Chapter Seven: A Horrible Affair!
"So All set Laura?" Sophia asked.
"Ermm...how about me going home straight away & pretend that I never ever registered for the competition?" Laura muttered nervously, shuffling her feet.
"Well, how about you going to the event hall straight away & win the competition?" I assured her brightly.
"Fine." She sighed heavily, rising to her feet.
"Hey! You'll be fine. Don't worry!" Sophia cheered her as both of us stood up as well, "Now let's go."
Laura nodded slowly. I wished her all the best & watched my two friends walk out of the canteen foyer. Sophia was a part of the volunteering team who would supervise the script writing contest.
It was after school hours, so there wasn't much crowd to be found in the school building. Since I decided to stay back till the end of the competition, might as well use the time in hand productively & complete the article writing assignment that was given in Journalism class.
I made my way to the library to research on the subject which I was to write on. On reaching there, I scanned through the names of some of the relevant books in one of the rows. I finally got the book I was hunting for. When I was about to pull the book out, there came another hand on that book. I turned my face to see who it was. No drum rolls. It was Drake.
"I need the book. So care to move your hand far away?" I told him sharply.
"Find some other book to bury your nose into cause I'm taking this book." he told back.
It was evident by the smile on his face that he was here to annoy the hell out of me. Argggg!!!!
"Give me the book or else you might not live to see the next second of your life." I threatened him.
"Believe me, I have never been so scared like how I'm now in my almost eighteen years of existence." he said mocking grin.
"I said give me the book!!!!" I raised my voice glaring at him, trying to snatch the book from his hand.
"And I said you aren't having it. Want a hearing aid?" he said, pulling the book towards him.
Then I pulled the book to myself, trying to get rid of his hands off it but he pulled the book to him & very soon it was a tug of war between us.
"Give it!!!" I shouted.
"Nope!"
"Jerk!!!!"
"Nosey!!!"
"STOP!"
My hands let go of the book when that strict angry voice graced my ears. Drake & I turned to see the librarian, Madam Blackwell glaring at us disapprovingly,
"How many times do I have to make you two understand that this place is a library, not a dueling club!!!!!"
"Madam I---" I tried to speak but was interrupted by her.
"I don't want any more chaos here. Out." the librarian showed us the door.
My eyes shot wide open, "But I---"
"I repeat Move Out, both of you." she again interrupted me.
So that was that.
*****
"Why the hell did you do that for???" I yelled at Drake, once we were thrown out of the library.
"To tell you the truth, I was pretty bored with life & you know how great I feel by seeing you in trouble." he smirked, shrugging his shoulders.
I bet I resembled an angry volcano at that time.
"Are you aware that you're an insensitive jerk?" I said scornfully.
"To be frank, your telling that doesn't make me one." he countered calmly & then walked away with his hands in his pocket as if he had been on a pleasant vacation all this while.
I stomped my foot in anger.
Can anyone Google Search & find out whether murder is made legal?
I went to the common room & plopped down onto the sofa in a grumpy mood. It was like Drake had taken a big fat oath to create problems in my life. Now how am I going to do my article?
Damn it!!!!!
"Hey! Wassup?" I heard someone say.
I looked up to meet a pair of coffee brown eyes. Daniel sat next to me on the sofa.
"Believe me, you don't wanna know." I told him, sulking.
"Is there any problem?" he asked in a concerned voice, "Maybe I can help you."
I told him the fiasco that Drake created in the library & by the time I finished rambling everything, Daniel broke into a short laugh.
"I can't believe you're finding it funny. That's not the kind of help I was expecting." I pouted, whining.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to react like this." he apologized, regaining himself, "Drake can be troublesome at times but he is not a bad guy."
"Oh puh-lease! You're saying this because you don't want to be kicked out from the football team by him."
He looked amused, "No! I'm serious! He is a great guy!"
"Impossible. He is a Devil who doesn't wear a Prada." I said, rolling my eyes.
Daniel laughed at my remark. He actually looked cute.
"Well Andrea, I've a solution to your problem. Why don't you give me the list of books that you want & I will issue them from the library for you?"
"You'll do that???" I asked delightedly.
"Yup!" he replied, smiling adorably.
"Thanks a bunch!" I said. Taking out a paper from one of my notebooks, I wrote the name of the two books that I needed.
I gave the slip to him.
"Ermm.....Can you please also write in which rows & sections will I get the books since I'm not a regular visitor to the library." he said, running his hand across his brown hair in a confused manner. Aww! He looked even more cute & innocent doing that.
I giggled, "Yeah sure."
He gave me the slip & I quickly jotted down the necessary details & gave the paper back to him.
"That looks great. I will be here soon with the books!" he said & exited the common room, making his way to the library.
I thanked Daniel once again when he got me those books. That was indeed a big help that I got, I tell you! After he left, I sat down to go through the book & arrange the ideas in my head to write that article.
