Another month goes by faster than I imagined. I've got used to living here in London by now. I've got used to the life, the city and even people. Especially people. And I finally got the chance to meet the city a little better so I don't get lost anymore. Most of the time I don't, at least.

But now I have a brand new phone and if anything happens, I can either ring Sam or anyone else. Except for Alexander, of course. I didn't bother getting his number. And he didn't bother getting mine.

Basically, we didn't see each other that much. Sometimes we met on the rooftop, but we only spoke a few words to each other, if any. I got a feeling that he started avoiding going out on a rooftop because he knew I'd probably be there.

As for Islington – I finally got the name of the street where all that motorcycle thing is going on and I made sure to remember it – I avoided it. Sam asked me to come with her a few times, but I always made up some excuse.

I wasn't ready to go back there yet, if I'll ever even go again. I don't know why Sam can't see that I'm like a black sheep there. That's not a scene for me and it couldn't be more obvious.

Alexander thinks I'm a 'good girl that's almost too good' – his words, not mine – and if that doesn't say it all, I don't know what would.

I basically avoid going there because I'm not ready to face Sophie. I wouldn't know what to say to her. Apologise? But for what? I didn't even mean anything by going with Alexander. Was she blind not to see how much hatred is between us? It's basically pouring out of our pores whenever we're in the same room.

It's Friday today and I'm free tomorrow morning because Rosalyn doesn't have to go to work before noon.

"Any plans for tonight?" Rosalyn asks me at dinner.

I look at her and purse my lips. "Not really," I say. Because what else can I say? I'm a lame person and I fear being around people? Yeah, judge me for being a loser.

"Aren't you and Sam going to a party?" Rosanna addresses Alexander this time.

I'm happy that the attention's not on me anymore and I keep eating in silence.

Alexander's only response to Rosalyn's question is him giving her a look with raised eyebrows. He doesn't verbally answer her, but he doesn't need to.

Rosalyn shrugs as if silently answering Alexander's unspoken question. "Why don't you take Gabby with you?"

I almost drop the fork. I look at Rosalyn out of the corner of my eyes and stop chewing on the food I put in my mouth. Alexander looks at me with a murder clearly written in his eyes, his nose flaring as he seeps right at me. As if it was me suggesting that absurd idea!

"Yeah, why don't you take her and babysit her for the rest of the night, then, Mum?" Alexander asks with heavy sarcasm, still staring straight at me.

I lower my eyes on the table, not wanting to say anything that would put him in a rage. I know enough about him by now to know that he gets angry very easily.

"Oh, and maybe I should come to babysit you, instead, since she's only a year younger than you, yet she's acting way more mature than you, hmm?" Rosalyn cocks her head on the side and watches his son for his reaction.

Alexander finally takes his eyes off me and looks at his mother. His lips curl up. "Seems like you already favour her more than your children," he comments.

Amelia makes a gurgling noise in her throat and when I look at her, she smiles hugely, shoving a fork full of food in her mouth. What a delightful child.

"Alexander, don't be ridiculous. You're not being unnecessarily rude to her without any reason. And it's starting to get on my nerves. She's been with us for months and she will be here for months. It would make both your lives better if you started being a little nicer, don't you think?"

Alexander snorts in response, close to bursting out in laughter. "Nah, I'm good. I like things just as they are. If Gabrielle has any problems, that's not any of my business."

"It's fine, I don't want to go. Really," I say before Rosalyn says anything else and digs me a bigger hole.

My phone vibrates in my pocket and Rosalyn looks at me. "Sorry," I mumble. The Holts have a stern policy that you must not use the phone at the table. Ever.

Rosalyn finally stops bothering Alexander about taking me with him and I can breathe easier for the rest of the dinner. I check the text I got.

It's from Sam. I should've known it. I was kind of hoping that Sam would forget about me, but of course she has a life mission to drag me out as many times as possible.

I type back and I pray that she will leave me alone. She has so many other friends, I don't know why she would need me there.

Oh, and I'm sure Sophie will be there too and I doubt I'm her favourite person to see at the moment.

I stop texting her because I don't want to appear rude and only answer her when I go back to my room.

I hate people.

I bite my bottom lip, my thumbs hanging over the phone keyboard. This is stupid. Why can't I be like them? I came here to change my life, to be someone I couldn't be in France and I turned out to be boring as hell, afraid to go anywhere because I'm scared of people.

So much for changing my life.

Sam's response is immediate.

Sam find me sitting on my bed exactly 19 minutes later. She looks gorgeous, although her make-up is really heavy, but she's a natural beauty. She's dressed in high-heeled boots, high-waisted shorts that show her legs off and a small top. She reveals a lot, but she can pull it off like a pro.

