Chapter 3

"Five hundred dollars?!" I exclaimed to the mannish looking woman behind the glassed wall. She had short cropped hair, was on the heavier side, and wore absolutely no makeup. But you could tell she was a woman. "That's half my paycheck and I haven't even paid this month's rent yet." I complained to her, hoping she took pity on me from explaining my financial situation. Carlos was slightly behind me the entire time as she explained to me how much it would be to get my car out. She snorted grotesquely at my poor attempt of trying to persuade her into helping me, and chewed on her gum loudly with her tongue swirling around in her mouth weirdly as she chewed with an open mouth.

"Welcome to LA, sweet cheeks." She said in a voice that reminded me of the woman-like slug behind the counter on Monsters Inc. I glared at her, running a hand through my hair as I stressed a moment, and then sighed in defeat.

"Here." Carlos's voice offered as he had his wallet out as he stepped forward, handing over what seemed to be a card of some sort.

"What? No!" I said as I grabbed the card from his hand, and held it away from the woman who had nearly grabbed it from his reach. "Carlos, are you crazy? That's a lot of money." I whispered to him as I held the card to my side. Carlos smiled sincerely and grabbed his card back with a quick motion.

"It's fine. You can pay me back one day. It's what friends do." Carlos smirked, assuring me as he then began handing over the card once again. His eyes went to the woman as she took the card through the payment slot of the glass window, and her eyes roamed my friend beside me.

"You got a nice friend there,miss." The woman informed me, as she was looking at Carlos as if he were a piece of meat. He looked uncomfortably away, as he had no idea how to respond to her list filled eyes, and then turned to focus back on me.

"Carlos, I won't be able to pay you back anytime soon." I told him quietly, concerned for what he had just done. Both his hands grasped my shoulders, making me face him, and look him in the eyes.

"Are you planning on moving out of California, or not speaking to me again anytime soon?" He asked staring me in the eyes with an amused grin. I sighed rolling my eyes.

"No, but-" I started.

"Then it's settled." He assured me. Dropping his hands from my shoulders. "We can be best friends and you can pay me back in twenty years from now, when your campaign goes wild and you're getting money from donations left and right because you founded it and you get a cut if all the profits." He smiled as he took the card back from the woman who slid it through the slot, and signed the receipt before shoving it back towards her without another glance in her direction, I'm sure he was uncomfortable with the attention she seemed to be paying him. I sighed and stuck out my bottom lip in protest. "Come on grumpy, we will drop off your car in a legal spot at your apartment, then we will take my car to wherever your little heart desires for a dress." Carlos said offering me his arm like a gentleman. I rolled my eyes and smiled taking his arm, looping mine through his as we headed out to get my car.

We did as Carlos said and found a legal parking space in front of my apartment building. We then headed back into downtown LA and found a boutique I had googled and stated they would have my size in dresses. We wandered in and immediately started arguing about dresses.

"This is too casual." I said to the dress Carlos held up. He snorted looking up at the ceiling for a moment .

"It's my party, I think I know how casual things are going to be." He told me looking back down to me. I tilted my head as if to say 'really?'. He hung the dress back up then with a sigh and started looking again.

"How casual or formal is this dinner party?" I asked him then, curious to see what exactly I should be looking for. He sighed.

"Formal enough that I'm wearing a button down and slacks, but casual enough I can go without a tie, jacket, and can wear sneakers with my ensemble." He said as if that would help me. I snorted.

"I have no idea what that means for the women. What's your wife wearing?" I asked then, hoping to gauge from there. He thought a moment.

"She's wearing one of those peach colored dresses that are like the material of your tank top, but she's wearing tan Converse with it?" He asked as if it was a question that I could confirm with him. I snickered and headed to a different part of the store, where it was less prom dress and more casual affair.

"What do you think about this?" I asked after trying on multiple dresses and Carlos saying no to all of them. The one I currently had on showed off the tattoos I had but was also concealing a few as well. It was a strapless maxi dress where the bodice was black and the skirt was black with pink and green floral accents. My upper arm tattoos were bare and as was the tattoo on my back.

"I like this one. What do you think?" Carlos asked looking at me from the chair he was sitting in. I made a face and inspected my figure in it, turning in the mirror to examine at all angles. It camouflaged any insecurities, but I was bare shoulder wise which I wasn't used to.

