I walk back into the corridor with Bubbles by my side after getting changed. I'm still mad at her but its hard to be when its..... Bubbles. To punish her I've decided to bug her about Callum.
"I told you! He's too needy and too gross!" Bubbles says. Now she knows exactly how I feel.
"Mmmhhm," I raise my eyebrows at her and she huffs, storming off. I plug my headphones in and walk to my locker. I see Chloe and Kate walk up to me.
"SO, I heard you got it on with Alex last night," Chloe wriggles her eyebrows at me.
"I didn't! That frog-headed Bubbles decided to lock me in there with him with the help of Callum," I huff, slamming my locker.
Meghan walks up to me and joins the conversation, beginning to ask questions, I sigh, turning my music up high, drowning out the surrounding sounds, and nodding at Meghan when she says stuff, not even knowing what it is. I see Chloe and Meghan's eyes light up and Kate's eyebrows rise, I mentally groan, probably shouldn't have nodded.
"I hopped off the plane at LAX, With a dream and my cardigan, Welcome to the land of fame excess, Whoa, am I gonna fit in?" I sing loudly.
I see Chloe sigh, wanting to get the gossip, but Meghan and Kate look at me strangely, I tilt my head at them and sing louder.
"Jumped in the cab, Here I am for the first time, Look to my right and I see the Hollywood sign, This is all so crazy, Everybody seems so famous," they keep looking at me strangely so I shrug and keep going. "My tummy's turnin' and I'm feelin' kinda home sick, Toooooo much pressure and I'm nervous, That's when the taxi man turned on the radio, And the Jay Z song was -" Meghan yanks an earphone out of my ear, and I yelp, holding my ear.
"Sorry," Meghan says, but I don't think her apology is sincere.
"That was the best bit," I complain, trying to take back the earphone but Meghan pulls it away, shaking a finger at me, I realize Chloe is staring at me strangely too.
"YOU CAN SING!" Kate yells at me, I blush, so this is what the looks were about.
"Well - um - everyone can sing..." I say, turning and stuffing my earphones and phone in my bag. I play with the Eiffel tower key chain on my backpack nervously.
"Yeah, but you can like sing.... supernaturally," Chloe waves her hands around and Meghan nods. I shrug and walk off faster, the others walk after me.
"So you look stunning and your singing is stunning?" Kate asks. I blush.
"I can just sing well, not amazingly," I say. They keep looking at me and I raise my hands in a 'what?' gesture.
"We just... didn't know you could sing! That's all," Chloe says.
"But its just singing... Why're you all still looking at me strangely!"
"You're like Taylor Swift," Kate says.
"Katy Perry," Chloe adds.
"Meghan Trainer!" Meghan keeps it going.
"Beyonce!"
"Adele!"
"Britany!"
"Demi Lovato!"
"CARDI B!" Meghan yells. We all turn to look at her. She shrugs. "She can probably rap too."
We raise our eyebrows.
"What's happening?" Bubbles walks over. "Wow, Nat, you look like a bright red beetroot!"
"Beetroots are purple..." I mumble.
"Nat here is too humble for her own good," Meghan explains.
"Well, of course, she is," Bubbles smiles at me and links my arm in hers. "Let's go to calculus," she leads me down the hallway.
Thank God for Bubbles.
***
We walk into calculus together and take a seat, Chloe walks in a few minutes later and sits down next to us. We talk for a few minutes, not about Alex, though, which I'm grateful for.
Speaking of the devil, he himself walks in with Leo and Callum by his side, but instead of sitting in their normal seats at the back, he comes and sits down right next to me. I groan.
"What do you want, sugar pie?" I ask him.
"I want you to play with my hair again," he wiggles his eyebrows. I don't notice everyone around us raise their eyebrows.
"I want to knock you out with a basketball... again" I roll my eyes.
"You only did that to play with my hair," he says, smirking.
"In your dreams... and my nightmares," I mumble. He laughs, the cute grin showing as I look up at him, I smile.
"Yeah I'll think of you in my bed," he smirks again.
"ALEX!" I smack him across the desk as the teacher walks in, giving us strange glances.
