Chapter 11 - The Party.

The party was on full swing as the students flooded into every room in the house. Neon lights fluttered through the air in their luminescence as heavy music boomed out of the speakers.

Vincent and Denis were seated on a table. Both of them were silent, watching each other's back, totally convinced that somewhere somehow, Henri must have made up a plan to embarrass the both of them.

"So what are we going to do now?" Asked Denis to Vincent who had his palms clasped together right before his face as though he was deep in thought.

"We just have to wait it out here till whenever the blasted party stops," said Vincent. "I'm tired already."

Henri came around with Rory holding drinks on their hands. They dropped a cup each with Vincent and Denis while laughing silently as though there was some inside joke that they were not telling anybody else. 

To Vincent there was an inside joke. He was the joke. But he did not want to give the impression that he cared. His eyes danced downwards to the table where he looked at the drunk as if from it he would find some secret nobody else was telling him.

"What's the matter, Vinny?" Henri began, taking a seat with Rory by his side, "Have you not seen drinks as expensive as these in your life? I'm sorry I have to tell you but these bottles cost a thousand dollars each. So look at them nicely. You might never have the opportunity to see them again." 

"Good one," Rori urged on laughing.

Vincent flicked a look at her, and she stared back in an icy glare. "Now what? Do you still feel bad that I left you? Awwn, baby, such a shame that you thought you'd ever have had a chance with me? You should learn to aim lower than your class from now on."

Henri laughed this time around. His voice was so loud that it got the attention of the other students who began to surround them bit by bit to further humiliate Vincent and Denis who remained in their calm.

The entire place was choked up by laughter soon enough as from student to student, jabs were thrown at the both of them. 

"You both should drink up," Henry urged as he laughed. "I know this is the best thing you have ever tested in your miserable lives, you low lives. This is for punching me in the face. Atleast now you know that you can be never be able to compete with me in no way possible."

Vincent wanted to reply him by all means but his focus was shifted to something else. The students and everybody around him were now looking elsewhere with the looks on their faces twisted to show admiration. 

Henri too seemed to grow a look of mesmerization that caught Vincent off guard. He stood up with his hand to his chest and whispered something totally unintelligible. Rory was confused as well as she stared up at his eyes to see what exactly he was looking at so wantonly.

"Marie?" he mumbled, half conscious of himself, before leaving Rori and walking across the room to the door. 

Marie was the same girl Vincent had met in the boutique. She was invited over by Henri but he did not for a second think she would come. Now he did not want the fact that he was with Rory to ruin the chance that he now had, or supposed he had.

"I can't believe this," Rory said feeling distraught as he left. "Another woman? Who is she?" 

Marie stood at the entrance to the house. Her hair was tied in a bun, a very simplistic hairstyle, but still her aura, green eyes, and beautiful face drew to her all the eyes at the party. She looked as beautiful, as pretty as she could ever be.

She was not a student of their school so her face was a novelty to most of them. It was not a hard task to notice.

"Marie," Henri said, stuttering under his breath as he got to her. He seemed to be "You actually came. I thought you would never come."

She walked past him, as though her eyes was set on something else that she was seeing. He was shocked at her behavior but did not say anything to her afterwards, only to look back and see where it was that she was going. He felt totally dismayed by her actions but could really only watch. She had never liked him.

Vincent stood up to look at what everyone else was looking at. He did not know that she had spotted him before he would even see her.

"Hello," Marie said taking a seat right where he was, shocking both he and Denis.

"Marie, what are you doing here?" He asked, really by all means surprised at what was going on. "Is this one of Henri's stupid pranks yet?" 

"Uh, what do you mean by that?" She asked, half laughing. "I was invited by Henri but didn't want to come until my mum forced me to. Our families are close. I came here for the party but then I saw you here and decided to talk to you. I keep seeing you in unlikely places."

"Well, I'm a student of Mattise University de Paris as well. It's why I am here, as well as for other reasons," he said. 

"Interesting." 

Marie and Henri's family were indeed close, but there was something else Marie was not telling Vincent. She had once been offered to marry Henri, but because she did not like him she refused to accept. And so now, Henri could only watch from afar where he was to see visual torment of Marie having a good time with Vincent whom he had only invited in the first place to torment.

Rory who was sitting opposite them could not stand it anymore. She stood up and left with anger brimming from her chest. Vincent did not even notice her going away.