Watch Their World Burn Down

*Kellin’s POV*

"Hey, Justin!", I called out as I finally found my friend who was sipping on his glass of champagne.
He leaned on a wall in our big living room, as far away as possible from the crowd, watching the passing people.
His dark blond hair was slicked back, his suit a few sizes too big for his tiny figure. He looked somewhat idiotic, but still kind of adorable to be honest.
Glancing up to the sound of his name, he smiled when he saw me.

"What’s up, dude?", he asked, as I stood beside him, joining his creep contest.
Most of the people at these parties were the age of my father, determined to maintain their ego. There was nobody dancing, since everyone was occupied with any kind of conversation.
The women talked to their husbands, or hit on some random guys. Some business men, like my dad spoke with whichever prostitutes they had booked for tonight. And then there were Justin and I.
Two teenagers who barely made eye contact and didn’t look like they belonged to anyone at all.

I scratched the back of my neck.
“Having a shitty night so far. What about you?” I returned the question.

"Me too." He sighed, a pained expression crossed his face. "It gets boring after a few times, y’know?"
I nodded, even though I knew it wasn’t as hard for Justin to be here as it was for me. He was a lot better at coping with all the pressure that came from our parents than I was.
He liked being led on, being a small part of a big thing when I liked to put my own interests before those of others, especially my father’s, and felt the need to be rebellious.
Our very different personalities did mix good though. We still had similar outlooks on life, and we had known each other for years, means we were the closest to best friends that was possible.
I silently agreed with him in this point.
These soirees were always the same. Same people with different faces they plaster their fake smiles and their fake niceness on, shitty music and alcohol.
That last thing wasn’t that bad though.

Speaking of alcohol, a female servant walked by, so I stopped her and asked her to bring me a shot of tequila, while Justin examined her head to heels.
“How does it come, you’re even here tonight? Per usual, you’re pretty good at evading these parties.” Justin questioned after she had left.

I sighed. “Dad’s forcing me. He said I’d have to babysit a guy who’s new in California. He said that dude’s ‘my age’, but you know my father. I’ll probably end up with a man around his thirties tonight. What-“

Justin cut off my sentence by squealing like a teenage girl. “Some guy who’s new in San Diego and around our age?”
I gave him an odd look and nodded reluctantly.

His eyes grew wide. “Oh my God, you’re not talking about Fernandez, are you?”
How could Justin be so stoked about this random man? Last time I had checked he was still straight.
And believe me, I had done that a couple of times. Much to his dismay though.

"Yeah, actually I think I am." I answered him hesitantly.

His face lit up immediately. “You’re so lucky, dude! My parents won’t even let me go near him. They said I’d get grounded if I messed it up for them because of their reputation.”

"What’s so special about this guy?", I wanted to know.

Justin looked at me with wide, unbelieving eyes. “You haven’t heard yet?” He practically shouted at me. As some guests already turned and frowned at us, I hit his arm.

"Shut up!" I snapped. "Would you please answer my question instead of weirding all people out?"

He rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. “I just can’t understand why you keep excluding yourself out of this whole society. Do you even care much you disappoint your father?”

I glared at him. No matter how good of a friend Justin was, he could be a fucking prick if he wanted to.
“You know how much of a shit I give about my father’s business.”, I said. “Now tell me about this guy. What was his name again?”

"Fernandez. Hector or something like that." I motioned for him to continue, he gave me an annoyed glance in return. "Alright, so he’s from Maryland, has studied in Harvard and he’s kind of a mysterious celebrity since no one has ever seen him before. My dad told me Fernandez is not a fan of these events. I can’t see why though."

Frowning, I asked: “Well, why is he such a such a big deal then?”
If you had to put up with the clientele I dealt with on a daily basis, a person like this didn’t really seem much out of the ordinary.

"He’s a Wall Street guy and a millionaire in like… His young twenties. It’s a big thing that he agreed to attend here, ‘cause he has so much money and isn’t into all of this society stuff. This is a big chance for everyone, who’s out for connections tonight. Like… Can you even imagine how much of an opportunity this is for you? I wish I could meet him!" Justin rambled on and on, his eyes shining in excitement and my own expression changing into one of horror.

"Yeah! I get it. I’ll try and restrain myself from messing things up." I laughed nervously.
Shit. What had I gotten myself into? If this Fernandez character was really as important as Justin implied, I knew something fatally embarrassing would happen to me tonight. This was just how fate worked for me.
Why did my father even want me to spend time with him? He knew exactly how socially awkward, and how bad I was at dealing with pressure. That was all too much.

