chapter 1

prologue

"Come on now, Adrian. Stop sulking! We're going to meet our new neighbors and it wouldn't do you any good to be looking as if you swallowed a dog's poop."

The ten year old boy scowled at his older sister in reply. "I'm not going anywhere," he declared and slumped down on the couch, resuming his most common position since a week now.

"Adrian Stone! I swear to God if you're still not ready yet, I'll keep you grounded until you're eighteen! No video games and no cookies for you!" A shrill female voice rang throughout the living room. The voice was followed by footsteps and soon, the boy was receiving an intense glare from his mother as she looked at his state of undress. She opened her mouth again and the boy winced, bracing himself for the next round of scolding but he was saved by another set of footsteps coming their way.

"What're you scolding the poor boy for? He was just getting ready now, weren't you, my son?" His father said, wrapping his arms around his wife and raising his eyebrows at his son. The boy sighed, but nonetheless, got up and went to his room to change, all the while mumbling about how he missed his friend.

The boy came back a few minutes later in a white SpongeBob shirt and blue shorts his mother had taken out for him.

"Turn that frown upside down, young man. I hear the new neighbors have a pretty daughter only a couple of years younger than you." His father winked at him, making his scowl deepen further in response.

"Oh, I've actually seen her. She's such a sweet girl! You should befriend her, Ad." His mother piped in, her mind already picturing the two kids growing up together and getting married.

If it was even possible, the little boy's scowl ran tenfold deeper. "I don't need a friend, mom. And certainly not girls! Girls are annoying."

His statement was met with a smack on the back of his head. "You are annoying, baby brother. And stupid. Might I remind you who wins at scrabble every time?" His sister taunted with a smirk, sticking out her tongue at his glare.

The boy opened his mouth to retort but was interrupted by his mother's threat to ground both of them until they're old. It was a threat his mother never grew tired of making and yet it was always effective to shut the siblings up. So the boy wisely swallowed his retort and followed his parents and sister to the new neighbor's house. To the house of a girl younger than him.

How annoying.

***

"Hello."

No response.

Poke.

No response.

Poke. Poke.

No response.

Poke. Poke. Poke. Pok-

"Will you just stop, you stupid girl?!" The boy yelped loudly as his left arm was yet again poked with a doll. He glared at the culprit standing in front of him. She was a little girl with a deformed doll in one of her hands and a muffin in the other. Her hopeful expression turned upside down at his reaction, which made him feel a little bad but he ignored it. He didn't like girls. Girls were annoying.

The girl looked at him with wide eyes for a moment before speaking quietly, "I'm sowy. I cawled you but you did not hear. My name is Evewyn. You can call me Eve. But only my daddy calls me pwincess." The girl introduced herself proudly but got no reaction from him other than a dry look.

"Will you be my fwiend? We can pway dollhouse togwether." She tried again and held out her doll towards him.

The boy narrowed his eyes at her. "No. Go away. I don't want to be your friend."

"Why?"

"Because I already have one," he said, remembering the reason behind his foul mood since a week. His best friend Nate had gone to live with his grandparents, leaving him lonely. And he didn't want to make any other friends who was not Nate. Especially girls. Because girls were annoying. That was why he had ran out of their neighbors' home as soon as he saw the girl and had been sitting in the park near to their house. But the annoying girl had followed him to the park as well.

Once again, girls were annoying.

"But I have no one to pway with..."

"I don't care. Now go away."

Tears pooled around the girl's eyes at his words, making him feel bad again. The girl seemed to be thinking of something and he took the time to watch her. She had beautiful brown eyes and auburn hair. He wouldn't admit it out aloud, but he thought she looked pretty in her white dress and a beautiful white hairband on her hair.

The girl immediately brightened and smiled at him, her eyes twinkling like little stars made up of chocolate- or that was what he thought, at least. She held out her other hand towards him this time- the hand holding a muffin. "Here. This is my favowite bluebewy muf-fin. You can eat it. Will you be my fwiend now?"

The boy alternated his gaze between her and the muffin. He didn't want to say yes, but he loved her smile at the same time. "I don't like dolls," he said finally, hoping it would make her back down.

He almost sighed in relief when she slowly withdrew her hand but was surprised when she smiled once more. "Oh. Then we can pway Mickey and Minnie! Be my fwiend, pwease?"

"No. Now go away." And he turned his back at her, immediately missing her pretty smile.

______

Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Allie! Happy birthday to you! May God bless y-

"Aaah!"

I woke up with a jolt banging my head with the lamp in the process. Still disoriented, it took a minute for me to realise three things:

One: I was still in my desk and had fallen asleep with my laptop open. It was showing little cute bubbles as screensaver and my neck was bent awkwardly towards my left shoulder.

Two: It was already 12:04 am as I looked at my phone.

Three: Well, I realised this at the same time I realised number two, but this was what made me running around cursing to myself. The reason was: When I looked at my phone to check the time, I realised it was my reminder still ringing and that made me realise that... shit! It was Allie's birthday today and I'd already wasted 4 minutes talking with myself! Such a great friend you are, Eves.

I jumped from my desk and hurriedly dialled Allie's number to wish her. Allie, or Allison Rivers had been my best friend since college. The only person who knew everything about me and whom I trusted more than anyone. She was a great painter and had her own art gallery.

We'd met each other on our sophomore year in college while I was not at my best and had thick walls surrounding me. But she was able to get past them and truly saw me and accepted me without judgments. We'd come a long way since then. I still had walls around me but Allie had made a door for herself to let her in.

