This story is dedicated to PeguinGirl101 for being my first friend here on Wattpad. Thanks, by the way. ^^
Hey guys ! Here's chapter 5....i think this chappie's a bit longer than the rest and that's why my fingers are aching at the moment. Anyways...
ENJOY!
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Chapter Five:
"Ugh! When is this day going to end?" I whined at Victor. We were waiting for Tori, in the hallway, beside my locker, just before sixth period, which was Advanced Placement English.
“In four hours and thirty seconds,” he said, looking down at his silver watch. “Countdown begins now: Thirty…twenty-nine…twenty-eight…tick-tock-tick-tock.”
I giggled at his weirdness and leaned back on the lockers. I felt my phone vibrate in my back pocket. I pulled it out and glanced at the sender. It was from Tori.
‘Sori. Cant b there. Mr. H wants me 2 help him wid something. Meet you at his classroom.’
I sent back that we were okay. I then turned to Victor and said, “She’s ahead of us. Lets get moving.”
He nodded and we began making our way to the sixth period classroom. It took us five minutes to reach it though, but it would have been longer if Victor hadn’t been shoving kids here and there. I know it isn't nice but hey, we have classes to attend to.
When we reached the classroom, Mr. Harrington--Mr. H--was already talking and his face showed excitement. The thirty-year old teacher was wearing a brown blazer that looked really worn out after all the years of teaching. He had this twinkle in his smart blue eyes, which instantly told me he was planning something.
Mr. H nodded at us and we went straight to the two remaining seats in the classroom. I got the one beside Tori while Victor took the empty one at the back. I didn’t bother to look who he was seating with because it didn’t matter.
Mr. H began taking again and this time I listened.
“Now, kids. As I have said, we are going to have a role-play on the two books I have assigned you to read. Romeo and Juliet and Pride and Prejudice. I am going to pair you off with a partner and both of you should work together to bring together a wonderful show.”
“What does the winner get?” Sandra Lenner, captain of Riverdale’s cheerleaders, asked.
“An exemption on the first quiz we have.” The class started murmuring in approval. Getting perfect in a quiz can score big points in the grade.
“Okay,” Mr. H said with a small smile. “Lets have it like this. First group will perform Romeo and Juliet on Thursday while the rest will perform the second book on Friday. Listen very carefully as I will only say your names once.”
I bounced on my seat in anticipation. Please let mine be Victor. Please let mine be Victor. It's not like I like him or anything, it's just he is the most comfortable guy I can be with. I'm not really that big on talking to other people.
“Fletcher…Jones.” A gasped escaped Tori’s lips.
“Oh, God.” she whispered. That means Victor's out. Dang.
Mr. H continued. “Sparks…Gray.”
Now the gasps from everyone were audible. I felt the whole class staring at me and I sank lower in my seat. My eyes bulged and I felt my stomach roll. Did it seriously have to be him? Of all the boys in this class, did it really have to be him?
I twisted in my seat to look at Nate. He was sitting at the back in an I-am-popular-you-are-not position. He looked up from his paper and caught my eye. Uncharacteristically, he winked and I felt my heart skip a beat. I moved my eyes to the person next to him and almost fell off my chair. It was Victor! If I hadn’t been quick enough to grab the empty one beside Tori, I would have ended up being beside him.
I gulped and faced front again. Mr. H was still reading his list but I wasn’t listening. Instead, I muttered to Tori, “Did it really have to be him?”
“Why? Is there something wrong with Nate?” she whispered back.
“No…” then I had this sudden urge to tell her what happened for the past few days. Should I tell her? Yes, I should. I really needed someone to talk to about boys. “But there was this incident…” then I took off in a quick and short story of what went off between Nate and I.
When I finish my little tale, Mr. H too ended pairing us up. He looked at all of us and said, “Okay, guys. Go to your partners now and plan for your script and how you are going to impress me by next week. Remember, exemption in the first quiz is a lot of points. Oh, and I need your script by Friday.”
Chairs squealed as they grazed upon the cemented floor. A finger poked my shoulder and I looked up only to see Victor. I knew what that meant so I stood up. He took the seat faster than you can say ‘yes’.
I timidly walked towards the back. God, this meant we were going to be spending so much time together. Great. Note the sarcasm?
I sat down and heard him move closer to me.
“So,” he began but then he stopped, not knowing what to say.
“Yeah?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Do you know what to do?”
“No.”
“Have you thought of the script?”
“Nope. I haven’t read the book yet.” A nervous laugh came out of me.
“Well, I did hear the plot.” He scratched his head and inched closer to me.
“You know? How?"
“Yeah, I guess…I heard it from To—“He stopped himself from revealing too much. He righted himself and continued. “How ‘bout you come to my house later and we both think of the script?”
His house? Did I hear him correctly? Did he really just invite me to his house? Oh my gosh. I really must be hallucinating. I pinched myself just to confirm the hallucinating theory. Nope. I am in the real world.
I looked him in the eye and said, “I don’t know where you live.”
