PICTURED: Asha's outfit
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I woke up on Tuesday morning bright and early. Today was mufti day at school to raise money for the Larchdale fire victims, so I left enough time to shower and choose my outfit for the day. After showering and washing my hair I opened my closet door and was overwhelmed by the amount of clothes I had accumulated. My mum had truly spoiled me over the holidays and my wardrobe had practically doubled in size. Since the weather was still quite cold, I chose a big camel coloured jumper, a black bodysuit and dark denim ripped jeans.
I braided my hair in French braids which made their way down to my waist, and I did my makeup a bit heavier than usual. Why? I'm not too sure. To impress Bailey? Maybe.
My mum had left for work early this morning, meaning that I was left alone in the house. I'd been living here for a few months now and I still hadn't fully explored every nook and cranny. Bailey wasn't going to be arriving for another hour, so I went outside and admired my backyard that I had spent hardly any time in.
Rose bushes lined the fence and a large pool was in the corner. I'd only found out a few weeks ago that the pool was actually heated. We had a small patio outside of our front door with a table and four chairs that looked out onto the garden. It was small and modest...perfect for my mum and me.
It was no mansion, but it could definitely hold seventy or eighty people comfortably if you included the backyard. I don't think I'd be able to top Chelsea's set up though...no way. I made my way back inside and prepared myself some raisin toast and a hot chocolate for breakfast. It was seven thirty when I got a message on my phone from an unknown number.
Unknown: Oi, it's Bailey. I know I'm early but I'm out the front. I can wait if you're not ready yet.
PS. I'm not a stalker, got your number from Mollie x
I added her number to my phone before jogging to the front door. I opened it to see Bailey leaning against her bike, gazing off into space.
"Hey!" I called, catching her attention. "I'm still eating breakfast so come inside."
"I can wait out here..." she said awkwardly, but I rolled my eyes in response.
"No, come in. It's too cold out," I said, ushering her inside. As she walked in I admired her outfit. She wore her usual casual attire, but still managed to look perfect every single time.
"Have you eaten?" I asked her as we made our way to the kitchen.
"Nah, I was just gonna grab something from the canteen," she said, sitting down on the bar stool.
"Don't be silly, grab whatever you want!" I said, opening the cupboards to reveal an abundance of cereals and other breakfast foods. My mum was a big fan of the saying 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day', hence the extensive range of food in our pantry.
"Damn, Lawrence. You guys are ready for a zombie apocalypse!" she laughed, her eyes roaming the cupboard.
"Yeah, my mum is a big breakfast fan..." I told her, "But seriously, have anything you want!"
Bailey jumped off the bar stool and grabbed a bagel, slicing it open and placing it in the toaster. She then grabbed some jam and waited for the toaster to pop.
"Do you want a coffee or anything?" I offered, taking a sip of my hot chocolate.
"What are you drinking?" She asked me.
"Just a hot chocolate, I can make you one if you want?" I asked.
"Please!" she nodded, and jumped when the toaster popped, causing me to chuckle loudly.
"Can punch a guy twice her size and break his jaw but gets scared of a toaster..." I mused, still unable to control my laughter. Bailey tried to look angry but failed miserably when a smile cracked onto her face.
"Shut up," she muttered, playfully slapping my arm. She spread the jam on her bagel as I began preparing her hot chocolate.
"Fuck, this is the best bagel I've ever had!" she moaned, taking a second bite.
"I think you're easily impressed," I chuckled, "but here's your hot chocolate."
I handed her the mug full of chocolatey goodness and she took a sip, her eyes rolling to the back of her head.
"Ugh, fuck!" she moaned. Jesus Christ. I was instantly aroused. Awesome.
"This is amazing! Holy shit!" She exclaimed, and practically gulped it down.
"We should probably get going..." I said, "Don't want to be late for school."
I gave myself a hypothetical pat on the back for staying so calm and relaxed in Bailey's presence. I was still upset about what she had said about or hookup at Chelsea's party, but if I wanted to remain friends with her then I couldn't let my emotions show.
We made our way outside and got onto her bike. She handed me a helmet and then put one on herself.
"Wait, did you get another helmet?" I asked her.
"Yeah, can't have you riding without one," she said.
"Well, let me pay you back!" I demanded.
"Nope. Now hold on," she said, and that was the end of that conversation. We drove off and out of my street, turning the corner and heading to the main stretch of Chadstone.
Once we arrived at school, we barely had time to get off the bike before Katie fucking Cooper came running over.
"Bailey!" she all but squealed, "I haven't seen you in forever!"
"Yeah, been busy. Sorry!" Bailey said, looking down at the ground.
