All of Us Read online

ALL OF US

  By

  Sarisha Kurup

  * * * * *

  PUBLISHED BY:

  All Of Us

  Copyright 2012 Sarisha Kurup

  SYNOPSIS

  Brooklyn Ryder is an auburn haired beauty whose life is anything but beautiful. Seth Draycott is New York royalty, but his life isn’t any better. Averil Scott seems like your typical golden girl, but she too has a life on the tough road. As for Simon Mayliss, writing can take him to a whole different world, but what happens when he has to deal with reality again? Ty Brenson has never been to New York, but now that he’s here, his life has been flipped upside down—multiple times. Emma Blake has always known how her life was going to turn out—until everything changed, and she barely knew herself, let alone her future. Valerie had her life all planned out too, until she realized it wasn’t the life she wanted. Ever year, all of them and their friends meet in cosmopolitan Manhattan, their home, at Brooklyn’s family’s Christmas gala, no matter where they’ve been or who they’ve met, no matter what. Filled with friendship, romance, happiness, and sadness, All of Us is a coming-of-age story which will let you into the lives of several young New Yorkers, for ten years in their life, over three Christmases, and pull you into their world completely.

  CHARACTERS

  Brooklyn Marie Ryder

  Daughter of socialite, Cecily Ryder, Brooklyn fights an inner battle with her heart, trying to work up the courage to tell Seth she loves him.

  Seth Draycott

  Best friend of Brooklyn, who loves her but, has never found the courage to tell her his feelings.

  Romeo Ryder

  Brooklyn’s less uptight, more adventurous, younger brother.

  Cecily Ryder

  Brooklyn’s mother, who never has time for either one of her children.

  Averil Scott

  A talented ballet dancer who lives with her best friend, Simon.

  Simon Mayliss

  An enthusiastic and talented writer who is yet to let Averil know of his feelings for her.

  Emma Blake

  A New Yorker from one of Brooklyn’s circles, who is still searching for who she wants to be.

  Ty Brenson

  A foster child whose mother died, leaving him alone in the daunting New York world, where he is most definitely an outsider.

  Natalia Drake

  Brooklyn’s friend from Princeton, whose pink hair is not the brightest thing about her.

  Katerina (Kat) Antoinette Delacroix

  Brooklyn’s French friend from college, whose bubbly personality cheers everyone up.

  Valerie Muse

  The daughter of a British banker, she moves to the US to attend Harvard and ends up living in New York after graduation.

  * * * * *

  Part One

  WHITE CHRISTMAS

  Brooklyn Ryder stared down at her skinny jean clad legs tiredly, wishing for something to brighten up her completely dismal day. She sat on the steps of the Met, clutching a Dean & Deluca coffee container while trying to conserve body heat in her baby blue cashmere sweater. It was cold—New York was always cold during this time of the year, but she had never felt the wind bite at her like this. She looked up, finding it more interesting to watch tourists gape at the city than stare at the thread slowing unwind from the arm of her sweater. Her mother would kill her when she saw it anyway. Why dwell on it now?

  She watched people look excitedly at her home, the city she loved, that was in her blood. Brooklyn felt like she knew all of New York, like it was hers, and sometimes she hated the tourists who came to gape. It was like they were being let into her heart. Sometimes, she didn’t want to share her favorite city with anybody.

  Suddenly, she spied someone not so touristy making his way through the jumbled crowds. His dark hair fell around his head in wavy locks with a disheveled beauty that she knew and loved so well, and his sparkling blue eyes, like pieces of the ocean, met hers through the throng of people. He was donned in a dark Burberry overcoat she had gotten him last Christmas which now was spotted with newly fallen snow. Seth—his name always made her heart skip a beat.

  He came and sat down next to her on the frozen steps. “Hey, Brook,” he greeted her.

  Brooklyn smiled at the sound of her nickname and at the warm feeling his presence gave her. “Hey Seth,” she said, looking up at him.

  “You look kind of cold. Here,” he said. He pulled off his coat and hung it around her thin shoulders.