***
After taking notes and ten minutes into the lesson I feel Alex's knee hitting mine.
"Will you stop?" I glare at him and go back to my notes. He smirks but five minutes later I feel him hitting me with his knee again. I draw mine back and whack it into his shin.
"OW!" he yelps. The teacher turns around and glares at him.
"Mr Collins, my lessons have been disrupted by you enough times. Please take some time to go outside and calm yourself," the teacher shoos him off. He stands up and I snort. He glares down at me and I shrug, trying not to burst out laughing in the middle of the lesson.
Alex walks outside and comes back in a few minutes later. I squeal with laughter. He sits down beside me. "Shut up."
I laugh again. "Ok, don't kick me then," I return to my notes and he rolls his eyes. Honestly, who does he think he is?
***
When the lesson finishes I wait outside for my friends. I'm about to go back inside to get them when I come face to face with Amanda.
"What do you think you're doing?" she says angrily.
"Um... Sorry, what?" I say, hoping she hasn't recognized me.
"Stay away from Alex, he's mine," she says. What the nugget? Wow, well this isn't totally mean girl stereotyped.
"Ok, Regina," I say. She gapes at me angrily, about to retort when Alex walks around the corner and throws an arm around me.
"Greg," he smiles at me before noticing Amanda. "Amanda," he nods sourly and spins me around without a second glance at Amanda. We walk towards Chloe, Bubbles, Leo and Callum. Alex looks at me.
"You good?" he asks me.
"What do you mean?"
"You clearly don't like her," he states. I nod.
"Yeah, thanks," I say, biting my lip, he doesn't know that mini, one-sided conversation was about him. He stares at me for a few extra seconds before looking away. The fact that he's asking if I'm OK melts my heart.
Ew, stop it, Nat!
We walk into the cafeteria together, Chloe, Bubbles and I turn to walk away but the boys pull Bubbles and me back.
"What?" Bubbles says. She shoves Callum's arm from off her.
"We'll give you free pizza," Leo says.
"Ok, I'm in," Bubbles allows Callum's arm to go around her. Alex doesn't doesn't take his arm off me as we walk towards his table.
We sit down on the high stools and I spread out my lunch. Alex and I get into an argument about whether or not Brussel sprouts are tasteless. Leo, Bubbles and Callum are laughing. And I see Callum giving Bubbles these...looks.
Naw, they're in love.
***
"I can't believe that's a word," Bubbles laughs at Leo.
"The act of throwing something out of a window?" Leo raises his eyebrows at her, scrolling through his phone. "Of course its a word."
"Defenestration definitely needs to be a word," Callum joins in. Alex and I have stopped our debate on why cheeseburgers are better than Big Macs to listen in. They keep laughing at google until Alex pipes up.
"It does, I wanna do defenestration to Greg right here! Cheeseburgers are wayyy better than big macs," he shoves me and I almost fall off my chair, but he catches my arm and pulls me up. I shove him and he actually falls off his chair.
"I wish your chair was a window, Patricia," I huff, raising my eyebrows at him and smirking.
Alex gets back on his chair and sits down, glaring at me, I smile evilly and I see a tinge of a smile on his face.
I start packing up my stuff when the bell rings. Alex and I walk off to music, the only class I don't have with Bubbles.
"I don't even know how you're into Maccas Big Macs," he shakes his head as we walk.
"What I don't know is how you even like their cheeseburgers," I shake my head.
"You are unbelievable," he shoves me into a locker and I bang my head.
"OW!"
"Sorry, I think your brain needs to move into the right position so that you can realize that CHEESEBURGERS ARE WAY BETTER THAN BIG MACS!"
I roll my eyes, smiling.
A bunch of girls walk up to us, they look like Amanda's minions, Amanda herself isn't with them, she must be in a different class. Their voices remind me of the ones that assumed the wrong thing this morning.
"So, you two huh?" says a small blonde with a high ponytail that makes her eyebrows reach her hairline. Before I can respond Alex wraps an arm around my waist and walks me into class. I sit next to Meghan and Alex follows.
