Chapter 22

"So, Rory," Olivia started, pulling a water out of our mini fridge and taking a seat next to Sabrina and I on the floor, "any idea where Xander's been at lunch for the past week?"

"We got into a fight," I said with a shrug and tightened my messy bun of brown hair. The next thing I knew, water was drenched all over me.

Olivia dragged the back of her hands over her mouth to wipe off the water that she just spit at me in shock. "What?"

It was Friday night, and I convinced Olivia to stay back from her weekly parties to join me and Sabrina for a girls night. We were set up in mine and Olivia's room, sprawled out across our carpeted floor, just catching each other up on the latest gossip around our school. And I usually wasn't one to be interested in gossip, but when I was in the same room as those two crazed gossip-vultures, I was a completely different person. I was a crazed gossip-vulture around them.

"Y-You dumped Xander?" asked a wide-eyed Sabrina.

It had been a complete week since Xander and I's fight. And although all our friends knew something was up with him and I, they didn't dare question it. Until now.

He hadn't shown up to our lunch table ever since, and I had no idea of where else he could be on our school campus. I've spotted him a few times in the classes we shared but other than that I haven't seen much of him. He wasn't even at track practices. And I'll be honest, it was a little disheartening. But the ball was in his court, and it seems as if he wouldn't be shooting his shot anytime soon.

"No! We were never together! I just told him that we couldn't keep up our little game of stolen kisses. It needed to end, and I'm just waiting for him to completely trust me and make it official"

"You like him, and he likes you, though."

I shook my head slightly and looked down at my fidgeting fingers, my hair covering my reddening cheeks. "It's not that easy."

"Well," Olivia said with a smile, "once you two make up, the sex will be h-"

"Anyways," Sabrina piped up, obviously over it with Olivia's usual ways, "anything going on with you, Liv?" She wriggled her eyebrows teasingly.

The blonde snapped her head up with raised eyebrows. "No? Just the usual humping and dumping," she said, trying to act casual. "Why'd you think that?"

I eyed her skeptically. "Why're you being so defensive?"

"I'm not!"

"Didn't you go out on a date a few nights ago? Who was it?"

"Nobody!"

Sabrina and I burst into fits of laughter at our best friend's inability to lie.

"You better tell us soon, Liv, or else!"

***

To say this track meet was awkward would be an understatement.

"You did so well!" Olivia said as she hopped on me to give me a bear hug but quickly retracted as she noticed my gross sweat. "Ew," she mumbled.

"We only got first place, again," I said sarcastically. Truth was, our next meet would be for regionals, and it wasn't bad, but we always made it to regionals. We usually never made it to states after regionals. Last time we made it to state was my freshman year, when everybody was the most enthusiastic about running.

But if we won regionals, we'd move onto the state championship. We'd be the first team in three years to make it to state from our school.

"Always so humble," she laughed.

"Wait, I have news. I actually made eye contact with Xander for the first time in a week, and it was completely unbearable, Liv."

"It's only been a week, but you know what they say," she said with a knowing smile as she adjusted her bouncing ponytail.

I looked at her expectantly. "What do they say?"

"Oh, I don't know. I wasn't expecting you to ask."

I rolled my emerald eyes at her antics just as Cooper, Brett, and Joey came up to us with identical smiles plastered on all their faces. Weird much.

"Hey, guys," I said, eyeing the group of two pranksters skeptically. It was known that Joey and Brett were more of the class clowns.

Joey flailed his fist up. "We're going to the movies, and you're going with us."

I sent Cooper a look of pure and utter confusion, begging him for an explanation. "We heard about your little fight with Xander, so we're making him jealous."

I scoffed and turned to a sheepish-looking Olivia, my jaw dropped to the floor. "You told?"

"No?" She tried, her voice raising an octave. When she saw I saw right through her lie, she said, "Sorry! I can't help it! It's Cooper for gosh sake."

I shook my head in faux disappointment. I didn't care if Cooper or the guys on the team knew, we were practically all a family, as cheesy as it sounds.

Brett, just realizing Olivia was here, awkwardly hovered around and rubbed his neck. Olivia and him were friends with benefits a few weeks ago, everybody knew that. But it was a casual thing, really. Not even I knew why Olivia cut things off with him, but I figured it wasn't a big deal. They were only physical.

