PORTLAND WAS A beautiful city, especially at night. The streets were alive with people walking up and down, families laughing, couples walking hand in hand and city workers in suits  finally finishing after a long day and heading back to their homes. The warm glow of house and street lamps flooded onto the streets, lighting the roads and pathways. 

It was so peaceful outside. A stark contrast to the shit show happening inside Chase's car. 

"Shit, five minutes! Hurry the fuck up grandma!" I exclaim as my eyes flick between the shitty mirror of the fold down sun visor and the time. I quickly apply a coat of nude pink lipstick to my lips, careful not to move the stick from my mouth as Chase's changes the gears and the car shakes.  

"Fuck, Jones, I'm going 70 in a 45, how much faster do you want!?" Chase shouts  back, keeping his eyes focused on the road. I groan heavily as I pull the lipstick away and screw the lid back on. 

"If you could get us there before the boat leaves that would be great, thanks." I remark sarcastically as I slip the lipstick back into small bag that was resting on my lap. 

Chase groans but nonetheless puts a little bit more pressure on the accelerator, "You're going to get me fucking arrested." 

"That's what I'm here for." I grin at him as I lean over and place a large kiss on his cheek, living my print of lipstick behind. I giggle as I lean back in my seat, watching as Chase chuckles and try to wipe the lipstick off the the back of his hand. 

We had left Caldwell way behind schedule this afternoon after Headmaster Sullivan stopped us from leaving the school campus. He literally chased us down in the parking lot and I'm not going to lie, I threw my bag at him and sprinted to Chase's car. But the headmaster must've been a fucking a track star when he was younger because he caught me before I could reach for the door handle. 

Apparently, some little snitch spread the news about the teeny-tiny fight between Lea and I before Christmas break. I had no clue who it was but I sure as hell was going to find out. As the contract I had signed when entering Caldwell Academy and my court sentence had stated, I can take no part in any fight whatsoever—which is a lost cause in my opinion because I argue with literally everyone and that's considered fighting too. 

However, after a bit of grovelling and the promise that I would serve lunch for the following week—Chase's dumbass idea not mine—he finally let us leave with the condition that we would be back by ten. That's twenty-two-hundred. I honestly thought he was joking but only learnt that he was not after laughing incredibly loudly in his face.

Chase's black mustang screeches into the Cassidy Marina parking lot with two minutes to spare. He quickly pulls into an empty parking space squished between a Mercedes and a Lamborghini. His vintage vehicle looked extremely out of place but it was very cute. 

We both scramble from our seats with Chase running around the hood to meet me on my side. 

"How do I look?" I question hastily as I flatten the skirt of my black dress down. I had dressed according to the printed dress code on the invitation: a black dress and strappy gold heels. The black dress was a chiffon material with the shoulders cut out, bordered with ruffles and the back open. It was decorated with ruffles and tiny black polkadots. 

"Gorgeous." Chase questions as he smiles down at me, "Me?" 

I straighten the lapels of his charcoal suit jacket and grin, "Handsome." 

"Great, let's go." Chase announces as he wraps his hands around mine and we quickly rush to the dock. The tarmac was wet and full of puddles from a previous down pour so we carefully avoid those and manage to make it to the boat's entrance. The wooden jetty creeks under our weight as we make our way across it. 

Two women stood out the front with clipboards and tight black and gold pencil dresses. They frown at us as we stop before them.

"Uh, Hayden Jones." I tell them my name as I wrap my other hand around Chase's bicep and stand close to Chase, trying to keep warm. I definetly should've brought a coat but the dress was just so pretty, I thought it would ruin it. 

Both ladies frown at their clipboards, then flip over the page, then flip over another page. They then glance at each other's clipboard as anxiety begins to naw at my stomach. 

 "We don't see anyone of that name on our lists." One of them explains as she glances up at me with eyes lined incredibly sharply with black ink. It put the thin line of ink I managed to apply to my lash line in Chase's speeding car. 

"This is Harrison Lauder's birthday, right?" I question, pointing up to the boat as both women nod in unison, it was just a tad creepy. I then turn to Chase suddenly as an idea pops into my head, "Oh! The invitation." 

