I woke up in the morning feeling elated, thrilled and just absolutely giddy. The best way to describe how I felt was to say how a small child feels when they go to a candy store. I threw my duvet off me and jumped out of bed and I felt so hyper and I simply couldn't stop smiling, jumping up and down, and quite frankly squealing yet at the same time I couldn't wait to tell someone what happened.
Since only Jase and I knew about Dante being alive (the irony because him and I were actually the only ones who had believed it anyways) I was going to tell Jase about everything that had happened.
Suddenly, there were three loud thumps against my bedroom door.
"Hurry up, everyone's waiting downstairs so we can go!" An annoyed voice snapped from the other side of my room only for me to realize that it was Chris.
"Urm, exactly where are we going?" I asked feeling confused that I did not have the slightest idea what the heck they were on about.
"DUDE!" Chris grumbled from behind the door and I could tell I may have accidentally annoyed him. "You're joking right?"
"Urm .. yeah ... haha. But just so we are both on the same page, where are we going again?" I asked biting my lip and closing my eyes hoping he wouldn't freak out too badly.
"Just get dressed." He sighed and I could hear him walking down the stairs. Damn, I had to find out where on earth we were going before I accidentally hurt someone else's feelings.
I quickly yanked open my wardrobe and stared at all my clothes with a blank look spread across my face. I sat on the floor crossing my hands across my chest before I let out a deep sigh. I didn't know what to wear. THERE WAS NOTHING!
Well, I mean there's loads of clothes but none I can wear because I simply can't. Suddenly, I had a panic attack and I began to throw clothes out of my cupboard.
"AHH!" I screamed in frustration and decided to throw myself on top of my bed face first. The second I buried my face into the duvet as far as it possibly would I heard someone jump into the room ... well, that's what it sounded like. I could hear their footsteps inside my room and then it suddenly stopped. Instead the bedroom's look clicked alerting me that someone was definitely in the room and I was locked in it with them.
I could feel myself begin hyperventilating as I began to remember the last time some stranger came into my room and almost raped me. It didn't help that my hands were shaking and I couldn't even think straight. How on Earth was I meant to defend myself?
Last time Jase and Dante were in the opposite room as me, this time everyone was downstairs and making so much noise that even if I screamed they wouldn't be able to hear me.
"Whoever is in this room I advice you to please get out or else I will rip your balls off." I grumbled into the duvet trying to come as brave and strong as I possibly could. I did not want them to know I was freaking out and extremely scared.
"And if I don't want to?" They chuckled, their voice seemed fake as though they were putting on a fake deep voice, in fact it was a very deep voice (it didn't sound normal). I could hear their footsteps getting louder and louder which only meant one thing ... they were getting closer to me.
My heart was bashing against my rib cage while my brain was telling me to do something and run away or jump out of the window. I felt like I was paralyzed which was terrible for a situation like this.
That's when I somehow managed to pluck up some courage and so I quickly turned around closing my eyes for some odd reason only for the person in the room to throw themselves on me.
"I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY!" I screamed as I felt their hands placed near my shoulders. Their body was against mine but no where near enough to crush me. I could feel their breath against my neck and it felt rather alluring.
"What the f*ck?" They burst into laughter and I recognized that laugh anywhere. I slammed my eyes wide open and my mouth dropped in shock as I felt pissed off and furious. "And where exactly is this pepper spray? In your butt hole?"
"You pig!" I snapped and I began to punch their chest endlessly. "You made me feel like I was going to pee my pants!"
"Well, that's rather gross." Dante scrunched his nose in disgust before letting out another small laugh.
"It's not funny ... I thought ... he was back. I thought I was going to actually get raped this time..." I couldn't even finish of my sentence before tears began to fall down my face. I don't know what had come over me but I felt like an emotional wreck. I had honestly felt so scared and petrified yet me being the idiot I am, I oculd not do a single thing to try and save myself.
