Kiss Gone Wrong

46- Why Me?

BAILEY'S POV:

NIGHT OF THE FUNDRAISER.

I stepped out of the car, with Ash getting off after me. I was wearing a black sequinned dress that Lynn had found for me. True to his word, Max had graciously come with me while I shopped for shoes and gave his unapologetic opinions on them. Ash and Lynn had done my make up and hair and I felt like a princess.

I took Ash's hand and we stepped inside. Ash handed the doorman our coats and her invitation that declared me as her plus one. We entered the large hall where people were mingling. There was a quartet in the corner, playing soothing music and waiters trotted through the crowd, holding platters of food and drinks. I grabbed a hors d'oeuvre from a passing waiter and almost swallowed it whole. I was extremely nervous.

We walked around for a while, meeting people and thanking the organisers for our invitations, before we headed to the garden where Terry was waiting for us. There, the crowd was of our age, and I spotted a lot of people that I knew. I waved at a few of them, but stayed with Ash. I kept looking around for one face in particular, but it seemed that Matt was late.

Some time later, I started to see other boys from the basketball team. Robert, one of Matt's teammates came over. "Hey Lee. Looking good!" He shook my hand and I grinned. "Thanks Rob. Have you seen Matt anywhere?" I asked. "Yeah, he's probably just getting here. We had gone to collect our new jackets from the manufacturer and we got late. Matt should be pulling up now." He told me and then went get himself a drink.

Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, Matt and Mark (the newest member of the team) walked in with bags full of clothes. I watched Matt distribute the jackets to the respective players; not quite wanting to reveal myself yet. I slid away and went to the dance floor where Ash and Terry were already gliding around. I accepted Rob's request to dance and let him lead.

A couple of minutes into the dance, Rob bowed out and Matt took me into his arms.

"You look stunning." Matt said without preamble. "Thank you!" I could feel a blush spreading across my cheeks. I just couldn't help it. I noticed that he had exchanged his black suit for his new team jacket. "I love the new jacket. Blue and yellow? Classic." I said sarcastically. "Yeah, wait till you see the back." Matt said and turned around.

The back had his last name, the number '7' and 'Captain' sewed in some blue thread. "That's great!" I said. Matt took my arms and held me close as we continued our dance. "Not as great as it feels to be here with you. Did I tell you that you look stunning? Cuz you look stunning." Matt said again.

As the night progressed, I had a few glasses of punch and hung out with a lot of different people. Most of the time, Matt was with me; an arm around my waist and constant compliments on his tongue. I couldn't seem to stop blushing because of him. Eventually, I got tired and needed to eat and told Matt so.

"Let's just go see the boys first, and then I'll come with you to eat." Matt suggested. I shook my head. "Look, I'm getting a little dizzy already. Don't worry about me, I'll eat and then meet you outside, yeah?" I said and he agreed. "Once you eat, come to the oak tree. I'll be up there." He said and left. I found Ash (who was just as hungry as I was) and made a beeline for the buffet.

Dinner was a delicious spread of Italian food. As we ate, I volunteered to go get us a glass of punch each. Ignoring Ash's protests, I left the table and headed to where the drinks were. I picked up two glasses of strawberry punch, but almost dropped it as two boys rushed to the other hall. I noticed a crowd there and decided to investigate. I set the glasses aside and went to check.

Whatever the crowd was seeing was certainly entertaining, judging by their reactions. I pushed to the front and grimaced. A girl was aggressively making out with a boy. He was part of the basketball team judging by his blue and yellow jacket. I immediately turned to leave, but stopped when I heard someone comment, "That Anderson seems to be getting all the action tonight!"

I turned to look again, and sure enough, the name on the back of the jacket read, "Anderson. 7. Captain."

I felt sick to the stomach and was glad that I had left the glasses at the table. My appetite vanished and I felt like my throat was being constricted. I went up to Ash and got her attention. "Ash, um, I'm gonna leave now. I feel sick." I said and she immediately looked concerned. "What's wrong?" She asked, pulling out a chair for me. "I just walked into Matt and some girl making out for a crowd, so I want to go home before I see something else I regret." I said.

Ash looked very worried. "Okay then, just give me ten minutes. I'll finish eating and go tell Terry that we're leaving..." Ash said, but I stopped her. "Don't worry, I'll call Max. He'll come and pick me up. You guys enjoy, okay? Goodnight." I gave her a hug and headed to the front porch. I collected my coat and wrapped it tight around me. I walked to the corner of the road, concentrating on walking fast and not tripping on my dress.

As I walked, I dialled Max's number. He answered on the third ring. "Hello?" "Hey Max, can you come pick me up? I need to leave this place." My eyes began to burn with tears and I gulped hard. "Sure thing. Just tell me where you are, I'll be there as soon as I can." Max said. I told him where I was and sat down on the edge of the pavement.

I waited for the tears to come; or even to feel angry, but all I felt was disappointment. Despite all the lessons, I had failed to listen to my gut instinct. I had ignored all the apprehension and anxiety and stress, only to be let down by the person who had convinced me to attend in the first place.

True to his word, Max showed up in ten minutes. He let me into the car and drove me home without any questions. I promised to tell him everything the next day and went to my room.

I silently took off my make up, let my hair down, and got into my pyjamas. I hung the dress on a hangar and placed it at the back of my closet, so that I didn't have to see it again. Just as I was brushing my teeth, my phone began to ring. I decided to let it go to voicemail.

Matt's voice came through the phone, "Bailey, whatever it is you think I did, I didn't do it. Please don't be mad at me. Honestly, I-I don't know what I did to make you leave in such a hurry, but please answer your phone.The party is no fun without you. To be frank, nothing is fun without you." He sighed and I could imagine him pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just call me back. Please."

The call cut off and I rolled my eyes.

I was in no mood to deal with Matt. Or anyone. I switched my phone off, turned out my lights and went to sleep.

A/N: Hello everyone! Happy Sunday! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, do vote and comment if you did. Do you feel bad for Bailey?

See you next Sunday!

Lots of love- D :)