*Beauty*
"Princess Ellie."
Will leaned towards me, his eyes smouldering as he ran a finger down my face. I shivered. His dark hair partially covered his face, dishevelled, as if he'd ran all the way here. His eyes were focused, pasted on my face in a way that made my heart gallop.
"Y-yes Will?" I breathed.
He knelt and I pressed a hand to my chest in surprise. "Oh, Will."
He pressed his lips to the back of my hand, sending sparks of electricity through my fingers and up my arm.
His gaze didn't leave my face as he spoke. "My princess, your beauty is like a golden sun, your sweetness like chocolate ice cream. I crave not your body, though it is perfect in every way, but your soul."
I touched my head to my forehead, feeling faint. "My prince, you flatter me!"
He shook his head stubbornly. "No. The words that spill from these lips will never touch the truth of my affection for you. You are my Helen of Troy, and I will slay galaxies for you. You are my breath, my thoughts, my mind, my life. You are I."
"Oh, Will, these words you speak! So unjust! So cruel! When you yourself are my sun, moon and stars. You are earth itself!"
"You are too kind, my queen. I entreat you." He took a deep breath. "Will you, Ellie Maria Felicity Rachel Amora Kent, your highness, your majesticness, your complete beautifully beautifulness..."
My heart shuddered as I struggled to breathe. "My prince, say it, say it!"
"My princess, my queen, will you be my girl--"
"ELLIE! WAKE UP!"
I screamed as I tumbled off my mattress, landing in a bundle of blankets on the ground.
"Oww," I groaned, my voice muffled by the blankets. Sitting up, I shot a drowsy glare at the person who'd woken me--Gemma.
"What was that for?" I whined. I rubbed my forehead, a twinge of pain going through my skin where it had hit the ground. I squinted at my clock. "It's like six in the morning."
Gemma planted her hands on her hips, glaring in return. "Have you completely forgotten what today is?" she growled.
I pouted. "I dunno."
"Activity's day!" she snapped. "The pep rally?"
My eyes widened.
I blinked, taking in Gemma's outfit. She was in the black version of our cheerleading uniform, the outfit exposing her tanned skin. Her make-up was complete--smokky eyes, heavy mascara and red lipstick.
"Oh!" I stood up. Blinking away the sleep, I glanced at the empty sleepover blankets on the floor. "Where is everyone?"
Gemma rolled her eyes, perching on my bed. "Downstairs." Suddenly, she frowned, squinting at me. "Why were you saying prince in your sleep? And you kept saying 'oh will.' Like, oh will what? Will you do something? You never finished the sentence. "
My face went to a 100 degrees celsius in the space of five seconds.
"I'm going to take a shower," I mumbled as I sprinted to the bathroom.
"You're so weird sometimes," Gemma mumbled as I shut the door.
My face was still warm. I was taking that particular Will fantasy to the grave.
We shall not speak of it.
I couldn't help thinking about Will as I got ready. Something had been off since I'd met his brother. Will had seemed...exhausted. I just wished he could trust me.
After I'd  slipped on the cheer outfit, I began applying make-up. We'd already agreed on the look the team would be going for: heavy eye make-up, smoky eyes and red lipstick. Bad girl style.
Finally, I re-tied my hair and made my way downstairs.
Gemma whistled as I descended the stairs. "Transformation complete." She nodded in approval.
I grinned.
Half of our school's cheerleaders were in my living room. They looked up, shooting smiles and waves. Madison was at the high table, going over the cheer routine with some of the junior varsity members. Â Layla was serving drinks, and Gemma was going over techniques with our team--the varsity members.
Madison strode over. "We're meeting the rest of the team at the school. We need to leave soon, so we can go over the cheer."
I nodded. "Coolios. Â Is everyone ready?"
"Yep." Layla joined in. She perused me. "You look gorgeous Beauty."
I grinned. "You too."
"Are we going now?" Gemma popped up behind me.
"Yeah." I turned to face the room, clapping my hands to catch their  attention. "Ok girls! Everyone ready?"
The room chimed their ascents.
I smiled. "Ok. Let's roll."
The girls whooped as they swept up their bags and poured out of the room.
Gemma grinned at me. "The war begins."
*
The pep rally was a bundle of sweat, screaming and flawless somersaults.
When our last performance was over, I was handed a microphone and made my way to the centre of the field.
The crowd was still screaming. My eyes ran over the students, all dressed in black. Despite the fact that I knew Will wouldn't be there, I still felt my heart sink in disappointment when I didn't spot him in the crowd. Will never came to Activity's days.