"Awh, chika. I am so sorry. I didn't want you to think someone was going to rape you." Dante's expression suddenly went from happy to in pain and hurt. He regretted creeping into my room like a total freak and placed his hand gently on my cheek. "Plus, it's not rape if both people enjoy it."
"You idiot." He wiped away my tears and I instantly smiled. Only Dante would say something like that while a girl cried thinking they would have been raped. "Plus, who said I'd enjoy it?"
"Urm, we both know that you'd ask for round two." Dante smirked and left one hand near my shoulder while the other began to rub my bare shoulder softly sending small shocks through my skin.
"N-no, I wouldn't." I bit my lip before I said anything to embarrass myself. "In fact, I'd be crying because it was the worst ever."
"Hmm, I'm sure I can make you think otherwise." His warm hand began to trail over my skin, his thumb moving slightly making my whole body shiver. His hand trailed up to my arms and he wrapped them around his neck before placing his own back on my bare shoulder.
My eyes instantly closed as I could feel his breath against my skin and even though his lips had not even made contact with mine I found the sudden urge to bite my bottom lip. I knew he wouldn't stop till I admitted that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be so bad.
However, I have my own ego to uphold so I continued to keep my mouth shut.
"This can all stop the second you admit it, until then ..." His voice was so husky right now that it was almost unbearable. Clearly, I had lost my mind the second my hands around his neck decided to bring his face closer to mine and one of my hands tangled itself into the back of his messy hair. His lips moved to my neck and he slowly left a trail of kisses on my skin. I suddenly felt very heated and I needed to tell him to stop before we went too far or encase someone decided to bash the door down however, my body seemed to be liking Dante a lot right now so it kept itself silent.
His mouth trailed down my neck and to my collarbone, his hands clamped to my sides while his chest was against mine.
"Dante, you need to stop." However, instead of it coming out as a demand it sounded like a stupid fricking moan, curses. I could feel his lips smirk against my skin and he placed his hand on the back of my head. He pulled me towards him until his lips were covering mine and I felt his lips move against mine and his hands pulling me closer into him so I kissed him back.
It felt like a jolt of electricity going through my body and all I could do was pull him even closer into me. I felt the top of his tongue trace my bottom lip and I instantly responded, deepening the kiss. I heard a small groan escape Dante's lips and without breaking contact he stood up my legs automatically locking themselves around his waist as he pulled me up with him. His hands were placed near my butt and he carried me near my study desk before removing one hand off me. He cleared the whole table and placed me on top of it.
My arms were still locked around his neck and the only breath breaks I took all lasted less than a second long. His hands were wrapped around the sides of my thighs and he pulled my body closer to his and right now I felt like a possessed person as every time I tried to stop what we were doing instead made it worse.
Heaven knows what came over me as the second Dante bit my bottom lip gently a small moan escaped my lips and I felt Dante smirk once more against my mouth. I could feel his hands grip the bottom of my shirt and he was about to take it off when suddenly someone began to angrily pound their fist against the door.
"HALEY, HURRY THE HECK UP!" Juli shouted.
I did the only thing I could think of as I panicked and I kicked Dante in the stomach as he stumbled back before toppling over himself as he fell to the floor clearly being caught off guard.
"The fu-"
"HALEY VALDEZ YOU BETTER OPEN UP THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!" Juli screamed as her fists slammed into the door continuously.
"Hide." I whispered to Dante before I quickly jumped off my desk and ran my fingers through my hair so make myself look more presentable and less like I just woke up because I slept with someone.
I saw Dante dash under my bed and so I went to my bedroom door and unlocked it before I opened it. In front of me stood a very pissed off looking Juli. She was wearing a beautiful white and black scalloped lace chiffon mid thigh dress, a black pair of platform booties and a black gemstone necklace.
"WE HAVE BEEN WAITING DOWNSTAIRS FOR YEARS WAITING FOR YOU TO GET READY WHILE YOU SEEM TO HAVE BEEN GOD KNOWS WHAT!" She snapped in my face and I felt a small bit of guilt wash over me as I knew I had been lying to her about yesterday and now I would have to lie to her again.
