[ Author's note at the end]
| Amelia |
"I can't believe you would let him threaten you like that." Zoey huffed, glaring at me as the three of us entered the small cafe near our school.
"I would have kicked his ass right then and there had I known." Leila interjected, a major hint of annoyance clear in her voice.
The bell at the top of the door chimed as we made our way in, hanging our bags on the chairs and taking a seat by the large window.
The cafe was where we occasionally came to unwind once school was over. It was a small, relatively isolated place, but its location and charm managed to lure us back every time. Over the years, coming here at least twice a week had gradually become a tradition between the three of us.
"As much as I would love to see that," I chuckled as I turned my head towards Leila, "I didn't really have a choice. He just wouldn't let me speak."
Noticing the glares both of them were throwing my way, I rolled my eyes. "It isn't like I'm going to ever meet him again." I stated in a matter-of-fact tone, but inwardly questioned my own statement in my head.
I realised I had said the same thing the first time we had interacted in the classroom, and yet I had found myself being threatened by him merely a few hours later. Who was to say we wouldn't - much to my horror - meet again?
"Well, we better hope that's the case." Leila grumbled before averting her gaze to the middle-aged woman who had by now appeared beside us, a small notepad and pencil in her hand.
"What can I get you today?" She asked, her tone beaming with a sarcasm while her mouth curved into a knowing smile.
"Marge, we know you know our exact orders." I chuckled as I took in her feigned professionalism while a sly smile appeared on her face. Since we had been coming here ever since junior year, Margaret, the head waitress, had come to know us quite well, and knew exactly what each of us wanted.
She hummed while looking at the three of us. "Milkshake, coffee, and..." She stopped for a second as she pursed her lips and averted her focus to Leila, rolling her eyes. "...vodka."
We instantly let out a laugh while Leila huffed, her face clearly showing her annoyance. "That was one time!" She groaned in an irritated manner, crossing her arms in front of her chest and leaning into her seat before mumbling under her breath. "Plus, it isn't like you actually took my suggestion, now did you?"
Margaret exhaled heartily as she smiled at us, sighing. "I knew everything I needed to know about you lot that day." She reminisced, eyeing us amusedly. "Nothing says 'different' quite like milkshake, coffee and vodka on one table."
She winked before writing the orders down and retreating into the kitchen, leaving the three of us chuckling behind her like little children. After a pause, Zoey resumed our conversation. "By the way, are we planning to go to Madison's?"
My brows furrowed as I eyed her in confusion. "She's keeping that this year?"
Leila rested her head on the table and groaned. "Man, isn't that girl tired of throwing a party on the first day of school every year?" She complained, "I mean, can't we just admit as a society that none of us enjoy going to school? And the event, therefore, requires no celebration?"
I chuckled at her reaction. "Yeah, but on the bright side, at least we have something to look forward to." I shrugged, mumbling a 'thank you' to Margaret as she arrived with a tray and kept our cups on the table. I almost bursted in laughter at the way Leila threw a disgusted look at the black coffee that had been brought to her. Nevertheless, she thanked Margaret with a dry smile as we continued to talk.
Zoey interjected next, her mood slightly dampened as she sipped on her cup of coffee. "Do we really need to go?" She sighed, fiddling with the handle of her cup with her fingers. "There are going to be a lot of people there, you know?"
Before I could answer, Leila's mood seemed to change very suddenly, a sly smile now apparent on her face. She raised her cup and brought it to her lips discreetly, whispering in my ear. "Yeah, and one of them seems to be coming straight to our table."
My brows furrowed as I turned my head in confusion to see what she was referring to, but my mouth broke into a smirk almost instantly as I saw Chase Foxx making his way over to our table, his gaze fixed solely on one person - Zoey.
"Hey there." He smiled, bending his face to Zoey's level as he stood beside her seat, his hands in his pockets.
Leila and I simpered as we observed her eyes widen, making it clear she had recognised the voice. Immediately, she got up from her seat and turned to face him.