"By the way, where’s Jesse?" I asked in my desperate attempt to change the topic.
I hadn’t seen him all night and right now his parents walked by, but there was still no sign of him.

"Oh, um, about that. He told me he wouldn’t come." Justin said cautiously.

"What?"

"Yeah, he texted me and said he was sick or something. ‘m sure he’s hanging out at home, playing video games." He said and seemed just as annoyed about our friend ditching us as I was.
Such an event was easier to bear in a group than alone, or as only two people. Well, I don’t think I should put myself on a pedestal, because I was not such a good example either. I avoided these parties and I had left my friends hanging because o the stupidest reasons several times.

"Lucky sucker," I grumbled, and took the Tequila from the same servant’s tray with a sweet ‘Thank you. Another one please’.
I needed this.
After she had taken Justin’s order  the girl, I think her name was Lindsey, walked away again. Now that she was gone, I drank the shot all at once. The alcohol stung a little bit in my throat, but it spread a comfortable warmth throughout my body.
The bitter taste subsided quickly and I laid my eyes upon the front door and just at the moment I did so, it flung open and revealed an amazingly glorious sight.

I could practically feel my jaw drop, I heard Justin gasp in surprise and many discussions fade as they caught sight of the same thing I saw.
Everything had been all fine and peachy before, just another boring party, but now there was a smoking hot male standing in my living room.
In my seventeen years of life, I had seen a bunch of attractive men, but he was different, simply breathtaking in a way I hadn’t witnessed before.
The man wasn’t very tall, but I could see from a distance of at least forty foot, that his body was toned and he had to be bigger than me. His dark brown hair had a healthy glow in it and its slightly curled edges hung just above his shoulders.
He wore a suit like I did, but it looked a lot better on him. The white material of the button up perfectly contrasted with his tanned skin, and his black pants fit perfectly.
They accentuated just the right, um, areas, yet there was enough space for imagination.
He was downright gorgeous.
And apparently I wasn’t the only who noticed.

All eyes were glued on the guy. At this juncture, I didn’t even doubt him about being my father’s special guest anymore.
His Hispanic looks fit perfectly with his name, plus the way everyone reacted to his attendance indicated more than clearly that this person was no one you saw on the street every day.
He looked amused and smiled about the sudden attention, and watched no one in particular.
Instead, it seemed like the brown eyes of his were scanning his environment, like a predator would’ve done.
The men were scanning him, or telling their prostitutes who this person was and why he was so important. I found it kind of funny, since Justin and I had have a similar conversation like this only minutes ago.
Most women seemed just as intrigued by his appearance. They chattered quietly about the mysterious man or they glanced at him like they were undressing him with their eyes.
The middle-aged women weren’t the only ones who did that though.
I had to tear my eyes off of Fernandez when Justin started talking to me.

"Do you think it’d better if I left now?" Justin asked in a hushed tone. Nodding slowly, I muttered an incoherent farewell and watched how he walked away, until his small figure was swallowed by the crowd which now awoke to life again.
I looked to the door in hope I could catch another glimpse of the staggering stranger, but I was greeted with nothing but emptiness.
I frowned about that. How could he have disappeared so quickly? Ten seconds earlier he had been standing there, but now there was nothing left but the weird atmosphere of curiosity that signified his attendance.

"Excuse me." A low voice appeared from behind me and I felt someone tapping my shoulder. Startled, I quickly turned around and collided with a body that belonged to none other than Mr Fernandez himself in the process.
We were so close that our clothes touched during my turn, and that I got a good scent of his delicious cologne.

I took a step away and almost bumped backwards into someone else. The person behind me  mumbled something about ruthless teenagers and walked off.
Looking at the young man, who was checking me out at the moment, I noticed that he was even more attractive in close range. I could tell he was older than me, but still a lot younger than the other guests. His eyes had a clever glimmer to them and he had full lips, that twitched to a small smile as I awkwardly apologized.
“Uh, I-I’m sorry… I didn’t see you, s-sir.” I stutterd.

He chuckled. “No need to get all formal with each other. You good?,” the man asked casually. Even though I got a friendly vibe from him, I felt like something was off about this guy.
I just couldn’t really put my finger on it.

I nodded. “Y-Yes, I’m fine.” Damn it. I had to stop stuttering. This was getting so embarrassing.

He shot me a pearly white, toothy smile. “Great. Kellin Bostwick, I assume?”
I was baffled that he knew my named. No one ever did.
Also, it sounded like a common phrase, but I felt like there was a lot behind it, like everything he said had an alternate meaning to it.
Odd.