"Sorry, I was just panicking because I don't know what to wear as you can see from the terrible state of my room." I scratched the back of my head as her eyes glanced over near my wardrobe and she sighed shaking her head.
I wasn't exactly lying but neither was I stating the truth after all I genuinely had no idea what to wear.
"Girl, be happy it was me who came upstairs and not someone else because I'm the only person in the house right now that knows what you should be wearing." She walked over to my wardrobe and began staring at all my clothes until finally she picked a few out and threw them at me.
She had given me a white lace-paneled cardigan (lace panels were on its dolman short sleeves, it had an open front, and back), a grey heathered mickey mouse crop tee and a pair of black acid washed skinny jeans.
"You know just because you couldn't find an outfit didn't mean you had to go and break the stuff on your desk." Juli giggled and shook her head in disbelief and I felt my cheeks heaten up as I realized that Dante had wiped the table to make space for me to sit on it.
"Well, you know me and my anger tantrums." I laughed nervously.
"Boy do I." Dante muttered from under the bed loud enough for me to hear but not loud enough for Juli to hear as she was a far distance away from me.
"Now hurry up and get changed." Juli commanded as she walked up to my bed before jumping on top of it. She then eventually sat on top of my bed and somehow she sat directly on top of where Dante was currently hiding.
"Urm... okay ... could you leave so I could get changed?" I asked as politely as possible. After all I can't tell her the reason I can't get changed is because Dante was currently hiding under my bed and would see me changing in front of him.
Yes he had seen me in my underwear but that was completely by accident and not deliberate.
"Dude, we have known each other since we were two. We had showers with each other naked and girl I know your body better than your future husband will know. Now hurry up and get changed." Juli made herself comfortable on my bed and that's when I realized she truly would not get out until I changed. I threw the clothes on the floor so that I could easily get changed.
I let out a deep sigh before letting in to her and I started by taking off my grey tank top so that I was left standing with just my red lace bra and my black 3/4 length joggers. Quickly, I grabbed the crop tee and put it over my head so that my chest was covered from the prying eyes of a certain guy that looking from under the bed.
I did my best to quickly take off my joggers without falling and hooray, I did. I now stood in just my crop tee and knickers while the prying eyes continued to pry. I ignored them and grabbed the jeans off the floor before slipping them on followed by my cardigan.
Juli jumped off my bed before she made her way to my wardrobe and grabbed my jewellery bag out of it. While she rummaged through it for a while I went under my bed and poked Dante before pulling out my black timberland boots and put them on. Juli then took out my biggest silver pair of hooped earrings out of my bag and smiled.
"Put them on." She turned around and threw them at me and I caught them with ease. Doing as I was told I quickly put them on before grabbing my phone and shoving it in my jeans' pockets. "Right close that window and then lock it so we can go."
"Ok, Miss Bossy pants." I grumbled and I made my way over to the window. However, just as I was about to close the window I heard a cough come from under my bed and instantly realized I couldn't lock the windows because if I did then Dante's only way out of the house would disappear.
You see, every time we went out, we would lock all doors and windows since we were paranoid that a robbery could happen anytime and any where so this was all just precautions.
"Urm, I can't-" However, mid sentence I got cut off as Juli interrupted me.
"Why did a cough just come from under your bed?" She asked as she looked at the bed then at me then back to the bed then back at me.
"Rats." I nodded my head very pleased with my reply and yes I am very good at lying however, when it comes to me talking to Juli on her own I freak because she knows me better than anyone and she gives this look that bores into your soul and makes you tell the truth.
"Haley, I know someone is under the bed, tell me who it is before I grab them by their king jewels and pull them out!" Juli rolled her eyes at me and I bit my lip as I started to panic. Dante said no one could know so how was I to save myself and Dante from this situation.
"Okay, so there's a guy under the bed but he's naked so you don't want to look at him." I blushed furiously as my cheeks went red and Juli's face snapped towards me.
