The Bad boy's Redemption

Chapter Four

We stepped in the room, music buzzing loudly shaking the whole building. The room was packed with people. A lot of grinding and dancing went on. My eyes glanced to the corner of the room near the wooden stairs and there stood a male and female pressed against the cream colored wall doing-- let's just say not everyone was there to dance.

Majority of the people in there had at least a red plastic cup in their hands, sipping on whatever was inside. The air felt so stiff and hot I was beginning to wonder how there was still oxygen left for me to breathe in.

Someone tugged on my arm their fingers wrapping around my wrist as I was dragged further into the room. I didn't even realise I had stop moving since I walked in.

"Let's get something to drink." I heard Cat's voice say as she dragged me down the room.

"Something to drink? Like alcohol?." I asked.

"What else would we be drinking" her eyebrows furrowed like I had asked the most ridiculous question ever.

On a second thought, maybe I did. I mean who attends a party just to drink a can of Pepsi when there was a lot of free beer available. Besides it seemed like everyone attending was in college or was done with it. It was a college party afterall.

A cup was pushed into my hands and I looked up at Cat who was holding a similar cup in hers.

"Drink up." she said before taking a sip from her cup.

We were now standing behind a counter in the kitchen that had been rearranged to look like a bar. Stack of unused cups and a few dozen half empty bottles of alcohol were found scattered on top of the counter

A tall tanned skin guy stood on the other side of the counter. He had brown hair and eyes. A small friendly smile on his lips. He was cute. His eyes were on mine as he gave me an encouraging smile.

I placed the cup against my lips and just before taking a sip my eyes left his and met Cat's.

"What's in it?."

Cat shrugged throwing her head back to finish the drink in her cup.

"Seb did the mixing. I wouldn't know." She placed her cup down on the flat surface. "Can I get another?." She smiled twirling her iron curled hair around her fingers.

He gave her a small laugh.

"Of course you can. That's why I'm here." He winked giving her a smile as he began open bottles and pouring out a bit of their content in her cup.

"Are you gonna drink that?." She raised an eyebrow at me.

"You can have it. I don't really drink." I pushed my cup towards her.

She shrugged before downing it all in one go.

"You should slow down with that. You don't want it kicking in in full force." He smiled a bit before holding another drink to her. "You sure you still want this?." He hesitated.

"Of course." She pulled the drink from his grasp. "I need this."

He nodded before snapping his attention to me. His eyes on mine.

"Would you like something else to drink?."

I opened my mouth to protest but then shut it when his next words met my ears.

"Something nonalcoholic?." He gave a small smile and I nodded quickly.

"Yes please." I said and he laughed. My lips curled up. His smile was infectious.

"So you must be new here." He said as he poured a pink milky liquid into a tall glass.

I opened my mouth to speak.

"Yeah. She moved here three days ago from Manchester." Cat spoke for me.

He looked up at Cat before sliding his gaze to me.

"Cool. So you're here for college then.?" He asked.

"Yes she is. She'll be attending the same University as me." Cat answered for me again and I had to refrain from telling her to shut up and let me answer the questions myself.

He nodded and I watched him squeeze lime into the glass before sprinkling something green into it. He moved with suaveness as he picked up a few more things and dumped them in my drink.

"I'm Sebastian." He looked up at me putting a straw in the drink and then sliding the glass towards me.

"Eleanor." I answered quickly before Cat decided to answer for me. I picked up the glass and sipped on the pink concoction and my eyes widened as different taste melted on my tongue. Milky, sweet, sour, minty. All in one.

I nodded my head in approval.

"This is amazing." I told him.

"I'm glad you like it." He smiled.

Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Cat eye the glass in my hand.

"Angela and the rest are here. I'll go find them. Wait here for me." She said before disappearing into the dancing crowd.

"If you don't mind me asking, how are you two related?."

"Catherine?." I asked my lips hovering the straw.

"Yeah."

"We're cousins. Our mums are sisters." I answered before sucking on the straw.

Two guys walked in telling him what drink they wanted before walking away with their drink in their hands.

I sipped the last drop of my drink before placing the empty glass on the surface.

"So Sebastian, you're just gonna serve drinks till the party is over." I asked.

He shrugged "I'm getting paid for my service."

"At least one of us is getting paid for being here." I mumbled.

"Not a fan of parties?." He asked before opening a bag of crisps.

"It's not that. I just have other important things to do rather than party the night away. Besides I know no one besides Cat here."

"You hurt me Eleanor." He placed his palm on his chest feigning hurt. "I thought we knew each other." He shook his head, pretending to be disappointed.

I chuckled. "We only know our first names."

"Ah well you're in luck then. I'm feeling very generous tonight so imma let you tell me about yourself." He grinned his laugh lines visibly and I had to bite my bottom lip to stop myself from smiling back at him. He had a really nice smile.

"I'm listening." He said and I rolled my eyes.

"This is two-way."

"Of course I'd be telling you about myself too. I know you're just dying to know." He smiled cheekily.

I snorted. "Alright what do you want to know." I figured it was best to make new friends if I was going to be hanging out with Cat 'cause I was pretty sure that wouldn't be the last time.

"How about we start with something easy like your name, your full name. Last name and all."

"Eleanor Jenkins." I answered.

"Pleasure to meet you miss Jenkins." He said in a terribly British accent and I cringed.