"H-Hi." her tone instantly changed into a nervous one, her cheeks beginning to redden while she rubbed her arm with her hand. Leila and I witnessed the scene in front of us with complete amusement.
"We meet again," He remarked, a confident grin on his face as he walked closer to Zoey, chuckling when he saw her become even more flustered at his action. He forwarded his hand to her. "I forgot to introduce myself the last time, though. I'm Chase."
"Oh yeah, I know." Zoey blurted out within seconds as she shook his hand, her eyes immediately widening as she realised she had let the words slip.
Chase smiled slyly as he raised his brow. "Do you now?"
"I...I didn't mean it like that." She stammered, flinching slightly; I was sure she was mentally cursing herself. "I'm Zoey." She then said after a determined sigh, finally getting some semblance of a grip on herself.
"Well, Zoey, it's nice to see you're enjoying that book." He said, diverting his gaze to a book peeking out of Zoey's half-open bag, a small bookmark present in between the pages.
She turned her head back to see what he was referring to before retreating it. "Yeah, I love it." She said, her mouth morphing into a sweet smile as she seemed to get much more comfortable. "Thanks for the recommendation."
The golden boy of our school widened his smile as he bit his lip, still staring at Zoey while nodding.
"Yeah, I-"
"Yo Foxx, we're going to play, you want to join anytime soon?" A loud holler from the distant door made me avert my gaze to see a guy in a jersey and shorts calling onto Chase, a basketball tucked underneath his arm.
"I guess you need to go." Zoey chuckled nervously as she saw him too.
Chase sighed, his voice holding a hint of annoyance. "Yeah." He muttered under his breath, but suddenly his eyes lit up as he seemed to remember something.
"But I'll be seeing you tonight at Madison's, right?" He asked, his tone laced with hopefulness that he didn't care about concealing.
Zoey bit her lip, pausing for a few moments before nodding, "Yeah, of course."
I inwardly held in my desire to laugh at the way her previous doubt had vanished instantly.
"Great." A wide smile came on Chase's face as he backed away and took his leave, giving one last look to her before exiting through the door.
But Zoey seemed to be fixed in her position on the floor as if frozen, unable to move. Leila finally broke the silence by snapping her fingers. "Earth to Zoey?"
That seemed to bring her back as she shook her head and sat down in her seat hurriedly, trying to hide the bright red tint of her cheeks.
"Took you less than a second to say yes to him." I teased while sipping on my milkshake, to which she answered with solely two words:
"Shut up."
—
"See you tonight, then?" Leila asked me as we got ready to part our ways for home.
"Yeah, I'll meet you there." I nodded, giving her a smile as the two of them got onto their bus and speeded away.
I sighed as I began walking down the street, my feet skipping idly on the ground.
Despite the fact that Zoey, Leila and I had had a great time at the cafe, and that we were going to attend a probably amazing party tonight, I couldn't help but resent the fact that I got into a heated argument with Noah Carter right in the morning.
Even though his words probably shouldn't have scared me, I couldn't help but feel exactly that way as I remembered them. The fact was, Noah Carter wasn't one to give hollow warnings, and that was enough to make me question if, in fact, I would never see him again. Because something - something - told me there was more to come.
Shaking my head, I shook off these ridiculous and foolish thoughts from my mind as I quickened my pace, eager to reach home and find something to busy myself with.
And I would have to busy myself alright, because the party Madison was organising was definitely going to be very detailed; the event practically required that the guests wear over-the-top, extra stuff.
"It's none of his fucking business. Now get that through your head, Paul, before I have to make you."
The distant yet distinctly furious voice halted me right in my tracks as my feet stopped abruptly on the ground. A bulb clicked in my brain as I instantly recognised who it belonged to, making my heart beat about ten times faster and my mind reevaluate its psychic abilities.
There was something more to come after all.
-
Hey there,
I hope you're enjoying the story so far! I'm trying to update as much as possible, and even though the story may seem a bit slow right now, I promise things are about to get much more interesting (*rubs hands together maliciously*)
Please don't forget to vote and comment if you're enjoying it;)
Until next time,
Kiara❤️