"Exactly." I said. "And you are?"
I mentally slapped myself for the stupid question. Everyone knew who he was.

It looked like he was surprised. He thought a little too long about the answer for my taste, as if it had been an alternate Either-or question.
It was probably just my usual suspicious self.
“Victor Fernandez.” He replied eventually. “But please. Call me Vic.”

Hmm. So his name was Vic. I really liked that.
“Nice to meet you.” I spoke politely, trying to keep this a non-flirtatious conversation, which wasn’t so easy, if you had someone like him right in front of you.

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine." Vic returned bluntly. "I’ve heard a lot about you, Kellin."

That was impossible.
Like I mentioned before, no one ever knew who I was. There was nothing special about me. “Doubt that.” I told him.

But he wouldn’t budge. “Yeah, I actually did.” He lowered his voice. “I just never expected you to be so…”

"Mature?", I suggested, not being a tiny bit serious.

Vic laughed about my joke, before his demeanor changed to a playful one. “I was about to say handsome, but I think that’ll do.” He said, his voice utterly seductive.

I bit my bottom lip, trying to keep down the flattered blush that was about to creep up to my cheeks.
This night was taking an interesting turn.

__________________________________

How many glasses of champagne Vic and I had been drinking? I had no idea. Though the fact that I found everything ridiculously funny showed that I maybe had a little bit too much.

After he had approached me, he had offered me a drink, I gratefully accepted. We had talked for a while and we got along pretty well, so we had decided to get somewhere we could talk more privately.
That’s how we had ended up in the kitchen, fairly far away from the living room, having our own little party. Me, sitting cross-legged on the counter with a bottle of Whisky in my hand, while Vic was leaning against the fridge right across, both of us laughing about random stuff.
I had learned that he was just 21 years old, and that he had dropped out of college after he had gained his first million. He also had a younger brother, and he said he lived on his own. We didn’t speak about anything personal, but about music, bands, general interests and pretty much everything that wasn’t too intimate.

Vic was actually really nice, charming and genuine. Something that wasn’t common in this type of society. I had misjudged him completely, had I been sure that he’d be just another sophisticated snob.
He was not, and surprisingly, we had a lot in common.
First, I was bothered by his mysterious ways. They made me nervous, but after a few drinks I forgot about it.
I was too focused on everything else, such as the recurring compliments and obvious sexual allusions. Vic had mentioned with no word that he was gay, but I was sure that he was no one who said such things just to mess with someone’s head.
He also kept giving me this one particular look every now and again, like he did in this moment. It was a mixture of lust and desire, that had seductive lights dancing in his eyes and me squirming under them.
Don’t get me wrong, it was flattering and all, but I was reluctant to lose my virginity to a stranger, who Vic was after all.

I was feeling really strange tonight. The alcohol was the thing that made my head feel all fuzzy, I knew that. But there was something else too. It made my reactions much slower than in sober condition.
It was weird, because I never had felt like this when I had been drinking, but I didn’t think much of it.
The unfamiliar thing going on in my head was also the reason I realized very late that Vic had moved closer and that his arm snaked around my back.

"What are you doing?" I laughed as he pulled me to himself so my legs dangled from the counter, my words slurred.

He smiled at my drunken stupidity. “You really wanna know?”
I nodded and giggled as he leaned in and brushed his lips over my cheek, my skin tickling at the touch.
My question was answered when he crashed his lips into mine. It took me a while to register what happened, but soon I kissed him back and tangled my fingers in his hair, to pull on it lightly.
His lips were just as soft as I had imagined and I could sense the alcohol on them, not that I minded. The kiss was nice and gentle, like he wanted to get a first taste.
Then, after he apparently got enough of it, everything heated up, mos of it got on Vic’s account though. He lifted up one of my thighs and put it around his waist.
I felt him bite down on my lip and soothe me by sliding his tongue inside my mouth. God, he was such a good kisser.

Roughly, he undid my tie and pushed it off of my body along with my jacket. I rocked back and forth on the countertop, creating needed friction that had both Vic and I moaning.
I lost track of the events, and soon I found myself lying on the tiled floor with Vic above me, our lips still connected.
His hands were roaming all over my body and I snapped out of my little alcohol inducted daze as he started fiddling with my belt buckle.

I pulled back and put my hands to his chest to push him back. “Stop.” I gasped and he pulled away as well, a confused look on his face.

