The gorgeous, Jenny Parker (AnnaSophia Robb) --->
Chapter 5
I sighed as I stuffed the last teddy bear back into my cupboard. Flopping down onto my bed, I let out a deep breath. Someone jumped onto my bed and repeatedly did so until I took the effort to look up at who it was.
"Hi!" Ivan said happily.
"Hey there," I grinned. He was so adorable.
"I'm sorry for taking all your stuffed toys out and making you do all the work," he sighed.
"Your mom told you to apologize, didn't she?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said, looking down at the bed.
"It's alright, I don't mind," I reassured him.
"Yay!"
I smiled and sat up. "C'mon, we should have dinner now,"
"Sure," he said, and jumped off the bed, running out of my room.
I sat up and straightened out my dress. Pausing for a second, I made a decision and picked out my white Converse and slipped them on. While I was carrying out the tedious task of clearing my room, I had taken out those death traps better known as high heels. And I'm done with them. Forever.
My stomach was screaming to be filled up as I ran downstairs. I saw everyone else choosing their seats at the table. Ivan took the seat at the head of the table, my mom sat at her usual place and Harriet sat next to her. Then, I saw Ian pull out my chair.
*Gasp*, he wouldn't dare!
I ran to the chair and slid into it from the opposite side. Ian looked down at me in bewilderment.
"My bad, this is my seat," I said, offering a smile.
"Sorry," he replied mockingly.
Okay...there is totally no mood changing happening here. Note the sarcasm.
I sat properly and looked at the glorious spread laid out on the table. Ian took the seat next to me and got comfortable.
"Shall we start?" I asked eagerly.
"Of course," my mom smiled.
The sad part was that I had to wait for Harriet, Ivan, and Ian to serve themselves first. Good manners and all that poppycock. And to make matters worse, Ian took agonizingly long. I don't know what was wrong with him. One moment he's tickling me, the next he's mocking me. What the hell is with this boy? My stomachs' growling got louder and louder with each passing second, and in a futile attempt to cover it up, I went through a violent fit of fake coughing. Harriet finally cleared her throat, and Ian dropped the spoon and withdrew his plate. I quickly and mercifully served myself and dug in.
~
As I dragged myself to my French class, I tried to convince my brain that it wouldn't be as bad as I believe it to be. I entered and settled down in my place, quickly pulling out my Red Velvet cupcake and taking a bite out of the velvety – as the name suggests – dessert. I almost moaned at how good it tasted. My time in paradise was cut short by Ian passing my table and plucking the beautiful cupcake out of my hand.
"Washroom, sir," he said and walked out of the class, taking a bite out of my cupcake and looking at me with this evil glint in his eyes.
I was so shocked that I couldn't even react for a little while. After he left, I realized in sheer horror that he would probably finish the entire cupcake. I stood up abruptly and stared at the teacher.
"Sir, I have to go to the washroom," I stated.
He raised his eyebrow but nodded, probably mistaking the look of urgency for food for a look of urgency to use the washroom. I ran out and saw Ian walking gingerly through the hall.
"Ian!" I yelled angrily. No one – and I mean no one – takes my food.
He stopped and turned around. He raised his eyebrow with that trademark smirk on his face and then continued walking. I growled softly.
This means war, punk.
Since I was wearing my Converse, there was no noise as I ran towards Ian. When I was close enough, I launched myself onto his back and latched on.
"What the –," I cut him off by placing my hand over his mouth.
"Give me my cupcake," I snarled.
He said something but it was muffled by my hand.
"Pardon?" I asked, removing my hand.
"Or what?" he sneered.
I locked my ankles around his waist and started pounding his back. Clearly, it had no effect on him, since he didn't even flinch.
"Oh come on! Please, I need this cupcake," I pleaded.
"Get off my back, nerd. Literally," he said.
Oh, nice one.
"Now can I have it?" I asked after jumping down.
He smirked and took a huge bite out of it, leaving a little less than half for me. I sighed and took it when he handed it to me.
Well, something's better than nothing.
I savoured the last bites as the velvety goodness swirled around in my mouth.
"NERD!" Ian almost yelled, snapping in my face.
"Whoa, keep your knackers on," I replied, startled.
"I called you five times," he said, exasperated.
"Oh..." I murmured, offering an apologetic smile.
"What I was saying is that today's my day off at the cafe, so I was wondering if we could go somewhere else. I need to get away from that place," he said.
"Of course, but where?" I asked.
"Your house?"
"No can do! Not at all," I said hastily.
He eyed me suspiciously. "And why not?"
"Because I said so?" I tried to make it sound like a statement but it came out as a question.
"Does your mom know I'm tutoring you?" he asked.
Dammit.
Since I took quite a long time to come up with an answer, Ian knew my mom didn't know.
"Why didn't you tell her?" he asked.
"Because she'll keep rubbing it in my face," I said, miserably.
He chuckled at my statement. "Okay, how about the library? It's open for about two hours after school hours. We should finish in about an hour," he suggested.
"Sure, that's fine," I said.
"Alright, I'll meet you there, right after French,"
I nodded and walked back to class in the hopes that I would be able to pay attention and finish tutoring with Ian earlier than usual. Boy, was I wrong.
