"A NEW REALITY"

Chapter two

Arielle

"You finally lost your virginity! Tell me everything!" My best friend screeched into the phone.

"Shhh," I whispered urgently, turning to look at the man in the bed to make sure he was still asleep. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw he was.

Grabbing my panties from where they were flung over the bed side lamp, I stuffed them into my purse, adjusted the strappy hand of my dress and snuck out.

"It's been over three minutes and I don't still have the details of your dirty one night stand," Annie grumbled, "If you don't want to be my friend anymore, you can just say it instead of gatekeeping this sort of juicy story."

I rolled my eyes at her dramatics and shut the door slowly behind me. As soon it clicked shut, I began to run.

"I don't even know where to start from," I panted as I jumped into the elevator.

"Start from where I left to go use the bathroom, and while I was standing in a long queue, you were busy falling in lust," she smacked her gum loudly.

"This isn't me," I sighed, pressing my forehead into the cool elevator wall, "Tell me this is a dream, that I didn't really go back to a stranger's hotel room just because he's hot, that I really didn't just lose my virginity to some guy."

"All I can say is, I hope you used protection," Annie giggled.

"I hate you."

"You know you love me," she retorted, "And anyway, you're going to be late for your breakfast with your mum."

I glanced at my wrist watch and froze. On my wrist was the stranger's expensive looking Rolex watch. Damn it. I was already late for breakfast, and mum didn't tolerate lateness. There was no time to go back to return the watch, so I decided I'd just mail it back when I was settled.

"I'm not going to make it."

I heard a door open from over the phone, "Never say never. I'm in your bedroom right now, and I've picked out clothes, shoes and whatnots. All you have to do is get your ass here, let me work my magic."

"Uh, I love you!"

"I knew you'd change your mind. But you still owe me details of last night."

Laughing, I hung up and jumped into a cab at the curb. I had planned to lose my virginity at my senior prom, but i didn't regret not sticking to my plans at all. There was no way I would have had a better experience with some lame high school kid.

And anyway, most of them were too afraid to come anywhere close to me because my mom was the principal.

I squeezed my eyes shut and allowed my mind to drift back to my perfect one night stand. I felt a twinge of sadness that I would never see him again though. Which was for the best anyway. What would a man like that want with someone like me?

The cab finally pulled to a stop in front of my house and I rushed in, relieved to see that my mother had spent the night at her new fiance's place. Again.

"I have three dress options_" Annie began as I rushed into the room.

"I want the one that covers all of my ass, my boobs and doesn't have a slit in front," I cut in without looking at her. I knew my best friend like the back of my palm, if I let her, she would dress me like a stripper to meet my soon-to-be stepfather.

I loved her like a sister, but I also always wanted to strangle her.

Less than half an hour later, I crossed the tiled floor of The Flourish cafe, with a smile pasted on my face.

"You're late," my mother chided as I settled into the booth facing her.

"Good morning to you too, mum," it was the first time I was meeting Charles Salvatore, and I had to commend my mother's taste. How she managed to find these good looking, rich men who were willing to marry her would forever remain a mystery to me.

"Hello, Arielle," Charles said, only sparing me the flintiest glance before going back to his breakfast.

"At least you managed to dress appropriately," my mother pursed her mouth, then turned to her fiance, "What about our beloved prodigal son?"

I jolted, "He has a son? You didn't mention the possiblity of step siblings."

I had only ever had one step sibling, and I almost wept in relief when mum had finally divorced Gabriel Bauer's father and I never had to see him again. He was the complete definition of the word insufferable, and i wasn't looking forward to the experience again.

"It's just one sibling," mum tutted, "And you won't get to see him often. He doesn't live in New York. In fact, after the wedding, you might never see him again at all."

Charles snorted, "I doubt he would even come for the wedding."

What kind of cruel child wouldn't come for their own parent's wedding? Even though I knew mum would probably be going through this farce all over again in less than a year, I would still show up and cheer for her like it was her first wedding.

"I hear you are a straight A student, Arielle," my soon-to-be stepfather said distractingly, as he began to scroll through his phone, "That's good. If you keep that up, I'll get you a place at Harvard."

My eyes narrowed, "I don't need you to get me a place. I can get myself a college admission."

He glanced up, "At one of the lesser colleges perhaps. There's a library in Havard dedicated to me, as my step daughter, you will be a shoe in for a spot there."

I was slowly disliking Charles Salvatore, "As you said I'm a straight A student and_"

"Havard is my Alma Mater. Generations of Salvatores have all gone there, and as a Salvatore_"

"I'm not a Salvatore!" I snapped, "Why don't you worry about your own kid who doesn't know the meaning of keeping to time?"

"You can't blame me, I recently had my watch stolen," a dark, silky, familiar voice said from behind me.