"IS THAT WHY YOU TOOK FOREVER TO GET READY?" Juli asked in shock as her jaw dropped to the floor. "OH MY GOD, HALEY DID YOU JUST LOSE YOUR VIRGINITY TO SOME RANDOM GUY THAT IS HIDING UNDER YOUR BED?"
"JULI! Please shush a little before everyone downstairs hears." I began to panic and freak as my hands began to sweat a little and my body began to shake.
"HALEY, DID YOU HAVE SEX WHILE WE WERE ALL DOWNSTAIRS?" Juli asked yet again in complete shock only her questions sounded like complete screams.
I had to lie to save Dante so I took a deep breath and prepared myself to say the biggest lie I had ever said in my life.
"Yes." I bit my lip and closed my eyes only to hear the world's biggest scream from Juli.
"I knew you were a sly dog." Juli squealed and suddenly not one, not two, not even three but FOUR guys ran up the stairs and slammed my door wide open.
"We heard screaming and yelling. What's going on?" Jase asked as he looked rather puzzled and confused and my jaw dropped as I realized my job just got a million times harder.
"Jase, help me." I cried out and Juli's face turned from mine back to Jase's then back to mine.
"HE KNOWS TOO?" She asked in shock. "You told him but not me! Haley, I'm your best friend."
"He doesn't know ... well he does but not what you know-"
"Oh my god, is he here right now?" Jase asked his eyes almost coming out of their sockets and I nodded my head and suddenly all heads snapped to me.
"What's going on, guys?" Chris asked curiously.
"Nothing!" Jase and I replied too quickly and that's when everyone suspected something dodgy was up.
"Fine, if you guys have to know, I am on my period and the blood gushed everywhere." Juli shook her head and rolled her eyes trying to lie so the guys would leave the room as she tried to take one for me but they all knew she was lying.
"Juli, you're a terrible liar that's how you know when others lie." Charlie laughed and instantly stopped when she began to give him the evils.
"What is going on?" Chris asked once again.
"For f*ck sake." I heard Dante curse under the bed.
"Haley, why is there a guy under your bed?" Chris asked his voice full of annoyance.
Before I could even reply Dante crawled out and stood before everyone. Instead of some alleged undressed man appearing before them a fully clothed one did. He stood before them in a grey t-shirt that said 'swurve' across it and had black contrast short sleeves. He was wearing his black chinos and a red and blue checkered plaid shirt tied around his waist. Four jaws dropped to the ground as they all stood before Jase, Dante and I.
"YOU HAD S*X WITH DANTE AND DIDN'T TELL ME?"
"WHAT?" Chris yelled looking shocked and about to pass out while at the same time he looked pissed off.
"SHE DID WHAT?" Charlie snapped as well.
"You guys..." Blake couldn't even finish his sentence as he stood a seat on the floor and placed his hands on his head before taking deep breathes.
"First off let me clear something. Juli I did not have s*x with Dante, I lied about there being a naked guy under my bed so that you would leave and I could let him get out the house. Secondly, this is a ghost and he isn't real. I just have mystical powers." I smiled and pointed at Dante with a huge smile on my face. "Trust Juli to keep her big mouth shut."
"Someone please explain to me what's going on before I collapse." Chris asked now looking extremely pale and nauseous.
"I think you should all just sit down while I explain myself to you all." Dante ran his hand through his hair before taking a seat on the edge of my bed and so I sat next to him before resting my head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pecked my forehead. "No one freak out, scream, cry or interrupt me during my explanation or else Juli won't be the only one on her period."
************
The seven of us had now been sitting in silence for a good couple of minutes as everyone apart from Dante, Jase and I had sat on the floor in absolute shock as Dante had finished telling him the story he had told Jase and I the day before.
"So you were alive this whole time?" Blake asked breaking the silence.
"Yeap." Dante replied.
"For two whole months?" Chris asked.
"Yeap."
"And you did come to our school?" Charlie asked.
