Meant to Crash | ✓

Chapter Three

"You might be poor, your shoes might be broken, but your mind is a palace."

-Frank McCourt , Angela's Ashes

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Before I could say another word to Sebastian, his mother walked him off to a separate door that would get them to appear behind the stage in the dining hall, leaving me stunned and alone in the corridors. Once I got my feet to work again, I went to the restroom and then back to the hall where Layla and Akin were standing.

Akin raised off the wall. "What took you so long?"

I disregarded what he asked. "You guys lied to me."

They both stared at me, perplexed.

Layla narrowed her eyes at me. "What do you mean?"

"You guys made me think you knew everything about the Lockhart family."

"We do," Akin assured me.

"Oh really? Then why didn't you guys know that the man at the bar, drunk off his ass, a few days ago at the bar was a Lockhart?"

Their expression mirrored the one I had earlier.

"That's impossible." Akin wiped out his phone and typed something into it. He placed the phone in my hand. He had pulled up a photo with the name: Sebastian Lockhart written at the bottom. It was a close-up shot of a scrawny boy with slumped shoulders, holding his hands in the air with a smile on his face. But it was definitely the same guy from earlier. "That's the last recent photo they had of Sebastian. Seven years ago. If that was him the other night, then there's no way we could've recognized him."

"Whatever happened in those seven years, he changed. Drastically," Layla said.

I handed him back his phone. "Yeah, and got hot."

Akin nudged me, smiling smugly. "Oooh, maybe you can get his digits tonight and have him be the guy who brakes your five year dry spell."

I snorted. "Doubtful. I kicked him out and insulted him. I think that ruins all chances of anything ever happening."

"He was so drunk," Layla noted, "I don't think he remembers every detail."

The lights in the dining hall dimmed and a single spotlight was brought down onto the stage. Applause picked up as Mrs. Lockhart took the stage, standing before the podium. She gave a few "thank you"s to different organizations and donators for helping them reach their goal in raising awareness of the hungry children in America and that this year, they'd be able to feed twice as many children than they did last year-or something along those lines. I wasn't really paying much attention on what the night was about. My attention remained solely on the Lockhart family as they walked out.

One by one, Lockhart family members entered the stage, and the applause only grew louder. I counted only one girl out of the family that wasn't Mrs. Lockhart herself, so she must've been Sasha Lockhart, Sebastian's twin sister. She was practically a splitting image of her brother, with raven black hair that went far past her elbows. A warm smile washed over her face as she waved at the seated guests, beaming from left to right. It was no doubt that she was related to him, she was gorgeous like he was. Brendon was the only one that looked different from the family, but it wasn't in a bad way. His honey gold curls bounced as he entered the stage and grinned at the audience. A soft cry came from Layla when a third Lockhart walked out. "Lucas Lockhart," she whispered dreamily.

I nodded.

He didn't look his age, and I could definitely see why Layla liked him - because she had a consistent type. They were clean cut, not considerably tall, but always having a sharp jawline that mirrored a marbled sculpture. He was handsomely well put together in a maroon suit. Most of my attention had shifted toward Layla reacting to Lucas than Lucas himself. She was high off of pure excitement at the sight of this guy. Never in all the time that I knew Layla had I ever seen her act this way toward any man. When Sebastian entered on stage at the very end, a slight gasp hushed over the room. Clearly, we weren't the only ones surprised by his arrival.