"That horrible?." I nodded and he pouted.

I chuckled at his expression. He looked really cute and younger than he actually was with that expression.

"If it's any consolation I'm pretty bad at accents too. You don't wanna hear my American accent."

His eyes lit up at that and they twinkled under the bright florescent light.

"Now I really wanna hear it." He said and I shook my head. There was no way I was going to embarrass myself in front of him or anyone.

"How old are you?." He asked accepting that there was no way I was going to speak with another accent.

I gasped dramatically.

"How rude of you! You don't ask a lady for her age."

His eyes widened and his mouth opened to an 'o' shape.

"Really? I'm sorry I didn't know." He rushed out apologizing.

His ears were red from embarrassment and I almost laughed at his flustered expression.

"But how do I know if you're underage or not if I'm not allowed to ask for your age. Who made such dumb rule." He mumbled the last bit but I still heard because the music wasn't that loud from where we were.

"I would have answered your question but it's your turn to answer."

"To answer what? You never asked any question." He asked with furrowed brows.

"You did. You haven't told me your full name yet."

His mouth formed an 'o' when he realized it.

And just when he opened his mouth to answer, someone walked in.

I looked up and my eyes met with black ones. Eyes so black you couldn't tell the pupil from the iris. One that looked so blank and void of any emotion. One that seemed to make it difficult for you to look away. It felt like a dark hollow drawing you in.

I teared my eyes from the hypnotizing stare and took in the entire face. With the downward turn of his pierced lips and his black curly hair and his all black clothing I knew I've met him before. I don't think I wouldn't be able to recognize him even without all that.

I was about saying something to him a 'hello' probably but he diverted his gaze even before I opened my mouth.

I don't think he recognized me. I mean we'd only met once.

"King." I heard Seb say and my eyes moved to him.

"Silver." Harry said and gave a nod in acknowledgment.

"Didn't think those fellows were runners." he chuckled. "It was just an awkward high schooler with a bread knife."

"Yeah. Lucky McCarthy acted like a man." Harry said.

And my eyes darted to him. That was the most I've heard him say. I was starting to think he only had few words in his vocabulary even though I had no idea what they were talking about.

"Vodka?." Seb asked.

"You got that right."

I watched Seb opened a half empty vodka bottle and pour it in a solo cup.

"Will that be Monday?." Seb asked as he pushed the cup towards Harry.

"No one knows man. No one." He replied before walking out the kitchen. My eyes never once left him 'til he moved out of my line of sight.

He was so.......strange.

"Oh Eleanor." Seb said with wide eyes.

"I see you forgot I was here."

His cheek stained pink as he mumbled a small sorry and he smiled guiltily.

"Oh no it's fine. It's not like I wanted you to introduce me to your friend." I joked.

"That's not it." He said, his hand rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"It's all good. I don't think Harry is the type to like meeting new people. He's just going to forget me again anyway." I brushed it off.

"You know him?." He asked the surprise in his voice evident.

"No. But we've met before."

"Yo! Silver we need some whiskey. A lot of it. " A voice burst in making my eyes snap up to the kitchen entrance.

"Eleanor." A deep voice said giving me a surprised smile.

"Hello Nick."

"Cat never said you were here."

"That explains why she isn't back here yet."

He chuckled." Yeah. She forgets things easily."

"Hey! I'm not bad company." Seb protested from behind me.

"What's taking you so long Nick. We're about to start--." Another voice started but his words were cut short as he walked inside the kitchen.

"Eleanor?." Dave asked his eyes shone with astonishment. "What are you doing here? No, stupid question. Don't answer that." His eyes raked down my body before he met my eyes again and he grinned.

"Oh wow. It's nice to see you again." He said and suddenly he embraced me in his arms.

"Uhm hello." I said, my arms laying limp by my side. I was so flabbergasted by the hug I was clueless on where to place my hands. The last time I met him which was literally the day before, he hadn't been this friendly or touchy feely. I mean all the lad said to me was a 'hello'. So imagine my surprise when he suddenly hugged me.

He pulled away and stared unflinchingly at me. His smile fell to a frown.

"Do you hate me or something?."

"What? Where did that come from?."

"I felt like I was hugging a tree like I was hugging Harry."

"I was just flabbergasted."

"Ooh big word. I don't have a dictionary."

"What?." I asked confused.

"Dave isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the box." Nick said.

"Shut the f**k up. I got a C minus in highschool English without even trying." He replied smugly.

"And a C minus is like an A in his world." Nick said.

"f**k off. I'm trying to make a new friend here. Badmouthing me isn't gonna get her to like me. "

"It isn't badmouthing if it's the truth." Nick rolled his eyes. Five whiskey bottles in his hands. How he was able to balance all was beyond my understand "Don't forget to bring the cups with you. See you around Eleanor." He finished before walking out the room.

"I swear I'm not dumb." Dave said as he searched my eyes to see if I believe him. I didn't even know what to say to that.

"Oh great she hates me now." He mumbled.

"I don't hate you." I said.

"Really?." He asked excitedly.

I nodded.

"Great! So you wouldn't mind joining the game."

"What game?."

He grinned. "You'll see." He picked up five red solo cups from the counter.

"I don't think I--."

"Come on let's go." His other hand found mine and he began pulling me out of the kitchen.