Need More Training?

Chapter 9

The door burst open.

"Not interrupting anything, am I?" Livi clattered in but held back a bit as she saw us.

"Nothing."

I stood up. She looked at me suspiciously.

"Alright... well, Alex wants to talk to one of you - not quite sure which yet," she eyed both of us.

She slouched against the door frame, showing off the crop top, short shorts thing she had going on there. I swear that belly piercing is about to blind me.

I glared at Griffin and he glared steadily back. I nonchalantly ran a hand through my hair, "Hm, this is your problem."

And of course, with that, I dragged Livi out, using her to hide behind when we reached Alex.

"What, what- are you-?"

"Shush! Hey..." I smiled awkwardly at the three people remaining in the room as I dragged Livi through. I pushed her across to the bathroom and tried to ignore the four times she stepped on my foot trying to turn around.

"Here!" I slammed a make-up remover wipe into her hand and grabbed the closest thing to me (which happened to be a hairbrush) as I reviewed myself in the mirror.

I'd only put some eyeliner and gloss on before we went to dinner, considering I'd just swum before that with Livi. I'd had a quick shower, tied my hair up in a messy bun and let it dry naturally. Then, I'd slung on shorts and a t-shirt and all that crap that happened on the balcony had given me more to worry about before going down to dinner. Which, in the end, did (sort of) clear a few things up - but these damn boys aren't exactly helping here.

"Mm okay Miss Morris, what's up with you and Griffin?"

"Shut up Livi."

I watched my hair bounce back to it's natural curls as I pulled the brush through it. I straighten it - and it's curly again in an hour. It's useless.

"Griffin is cute and the least annoying of them idiots," she said with a positive tone to her voice. "Better than Alex anyway but, I mean, what was that about?"

I sighed. 'Cause honestly? I don't have a clue. Yes, I know I, I... liked Alex but I never expected there to ever be more than a 0.001 percent chance that he would like me back. And now...?

"Does Alex have a crush on my Tori Morris?" she smirked.

"No, no! No. I'm sure he doesn't."

She frowned, "What's the matter? Isn't that what you wanted? I mean, you've had a crush on him for like the last seventeen years!"

"Shhhh! Not the last seventeen... only about seven somewhere in the middle. And it wasn't a crush, more like, just, me appreciating his hotness," I shrugged, trying to act casual, as I rubbed off my makeup.

"Oh yeah, sure."

"Anyway, I'm over it now so can we please forget about it?"

She held her hands up, eyes fixated on mine in the mirror, "Fine, fine. Whatever you say..."

There was silence between us for a moment as we went about a normal hair, makeup, teeth routine. Then she cocked her head to the side, looking thoughtfully at something in the mirror. I was surprised when she suddenly turned to me.

"Let me see that necklace."

I let her take hold of the pendant around my neck. She squinted down at it.

"Why's there only two stars?"

I frowned, taking the necklace off to look at it myself. And sure enough, two stars.