"Yes, mom, in the library...a report mother. I'll see you in like three hours, okay? Bye!" I sighed, and then hung up.
I grabbed my books from my locker, waved goodbye to Kate and Jenny, and then headed to the library. Ian wasn't there yet, so I walked around, breathing in the aroma of old and new books and humming softly. After a while, I sat down on a beanbag and made myself comfortable, letting my eyes flutter shut.
One and a half hour later, Ian still hadn't shown up and I was bored to death. I stood up and decided to see if I could find a book. Humming 'Vertigo' by The Libertines, I looked around for an interesting book.
"You listen to The Libertines?" a voice asked behind me, making me jump.
"Stop sneaking up on me like that," I said, turning around to face Ian.
"No," he replied simply.
I sighed. "Where have you been for the past –," I checked my watch, "96 minutes"
"I had some business to finish," he said.
I looked at him, noticing that his hair was a mess, sticking out at all angles. His tee was scrunched up here and there.
"Yes, some business," I raised an eyebrow.
He looked down at his tee. "Oh, no –," I cut him off.
"Can we please just start?" I asked.
He shrugged and fell into the bean bag next to mine. I sat down on mine and handed him my book, and the dreaded tutoring began once again. I was paying attention just fine for the first half hour and then, my thoughts started getting jumbled and I couldn't concentrate. My eyelids were drooping and just before I fell asleep, I remembered that I hadn't had my daily dose of coffee.
When I woke up, it took some time for me to adjust to the surroundings. After about a minute, I remembered that I was in the library. Rubbing my eyes, I checked my watch. It was 5:30.
Wait, doesn't the library close at 4:30?
I jumped up and saw Ian sleeping on the bean bag next to me. I looked around and saw no one there. As I made my way to the librarians' desk, it was obvious that the library was empty. Sure enough, there was no one at the front desk. I tried the doors but they were locked.
Why in the blithering world would the librarian lock up a library with kids in it?
Then I remembered that the librarian hadn't been there when I entered. She must not have been there when Ian entered either. I ran back to Ian and shook him awake.
"Wake up, you golter yeded gawpsheet!" I said, as he opened his eyes and looked at me in this dazed manner.
"What the fuck does that even mean?" he asked, his voice a little hoarse.
"I don't know, I just read it in Wicked Words," I shrugged.
"So you finally decided to wake up, huh?" he asked as he stood up and stretched.
"Sorry, I didn't have my usual coffee," I said.
"Alright, do you want to do a little more or go back home?" he asked.
"I'd love to do the latter, but we can't,"
"And why is that?"
"Because we're locked in here,"
"What?" Ian blinked at me and then looked around in surprise.
He ran to the doors and pushed them but they wouldn't budge.
"Fuck," he swore softly.
But then he yelled it out and banged the door.
"Swearing and banging aren't going to get us anywhere," I sighed.
"Oh, why don't you just shut up," he snapped.
"Gee, aren't you a bag full of sunshine?" I mumbled to myself.
"Excuse me?" he asked icily. Clearly, he heard it.
"I said, aren't you just a bag full of sunshine?" I said louder, now angry at the way he was treating me.
"I will not be, because it's your fault that we're stuck in here!" he replied, louder than me.
"Enlighten me as to how that is so," I sneered.
"If you hadn't fallen asleep, we wouldn't have been locked in here," he yelled.
"Well, you fell asleep too, you guttersnipe!" I yelled back at him. "Don't blame everything on me!"
He simply blinked at me, quite surprised that I had just yelled at him. I can't blame him, even I was.
"I'm sorry," I said at a normal decibel. "Can we please just think about this and not argue?"
He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a few breaths. "You're right,"
"Thank you," I said. "Now, how do we get out?"
He looked up at me, mischief dancing in his eyes. "What the worst crime you've ever committed, nerd?" he asked.
"Um...lie?" I said, unsure of where this was going.
"Well, that's going to change today," he said.
"Why?" I asked.
Ian simply grinned at me.
"Oh, no. No no no no no. Never in a million years!" I protested, once it dawned on me.
"Fine, your wish. You can stay here in this dark and dingy library. I'm sure there are no Vashta Nerada* lurking around this place. Not like it's a breeding ground for them or anything," he said, turning his chin up and walking away from me slowly.
"Oh lords, you did not just say that! Stay in the light!" I yelped, stepping into an area which had light pooling onto it.
He burst out laughing as he watched me jumping from tile to tile.
"Fine, we'll do it," I grumbled, eventually giving up.
"Now that's what I like to hear," he smirked, and we began our search for the perfect object.
"Wait!" I called out to him before he got too far.
"What?"
"You watch 'Doctor Who'?" I asked, smiling.
"Yeah. Why?" he asked.
"Nothing. I just never thought that would be up your alley" I replied, smiling a little wider.
He shook his head and walked away, leaving me to get to work as well. A few minutes later, we were standing in front of the library doors, hearts racing and palms sweating.
"Are you absolutely sure about this?" I asked for the hundredth time.
"It's the only way out. Now stop annoying me," he said.
