Elaine
The gurgling sound of water being poured into a glass took over the deafening silence of my room as I cautiously watched Riley take a sip from it. Chugging it down entirely she placed them on the night stand and turned to me.
"I told you not to scream so much." Raising my chin I add bravely, but diminished all form of dauntlessness the next thing when she glared at me.
Narrowing my eyes I follow her sneaky movements as she picks a pillow from my bed and throws them in my way. I duck in time dodging it. Before I could gather out from the initial shock of an attack, another one landed on my chest, knocking a breath of impact.
Two more onslaught of cushiony assault later I witnessed her anger dilute to accusation. When riley saw the mishap of an event unfolding under the terrace, all thanks to my stupid nature who forgot her mobile in cafeteria and she being the responsible best friend had carried it with her, trailing behind me in the same manner I did with Alex.
It was a mutual agreement and a glimmer of evil I will see you after school look in her eyes as we silently walked down the stairs.
And as a result now we both sat with our legs crossed upon the plush furry purple rug on the floor.
I finished the edited and safe version of the story that I had fed Nathan and Noah with. But unlike them Riley was a girl and she was dramatic in persona, And that must explain most of my sufferings. And when I was done, I could feel my ears ring with all the shouting and shrilling from her part.
"This is crazy" she exclaimed as I cringed at the piercing noise, going as far as to wiggling one of my ears with index when she wasn't looking.
"You're going to hurt your throat at that rate" I grumbled watching my toe nails intently, not meeting her eyes. I felt her gaze on me for a long time so I looked up to see her smirking at me. It was odd gesture on her face as I was usually comfortable with her bubbly personality. But the way her eyes carried a knowing glint of mischeviousness, it was scary.
"You have no idea do you?" she asks sighing as I frowned deeper.
"Idea of what?"
"Alexander, he still really likes you." She paused to squint her eyes at me in blame "when he first started acting strange, especially when it involved you I thought that he has turned into something vile. But now I see it. He's just angry and jealous that he couldn't have what he wants the most, so by being jerk is what it helps to keep you around him. He takes it without a second thought. Don't you see it? it's fate Elaine. Him ending up in your town. You both falling for each other and then you ending up here. It's just too much of a coincidence, yet so logically romantic" clasping her hands in front of her chest like in a prayer, she blinked her lids comically as I burst into a fit of laughter.
"What's so funny?" crossing her arms she purses her lips at me as I grin shaking my head in amusement.
"I assume you've read and watched way too many romantic novels and movies" I giggle weirdly as she rolls her eyes but smiles sheepishly a second later, her playful aura much to my dejection morphs into utter seriousness as she turns to look at me with a hard authorative stare.
"Alexander White never dates Elaine, heck the only thing that captures his interests are occassionally is his hairs. And you, you are something that surpasses it. It means something, something big." I blink at her as she watches me expectantly, probably hoping me to feel a sense of prideful accomplishment on being better a subject of interest then someone's hairs.
"Okay" I drawl out nodding, as she smiles toothily. And the topic is laid to rest for a while before she brings another up.
"Lee is throwing a birthday party" surprised my brow raises a fraction as I look at her in question.
"Really?" she merely nods thoughtfully pouting.
"He invited me and Jared at lunch. Said friends of his friends are invited. But I know better, my brother is one of the performer at his bash so that should explain" I didn't miss the flash of tiredness in her eyes. Though it wasn't like Lee was using her to get to her celebrity of a sibling, But the struggle of making a name for herself as an individual while the shimmering veil of the successful one with glamour always takes over as their effort fades away.
"Sometimes you should just stop over thinking and enjoy the moment. It your inner spirit that matters when you decide to be happy and not on how why or what made it happened, and especially on who" patting her back I watch her give me a acknowledging smile. But on the side remark I added.
"Think you can get me an autograph of joe Rivers while you are there?" she raised her brows as I chirped grinning.
"only you can act as a wise grandmother at times and turn into a hormonal teenager the next" chuckling I divert my attention back to the initial request, going as far as to add a spice of girlyness that I learned from the queen Riley herself.
"So you'll do it? besides even I can't deny that he's smoking hot" I fanned my face as she gaged.
"Gross Elaine, that's my brother you are talking about." I wink at her, and for the first time I realized the happiness that fills in, in spite of crazy talks which could only be shared with a sister or girl best friend.