  Brooklyn inhaled the scent of him in the jacket and felt a kick of adrenaline shoot through her. She fought to keep from swooning and let out a breathless, “Thanks.”

  “So, what are you doing here?” he asked her, staring into her leaf green eyes. Those eyes had always made Seth feel at home. They were so beautiful and trusting of him, just like Brooklyn herself. She looked more beautiful than ever today, sitting on the steps with her auburn hair flying around her in the wind. Like some kind of angel.

  “I don’t know, really. I just had to get out of the penthouse. Mom is planning this Christmas party and is getting really crabby and snappy. I couldn’t take it,” she said. Seth smiled fondly at memories of Brooklyn’s often stressed-out mother, Cecily. He remembered countless times when she had kicked the two of them out for the day so she could plan and organize a benefit or gala of some sort. Cecily was known for her parties and she never dared to even be one millimeter below standard.

  “The usual then,” he said. She smiled.

  “Yeah. I didn’t really know what to do and I finally ended up here,” she told him.

  “Well, now we can have fun, can’t we?” he asked. Brooklyn felt heart flutter in her chest. She and Seth had been best friends since kindergarten, but ever since eighth grade, she’d started looking at him differently. Suddenly, she started to notice how good he looked when his hair fell in his eyes, or how Adonis-like his body looked when they went swimming, or how dashing he looked in a suit at her mother’s parties. She’d had a crush on him ever since. They were seventeen now, seniors, but he’d never given her any indication that he liked her back. It was agonizing and exciting, being with him, all at once.

  She was just about to tell him that they could have all the fun he wanted when her phone beeped from a new text. She pulled it out and glanced at the bright screen.

  Meet me outside Barneys. I know your Christmas shopping isn’t done.

  It was from Alexia, her other best friend and sworn keeper of all her secrets. As much as she wanted to hang out with Seth, Alexia was right. Christmas was in two days and she still hadn’t done her present shopping. It wasn’t like she could do it tomorrow either because Cecily and she had a dress fitting for her Christmas gala.

  She looked mournfully at Seth, but then perked up. At least, she’d get to go find him a perfect present. “I’m sorry, Seth. I’ve got to go. We can hang out at Mom’s party, though,” she said.

  He nodded. “It’s fine. Go ahead,” he said. Brooklyn stood up grateful that he wasn’t mad, and made her way down the stairs in her new blue Jimmy Choo heels. She loved the confidence it added to her step. When she hailed a cab and opened the door, she looked back, just for a second, and saw Seth still sitting on the steps, staring up at the snow filled sky.

  * * * * *

  When she arrived at Barneys, Alexia was already waiting outside. She was wearing a jade blue knee length dress, and despite the cold, she looked as warm as if she was in Hawaii. Her chin length platinum blonde hair fell, straight and shiny, and her feet were clad in five inch midnight blue heels. She waved enthusiastically when she saw Brooklyn emerge from the cab, happy to see her best friend. Brooklyn smiled back and they walked in together.

  Alexia smiled as she entered her favorite store in the entire world. Sometimes, she felt m
ore at home at Barneys than her own home, especially with her best friend on her arm. She looked at Brooklyn, trying not to look too enviously at her perfect legs and slender frame that could pull off anything. It was like Brooklyn didn’t even try, and everything still looked good on her. In fact, she could go to a party in a towel and still look the best dressed. Alexia sighed. It was hard being best friends with someone who so frequently outshined you.

  Suddenly, something caught her eyes. An array of watches, all designer brands and all different, displayed down the aisle they walked. She drew Brooklyn to a stop. Alexia picked up one that was silver studded—Cartier. She winked at Brooklyn. “Consider my boyfriend shopping done,” she said. “Now, what about you?”

  Brooklyn shook her head, wishing she could say anything but what she was about to say. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

  “Are you sure? Honey, you’re so pretty and you’ve got guys crawling after you. Why don’t you just take one of them?” Alexia asked.

  Brooklyn shook her head. She didn’t want just any guy. She wanted Seth, and obviously he wasn’t going to ask her out. Life sucked.

