BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

Chapter 2: The moment everything changed

Sarah’s pov

The room fell as silent as a graveyard.

I stood here frozen, while the drink slowly dripped out from my dress.

People were staring, whispering, and laughing softly like I wouldn't notice.

Well, news flash!, I did.

“I’m so sorry”, I said again. Like words could fix the disaster that just happened.

He looked at me calmly, not angry or upset, just staring.

Like he was trying to figure out what exactly was wrong with me.

“It’s fine”, he said finally.

Two words and that was it. And for some reason that made me feel even worse.

A man quickly rushed towards him with a towel, panicking like the world was about to end.

“Sir..I’m Soo soo sorry…” he said while shaking.

The boy raised his hand slightly and immediately the man went silent,

That was all I needed to know.

The crowd stopped reacting immediately, and the whole place felt awkward and heavy all of a sudden. Because apparently my night wasn’t bad enough already.

I heard someone whisper behind me, “Do you have any idea who that is?”

My heart stopped beating for a second. No I didn’t.

I watched him bend down and pick up a piece of broken glass from the floor like nothing happened. acting all calm and mysterious.

Then he finally spoke again, “Try watching where you’re going next time”, not in a rude way. Just straightforward.

“I didn’t mean to, someone pushed me”.

“I saw”. That was all he said. And for some reason that made me even more nervous. It was obvious he didn’t just see the spill or the fall, he actually noticed me, which was slightly terrifying.

He then stepped back adjusting his sleeves like he was done with whatever was happening at the moment.

But my brain clearly wasn’t getting over the situation so fast.

“Kelvin”.

Someone from the crowd called out. So that was his name? Kelvin.

It suited him really well. Simple but dangerous in a quiet kinda way.

He turned around like he didn’t care who called him, but people made space anyway.

My eyes stayed glued to him for what seemed like forever. Then I remembered where I was. Oh right, the girl who just spilled a drink on the most important person in the room, how fantastic.

I stared down at my dress again, and the stain had spread and looked even more hideous now. I needed to leave ASAP before I embarrass myself again.

I turn quickly, almost bumping into someone.

“Watch it clown!”, the girl snapped, stepping back like I was carrying a dangerous infection.

“I’m sorry”, I said as I walked past her.

My heart started racing again. Everything felt heavier all of a sudden.

I walked faster and faster. Like I knew where I was going, I didn’t, I just needed some fresh air.

I managed to shove past a group of people and finally spotted a balcony.

Thank Goodness!

I slipped into it without thinking twice and the atmosphere there seemed quiet and peaceful.

I let out a deep breath, feeling relieved, although my hands were still shaking.

“Get it together Sarah”, I whispered to myself.

Tonight was supposed to be simple.

Go in, stay low until the party’s over, then leave immediately. That was the plan. And yet here I was, covered in sparkly wine and questioning every life choice that brought me here.

I closed my eyes for a second and of course, his face popped into my head.

Kelvin. The way he stared at me. For the first time, someone was actually paying attention to me. And for some reason, my brain refused to let it go.

Before I could finish processing the thought, I heard footsteps slowly approaching.

I turned around to see who it was and of course, it was him. Kelvin.

Why was he here?, Of all the places he could be right now, why here?.

He stood at the door and stared right at me which made me nervous again.

“Running away again?”. His charming voice made my chest tighten a bit.

“I’m not running”. I said softly.

He didn’t say anything, he just looked at me, like he wasn’t buying anything I was saying.

“I just needed somewhere quiet to clear my head”.

“Same,” he said.

And for a few seconds, neither of us said a word. The silence wasn’t awkward but it wasn’t quite comfortable either.

It felt like there was something between us, but I just couldn’t figure out what it was yet.

I looked down at my dress again, and the stain looked horrible. Great.

“This is the worst night of my life”, I muttered.

To my surprise, he let out a smile, well almost a smile actually. “That’s dramatic,” he said.

I paused for a second just to be sure I heard him right. Was he joking?

“I spilled a drink on you right in front of half the city”. I whispered trying not to sound annoyed.

“You forgot the part where you almost died first”.

I stared at him, then a tiny laugh escaped from my mouth.

His eyes stayed glued to me for quite a while, then we heard voices echo from the hallway.

“Kelvin sweetie?”

