CHAPTER 56: Grumpier than Grumpy the dwarf

Really long chapter to make up for the late update :) Thank you for 30K reads!! Ahh! Your votes and comments really make my day and it's hard to believe I've even reached here. IALHR is almost over and I guess only 3-4 chapters are remaining 😭😭. Thank you again for all your love! ♥

***

After having a continuous series of bad days and nights, it even feels uncanny having a good, normal day. It feels like I've been on a damn boat for weeks and now, the strong urge to kiss the ground once I finally put a step on it overpowers me. I reckon that it is a paradoxical effect I'm undergoing since the past few weeks have not been easy-going at all. It was practically a domino effect of bad luck. Veronica's sham with Jason, him being kicked out of the soccer team, finding out that Coach was in cahoots with her and last but by far not the least, the arrival of the woman who gave birth to me.

I still have no place for her as a goddamn mother because she does not deserve to be one.

Speaking of Veronica, I have no updates on her situation with the principal, plus I did not see her due to my days spent at home, courtesy of my suspension. I wonder what happened to her but I push away her thoughts because I fear she might just jinx my brain as well and suddenly appear in front of me, instantly managing to ruin my day.

Moving on from that, I decided to be a fresh daisy today morning just for the fun for it. After all, it would not hurt to be normal one morning and not be all 'grumpier than Grumpy the dwarf' – Maddie's words not mine.

I traipse down the stairs alongside Maddie, walking towards the canteen where the general population is currently headed for a lunch break. As usual, we meet up with the rest of the boys at their table. It took some time for the rest of the students to actually accept the fact that the two weird girls who are always eating and sitting alone, are in fact very good friends with the hot soccer stars of the team.

Well, they are hot according to them. Not me.

Yeah, I only find one hot.

My cheeks heat up as soon as the thought flashes through my mind and his grin directed at me worsens my situation. I sit next to him and push my bag on the table.

"How are you? You didn't text me that day." He expresses and I bite my tongue, mentally slapping myself for not contacting him at all this weekend. After talking to Jason, Draven, and Aaron, we spent quite some time discussing talking things over with a lawyer who used to be good friends with dad. In fact, he also helped us out after dad passed away and I don't think anyone else would be familiar with the trust fund left for us. Draven volunteered to go down for a talk since Jason has a lot of pending work on his shoulders in school.

Sporting on a placating expression, I smile. "Sorry. I forgot. Too many things in my head."

"Well, that's okay. I wanted to actually ask you something."

"What about?"

"How would you-

"Hey, Caleb." Shawn cuts Caleb off and he groans, rolling his eyes and turning his head towards him. "Did you or did you not tell me that when you are asking out a girl you should try smirking and touching her arm?"

I widen my eyes and furrow my eyebrows at Caleb, crossing my arms. Is that so?

"What? Dude, why would I say that?"

"That was me, moron." Blake pipes up, popping the lid off his Coke bottle and taking a swig of it. Shawn gasps and hits his arm, effectively spilling his drink on his...pants.

Ahem.

"What the fuck?" Blake exclaims, standing up and showcasing his wet pants.

"I am never taking tips from you again! You totally ruined my chances with Anna." Shawn pouts and ignores the fact that he just landed Blake in a really terrible situation, one that preferably no guy would like to get in, especially in public.

The worst thing – he has cream-colored chinos on.

Ha. I am so enjoying his red face right now.

"Shawn, why the hell do you need tips from Blake? Can't you just ask this Anna girl in a normal way?" Maddie questions, picking at the napkin in her hand.

"No...she'll say no to me."

"What a pussy." I quip, smirking at Shawn and wiggling my eyebrows.

Bull's eye.

Damn boys and their huge ass egos. Totally fun to break them.

"I believe you mean pusillanimous." He replies and leans forward on his arms, donning on a goofy grin.

I frown and shake my head. "No...what is that supposed to mean?"

"Correct vocab. Meaning coward. Exactly what you wanted to say but in sophisticated terms." Blake chimes in, too busy trying to clean his pants. I grimace at the two of them suddenly talking like some kind of experts.

