Battle of Hearts

Chapter 35- Truth or Truth

"Tell me about it. It feels like everyone's in a relationship." He chuckled as they stood where the cars were parked.

The cold air blew and the night was turning chilly. Her wardrobe turned out to be a good choice unlike some people who thought it would be appropriate to show up in a short dress. She questioned her motives for a second. She didn't want to be in a relationship with him but she also couldn't see him with someone else. That was dilemma she needed to resolve soon before she does something detrimental. Just as she was thinking about Emily she saw three figures walking towards them.

"Oh god. Does she ever him alone?" Ally rolled her eyes as she saw Emily walking hand in hand with Cameron.

"Now that I think about it... she's a bit too possessive." She heard Ryan say but her eyes were busy scanning the couple.

She took a deep breath trying to calm herself as they all walked together to his car. "Why did you bring her along? We didn't include her in our gift." She whispered to Becky as the boys opened the car. Emily was still standing just two feet away from them inattentively staring at her boyfriend.

"I don't know. She wanted to come along."

"That's so ridiculous." Becky cast her a side look before they all chose different gift packs to carry inside. They were in small boxes but to avoid any public attention they decided to divide the weight. They had some extra cash left with which they had bought a dozen cupcakes since they knew there wouldn't be a cake for such a large population of students.

Ally was handling one of the cupcake boxes and one was with Ryan. They were carefully moving through the lawn to avoid any collision when she started observing every movement of the couple. Their blatant loudness annoyed her to the core. She was completely and unknowingly immersed in jealousy when a hard steel like structure hit her left shoulder.

"Ow." She recoiled like a metal string was pulling her back; the cupcake box almost falling off her hands. With one hand she massaged her shoulder and looked up to see she had hit a lamp post. Her friends must've turned around at her painful call. She heard few 'You alright?' and saw a few concerned looks. But the one voice and one face that she really listened and watched was Cameron's.

As everything around her seemed to disconnet itself from her she only focused on him. "You alright there, Parker?"

The concerned look on his face made her smile through the stinging pain in her shoulder as she lost control over the words. "I'm fine." Her response was quick in a montonous way.

He smiled and turned around to walk further breaking her spell boundness. She couldn't believe she had stood their smiling idiotically as if only his concern was the matter of her concern. As if knowing that he cared Was the only thing she cared about. She shook her head to come out of stupor and moved inside the house following her friends into the living room.

Ryan cleared out people from the sofa and the coffee table meanwhile Ally went to bring Haley to give her the gifts. When everybody had settled in the couch and the adjacent chairs with the birthday girl in the centre, they told her to close her eyes while they fetched the gifts hiding behind the couch.

"Surprise!" They screamed in unison.

Haley opened her eyes to her friends holding out nicely packed gift boxes. "Oh my god! You guys really didn't have to do this!"

"Okay. Let's take 'em back she doesn't want it." Ally reached out to snatch away the box but Haley turned away from her causing a laugh to erupt in the group.

"No! I want them."

"Drama queen." Becky taunted with sarcastic smile.

Haley opened her gifts slowly and carefully as if she wanted to save the wrapping paper forever. When she looked at the framed picture in front of her she was touched. "Aww... This is the only group picture that we have. I remember this day..." She turned to Luke, "We were sitting on the sidewalk eating from that food truck and I literally begged y'all to pose for one picture?" She pointed out to something on the picture, "But still look at Ryan and Ally flashing the middle finger."