  “No, Alexia, I’m not doing that,” she said. Dammit. Couldn’t she stop thinking about Seth for one second? She felt like a total idiot. Quickly, murmuring that she would meet her tomorrow, Brooklyn ran into the nearest elevator and punched in a floor level, before Alexia could protest. She wasn’t even sure which number she pressed. It was only when she spun around in the elevator did she realize that she wasn’t the only one in it. A guy stood there, his gray eyes watching her carefully. She stared right back at him, beyond worrying about manners. He had blonde hair, like Alexia, except not at all. His had no gold in it whatsoever—it was white. A jarring, blinding, beautiful white. His lashes that shielded his stormy eyes were long and feminine and he was wearing a white cashmere sweater. Lance. She knew him, vaguely. He went to her school, he was a junior, but that was all she knew about him. They’d talked in the library once and he’d been holding a complete works of Shakespeare, but that didn’t tell her much.

  “Are you okay?” he asked concernedly.

  Brooklyn nodded fast, entranced by him. She was close enough to smell his Ralph Lauren cologne. “Yeah, I’m totally fine,” she said.

  He smiled at her. “I’m Lance, but you know that,” he said sticking out his hand for her to shake. She took it, sparks flying from where he touched her.

  “My name is Brooklyn, but you know that too,” she said, smiling.

  “Yeah, I definitely do. You’re friends with Seth Draycott, right?” Lance commented.

  “I guess,” Brooklyn said. He had to remind her of Seth. Lance stared at her. She looked beautiful to him, with her waist length straight auburn hair and big bright green eyes. He’d always wished for someone like this. His very own Aphrodite, and here she was, right in front of him. He had a suddenly urge to wrap his arms around her small waist.

  When the door opened, they both jumped, their eyes averted from eachother. Looking up, Brooklyn saw they had come to the women’s floor. Despite that, Lance walked out with her. “Are you here for something specific?” she asked him. She didn’t see a lot of guys at Barneys—well, straight guys anyway.

  “Yeah, I have to get my mom a present,” he said.

  She smiled. “Hey, me too. But I thought I’d get myself a present first,” she said and scanned the endless racks and aisles for the perfect dress. Then she saw it—it was black, a color that had always suited her, with thin daring straps, a waist that would hug her, and a skirt that would fall to midthigh. She held it up for inspection, aware of Lance behind her. Suddenly, his hands were on her shoulders.

  “I think you’d look amazing in that,” he said. Brooklyn turned her head and gave him a smile, then led him to the fitting room where she could try it on. He walked all the way up to the door, and looked at her a little sadly as she shut the door between them. Brooklyn gazed at herself in the mirror before stripping off her jeans and sweater and pulling on the dress. She looked at herself again. She was right, the dress was perfect. It showed off her graceful toned legs and wiry thin arms as well as her impossibly thin waist. She opened the door and posed for Lance.

  “Do you like it?” she asked.

  He ran his hand down her bare arm. “You look amazing.”

  She walked out with Lance, Alexia forgotten altogether. As they stepped into a cab, she turned to him. “So, my mother has this Christmas gala in two days. You want to come with me?” she asked. He smiled, a charming, heart-melting smile.

  “Of course,” he said. Brooklyn smiled. Finally, it seemed, her life had changed for the better. Just as the driver pulled up at her house, she turned to him.

  “What’s your last name?” she asked, curiously. They went to the same school, but she didn’t know him that well.

  “Lance Revertier. It’s French,” he said.

  Brooklyn smiled and nodded. “I know. Mine is Ryder. Brooklyn Marie Ryder.” With that, she stepped out of the cab and watched it speed away. She’d given Lance her number as they’d left Barneys—she hoped she’d be able to hear the ring of her phone and see his name flashing on the screen sometime soon.

  As soon as she walked back in, Cecily Ryder swooped down on her. Cecily always wondered where her daughter disappeared to when she left. Part of her wanted to ask; to be more involved in her daughter’s life, but the rest of her was always working, planning, organizing, and she never knew when to do it. Now, as Brooklyn walked in, she tried to catch two minutes to ask her. “Brook, darling, where have you been? I hope you haven’t forgotten our fitting tomorrow. Do you have a color preference, because I’m calling Javier so he can prep for us this evening,” she said. It was only later that she realized that what started off as a curious question had become another schedule-based monologue, like everything else in her life.

