Chapter 7 | Two Stands for Trouble :
"This is what comes of having a heart, even a very small and young one. It causes no end of trouble, and that's the truth."
-Catherynne M. Valente, The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led The Revels There
Listen to Young Homie by Chris Rene
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I wake up slowly, wanting nothing but stay in bed all day. Unfortunately, such dreams don't happen when you've got school to attend to. And so I groan, rolling onto my side and burying my face in the warm pillow while snuggling further into the warmth of the bed.
My alarm clock then rings, making me sigh in desperation. I load myself off of the bed and shut the alarm clock off, then do some stretching exercises to refresh. The coldness of the room is a stark contrast to the lovely warmth of the bed, and it makes me hurry to grab some fresh clothes and get a nice hot shower.
In about twenty minutes, I am already sat in Beth's car, with her talking nonstop about - you guessed it - Halloween. "If I tell you my idea, will you stop talking about it?" I ask her, sighing beforehand. She nods her head frantically, her lips sealed shut. "Theme is angel. Final decision is yet to be made." I say. "Okay." she replies shortly, making me snap my head in her direction. "I'm sorry, what was that?" I ask, tilting my head jokingly as a grin makes its way onto my lips. She laughs and gives me a light push, mumbling something I could not understand a word of.
Sometimes, I suspect she speaks multiple languages and then just mutters curses under her breath in every single one of those languages.
We pull up in the school parking lot, as faces and faces of students flash by as they all walk into the school. As we walk through the gates of the school, I lean over to Beth's side and nudge her as I take notice of Garret, Ward and Theo standing next to each other silently.
"Yeah?" she questions, sliding her cell phone back into her pocket a few beats later. "What's up with those three?" I say, tilting my head slightly in the boys' direction. She follows my motion, her eyebrows knitting together once she sees them standing like statuses next to each other. "I've no idea, I'll question Garret about it later. Plus, Theo needs a few friends here and since we've already made some sort of getting to know each other, I think it'd be nice if we include him in our group of friends." she says, shrugging nonchalantly.
I nod my head slowly as I think about what she said. Theo probably didn't make much friends around here ever since he arrived in this town. Showing him kindness would be nice, I guess. After all, he's spending a whole year in this town. Might as well make him feel at home.
We reach the boys, and the looks on their faces pull into brightened smiles. "Hola, friends!" Beth chirps happily as she waves a hand. "Friend?" Garret asks, tsking under his breath as he looks elsewhere. "Garret, my love, the best thing you could be in a girl's life is a combination of her boyfriend and best friend." she says, smirking as she does so. I chuckle slightly at her reply and look over to Ward and Theo.
Ward smiles once he catches my eyes and waves a hand as I do the same. Theo, on the other hand, looks at me with a grin. "What's there to grin about, Porch?" I ask, folding my hands and looking at him skeptically.
"Well, isn't that a lovely way to start our conversation for the day."
"Stop avoiding the question, Porch."
"And here I thought we were over the surname-calling stage."
"I'll be calling you dumbhead if you don't tell me what you're grinning at."
"That girl behind you."
My eyebrows shoot up in surprise at his answer. I hesitantly turn around, looking for the girl he mentioned, though I see that no one is standing there. I face him again, narrowing my eyes. "There's literally no one. Are you delusional?" I say. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" he replies, making me wack him on the head. "Ow! What was that for?" he says, rubbing the spot with a sour look on his face. "I read that's the best way to make someone become rational." He gives me a blank expression and I trade it with a shrug.
"You're just jealous I'm checking her out and not you."
"You're not even on the list of people I want to check me out."
"This is the second time you've hurt me in less than one minute."
"One more word and I'll make a mess out of your face."
"Ah, feisty Mabelle; my favorite - Ow! Y'know, from a distance you seem like a harmless delicate butterfly. Turns out you're a deadly dragon in disguise."
"It's like you're asking for a kick up your butt."
"Well, if you put it that way - Seriously? Done with my arms and head and now aiming for my knee?"
"You deserved it."
"I can't believe you."
"You shouldn't."
We round the corner at the end of the hall, waving goodbye to Beth and Garret. Ward had already entered his classroom like the responsible hardworking student he is, yet Mr. Annoying Head was still walking next to me. "Why are you even walking along with me? We passed by your class, like, five minutes ago." I say, dodging a flying basketball between two players of the team.
Honestly, this school was a humane zoo.
"Because I want to." he replies, making me give him a sideway glance. "I know that look." he says, tucking his hands into his jeans pockets. "What are you talking about?" I ask, arching an eyebrow. "The look when you're not convinced and are very skeptical of whatever thing I said." he replies, grinning slightly.
We reach the class I'm supposed to enter. I stand next to the door, crossing my arms as I face him. "You've never even seen me look that look." I say, giving him a ridiculous look. "I wouldn't have said I recognized it if I didn't. Now, you may ask why would I remember such a thing in so much detail; because it's cute."
He was just another cuckoo lad.