"I bet he will invite you the minute he gets the hold of you. He has been sniffing around for your presence but you were too busy saving yourself out there" a shift of blunt recap of past week awkwardly falls upon us until Riley breaks it sensing the mood crack.
"I am sorry for not being there for you. I know this past week has been hard" I sigh with a smile, as the stiffness of her shoulder relaxes.
"It was my decision to keep you away from me. It's fine." I get up from the floor, stretching my strained nerves as she imitates me. It was twenty past six and clarissa's text for me to meet her up in Elites study by six thirty flashes before my eyes. And the fact that the girl is as punctual as British Broadcasting Network.
"I still don't get the equation of how you got so twistedly mingled with the clique" the corner of her lips puckers up a slightly as if the thought of someone hanging out with them was useasy itself. For a reason enigmatic I felt a pang of muddled sadness at how the world perceives people without knowing them.
The cliques were humans, but the hierarchy has placed them so high up that they now aren't treated as one. It was downright valid to say that their life was not their own, especially when the smallest of details and actions sparks fuel to wider range that they aren't even aware of.
"They aren't that bad. In fact I sometimes enjoyed teaching Lee and clarissa is fine too" I pointed out thinking back to the initial days when I tutored him with my notes while clarissa and I prepared in study. I smile at the memory when he would confuse himself so much with trigonometry that it won't appear as if it involved to a branch of mathematics.
"And what about Edmund?" snapping back my attention to riley as I watched her smirk coyly. I felt the onset of redness coating my cheeks as she suggestively wiggled her brows.
"What about him?" I ask playing nonchalant. The grin on her face was the evidence of something teasing and probably startling worthy for me.
"well, for starters he looks like he wants to lock you up in his wardrobe along with himself and throw the keys away in a sea." My eyes widens at her bluntness and my mind loses it's call to correct her that if we both were inside there was no way he could throw up the keys out in ocean and be with me at the same time.
And what the hell am I thinking again?
"God, you are evil" I whine as we both step out of the room while I locked it she stood beside me with still her grand smirk up.
"It's not my fault that stuarts two most eligible bachelors are after you" she shrugs and before I could pathetically whine a response she narrows her eyes at me, her voice taking an edge of warning.
"You are not hiding anything more under your sleeve are you?" I gulp licking my lips.
"Why do you think that?" I ask strained. Knowing well that one day I'll leave her behind. This life is mere step for me to something that could lead me to a future that gives me a clear image of my past. A unit of my life that had all been a lie, and ironically the lies I've been painting everywhere I go to seek the truth kills a part of me every single day.
"I don't know." She sighs in defeat running a hand through her locks "it's just you are hard to understand. Sometimes I feel that I've figured you out and then I see you doing things completely parallel to my observation. Like I don't even know you"
I run my finger over the mild dead skin near the nails. The nights I had spent scared to sleep, when draining the energy from my body was better than losing consciousness and having no control over what happens next.
Hiding the broken pieces with a practiced ghost of smile, scars under the large hoodies, the desperate need for the society to accept me as who I am, and lying about being okay every single time. With even a name that is not your own.
I felt the same heaviness of guilt, anger and regret every time I say it. But I do. To be accepted in society as who I am not.
"No, I am not hiding anything"
We parted our ways after that. The nagging conscience kept me an unwanted company as we sorted the necessary books for the quiz finals. It kept bringing up the culpability, the act of breaching ones trust upon you.
When I was alone in summersville it was easier to lie to the one who made my life hell. But at present it was a whole different conduct. These people actually approve of me.
"You are awfully quiet today" startled at Clarissas remark I turn to look at her as she held approximately six inhumanely heavy appearing books, waiting for me to grab it.
The National Championship has been scheduled due next week and no matter with how much amount of anxiety I might drench myself with, there was no cowering back. Not unless I want to die early by the hands of a certain African Mexican beauty.
But I was still skeptical about the broadcast. I had an ill feeling about it and the troubled part was I have no clue as to why.
"I am concentrating" I nod, staggering a bit at the weight as she dumps it upon both of my hands.
