Deep within the walls of a modern, Victorian inspired seaside mansion, an engagement took place. And no... not the ‘beautiful, take her to our special spot, film it and invite your friends, we’re getting married, happily ever after’ type of engagement. One of… an intimate nature.  

Okay, okay, before you stop reading here, sour pus, Elizabeth was tired of this too.  In fact, she gazed up at Parker as he was... doing his thing... and thought, What am I doing here? Yes, of course, Parker was handsome. With his curly hair, sharp jaw, chiseled muscles... Physically, he was perfect. Personality wise? He was a mess. 

Parker lay down beside Elizabeth and smiled at her, a cute, goofy, carefree smile. She rolled her eyes and smiled back, running her hand down the back of his neck and kissing him again. This had to be the last time. 

On the other side of the city, Holly set down the last of the boxes in her new room. It was gorgeous, dated, but lovely, with its dark wall panelling and vintage ceiling art. She sauntered over to her balcony and stared down at Sunset Valley through a hill of other mansions, fountains and topiaries. It was breathtaking. She left her room and took her car to explore the city. 

Sunset Valley was so different from Bridgeport. It was much smaller but soaked in old money. A rich French influence was everywhere; concrete ribbed pillars draped by flowers, catholic churches that looked like they could have been basilicas and a country club named after Charles De Gaulle. Rose bushes and notable figures served as landmarks by every gallery, hotel and bistro. It was charming like a story book. 

As the sky grew slightly dim, Holly continued further away from home. 

Every September the Ecochards held their “Last of Summer” party. Friends and colleagues of the family would spend the evening in their backyard pergola and beach house sipping cocktails and sharing old anecdotes. For the adults, it was the opportunity of the year to form a connection with the city’s commercial real estate tycoon, Edward Ecochard. For the kids, it was just another excuse to dress up, stay out late and dish about summer.

  Elizabeth took her mini poodle, Bijoux, for a walk before sending her off to the groomers. Parker had left with her brother a little while ago, which gave her some time to get ready for her dad’s party. 

She slipped into her pink satin mini dress, Versace heels, and Vivienne Westwood necklace. Her makeup was pale pink, with bold blush and thick, princessy lashes. Her golden hair was naturally curled to perfection and she brushed on her signature pink lip gloss. All framed in the center of her light up hello kitty mirror, she studied her reflection. She looked like a doll. Maybe her arms looked a little chunky…but still cute. 

Giselle poked her head into Elizabeth’s room. She was dressed in a baby blue, fully ruffled gown. She looked impossibly sweet; age appropriate. With a black ribbon tied in her straightened hair–like a story book princess.

“Relax Liz, you always look gorgeous.” She said, joining Elizabeth in the mirror,

Elizabeth turned around, releasing her arms from the death clutch she had them in. She smiled back, “Please, talk about gorgeous, Gigi. You look perfect.”

Giselle giggled breathlessly. “I’m kind of nervous...”  

Liz smiled tightly, now holding Giselle’s hands, “It’s fine. It’s your high school debut. You’re supposed to be nervous.” She placed her hands on Giselle’s shoulders,

“Are you sure you want to wear that?” 

Elizabeth looked up at her bedroom door. Alice, their mother, stood with her arms crossed in a white, floor length, haute couture gown. The neckline plunged.  She looked like a goddess at 42. She also looked disappointed, staring up and down at Elizabeth’s figure.  

“You may find the tweed dress with the sleeves more appealing.” Alice continued,

“Mom...” Elizabeth breathed tirelessly. 

“You were a bit inattentive with your ballet during the summer. And you did eat quite a lot at Lisa’s birthday. A pound or two really shows up on your petite frame.” Alice continued,

Giselle turned from her mother to Elizabeth. She looked apologetically. 

Elizabeth smiled nervously, twisting the pearls on the handle of her bag, “I like this one better.”

Alice sighed, “I’m just looking out for you. The party is starting soon. Make sure you’re on your best behaviour.”

By now Holly had driven all across Sunset Valley. It was surrounded by mountains and wrapped around an awe inspiring ocean view. She had pulled over across from some beach houses to watch the sunset before she’d go home for the night and prepare for her first day at her new school.

“Sweet ride!” She heard a voice say. 

   Two boys were walking down the sidewalk behind her. A shorter blond boy and a tall dark skinned brunette oogled her car. The blond whistled somewhat obnoxiously. Despite that, they were both really, really cute. 

“Hey, Red! Can we get a ride?” The brunette asked,

The guys looked to be about her age…Maybe they went to St. Vincent. It could be kind of nice to have people she knew on the first day, even if it was pretty stupid to pick up people on the side of the street. They were already circling her car, which made her a bit nervous, but when the taller one smiled, dimples and all…

he nodded and the guys got in the car being complete goof balls, practically tripping over each other. The brunette, curly haired, one sat in the front and the blonde in the back. They reeked of alcohol, and something else Holly didn't recognize.