Despite the sinking feeling, I pasted a grin on my face. A cheerleader never stopped smiling.
"You guys were amazing!" I beamed, my voice reverberating through the arena.
A series of whoops went through the hall.
"So, in thirty minutes, we will officially begin our annual activity's day. This year's theme is--Drumroll..."
The crowd drummed their hands against their seats.
"Paintballing!" I announced.
A mixture of excited screams and irritated groans danced through the arena.
I laughed. "Everyone, please make your way to your tutor rooms to collect your safety gear and paintball weaponry. The game is, as usual, boys versus girls. You will all have to go on a scavenger hunt. The last person standing in the field, with no paint on their body, with all the scavenged items, by one pm, will be declared the winner." I grinned. "Good luck guys!"
I headed over to Gemma, Madison and Layla as the crowd began to dissolve, excited chatter carrying over them.
Biting my lip, I made one more futile attempt to spot Will in the crowd. "We better get to our tutor rooms."
Silence.
I glanced at them.
Gemma was giving me a conspiratorial grin. "We're not going to our tutor rooms."
I raised my eyebrows, my gaze jumping to Layla and Madison, who were also smiling. "We're not playing?"
Gemma's grin widened as she pulled out keys. "Oh, we are," she purred. "And we're going to win."
Gemma grabbed my hand, leading us in the opposite direction from the crowd. We were heading towards the girls changing room. Layla and Madison giggled. In a few minutes, Gemma was unlocking the door.
"There is no way we're using their weak weaponry," Gemma scoffed as she she switched the lights on.
My eyes widened as I took in the room. Four full body suits hung from the clothing hooks. The benches were decked out with black boxes.
"Sheesh, Gem, I didn't think you'd go this far," Madison mumbled.
"Whatever we do, we've got to do it well," she chimed.
Layla high-fived her as she slinked towards one of the suits. "This is gonna look hot," she grinned.
"Come on guys," Gemma was practically hopping from excitement, "get dressed."
I rolled my eyes. "You guys are crazy."
I took one of the outfits off the hook. After I'd taken off my cheer outfit, I slipped it on, zipping it up.
I glanced up at a whistle. Layla was dressed in the suit. The all-in-one clung to her curves perfectly, and a utility belt was hooked around her waist. Her black hair poured over her shoulders as she admired her reflection in the mirror. Gemma and Madison matched. The only difference was the colour of their utility belts.
"Woah. That looks amazing," I gaped.
Layla glanced at me and her lips widened into a smile. "You should see how you look."
I rolled my eyes.
Gemma whistled. "We look fantastic. Now..." She grinned. "Who wants to see our weaponry?"
Gemma waltzed towards the boxes on the side. She unlatched the smallest ones first. They were filled with glossy paintball guns. She plucked them out, handing them to us.
"Tuck all of these into your belts ," she said as she began unlatching the other boxes. Her eyes brightened as she pulled out more paintball guns.
And more.
And more.
By the time most of the boxes were empty, there were four paintball guns on each of our belts.
Gemma was practically glowing when she reached the largest boxes. "And now for the best one."
She opened the box.
Silence.
Gemma reached into the box, pulling out a bazooka longer than her arms.
"That is..." Madison breathed.
"Fudging awesome," Layla finished.
"Wha..." is all I could push out.
She passed the massive paintball gun to Layla, who toook it enthusiastically.
"Is that even allowed?" I asked, gaping.
"Is that even legal?" Madison asked.
Gemma smirked. "A little bad never hurt anyone." She stroked the next bazooka, licking her lips.
Ok, Gemma is crazy.
"That thing could kill someone," I replied, still gaping at the bazooka.
"Aww," she said. "Don't be so mean to my baby. Don't be sad baby, mommy still loves you," she cooed, stroking the surface. Suddenly, a dangerous grin stretched over her face. "Besides, remember Tommy? The guy who stood me up last year?"
I frowned. "The one retaking senior year?"
She nodded and her smile grew.
I blanched. "Please tell me you're joking."
"You don't stand up this," she gestured to herself, which, lets be honest, was pretty impressive. Gemma was five feet eight inches of flawless, curvy beauty. One hair flip stole the attention of any male and garnered every female's jealousy in a mile radius. "And expect to live," she finished.
I shared a panicked glance with Madison.
"I can't wait," Layla murmured, rare excitement filling her voice. "I have some scores to settle with a few of those West High boys." She licked her lips, her eyes glinting as she admired the bazooka.
"Madison, I'm scared," I whispered. "Maybe we should go home."
"Maybe we--"
Abruptly Layla and Gemma were glaring at us.