"You can talk to me you know. If there's something going on"
"What?" Dumbly I ask. Contrary to her stuck up nature she's been acting relatively strange since morning after we won. Like a switch of humanitarian in her was poked on, let's say she has been acting humane and not the one that resembled an Artificial Intelligence clone surviving on coffee.
"You don't have to be scared of me" her brow perks up as I clear my throat, trying to swipe out the inconvenience in air.
"What do you want me to say?" Metally I face palmed and visually I blinked blankly.
Sighing she turns and motions me too follow. Like a puppet I do till she reaches another shelf and picks out two more books dumping it among the growing pile in my grasp.
"Ask something about me if you like. But not more than one question" without sparing me a glace she flips over the pages of a sleek note while I gape behind her back. Fishing a for a suitable question, but the tap of her feet tells me that she was running out of patience and frustrated of my weirdness.
"Pronto"
"Why did you got your lip pierced?"
seriously? Two weeks of wasteful trials to extract something out of a stone queen and when you got your chance you ponder over her lip ring?
For a moment when there was no reply from her side, I almost gave up hope when she started.
"Learing and winning arguments through tricks Is my passion. But I am not confined to it." She then places the book back on it raked position before whirling to face me. "I party hard on weekends and I like having control over my body. No one tells me what to do when in the end I prove to be best in both the fields. And lip ring Is just to prove the society I live in, that I can do whatever I want"
The way she said it as if she was talking about the weather in floridan coastline made the subject of our conversation ten times more delicate. Slowly her words sank in, though I had analysed clarissa to have diverse qualities, being a wild child and a rebel was far from it. As the saying goes, never judge a book by it's cover.
"we are done for today, no need to meet up for prep sessions. Cover these-" she swiped a glimpse at the little leaning tower of pisa "-by the week and we are good to go" clapping she motioned me to walk out as she did the same.
Talk about a stable rate of heartbeat being ruined mere by the presence of certain boy.
When I came in here an hour ago the whole floor was void of anyone else but us two.
I can't say the same while I plan to leave without much of a scene, I spot the complete remaining members of the clique hanging out at the main centre.
Hailey sat at the fancy cot with a bowl of fruit in her hand, while the large black leather couch was occupied by a sprawled out Lee who had his head placed on the thighs of normally sitting Edmund who had his nose stuck up on his mobile screen.
He also occasionally swatted the hands of Lee like a fly when he pinched his chin lovingly, by the constant reflexes of Edmund, one can say that this has been going on for a while.
And as for the positive aspect of this picture, Alex had his back to me as he played some brutal zombie game on a broad screen. The controller making a sound of rapid ticks under his fondling.
I could've done it, escaped and tucked my tired body under the duvet for the night without anymore of drama and surprises if Lee's attention would've been still glued to the admirable chin of Edmund.
"Chingu?"
Hailey paused mid bite, while Edmund discarded his phone. The clicking of buttons from Alex halted for a second before it resumed. Sounding more painful and loud.
After the unexpected turn of revelations I was still in dilemma as to what my next move should be. But one thing was for sure, it didn't involve letting him get to me anymore. I was done.
"Finally found you. I've been looking for you all around. Where were you?" He asks frowning as he walks up to me.
"Right next to our room Lee" at Edmunds retort he surprisingly looks shocked as I chuckle perplexed.
"you weren't aware that we were neighbours?" I ask as I watched him turn a soft color of red comically as he stared wide eyed at me. As if realizing something for the first time.
"So you -you know that I-" I give him a comforting smile as I decide to put him out of the misery.
"It's okay, you sleep knocked my door a few times and left your socks down once. I am used to it by now." At that his skin obtained an adorable shade as Edmund snickers from his seat.
When he opens his mouth in a state of protest my phone blares from the pocket. Since both my arms hugged the limitless amout of books, I tried to shuffle a way to place it when Lee being himself came to the rescue.
He picked my mobile from the two size large black hoodie I wore, and frowned at the screen. Immediately I felt the dread creeping up on me. Before I could act on my instincts it was too late.
"It's a face time" with such stupor information he swiped his finger upon it and angled the mobile to my face.
In other circumstances, such as behind the four walls of my competent room I might have felt the nostalgic emotions being poured over me as the enthusiastic face of Noah pops up with brave cuddling under his right arm as he brought it to the screen grinning.
In other circumstances the above statement was a possibility, but for bow when he opened his mouth, I counted the probabilities of a meteorite to fall upon me and consume me as whole.