"Okay, Miss Merriam-Webster dictionary. How do you even know that word?"

"Caleb taught us." Shawn excitedly shares, practically jumping from his seat, and his eyes sparkle like a little child's when he learns something fascinating.

"Nerd," I mutter and roll my eyes at Caleb.

"As a matter-of-fact, I call it being smart. Something you are not." He smiles and pokes my nose; my jaw drops open and I glare at him.

"Ouu! Burn." Blake says and stifles his laughter.

"You're right. No wonder I kissed you."

"Ouu! Double burn." Shawn reiterates, earning a hit from Maddie.

"Shut up before I burn your dicks." Caleb counters and they both stop laughing. Our heating glares stop as soon as I realize what just spewed out of my mouth.

"Wait, what-

Blake suddenly speaks but before we could have a chance to react or reply to him, Caleb hastily drags me away from the table and out of the canteen. He does not stop until we reach the gate of the block my next class is in.

"Uh...that came out of nowhere," I mumble, referring back to my words, and avoid eye contact with him. It's embarrassing and totally idiotic to tell the guy you like and kissed not once but twice, that it was a mistake kissing him.

"It was stupid banter. Don't worry about it."

"Really?" I look up at him, astonished by his reaction. He nods and shrugs his shoulders. Surely, no guy would take it this way. Judging from stupid couples who fight on the smallest of things done or said, this is way different and as much as my cool self refuses to admit it, I do feel appreciated by him.

"Shawn interrupted me when I was about to ask you a question."

"Oh, yeah. What was it?"

"Do you...would you like to go out? With me, that is?" He asks, his eyes darting all over my face, and I laugh. I simply laugh because right now, Caleb Anderson is nervous. He is actually nervous. I don't think he even gets nervous before a soccer match as much as his facial expression is revealing right now.

"Um...did I say something wrong or funny?"

"N-No...no you did not." I finally stop laughing and speak.

"Are you asking me on a date, Anderson?"

"Yes, why? Do you not wanna go? I was just kidding." He rushes his answer, triggering a guffaw from me once again. I hold the gate for support while Caleb stares at me like a frozen statue.

"Boy, as much fun as I am having right now troubling you, my stomach cannot take more laughter. So, yes. I will go with you. You can stop being scared to ask me."

"I am not scared, okay?" He retorts and pulls out the collar of this leather jacket. I roll my eyes and pat his shoulder.

"You're a bad liar, Anderson."

"Shut up. So, you'll go with me?"

"Of course. Who else do you want me to go with? Shawn?" I regret the words as soon as they came out of my mouth and we both grimace.

"I will chain you in your room if that idea ever crosses your mind even," Caleb says and I take in a deep breath due to the way his voice deepens a little.

I take out my phone from my pocket and text Maddie to bring my bag to class. I walk in the block and Caleb follows. "So, what do you have in mind anyway?"

"Just a normal date. You'll see. No need to be impatient." He answers and nudges my shoulder. I halt in my steps and look at him. I peruse his face, searching for any kind of doubt on it. Maybe he will burst out in laughter any second, telling me this is all a bloody joke and that he cannot even begin to think of taking me out on a date.

"What?"

"You really wanna do this, don't you?" I ask him and look into his eyes. He softly smiles and leans forward.

"Any doubts?" He whispers and moves his gaze towards my lips then back to my eyes. I shake my head, completely sure of the fact that I'm actually going to go on a date with Caleb. I never even thought of taking things forward with him. It is always unexpected things happening with him, but they are always good. I shake my head as he continues leaning forward. The shrill sound of the bell ruins our little moments and I chortle at Caleb's grunt. I move away from him and about to laugh at him but Maddie's call interrupts me.

"Yeah, okay just come directly to class." I distractedly respond to Maddie as she starts talking, my eyes fixed on a pouting Caleb.

"Will you come over later?" I ask her, still looking at Caleb and walking backward.