"No way," Gemma replied. "You guys are staying."
Her fingers inched towards the trigger. We didn't argue.
Gemma shoved a bazooka in each of our hands. It was surprisingly light.
"Ok guys," Gemma began, grabbing pieces of paper off the table. "Here are all the items on the scavenger hunt." She handed us a sheet each. "You and Madison are taking the inside of the school. Layla and I will brave the bloodbath outside. Now, this is how its all going down..."
Gemma relayed the plan like a military leader planning a war. We were all supposed to gather the items, then meet up at the field.
"I feel sorry for the boys," I muttered to Madison as we began to walk towards the school.
I was suddenly glad Will had skipped Activity's day. I didn't want his beautiful body scarred by the monsters that were my best friends.
Besides, I'd rather he didn't see me splattered in paint.
Madison sighed. "Me too."
We passed the crowds at the front of the school as we walked to our start point. A few East High people called out to us, others wolf whistling, as we walked past the front of the school. The others were stared wide-eyed, their gazes caught on the bazookas swung over our shoulders.
Gemma flipped her hair and winked at the boys. They blushed.
She smirked, her eyes glinting. "Can you just taste their fear?"
Layla nodded, a rare smile on her face. "It's delicious."
I'm scared.
We arrived at our spot in a few minutes, a corner entrance into the school.
Gemma glanced down at her watch.
"8:50," she declared. "We have ten minutes. Anyone want to go over the plan?"
We shook our heads.
Gemma cleaned her bazooka as the last ten minutes passed, cooing to it the entire time.
Finally, an announcement filtered over the speakers spread out throughout the school. "Good morning students," a girl's voice chirped over the speakers, "we will be counting down to the start of the games. Remember, no shooting before the game starts or instant disqualification. No physical violence or immediate disqualification. And no hits on the areas specified in your instruction sheets." She paused. "Of course, the girls are going to win again this year."
I could hear the groans, even though they came from all the way across the school. I laughed.
"What? It's true." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, please enjoy the game!"
Her voice fizzled out and was replaced by a countdown.
Ten.
I wonder what Will is doing?
Nine.
Probably being beautiful and amazing and perfect--as usual.
Eight.
He'd probably think I was a weirdo if he saw me like this.
Seven.
"You guys know the plan right?" Gemma confirmed--for the fiftieth time.
Six.
"Of course," Layla scoffed.
Five.
"Yeah," Madison replied.
Four.
"Sure," I mumbled.
Three.
Gemma placed her hand in the middle. We all placed our hands on tops of hers.
Two.
"Go! Tigers! Go!" we chanted.
One.
We threw up our hands.
The bell rang.
Immediately, Gemma and Layla were running, heading towards the gym and the field.
Madison laughed. "They're so cute."
I snorted. "More like scary. I'm so glad I'm not a boy."
She giggled. "Me too. They're gonna get slaughtered." She inclined her head towards the door leading into the school. "Come on, we should get started."
I nodded, following Madison into the school.
The hallway was creepily silent. We walked casually, occasionally jumping at a sound.
I nearly bumped into Madison as she came into a stop in front of the canteen.
It was empty.
"What is it?" I asked.
Madison bit her lip then pointed at a table that ran along the centre of the canteen. The table was covered in food, from chocolate, to spaghetti, to ice cream sundaes.
My eyes widened.
Gemma's voice echoed in my head: Avoid no man's land, I repeat avoid no man's land.
No man's land: the canteen.
Our stomachs rumbled.
"We didn't get to eat breakfast this morning because of practice," Madison said wistfully.
"It's a trap," I whispered, but I was already stepping towards the door.
There was a chocolate sundae. A beautiful glass cup filled with scoops of chocolate covered in dark chocolate sauce. It looked almost like the sundae Will had bought for me. I could see the air billowing from it. It was that cold.
"I'm so hungry," Madison mumbled, her eyes devouring the feast.
"I know, but we've got to be..."
My eyes fell on a molten chocolate cake. My will dissolved as chocolate sauce dripped off the top, spilling on a bed of vanilla ice cream.
"Okay, I'm going in there Madison." I lifted my gun. "This is my only chance to eat before my mom comes back from Aunt Clara and puts us on some freaky diet that involves eating leaves and baby food."
Madison nodded, also lifting her gun. "Our last chance."
Our eyes locked on each other. We shoved into the canteen.
Chaos.
Instantly, there were blasts from both sides. Pink and blue flashed in front on me, exploding in a blast of colour.
Yelping, I fell to the ground. But Madison stood, caught by surprise. I grabbed her ankle. "Madison!"