"Just ignore them, you know what Amanda's like," he says, I nod. But if Amanda finds out who I am she'll probably annoy me even more...
***
My next class is French. Glenna, Noah and I are asked to stay back to make the brochures. I try to ask Glenna some questions, but she doesn't want to have a conversation I suppose. We design them first on a device then send them to the school printer. None of the others really said anything, and I'm the only one coming up with the ideas, which I feel bad about. Usually I'm the one in a group of strangers that have lots of bright ideas, but never get asked about my own. I ask them for their ideas but they don't say anything, apart from telling me mine are great. I feel really guilty. We walk to the library together, and, since Glenna doesn't want to talk, I speak to Noah.
"So, what do you like to do for fun?" he seems really reserved, but I think he's nice.
"Well, I like to play footballl, I'm on the team," he says proudly.
"Cool."
"Yeah, you should come and watch a game," he tells me excitedly.
"Oh, yeah, I will. Maybe I'll bring my brothers or something," I nod.
"Really?" he seems suprised.
"Yeah," I laugh. "Of course."
"And, um, I just thought of this, and I know we don't know each other that well but I was wondering if, maybe, you'd go to the after party with me, so that we could get to know each other?" he asks nervously. He's right, I don't know him, but maybe after going to a party with him... I would know him.
"Oh, um, sure. You mean, like a date?" I say, Glenna glares back at us. Noah nods. "Yeah. I think that sounds good! Ok, is it this Friday?"
"Yeah."
"Then its a date!" I say and we smile at each other.
***
I don't know if it was the right decision to say yes... I don't really know Noah and I've never really had a boyfriend before...
I decide to call Adele.
"Hey gurl- what's wrong?" Adele sees my face.
"Well, I kind of said yes to going on a date with a guy-" I'm interrupted by my best friend's scream. I hear her parents yell at her to be quiet and she's about to apologize when Bubbles bursts into my room.
"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU GOING ON A DATE WITH NOAH ROSS?" she screams. I rush over to the door, close it, and shush her.
"He asked me. He seems like a pretty nice kid. Its not official or anything, just a party or something," I explain and she brings my laptop over to my bed, placing it on the pillows and lying down. She pats the spot next to her and I lie down.
"Do you even know who he is?" Bubbles asks me, scrolling through her Instagram.
"Isn't he just a shy guy that hangs around with the jocks?"
"What the hell Natalie? He's the jock of the school," she gapes at me.
"What?"
"How the hell don;t you know that?"
"Well, he's shy when he speaks to me and he doesn't look like the Hulk."
"Haven't you heard everyone? Noah Ross this, Noah Ross that, blah, blah, blah."
"Woah, woah, woah," Adele interrupts us. "Show me a picture Bubbles," Bubbles shows her the phone and Adele gapes at me when Bubbles takes it away from her. "How in the world did you not know he's a jock?"
"Huh?" I say, confused. Bubbles shows me the photo and I gape at it. Noah is sitting on a pool chair with a beer and his shirt of. Sunglasses cover his eyes and his hair is longer than usual. His biceps are on full display and so is his torso. "He doesn't look like that at school," I say truthfully.
"You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into," Bubbles tells me. I don't understand why he acted shy I think to myself as Bubbles scrolls through his Instagram and I see pictures of him jumping off cliffs and getting drunk with his mates. Oh God.
"Oh no," I hold my face in my hands before looking up. "Maybe he won't be so bad once I get to know him? He'll act shy then maybe warm up."
I nod to myself. "Well, he won't be as good to you as a certain someone," Bubbles tells me.
"Yeah, what happened to Alex?" Adele asks me.
"I don't like him! He was never an option," I tell them, frustrated.
If only it was that easy to convince myself...
________________________________________________________________
Hi! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry, it was pretty short.
Please comment and vote! Thanks for choosing this book, it means alot.
Read my friend's books! They're AWESOME! in no particular order:
Hide and Seek - snowblizzard32
Lost - snowblizzard32
Bumping into you - Ajhk22
Wolfstar - yoitstortles
Isabel Mellark - nonoainhoa
Fandom Parodies - Nefarious_999
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