I kept a close look on my wrist watch, hoping all was going on well with Laura. When I assumed the time must have been up for the contest, I walked out of the Common room & thought to wait outside the contest hall for her.
I had just taken a turn at the corridor that led to the Event hall when I bumped into someone. It was Laura. I was shocked to find her teary-eyed. She looked dreadful.... Before I could ask her what the matter was, she was already running out of there.
"Hey Laura! Wait!" I called out to her but she didn't stop.
I sprinted after her to the Girls Washroom. Something surely might have gone hell wrong in the competition....
"Laura! What's....what's wrong?" I asked her, dashing inside the washroom, breathing heavily out of running all the way. She was standing with her back to me. Her shoulders were shaking as she tried not to cry. I could see the reflection of her tear-stricken face in the mirror.
As I was about to comfort her, I heard the door of the washroom open behind me. I turned to look find Susan, her best friend Amber who was curly black-haired & their gang of four girls walk in with a smirk plastered on their snooty faces. Amber was also a participant in the script-writing event.
"Aww! Looks like the ugly cry baby, is after all, crying!" Susan said in a ridiculing voice, throwing a disgusting look at Laura, "I wonder why the hell she even participated in the contest when she can't even write a word!"
"Oh come on Susie! She wanted to prove to the world that she is indeed a big freaking Loser!" Amber exclaimed in a bullying voice, "I mean how can she think that a loser like her has the right to even dream about fashion & showbiz?"
"Yeah! Just look at her! Her face is horrible & her hair is even more awful. Her dressing sense is worst than garbage! Eww! And Andrea is the greater dumb-headed loser to be friends with her!" Susan sneered.
I heard the girls in their gang laughing mockingly. I was speechless with shock, appalled by the fact that someone could say so harsh & cruel words to anyone. I turned to Laura. She looked even more traumatized & harassed. She ran out of the there, covering her face & the snobbish girls laughed even louder. I felt a terrible guilt rise in the pit of my stomach at my inability to defend my friend but now I am gonna do exactly that.
"Stop it!!!!!!!!" I screamed & the girls felt silent. Susan & Amber looked at me nastily.
I spoke sharply, "Susan, I think you forgot to mention one of Laura's other quality which is the fact that she isn't a make-up clad slut like all of you who don't mind to get frequently used & thrown by guys."
The look on their faces, especially Susan's, made me swell with self-pride. I flashed my best smirk at all of their glaring faces & exited the washroom.
*****
I wondered where I could find Laura, hoping that she didn't go home as yet. I checked the common room, she wasn't there. I found her weeping in the empty locker room.
"Laura...." I called out in a low voice, approaching her.
She wiped the tears with both her hands & turned to face me.
"Andy, I'm fine. Whatever Susan & Amber said is true. I will have to hear such things all my life, might as well learn to hear it from now itself. I'm not worthy of anything. So please don't have any hopes from me."
"Laura I---"
She didn't stand to listen what I wanted to say. She walked away from there in a dejected state. I didn't know how to stop her.
I walked along the lonely corridors, extremely upset with the entire issue. I came across Sophia outside the contest hall.
"The results have just been declared. Amber won it." she told me.
"What went wrong with Laura?"
Sophia sighed, "She couldn't write anything, was all flustered & low self-esteemed. I tried to calm her down but failed. It was like she wrote ten words & cancelled eight of them & ultimately scribbled the entire thing."
******
I had no clue how to console Laura. Perhaps I'm the reason behind her misery. I shouldn't have forced her to enter the event but I couldn't see waste of her talent either.
I didn't realize where I was walking until the football field came into view. It was evening. I kicked the ball lying there. I ran after the ball, kicking it, hoping that would somehow ease the guilt within me. I tried to score a goal several times but I just wasn't able to get the ball at the goal net. I kicked the ball sideways in frustration. The football was stopped by someone. I saw Drake standing there with the ball under his foot.
"What are you doing here? Just leave!!" I snapped at him.
"I'm the Captain I believe." he said, "And as far as I remember, I had banned you from coming over here. And nobody goes against my decisions."
I was in no mood to stand him even for a split second right now. Its best I just walk away from here.
I walked past him to leave when I suddenly felt his grip around my hand. I could feel him standing right behind me, his warm breaths grazing my ear,
"Whoa! What a miracle! Ms Nosey Wilson didn't shoot back at me." he whispered huskily in a taunting voice, "That means some matter is seriously bothering you. I wanna know what it is."
I jerked my hand out of his grip & turned to face him fiercely,
"The world doesn't functions according to your wants & wishes Drake Spencer, get that clear. Even if I have a problem, its entirely my business. Stay out of my life."
I stormed off from there.
~*~*~*~*~
So here is the next chapter! Do let me know what you think! What will Andy do now? What do you have to say about Laura?
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enchantedgirlXX