The Sturniolos' Assistant

Chapter 8: Determined

I try not to think too much about Jack's cryptic warning and catch up with the boys. We walk inside the only entrance of the white tent which is easy to do because there's a wooden floor instead of sand. There are round tables decorated with flowers and candles in vases, a bar towards the back of the tent, and twinkle lights hanging all around. The candlelight makes it feel intimate like a wedding reception. I see other girls wearing heels, too, which makes me feel at ease. We find Cassie sitting at a table with James and Louis. James stands when we get there. 

"Wow, you look gorgeous," James says as he pulls out the empty chair next to him.

"Thanks. So do you." Oh, gosh. I'm terrible at this. I sit down next to James and Matt sits on the other side of me.

The staff brings us three different courses like an actual wedding. This is way fancier than I thought it would be- I thought it would be a buffet like how it normally is at resorts. As the servers are bringing out the main course, I start to think about the owners of the island. I wonder how much a weekend reservation costs and if that's where most of the money is coming from or if the owners put a lot of their own money into dinners like this. The food is good though, can't complain. I'm already full and this tight dress isn't going to allow me to eat more. I take a few bites of the mashed potatoes and carrots, but I don't attempt to cut into the steak. It looks a little too rare for me and the sight of the blood leaking onto the plate has officially ruined my appetite.

The eight of us talk throughout dinner. The new guy sitting with us is Ray. He owns a clothing brand with Louis. I mainly talk to James since we're sitting together, but I make sure to glance at the triplets every so often because I want to make sure they're having a good time, too. Somewhere between Cassie telling us about the time she met Olivia Rodrigo and the time Ray almost got attacked by a shark while surfing, my migraine slowly creeps back. James leaves the table to go to the bar and I turn to Matt.

"Do you want the rest of this?" I offer him my food. He eats some of the potatoes off of my plate but doesn't touch the steak either.

"Are you okay? You look pale."

"Thanks." I sigh. I know he's concerned, but I was hoping I could suffer in silence without people noticing I'm not feeling well.

"No, no. I mean you still look-" Matt is interrupted by James.

"Here, it's fruit punch." James hands me a glass filled with red liquid.

Jack's voice echoes in the back of my mind; don't drink it. It's common knowledge not to take drinks from strangers, but the way Jack said it was like he was talking about something else. I'm sure it was nothing. All these people around me don't seem like strangers anymore anyway. 

We clink our glasses together and as soon as I bring it to my lips, the sickly-sweet smell of the punch makes me want to throw up. I pretend to drink it because I don't want to hurt James' feelings. I'm sure it tastes great, but I picture the sweetness going in my mouth and down to my stomach and it makes me nauseous. When my head hurts like this, it's better to just drink water. I can't imagine eating or drinking anything right now that won't make me want to puke. I fake a smile and put the glass down.

The servers clear our plates and bring us dessert that I automatically give to Matt. I sit in silence as I listen to the others talk and I swear I see Jack by the entrance of the tent. It's hard to tell because it's dark outside, but I can make out a shadow and I know if I could see his face, he'd be staring right at me. When I blink my eyes, the shadow disappears, and I convince myself that my mind is playing tricks on me.

After dessert, people start walking to the lobby for the party. I decide that it's the perfect time for me to leave. My social battery is almost dead, and I can't take the pain anymore to fake it. My head hurts so bad I'm surprised I'm not crying. I let out a short breath and Matt looks over at me.

"What's wrong?" Matt asks.

"Uh- just a migraine. I'm gonna go back to my room." I stand up and almost lose my balance until James and Matt stand up to catch me on both sides. James is holding most of me until I can stand on my own. Matt sits back down.

"The shuttles won't be here until after the party," James says.

Shoot. Can't I have one win tonight? Is that too much to ask for?

"That's okay. I'll walk," I say, trying to sound like it's no big deal but in my head, I'm thinking, This sucks. This sucks. This sucks.

"I'll walk you back," James offers. His offer is sweet but I'm afraid I'll throw up along the way and I don't want him to be there for that.

"No, it's okay. Thank you, though." I start to walk away but he's still holding on to me.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Goodnight, everyone," I say as I walk around the table. They tell me goodnight and to feel better. I start crying as soon as I make it outside of the tent. No shuttles? I guess I hadn't seen Jack.

I don't make it too far until I hear quick footsteps in the sand behind me. I keep walking, struggling to walk in these heels on the sand. I feel someone gently grab my arm. Everyone here is really friendly, but I don't know James that well, and I don't know how many times I have to tell him I'm okay before he leaves me alone. I look next to me. It's Matt.

"Matt, you can go to the party. I'll be fine." I smile to let him know I mean it.

"I don't wanna go to the party. I want to make sure you're okay." The look in his eyes is so sweet and genuine that I don't have the urge to shoo him away.

Instead, I lean into him as he leads me back to the villas.