"E! It's... 12:07 for heaven's sake! Why are y-"

"Happy birthday Allie!" I shouted over the phone, immediately cringing when I realised that it was midnight and my voice must be echoing through her phone.

"What birthd-..." Allie started to say but her words were cut off and I heard rustling of sheets with followed by a click meaning she must have turned on the lights.

The line was silent for a while and when I thought the connection died, her soft voice reached my ears, "It's my birthday today... I didn't even remember! And neither did Mike..."

Mike had been her boyfriend since three years. We'd met him at our graduation 4 years ago while he was there for his brother Jake. Allie and Mike had flirted around incessantly the whole time. They kept in touch even after graduation and a year later, they were official.

Jake was one of our good friends. He was charming, humorous and humble. In other words, a perfect gentleman. Although I couldn't say the same about his older brother.

Mike on the other hand, was the definition of a typical bad boy. Dark black hair, dark eyes, piercing over his ears and eyebrows, lip rings, bike rider... well I guess you could say he was a stereotypical bad boy you read about in cheesy romances. Yes, the one whom the innocent good girl falls in love with and eventually tames him. Except that it was not the case here because one, Allie was neither innocent nor a good girl. She was as wild as one could be, and two, Mike was not someone who could be tamed easily.

Allie was the opposite of me in every way. She was rather short, about 5.2" as compared to my 5.10" but her other features more than made up for it.

She had a lovely chestnut brown hair and gray eyes that I envied more than anything.

While her eyes were the ones anyone could lose themselves in and not want to come out of, I'd got plain boring chocolate brown eyes and Auburn hair that made me look like a packet of Snickers. Allie had a killer body that I'd totally snag if I swung that way and I'm sure every other person thought the same. Except Mike that is.

I never liked Mike all that much. I don't know what it was that made me wary around him. I tried to pull Allie out of this but she fell for him anyway and silenced me saying I was just being paranoid. Surprisingly Mike didn't turn out to be as bad since they had lasted 3 whole years so maybe I misjudged him.

"Hello! Eves!," Allie's high pitched voice snapped me back to reality and I realised I'd zoned out through her entire rambling. "Are you even there? You'd better not fallen asleep while I'm wallowing alone because my boyfriend of three years did not remember my birthday. Eves! Can you hear m-"

"Geez woman!" I exclaimed, pulling my phone a good distance away from her. When infuriated, her voice could penetrate deeper than X rays. .

"Maybe he is just busy and forgot it. Not like you remembered it and it's your birthday. Don't worry!"

Okay, I know she must be upset that her dearest boyfriend didn't remember her birthday but I hadn't expect anything else from him. Mike was the worst boyfriend on the planet who took Allie for granted but she still doted over him anyway. I just hoped for his sake that he doesn't break her already fragile heart because if he ever did that, I'd make him pay.

Allie started rambling again, "Maybe he doesn't care. Oh My God Eves! What if he doesn't love me anymore? I'm sure he's after hot babes and there are plenty of them in San Diego. Eves! What am I gonna do if he leaves me for them?! Oh God! He's not gonna leave me right? Say something Eves!"

Allie was every bit of a confident, outspoken person when we were in college. She didn't care about anyone else's opinion and I loved that thing about her. But her relationship with Mike had made her insecure and self conscious about her looks, her works and everything and I really hated Mike for that.

Right now, he was in San Diego doing God knows what. Mike was a guitarist of some band and was almost always busy with his gigs around the world. He'd moved in with Allie but it was as if he didn't have a home anymore with the frequency of his travels. I could tell that this killed Allie seeing he was never around but she didn't complain a word to him.

"Allison Avery Rivers! You listen to me and listen very carefully 'cause I'm sick and tired of saying this to you countless of times and this is the last time I'm ever saying this so better stick it to your thick skull! You're beautiful. Sexy as hell that any guy would die for you.

And your work is amazing Allie! I'm not saying it just because I'm your friend but because I've seen your works. I know you and you're amazing! So, don't you ever think about not being enough for him. He could rot in hell with gazillions of flies around himself if he ever thinks that.

Which I'm sure he doesn't since you've lasted three long years which is something. You said he's in San Diego right? Then I'm sure he must have mismatched the time y'know?" I took a deep breath after finishing my speech, rubbing my temples as sleep was wearing me down. The line was again silent for a while until I heard her whisper.

"Yeah, you're right Eves. I think that must be it. Oh! I'm so sorry for this Eves! You, my best friend are calling in the middle of the night sacrificing her sleep just to wish me but here I am, wallowing about my boyfriend who is not even here! I'm so sorry Eves!"

I laughed, "It's okay Als, don't worry about it. You know I'd do anything for you." I said honestly.

Then I heard her smile as she spoke, "I know that Eves. Which is why I'm so lucky to have a best friend like you. And to celebrate my birthday we're going to Red Diamonds tonight, okay? We'll party so hard we wont able to stand straight tomorrow. So I'll leave you to get your beauty sleep. God knows you get cranky of you don't get enough sleep and I don't want any of your employees fired today."

I chuckled. I was glad Allie was back to her own self. "I do not fire my employees that fast! But you're right. I do need my sleep as I have a meeting tomorrow and it's already 1:12. See you tomorrow! Once again wish you a happiest birthday Allie! Love ya".

We hung up after a quick goodnight and I went through the contents for today's meeting. Thankfully I only had the last slide left to prepare so I quickly finished it and gave it a quick review checking for errors. Satisfied with my work, I decided to get some sleep because Allie was right. I did get cranky if I was sleep deprived and I didn't want to be that in the meeting and later in Allie's birthday party.

It was gonna be a long day.