That Stupid Little L-Word:

Chapter Thirty Five:

I abandon Blue-Eyes the second we step onto campus the next day in favor of tracking down Miley, so I can properly gush and squeal about the turn of events. I'm not one for dances --but then again, I've never actually had a date to one. 

Miley is standing near a trashcan when I find her, and looks faintly startled when I almost tackle her to the ground in excitement. "Guess what," I grab her by the shoulders and give her a good shake, "Guess what, guess what!"

"What?" Miley barely manages out around my enthusiasm. 

"Blue--I mean, Seth asked me to the dance! Isn't that awesome?" I release her and beam excitedly. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Blue-Eyes loitering around the edges of the courtyard. A disgruntled look is etched into his features. 

Miley lets out a snort, and my attention darts back to her. "I sort of figured that," she smiles when I shoot her a confused look, and then elaborates, "He's your boyfriend. It's kind of customary for a guy to take his girlfriend to the dance. I think I'd have to worry if he didn't ask you to the dance, Alice." 

I scowl at her, "Yeah, yeah, but you'll never imagine how he asked me. It was adorable!" 

As I start to tell her about last night, someone approaches the trashcan, to throw something away. We move aside so they have access and I notice my boyfriend drifting closer. He still keeps his distance, and Miley glances over. She waves at him and he dips his head in a nod. Then he shoots me a look. 

Shaking my head, I laugh and look at Miley, "Looks like he needs me."

"You two are never more than a foot apart," she teases, and folds her arms across her chest. 

"He has separation anxiety," I wag my brows at her, "He's scared that if I'm too far, I'll be snatched up by someone else." 

"That explains it," Miley laughs at me. 

We bid each other a cheerful goodbye, and I make my way over to my boyfriend. His arms are folded across his chest, dark t-shirt pulled taunt over the expanse of his chest and the pale muscles on his arms. He arches a brow at me as I draw near, "Why hello there stranger." 

I make a face, "Please don't tell me that you're irritated with me, just because I ran off to go say hello to my best friend and gush about how sweet you were last night." 

He shakes his head slightly and shoots me a small smile, "I'm not mad at you." 

"But you're mad," I point out.

He lifts one shoulder in a shrug. "I just don't like Miley that much." 

"Really?" I honestly didn't see that one coming, and the surprise is quite evident in my facial expression. He takes my hand in his and we start walking toward our first period. "Why don't you like Miley? She's like the nicest person on earth."

He snorts, "You obviously don't know her very well." 

My eyebrows crinkle. I knew her more than I knew him...

His hand grips the metal door handle, and we step inside the building. I immediately shuffle out of the way of the masses that shovel their way in behind us, toward our locker-alcove. He follows me, our fingers tangled between us, and when I whirl around and stare up at him, "What do you mean?" 

"Miley," Blue-Eyes pauses, as if he's unsure of what to say, and I watch his eyes flicker around as he presses his lips into a tight line. Then he continues, "Just...this is going to sound bad, but you've got to just trust me. Miley is a bitch. She talks all kind of crap behind your back, and likes to spread rumors."

I frown at him, "Seth, Miley is nothing like that." 

"Oh?" He arches an eyebrow, "Then what did she tell you about me?"

I open my mouth to retort, but then fall silent. She told me about the rumor that had been spread about him; she had been worried about my choice in boyfriends. It kind of proves his point. I sigh, "She only said those things because she was concerned about me. She just cares." 

"Really?" He shoots me a look. Then he presses his lips to my forehead, "Trust me, okay? She was one of the few who added fire to the rumors about Ms. Henry and I."

I make a face at him. He smiles weakly and kisses me again, on the tip of my nose. I scrunch it up in response. It makes him laugh, and he leans forward again, this time his lips finding my own. I smile into the kiss, pushing any worries about what he said aside. His hands grab my waist and squeeze gently. 

"Break it up," someone barks from across the hall. 

We reluctantly break apart. He pauses, his lips centimeters from mine, and then his lips press another sweet kiss mine again. He grins into the kiss and then we separate again, and my cheeks burn. He throws an arm around my waist and pulls me along down the hall, waving at the teachers as we pass. We enter the classroom and take our seats. 

He whirls around in his seat, resting his elbows on my desk, his cheeks pressed against his palms. "So have you talked to your mother about dress shopping and all that?"

"Not yet," I laugh and pull out my binder. "Why, do you want to come?" 

"No," he pokes my nose, "I was just curious. What about our plans after the dance?" 

I shrug lightly, "Didn't know we had any." 

He stares at me for a few moments, until he realizes that I'm actually dead serious. His lips stretch into his brilliant grin and he fights back a fit of laughter. "Babe," his eyes gleam with amusement, "I told you during dinner last night. After the candles and cookies. Did you not hear me at all?" 

I press my lips into a tight line and stare at the desk, "Maybe?" 

"I told you, I wanted to take you out to eat after."

"Oh," I flush a bright cherry red. "I'm sure she'll be okay with it." 

"Wouldn't want him to have an anxiety attack from the separation, right?" Another voice cuts in. My boyfriend's eyebrows crinkle above his vivid blue orbs, and we shift our gaze toward the interrupter. It's some kind of nerd, with a nasty sneer on his face. He arches an eyebrow at us. 

"Dude," Blue-Eyes scowls at him, "What the heck do you mean?"

"Oh," the boy's eyebrows crinkle, "I guess it's just a rumor then." 

My heart stops. I lean forward in my seat, "What do you mean?" 

The kid scratches at his head sheepishly, "I thought you'd heard it, so I was trying to poke some fun. I know Seth doesn't have separation anxiety or anything." 

"Who'd you hear this from?" I push. 

He shrugs, "It's just been going around." 

I sit back in my seat and cross my arms over my chest. Blue-Eyes sends me a questioning look, but I dismiss it with a shake of my head and a sweet smile. He doesn't need to know that I'd just said something similar to that rumor this morning...nor that I said it to Miley.