The CEOs pregnante maid

The drink

I looked at Matthew, who seemed distracted by the traffic.

- Oh, you know what? - She used the app on her cell phone and turned up the car stereo to the last volume, spreading the melody Complicated, by Avril Lavigne, throughout the car. - So? - she raised an eyebrow, as if in defiance.

Well, I could have denied it, they wouldn't have pressured me. I could simply have said no, but I was tired of the rules that Madeleine imposed on me, even from afar.

Don't go out alone!

Don't drink! Don't smoke!

Stay away from men, they only want one thing!

Preserve your future, you'll be a great CEO when you take over from me!

I've calculated everything, Nicole!

Nicole!

Nicole! Nicole!

Nicole!

I could almost hear your voice.

But tell me, how can I listen to someone who didn't raise me? Who wasn't part of my life? Who abandoned me when I needed it most? All those years alone. When she or her assistant sent simple gifts on commemorative dates. How many birthdays, Christmases, Thanksgivings, graduations I spent alone. And I never, ever did anything other than what she sent me. Today I wish it were the other way around. I repeated internally, like a mantra

"Today will be different".

Alice let out a soft wheeze, looking at me with watery eyes as she held the bottle after her second sip.

- It's okay, sweetheart," she said, patting my hand lightly. - You have to feel good, not pressured. - She smiled sweetly.

- I know... - I said in a whisper, more to myself than to them. - But I think I want to. - I said uncertainly.

- I'm just tired of all the rules. I'll never be fearless like Vivian and steal a motorcycle. - I smiled, remembering a hilarious story from a summer we spent at Alice's parents' house. - Or I'll be determined like you. - I smile at Alice. - But I wanted to be me, for one day. To do what I really want. That's why I'm going to drink. - After all, what could be so bad?

I picked up the canteen and drank. The hot liquid went down my throat burning, I coughed a few times and looked at the curious eyes above me. That's when I sang the last chorus of the song. First alone, then accompanied by them.

Why do you have to go and make things so complicated? (Yeah, yeah) I see the way you're

Acting like you're somebody else, gets me frustrated

And life's like this you,

You fall and you crawl and you break and you take what you get and you turn it into Honesty, you promised me I'm never gonna find you fake it

No, no, no

We sang in sync, gesturing with our hands, feeling our spirits and emotions run high. Then we laughed, reminisced about old times, made plans for the future, aware that everything would be different from now on.

I just didn't know if it would be for the better.

**

Traffic was slow on the way to the Petrelli chalet. It was the first time Luck had thrown a party that wasn't at his father's club, after closing hours, in a clearing or on a golf course. This time, it was official, he was using one of his father's cottages in the countryside to throw the party. That's why it was more special than the others.

The illuminated path, flanked by small bushes cut in the shape of the family crest, the large fountain illuminated with neon lights facing the entrance hall. It was all fantastic, almost as big as the school which, lately, was my home. The car stopped. We shook hands and waited for Matthew to open our doors. We took a deep breath and got out, saying goodbye to Matthew, who just waved because he wasn't happy that we were there.

I didn't know how he didn't tell my mother, but I think it had something to do with Vivian threatening to tell his wife about his affair.

We followed the mansion up ahead. Yes, because that cottage was definitely a mansion. It was made almost entirely of wood and glass, facing a gigantic lake with dark waters and flanked by a dense forest. You could clearly see the makeshift nightclub outside. Because neon lights flashed outside through the glass on the second floor.

We went upstairs, music playing loudly in the large ballroom. There was a large bar to the right with high stools, where the barman was supposed to be, but it was empty. This was an informal "graduation" party, where Luck was the host. It turned out that he had always been a fan of parties. Most of the time we just ignored who was using their iPhone to snort cocaine, who was smoking weed, and the moans in some corner from someone who was having s*x. Because deep down we just wanted to feel free and fall in love like any teenager. However, things didn't seem to work out like that for me. I had serious socialization problems, I was very shy and I was insecure about myself. I hadn't even kissed anyone when I was seventeen. It was embarrassing just to talk about.

I think that's what charmed me about Luck, he was brave, daring, adventurous. Deep down, that's what I wanted for myself. And he also had a reputation to uphold, he was the mayor's son, the town's favorite face. The new generation of New Braunfels.

But here he was, throwing a party he called "Graduation" for some students from nearby schools. The invitation was secret and only for selected people, and of course, Vivian had arranged three invitations guaranteeing us a decent graduation, unlike the boring stuff at our school. I looked at the part set up like a nightclub. Neon lights blurred the vision. The electrifying beat of the music seemed to shake the chandeliers.

- Aaaaaah! I love this song! - Vivian swayed her hips from side to side as she sang loudly. I definitely don't know what her problem was, because even though she was doing badly, she insisted on singing. - Come on, let's go! - she said, pulling my hand as she danced and sang, heading towards the nightclub.

I shook my head negatively. Okay, I drank, but dancing in the middle of a bunch of strangers was something I refused to do.

- It's okay, Vivian - I said. - Look, why don't you go with Alice? - I looked around for my friend and realized that she was already far away, talking to other girls we'd met at another Luck party.

- Better, why don't you go by yourself? I'm going for a walk and we'll meet up in a bit, I'll get to know the place better, because it's not every day that the mayor's son, Christopher Petrelli, opens the door of his humble chalet and offers a graduation for his students.

- As if Luck didn't have a little something to do with it, right? - she let out a muffled smile and continued. - All right then, but don't do anything I wouldn't do. - She winked and carried on.

A few hours passed, I chatted with colleagues from other parties, and the drinks kept coming to me. At one point, I even risked dancing a little with Vivian and Alice.

I left the makeshift club when Vivian started sticking her tongue in the mouth of a guy who must have been about ten years older, and I'd never seen at any previous party. It wasn't long before she went off into a dark corner with him. I walked over, only to find Alice being slammed against a wall by someone. The truth was that almost everyone there was like that. This was the point in the party where most people went crazy, whether it was drink, drugs or a hard-on.

In fact, I think I only noticed it because I was always the only one who wasn't almost inside someone in public. I walked slowly, cutting my way through the average group still at the party, ignoring the dizziness resulting from the mixture of drinks I had consumed, towards the bar, following this line of reasoning: well, if I don't have anyone, the drink will be my company tonight.