"Fine," I sighed.
We had slung our bags across our torsos and Ian was holding a chair.
"Here we go," he grinned.
Taking a deep breath, he smashed the metal chair into the glass doors. They shattered on impact, leaving us with a gaping hole to climb through.
"We'd better get started," he said.
"What?"
"Run," he winked, and jumped through the hole.
"What do mean?" I asked.
I was answered by the sound of a blaring siren.
Of course, the ingenius things known as security alarms.
"C'mon nerd, don't just stand there! Run!" he yelled.
I jumped through the hole and we started running. We ran through the empty hallways and I was loving the adrenaline that was pumping through my body. We turned a corner and saw a security guard running towards us. Quickly, we stumbled back and turned around, running down the opposite hallway. It was a good thing this school had so many confusing halls.
"This feels like an episode out of Doctor Who," I screamed as we were running.
"Oh, yes," Ian said, mimicking David Tennant.
I started laughing but soon stopped, deciding to shut up and conserve energy instead. We ran into the parking lot that housed one lonely bike resting in the center. Of course, it had to be Ian's. We slowed down as we reached it, and Ian picked up the helmet and tossed it to me. Thankfully, my quick reflexes worked with me and I caught it.
"Put it on and let's go," Ian said.
"There is no way I am riding that thing," I replied, eyeing the bike.
"You won't get killed," he assured me.
"HEY! STOP!" someone yelled.
I spun around and saw two guards running towards us. I weighed the helmet in my hands and looked back at Ian, contemplating which side was riskier right now.
"Come on nerd, we don't have time!" Ian yelled.
Well, time to sign my death wish. Here we go!
I strapped the helmet on and jumped on the bike behind Ian. He revved the engine and rode off with a jerk.
"GERONIMOOO!" I yelled as we sped off the school grounds.
As the ride progressed, I found myself falling in love with it. The wind in my hair, calming my frazzled nerves, the chill in the air, it was all so perfect. I lifted the visor of the helmet and let the wind hit my face. I took one arm off Ian's waist and let it sail through the wind, unable to stop the grin that was quickly forming.
When he stopped in front of Kool Kafè, I was disappointed that the ride was over. He killed the engine and got off.
"Could we go again?" I asked.
He looked down at me and laughed. "Not now, nerd," he said.
I got off and hung the helmet on the handlebars. Ian was already walking into the cafe, so I quickly jogged to the door. The aroma of coffee snaked into my nostrils and I knew that if I didn't have coffee this very second, I would surely die. Ian ordered my coffee as I took the seat next to the window. He sat opposite me after a couple of minutes and looked out of the window as well.
"Do you do this on a regular basis?" I asked.
"Not really, though I wish I could," he chuckled.
I chuckled as well. The adrenaline still hadn't died down and I realized I quite liked this high. My coffee arrived and I gratefully gulped down almost half of it in about two seconds.
"Do you think we'll get into trouble?" I wondered out loud.
Ian looked at me. "How afraid of getting into trouble are you?"
"I've never gotten into trouble before,"
"Well, that's about to change as well," he said, smiling weakly.
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
Great, just great.
"Well, I have places to be and things to do," he said and got up.
"Leaving me right after you get me into so much trouble. Typical Ian," I sighed.
The corners of lips turned upwards as he waved a small wave and walked out of the cafe. I ran after him after a nanoseconds' debate.
"Ian!" I called.
He looked up from his bike, raising his eyebrow as a question.
"Are you sure we can't go again?" I asked, deciding to try my luck.
"Some other time, nerd. I have to go," he replied, with a hint of an apologetic tone.
"Sure," I said.
I waved him off as he rode away and went back in. Once I finished my coffee, I walked back home slowly, enjoying the chilly weather.
~
The first class of the day was Literature. It was by far my best subject and I absolutely loved it. It was also one of the three classes that Ian and I had together. Not that I was counting or anything.
As I walked into the classroom, I sensed a bad vibe. My stomach was in knots and my palms were sweating for no apparent reason. I sat down just as the teacher started teaching. Five minutes into the class, our principal – Mr. Hutchings – entered.
"Excuse me," he told our teacher. "I'll have to borrow Ian and Alexis for the whole class," he said, and shot us a subtle death glare.
"Sure," our teacher nodded.
I gulped audibly and stood up. Slinging my bag across my torso, I looked back at Ian. He was acting like this was the most normal thing in the world. He sent me a reassuring look and walked up to me.
"C'mon nerd," he whispered as he passed me.
I followed him as we walked behind Mr. Hutchings to his office. We sat down and he sat opposite us after shutting the door.
"You two are in deep trouble," he said.
It's all Ian's fault, really, I didn't do anything, not really.
Jackass.
- x -
*Vashta Nerada are creatures from the television show 'Doctor Who'. They live in the shadows and feed off flesh. Scary, huh? Clearly, Alexis doesn't like them.
Hey there y'all, hope you enjoyed this chapter. I loved writing it for some reason that I can't seem to fathom. I think it's just cause of how cute Alexis seems to be here, and how nice Ian is at times to her...
Please don't forget to vote and comment! Love y'all so much!!