kirch! You're making a jackass of yourself!"

He scowled at her and rubbed the back of his head. "Pat had a few too many Redbulls," a new voice input into the conversation.

I glanced to the general area the voice had come from to see a boy with hazel eyes and brown hair spilling onto his forehead. He was smiling politely with an ice cold Bud Light in his grip. "Amelia, this is Kennedy," John introduced. "He's in my band too."

"Your band?" Kennedy and Pat asked sternly.

John shook his head. "You know what I mean!"

The two boys smiled before Kennedy took charge of the conversation. "It's nice to meet you, Amelia. Call me Kenny," he said holding his hand out to me.

I smiled politely and slipped my hand into his. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise."

The sun reflecting off of the pool's surface caught my attention. The backyard was beautiful but the main attraction of the entire thing was most definitely the in-ground pool.

I turned when I heard a ruckus and before I had a chance to react, two unfamiliar bodies crashed into mine, knocking me into the freezing waters below.