“Thanks.” The brunette smiled at her. “Gotta say, this is the nicest car I’ve bummed a ride in all week.”

Wow, he's so perfect. She thought. But she couldn't say that. She honestly couldn't even smile, "Y-you're...welcome." She quickly looked back onto the road. "W-Where?"

The guys chuckled to each other, "We'll tell you where to go." The brunette replied.

Holly nodded and kept driving straight down the road, sneaking glances at him,

He caught her looking and grinned, "You keep looking at me like that, I might start thinking you're into me." He winked, "Relax, I don't bite. Unless you want me to."

She could tell her face was completely red. She turned away, staring at her steering wheel and focusing on the road. The one beside her looked to be mixed maybe? He was just about one of the most muscular teenagers Holly had ever seen. He had to be an athlete. The one in the back looked a bit more preppy. He had a short Justin Bieber post first hair cut type of look. He was quite skinny but still very cute in a Lacoste, I probably play polo kind of way. Normally boys this cute didn't talk to her. To be honest, normally boys didn't talk to her at all. Maybe Sunset boys were nicer? The blond in the back seat was a lot less coherent than his friend. He sat in the back with a bottle still in his hands.

“This thing’s seriously the shit.” He slurred.

“Uhm...” Holly furrowed her brows. 

“He just likes your car.” The brunette smiled, “Sorry. He’s a little drunk.” 

Holly breathed out a laugh, “A little?”  

The brunette smiled back at her. “Over there.” He pointed to the left. 

It was a gorgeous gated property. Expensive cars surrounded it. What looked like a party was taking place, from what little of the inside she could see.

“Guess we’re not dressed for the occasion.” The blond got out of the back seat as soon as Holly pulled up. 

The brunette turned to her after opening his door, “Thanks. I’m Parker. He’s Jefferey.”  

Holly waved shyly, “Holly.” 

Parker... Parker… She thought. He was so cute. Like Prince Charming, only… inebriated. 

“Wanna come in? They don't take attendance at these things.” He said, tilting his head toward the house,

Holly shook her head, no one knew her here. It just seemed like a bad idea.

Parker nodded, “That's cool. What school are you going to tomorrow?

“Uhm, St. Vincent De Paul.”

He looked at the ground before waving, “Cool. See you There, Red.”

Elizabeth was seated between her best friends, Lisa and Kaylynn. Across the table was VJ Alvi, The boy she had been seeing for a little while now. He was the cutest. The cutest ever. Tall, dark, handsome, British and smart too. He was a student in the International Cambridge-Sage Merit Scholar program. A super elusive scholarship St. Vincent De Paul offered that only the highest achieving students could even qualify for. She stared into his eyes and he stared back dashingly. She certainly would have no trouble ending things with Parker now that VJ was back from visiting his family in England.

“Ugh. Ok. Where is Jeff? You love birds are making me jealous.” Lisa smiled, picking a grape from their table and throwing it at Liz. 

Elizabeth’s jaw dropped. “Hey!” She dusted her shoulder, “Do I look like I keep tabs on him? Being his twin is stressful enough.” 

Lisa rested her head on her hands. Jefferey was MIA. Again. She sat dressed impeccably, matching Elizabeth in a blue satin mini dress, only showing a little less skin, with it’s high, jeweled neckline. She played with her curled pony tail, scanning the crowd of polite laughter and clinking wine glasses. She wasn’t surprised Jeff wasn’t here yet. He was probably out with Parker again, drinking or getting high.

  Across the backyard, her mother and Alice sipped martinis and whispered about the attending guests. They were best friends, growing up together in Sunset Valley, in turn their daughters did the same. Lisa's mother caught her gaze and motioned for her to be present, tilting her head briefly to Elizabeth and the others at her table. 

Her mother, Judy Bunch, was a fashion designer and boutique owner. and her father, Jack, was a legal manager, helping Judy run the family's business, J&JB. They also had a million kids. Well, not really a million. They had 5. Which was a lot for Sunset Valley. They were honestly pretty Mormon-like, with their values but they didn't actually subscribe to any religion. They gravitated to settings like this where they could make connections and establish themselves. They encouraged Lisa and her siblings to do the same.

The mother’s eyes darted to the back door as Parker and Jefferey walked through. They approached VJ from behind. Lisa’s face lighting up. 

“You missed the party!” Jefferey shouted, catching the eye of some of the the adults,

“Baby!” Lisa exclaimed in joy, hugging Jefferey and kissing him on the cheek. 

Liz rolled her eyes, “We're literally at the party. Where'd you two even go?”

“There was a different one at the abandoned mine,” Parker replied, sitting across from his younger sister, Kaylynn, “Had to have a little fun before we got here.”

Liz raised her brows,

“Jee, are we ever sorry we missed that.” Kaylynn said sarcastically, “I can't believe you're drunk in front of all of our parents.” 

She crossed her arms over her cream two piece set. She kind of matched Liz and Lisa but not quite. She looked like a soft gum drop, trading in the pearls and jewels for the pink frills on her Selkie bag.

