The white dress stroked my knees, swishing gently in the breeze coming from my open window. The pheasant sleeves puffed proudly around my arms, sparkling in the bright sun. 

 I regarded myself in the mirror with my eyes narrowed judgementally. The dress stretched at my hips, but curved at the corset Kathryn squeezed onto me earlier in the morning. Even though it was supposed to be a graduation dress, it reminded me more of a wedding dress. Sparkly and white. Fluffy and poufy, but also simple and conservative. I never favored those revealing gowns, anyway.

 Beside the full-body mirror I kept near my bathroom, there was a dark oak dresser. My step-dad had carved it for me when I was a child, and ever since then, it's all I used to keep my clothes and accessories. 

 I pulled on one of the drawers, dust billowing in my face. The metal latch clanged back against the holder and as I brushed the dust aside, I got a better look at what I was reaching for. 

 A ruby-embedded hairclip that had once been my grandmother's on my biological father's side stood out blatantly in the piles of white and gold. I saved it for a special day, and graduating from college was certainly a special day in my book.

 Tucking a few wavy locks of light purple hair behind my head, I clipped the strands in place, admiring my new look in the mirror. It really brought out the green hue in my eyes, or so, Kath told me.

 "Adrienne? Are you ready?"

Gryffin's knocked on my door, entering when I replied. He had his brown hair slicked back and his grey eyes alight with mischief. He wore a suit, unlike the rugged rugby clothes he usually wore. Mom most likely convinced (read: threatened) him to look nice.

"You look good, Lil sis," he smiled, walking closer to me to ruffle my hair.

I snorted. "Are you sure? I don't look chubby, do I?"

"Nah. You look amazing, Adri," Gryffin assured. "Although you look like you're getting married instead of graduating.

I shoved his chest, effectively putting some space between us with a laugh. "That's what I told Kath! She never listens to me, though. You know her."

"Yeah, I do." A forlorn look crossed Gryffin's eyes, and for a moment, he looked sad. Quickly, though, he masked his, handing me an orange pill bottle with a tentative smile on his face.

"I think you'll be needing these," he motioned to the cup he had somehow placed on the table without me noticing. "I remember how nervous you used to get in big crowds."

"And I still do," I murmured, taking the pills and the water. "Are Mom and Dad coming?"

"They said they'd meet us at the afterparty," he replied, taking the glass back from me. He rocked on his heels, whistling lowly. "So...how are you feeling?"

"Nervous, but also excited, I guess. I can get a job now," I shrugged. "I'll be free from classes and Professor Haynes."

"Ah, good ole Haynes." Gryffin chuckled. "That's true. You will be free from her--and Alvarez." He frowned. "Speaking of Alvarez, you mentioned that he gave you a project to do? What was it?"

I froze for a moment, realizing that I hadn't told Gryffin about my meeting with Lazareth, but brushed it aside with a sigh. He was bound to know at one point.

"He had me interview Lazareth Noir," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. 

"The billionaire?"

"Yeah."

"What?!" Gryffin gripped my shoulders, shaking me. I laughed. "You interviewed the Lazareth Noir and you didn't think to tell me! What the fuck, Adrienne!"

I pushed him away from me, daintily putting my hand over my lipstick-covered mouth and laughing. "Uh, yeah? I guess I just forgot to tell you. Sorry?"

"You're such a..." Gryffin groaned, mumbling the rest of his sentence while sending me a dirty stare. "How did it go? I heard he was going to be at your graduation?"

"It went quickly," I said, opting to leave out the phone-number bit. "He answered all the questions I asked and we went on our separate ways. I think it should be aired soon on TV."

"And Alvarez asked you to do this?"

When I nodded, Gryffin whistled louder, blowing some of his hair in the process.

"Damn, you must be a favorite of his then. Alvarez runs the newspaper club. If he didn't like you, I'd bet he would have picked someone from there."

"He never did specify why he chose me," I admitted, fixing my hair again. "But I don't regret meeting Laz--Mr. Noir."

"What was he like?"

"Polite, definitely." I slipped my flats on, following Gryffin out of my room towards our tiny living room. "He was actually pretty friendly, though. Intimidating, but he definitely didn't seem cold or harsh, at least, not like I thought he would be."

"He must've been in a good mood, then," Gryffin grumbled.

"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning at him. Lazareth did seem like he was in a good mood, but I presumed that he was always like that. Sure, his vibe was hard and cold but wasn't that always a reverse psychology thing? Looks cold but acts incredibly sweet?

"It's...nothing," Gryffin decided after a few moments of silence, grunting. He stopped in front of the hallway mirror, fixing his tie.  

"Well, now I'm curious," I prodded.

