ON A MISSION

Chapter 13- Babysitter

"I have to go." Nataly looked up at Adam, after ending the call with her mother.

She had explained it all to Samantha, how Mia was apparently throwing up in the bathroom and therefore, required Nataly to be there. Hence, Nataly was gonna come home late.

The only thing? Mia wasn't even Nataly's best friend or at the party, for that matter. And the only person who looked even remotely close to throwing up was Adam.

"No!" Adam shrieked, his big brown eyes pleading. "You didn't even have a single slice of cake."

"There's a cake?" Usher interrupted, with Romeo beside him. People walked past them, out of the house, leaving a mess of littered red cups and confetti behind.

"Not anymore, apparently." Romeo looked at Adam and Nataly, before glancing at Usher from the corner of his eyes, almost like sharing an inside joke. "Next time, please serve something stronger than a monster energy drink."

Adam grinned, his eyes almost closing and gave two very enthusiastic thumbs-up. "I'll keep that in mind, man!"

"See you at school." Usher gave Adam's arm a firm pat, before waving over at Simon. "Good night."

"Bye Simon." Romeo bid adieu as they left.

"Look, it's way past my curfew." Nataly dragged Adam to the huge staircase, at the last step of which Simon was standing. "I have, to go!"

"Curfew? What does that even mean? That's not even a word."

Nataly slung Adam's leather jacket off her back and tossed it into his hands, before turning to Simon. "He is hammered. If it isn't obvious, already."

Simon took in Adam's intoxicated state and hurt flashed through his eyes.

"Miss Nataly..." Simon began to say but hesitated. "I might get sacked for this, but I think you should put him to bed. It's not good to leave Mr. Jenkins alone, when he is drunk."

"Do I look like a babysitter?" Nataly smiled.

Simon opened his mouth, but Adam's voice interrupted him.

"Susan, can you bring me a knife from the kitchen?" He asked one of the maids, assembled on the steps behind Simon and pulled at his diamond encrusted Audemars Piguet watch. "I cannot get this watch off my wrist, for the life of me!"

Nataly saw Simon's face pale in alarm and finally understood why. Adam was off his rocker.

She faced Adam with a big bright smile that shined more than his bejeweled watch and patted his shoulder. "Let's get you to bed."

A minute later, Nataly and Adam stood inside Adam's room. Everything from the walls to the sheets, the curtains and even the carpet, was totally red and totally rich.

Nataly looked at this contrast with a great deal of interest. Famous album covers and band posters decorated the walls, with some vinyls hanging on thumb tacks. Two speakers lay on the floor, with wire strands around them and three guitars hung on the wall right above.

But an item in particular made Nataly's heartbeat speed up. No, it wasn't the clock shaped like a drum. It was the grand red piano to the left of Adam's bed, standing tall beneath the huge glass window.

Nataly could so clearly imagine Adam playing the piano, singing All Of Me by John Legend, all the while she chilled in her silk robe and sipped on a hot cup of coffee as sunlight poured through the window and soaked them both in its glow.

"Yeah. I think it's more like the... I want to sound good in the car, the way that like... 50 Cent, In Da Club does." Adam's rant brought Nataly out of her thoughts. "Like, if that comes on your shuffle, just try and skip it. I dare you."