Parker shrugged, sitting down in his seat “Sorry sis,” He watched as their mother, Iliana, approached Alice and Judy, watching their kids with wine glasses in their hands.  He could only imagine she was apologizing for their brash entrance, “You missed a good time though.” 

Parker and Kaylynn came from the Langerak family. They were adopted, though blood related to each other. Iliana was a socialite who had gotten herself well acquainted with Judy and Alice. Their father, Dustin, decided to retire in Sunset Valley after his career as a Linebacker for the Starlight Bears. Under his wings, the family became deeply invested in athletics in Sunset when Parker and Kaylynn were 9 and 10. They quickly made friends with Liz, Lisa and Jefferey and they'd been a tight knit group ever since. Kaylynn was gorgeous, delicate, soft spoken and 1st place national gymnastics champion representing St. Vincent’s gym. Parker was looking forward to being recruited by college football scouts.

Parker was repeating his senior year–he'd failed sophomore year after two semesters of drinking, partying and doing anything other than his school work. He had a reputation for sleeping around and getting in fights. After one particularly disastrous one, he was sentenced to bootcamp for a summer. He was doing much better now, and Liz never judged him for it, but it was one of the reasons she never let herself get serious about him. He had a longstanding reputation and the Ecochards expected perfection. Parker, despite his good looks and effortless charm, was not that.

Dustin stood by the refreshment table laughing quietly with Jack. He raised his glass to Parker and Jeff when he noticed him, also tilting his head toward Elizabeth, though likely for a different reason than Judy.

“Elizabeth, Jefferey, please stand.” Edward warmly announced over the speakers. He had been giving his pretentious speech he always gave every year, standing on the mock stage in the pergola, motioning his hand toward his eldest children.  

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, putting on a smile and standing. Jefferey stayed seated. 

“Our dearest, eldest children have received early acceptance to Lumiere Erudit to begin their post-secondary education!” The crowd applauded, “Jefferey to study political sciences and Elizabeth to study communications.”

Jefferey scoffed, “Yup, he no doubt paid our way into it.” He groaned under his breath, “I’m starting to sober up. Parker, we gotta get outta here.”

Parker laughed,

Elizabeth curtsied and sat back down as the crowd turned their attention back to Edward’s speech. She honestly didn’t really care about going to college, though she knew it looked good to go. 

The Ecochards were the wealthiest family in Sunset. Their dad came from a long line of architects and realtors who basically founded this city. Their mother grew up in a political family and spent her youth modeling and forming connections with luxury designers. She parlayed her charm into a marriage that launched her writing career; selling a fairy tale life to hopeful commoners. Elizabeth and Jefferey were just 16, even though they were seniors this year. Their birthday was in December, not that it mattered much since everyone already treated them like adults. Their family was as close to royalty as Sunset Valley had. This left Liz, Jeff and Giselle with generations of wealth and a complete apathy for higher education. Liz was much more enthralled thinking about how she’d style her hair and uniform for the first day of senior year.

Edward’s speech continued as the quiet laughter of the party swirled. Elizabeth felt her eyes drifting to the backyard’s edge.

VJ rested his hand on Elizabeth’s, “Want to get out of here?” 

She nodded, slightly squeezing his hand. The two of them quietly snuck off, leaving their friends to enjoy the party.

The Ecochard's backyard lead down to the beach, but getting there in heels was hellish. It broke off into a set of large rocks, so Elizabeth had to take her heels off to get down safely.

He turned back to her, smiling at her carrying her shoes, “You’re beautiful.” 

Elizabeth blushed, not cute, not hot... beautiful. “Thank you.” 

He settled down on the rocks, patting the spot beside him. She followed and he wrapped his  arm around her shoulder. It might have just been behind her house but he definitely knew how to pick a romantic spot. It was hard not to swoon over him as the stars shimmered down on the water.

“I really like you, Liz.” His voice was softer than usual,

Elizabeth smiled back at him, jokingly nudging him with her shoulder, “I know.” 

“What? You don’t like me too?” He laughed, looking away for a second, then back to her, “I would like to make it official.”  

“You would?” 

VJ dug in his pocket, pulling out a little pink box. 

Elizabeth's face lit up, “Oh my God, VJ you shouldn’t have.” 

He opened the box and pulled out a silver, return to Tiffany heart tag pendant, clasping the necklace around her neck with its iconic toggle. Elizabeth looked down at it, 

“Be my girlfriend?” 

Elizabeth smiled and nodded as she traced the Tiffany's charm with her manicured nails.

Above them, the stars still glittered as the laughter from the party drifted down the beach. She was happy VJ was back. Ecstatic actually; because he was perfect. But somehow, even with VJ's hand in hers, the image of Parker's smile still insisted on appearing in the back of her mind.

She squeezed her eyes shut as VJ kissed her hair. Tomorrow she'd wake up, wear her new necklace and play the part. Maybe by then she'd forget about Parker. Maybe... Though she wasn't sure she wanted to.