"I don't need to make Xander jealous, guys. That's stupid and childish."

"Yeah, you are stupid and childish," Brett laughed and ran his hand through his white-blond hair. "Let's just do it for celebration for regionals at least."

I shook my head violently. "No, no, no! And besides, we always go to regionals," I said before looking at the four sets of eyes staring back at me with puppy dog eyes. They all knew my weakness, unfair. "Ugh, fine! Who's car are we taking?"

***

"That movie was the epitome of terrible!" I said with disappointment as I shoved the 3D glasses in the trash bin.

"I agree!" Brett said which earned him a distasteful glare from Olivia as everybody mumbled in agreement.

"That movie was a mix between The Notebook and Jumanji!" Joey slung an arm around my shoulder and ruffled my hair which had me scrunching my nose at the action. "I mean, a jungle romance, seriously?"

"It was great," Olivia said, rolling her blue eyes and flipping her hair- a sign of her argumentative mood. "It was romantic but also thrilling!"

"Thrilling? Are you sure we saw the same movie--crap," Cooper interrupted himself as he looked up ahead to a couple making out on the bench outside the theater.

"What is it?" I asked, looking up at Cooper's furrow-browed face.

"Nothing, nothing," he said, gently pushing me in the opposite direction and covered the view behind him.

I rolled my eyes and looked behind Cooper.

"Don't look, Aurora," he warned.

I ignored him and squinted my eyes to make out who the figures were while everybody lapsed into silence and looked at me. "Oh," I said as I finally recognized the guy to be none other than Alexander Kings.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know he'd bring his date here," Cooper said, looking at me with concern sketched all over his face. "Nobody knew."

I shook my head. Obviously, I was mad. But would I show them I was mad? No, of course not. "You knew he was dating other people?"

Cooper's eyes widened significantly. "I wasn't supposed to tell you that, but Xander and I are friends, you know. We actually converse."

"Let's just go, man," Joey said as he began pulling me back to the car we all took.

"No, wait." I smirked to myself as an idea struck into my head. "C'mere," I said, pulling on Joey's arm around my shoulder as we began approaching Xander and his brunette date. The others were cautiously following behind Joey and I as if I would pounce on them.

Xander and the girl were fiercely going at it, so I coughed slightly. Xander pulled away from the kiss, his lips plump and swollen. He looked up at me, and even before knowing what I would say, he mirrored the smirk I had on my face.

"Hi," I said, painting a sweet smile on my face as I greeted the girl. "I'm Aurora, nice to meet you." I held out my hand to shake.

Xander's face quickly turned to confusion, along with everybody else's including the girl.

"Anna." She hesitantly nodded and shook my hand.

I took a piece of her dark brown hair between my fingers and twirled it, the innocent smile still on my face. "I like you better than the last one," I said. "Your hair looks very similar to hers, though. Maybe it's his type?"

"Aurora, what are you doing?" asked a very careful Joey, his arms loosening around me, but I pulled it closer only to earn a glare from Xander.

"Yeah, Aurora," Xander said, narrowing his eyes at me. "What are you doing?"

I faux-frowned. "Nothing! Just telling your date how much she looks like your last, um, affair. She's pretty, though, I'll give you that."

Anna looked back at Xander before shouldering on her cardigan and storming out of the theater.

"What the hell was that, gem?" Xander quietly shouted, his eyes looking at me like I was a calculus problem as he shook his head.

I smirked. "I thought you weren't ready to date?"

"I wasn't ready to open up to you, gem!" He said, dragging his hands down his face before glaring at Joey's arm around my shoulder. Joey slowly removed his arm and backed away next to Cooper behind me. Xander ran his hand through his dark blond hair and took a step closer. "I-I need you, okay? I just need time," he whispered.

I scoffed. "I think the games and flirting was enough time," I said with a friendly smile but my fiery eyes said otherwise.

***

hope yall liked that chapter! again, don't forget to vote/comment since it would really put a smile on my face :) also, thank you SO much for 3k reads!

if i make a spinoff of this book, which characters would you want it off of?

you're loved by someone, -sophia