A girl walked right in. Extremely pretty by the way!

Long golden hair, designer pieces from head to toe, and flawless glass skin.

Like a real-life Barbie doll.

The moment she saw me, her mood changed. Not surprised, just confused then annoyed.

“There you are”, she said to him, completely ignoring my presence.

“Your dad has been looking for you everywhere”. “I’ll come later.” He replied.

Her expression changed. “Later?”.

Then her attention switched to me again. And I became very conscious of my stained dress and shaky hands.

“Oh”, she said gently.

That one word somehow felt insulting.

I looked away.

“Who is she?”, the girl asked.

I opened my mouth quickly. “Nobody”.

The moment the word left my mouth, I regretted it.

Kelvin turned to me instantly, not angry, just different.

And it was obvious the pretty Barbie noticed it too.

A slight grin appeared on her face, but it didn't look nice.

“Well, your mom is looking for you, tonight is really important”.

He looked slightly irritated.

“I said I’d come later!”.

The girl sighed dramatically before turning around.

Then she paused. “Oh, and good luck to you”, she said while glancing at me, “people are already talking”. And just like that, she walked away.

My stomach dropped. Of course they were. Who wouldn’t be?.

“I think you should go”, I said quietly.

But he didn’t move.

“Ignore her, that's just how she is”, he muttered.

“Well, that’s not the point”,

“What's the point then?”

I looked right into his eyes this time. “People saw me spill a drink on you and now they’re obviously making up stories about me.”

“They make up stories about everyone.”

“Yeah, that’s easy for you to say”

His expression changed.

“And why?”.

“Because nobody here is waiting for you to mess up”, I said.

“ They're waiting for me!”.

He went quiet after that. I’m guessing he didn’t know what to say, and honestly neither did I.

Everything felt tense and heavier now.

“I think I should leave”, I said

He frowned slightly, “Because of them?”.

I sighed, “No!, Because I don’t belong here!”

The words came out before I could stop them, and once they did, I couldn’t take them back.

“You’ve decided that too fast”.

I frowned,

“What does that mean?”

“It means, you walk into a room filled with fake people and yet convince yourself you’re the problem”.

Well, I didn’t see that coming. It was like a part of me wanted to believe him, but another part couldn’t.

Before I could answer, loud voices from the main hall interrupted, the music stopped and everything went quiet.

“What now?”, he said with a frustrated tone.

Someone quickly rushed in.

“Kelvin”, the guy said while trying to catch his breath.

“Your dad is very angry.” Kelvin didn’t look relaxed anymore.

“Why?”.

The boy looked at me before responding.

“There’s a video”

Everything inside of me froze. “A video?” Kelvin repeated.

“Someone posted the drink accident online”.

My chest was beating so fast, it physically hurt.

The boy pulled out his phone, and there it was. A video of me crashing into Kelvin, the glass shattering, people gasping, and my horrified face, right there on the screen.

I felt sick instantly.

“Oh my God”, I said while breathing heavily.

The post already had over a million views, with the caption “WHO INVITED THE HOMELESS GIRL”.

“No no no, this can’t be happening”

I grabbed my phone from my bag, with my hands shaking. Three missed calls from my mom and a text saying “What have you done Sarah?”

My blood ran cold, that's it, my life is definitely over.

Another message came in right after. “COME HOME NOW!”.

I couldn’t think properly anymore, it was like my whole world was falling apart.

The whispers, the stares, the laughter, the video, my mom.

I looked up at Kelvin, panic rising in my throat.

“I have to go.”

“Sarah”, he said, trying to calm me down.

“I have to go,” I repeated quickly. Then I turned and walked away before he could stop me.

“Sarah.” I stopped immediately, not because of Kelvin, but because of the voice behind him.

A woman stood there staring at me strangely, really strangely. Like she knew me.

My chest tightened.

Then she looked at Kelvin, then back at me again. And the look on her face changed, “Oh my God,” she whispered. The hallway went quiet.

Kelvin frowned. “What?” But the woman wasn’t looking at him anymore, for some reason she was looking at me.

“You..” she said slowly. “You’re Michael’s daughter?”My heart stopped.

How did she know my dad?

Before I could answer, Kelvin’s expression changed. Like he recognized the name too, and somehow that scared me even more.