"Shoulders and arms aren't my favorite body parts to have naked for strangers to see." I informed him, looking a little more panicked in the mirror than I thought I had looked. My eyes seemed to linger on my arms as I knew I didn't have the best upper arms. Carlos shook his head as he watched me mentally fuss over my body.

"I think you're perfect. Let's get it and go get something to eat." He said smiling big and obviously bored with the activity we were currently doing. Those two words made me feel weird for some reason. 'You're perfect' was not something you heard often when you looked like me.

"Alright. I'll get it." I smiled, feeling slightly empowered by Carlos being a man and telling me I looked good, and went back into the changing room. We filed through the accessories section of the store and picked out a matching floral scarf that I would put up in a bow around my head. We stood in line and were finally finished about twenty minutes after. We got back into the Jeep and Carlos headed to a restaurant he says he thinks is the best in town. We went in and ordered. We had a fun time together. It was like he and I knew each other longer than just a few days. It was wild to think I was so close to someone so fast. We had a heart to heart about life and we grew even closer within the time we sat in the restaurant. I finally decided I was okay with going tomorrow for sure. Carlos made sure to speak up his wife also, as I felt like I knew her also from how much he boasted about her. They were truly in love and I knew it before even seeing them together. If Carlos's friends were anything like him too, I'd be perfectly content at the party.

Carlos dropped me off at home after making sure my car was still there and then he left. I brought my bags upstairs and locked the front door. I then snuggled with Oliver. That night, I felt happier than usual, I didn't know if it was the treating myself or if it was the new friendship I had established. I usually didn't feel as if I had friends, which was true and all my family were back in my hometown in a whole different state. But I was happier and more energetic than usual. I decided to lay out my outfit on a chair in my bedroom where Oliver wouldn't get hair all over it, and set out everything I'd need to get ready for tomorrow. I was excited now more than nervous and just couldn't wait for my shift tomorrow to get over.

The night passed slowly, but the next day even slower. I seemed to be running out the door at exactly four and saying bye to my manager as I was running past him as he was cleaning the store front windows. I got to my car and rushed home. I jumped in the shower and by that time it was five. The dinner party started at seven so I was making good time. I put in all black jewelry in all my piercings and put in black chandelier earrings in my lobe piercings. I hurried to do a smokey eye look on my eyes and then went for a nude gloss on my lips. I felt pretty as I was just in my towel. I got into my dress and then sat back down to do my hair. I put it up in an up do and wrapped the scarf I bought around my head and tied a perfect bow in it. This was my first impression to everyone there so I hoped I didn't go over board on anything. By the time I had finished, the clock read six thirty and I was right on schedule. I grabbed my smaller purse and moved the little things I might need into it and was on my way. I fed Oliver once again as he rolled on the kitchen tiles by my feet. I was out the door when I got a text from Carlos.

Carlos: Ready?

I smiled at my phone and then answered back.

Me: On my way!

I got in my car and got the GPS on my phone up and working before I was off on my way. I couldn't focus on anything for long so I focussed mainly on the directions rather than any thoughts I could have had. Within thirty minutes I was pulling into a gigantic tree lined drive way. A car followed behind me closely into the drive way, which made me feel at ease that I wasn't the only one a little late. I parked along the trees as everyone else had and recognized Carlos's Jeep parked next to an identical black one in front of the closed garage.

I got out slowly taking in the breathtaking scenery. The front was fenced in and I could hear light music from the open side door of the house. I could hear water which I assumed was from the back yard which was also fenced in. I felt odd closing the door to my car, because I felt like this was one of those houses you looked at from the road in your car and never got a chance to see into. The car next to me turned off their lights as the sky turned to a nice light grey and the sun hid. I walked slowly staring at the beautiful square two level house in front of me.

"Gorgeous, isn't it?" The guy in the car next to me asked as I reached the concrete path in front of my car. I turned to look at him and was shocked to see a very handsome face. My heart jumped slightly upon seeing this person.

"Yes, it is. Didn't know Carlos lived somewhere like this." I said looking back at the beautiful canyon side towards the back of the house.

