Chapter Two: Hale Frances is a Jerk
"One more word about demand and supply and I'm going to hurl" Annie said rubbing her temples as we walked out of the classroom, taking our things with us. We were heading straight for the cafeteria.
After hours of hopping from class to class, it was finally time to have lunch, I could barely wait even though Susan, Annie and I had secretly shared Oreos at the back of the class during the lecture.
"I quite enjoy the subject" Susan said with a shrug.
"You slept through half of it" I pointed out.
"Hey I was just closing my eyes, I could hear everything clearly" She defended.
"How about we sit somewhere different for today? Looks like your boyfriend's table is full so..." Annie said with a shrug, taking a tray and getting in line.
"Aww, that's too bad!" Susan pouted before squinting at the popular tables and adjusting her glasses. "Who's the new guy? He's so fine."
"That's Hale's cousin, from New York" I said.
"I love his outfit." Susan sighed, dreamily.
"Black on black on black?" Annie asked, shooting a disgusted look over her shoulder.
"He looks so good, I could run my hands through that hair anytime, what's his name?" Susan continued anyways.
"Gosh Susan!" Annie groaned.
"Angelo" I said, "he's not really nice anyways"
"Just like every single person at that 'popular' table" Annie put in, making air quotes.
I took my tray that was full of food by now and left the line. "Hale is nice."
Annie only laughed, throwing her head back.
"Violet!" Hale's loud voice called from where he was seated and I turned to look. He waved us over to the table and we, including a reluctant Annie, went over.
"Get lost Lloyd, my girl needs to sit" Hale shooed one of the football guys away so I could sit next to him, rather, between him and Angelo.
"Hi Vi!" One of the several girls called, waving from the other side of the table. She looked so chic and glamorous.
"It's Violet" I said quietly so she couldn't hear but I waved back.
"Nice outfit" Another girl said. "Nerd." She added quietly and they all giggled like they were sharing an inside joke. Great, they were mocking me.
I only realized that Annie and Susan hadn't gotten seats a bit too late. I caught a glimpse of them walking away to find somewhere else to stay.
"What about my friends?" I asked Hale who looked down at me with a smile.
"There's no room for them here, they can find somewhere else to stay"
"Can't you make room?"
"And chase my friends away? Hell no. If you have a problem with it, you can just leave" He said calmly.
I stared at him for a second, actually considering it. "I- I'm fine here" I finally said, but he'd already turned away to toss an apple at a guy with glasses.
"You realize this table is for wannabes, right?" Angelo said quietly next to me before taking a bite of his beef burger.
"You're here too" I murmured, staring down at my plate and fidgeting with my fingers.
"You realise if I try real hard I can actually hear you, Squeaky?" He said, giving me a sly, side look.
I turned to frown at him just as Hale grabbed my waist from my other side, laughing loudly at something someone said.
With a wince, I tried to pry his fingers away but he kept coming back. Sighing in resignation, I picked at the diced apples in my tray.
Lunch went by slowly and I kept casting longing glances at Annie and Susan.
They were near the window, having fresh air which was scarce here.
The guys were so noisy, jeering at people passing by, calling girls names and calling a freshman over just so they could trip him.
They'd been doing this everyday for a long time so it was nothing new.
I finally got to breathe when the bell went off, by that time, my fingers were raw from endless biting and picking at them.
Taking my sweet time, I watched my food slowly slide out the tray and into the trash can hoping Hale would get impatient and leave me behind.
"So you see it or you don't see it?" Angelo's voice suddenly asked from behind me, startling me badly so that my whole tray went into the bin.
"See what?" I snapped unintentionally and his eyebrows raised in an impressed way.
"Not so squeaky when you're mad huh?" Angelo asked, "but I'm guessing you don't see it"
"See what?" I asked in a much calmer tone. He nodded at something behind me and I turned to look just in time to see Hale shove a shorter guy super hard into the wall.
"Hale Frances is a jerk" Angelo said calmly. "So what's a girl like you doing with a guy like him?"
I glared at Angelo. "He's your cousin, how can you say that about him?" I asked "and I'm his girlfriend, remember?"
"So you're gonna tell him I think he's an idiotic spoiled brat?" He deadpanned.
I was about to open my mouth to speak when a pair of strong arms wrapped around me from behind.
"Looks like you're very well aquatinted with my girl now?" Hale asked, kissing my cheek while I glared at Angelo who squared his shoulders and stared down at us with something close to "eww".
"So what do you think?" Hale asked.
"You were right, she's a keeper. You got yourself a good one, Cuz." Angelo said through his teeth.
The smile on Hale's face was happy and proud.
"You don't need approval from him" I said, throwing a glance Angelo's way.
Hale only laughed like I said something funny and held out his elbow for me.
"Come on, we've got the next class together"
I took his arm with a warm smile "Let's go" I said, not bothering to look at Angelo once more.
He was just a trouble maker. Hale was perfect for me... to me, I mean.
→_→→_→
"Sorry about yesterday honey, I had this thing..." Mom said from the other end of the line.
"It's fine mom, I understand, we can hang out today?" I said, holding my hair up in a ponytail and putting the band in place.
"Oh, today can't work, I have a meeting tonight" She said and I facepalmed as I suddenly remembered.
"I have a meeting too!" I said, "well it's more like uh... dinner at the Frances's"
"You're still dating that Frances boy Haylor or what's his name?"
"Hale, mom" I chuckled, playing with the airplane figurine on my table.
