Chapter Forty-six: Unpleasant Surprises.
Oh, this was not good. Susan was going to blow this out of proportion!
"Shh! You're gonna cause a scene!" I whispered but it was too late.
"Dating?! No!" A girl wailed from somewhere behind me and I turned to Angelo with a glare.
"Let's leave the murder plotting for after we leave here intact, shall we?" Angelo said and took my hand to leave but a crowd had already gathered and everyone. Had. Their phones. Out.
"Violet Adams, is it true you're dating Angelo Frances-Sullivan?"
"He's out of your league!"
"Congratulations, you guys, I've been following your love story since the very beginning...!"
"Angelo, marry me! I'm so much better!"
"AAAH! I'M GOING TO BE AN AUNTIE!"
That one was from Susan, she was the loudest voice.
"Oh my goodness I'm so excited I'm gonna-!"
Hurl.
That was exactly what she did, into the nearest trash can but a little bit on the floor so some people jumped out of the way.
"Eww! Watch it!"
"That works." Angelo said and skipped over the vomit, pulling me right along.
"Sorry Susan, it's life and death!" I called.
"I'm fine!" Susan replied still doubled over.
"Hey, look they're getting away!" Someone screamed. "After them!"
I don't know how Angelo did it, but he managed to get us safely in first period class before anyone realized where we'd gone, and by the sound of the bell too.
"Looks like this is me." Jason McGuire said as we came in and got up from beside Annie who also had English first period with us. I guessed he was just spending time before classes started. "Hey guys."
I took my seat which was behind Angelo's and waved at Annie.
"Hey."
"Girl, you look amazing." Annie gushed, shutting her book. "You actually got a wolf cut? It's perfect! Ohh let me see your nails up close."
I was going to show her, and pretend everything was normal but Jason frowned in confusion as his phone started buzzing with so many notifications. Actually, every phone in the class was getting multiples of them!
"Ugh, this is not how I wanted this to go." I said, massaging my temples.
"Uh... why's everyone saying you two are dating?" Jason raised his phone with a chuckle.
I noticed the people at the front whispering and looking back at us.
"I can feel you glaring through my skull." Angelo deadpanned from the seat in front of mine before turning sideways to look at me. "It's unsettling."
"Oh I'll show you unsettling." I narrowed my eyes.
"I'm not to blame if people in this school can't react normally to surprising news, darling." Angelo shrugged.
"Holy- You guys are really dating?" Annie blurted before adding thoughtfully, "Can't believe you actually went through with it."
Angelo gestured to her while looking at me. "Normal."
"Not so fast." I held up a finger and pointed at Annie.
"Wait a minute, why am I hearing this from social media?" Annie asked before leaning forward in her seat to frown at me, "When did this happen, was it today? You never even told me about your date on Friday...!"
"Technically, that's not really on me." Angelo pointed out.
"Whatever, you're still Angelo Frances-Sullivan though, you're a much bigger deal than you think." I said, busying myself by taking out my textbook from my bag and placing it on the table so I wouldn't think about how much of a problem that might be.
But I had to look up when he covered the book with his hand and pulled it away from me, his silver rings catching the light.
"What's that?" He asked quietly, his eyes searching my face.
"What's what?" I mumbled.
"You know what I mean."
Unfortunately, I couldn't deny that so I huffed and leaned back in my seat before folding my arms. "Okay so what if I'm a little... worried about how all this might play out?"
"Why would you be worried?" He asked, genuinely perplexed.
Some kid in front of the class butted in "I won't go on social media for a few days if I were you, Violet Adams." He said.
"Thanks." I said, tapping into some of Angelo's sarcasm. "Does that answer your question?"
"I still want my answers!" Annie cut in and I sighed.
"Funny how no one actually managed a good, clear shot." Jason said, scrolling though his phone. "Watch out, once they get one, you might be on a newspaper or something, isn't that cool? My guy just filled me in and the Press wants in on this."
That wasn't 'cool', that was... heavy!
"The Press. That explains a lot." Angelo murmured.
Leaning forward in my seat, practically gripping the table, I whispered. "What do you mean by that? Why exactly are you getting this much attention?"
Angelo grimaced before casting a look around. "This is hardly the best place to talk about that, Letty." He replied in the same volume.
I took a deep, mind clearing breath and thought of the best way to handle this as I watched at him.
I really, really wanted to be in his head at the moment.
"Alright." I said quietly, "But after school, I'm getting the full details, you have to promise me."
"I promise." Angelo whispered, covering my hand with his. "Gracias, mi amor."
"Now would be a good time to suddenly develop lip reading skills." I heard Annie say to her boyfriend.