“Meet me in the parking lot when school ends.” Then he bit his lip and scrunched up his eyebrows.
I nodded at him and was relieved that at least I haven’t made a complete fool of myself…yet. I pulled out my pen and notebook to begin doodling while Nate got his phone and began typing in a message to someone. I didn’t want to look in and read his mail. I wasn’t one for the curious type.
After my tenth doodle, Nate returned his phone back to his pocket and moved even closer to me. “You have some cool drawings, Leah.”
I knew this was just the introduction. Based on the shaky intake of breath and the hesitant look on his face, he was deciding something big. He was going to let it out any second now. Sometimes boys were just so predictable.
“Here it goes,” I was so correct! He would let it out. “I know you wont believe me and I know this would seem a bit impossible to you but all I want from you is your understanding and your patience. Just please don’t freak out, okay?”
I frowned at him but nodded. I don’t freak out that easily so this should be a piece of cake. Nate bit his bottom lip and said in such a rush that the words were almost inaudible. Almost. “Tori and I are cousins.
“What??!” I half-shrieked, half-whispered but it was still heard by the students on the nearby desks. They turned towards us with curious eyes and I saw Nate glare at them. They quickly got back to work, minding their own business. People are so annoying sometimes.
Nate got a hold of my sleeve and pulled me closer. “Shut it, will you?” He hissed in my ear.
I pulled my shirt back and arranged it. I shot him daggers and whispered, “Why? Its not like everybody knows about this. Sheesh!” The look on his face said the opposite of what I just stated. A sudden realization hit me. “Nobody knows?”
He nodded solemnly. Wow and I thought I wouldn’t be caught acting like a fool. Gosh! “Are you guys living together?”
He nodded again. Say what? “Then why haven’t I seen you in all the times I’ve been there?”
“A lot of reasons: piano lessons, swimming practice, part-time job, errands. Like I said, a lot.”
“Oh,” I tugged on a loose thread on my jeans. “Since you came here during the sixth grade, does this mean you’ve been living with Tori ever since?”
Laughter interrupted Nate’s answer. I looked towards the source of the noise and saw Tori jabbing at Victor’s hips, his weakness. She laughed happily as Victor admitted she was the winner. I rolled my eyes at them and went back to Nate. He, too, was looking at them in a fond kind of gesture. Come to think of it, they did have some resemblance. It wasn’t obvious but it was still there.
They both had fair skin—duh—the same shade of blue in their eyes, and the shape of their nose and jaw. I smiled at him as he turned back to me. He answered my question with a smile.
Nate grabbed my notebook with the doodles and sketches on it and began looking at them. His eyes landed on a particularly big one. It was of a hand holding a silver ball. He frowned and turned to me, asking, “Where’d you see this?”
I shrugged. “In a dream.”
“Oh.”
Things were quiet for a while. He returned my notebook and I began sketching in it again. As I sketched, a question came to my mind. “Nate,” he looked at me with those gorgeous blue eyes that were almost like his cousin’s. “Why’d you move in with Tori?”
He hesitated for a moment then took a deep breath. “My dad died five years ago in a car crash. My mom survived it…but after that, she couldn’t pay the bills and my education at the same time so Aunt Carmel, Tori’s mom, took us in. And I’m sure you know the news about Tori’s dad.”
“Yeah, I do.” I sighed. Mr. Fletcher left Tori and her mom about six years ago to study a certain animal—he was a zoologist—that was in South America. A few months later, they received news that he died after being trapped in a cave for a week with no supplies whatsoever since day one. It was pretty hard for Tori after hearing it.
“And this is how it turned out.” Nate chuckled but it died quickly. I nodded then went back to drawing. It was quiet between us again. I tapped my pen on my notebook, waiting for the time to pass and to think of something inspiring for me to draw. So far, there was none. “Did you know my mom and Aunt Carmel are identical twins?” He said all of a sudden.
“Really?” My eyebrows shot up.
“Yeah. It was confusing at first. Especially when they wore the same color of shirt. Tori and I would really mix up their names and would end up giving the wrong things to the wrong person. Those were the times.” He sighed a bit wistfully. “Now that they are so busy, we hardly see them in the house. That’s why I leave the place as much as possible. And that is why you never see me whenever you came over. Or at least one of the reasons.”
“Oh.” Just then the bell rang for lunch. Thank God. The chairs all around us scattered as the students rushed out to reserve a table for their friends. It was always like this if Victor hadn’t rushed out too and got a table for us but he was too busy playing with Tori to bother.
Nate was about to say something but his words got lost in the sound of the frenzied classroom.
“What?” I asked him.
“Nothing. Just remember to meet me in the parking lot later, okay?” He said as he stood up.
“Okay…” But I honestly didn’t see what the use was when I already knew where he lived. Still, it was just to be polite with him.
“See you later. Leah.” And with one fluid movement, he stood up, hooked his backpack on his right shoulder and left.
I stood up, too, after a few seconds and went to join Tori and Victor. They were still having that jabbing war thing, oblivious to the ringing of the bell. Tori’s hair was a mess and Victor’s shirt was all wrinkled. I cleared my throat and they both turned to me.
