Chapter 47 : Relationships, Revelations and Right Timings
Each second was nerve wracking. I paced down the isle of the storage room in the bakery, practicing on the loaves of bread of what I'd say when I actually saw Carter. Would he be furious about me leaving him in the back trunk of his enemies car? I know I would. Or would he be understanding, happy that I cared for his well being enough to not leave him at a party drunk and not in sane mind? Anything could have happened to him and Byron was probably not the only person who disliked him so maybe I did the guy a favor.
"I know you're probably angry, but I did it to help you. I couldn't just leave you there." I clutched the loaf of bread in my hand. "Why? You ask." I tapped the bread in my palm, "Maybe it's because I have feelings for you."
"I pretty much knew that a long time ago, Cerise." A voice startled me.
I quickly turned around and saw Aven leaning against the door frame. I placed a hand over my chest in relief.
"Never do that again, Aven." I shot a glare in his direction.
"So let me guess...you're practicing how to talk to Carter?"
I pushed my glasses up to my nose sheepishly and shrugged. "You hit the nail right on hammer. Congrats."
"Head." He said.
I frowned in confusion. "Come again."
Then he chuckled. "The expression is - "You hit the nail on the head. By the way, you never did tell me what happened that night after I left. So start talking."
"Hey, I don't talk on an empty stomach. You promised free pizza after my shift ended." I remind him, placing the bread back to it's original place.
"Jeesh, you're not one to forget about free food, are you?" He laughed and I walked over to him. We both exited the storage room and I locked it behind then slipped the keys into my pockets.
"Is Rita still here?" I asked. I had been practicing in the storage room at least fifteen minutes after Aven's invite and that was two or three hours ago.
"Should be." He muttered, trying to catch a glimpse into the kitchen."She was the one who let me in. She might be clocking out now." His eyes traced the room for a moment and he sighed dreamily "It feels different."
"What?" I ask as we both maneuver around the counter in order to get to the door.
"You guys closing so early. It's only seven and I mean you have security now. I can't even bring in my illegal drugs anymore."
I punch him in the shoulder while stifling a laugh as our new security Chuck glares at Aven.
"He's just kidding." I reassure the tall bald dark skinned man standing by the entrance. I roll down the sleeves of my sweater and shout Rita a quick goodbye just as we both exit the door. - wherever she may be. Chuck holding the door for me , but not for Aven behind who almost crashed into the glass frame.
"Security's strict." I chuckled as we make our way to Stephanie also known as his car that looked even shinier than the last time I saw it.
"And probably expensive too. Your mom could have just hired me." He said proudly with a flex of his left bicep.
"And what would you do? Offer to buy the burglars pizza? We all know you're all bark and no bite" I smile as I hop in the front seat.
"Okay, that was mean." He shot back childishly as he started the engine. "I bite every once and a while."
While driving I informed Aven on everything that happened between Byron, Carter and I. Not once mentioning Kelly though. I didn't want the awkward tension destroying the friendly new atmosphere. That was something we didn't need right now.
"So you literally tossed the dude in the trunk? Cerise, were you insane?" Aven exclaimed with eyes focused on the road.
"I know. It was risky."
"Risky isn't even close." Aven deadpan. "He could have practically suffocated. Ran out of oxygen."
"Do you want to criticize my bad past choices or hear the rest of the story?"
He shrugged his shoulders in surrender, "Fine fine, continue."
As so I did.
Then as we turned into the parking lot of the pizza eatery, he asked the same question for the ummteenth time.
"Wait wait wait. So you made out with a guy that you like while another guy that you like was in the trunk of the first guy that you like's car?" He asked as if the situation resembled a difficult math problem that he couldn't solve the answer to.
"I don't like Byron." I defended. "Remember - his dad may end up marrying my mom. It would never work out."
"So you want it to work out?" Aven rose a sly brow as he turned off the engine after finding the perfect parking spot.
"Those words never came out of my mouth." I shove an accusing finger at Aven's face.
He shakes his head, blue eyes stream with fun and hilarity. "I can never take you seriously." He laughs. "You're like a baby gecko with glasses and over sized sweater."
"Gee Aven, you really do know how to compliment a girl." I say sarcastically, tossing the passenger side door open just about ready to devour some plain cheese pizza.
Yes, I was a plain cheese pizza kind of girl.
