BXBX NOVEL Chapter 91 - The Birthday Party
Megan\'s POV
Isabelle linked her arm with mine when we got inside the ballroom while my boyfriend held my other arm. I could tell a lot of the girls who live in Astikoz hills were looking at me. Even the girls I didn\'t know were watching me and looking at me from head to toe, but having the Pritzgold children around me made me feel courageous and daring. I could feel the pounding of my heart as I looked around to find his father. I couldn\'t find him anywhere; only their mother was sitting on a chair in the center of the stage.
The butterfly backdrop with elegant lightning made her face glow; Lenore Pritzgold is stunning, and even if I have seen the photograph of Ashton\'s mom from his phone, yet seeing her in person made my jaw drop. She is so beautiful like Isabelle, and no wonder the Priztgold children are all good-looking. I could see floor balloons on the carpeted floor, and the flying balloons were on the high ceiling while the bubble machine continued to release bubbles that made me think I was attending a debut party.
And I was right. The Pritzgold had so many guests and could tell I was the only one among the guests inside the ballroom who didn\'t fit in with their society. Lennon and Sherry led us to our table, and I felt so happy that Isabelle sat beside me, while on my other side was my hunk boyfriend. I could tell girls were looking in his direction.
The party had started, and we all stood up and sang happy birthday to Ashton\'s mom. And she was smiling at all the guests while her husband joined her. I can feel the bile on my stomach as I watch Gregory Pritzgold on the stage looking so authoritative as ever. I remembered right away how much he played my brother and Isabelle\'s heart. I don\'t like him. His smug smile made me feel sick, and I could feel the sweat on my palms. And I hate that I am feeling like this right now. I felt Ashton\'s hand squeeze my palm, and he whispered sweet nothings on my ear, which made me feel better.
"You need to relax, Meg, I am here, and we are all here for you," Ashton whispered in my ear as I nodded my head as tried to control my emotions.
"Are you okay?" Isabelle asked me when we sat down on our chairs, and the host continued to entertain us. The moment the emcee called the Pritzgold children, they all stood up, and I felt glad Sherry and Zachary were with me. Zach moved and sat beside me, and I know he was trying to make me feel better and not feel alone. Gregory Pritzgold greeted his wife first, and Ashton\'s dad kissed his mom on the lips long enough to make the crowd go crazy. And I could tell he is so in love with his wife, and how I wish he could understand his children.
I couldn\'t deny they looked good together, even if I could see the age difference. I am aware Ashton\'s dad is older by ten years by his mom, but his father is lovely, and I couldn\'t blame Lenore for choosing Gregory as her husband. He is filthy rich, and very handsome. Watching their family in front of the stage, I could tell they are the perfect family all over Astikoz, and even celebrities couldn\'t compare to them. They are already famous because of their stature in the elite society. I know Lenore was a socialite and came from an affluent family as well.
My heart hammered when I saw Lauren looking daggers at me. As usual, she looked like a ramp model as she walked towards our table, and I could see the sinister smile plastered on her face. At the same time, I heard Isabelle greet her mother, and I could no longer listen to what Ashton\'s elder sister was saying because I could hear the rapid beating of my own heart. And I know every time Lauren is around, she will always do something to embarrass me. I am used to her scheme, but I wished she wouldn\'t do something tonight in front of all the guests of Ashton\'s parents.
"Hey, Megan the bitch, I couldn\'t believe you would show up here and attend this glamorous party only for the rich people to see." She said, and I watched Sherry look at her, and I couldn\'t believe she was enjoying the show. What is wrong with Lennon\'s girlfriend?
"I don\'t want anything from you, Lauren," I said as I tried to compose myself, and she sat beside me, taking Ashton\'s place.
"You better go back to your table, Meg." I heard Zachary say, and I could tell he was not happy with Lauren.
"Playing the best friend again, Zach? Do you know how much I hated you for always being the third wheel every time I had a date with Ashton?" She asked, and Zach just shook his head.
"I hate you so much because he spent most of his time with you," Lauren said as he looked at Zachary, and then she turned her attention towards me, and I know Zach doesn\'t like any drama. That is why he remained silent.