"Then don't be," he snapped, tugging my braid. "It's nothing, Adrienne. Don't start stressing about it. I guess I just believe in the cold, billionaire stereotype, okay?"

I scowled. "Lazareth is anything but cold. He's just a billionaire--so what? Maybe he has to act cold to keep a reputation, but he's a sweet guy, Gryffin!"

Gryffin eyed me, correcting his tie silently and grabbing his car keys. I glared at him from the corner of my eye, knawing on my lip. How could he think so harshly about someone that he hardly knew about? He didn't know the Lazareth I did. He didn't see the vulnerable man who's only seen for his money.

Gryffin didn't know Lazareth. But neither did I.

~**********************~

"Congratulations." The principal shook my hand, handing me my diploma with a large, dimpled smile on his cheeks. I blushed, accepting the scrolled up piece of paper and walking briskly across the wooden, squeaky stage. Kath clapped me on the back of my shoulder, squealing and shaking me.

"We did it, Adrienne!" She exclaimed. "We did it! We graduated!"

"We sure did," I beamed, hugging her tightly. Behind her, through the crowds of newly graduated adults congratulating each other and hugging and kissing, I caught Lazareth talking quietly.

 I don't think he noticed me, at least, not right away. His posture was tight, which somehow made his whole suit tighten as though he had large muscles wanting to break through the silky fabric of his navy blue suit. He rubbed the handsome stubble on his chin, his eyes hard and a frown piercing his lips. In the damp light of the sun, it looked as though his skin was almost grey and his eyes resembled a pearl. 

"Is it just me, or does his skin look grey in the sun?" Kath asked, speaking my thoughts. She handed me a flute of sparkling water, which I accepted slowly.

"It does. I think it's the reflection of the trees behind him, though," I smirked, pointing to the shady trees towering above Lazareth and the other rich men, who also had pearly eyes and greying skin.

"Bummer," she grumbled, nudging me. "Are you gonna go talk to him?"

 Feeling eyes on me, I turned as my lips parted to answer Kath's question. Lazareth's dark eyes gazed at me from afar. When our orbs met, he smiled his dimpled smile at me, winking.

 I turned back abruptly to Kath, hiding the heat rising to my cheeks, and probably, the crimson color that came with my embarrassment. 

 "Not yet," I replied. "I'm gonna go find my family. Wanna come with me?"

"Nah," Kath shook her head. "I gotta go see if my sister came. She had to pick up my brothers from Wisconsin. They drove here."

"Damn." I hugged her again. "Well, if I don't see you later, congrats, again."

"You too, Adrienne."

With one more hug and squeeze, Kath and I both pushed through the crowd--her in search of her family, and me to find a way away from Lazareth's scorching eyes.

I spotted Gryffin and Vincent hanging around by the food table. Besides them, my Mom and my Step-Dad stood, both drinking flutes of champagne and eating tiny sandwiches.

"Adrienne!" My mother rushed up to me, bringing me tightly into her arms. "Congratulations, honey! I'm so proud of you!"

"As am I," my Step-Dad rumbled, squeezing my shoulder as Kath had done. "Congratulations, Adrienne."

"Did you get anything?" Vincent popped between my Mom and me, pushing us apart from each other. "Preferably gold or food?"

I smirked, ruffling his gelled hair. "No, I got a certificate which allows me to get a real job and make some real money, little bro."

 "Aww! I want to be rich too!" Vincent complained, pouting up at my Mom.

She smiled at him. "You'll be just like Adrienne and Gryffin soon, Vin. All you have to do is pay attention in class, that's all."

"Yeah, or go be a trash collector," Gryffin teased, tugging Vincent's hair. "But why are we talking about Vin's future when Adrienne just graduated? We should celebrate!"

"We should," I agreed. "It's been a while since we've seen you guys."

"I suppose going out tonight wouldn't hurt," Mom agreed, taking another flute. "We have to be at the airport by seven tomorrow, though."

"And Vin's coming with us," my Step-Dad grinned, shaking Vincent's shoulders. He groaned.

"Back to base-camp," he grumbled. 

"You'll live," I deadpanned, pinching his cheeks. He jerked away from me, glaring, and Gryffin, and I both laughed. Even my Step-Dad cracked a smile.

 "Where's Kathryn?" Mom asked, inspecting the gold diploma I had received. 

"She went to see her sister," I explained, garbling down a cookie. "They drove from Wisconsin."

"So I heard," my Step-Dad grumbled. "That's all Dave would talk about. I swear, that Kathryn is just like her father."

"They didn't come?"

"No. Kathryn's other sister is having a baby," Mom explained. "Do you want to leave now, Adrienne? Or do you want to stay? It's alright if you want to stay--!"

