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[sup] The Cross Hotel Manhattan, New York City [/sup][/center][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][hr][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]
[color=709679][i]I don’t know any of these people.[/i][/color]

J.J. Reyes wasn’t unfamiliar with big expensive parties, but he always felt like the biggest [i]blackest[/i] elephant in the room when he was dragged along to them and this gathering hosted by Miranda Priestly was no different considering he felt like he was on an entirely different [i]planet[/i]; but then again, the only place J.J. ever felt “at home” was the basketball court. He wasn’t like his younger sister, Maya, who [i]relished[/i] in the social interactions that came with schmoozing with bigger, more important people. For the most part J.J. kept to himself and in this specific occasion he had decided to find the nearest exit after the obligatory greetings were made between the Reyes family and the showrunners. 

Unlike the rest of his family he just wanted to go to the quietest, darkest corner so he could just be left alone. But unfortunately that was proving to be difficult given his father expected him to be at the very least [i]visible[/i]. He couldn’t exactly just catch the nearest elevator and get away from the blue-blooded chattering crowds that made him uncomfortable and disinterested. He wished he could. But for now he was going to have to settle for getting away from the epicenter of the bigger groups; specifically far enough away from May so he did not hear his parents exaggerating her accomplishments. He respected his sister, but he always felt his parents were always trying to sell her in a subtle sort of way when she did not need the praise considering her hard work as a classically-trained musician. 

Attempting to move away from the crowds wasn’t hard as he found himself in one of the quieter, less dense areas of the gathering. A sentiment that [i]someone[/i] seemed to notice.

[color=8a4ec2]“Not a big fan of it, are you?”[/color]

J.J. turned instinctively toward the voice, noticing the individual whom had decided to casually interact with him -- a blonde in a distinctly conservative dress. He didn’t know her.

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[sup] The Cross Hotel Manhattan, New York City [/sup][/center][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][hr][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]
But she knew [i]him[/i].

Also trying to keep her distance from the party (for unequivocally different reasons), Kristina Dubois had noticed the African-American partygoer stumble away from the herds of people unwittingly into [i]her[/i] corner. An unimpressed, blank expression remained on the blonde-haired girl’s face as she observed him. Her matter-of-fact remark had obviously caught him off guard as he didn’t seem to notice her in the first place, which worked to her advantage; an advantage she decided to use for as long as she felt entertained from the prospect. Especially considering her role was knowing who to know and why they were people she needed to know. She already knew his name and his impeccable track record as the basketball-playing son of Dr. James Reyes and Bariah Smith, brother of classical multi-instrumentalist Maya Reyes. What she didn’t know was his [i]personality[/i].

[color=709679]“Oh, yeah. I guess it’s not my type of crowd.”[/color] He admitted, either nervous or scatterbrained, or both.

She nodded lightly. [color=8a4ec2]“I wouldn’t worry about it too much, I don’t think they are going to chase you down.”[/color]

It was obvious to her that the rest of the Reyes family were far too occupied to worry about “pushing” their son to interact. Though she imagined it would be beneficial if he stomached it considering rubbing elbows with the sort of families that were active tonight was objectively beneficial, even for a up and coming basketball star. But then again, perhaps he had gotten all he needed out of such connections already? She certainly could relate to that, though it was unlikely she was in the same shoes.

[color=709679]“I’d like to keep it that way. What about you?”[/color]

Kris wasn’t much in the business of divulging more than she had to, and she didn’t have much of a reason to explain herself to someone like Reyes. But there was no need to be cold with him. [color=8a4ec2]“I’ve had my fill. My family was one of the first to arrive, so right now it’s a bit more fun to stay out of it.”[/color]

A subconscious thought echoed in her mind as she smiled, her left hand holding the book she had been casually reading when he had stumbled into her corner. It was reminding her that she was [i]lying[/i] -- hiding the fact she did not want to talk or engage with a certain [i]someone[/i]. As true as it was, it didn’t show in her expression or tone of voice. She had made a game of burying her emotions as a byproduct of her familiarity with the game at Strathmore Academy. She was good at it. Very good.

[color=709679]“That’s fun to you?”[/color] He looked over to the busier parts of the party, [color=709679]“That?”[/color]

She let out a chuckle, [color=8a4ec2]“It’s an acquired taste. It’s not [i]that[/i] bad. But I guess for a star athlete it would be a bit boring.”[/color]

[color=709679]“Huh?”[/color]

It was a good moment to drop the hint that she knew who he was, but she was surprised it was met with a ‘huh’ of all things. Not really the most observant of answers, but she supposed he kept his “field awareness” when he was on the court. It was either that or he was kinda dumb and she knew ‘kinda dumb’ did not get into Columbia University. So at worst he was just clueless.

[color=8a4ec2]“You’re J.J. Reyes, right? I’m sort of in charge of student activities at Columbia, so it’s pretty much part of the job to know people. I thought you knew?” [/color]

He laughed, [color=709679]“Oh, right. I guess my head’s not here right now. My bad.”[/color]

This was certainly going to be an interesting night as long as it kept going her way.