His next words caused her heart to jump into her throat. She hadn't quite expected this, but it confirmed her possible suspicions. Did Keith have a crush on her? Did he honestly know who he was dealing with? Alexandria couldn't believe what he was saying, that she was gorgeous inside and out. It was what every woman wanted to hear, but he couldn't possibly know just how many times she had done something stupid, something completely ugly and sinful that would immediately make him look at her like a cheap whore. She was a queen, the queen of fucking up your own life without showing it.<br/><br/>"You don't know who you're talking to." She replied, her voice shaking. "You don't know what I've done. What I will do." The feeling was overpowering and she felt the same emotions that had coursed through her at the hospital and brought her to tears. "You give me more credit than I deserve. In the end, Keith, once high school and college ends, everybody gets what they deserve, not what they want. You deserve better than your parents. Better than me."<br/><br/>Alexandria took a deep breath, collecting herself. "Besides, there's a lot of other hot girls downstairs. You might want to check them out before making any choices about your date tonight." She grinned. "And you haven't seen me at my worst yet."<br/><br/>Erika stepped back into the room and gasped when seeing Keith, effectively cutting their conversation. "Oh my! He is so hot, Alex! Girls are going to die at the sight of him!" She giggled and turned to Alex. "Josh is coming. He said he has a special gift just for you. We should meet up later and see what he brought."<br/><br/>Alexandria swallowed and nodded. "Sure. I'm gonna get a drink. Introduce him to people, will you?" She smiled to Erika and hurried out of the room, desperately needing a cocktail to contain the breakdown that was about to happen. Of course she was happy Keith expressed interest in her, more than happy actually. But he was too kind, not knowing the kind of person she was. Back in her room, Erika turned to Keith.<br/><br/>"Okay, here's the deal. It's a party, but we have several responsibilities as her closest friends." She explained. "Alexandria does not handle alcohol very well. We need to keep an eye on her, because she's quite a reckless drinker. Just because she's the queen doesn't mean people wouldn't do anything to take advantage of her." Erika gave a warning look to Keith. "Let's go! I'll introduce you to people!"<br/><br/>She grabbed his hand and led him downstairs where the party was in full swing and music was blasting. People were dancing in the pool, some were playing drinking games, others were flirting, some were taking pictures with their phones. In ther far corner, a group was smoking. Erika pulled Keith into a group of college kids. "Heeey! This is Keith! He's the new addition!"<br/><br/>College girls eyed him curiously, giggling and complimenting his body. Guys patted him on the back and seemed to immediately accept him as part of the pack. He had been chosen by Alexandria, after all!