Chapter 6
After lunch, I found myself in need of nap. Now that I was full of food and feeling content, my mind was telling me it as time to get some sleep. Too bad this school doesn't offer a class in napping.
Sixth period was super boring considering my tutor had already taught me Calculus. I'm not a total whiz at math, but I'm not terrible at it either.
I considered taking up my mind's offer and taking a nap in there, but I figured with everyone watching me, that wouldn't be a great idea. Poor Johnny looked so worn out from pushing teens away from me in the hallway, I almost offered him my seat to take a nap himself.
Seventh period soon made it's way around and I decided to go to the bathroom to get out of my history lecture for a while. I had this class with Grace, but since there was a seating chart that went by alphabetical order, we didn't sit beside each other.
I told Johnny not to come with me, even though he would only stand outside the bathroom, because he would probably freak some girls out. That would not be good.
I walked into the bathroom and started touching up some of my makeup. I know there is only two periods left of the school day, but I still want to look good.
In the middle of reapplying my mascara, a tall, blonde walked into the bathroom. When she caught sight of me she immediately smiled and made her way over to me.
"You're Rory Pinnock, right?"
"I am," I said with a smile.
"Well, it is so nice to finally meet you. You're all anyone's been able to talk about today. I'm Brittany Sanches," she said holding out her hand for me to shake.
"Nice to meet you," I said, shaking her hand.
Lou told me about a Brittany, but she never said her last name. By the way Lou made her sound, I really hope this isn't her. I'd rather not make enemies on my first day.
"So, since this is your first day and you probably don't know many people, I'm here to offer you my help. If you need any, that is," she said with a bright smile.
Yeah, I don't think this is the Brittany Lou was talking about.
"Wow," I said, caught a little off guard at her generosity. "That's really nice of you. Thanks," I said smiling in return.
"Of course. I'd do any thing to help out a fellow classmate. So, have you met anyone yet or are you just scoping out the place?"
"No, I met a few people."
A look of surprise flitted across her face, but she covered it up so quickly I thought I had imagined it.
I started listing the people off, "Callan Wesley, Grace Jacks, Noland Milton, Jo-"
She interrupted me mid-sentence and said, "You met Noland?"
Her face was a mix of surprise and anger. I could tell she was trying to keep a straight face, but instead she just had a twisted look on her face.
"Uhh, yeah. I met him this morning," I said squinting my eyes a bit suspiciously.
"Actually that doesn't surprise me," she said finally getting control of her emotions. She crossed her arms and jutted her hip to the side.
Uh oh. I only did that when I was beyond ticked off.
"I'm sorry you have to hear this," she sighed, moving closer to me, "but whenever Noland and I decide to take a break for a bit, he always tries to make up for my absence by getting with other girls, if you know what I mean. We decided last week to break for a little while and unfortunately, you have to deal with the repercussions. I'm really sorry, but if you just ignore him, he should get the hint and leave you alone. Otherwise, he might get the wrong idea and take things a little farther than you want," she let out a small breath and unfolded her arms. "Like I said, I'm here if you need help of any kind. Just let me know."
With that, she turned on her heel and left the bathroom.
Now I don't know what to think of Noland. One of them is lying and I don't know them well enough to know which one it is.
How did I get caught up in this on my first day? Oh yeah. It's because I'm Rory Pinnock and drama just flocks to me.
I took one last look in the mirror before packing away my makeup and leaving.
****
I was able to get the girls numbers before school ended so now I was caught in the middle of a group message. And I was driving home. I was not going to get Cal to read them to me. There was no telling what they were saying.
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.
"Could you turn that off? It's really getting annoying," Cal said with a sour look on his face.
He was currently looking out the window of my car, pouting like a toddler.
"Sure," I said warily, as I reached over and flipped the button on the side of my phone.
"What has you in such a bad mood?"
"Coach is changing starting positions again and freaking Milton is trying to take my position. He does this all the time! It's like he can't do something on his own without taking someone else property."
It took me a second to realize who he was talking about.
Milton?
Oh! Noland!
Oh.
Noland.
I still had to deal with that issue.
"First of all, I don't think soccer positions are certain people's properties and second of all, just work harder. If your coach sees you really working to keep your spot, I'm sure he'll leave you there."
I snuck a quick glance at him to see him giving me a look that said 'no duh'.
Well, so much for my advice.
****
Once we finally got home from the tense car ride, I made a beeline for the kitchen since I was already starving.
I was about to grab a bowl of strawberries when I felt my phone vibrate.
Oh yeah. The group message. I unlocked my phone and saw that I had 37 unread messages.
Seriously?
I quickly scanned over the conversation I had missed and joined in.
Me: hey guys. i can talk now.
Lou: about time. i don't know if u saw but we want 2 have a sleepover
Me: sounds fun. when?