"See? You're skeptical again. Your eyebrows shoot up slowly and you squint your eyes until they're so narrow you probably can't see. Which by the way is a waste of sight when you have this very attractive view."
He was motioning to himself with one hand while a finger was placed between my eyebrows.
I swat his hand away with a scowl, bracing myself for a battle in case he became more idiotic in this fine, lovely morning. "Anyways, are you coming tonight?" I ask, changing the subject eagerly. "Where?" he asks, tilting his head with confusion. "At Ward's place. It's his birthday and we're acting as if we don't remember to host a mini surprise party there. So, you comin'?" I explain, leaning against the wall. "So that's why Garret was so creepily awkward this morning. Count me in." he replies, chuckling as he remembered Garret.
The bell rings, warning students to enter the classrooms before teachers come in. Pushing myself off the wall, I pay a smile to Theo and nod my head. "Hurry up. You'll be late." I say motioning to the direction of his class. "A king is never late." he replies, using British accent as he scurries away. I shake my head, chuckling as I enter the class.
What a loony.
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"I'll get the cake, you get the balloons."
"But I want to bring the cake!"
"Why?!"
"One, because I want to prove that I'm a responsible person and two, because I'm afraid you'll savor it on your way from the bakery."
There was a shreik, then a male "Ouch! What was that for?"
"Next, I'll be savoring your blood if you don't stop being a dickhead."
"Oi, Porch, why are girls so violent?"
"Because that's their way of showing love."
Another male "Ouch!" came from Theo.
"Beth, stop hitting people." I say, knowing fully well that she won't. "What if they're being dumb?" she asks with a whine. "Then just let them be dumb. It's humiliating." I answer, shrugging nonchalantly when I caught Theo's amused grin. "And here I was, thinking you were the most considerate person on Earth." he remarks. "I am, but only with the ones who deserve it." I reply, rounding a corner and entering the cafeteria.
Pushing the doors open, I am met with the sight of a crowded place, starving beasts and wildness combined. The smell of food does no good in the situation and I find it a challenge to keep on walking towards our table while dodging a sudden outrage here and there from said beasts.
"You okay? You look like someone just painted your face in sickest yellow color. It's awful, just saying."
I jab him in the ribs as we're walking and he clutches the spot in pain as he groans. "Why the violence, lemonade girl? I thought we were friends!" he says, sitting next to me at the table. "Because you're dumb and that provokes the inner monster that is in me." I reply, looking him dead in the eyes.
My, those pools of golden honey.
"Look, if you want to stare at me so much - which I understand because I am a legit masterpiece - you can just google me instead of trying to conceal the desire with deadly glares. Plus, they're quite scary."
"That's the point."
"I despise this place." says Ward as he sits down at the table. Simultaneously, we all nod as we dig into our food, pretty much matching the hungry beasts in the cafeteria.
Lunch goes by in a hurry, especially with the forever lasting bickering of Beth and Garret about God knows what, and soon enough we're exiting the cafeteria with full stomaches and a hatred for the next period.
"Mabelle!"
I turn around, facing the storming chaos of students leaving the cafeteria. A hand waves for me and I recognize the smiling Caspian waving it at me. "Mabelle? Are you coming?" Beth calls for me, her eyebrows up in question. "I'll meet you after school, okay?" I reply, receiving a nod from her before she turns to complete her way with the rest of the crew.
"Hey there," says Caspian, pulling away from the wave of beasts. "what's up?" he asks as we start walking alongside the wall. "Nothing much. You?" I answer. "Well, if nothing much is going on right now in your life, I'd like to add something then." he replies, looking forward as we near the classroom I am supposed to enter. "That's my stop, but what kind of thing are you talking about?" I say, raising one eyebrow skeptically. "My birthday is this Wednesday and I'm hosting a small party with my closest friends. Would you like to join? It's beneficial for our project if you think about it." he says, a pleading look on his face.
"What do I get in return?"
"Lots of cake and popcorn and the thrill of meeting the chillest people God has ever created."
"I'm there for you and the popcorn. If it's not salty, I'm ruining your reputation in the project."
He laughs, making me grin delightfully. "Okay, you get what you want." he says, amusement twinkling in his eyes. "Hold on. There's a surprise birthday party for one of my friends tonight. Want to come?" I offer, remembering Ward's party at the mention of Caspian's birthday. "Sure. What should I bring with me?" he asks, and I reply with my index up in the air. "One thing only; nice behavior." I say and he grins as he nods reaching his hand out to shake mine.
"Yes, Ma'am."
We part out ways and I enter the classroom, sending Beth a quick text to tell her that a friend of mine is joining us for the party. Once I sit in my seat, the classroom door flies open as a jogging Caspian enters the room and stops at my seat. "I forgot to take your number. Also, where do you want to meet?" he says, not at all looking tired from jogging all the way here.
I, on the other hand, would have long died after the first 5 steps.
"Did you seriously come back here just to ask two question?"
"Priorities, Reed."