The teacher finally walked in, apologizing profusely for lateness which was due to trying to disperse the crowd in the hallways and Jason left for his first period class.
The more people filed in, the more I wanted to shrink into my seat. It felt all I had to do was look at them and I'd know exactly who thought I was a gold digger, or a nobody who got random luck, or...worse!
The feeling got even worse when we all had to go our separate ways for other classes.
Everytime someone whispered during the lecture, I was sure it was about me.
I could only take so much.
"Sir, can I please have a hall pass? I need to use the restroom." I asked the physics teacher at his desk.
"What? Want to go touch up your make up or so? Or is it to add an extra layer of nail polish?" The man asked, looking up from the textbook he was going through.
I frowned. Did he think I was Cassandra or something?
"You kids are always finding a way to dodge class." He added and I could hear the whispers grow behind me.
"Um, sir, it's me, I'm literally one of the honor roll students." I explained and after a moment, I could see the look of recognition on his face.
"Miss Adams? I can barely recognize you, take your pass and go." The teacher said, dismissively.
I did, silently. Confused.
The hallways were empty as I'd hoped and I couldn't stop thinking about if this day would get any weirder.
"Ugh, I can't believe I used to rate her." I heard a snarky voice say as they rounded the corner.
Before I could match the voice to a face, Tina Duke and Emily Turner appeared before me and I awkwardly shifted to the wall so they could pass.
"Watch it." Tina snarled, her long black hair swaying around her as she suddenly screeched to a stop.
I floundered to speak, "Uh...sor-"
"Tut! Zip it! Just because we spent a few hours at your house doesn't mean you can talk to us, and neither does being Angelo's girlfriend because you'll only last a week tops." Tina flipped her hair and kept walking while Emily gave me a little wave.
"Oh, and?" Tina paused and turned to give me a once over with those condescending eyes of hers. "You look like a wannabe and a try-hard, it's not a good look for you."
I couldn't even think of a clap back, I just stumbled into the bathroom right around the corner thinking the worst of it was over.
But there on the bench near the wall, Cassandra Manuel sat in regular jeans, sneakers and a top, humming as she tapped away at her tablet.
I nearly turned back around. "Dammit. Give me a break." I hissed, rubbing under my eyes.
She didn't move so I went to the sink to just keep busy by washing my hands. I didn't actually want to use the bathroom.
A wary eye of mine kept going to Cassandra who wasn't doing anything, just sitting there, playing some kind of video game.
Today was very odd.
"I wonder what's got you in a panic." She finally said and looked up at me. "Two hours into fame and you already look like you want to collapse in on yourself, are you cosplaying as a flip phone?"
Looking back at the mirror, I quickly straightened up. I didn't realize I was slouching so much.
"How sad is that?" She scoffed, tapping some more.
"I'm not the one sitting alone in the school bathroom like a social reject." I said before something just clicked. "Wait, don't tell me you got dumped by your own cronies."
"Guess you bumped into them on your way in." Cassandra said, giving me a sarcastic smile. "Were they nice?"
I rolled my eyes. "Look, I don't have the strength to deal with you right now.
I just want to go through my crap in silence, okay?"
"Oh, your crap, I wonder what you're going though. Did your father randomly cut you off because he decided one day that you were so spoiled you would surely end up being useless?" Cassandra asked and it was like everything fell into place.
"That's... outrageous." I said and I realized this what what I was looking for, her problem. Now I had to find out how to stop making it mine as well. "That does explain a lot too."
"Doesn't it." She said dryly and went on with her game.
"That doesn't really mean I can't have my issues you know?" I said, gesturing to myself.
Cassandra groaned and rolled her eyes. "Ugh, what is your problem?" She asked, putting her tab aside.
"What? Are you the only one with the rights to be depre-?"
"No I mean what is your problem? Why are you exercising your 'depression rights'?" She made air quotes.
I turned back to the mirror, "It's not really your business, but... this whole development with suddenly having all eyes on me is... making me anxious."
"Low self esteem. Got it." Cassandra snorted and got up.
I shook my head, "You're still as vain as ever, huh?" It was both a compliment and an insult.
"Is it vanity? Or is it just self respect? People only like to step on flat surfaces, Adams." Cassandra looked in the mirror and tucked stray hairs from her messy bun behind her ear. "I never slouch, no matter how bad it gets. Why do you think I look good in everything and anything I wear?"
"Never?" I raised a brow, "what do you have to say about last week?"
Her cheeks stained with red. "Last week was an exception!" She said tightly, before sighing. "Don't know what you see in that scary boyfriend of yours anyway."
"Scary?" I nearly laughed. Angelo, my sweet, goldie-locked angel who liked the baby ducks on my PJs? I never had a reason to consider him scary. "Maybe if you stop antagonizing him, he won't look that way."