"Yeap."
"You know, the whole two months you were gone, Haley became a wreck. I don't care if you ditched your own brother, best mates, childhood brothers, enemies or whatever the f*ck you want to call each one of us but how could you leave Haley knowing the girl was in love with you?" Juli snapped as she got up and began to make her way over to Dante looking like a complete crazy woman right now.
"I wanted to tell her I was alive, I wanted to tell her that I was fine so me and her could be together but things aren't that simple!" Dante snapped back.
"YES THEY ARE! SHE LOVES YOU AND YOU LOVE HER! I would rip your man parts off and then feed your private parts to a lion but because Haley probably wants to use them for herself later on in life or use them to make babies I won't do that instead I shall do this.." Before I could even register what Juli was going to do all I saw was her fist fly into Dante's nose and a small crunch came from his nose.
"Ok, I deserved that." Dante chuckled lightly before holding his nose as a small trickle of blood came out. I loved my best friend. Yes, no one wants their best friend making their boyfriend's nose to bleed but I was extremely happy to know that Juli had my back and would always look out for me.
"So did you guys actually have-"
"No!" Dante and I replied at the same time cutting off Jase's sentence half way.
"He was in my room and Juli was about to break the door down so he hid under the bed and I lied to Juli saying there was an undressed man under the bed to make her leave." I blushed as I repeated those words for the second time today.
"Teddy, did you know Dante was alive?" Charlie asked as he got up and walked closer towards me.
"No, I didn't but Jase and I were the only ones who believed he was and we kept hope while the rest of you gave up on the day you ditched him." I explained trying to hold back any tears that were trying to surface.
"So you kept hope for him the whole two months while he wasn't here?" Charlie asked and I nodded knowing that if I replied I may break down as all my hurt feelings would resurface and I would burst into tears before everyone.
"You're madly in love with him aren't you?" Charlie asked and everyone went dead silent, so silent that you could've heard a pin drop from downstairs.
"Well, you know-"
"Answer it honestly." Charlie demanded and yes I was in love with Dante. But I did not want to admit that in front of everyone here because I wanted to tell Dante myself I was in love with him in a happy situation when it was just him and I not me being interrogated in front of everyone.
"Oi mate, it doesn't matter does it! Either way you can't have her!" Jase snapped as he glared at Charlie with a hatred in his eyes.
"I just-"
"No, shove the I just where the sun don't shine." Jase growled. "We are not going to have you forcefully trying to kiss her again!"
"What did you just say?" Dante asked as he suddenly got up the bed and scratched the back of his head slightly.
"Sh*t." Jase cursed under his breath realizing he should have kept his mouth shut. There was no way that Dante was going to let Charlie go either way and either he would beat the rap out of Charlie till someone told him or he would get the information first then beat the crap out of Charlie. "Nothing. Just let's go so that we aren't late-"
"Jase, what the f*ck did you say?" Dante snapped his hands clenching into fists. Suddenly Blake and Chris stood in between Dante and Charlie while Juli came and stood beside me to comfort me knowing I would need it in a few minutes.
"He kissed Haley forcefully when you weren't here." Jase admitted before instantly throwing his arms around Dante as he looked completely enraged right now.
"You f*cking piece of crap." Chris swore and he was the one person I thought out of everyone would do the least damage. Chris threw a punch right into Charlie's jaw making him stagger back and Juli quickly ran to Chris before throwing her arms around him so that he could not fight but nor could he get beaten up himself. "How dare he touch my little sister like that-"
"Not fair! My go." Dante growled and he pushed Jase off himself before taking a swing into Charlie's gut knocking him on to the floor so Charlie dropped to the ground. We all noticed that clearly the two months Dante had spent with Spike had clearly toughened him up even more as he looked more dangerous now and stronger.
Jase and Blake both tried to grab Dante and hold him back but clearly it was useless. He weaved both of their attempts and went for another sucker punch into Charlie's gut.