Jo: this sat. @ G's house. she has an awesome theater
Me: i'm free. i'll bring loads of candy ;)
Grace: i'll get home around 4 so yall can come anytime after that
Jo: I have to take a few pre-season pics of the soccer team so I'll b over @ 5
Lou: can i catch a ride from 1 of u guys? mom is taking my car for a weekend trip out-of-town
Me: i hav a car. i can drive whoever needs a ride
Jo: yeah. I need a ride 2
Lou: thnx. c yall tomorrow
Jo: c ya
I put down my phone and saw that I was still standing in front of the open refrigerator. I grabbed the strawberries and quickly closed the open door.
A sleepover. Let me think. I've seen plenty of movies where they have sleepovers and even been in an episode with one, but if there's anything I've learned from working in the movie industry, it's that everything in Hollywood is different from real life.
Especially the food.
I should be safe if I bring a sleeping bag and some pajamas, other than that, I have no idea.
In the middle of my brainstorming, Aunt Carol walked into the kitchen.
"Aunt Carol, did you ever go to sleepovers as a teen?"
She jumped and let out a shrill scream when I asked her. I guess she didn't notice I was here.
"I'm sorry, Rory. I didn't even notice you were there."
Bingo.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, I was just wondering if you ever went to sleepovers as a teenager," I said again, leaning on the kitchen bar.
With my strawberries completely forgotten, I waited for her response.
She smiled then started telling me what sleepovers were all about.
"I went to many as a teen. They were always a fun time to get to know my girl friends. You have nothing to worry about, Rory. Sleepovers are just about having fun and hanging out with your friends...Wait, you already made a group of friends?"
She suddenly seemed more interested than a couple of seconds ago.
"Uhh, yeah," I said as I stood up. I never knew what to expect from Aunt Carol.
"Are they good kids," she asked as she narrowed her eyes at me.
"I hope so," I squeaked out. She can be really scary when she wants to be.
"What are their names," she continued interrogating.
"Mom, lighten up," a new voice laughed.
Cal walked into the kitchen just in time to save me. Not that I minded telling Aunt Carol who my friends were, she was just scary.
"I know her friends and they are good people. Trust me," he said as he walked by and kissed her on the cheek.
She sighed and relaxed.
"Sorry, Rory, honey. I just want to make sure that you don't get caught up in the wrong crowd and ruin your life."
Well that escalated quickly.
I relaxed too and reached out to squeeze her hand.
"You don't have to worry about me, Aunt Carol. The first day went well, as I'm sure the rest of the year will. And you can trust Cal when he says my friends are good. He should know the best since he has a crush on one of them."
I turned and smirked at him as he spit out the sip of orange juice he had in his mouth. He coughed and gave me a pointed look before gaining his breath.
"Callan! You never told me you had a crush! Who is she?!"
Aunt Carol practically pounced on him as she asked him question after question about the girl. I was laughing so hard, I was clutching my stomach and sitting on the floor.
Cal looked at me and mouthed, 'it's on', then tried to calm his mom down.
"It's nothing mom; Rory is just trying to get at me," he said.
I subdued my laugh to a giggle before talking again.
"No, he definitely has a crush."
"I do not have a crush on Lou," he argued, then paled once he realized what he admitted.
"LOU! Is that the girl?!"
Aunt Carol was practically was shouting she was so excited. A whole new wave of laughter hit me and I was afraid I was going to pee on myself.
Cal was just staring at the ceiling and shaking his head.
After a few more minutes of Aunt Carol's onslaught, Cal finally gave in.
"Fine! Yes! I may have a slight thing for her, but that does not mean you can go and work your matchmaking on me. Just leave my love life out of your hands," he said to Aunt Carol, while she squealed like a fan girl who had just seen One Direction.
"What love life," I asked with a smirk.
"You're one to be talking," he threw back with a smirk of his own.
Dang him for coming up with comebacks so fast.
When he saw the scowl on my face, he knew he had won the match.
What he didn't realize was that he only told Aunt Carol that she couldn't be involved in his love life, not me.
****
The week flew by faster than a fighter plane and I still hadn't talked to Noland about what his intentions were with me.
I was pretty sure Brittany was lying, especially since I found out this was the the Brittany the girls warned me about, but I was still needed to talk to Noland.
I really wanted to ask him about what Brittany said, but I wasn't sure what his answer would be. If he said that Brittany was telling the truth, then of course, I would sever ties with him and we would depart as unlikely friends. That seemed like the easy part. But if he denied what Brittany said and told me the truth, that would mean I would still get to be around him. That was the hard part. That would mean I had the chance of falling for him.
I was currently waiting outside the front doors of the school on the steps for Lou since I had to give her a ride over to Grace's house. It turns out, Grace only lives two roads down from me so it only takes a couple of minutes to get there from my house.
I had to drop Cal off at home before I went over there so I just left all my stuff at home too. Speaking of Cal, he had no idea I was giving Lou a ride. I couldn't wait to see his expression once he found out.
My train of thought was interrupted when Noland walked up to me. How does he always look so good?
"Hey Rory," he called. He had a huge smile on his face, but once he saw mine, his whole demeanor changed.
"What's wrong," he asked with genuine concern.