"You crushed on him for years before he finally opened his eyes" She sighed and I blushed.
"I know, aren't I lucky?"
"Listen, I have to go now, Violet. Sorry to break this up"
"That's fine, that's cool but don't forget, you...!" Before I could finish my sentence, the line went dead.
I put off the phone screen and replaced the figurine.
Moo meowed and hopped onto my table to knock the airplane to the floor.
"Exactly, she promised we'll see all these places together" I said, running my hand down Moo's black and white fur. "Egypt, Paris, Greece and Rome, You'd be there too with your own matching T-shirt..."
"Violet, I'm making bacon, you in?" Dad called from the kitchen.
He didn't even have to yell it because my nose was working overtime.
I wasn't even close to running late so I shook off my slightly melancholic feeling and made my way downstairs with Moo and all my things.
"Count me in Dad!" I called and went outside.
After I put all my things in the car, I made my way back into the kitchen to have breakfast.
"I could have sworn you'd refuse" Dad said, laying out food for three.
The wet food wasn't for either of us, don't worry.
"You made breakfast, I would've regretted missing it" I said, stabbing a piece of bacon as I took a seat.
"Rawrrrr-!" Moo yowled and jumped off the floor and onto the table, but I caught her in my arms before she could reach her food.
"Patience, girl" Dad said and put her food on the floor with a chuckle and she nearly tumbled out of my arms, trying to get back down.
"She acts like we starve her sometimes" I gushed and went back to eating.
"What? That's crazy" Dad laughed airily and I gave him a pointed look.
"Oh come on, you know I feed her" Dad reassured me.
"Thank you" I said and went back to my food.
After a very enjoyable breakfast, I made the usual cup of coffee for Hale, making sure it was just how he liked it and set off for school.
I found Hale in the hallway without his usual entourage today but simply waiting next to Angelo who was busy in his locker.
Hale was talking nonstop about something, "...And then I won the next bet and took all of their money, right, so...."
Angelo closed his locker and faced away from Hale just so he could roll his eyes. But they landed on me as I approached them, instantly sizing me up.
I ignored the uneasy feeling I got from him scrutinizing me and turned to Hale. Oh boy, he wasn't smiling.
"You're late," he said, looking down at me with folded arms.
"The bell hasn't gone yet, Hale" I said quietly, and held out the cup to him. "I didn't want to skip breakfast today" I added, doing a double take at Angelo who was leaning on the lockers, watching. His eyes were really striking.
"I skip breakfast everyday to get here on time" Hale pointed out. Please, it was only because he was prone to stomach aches.
"One of the reasons I regret coming to your house" Angelo cut in quietly, unwrapping a sandwich.
"And what did you have for breakfast?" Hale continued like his cousin hadn't spoken.
"Um...bacon, sausages and eggs...wh..?"
"Isn't that a bit too much?"
Angelo paused mid-chew.
"You don't need that much fat" Hale said pointing at my stomach which I surreptitiously covered with my arms.
"And you don't need so much coffee" I whispered, looking down.
"I didn't hear you" Hale said and I shook my head. "Damn, speak up, that mumbling thing you do is getting old"
I opened my mouth to say something but closed it wordlessly over and over, successfully looking like a gaping fish.
"Didn't you say you had to have a talk with the coach before classes today?" Angelo asked Hale who looked up at him with a frown.
"No?" Hale replied, slightly confused.
"Dude, you better hurry before you lose something important" Angelo said in mock concern.
"Like you think he'll put me on the team?" Hale asked, already looking hopeful.
"Sure, get outta here" Angelo nodded, taking another bite and we watched Hale race down the hall and give the finger to the protesting people he nearly pushed over.
"How rude!" Someone called and I sighed, looking away in embarrassment.
"Thank you" I said to Angelo.
"How do you repay me, kid?" He asked, not missing a beat.
"D... I...uh.." I stammered, not expecting that question but he simply took the thermal cup out of my hand and waved it at me with raised eyebrows.
My goodness, he had a resting sarcastic face if there ever was one.
"I'm fine with this, small fry" he said and took a long sip.
I tried not to stare at him as I waited, rocking listlessly on my feet. Then he noticed me still waiting there.
"Well what do you think?" I asked.
"The drink?" He asked. "It's really good."
"Really?" I grinned.
"Let me guess, Hale never told you that before" He said, stuffing his free hand into his pocket.
"Yes he has!" I lied without thinking.
"You're loyal to a fault, Squeaky, I'm impressed" Angelo nodded in approval, "mostly disgusted that you'd stick up for that idiot but impressed still"
"You know what, if you want to talk trash about my boyfriend, I don't think you can have his drink" I said and snatched the cup out of his grasp.
"Hey!" He protested in alarm like I was taking his life source away. "Wait, that's mine."
"Nope," I said and took a sip "it's mine now."
"I don't see how that's fair." Angelo said dryly.
Then he pointed at something behind me, "Friends of yours?"
I turned around to see Annie and Susan walking towards me.
"Yeah. Hi guys" I said, waving before quickly turning to Angelo to give him back the coffee.
"Maybe we could share next time"
"I hate sharing"
"Then get your own coffee!" I whispered loud enough for him to hear before turning around, nearly missing the amused look in his eyes.
~UwU~
What kind of a person do you think Angelo is?
Any expectations for what the rest of this story is gonna be like?
Also, please click on that little star! That would be much appreciated 😄🎈
Rhodes.