And Then I Knew

*Chapter one*

I knew it was a bad idea to go to the championship basketball game with him. Well, for starters, I knew nothing about basketball, but I decided to go anyway because I thought he was attractive and I had nothing better to do.

I knew I shouldn't have gone. I forgot my phone at home so I couldn't call my aunt for help if I decided to back out. I shouldn't have even left my room! Why did Mathew Anderson even want me to come?

I'm not anything like the other girls he's dated. (Well we weren't really on a date, he told me he had an extra ticket and when I was about to decline, my aunt told him I would go!) And here I am sitting next to Matt, on the jumbotron, trying not to blush as the crowd cheers "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

We really weren't very good friends either. That makes me wonder why he even asked me to come. We had only met three weeks ago and didn't even talk that much.

Beaufort was a small town, but he has other friends.

I just moved to South Carolina after I heard that my parents had died in a tragic car accident back in LA. My aunt Maria was the only person I could go to since my only other relative was (a) living in Europe and (b) a crazy alcoholic!

I walked into her huge house and tried to take it all in. After I took a few steps down a wide hallway, I saw a huge living room straight ahead with a perfect view of the beach. To my left, there was a giant kitchen, and to my right, was a hallway and a flight of stairs. I could only imagine what was upstairs. I walked up the stairs of Maria's house to a hallway with a bunch of doors to other rooms. I didn't have the slightest idea of why she needed such a big house. It was only her and her boyfriend, Charlie.

"You can pick any room you want." She said to me and motioned down the hallway. I chose the last door on the left and decided I had made the perfect choice as soon as the sunlight hit me. I had the best view of the beach and a walk-in closet and an attached bathroom!

I've never had my own room before. I've always had to share with my sister because we never had enough money for a three-room apartment. Now that my sister was in college somewhere in Idaho, I didn't have to worry about her taking up half my space in my room.

I got myself dressed as I prepared to make some friends at the party Maria was dragging me to that night. I honestly would rather just lay on the beach with a good book, but maybe actually having a social life in Beaufort would be more interesting.

A few minutes after I finished deciding that I wanted my hair down for the night, I slipped on some jean shorts and a white tank top.

"Sarah, honey! It's time to leave!"

I quickly put on some white flip-flops and ran down the stairs to meet Maria and Charlie by the front door. We walked out and I noticed the family across the street was doing the same.

"Hey Deb!" Maria called. I didn't see any signs of a woman across the street and was confused on who this "Deb" was. As if she read my mind, a woman who looked like she was the same age as Maria stepped out of the light green house behind her husband. Then, a little girl, dressed in a little pink dress came out of the house, probably three years old.

"Hey! Are you going to the party?" She shouted across the pavement.

"Why wouldn't we?" Maria said sarcastically. We got into the car and Charlie started driving us to this "party" that I was not looking forward to.

*****

We arrived at the party in a light purple house and I already knew that this was one of those "adult parties" The ones where all of the adults talk to each other the whole time and you just stand by the food awkwardly until your parents decide they've had enough.