The Prep and Moi

Chapter 19 - Balcony Rain and Random Behaviours

Shaking off the thoughts, Angelica averted her eyes from Shawn and Destiny, and looked straight back at Ash.

"Anyhoo, would you prefer to come with me instead of hanging with these nobodies?" She suggested, effortlessly changing the subject, "I have people who will hold umbrellas for us, courtesy of Mother working her magic from home." She pointed her dagger-shaped fingernail outside, "And there's a taxi already waiting outside."

Ash remained alarmingly silent. I tapped his arm, hoping to receive a small part of his attention, but an intense non-verbal emotion echoed through his focused glare on Angelica.

After a moment of no response, Angelica piped up again, "Ash, I'm waiting for you to say–"

"You know better than this." His stern response made Angelica's brown eyes open wider than usual like she'd been caught in headlights. Even Shawn, Destiny and I had stiffened.

Momentarily, Angelica remained a little shaken before clenching down on her perfectly aligned white teeth and immediately turned away.

"That's your loss, Ash." She rudely responded. Shrugging it off, and with a click of her fingers, a couple of members from her posse sprouted from different directions to follow her out of the lobby doors. Following her with my gaze, a large red umbrella, embossed with the letter 'A', opened up, not letting a single raindrop touch her. The short step to the parked taxi outside made all the actions I had just witnessed exceptionally obnoxious.

The power that money created for undeserving people was truly terrifying.

I returned my attention to Ash who stood by and remained alert. For some reason, to me at least, his wordy refusal held more than just a declination of her offer... something else was going on.

Thankfully, Destiny broke the growing silence for us.

"Well, now what shall we do?" She frowned, resting her chin on Shawn's forearm.

With the sound of the harsh rain still striking against the windows of the entrance and feeling ever so sorry for the doormen who stood by them, I had an idea.

"I've got it!" Giving my friends no warning, I simply started to head away, much to their surprise. "We shall all go to mine and Ash's room!" I announced, "Follow me, my friends!"

As I joyfully skipped down the corridor, with the others walking behind probably wondering what hard drugs I had taken to be in such a happy mood, I entered my room first.

"Oh, humble hotel room, inclusive of the all-knowing balcony, I am very glad you exist!" I spoke aloud with my arms raised up in the air and whirling around.

I could sense Destiny's eyes rolling from a mile away.

"Don't tell me you act like this all the time?" Destiny scrutinised as she walked in behind me. Her gaze instantly turned to Ash, watching for his reaction, almost feeling sorry for him if it were true.

Thankfully, he didn't answer.

"Now that we're here, what's the plan on your mind?" Destiny enquired as I settled into the comfortable lounge chair.

I tilted my head up to survey her and shrugged my shoulders after a beat, "Oh, nothing, actually." I nonchalantly answered.

All three pairs of eyes snapped over to me.

"What? Why are you all looking at me like that?" I raised my eyebrows, sending a pointed look at Destiny, "You asked what we should do, and no one came up with solutions that didn't involve getting drenched out in the rain so this was my only plausible option."