"If I were you, Megan, you better walk out from here now than to cry your heart out later. I don\'t care if Ashton was sitting beside you or he was holding your hands. His father will make an announcement later that will shatter your heart. I am just friendly to you." She whispered in my ear, and I turned my head and faced her.
"I promise Ashton, I will stay, and I will not walk away from him no matter how painful it may be because I am confident how much he loves me. I came here because of Ashton, and I will only leave this place if he tells me to do so. I am not insecure, Lauren. I know where I stand in Ashton\'s life." I said, and her eyes were burning with anger as she stared at me. And Lauren stood up and stomped her heel on my foot that made me whimper in pain, and without saying another word, she walked away from us while I was writhing in pain.
"Wow! I like the way you handle Lauren, Megan, but it seems like she hurt you physically by crushing your foot ." Zach said while Sherry averted her eyes from us and she was typing something on her phone, and I could tell right away something was going on with her and Lauren. Well, they both came from wealthy families, and I am sure they are friends.
I don\'t need her approval anyway since only Ashton and his sibling\'s matter, and of course, Ashton\'s real friends like Zachary. I don\'t need fake friends anyway. And before I could respond to Zach, I was shocked when I heard my name, and I realized Ashton was calling me.
"Megan, please come over here, Babe." He said, and I could feel my limbs shaking. And Babe? Wow! I had never heard him call me Babe before, and this is the first time I heard him call me that endearment, and it made me smile. All eyes are on me now, and I needed to get up from my chair, and as I stood up, I uttered a yelp as I got up from my chair, and I could tell it would be hard for me to walk, but I needed to go to the stage looking vibrant and relaxed. I took a step even if I could feel the pain, and I tried to smile even if I felt like crying. And it made me realize Lauren will always be bad news.
I felt so thankful that Lennon and Cole descended from the stage, and they met me halfway, and they escorted me in going to the spotlight. Ashton\'s mom was smiling at me, and I could tell she wasn\'t faking her smile, and I was hoping my eyes were not tricking me this time. And out of the corner of my eye, I could see Gregory Pritzgold was sizing me up, and I could tell he was hiding his genuine emotion for me.
"Hi, mom, tonight on your birthday, I want you and dad to meet and know my girlfriend. Megan Corteza, Meg, meet my beautiful mom, Lenore, and my handsome dad, Gregory." Ashton said, and I moved and greeted her mom. I was surprised when she hugged me.
"Thank you for coming, Megan." She softly said and gave me a beautiful smile, and then Ashton\'s dad shocked me when he extended his hand and smiled at me like he was smiling for real.
"Thank you for coming, Megan, and for celebrating this beautiful moment with us." He said, and I took Gregory\'s hand, and he gripped my palm with a wide grin on his face, and it felt like I was only dreaming.
"Mom, we are going to sing a song for you together with my siblings but, I need my girlfriend\'s support, and I hope she knows the lyrics of this song." Ashton said, and the crowd laughed, and my nervousness was gone.
"We will sing The Perfect Fan by the Backstreet Boys. I hope you know that song, Babe." Ashton whispered in my ear as I saw Zachary bringing the guitar towards me, and I smiled as I looked at my boyfriend.
"You are lucky because that is Dexter\'s favorite song for our mom." I said to him, and I took the guitar from Zachary\'s hand, and I could see the audience was looking at us in total silence.
One of the members of the technical team put the microphone stand on the center of the stage while Ashton settled the microphone on the stand. I started strumming the guitar, and when I heard Ashton\'s voice, I smiled. My boyfriend could sing. I sang with him, and I listened to his siblings join us, and I could tell they practiced the song, and they all had lovely voices. I saw some of the ladies wiping their eyes, and I could tell they were crying; and I love this song too, and every time Dexter would sing this song to mom, she would be in tears. By the time we ended the music, the crowd had stood up, applauded, and I felt Ashton kiss me on my cheek.
"Thanks, Babe.." He whispered, and I am in seventh heaven.