He does the same and we make our way to the entrance. Only then; when I adjust my glasses on my face, I read the bright golden pizza shaped neon sign of the building.
Pizza Realms.
This is where Jace works - my mind says almost immediately. I remember our last encounter all too well. The paint, the laughing, the bonding, it felt like it all happened just yesterday.
Aven who was walking ahead of me noticed my abrupt stop and turned around. "First you force me into buying you pizza and now you're turning into stone on me. What gives, Brookes?"
I snapped out of my trance at his words. "Hey, you were the one who volunteered like Katniss and asked me to come along."
"Said the Hunger Games addict." He laughs and continues to walk ahead of me. I pick up my pace and we reach the door.
The sweet breeze of the air condition is the first to hit us when we enter. At the front counter, I see no sign of the bundle of fun and follow Aven whose first to grab us a table.
"I don't remember the last time I've eaten pizza." Aven says, skimming over the redundant menu in the center of the table real quick.
"Neither can I." I agree with a nod. My head circles around the room for Jace, but to no avail - I don't catch sight of him. It would be good to just tell him a simple hey...or just to see his face again. Maybe he just wasn't on his shift.
I returned all my focus back on our table and ordering. Aven pointed to something on the menu. He was trying to pronounce it, but failed miserably.
"Italians."I heard him mutter in anger after pouting and giving up on pronouncing.
"Have you found what you wanted yet?" I asked Aven.
"Yeah and I'm looking right at her." A familiar voice said.
I turned around to meet the well known face. It's Jace no doubt. Only this time he doesn't have his huge plush pizza hat on ruining his light brown hair that I enjoy seeing fall in his face when he laugh. It's adorable no doubt.
I barely realize I'm staring until Aven not so subtly kicks my leg beneath the table. I shoot him a glare for the foot ache that I've now been gifted, but he just responds by innocently drinking his coca cola.
"Hey, Jace. I didn't think I'd find you here." I said, only mentally facepalming seconds later.
His laugh mixed with cool awkwardness, "Uh, yeah. I don't work here at all. The uniform definitely didn't give that way." He replied with usual sarcasm.
I change the topic quickly. "Well this is Aven, he's a friend of Kelly's. I mean he's a friend of mine. A friend of mine and Kelly's." I say almost too uncomfortably.
"Jeesh, your boyfriend arrives and suddenly I'm just a friend of Kelly's." Aven adds half jokingly, getting up to go order to the counter. He's probably going to order whatever he wants.
I don't get all flustered and stutterish around Jace. Why was it so different now? Did the uniform have some effect? Maybe it was because of the time we had spent together before...
Then he got straight to the point.
"So we're having this dance to celebrate our winning for the Art Competition Saturday. It would be pretty awesome if you could do me the honor of accompanying me."
I blinked.
"But the winners of the art competition haven't even been announced yet. We haven't even turned in our entries. The deadline hasn't even ended yet. Why are you so sure that your school's going to win?"
He shrugged with hands in his pockets. "We win every year. To not think that would be a sin." He laughed.
I frowned. "But maybe this year might be different."
"Sure it might. If you're in it. But those losers have no chance without you. You're basically the only artist there. I've seen your school's work."
I had to admit. We were good, but no competition for our rivaling school - Jace's school. But then again that gave him no right to call them losers.
"Actually, how about we just hang out another time?" I said, wondering why his earlier words did such a number on me.
"Whoa whoa, did I do something or say something to offend you? I really didn't mean -"
"No." I stopped him, "I just have to help um, Byron out with something that day."
I quickly came up with an excuse and out of all thoughts it just had to include Byron.
Jace's face hardened a little at the mention of that name. Apparently Byron wasn't on a lot of people's good lists.
"Well maybe I'll see you at the football game." He smiled quickly, not allowing my excuse to unnerve him.
I nodded. "You will."
And with that he left. Aven came back the exact moment with a box of heaven in his hand.
"You ready to go?" He asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be."
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The next day at school I hurried to the school's empty gymnasium. It had became my second home. I was hellbent on practicing so I'd nail the game this Friday. Who knew that being a cheerleader would cause me so much anxiety and problems?