"The first time he talked to me, he practically called me a slut!"
"You threatened to cause me physical harm!"
She paused. "It was an empty threat."
"If you say so." I shrugged, giving her a side look.
Then I looked back at my reflection thoughtfully and straightened my posture some more before adjusting my pretty lilac top. It had flowers all over the material.
"Where are your jeans from?" Cassandra asked, applying some lipgloss.
"Francine Noir." I replied, fluffing up my hair. Wow, I actually looked so good.
"Nice."
"Thanks, just got 'em."
On her way out, she paused at the door. "I may be cut off but I can still do some charity." She said like I was the one taking up all her important time.
"Everyone wants to be you right now, so they'd rather snarl and make fun than be happy for you, just know that those people deserve every insult you could possibly throw at their green faces."
I blinked. "Okay... who asked?"
Cassandra threw her head back with a single laugh and shut the door behind her.
I looked back at my reflection, trying not to giggle.
ʕっ•ᴥ•ʔっ
Things didn't miraculously get better now that I had a boost of motivation. I still had to deal with a trio of whispering girls on the queue for food.
Ten guesses who they were talking about.
"Is there a problem?" I finally snapped, turning to face them.
Two of them stepped back in surprise at my unexpected outburst but the one in front of them didn't seem to notice.
"Yes, actually." She said, defiantly. "How do you feel after driving cousins apart? You're a home-wrecking skank."
I gave her a look up and down. "That's still much more than.... whatever you are." I gestured to her being. "You seem like you need help, how about some tips on how to get a life!?"
"Oh my God, Jenna." One of her friends said, pulling her back as her jaw practically dropped. "Why did you upset her?"
"Don't mind our friend Violet, she has a running mouth sometimes." The other one apologized and I instantly felt bad. They were so nice and I basically just called that girl worthless and-
Firming my resolve, I flipped my hair and turned back around. The few people in front of me that noticed the whole display immediately stopped staring.
"Violet? What was that?" I heard Susan and Annie's voices before I saw them and they bombarded me with hugs.
"That was so cool."
"Hi guys!" I said, relieved. "Perfect timing, all the toxicity here was about to make me lose my appetite."
"Well, we can't have that." A guy said from in front of us and his buddies nodded in agreement. "You beautiful ladies want to go in front of us?"
I shuffled my feet. "Oh thank you but- oof!"
Susan jabbed me in the gut. "I mean yes, thank you, you're an angel."
"This is to build your rep with the student body!" Susan whispered as we got our food and went to the 'vip table' which was actually a thing people didn't find weird anymore.
"Why would she need to do that?" Annie asked, raising a brow.
"Uh... Hello? Violet's queen bee now!" Susan cheered. "So exciting, maybe I'll get a turn before graduation! Though that might be a challenge since I'd have to find a dude better than Angelo..."
I dared a look at Annie and she did not look that hot about the new info.
"It's not confirmed. People don't really care about Angelo like that, funny thing, people actually think he's..."
My voice trailed off when we got to the table and there were a bunch of girls in the seats around my man. "...scary..."
"Oh and Angelo, if you and Hale are cousins, why aren't you British too?" One girl asked, staring up at him with her chin propped on her hands.
"Oh my goodness, Sandra, you can't just ask someone why they're not British!" That was Tina Duke and she was shifting her chair closer to Angelo's side.
"The hell?" Annie asked and I realized Hunter and Jason were there too.
"They're more relentless than we thought." Hunter explained.
"Great, you're finally here." Angelo said, grabbing a bottle of water from the table as he made to stand.
"Oh no, no." I waved them down and we placed our trays on the table. "You don't have to get up."
"Just what I was thinking." Susan cracked her knuckles.
"Things just might get interesting." Jason raised a brow with a grin.
Emily Turner flinched the moment my eyes landed on her and she slowly got up. "Uhh... I think I'll just... Yeah."
Tina didn't move when I asked her to.
"I'd rather not." She smirked, and reached for Angelo's hair just for him to swat it away while tapping his phone. "Are you afraid I'll steal your boyfriend?"
I chuckled, she was so desperate. "I would be if he had poor taste in girls."
"Damn." Hunter snorted, sharing a look with Jason who then looked up in surprise when Annie plopped onto his lap and stared at the girl named Sandra on the next seat.
"Oh sorry, did you want to sit here?" She asked and the girl scoffed and left.
"Haha, very funny." Tina rolled her eyes before gesturing at me. "You think just because you've played dress up, you're better than me?"