I hope I don't trip and make a fool of myself. He will definitely laugh in my face and ditch his plans for the date.

"Why?"

Caleb's playful glare turns into a smile as soon as I reply to Maddie.

"I have a date tonight."

***

"You know what? Just go naked. I give up." Maddie declares and shoots me an icy glare before huffing and falling flat on my unkempt bed overflowing with...baggy clothes actually.

"What do you want me to do? Go buy out a decent top fifteen minutes prior to him picking me up?" I say while eyeing a hoodie which kind of looks cute but I toss it away since Maddie rolls her eyes at my choice.

"This is my fault. I forgot you barely have clothes."

"Hey! I have all these clothes."

"Correction. Guy clothes. Why don't you tell Caleb to drop off here after a shower and just put these on, huh?"

"Bitch." I hit her with one of the hoodies and she blows away her hair from her face, standing up instantly.

"Of course, why did I not think of this?" She mumbles with sparkling eyes filled with excitement and starts rummaging through the heap of clothes, finally pulling out one of my oversized white tee-shirts.

"I thought you said a strict no to anything baggy."

"Well, I am going to improvise it. Put it on." She deadpans and tosses the shirt at me. I sigh in exhaustion, knowing that this would obviously happen. Maddie always tries getting me to wear something 'decent' – of course with good intentions – even in school. If I go on a date she will obviously create a damn ruckus.

"Now what?" I turn towards her, pulling out the hem of the shirt and swaying side by side like a child waiting to get dressed.

"Now, this." Maddie holds the hem of the shirt and ties it into a knot a few times until she is finally satisfied with the look. I grimace at the display of my waist but also fascinated by her idea. Who knew one day I would be styling my oversized shirt into a crop top?

"I don't know..." I look into my mirror and tug at the hem of the shirt but Maddie swats my hand away and works on perfecting the stupid knot.

Fifteen minutes later, I get out of my room smiling with an annoyed Maddie close on my heels. She decided my clothes and even straightened my hair – the least I could do is choose to not wear makeup. Feeling a little good enough with the mom jeans and converse I'm sporting on – although the shirt is still revealing my waist – I plug my phone out of the charger just in time to see Caleb's text. On cue, the doorbell rings and Draven opens it while eating his cheerios.

Ugh. Now, Jason will get cranky because someone ate his beloved Cheerios.

"What are you doing here?"

"Uh, hey. He's here to pick me." I grin at Draven and slightly push him away from the door lest he pounces on Caleb.

"For what?" He gruffly asks, looking at Caleb, then me and then Maddie.

"We are just going out...if that's fine with you." Caleb says and shifts his weight from one foot to the other. Draven continues staring at him until he turns away and goes back to his bowl of Cheerios.

"Have her back early."

I grin and wave at Maddie excitedly who looks like she just saw a huge shark and waves at me in shock.

"You look nice," Caleb says as we descend the stairs and into the parking lot.

"It is not tradition for the guy to compliment the girl every time."

"Chivalry is not yet dead, my lady." He smiles before opening the car door for me. I roll my eyes and buckle up just as he enters the car and puts it into drive.

"So the compliment was just for the sake of it?"

"You have a problem when I mean it and you have a problem when I don't. Does a man even have a worth anymore?!" He exclaims while I stare at him like he is crazy, aware of the smile that is currently forming on my face.

"Okay, whiner. Compliment accepted. You look good too."

"Oh, wait. I got you something. Open that." He points towards the compartment and I open it. I laugh as I take out the Ben and Jerry's pint of ice cream from it.

"Eat it up before it melts. The ride's gonna take a while and I don't want you to get all cranky on me because of your hunger." He smirks and looks at me as I gasp at his words.

"I do not get cranky when I'm hungry."

"Summer, ask the ones who have faced your wrath." He shakes his head and looks ahead, leaving me to gobble down my ice cream. A few minutes later, we are both bobbing our heads to some unknown song playing on the stereo system.

"Here we are."