  “I haven’t forgotten the fitting. Tell Javier to keep black, green and red ready for me to try,” Brooklyn told Cecily.

  Cecily noticed her daughter’s cheeks were flushed and her lips were stretched into a wide smile. She was curious, but also busy. She couldn’t talk now. “Brook, we’ll talk later, okay?” she said.

  Brooklyn nodded, though knowing it would never happen. Cecily was always busy, no matter how much she told herself she wasn’t.

  She made her way through the uptight party planner ladies to her own room. Tired and happy, she threw herself on the bed, dropping the Barneys bag with the dress in it. Suddenly, she remembered she hadn’t actually done any Christmas shopping like she was supposed to. For some reason, she didn’t really care. She could fit it in somewhere.

  Five minutes later, she stood up and walked into her closet, pulled out a dark gold Betsey Johnson dress and made her way down for dinner. Her younger brother Romeo was already seated, but her mother and father were nowhere to be found. “Hey, Romeo,” she said, planting herself on the mahogany chair opposite him. He grinned at her.

  “I met someone today,” he said. Brooklyn rolled her eyes. Romeo met a new girl everyday. True to his name, he was a charmer.

  “What’s new?” she said, bored.

  “Not a girl. A guy—I’m tired of girls right now,” he said.

  Brooklyn raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. Was her brother telling her he was gay?

  “Wait, you’re—“she started when his eyes went wide.

  “No, no, not like that. He’s a friend. I think I’m going to invite him to the Christmas gala instead of bringing a date,” he said. Brooklyn frowned. This was so unlike Romeo. Normally he couldn’t stay away from girls. Even her friends, which had always been kind of gross.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “I’m fine, Brook. Chill out,” Romeo said, rolling his eyes.

  “Fine, whatever,” Brooklyn said. “What’s his name?” she asked.

  “Tyler Brenson. Ty, actually. He’s new. Said he’s from Vermont or something. He’s cool.”

  Brooklyn nodded, looking flushed but un
interested.

  Romeo stared at his sister. A secret smile had been playing on her lips since she walked in. What was up with her? “Who are you bringing?” he asked her.

  Her smile widened. So it had to do with a boy, Romeo concluded. “I met this guy, his name is Lance. I asked him to come and he said yes.”

  Romeo nodded, “Oh,” was all he said. He was surprised. He’d always thought Seth was the one that made his sister happy. But here she was, glowing and talking about a completely different boy. But whatever—she was happy.

  Then they both heard their mother’s heels click as she walked in and stopped talking. Cecily sat down. “I only have five minutes—I have to call Javier and then the caterers,” she said. “Your father is staying over at the office. He says he’ll be there too late to drive back.”

  That wasn’t new to Brooklyn. Her father slept over at his office at least twice a week. She shrugged. “Oh.”

  She sort of zoned out after that. She was vaguely aware of Romeo telling Cecily that he was bringing his friend to the gala, but her thoughts were on Lance. When she was done, she went to her room, changed into her blue camisole and boy shorts and crawled under the covers, anticipating the Christmas gala. When Brooklyn was little she had realized that if you thought hard about something just before you slept, you would dream about it. So now, she closed her eyes tightly and thought of exactly how the gala would go. Soon, sleep rode in and took her away.

  * * * * *

  Seth woke up to the sound of his door being swung open. He sat up and opened his eyes. He stared at his old brother with bleary eyes. Alec was standing there bare chested in a pair of boxer shorts. “Dude, I need to borrow a shirt,” he said, running his hair through his dark gold curls.

  “Yeah, whatever,” Seth said. He stood up and grabbed a random T-shirt from his chair and threw it. Alec’s taunt muscles flexed as he caught the shirt, then threw it right back. “Not that. I need a dress shirt. For the Ryder Christmas gala? I spilled vodka on my only other dress shirt that fits,” he said.