I ran to the center of the gym and did a somersault, but instead of landing on my feet perfectly I landed on my butt. I hissed from the brutal pain and laid there on the floor for a while. A sharp sting shot up my thigh. Staring at the ceiling the gym lights were half blinding me. I didn't wear any contacts and decided to go back to the old ways of wearing glasses. Glasses were who I am.
But now that I was practicing I had carefully placed them in my case that sat inside my gym bag on the bleachers. It felt as if my gym bag was mocking me. Next time I'd think twice before getting a bag with the huge smiling yellow happy face on it.
Still lying on the floor I turned my head to the side and watched as Ralph swept up some dirt near the far exit bleachers and dropped it in the bin next to him. I just wished he'd sweep me up and drop me inside along with it because I was about to make the biggest mistake out there going onto that field Friday.
"I can't stand to watch this train wreck anymore."
I instantly sat up at the sound of the voice, another sharp pain shooting up my back at the rapid movement.
It was the voice of the girl who probably stole candies from babies as a hobby or kicked old people in the knees when she felt like it.
Serena
"You're a joke." She got up off the bleachers and modeled down to where I lay on the gym floor. I hadn't even noticed her before. I was a hundred percent sure the gym only consisted of Ralph and I.
"So this is what you do now? Stalk me until I give you back your position on the team?" I bit my lip afterwards, surprised at myself that I had said those words. Was the pressure really getting to me that badly that I had to stoop to her level of insults?
"You're acting like you stole this spot from me, Cerise. If anything, you got lucky." Then she paused. "But I can't bare to see you fail tomorrow. You're going to make Lincoln Vale's cheer squad look like a complete joke. You're going to make it look like you."
That was the last straw. I couldn't take it anymore. Why was she so keen on ruining my life? Why did she hate me so much that she wanted to me suffer and die from total embarrassment?
"What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so much?"
The room dropped into a sea of silence. Ralph was in the midst of it all again, but this time he didn't stick around for the show.
She stared at me for a while and after what felt like forever she spoke, "I don't hate you. I don't hate anyone."
I gave her a confused look. "Then why do you bother? Aren't you tired of ruining people's lives?"
"Don't you get it?" She asked with a look redden with disgust. Her eyes now welling up with tears.
"You don't have to look pretty to have friends. Well not saying that you're ugly, but you know...You basically stole my boyfriend from underneath me just like that. And you didn't have to do a thing. You're smart. You get the best grades. You're talented."
I stood there dumbfounded.
"And then there's me. The girl that has to make everyone feel bad just so she can feel good about herself."
"Serena -" I started, guilt seeping in.
"Go tell everyone that Miss High and Mighty cried in the front of you. They'll never believe you. I don't even care if you do."
"I wouldn't." I said softly, "You're amazing too. You're beautiful, smarter than you lead on and you have an amazing head for leadership. When you first came here you had the entire school under your power. It was pretty amazing." I said almost exhaustively,"Only if you used it for good."
A ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of her lips, "Y' know,you're not that bad, glasses."
I rubbed my arm sheepishly because Carter was the only person who had ever called me by that nickname and to hear it from his ex girlfriend felt extremely weird.
"Thanks." I said with a more sincere smile.
Soon enough the sad aura of the room dispersed and the Serena that everyone else knew came back. She cleared her throat, brushed the tears away like dirt and pushed her hair to the side.
"So you ready to learn from the best?" She flashed me an academy award winning smile this time.
"Wait, what?" I said, filled with confusion.
"I know Bianca's new routine like the back of my hand. It's basic like her, but..it's good enough." She said which I guess counted as a compliment in her world. "I'll help you out at my place and I'm sure I can get some of the girls over this afternoon."
"Thank you so much, Serena. I- Wait, this afternoon?"
"That's what I said." She said in a slight duh tone. Noticing my hesitation she rose a brow. "This is serious, Cerise. The squad is depending on you. You can't let them down out there. I'm sure whatever it is it can wait."
Serena was right - Wow, I'd never thought I'd think those words.
I nodded.
She flashed me another smile in return then left.
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Hey guys! I'm truly sorry I took so long to update. If you want to know why then you can check out my message board where I posted about it. Hopefully there's three or four more chapters left before the book is completed and I would have answered all your unanswered questions. I just recently created an ask where you can feel free to hit me up with any questions and quotev account where you'll find some of my books that I may or may not post on Wattpad. You can check out the links on my profile.
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