I give a light laugh, shaking my head a little bit as I save my number in his phone. "We're heading to his house right after school." I say, handing Caspian his phone back. "Then I'll meet you at the parking lot; you're coming with me." he says, slipping his phone into his pocket. "Really? Why so?" I ask, folding my arms as I lean back in my seat. "Because one: I don't know the way to his house and two: I need good company along the way." he answers, winking at the last part before flashing a peace sign and proceeding to exit the classroom. I chuckle after him, sitting straight in my seat again.
Penguin: Who?
Me: Caspian Glenny.
Penguin: Sweet.
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A fresh wave of air rushes into my face as I exit the classroom. I breathe in the air, feeling my muscles relax after a long day of school. Suddenly, I feel my phone vibrate in my jeans pocket, indicating a new message.
Unknown Number: where r u?
Me: New phone who dis?
Unknown Number: your chauffer for the day.
Me: Ah, Glenny the Great.
Unknown Number: is that how you saved my name in your phone?
Me: No. It says 'Unknown Number".
Unknown Number: such mystery.
Unknown Number: get your butt to the parking lot already, woman.
Me: How are you even already there?
Unknown Number: have you not heard? I am the Flash.
Me: No, you're Caspian Glenny.
Unknown Number: that is what I go by during the normal days. Appreciate my heroic abilities, will you?
Me: Nice to see you've finally used capital letters. I am proud.
Unknown Number: You are such a grammar police officer. Also, I see you.
I look up, finding a grinning Caspian leaning over a car. I grin back at him, quickening my footsteps to reach his standing posture. "Hi." I say, a bit run out of breath. "Hi. Are you sure you're able to breathe?" he says, quirking an eyebrow up as he fishes out his car keys. "My talents do not include sports." I reason, attempting to smile through fast inhales of the much need oxygen. He chuckles as he unlocks the car, and I take that as my cue to hop in. "What exactly are we listening to?" I ask as I put on my seatbelt.
"Country songs; my favorite."
"Sick."
A laugh and the roar of the ignition.
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"Well, this room will need a whole lot of decoration. You ready?"
Caspian looks around the living room of Ward's place. "This should be a piece of cake." he says, rolling the sleeves of his navy sweatshirt up to his elbows. "You say that because you're a boy." I say, smirking as I turn around to fish out a string of colorful flags from my backpack. "Why would you say such a thing?" he asks, taking out another string of decoration. "Because as boys, you tend to find everything so simple and easy because you want only the basic things done. In other words, you don't put much effort." I reply, hanging the string in my hands on one end of the curtain. "I can say no objective words." he says as he reaches a hand to help me, making me laugh.
"So, tell me about your friends."
"Beth and Garret, who are a couple by the way so don't try to hit up on my best friend."
"Though I've seen her in one of my classes, I'd like to clarify that even though she's quite pretty, she's not the one I think of day and night."
"Is Caspian Glenny admitting he has a crush on someone?" I say in surprise, turning around to face him with a smirking face. The doorbell rings in that moment, and I rush to open it for my friends. "Where have you guys been?!" I ask, watching them as they go inside hurriedly. "With Beth around, you could say hell and back." Garret says, letting out a yelp as he gets a smack on the back of his head from Beth less than a second after.
I laugh, shutting the door behind me and follow them into the living room where Caspian stood with a smile on his face. "Guys, Caspian Glenny who I'm sure you all know. Caspian, my friends." I introduce with a smile. They greet each other and start up a conversation about whatever.
Soon enough, Ward had walked in and was surprised with our grinning faces and voices singing on the top of our lungs. The living room is basically a mess and the boys are chatting up about soccer and sports (as boys obviously always do) while Beth and I sit on the opposite couch, sipping on our drinks and having our own talk.
"I'm going to say this, but you're not going to object."
"Hit it."
"Glenny Boy is totally into you."
"Will you stop being ridiculous, Beth?"
"He keeps looking this way! And he smiles whenever you smile. He likes you."
She's not the one I think about day and night.
"Whatever, let's just have fun tonight." I say, moving my eyes away from Caspian as I feel my cheeks tinge with pink.
We have fun, eating cake and pizza and playing games, until it's time to go home after we clean up the place. "C'mon, I'm driving you home." Caspian says as we all exit the house with a wave goodbye to Ward.
"Uh, no you're not."
I stop in my track, looking at Theo in surprise. "Why not?" Caspian asks, his eyebrows furrowing together with confusion. "Look man, you're nice and kind and all, but I think she should be leaving with me." Theo replies, tucking his hands into his jeans pocket. "I think you should mind your own business." Caspian replies, and at that moment, I hear the bells of trouble ringing in my ears. "Alright, boys, break it up. She's leaving with us. Plus, your houses are far from here, hers is around mine. Chill out." Beth says, coming for my help as she notices the scene going on.
Without another word, she tugs at my top and drags me away from them towards Garret's car. I look back at their standing figures, and they're looking into each other's eyes with aversion.
I guess these two stand for trouble.