My eyes fleet towards the entrance of the restaurant we just stopped in front of me. It is definitely posh judging from the valet standing outside the double glass doors.

"You like?"

"Mm-hmm. It is definitely...rich." I nod my head at him, admiring the location and the lighting on the different floors it has.

"You'll like it better once you see it from the inside. Come on."

We both get out of the car and Caleb hands the keys to the valet, nodding at him politely before placing a hand on my back and ushering me through the double doors. My hands involuntarily tug at the hem of my shirt as a cool breeze blows past us and tickles my waist.

"Remove it."

"What?"

Caleb's gaze darts to my waist and he points towards the knot. "I know you don't like all this. You will still look nice with or without it."

"But-

My words are interrupted as his fingers clasp the knot and work on untying. I take in a sharp breath as they skim across my waist but even the slight brush arouses a different kind of feeling in me right now.

"Better."

I smile at him as I flatten the shirt and I suddenly feel more comfortable than I was. The place is amazing as I look around it while Caleb speaks to the receptionist, albeit a little unexpected. I did not expect my first date to be somewhere so fancy. I'm sure the prices are equally fancy.

Ha. Joke's on me since I'm with a fancy boy.

Caleb leads me towards another door and my absent-minded self almost trips but luckily Caleb's grip on my hand brings me back to my balance. We get out of the interior restaurant and get out to a gigantic garden filled with various greenery and an amazing view of the city lights. A far table sits in the middle of the garden and I notice that the area is secluded, as if it is meant only for us. The chaos in my stomach increases as Caleb smiles at me and gestures around.

"The name Anderson does wonders, doesn't it?" I remark and smile at him, crossing my arms and looking out at the view.

"Surely does. Especially on dates. Now, do you like it?"

"I love it. Thank you." I mutter and move forward to him. I don't know what propels me to embrace him but I anyways do it and my thumping heart relaxes ever so slightly as he tightens his arms around me. We stay like this for a while until I pull back a little but unable to move much due to his arms still around my waist. His hand brushes my arm and cups my cheek, leaning in to-

No!

I pull away from him, suddenly heaving with deep breaths. His bemused and alarmed expression makes it worse for me as my deep fears and recent thoughts occupy my head. After Lena left, the sinking feeling reached its peak. She left my dad and went to another man. Things in relationships change so often that nowadays, people barely even notice them. The so-called spark ends and then what is left? Nothing. People move on like it was nothing and that bothers me to the point where I've started thinking about it all with Caleb. He may like me now and I may like him now too but what if things change after a while? What about our feelings? I cannot begin to even imagine the amount of hurt I will go through considering how hurt I was when I thought he lied to me to get Jason out of the team.

"Um...is something wrong?" He asks quietly, making it even more painful for me.

What is wrong with me? I am so stupid.

"I-I...don't know." I sigh and sit on the chairs arranged for us. Caleb and I both remain quiet and I know at this point he may as well take me home, pissed at me. But instead, he kneels in front of my legs and takes a hold of my hands, forcing me to look at him.

"Talk to me." His whisper sends me in a cloud of guilt – guilt for even doubting a person like him. Maybe if I kept my stupid feelings to myself, he would not also get involved with a freak like me.

"Do you really like me?" I ask, avoiding all eye-contact, with the fear of him probably lashing out at me for leading him on all this while.

"Are you seriously asking me that? Yes, I do. So much. Come on, I know there is something bothering you. Tell me."

I shudder at his grip on my hands. Come on, out with it, Summer.

"Caleb..." I say and stand up from his hold, wary of the fact that his touch does weird things to me and if I immerse myself fully into that world, I may never be able to tell him what I really feel.

"We may like each other now but what if...what if things change later on? I may not be the right person for you. You know, any other girl would kill to be here. You deserve so much more than a person like me who has such stupid and weird insecurities."

Silence.

My back faces him but I can still hear his breathing. Maybe he is just taking in my words and slowly but surely comprehending them. He might just see what I'm trying to tell him and pay heed to what I said.