Charlie got up but the second he did Dante grabbed Charlie by his collar and threw a punch right in the side of his head clearly damaging his head. However, it wasn't just one punch but more like four.
I ran to Dante and grabbed his fist before he could punch Charlie again. Charlie was my best friend since I was a child and yes, even though what he did was wrong he did not mean any harm. Yet I understand Dante's anger, he still needed to control it a little so I did the Juli and threw my arms around Dante not planning to let go.
"Haley, get off me!" Dante spat through his gritted teeth and I could feel him breathing deeply in and out and clearly he was VERY furious.
"Not until you calm down and stop trying to murder Charlie!" I shouted.
"The guy is trying to move to my girl and raped my girl's lips!" Dante snapped and I felt like smiling and giving Dante a big kiss on his lips however, I knew now was not the time. I just felt very happy and giddy that I was 'his girl'. Whereas the second part to his sentence just sounded funny.
"I'M NOT LETTING GO-"
Baby, I'm preying on you tonight
Hunt you down eat you alive
Just like animals, animals, like animals-mals
Maybe you think that you can hide
I can smell your scent for miles
Just like animals, animals, like animals-mals
My phone's ringtone blasted out loud and everyone's eyes snapped towards me.
"You going to get that?" Dante asked as he titled his head to the side slightly still extremely angry and pulled my phone out of my pocket before handing it to me.
"Thanks." I smiled nervously and took the phone out of his hand while still keeping one hand wrapped around him. My mum was calling me so I answered the phone. "Hey, mom."
"Hello, sweetheart." My mom's soothing voice calming me down slightly making me realize that for some odd reason I was hyped up myself.
Jase, Chris and Blake were all currently holding Dante back so he wouldn't make asked no commotion as I spoke to my mom on the phone.
"Mom, I love you ... I love you a lot, but may I ask why you called?" I asked her curiously without trying to come across as too rude or rude at all for that matter.
"Darling, don't tell me you forgot?" She asked her tone full of shock.
"No, I remember but I just want to make sure you remembered." I smiled even though my mom wasn't going to see it. Gosh, I can be very dopey sometimes.
"Oh, you have the memory of a gold fish, sweetheart." My mom giggled. "Darling you need to be here within an hour because it's your Auntie Quinn's baby shower and she didn't want it to happen without Juli, Chris, Charlie or you."
"Oh. My. God. How could I have forgotten that?" I gasped and stared at Chris and clearly my phone was loud enough for everyone to hear.
When I was small, my Auntie Quinn loved having Juli, Charlie and I over and because as kids I used to be Chris' friend he had met her too and she had loved him. Plus he turned out to be brother so him going was obligatory. She always made sure I went to her house and she always wanted me to help her during her first baby shower and make sure I was there by her side.
Auntie Quinn was only twenty three but she was very smart for her age and very wise. She had twins at age twenty because she had gotten pregnant at an early age (nineteen). Since she was still at uni at the time she never had a baby shower or anything proper for her twins as her husband (Uncle Xavier) and her were trying to handle their tricky lives by themselves.
"Just get your butt and everyone else's here." My mum laughed before hanging up and I stared at everyone.
"Well, what is everyone waiting for! Let's get a move on." I had still been clinging on to Dante's back during the phone call and finally let go off Dante. I clapped my hands everyone except Charlie and Dante left my room. I turned around looked at Dante who was glaring at Charlie. "Dante, I need him alive for today."
"You're coming with me by the way." I slipped my hand into Dante's before giving him a small peck on his lips.
"Haley, what if-"
"Life should be full of risks." I smiled and then looked at Charlie who simply smiled at me before leaving the room holding his head in his hands.
"Haley, if Spike-"
"Screw Spike. Come for my sake."
"You're evil."
"I try." I grinned and dragged with with me down the stairs. Lets just pray my auntie likes Dante because for me her opinion meant a lot. Every time I had a crush or had a boyfriend, it was my Aunty Quinn who would decide if he should be approved or not.
Dante better be on his best behaviour.