"L-Look, your bra has grown up S-So much in few weeks." The loud scream of a zombie dying under the game world echoed as I snapped my eyes shut. My face painfully contorting as if I swallowed a lemon. Only that this was worse.
When I opened them, I saw Noahs big brown gaze adhered at something behind me. It was Lee who had now switched his place as he stood next to me hovering over the screen
"I don't see a bra here" Warmth of embarrassment trekked through my nerves that even my ears felt the steam when Lee softly muttered to himself.
"W-who is h-he? A-Asian? I thought you w-were into blue eyes and B-Blon-" now the grenade of tank exploded from Alex's direction as in one swift second I bent to stack the books in the carpeted floor, retrieving the phone back from Lee, I borderline jammed the red mark with my thumb as the call got disconnected.
Sighing I turn to look at four pair of intensely questionnaire filled eyes. A peek at Alex left me quite humored as I saw the tip of his ears has turned red and he had lost the game at a terrible level as I felt him gaze blankly at the monitor.
He needs to tone down his eavesdropping.
"That was a friend. He was talking about my dog" no one responded for few second and then a series of oh and okay erupted softly.
But they were far from satisfied. And as much as Lee had a hand in this thick situation I was grateful when he stirred it away.
"My birthday is in two days and you are invited to the party. No RSVP. Because you are on my must to attend guest list and you just need a date now" he sniffs deep in thinking when I felt the presence of Edmund next to me.
He winks at me when I peek at him through my lashes, scowling.
"I'll be honoured" his arm circles my shoulder as Alex for the very first time tilts his head to our side and watches us with a rigid look of coldness that could minimize the temperature literally.
"Perfect" Lee grins as I thought back to the least heartbreaking way to decline his invitation, futile at ignoring the way Alex apruptly got up from his seat and scathed out.
Suddenly Lee hollered towards clarissa who was helping herself to a coffee near a vending machine.
"You are my date buddy. I don't have anyone else to go with. Hailey is way too cold for me" at that she strolled over to were we stood a look of boredome in her eyes. Sometimes it amused me how much different each member of this friendshiphood held. They were of different race, nature, and goals. And yet they were too perfect as whole.
One of the reason why the crowd admires and are envious of them at the same time.
"The only job I do with such high end ball parties is sleep my day off. So I am thinking twice about attending it, let alone being your date. That's a night mare" her sharp words mere triggered the evil grin in Lees features as we both frowned.
"Sweetie, I know better then to ask you for a favor with out a back up. So daddy's little girl, will you pass up the offer to see your father after almost a month?" I blinked furiously as clarissa narrowed her eyes at him.
"What do you mean?" She asks, but I didn't miss the flicker of hope in her tone. But I bet it wasn't even holding a light to the one bubbling withing me.
"Mr. Blackewall accepted the invitation to the gala" he smirks as my heart staggers inside. But still skeptical about the plans of the man in question as I ran my memory to the next stop Ian Blakewall was suppose to take. And it sure wasn't united states. He still hand a week and half to return back to his home country. If I am not wrong his next flight is to-
Before I could calculate my analogy Lee diverts his attention back to me as he speaks excitedly.
"Don't forget to bring your passport, we are taking our private jet to London tomorrow. Sharp at eight"
***
A note of heartfelt thanks to the readers who has supported me in this journey so far. And when I woke up this morning to 25k reads on this book, I know I had to make you all realize how much your support, votes and comments means to me. I remember reuploading this book with 3k reads two months back with just 20 chapter that I had up with uncertainty.
And now I don't regret it. Once again thank you to the moon and back. â¥
And please keep up your love for Elaine and Alex (sometimes hate and brutal comments at his actions *ahem ahem)
Alex: teleports icy daggers* They don't hate me. Infact they love me, but just don't know how to express it.
Elaine: coughs* like some one I know? *coughs
Alex: I am going to kill someone.
Me : only I can make you do that buddy. So calm your -
Alex: coldly statres at Author with the interest of a used toothpick* Oh yeah?
Me : Sighs*
If you have voted for all my chapters, thank you and those of you who haven't, please do it since it really helps us who writes with their summoned laziness. Or is it just me?
P.s. I have a little surprise for y'all. So any guesses?