We'd walked right into a stand-off. And we'd triggered it.
Then I saw him.
In the distance, Justin Markson stood next to another jock--Russell Parker. Their gazes found us as soon as ours met theirs. They raised their guns.
Two blasts of blue smashed into Madison's shirt. She gasped, clutching her chest. Then there was more blasts. She disappeared into a flurry of people and my grip on her ankle fell away.
"Madison!" I searched the crowd frantically.
"Run, Ellie, run!" her voice was faint.
"I can't leave you!"
"Run, Ellie! For me!"
I hesitated. Finally, I jumped to my feet. Ducking my head, I raced out the canteen doors and down the hallway.
I heard deep voices behind me. "Hey, Kent! Come back!"
Then Justin's voice. "Ellie! Wait!"
No way!
I ducked through the hallways, sprinting as fast as my legs would carry me. Heavy footsteps thudded behind me. I sprinted faster, gasping for air.
And I slammed right into something.
I toppled backwards, landing on my butt.
Dang, that hurt.
I rubbed my injured backside. "What the--"
"Ellie?"
The breath abruptly left my lungs.
I could recognise that voice anyway.
Slowly, my gaze trailed up a pair of long legs to a sinewy figure with dark hair and emerald green eyes.
Will was holding several books in his arms. He wore black, his t-shirt clinging to the muscles of his chest and abdomen.
I love that shirt.
His hair was dishevelled, like he'd been in a hurry, or he'd been dragging his fingers through it. He usually did that when he was thinking. Gosh, does he get any better?
His eyes widened when he met my gaze. "Are you alright?" He dumped the books, trying to help me up.
"I was--" my voice cut off as he pulled me to my feet.
He peered into my eyes, as if he were desperately waiting for an answer. His face hovered an inch away from mine, his breath floating on my lips--warm and minty. Gosh, his lips were kissable.
All that came out of my mouth was gibberish.
He frowned. He tentatively touched my face, setting off sparks on my skin. "Ellie?"
Wow.
The sound of heavy footsteps broke me out of my daze.
My eyes widened as I glanced back.
"Oh, crud," I groaned. "We've got to go," I hissed.
Will's brows furrowed. "Go?"
"Ellie!" Justin.
Will's jaw hardened. "We have to hide?" he confirmed.
I nodded.
"Ok." He took my hand, entwining his fingers with mine.
Then we were running.
Will guided me down a series of hallways. But I couldn't pay attention. Not to the footsteps behind us, or the hallways we passed. Instead, my eyes honed in our hands. They fit perfectly together.
Like we belonged.
Heart...stopping...
Suddenly, Will shoved through a classroom door. Immediately, he turned the door lock. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me into his chest as he leaned on the wall beside the door.
Oh. My. Gosh.
Will.
Is.
Hugging.
Me.
He was so warm. The scent of apple and citrus practically spilled off of him, making me light-headed.
His chest moved as he tried to catch his breath. I glanced up. His head was turned to the door, his eyes focused on the small window glimpsing the hallway. His scarlet lips were slightly parted. I could feel his breath on my head.
My paintball gun clattered to the ground. Carefully, I wrapped my arms around Will, leaning against him.
Will blinked rapidly, glancing down at me. His eyes widened as red permeated his cheeks.
I heard footsteps outside. They slowed, coming to a stop. Will's head whipped to the door.
A male voice. Russell. "Do you see Kent?"
Justin's voice, "No, she vanished."
"Hey! Ellie, you here?!" Justin called suddenly.
I stiffened, my eyes widening.
Will glanced back at me, his eyes locking with mine. They softened. His lips stretched into a small smile.
It's going to be ok, he mouthed.
Russell huffed. I glanced towards the door.
"Forget it, let's go. Maybe she ran to the front of the school."
My heart pounded, until, finally, I heard the sound of their footsteps disappear down the hallway.
My sigh of relief caught in my throat as I glanced up. Will was staring at me, his eyes smouldering in a way that made my heart palpitate.
And abruptly, I was aware of how very very close we were.
Oh. My. Goodness.
*
Ok, yes, guys, I have been reading too much Shakespeare XD I hope you found Ellie's Will fantasy funny. I had fun writing it. So, what did you think of the chapter? I'm hoping it made you smile :) If you liked it, do tell ;)
Anyway, I have recently completed my personal statement. Just a few more days (hopefully) before I Â send off my application to unis ;) Hopefully, when this is done, I can have more time to update. Thank you all so much for reading and bearing my lateness. I love you :)
God bless
xxx
Yemi Everest