I quickly check my bag for the invitation but come up short. Chase quickly stuffs his hands into the pockets of his jacket before proceeding to check the inside pockets, and then the pockets of his pants. He then mumbles,  "For fucks sake."  

"What? I thought you had it." I question as Chase continues to frantically check all of his pockets over and over again. I then sigh as I try to the help him, the two of us looking like complete idiots searching Chase's pockets hastily in front of these two poor women. I stick my hand into one pocket of his pants, my hand reaching just a little too far down and touches something hard. Chase grunts and I flinch, "Shit, sorry." 

"I'm sorry, if you don't have the invitation we can't let you in." One of the women explains as I smile forcefully at her fake sweetness and step forward. 

"I'm Harrison's daughter, does that help?" I question, hoping like hell that it did help and we could get out of this damn cold. I fold my arms, trying to keep the warm in and also trying to take on an intimidating stance that I highly doubt was working. 

"I didn't know Harrison had a daughter." The other woman says in wonder as the two of them quickly flick over their clipboards once more. It was getting to the increasingly near to the point of me just grabbing their damn clipboards and snapping them in half. 

I sigh, "Of course you didn't." 

As the women check their clipboards, I glance over my shoulder at Chase who was  searching for the invitation with an adorable concentrated expression. He had taken his suit jacket off that was now draped over his forearm as he triple checked the contents of my bag. I can't help but smile at his visible determination. 

"No there's no Hayden under the name Lauder either." The women grab my attention once more and I turn back to them slightly annoyed. But I don't let it show and instead smile like what one would call a mad fucking woman. 

"Look, I have the invitation but it would seem it has been misplaced. We're here to party not shoot the birthday boy, ok?" I question, retaining full knowledge that the idea of harming said birthday boy had crossed my mind multiple times over the past couple days. "So why don't you let us in and we can all enjoy a spectacular night. What do you say, ladies?" 

"Just...give us a second." They laugh nervously as they glance over there shoulders through the open doors, "....James?" 

Suddenly, a large man in a black and yellow windbreaker steps outside, having to duck under the door frame in the process. There was large writing across his chest in a vivid blinding shade of neon yellow; security. 

"What seems to be the problem?" He questions in a deep voice as I become increasingly entranced by the shininess of his bald head. I wonder what oils he used. I then snap out of my trance at his question. 

"These two—" 

I interrupt her quickly, "Look, we were invited to this party by my father, Harrison Lauder. However, we seem to have misplaced our invitation and our names are not on the list. I know that seems dodgy but bringing out someone three times the size of me and that could easily squish me with his pinky finger is not going to intimidate me. I will fight him if I have t—" 

"Hayden?" 

My gaze moves past the wall of people in front of me to see my father standing in the doorway. Everyone turns to him as I lock my hands behind my back like a child who had been caught taking a cookie from the cookie jar. 

A million replies went through my head in that very second. It ranged from 'what the hell' to 'fuck you' to just straight up punching him in the face. 

But instead, I just went with; "Hi Dad." 

"What are you doing outside? The boat is about to leave." He questions as he steps out onto the jetty. The two woman quickly step aside as does the towering security man. 

"We lost our invitation and our name's aren't on the list." I explain as I send a glare at the two woman who instantly drop their eyes to their clipboards in fear. 

"There must be a mistake. Ladies, this is my daughter Hayden Jones and she was invited onto this boat." He explains to the ladies with ease as he gestures inside the boat, "Now, if you'll let her enter that would be just grand." 

"We apologise, sir." One of the woman says as they step further out of the way to let me through. 

"Is this man with you?" The security man asks gruffly as he points to Chase who was busy sliding his suit jacket back onto his broad shoulders. 

"Oh, he's my boyfriend." I stop suddenly, realising how easy that word slipped off the tip of my tongue. Chase heard it too as he pauses, his jacket hanging off one shoulder and glances up at me with a blank expression. We were both shocked to say the least. Then I smile and hold out my hand to him, "Chase." 

A grin grows across his face as he finishes putting on his jacket and his warm hand wraps around mine. We follow my father into boat, the sound of classical music and chatter growing louder as we near the main deck. It was the most lavish boat I had ever seen and the decorations looked more expensive than any house I've ever lived in. 