"He's pretty modest when it comes to his new friends. He doesn't like to be like 'look at me, I have money'. That's why he also doesn't tell you he's lost about twenty five drone flyers in that canyon, because he definitely has." The pretty faced man said now standing next to me and pointing at the canyon. I laughed imagining it now, that Carlos would have tried to fly a drone across the canyon to the other side and lost it somehow.

"Yep, sounds like Carlos." I said smiling at the nice sunset the canyon created a foreground for in the distance.

"I don't think we've ever met, I'm James." The guy said offering me his hand. I turned to face him and took his hand. I smiled as I took in the beautiful color of his eyes, the sharpness of his jaw, his tanned skin, his perfect brown hair, and oh, his dark and plentiful lashes around his breathtaking hazel eyes.

"I'm Elizabeth, but please call me-" I said trying to sound cool and trying to not stare at this beautiful being in front of me.

"I like Elizabeth better than Liz honestly, but as you wish." James said doing a little bow almost as he let my hand go causing me to blush a little. I chuckled. "Shall we? I believe we're a little late as it is." James said offering me his arm as Carlos had yesterday. I nodded happily and took it feeling his muscular arms under his suit jacket. He was wearing a very intoxicating scent as I wanted to muzzle my head into his neck, but obviously resisted. We walked in the door as James shut it behind us. I guess he figured we were the last ones. James seemed to know where he was going so he lead the way down a beautiful entry way was lined in white marble and lead Into a large empty open spaced foyer. The marble stairs were wrapped along a wall and opened up at the bottom. The middle of the room was filled with a beautiful bouquet of flowers on a small round table.

"I feel really weird." I said out loud, even though I only thought it was in my head. James tilted his head, looking to me as I still had my hand on his arm as we walked slowly into the house.

"Why is that?" He asked in a questioning tone, I felt his eyes on me as I swallowed a lump I had somehow formed a second ago in my throat.

"I'm the only different looking one here." I said quietly, looking down at my tattooed skin and then raising my fingertips of my free hand, feeling my eyebrow piercings. James chuckled from beside me.

"Trust me everyone here," James gestured into the rooms we could see that people occupied. I turned my head and watched him speak as I studied his profile. His lips looked so unbelievably soft, his teeth bright and beautiful, his lashes as long as mine with voluminous mascara on. He was definitely something else entirely. I hadn't seen a man like him before. It made me wonder who he was and how he knew Carlos. "Besides myself and a few others, has a tattoo or two that they just didn't wear the right clothing to show off. You don't need to sweat it. You're just more honest than everyone else." He said smiling cheekily as he turned to meet my gaze, raising his eyebrow as he stared back at me. He did manage to make me feel better about my situation and that was sweet of him. I sighed and then nodded as we walked into a giant kitchen and dining room, which was holding appetizers on the countertops which people were surrounding and talking. I had a feeling that everyone here knew one another and I was the odd man out. I was the new kid in a room full of people who knew each other for who knows how long.

"Liz!" I heard Carlos exclaim as soon as I was inside the doorway of the kitchen. He emerged from a group of chatting people and headed over towards me. The music that I had heard before was much louder now, but I think they changed from a mellow beat to a more upbeat one. James touched my hand on his bicep as that was a signal for me to let go, and we broke apart. We both stood there as Carlos jogged over to hug me. I hadn't hugged him before, but it was nice. "So glad you made it." He winked as he pulled away and then looked between James and me for a moment as James smiled brightly to Carlos. "I see you've met my old band mate, and one of my best friends. James." Carlos said going in for a bro-hug. James smiled ear to ear and you could see his happiness dance in his eyes.

"Glad you invited me, man. Started to think you were gonna let me miss this one." James teased Carlos. They bantered a little more as I studied them, they were so comfortable in their own skin, given Carlos knew everyone here, but James was gorgeous and I bet he knew it well enough to thrive in social situations like this. I was lost in my thoughts as then Carlos turned to me.

"Oh, Lexi wanted to see you as soon as you got here." Carlos said excitedly. "If you'll excuse us, James." Carlos nodded to his former band mate as he took my hand from my side. James nodded approvingly and gently touched me at the small of my back as if to say 'goodbye' before starting up conversation with another person to his left. He was really handsome, like unbelievably. I felt my eyes having to tear away from his beauty.