"Noland, I appreciate the generosity you've shown me thus far, but I'm just really confused on what you want from me. I'm not here to play games so if that's what you're looking for, you have the wrong girl. You seem like a nice guy, but-"
"Look, before you write me off, let me try to make sense of what your saying."
He stood there for a second, thinking, then he started to talk.
"You think I'm the type of guy to mess around with girls and then leave them once I'm done with them, don't you?"
I didn't know what to say because I wasn't sure I believed that. I was just afraid it was true and pushing myself away from him seemed easier than finding out the truth.
Realization suddenly hit him and his face turned to fury.
"Brittany talked to you didn't she?"
I didn't have to answer him because the look on my face said everything he needed to know.
He ran his hand through his hair," sigh, "and blew some air out of his mouth, then looked at me again.
"Brittany is my ex-girlfriend and she likes to think that we will get back together," he finally said. "She tries to scare away any girl that I even show the remote interest in, which includes my math teacher that I waved to in the hallway last year. I can't even imagine what she told you since I actu-"
He suddenly cut off what he was going to say. He had a weird look on his face, then he continued.
"Never mind. The point is that she is an extremely jealous ex-girlfriend and full of crap. Whatever she told you is most likely false and I can probably prove it. Like I said, she tries to scare anyone in the female gender away from me so that way I will want to get back together with her. Which, by the way, will never happen. I hope you believe me because like I said at the beginning of the week, I really would like the chance of getting to know you."
He kept a lock on my eyes as he waited for my answer.
I could feel so much conviction in his voice that I didn't know how I could ever have doubted him before.
Nodding, I agreed with him.
He sighed with relief and smiled, but before he could say anything else, I needed to apologize.
"Noland, I'm really sorry. I just don't really know you and Brittany seemed so sure of herself, but I should have known that you wouldn't lie. And I would really like to get to know you too."
He smiled even wider at the last part.
"Good. I was hoping you would say that."
I looked at him strangely before he continued.
"Now that we got that out of the way, I have a way that we can spend time together."
I quirked an eyebrow at him.
"Just getting to know each other, nothing serious. I'll wait until I'm sure my man parts are safe before asking you on an actual date. Your cousin might kill me," he joked.
I smirked, trying to hide a blush, but continued on with the flirting.
"Was this all just a ploy so you could spend time with me? You know, you could have just asked," I said, crossing my arms in a cocky manner.
"Aww, you caught me," he joked. "No, but seriously. One of best friends, Beau, is throwing a 'back to school/18th birthday party' for me and he told me to invite whoever I wanted. Of course, you were the first person that came to mind, so I am personally inviting you to the party," I blushed at that as he keep talking. "And you can bring your friends, too. It's nothing formal so don't worry about dressing up too much."
I was amazed at his abundance of confidence. In general, I had to be pretty confident because the public was always looking at me, but his life was completely different yet here he was, radiating confidence.
"Alright. I mean, I'll have to make sure it's okay for me to go, but it sounds fun. I can't wait."
"Great. I'll text you the details and I guess I'll see you then," he said with his signature smile.
"Yep. See ya."
I was left standing on the steps, trying to figure out how someone as thoughtful and perfect as Noland Milton even existed.
I wasn't left standing alone long though, because two very giggly girls made there way over to me.
"Hey, Rory," Lou said still giggling with a slight smirk.
Did they see what just happened?
"How was your day or more importantly, your after school," Jo asked, wagging her eyebrows at me.
I looked over at Lou and saw her mirroring the Jo's look except for she had the smile, as well.
You know. The smile that says 'I don't care if you like the boy or not the next time I see him, I'm embarrassing you in front of him'.
Yeah. That one.
I groaned and put my face in my hands as they started cracking up all over again.
"Can we just go to my car," I whined.
"Oh sure, but are you sure you want us to come with you. Lover boy might be waiting there to make out with you."
"I've only known him a week. Nothing is going on," I said defensively.
"Suuurrre. Okay," Jo said, wagging her eyebrows once more.
I led the way as we walked to my car. Once we were almost there, I saw Cal already waiting for me by it.
Things are about to heat up.
"Hey Cal," I said once we got to my little red car.
He didn't bother to answer back, instead jumped right into his question.
"What are they doing here?"
"They're riding with me to Grace's house for the sleepover," I said, innocently.
"Is this your car," Lou asked with wide eyes and an open mouth. ''It's gorgeous!"
I chuckled and thanked her, then I noticed the tension around Lou and Cal.
Oh, I'm about to make this fun.
"Alright. Let's load up," I said.
I quickly went over to Jo and pushed her to the front seat door. She gave me a confused look before I discretely look over at the awkward (soon to be) couple. She nodded and got in before Cal could protest.
This was going to be an interesting car ride.
****
I've had enough time lately to write farther ahead than normal, which I am very happy about. I'm trying to get far enough ahead so that way if I don't finish this by the end of summer (most likely not), I'll have some extra chapters to post when I don't have time to write.
Also, I changed Ashton's celebrity. I felt like Colin Ford was too young so now he is played by Ian Nelson. Anybody watch Teen Wolf? ;)
xx