"I don't have to play dress up to be better than you." I said pointedly. "I don't have to do anything to be better than you, I simply am. Now I just need you to get up with the rest of your dignity and leave before you lose it. This isn't your turf."
She clenched her fists and growled, "You gutsy, little rat-"
The moment she jumped up, a collective gasp travelled through the air as her hair slid off her head.
Tina gasped.
Annie screamed.
Jason got up and walked away.
Angelo let the rest of the wig slip through his fingers without even looking up from his phone. "Oops."
"NO!" Susan gasped and covered her mouth with both hands, tears streaming down her face.
Tina was gob-smacked as she wordlessly ran off crying, leaving my friends to battle fits of laughter.
"I CAN'T BREATHE!" Hunter cackled from the floor.
"Angelo you're a MENACE!" Jason yelled, walking back, nearly falling over with laughter.
I was still in a state of open mouthed shock. "What just happened?"
Annie and Hunter had to practically crawl back into their seats, clutching their bellies. While Susan in laughter tears, grabbed the wig off the floor and showed it to the rest of the cafeteria who at this point were roaring with laughter.
"Let this be a sign-!" She shouted, laughter mingling with her voice. "To not mess with... Oh my God I can't..."
Fighting giggles, I covered my mouth with my hands, though a few snorts escaped, and I slipped into the seat next to Angelo.
"Ugh, I feel horrible for laughing!" I told him but still went into a fit anyways.
Even he couldn't seem to hold back a smile.
Annie fanned her face and wiped tears, "Ooh! Please! Someone tell me they got that on video."
"Trust that I did." A girl with pigtails said, holding up her phone. I didn't realize Manon was with us the entire time.
Susan squealed and ran to her, "Send that to me I beg you!"
"Sure!" Manon grinned and I looked to Hunter who was watching their whole interaction with hopeful interest.
"You handled that well." Angelo said to me and I smiled up at him.
"I did?" I asked and dragged my food tray to myself. The food was cold now. "I'm not the one who figured out that wasn't her actual hair. That was iconic, by the way."
"Yeah, well you were perfect. I like this side of you." Angelo said and I was about to tell him how I didn't fancy the adrenaline rush when my eyes went to Susan and Manon again.
"Who are you anyways?" Susan asked her with a smile.
Manon cast a look at Hunter who sank lower into his seat with a subtle shake of his head.
I frowned as Manon got up with an annoyed sigh. "Absolutely nobody." She told Susan as she left.
"That was weird." Susan said after a while with a confused chuckle. "And why are you all glaring at my brother?"
ᕦʕ •ᴥ• ʔᕤ
I'd always known gossip spread like wildfire but I'd never had a reason to be concerned about that until the past few months.
Guess it was another thing about the Angie-effect because every single person in the school knew about what happened at lunch. There were different variations of course but in most of them, I was this sort of badass queen which was outrageous because I'd barely done anything to Tina.
People loved stories, I just didn't want to be in them, but I don't think luck liked me much.
"Do you guys want to meet up at the restaurant from here?" Hunter asked as we stood in the parking lot after school.
"Violet's working, genius." Annie said, putting her bike in Jason's trunk.
"Oh yeah, well what about karaoke?" Hunter asked, before adding quietly, "I'm just in desperate need of a distraction this evening..."
"Violet's still working," Susan nodded.
"You guys can go wherever, it's nothing." I said, searching my bag to see if all my assignments were intact. "I have a lot to do anyways."
"That sucks! We're supposed to be celebrating your populari- I mean your relationship," Susan gestured to me and Angelo. "Which we're all really happy about, have you seen my blog? My followers multiplied!"
I sighed and looked at Angelo. "Can you wait for me a minute? I think I left my calculus assignment in class."
"Of course." He said, looking up from his phone. "I can check for you if you want..."
"I'm halfway there!" I called, jogging to the school building.
The calculus class was practically at the other side of the school though, so no I wasn't.
"Any time now." I sighed, thinking about when today was finally going to end.
"Hi Violet!" A group of girls I did not know talking right outside the classroom door greeted cheerfully, and I forced a smile onto my lips.
"Hey, girls." I waved simply, hoping they'd buzz off. They didn't.
"You were so cool today!"
"You and Angelo make such a perfect couple."
"I ship you both so hard!"
The girl who said the last statement had called me a nasty word earlier today but okay.
"You guys are sweet." I said with another smile and walked around them to the door. "One minute please, I just need to get to the..."
The words died in my throat when a male figure I really, really didn't want to see stepped out of the classroom with my book in his hands.
"I had a feeling you might be back for this." Hale Frances said with a smile that drained the blood from my face.
"Hello, Violet, it's been a minute."
To be continued...
This might be it for a while. Gotta do some chemistry.a