"No, let's go have some family time," I said, smiling. "I would rather spend my graduation with you guys instead of with a crowd of people...I don't like crowds."

"Oh," Mom squeezed my cheek. "I know, honey. Have you been taking your meds?"

"Yes, Mom," I groaned. "Every day. If I forget, Gryffin makes sure to splash it on my face."

Mom glared at Gryffin but he grinned, shrugging sheepishly.

"You made me promise to remind her. You never said how," he emphasized. 

"Boys." Mom shook her head, although she was smiling.

"Excuse me?"

Lazareth slid up to our group like he was floating, his head right next to my neck and so close to my ear I could practically feel his warm breath.

"Oh! You're Lazareth Noir, right?" Mom grinned from ear to ear. "I-I've heard a lot about you!"

"Yes, I am. And thank you." Lazareth smiled. "It's nice to meet you. Are you...?"

"She's my Mom," I supplied, internally groaning at the starstruck expressions of my family as they ogled Lazareth. "The man beside her is my Step-Dad and the other two boys are my brothers; Gryffin and Vincent."

"A pleasure to meet you," Lazareth said curtly, his warm fingers wrapping around my arm. "If you don't mind, could I borrow Adrienne for a moment?"

"Oh--absolutely!" Mom hasted to push me towards Lazareth even though I was already standing pretty close to him. "We'll be waiting for you in the parking lot, Adrienne."

She winked at me, and with a swirl of her 90s-resembling blue dress, she and my family disappeared, leaving only bread crusts in their wake.

"Only Vincent," I grumbled, shaking my head. I was screaming in my head at the embarrassment of my parents. Why did Lazareth have to come now?

 "I hope I didn't disturb any plans you had," Lazareth murmured, his voice as smooth as creamy chocolate. "I'll only be a moment, Adrienne, I promise."

"Oh, take your time!" I assured, grinning a bit too widely at him. "Knowing how obsessed my family is about you, I'm sure they wouldn't mind!"

And that was another perfect thing to say. Nice work, Adrienne, I clapped sarcastically in my head. Luckily, Lazareth smiled perfectly, chuckling.

"I'm glad they like me," he said softly, eyeing me up and down. His breath hitched. "If you don't mind, I must say, you look quite ravishing in that dress. I could hardly take my eyes off you on stage."

I scoffed quietly, looking at my sparkly flats. "I-It's okay," I mumbled, aware from the viewpoint I had that Kath was staring at me, probably with her signature maniacal grin on her lips. "Um...what is it that you wanted, if you don't mind...?"

"Ah, right!" Lazareth pulled a medium-sized, square box from his suit pocket, handing it to me. He watched as I inspected the purple-wrapped box, testing the weight in my hands.

 "What is it?" I asked, juggling the box gently.

Lazareth smirked, daintily pulling his hand out of his pocket to push the box closer to me like I was hugging it to my chest. "Don't open it until you get home, okay? As a favor to me?"

"Okay," I smiled, clutching the box. "What is it for, though?"

"Consider it a graduation present," he said. Then, his eyes hardened, and a shadow passed over his face. "But you must open it alone. Do you understand?"

"Um...yeah? Okay? You didn't have to get me something, though," I agreed, a bit skeptical and unsure. I didn't want to keep my parents waiting, though, and knowing that Kath was watching us, it already felt uncomfortable to stay close to him for an abnormally long period of time. At least, to onlookers who assumed we were just meeting.

Lazareth sighed. "Good. And don't worry about the present. I wanted to get you something." He regarded his silver-eyed, shadowy millionaire friends that hung around the trees, close to the graveyard that bordered campus. "I have to go, but I'll see you later, okay, Adrienne?"

"Okay..."

I watched him go, glancing back down at the box again. What an odd man, I thought. Handsome, but definitely odd. He's probably just some eccentric billionaire--just like the rest of them.

~***************~

 It took a good amount of blackmail and convincing to get Kath to leave me alone for more than five minutes. Looking back at Lazareth's request now, I can see how it was a mistake to agree to spend the night at Kath's place, but the house I shared with Gryffin and Vincent was already too packed for my anxious brain. And I'd rather spend ten minutes convincing Kath to leave me alone than fifty for Vincent on his own.

I waited until she was in the shower to take Lazareth's gift out of my bag. The thunder of water crashing was an excellent cover-up for the loud gift-unwrapping habit I never grew out of.

Is it wrong that I feel bad that he got me something? I asked myself as I unwrapped the box, tugging at my lip. Maybe I should have rejected the gift? I mean, we don't even know each other that well and--Holy shit!

Sitting on the pile of ripped up purple gift wrap, shimmery and clean and still wrapped in cling film--

--was a new phone.