"Not like this." I mumbled. "Not here."
Vic got up and offered me his hand, so he could pull me up too.
My head was spinning and when both of us were standing, I had to hold awkwardly onto his arms, so I wouldn’t collapse.

"I’m sorry. Hey." He gently tilted my chin up, using his free hand. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, when the the feeling of sickness had subsided and I was sure I wasn’t going to break or throw up in front of him either.
“Everything alright. I just… have to use the bathroom.” I pushed myself off of him and left the kitchen quickly, the feeling of his eyes on me not leaving until I was out of sight.

My vision was blurry, but that didn’t mean that I missed the weird looks almost all people, even Justin, gave me when I walked through the living room.
Confused I looked down at myself, and then I saw what was up. The upper buttons of my shirt were opened and revealed parts of my pale chest.
I picked up my pace and slammed the bathroom door shut, locking it after I had disappeared behind it.

Sliding down the wall to the cold ground, thoughts about everything that had just happened rushed through my head. So I had made out with a stranger, a hot stranger.
But I hadn’t thought about the consequences when I did it. Damn, I couldn’t even think logically right now.
What was going on? Why did I feel so numb, yet exited at the same time?
This couldn’t be healthy.

I stood up from the ground and moved towards the sink, looking at my face the whole time. I had sex hair, my blue eyes were bloodshot, like I had been smoking weed and my pupils were oddly small.
Were these side effects of the alcohol? They couldn’t be.
Never had I experienced something like this.

My appearance scared me, and I backed away from my own reflection, like I was some type of monster.
As I had hastily re-done the buttons on my shirt I got out of the bathroom and walked past the living room back into to the kitchen, only to find it empty.
Frowning, I turned to search him, and nearly walked into my father, who had an angry expression on his face.

Man, they all had to keep away from creeping up on me, someone would get injured, if that didn’t stop anytime sooner.
And by ‘someone’, I mean probably myself.

"Why did I find Mr Fernandez, alone talking to some of my friends, instead of being with you?", he seethed.

"I don’t know. Why did you?", I asked back with a disgusting sweet smile, chuckling a little.

My father didn’t seem to find that funny though. No, it even made him madder if that was possible. “Keep your smartass remarks for yourself. You’re supposed to spend time with him, not minding your own business.” He snarled.

"Oh, but I wish you’d finally start doing just that." I rolled my eyes, annoyed by his over reaction.

He held up his index finger and said: “A tone like this won’t keep your home schooling. Stay on his side for the rest of the night or you know what’s going to happen.”

My God, could he please take his gross hand out of my face? “I was using the bathroom!” I tried to defend myself, but my dad didn’t seem to be impressed by that.

"I don’t care." He said. "You’re here to entertain him. Don’t act like you had any other purpose. This is your job. And to be honest you haven’t done it good so far."

With that he left me standing there, dumbfounded. I was speechless at first.
What had just happened?
Then, the bitter feeling of rejection hit me like a slap in the face, making me furious. Every confusion was gone by now and replaced by the anger I felt towards my father.
How could he dare to treat me like that?

You remember how I said something about ‘not wanting to lose my virginity to a stranger? Yep, scratch that.
I was so ready for angry sex. Plus I would pay my father back, and do my duties at the same time.
I would keep Vic entertained, and I was sure lying underneath him all night was just as good as ‘staying on his side’.

Smiling, I jogged to the crowded area and immediately spotted the brown mop of hair. I slowed down and spoke up as I reached him. “Mr Fernandez!”

Vic held two full glasses in his hands and he had just been talking to a woman, Mrs Dunham, and now turned around at the sound of his name.
“Yes?” He asked, cocking an eyebrow at me, looking surprised that I had called him by his last name. “Excuse us for a minute,” he said and gave the woman one of the two drinks he was holding in his hands. It was clear, Vodka Tonic perhaps.
My tongue curled itself in disgust. I was no fan of bitter tasting stuff.
Vic put a hand on my lower back, a friendly gesture to anyone who was watching, but there was a lot more to it, if you had witnessed his former assault in the kitchen.
He pushed me into a corner so we could talk without being distracted.

I smiled shyly before I moved close so I could whisper seductively in his ear. “Would you do me a favor, Vic?”
A grin crept on his face and he nodded for me to continue and I leaned in again.
“Well, I kinda asked myself if you wouldn’t like to accompany me… Upstairs.”

It didn’t take a genius to decode this. His smirk got even wider at the suggestion.
“I would love to.” He said, his eyes speaking for themselves. That was good enough for me.
I shot him a smile and took his hand, so I could drag him to the stairs.

It was time to make stupid, life changing decisions.