“Guys,” I began. “Its lunch. Lets get going.”
“Okay,” They chorused.
We stood up and went out of the now empty classroom. The hallway was partially empty too as all the students were now in the cafeteria, talking, lining up, and reserving tables here and there. If we continue at this pace, we wouldn’t have a table for ourselves in the air-conditioned part. I hurried down the corridor with Victor and Tori at my heels.
It took us three minutes to finally reach the double silver doors of the cafeteria. And all the tables were taken. Damn.
We would normally have two options. One is to sit outside where the blazing sun would hit us. Two is to sit inside with the cool air-conditioner. But since today was no better than the word ‘normal’, we sat outside under a sycamore tree on the school grounds. We were on top of a mound of earth so that meant we could see everything. The students coming in and out of the school, the teachers walking everywhere, our large brick school wall that cut us off from the outside world, and the gigantic silver-letter words ‘Riverdale High’.
Fresh and cool air blew into my face as I took in this view.
Then the speakers on top of the pole in the middle of the yard stuttered and out came a girl’s melodic voice. “Good afternoon, teachers and students. I am your anchor, Abby Morgan.”
“I wonder what’s the news now.” Victor muttered. Tori playfully socked him in the arm andshushed him.
The voice continued, ever so cheery, “Principal Winston just announced that the homecoming dance would be three weeks from now.” The girls squealed while the boys groaned. “It would be held in the gym. Those who want to join the committees, please see Sandra Lenner. For more information about the dance, check out the bulletin board near Gate One.” The students began talking with even more excitement before and weren’t paying any attention to Abby. Tori, Victor, and I went back to our lunches and munched in silence.
Tori was the first to break it. “So, who are you taking to homecoming this time?”
Victor and I shrugged. Last year, when we had our first homecoming, Victor and Tori went together as friends while I went with my cousin, Jake Hawke. We all had a serious good time and I didn’t care what the other students thought. Most of them assumed I was bringing my twin to the dance. Ugh.
Jake and I looked very much alike. Maybe that’s why they all thought he was my twin. But even I was wondering how the hell we got the same features.
We both had the exact color of the eyes and hair. The same lean body only his was taller—growth spurt (ugh!)—And his shoulders were a bit broad but the form was still there. The same length of eyelashes, fingers and feet and also the same shape of the nose but the only difference was our age; I was a year older than him.
It was really crazy when we first met. Our moms couldn’t believe it. Our dads teased us. Its like we got the same genes or something. But as the more exclamations came whenever we were together, it sort of bonded us.
Since he lived nearby—okay fine, a few towns away—whenever we met, we would compare our stories from our different schools and laugh all night long from all the jokes he would tell and the things he said about his best friends and friends.
But then he got that stupid scholarship—well not really stupid—from that school on the other side of the United States. Now he’s living so far away, we cant see each other except during the holidays.
“Are you still bringing Jake this year?” Victor asked. “I like him.”
“No,” I said sadly. “Jake and his mom moved up to Philadelphia because he somehow got a scholarship in a school there.”
“Whoa.”
“So who are you taking, Tori?” I turned to the girl who was chugging down her Diet Coke.
“Umm…” She placed down the can and turned to Victor and smiled a sheepish smile. “Vic…would you like to go to the dance with me a again?”
He smiled modestly but I know deep down inside, he was jumping with joy. “Sure.”
“Thanks!” She flung herself on his body and hugged him. She let go a few seconds and turned to me with a mischievous look in her eyes. “There. Problem solved.”
I rolled my eyes at her. Easy for her to say. She was just lucky Victor was beside her. I, on the other hand didn’t have the luck. Now that Victor was taken, there were no other boys I was close enough to be asked out and vice versa. But then again, I was nobody here in Riverdale.
“Do you think Nate would ask you?” Tori whispered.
“I don’t think so,” I said with a hint of sadness in my voice. “And its impossible. He’s obviously taking that girl he brought last year.”
Tori raised her eyebrows at me with a knowing look in her cerulean eyes. She kicked me under the table and I winced. “What was that for?”
“Its not impossible and you know it!” Tori said, firmly. “I’ll ask him later.”
“Right. You guys live together. Shucks.” Then I saw her give me an evil grin. “Tori! Don’t! She laughed and it sounded like the tinkling of tiny bells.
Just then the real bell rang and Victor, Tori, and I quickly stood up and packed away our lunches on the tray. As we headed back, I considered the idea of Nate and I dancing around a roof full of streamers and different colored lights. But then, I knew it was just an impossible dream.
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Okay...hopefully you'll love what I wrote...I know it isn't that long but please forgive me...I had a lot of studying to do.. -__-'.....(exams week) so maybe I wont be able to upload for a couple of weeks....
VOTE!!! COMMENT!!! And FAN if you want....(doing all three will make me very happy and I will be able to upload faster because I'll be very determined to let you guys be impressed with my work)....THANK YOU !!! ;)