All of a sudden, his footsteps get closer but before I can turn, his hand grips my waist and forcefully pulls me to his chest. His mouth crashes on my own and I stand absolutely still, shock covering me to the core.

This is certainly not the comprehension I was expecting.

His hands roam over my waist and loom over my neck and finally my jaw. The kiss is intense and passionate and has the absolute ability to render me weak. My hands wrap around his neck and we pull each other closer than we already are. He tilts my head and his lips skim small kisses across my jawline but I quickly pull him back for another kiss. Before I realize, he pulls away, his hot breath fanning my burning cheeks and flushed lips, and rests his forehead on mine.

"I will never ever get tired of this, you understand? You are funny...not smart, gorgeous even in your brother's clothes- ow!" He yelps as I knock his forehead with mine and chuckle.

"You get the picture. You've literally turned me from a Grinch to a smiling Santa. Noel's words by the way, not mine. And you're telling me things will change? From my side, no. Not at all. And as far as it concerns you..." He softly mumbles and makes me sit on the plush chair with pillows, "what you're feeling right now is right. I always tell you, Summer Jones, you are strong. But you don't have to suppress those feelings. It's okay to let them out. So, when you want to tell me anything, tell me." He says and I close my eyes as his fingers brush the side of my face and my hair.

"I'm in this as much as you push me away. I don't care. And I know you are, too. But, whenever you have doubts like this, how about that kiss every single time?" He grins and leans in but I push him away playfully.

I sigh and contemplate his words. He is certainly not wrong. He has, on many occasions encouraged me to be myself, and I always am around him. I smile and kiss him softly.

"Okay."

"Damn, I have good persuasion skills." He states before standing up and going to the other side of the table to take his seat.

"Well, then you should be a lawyer." I joke and point the fork at him.

He freezes and looks down and my eyes widen. What the hell did I just say?

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, Caleb. I-

"It's fine." He smiles and I bite my lip, mentally abusing myself for saying the wrong things at the wrong time.

"How are things with your father?" I meekly ask as he takes the lid off the pasta, the warm, tantalizing smell wafting to my nostrils.

"Okay. Better than before, thanks to you. He's kind of given up on bothering me so I guess that's good enough. My mom does not even talk to me. Which is still good, by the way."

"I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't be. People have shitty parents all the time, right? Besides, once I figure out what I want to do, I'm going to leave the house even if that means I don't inherit anything from him." He says and forms his mouth into a thin line, picking at his pasta but not having a bite.

"Really? But what about Lucy?"

"That's what has kept me there for so long. I'm not really worried about her in terms of my parents' care for her. Dad adores her like his princess. But I have my own life, you know? He can't make my decisions for me and still get to act shit towards me."

"I understand."

And after I smile at him, we both dine in chatty conversations, hopping from childhood sagas to school dramas and daily life shit. Finishing up with the dinner and the bill payment, we stroll out the garden and head for the exit.

"What a surprise seeing you two here."

Oh, hell no.

Her name is literally inscribed in my destiny, isn't it?

"Veronica. What an unpleasant surprise." I chime while holding Caleb's hand who keeps his gaze fixed on the vase of Phlox flowers on the receptionist's table.

Veronica stands a few feet away from me, hand-in-hand with some scrawny ass guy, donned in her usual short-skirt and top combo. Her permanent bitch face is replaced with a scowl as she takes in mine and Caleb's interlaced hands. She looks at me and takes a few steps forward until she is a few inches away.

"You'll never be able to replace me."

I smile and place my index finger on her shoulder, pushing her away and smirking as she staggers back.

"I'm flattered by the attention you have on me, Veronica. But take care of your oven. Your cookies are melting elsewhere." I look at her recent 'boyfriend' slash hook-up who is currently eye-raping a group of girls who just walked in. I wave at Veronica and pull Caleb out the door, ignoring Veronica's bewildered look.

"Have I told you how amazing you are?" Caleb places a hand on my shoulder and pulls me towards me as we walk toward his car.

"Only a thousand times."