"You've grown so much, Hayden. I had to blink a couple of times to make sure it was you." Dad laughs to himself and glances over his shoulder at us. The hallway was quite dark save for the golden wall lights that just added to the elegant, exclusive feeling. 

"Well it has been eight years." Chase replies before I could and my father stopped in his tracks as he turned to Chase. Chase, realising his brashness instantly clears his throat and nods stiffly, "....Sir." 

My father pauses for a moment as he stares a Chase with a calculating stare before his expression changes into a fake and forced grin, "I guess it has." 

He then thankfully turns and continues walking down the hall. I glare up at Chase as we follow and he only shrugs nonchalantly. I roll my eyes at him but nonetheless remain quiet and we proceed further down the shadowed corridor. 

When we enter the large space, I stop and stare in awe at the extravagance of everyone and everything. So this is what it looks like to live in the upper class.... 

My gaze travels up to Chase to see that he was just in as much if not more awe as I was. I can't help but smile at his adorable face. 

"Oh baby, there you are!" 

My focus is side tracked by the high-pitched feminine voice. I glance to my left to see a lady who had obviously not read the dress code strutting towards us in a vivid red body con dress. Her tits were spilling over the top and they were that large that I honestly gazed at them for a solid three seconds as she made her way towards us. I couldn't tell if they were real or if her plastic surgeon did a Nobel Peace Prize worthy operation. 

She wraps her slender orange arms around my father's stumpy shoulders as she presses herself into his side, "I was looking for you everywhere!" 

"Oh I'm so sorry schmookims, but I was saving Hayden from outside."  My father pouts up at her because she towered a solid couple inches above him in those circus-height heels. I mean, the term saving was a tad dramatic but sure. "Natalia, this is my daughter Hayden. Hayden, this is my wife Natalia." 

"Wife?" I splutter as the two of them nod at me with the most confused looks on their face. I then clear more throat and a smile spreads across my lips, "How...lovely. It's so nice to meet you Nadia." 

"It's Natalia." She purs as she extends her left hand, purposefully exposing the huge diamond on her ring finger, "And likewise, Hayden."

It didn't like the way she said my name. It was in the tone of she-seems-nice-but-is-actually-a-conniving bitch. I know that tone all too well. 

"Now, why don't you come with me Hayden and I'll introduce you to a few people." My father explains as he gestures to the crowd, "And schmookims would you mind taking Hayden's boyfriend here to the bar." 

"It would be my pleasure darling." She grins at Chase like a lioness finally finding her pray. Nancy or whatever her name was pushes off my father and walks over to Chase, wrapping her fucking cheeto arms around Chase's bicep. "Come on sweetie, I don't bite." 

I assure him with a smile, "I'll be there soon." 

"You fucking better." He whispers to me before following the Cheeto lady who was having the damn time of her life hanging onto Chase's impressive arm. Of course I was fucking jealous, only I'm allowed to do that. I was too busy watching Chase's dark hair over the crowd to notice that my father was introducing me to two other people. 

"Hayden, I would like you to meet Jonathon Ainsley and his wife Amanda. He's actually the owner of this ship and a billion more like it, right John?" My father laughs in the background as I continue to keep my eye on Chase and Cheeto lady as they slowly make their way to the bar. I mean, I trusted Chase but I wasn't blind and I wasn't just born in the woods last fucking nigh—"Hayden?" 

I turn back, blinking rapidly with a dazed smile, "Sorry. Hi, I'm Hayden." 

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He smiles as we briefly shake hands in greeting. I sigh heavily and lock my hands behind my back as my father begins to introduce me to Jonathon. I subconsciously glance in the direction I had last seen Chase only to see he had disappeared. 

This is going to be a long night. 

so before you grab your pitch forks and come for me, let me just explain why i haven't posted in aaaaaages. i've been at my boyfriend's family farm for the past three weeks and the wifi there is absolutely shit.

it's in the middle of fucking nowhere and it's an hour and a half drive to anything the even resembled civilisation. 

so super sorry :)

also i'll be updating most probably tomorrow but it's late and i'm going to sleep cos i'm trying to get my sleep schedule under control.