It takes her roughly 15 minutes to get me ready. And when she shows me what she did, I'm impressed. She didn't use that much make-up on me, only a touch of it and it came out pretty good. The only thing that's bothering me is the dress.

It has an open back and it doesn't even come down to my mid-thighs. It's also very tight, hugging my figure perfectly, even though there's nothing much to wrap around.

"You have really long lashes naturally – which I'm totally jealous of, by the way – so I didn't have to do much with your make-up." Sam shrugs. "And I thought you'd prefer less."

With my hair, she only pulled the front strands to the back and clipped them, showing off my face. I guess I'm not hiding tonight.

I smile at her in the mirror, a genuine smile. It warms me that she helped me get ready for the party. It actually makes me a little more excited to go now.

Honestly, who cares about other people and their judgmental stares when I have Sam with me who knows me and knows who I am? Well, she knows me only as much as I've told her about me, but she knows a lot. And that's only what matters. Others don't know me. They don't talk to me, they don't hang out with me.

In a moment of weakness and pure affection, I do something I haven't done in years. I wrap my arms around Sam and hug her as tightly as I can. I have to actually blink the tears away from my eyes.

Sam hugs me back, squeezing me tightly.

"You smell really good," I tell Sam. Because if I didn't say anything, I'd start crying like a baby.

Sam's chuckle vibrates from her throat. "Enough of this sentimental shit, pretty face. Let's get that party started!"

As we're heading towards the car, I look around us to make sure we're completely alone before I dare to ask Sam the question, "Is Alexander coming with us?" I whisper, afraid that he'll jump out from somewhere any second.

Sam eyes me. "Why are you whispering?" she asks, her voice a normal tone that causes me to look around us again.

"I don't want to wake up the beast."

Sam looks at me like I've lost my mind. She shakes her head and chuckles. "Get in the car. He's not riding with us."

I basically jump in the car, her voice filling me with so much relief that I have to exhale a long breath through my mouth.

I can't stop biting my lip on the ride there. It takes longer than driving to Islington and that already makes me nervous, knowing I'm further away from home.

"How long have you and Snake been together?" I ask Sam as the question pops in my head.

Sam looks at me, her lips tugging up at the corner. "Oh, we're not really dating," she answers.

I stare at her. "I saw you two kissing?" I say as a question.

Sam bursts out laughing. "If you're kissing, it doesn't mean you're dating."

I have to pause and think about her words before I'm able to say anything in return. "So, you're actually not really ... dating?"

"No, Gabby. We're fucking. There's a difference."

My cheeks colour in a dark red colour and my whole body gets hot at her words. "I shouldn't have said anything," I murmur to myself with a sigh, staring out of the window.

"Sin got it right. You're so fucking innocent it hurts to watch." Sam shakes her head in amusement.

I'm glad she finds that funny! And since when is she talking about me with Alexander? I open my mouth to ask her that and maybe defend myself, but Sam interrupts me with a low whistle.

"Seems like the party is already in a full swing. Nice," she comments, grinning as she stares at all the cars parked in front of the enormous house.

My heart jumps into my throat, preventing the air to come into my lungs. I feel like choking. I had an idea there would be a lot of people, but this is nothing that I've imagined ... There are so many cars out here that it makes me afraid to even see how many people there are inside that house.

And the music is already blasting loudly. People are going into the house, coming out of the house and I see two couples making out against the wall. My mouth goes dry in anxiety and my heart wants to jump right out of my ribcage.

"There's a lot of people here," I say with a hoarse voice that's caused by my impossibly dry throat.

"Hell yeah," Sam says happily.

If only I could feel some of her happiness, that'd be awesome, too.

Sam parks the car and we head into the house. I'm on autopilot, following Sam, my body moving all on itself. It seems like all my thoughts died in my head, too. I don't know what I should expect when Sam opens that door, but I'm not prepared for the scene before me.

The party is in full swing, alright. People are dancing, singing, drinking, making out, laughing – just having a great time. It smells of alcohol and weed and the music is so loud it makes my head hurt. Wow.

People stare as we stand there and look around, just watching the scene before us. I don't know how house parties work. But, shit, there are many people here.

The house is enormous, but it's filled with people. A lot of them are wasted or high already, all of them in their own world.

Some of them are not nearly drunk enough to be in that state yet and they're staring. At us.

Sam seems like she doesn't even notice all the stares, but I do. They're burning my skin in that familiar way, although people don't look at me with the same look I've been looked at for the past years.

They seem simply ... curious. Which is understandable since I'm new and they haven't seen me before. It doesn't make me any less uncomfortable, though.

Someone forces a red cup, filled with transparent liquid in my hand. "Ready to party, pretty face?" Sam asks in a high spirit, her good mood is hard to miss.

I gulp. Would no be the wrong answer?