"Can we hang out this afternoon? Maybe at my place?" Katie asked, batting her eyelashes like some sort of cartoon character. Can she fuck off?
"Sorry, I cant. I'm going to Asha's this afternoon to do an assignment," Bailey said simply, and began walking away. Katie grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"What about tomorrow afternoon?"
"Assignment again. Sorry Katie, I really can't hang out," Bailey said, and with that she walked off. Katie gave me a deathly glare and stormed off in the opposite direction, leaving me standing next to Bailey's bike alone.
"You coming, Lawrence?" Bailey called from the school gates, and I ran to catch up with her.
My first lesson was double English which was fairly relaxed. I spent most of the time talking to Amanda about my morning with Bailey, the Larchdale Charity event, the school recital and the upcoming Spring Formal.
"Do you know what style of dress you'll get?" Amanda asked me.
"Honestly I have no clue, let's go shopping this weekend with the girls to find some dresses!" I suggested, and Amanda nodded excitedly in agreement. She pulled out her phone and sent a group text to all of us.
'GIRLIES 💖' Amanda: Saturday = formal dress shopping at the mall. Meet at 10:30am. 💋
"Wow, you're prompt!" I laughed as she tucked her phone back in her pocket.
"I have to look good. I'm stressed!" she worried.
"Look good for who?" I asked her, and a blush crept up to her cheeks.
"No one, I just want to look nice," she obviously lied.
"Bullshit, Amanda Wetherell! Tell me who right now!" I scolded, and she caved easily.
"Okay....Dylan," she admitted.
"Dylan...as in Dylan Campbell?" I asked.
"Yeah...we have been talking since Chelsea's party and he's really sweet. I think he might like me," she confessed.
"Oh my god, Amanda that's amazing! He's really cute! I'm so happy for you!" I exclaimed, and the rest of the lesson was spent gushing over how cute Dylan was.
The rest of the day passed by quickly, and eventually I was on the back of Bailey's bike heading to my house to do our assignment.
"Do you want another bagel?" I joked as I let her in my house.
"I was actually going to ask for another hot chocolate, I've been thinking about it all day!" she exclaimed.
"Hmmm, I guess I can do that for you," I said, walking over to the coffee maker to make us both a hot chocolate. Just to be fancy I frothed the milk and added chocolate powder and two tiny marshmallows before handing the mug and saucer to Bailey.
"Fuck, I'm in actual heaven!" Bailey sighed, taking a sip from the mug. When she put it down I couldn't help but laugh, the froth leaving a thick moustache on her upper lip.
"What?" she asked me with a smile, although I think she already knew what was wrong.
"You've got a little something..." I trailed off, leaning forward and wiping my thumb softly over her parted lips. We didn't break eye contact the entire time, and I felt daring enough to bring my thumb up to my mouth and suck off the froth. I saw Bailey's breath hitch in her throat as she blinked a few times, as if trying to register what had just happened. She licked her lips slowly and coughed awkwardly, breaking the silence and tension that surrounded us.
"Um..." she whispered, trying to find words.
"Let's do that assignment, yeah?" I suggested, quickly hopping off the stool and running up the stairs.
Bailey followed a few minutes later and I couldn't help but wonder what took her so long. Did I make her nervous? Did I turn her on? The thought of that was enough to arouse me further. She sat down next to me on the floor and we sorted through the array of books. We had finished our section on Irena Sendler and were now halfway through researching our second Resistance member, Alexander Pechersky. He was the leader of the most successful uprising and biggest mass escape from the Sobibor Extermination Camp.
I noticed as time went on, Bailey's fascination with WWII started to rival mine. She became enthralled in the information from my books and articles, and that only made me fall for her that much harder.
For the rest of the week Bailey and I would ride to and from school together, working on our assignment every afternoon. Each time she came home, my mum would eye me suspiciously but walk away quickly when I shook my head at her. I loved her, but the thought of her opening her mouth and saying something embarrassing was daunting to say the least.
By Friday we had finished our section on Alexander Pecherskey and were up to researching our third and final chosen member; Lelio Vittorio Valorba, the leader of DELASEM - Delegation for the Assistance of Jewish Emigrants.
"Cant believe we are actually almost finished this assignment!" Bailey sighed, leaning her back against my bed frame.
"I know, me too. It's due in like a month isn't it?" I said.
"Yep, then you'll never have to put up with me again," she laughed.
"Thank god, I was sick of you on the first day." I joked.
Our banter continued until she left that night, but not after mum had practically begged her to stay for dinner. Bailey happily obliged, insisting I make her another cup of hot chocolate. Once she had left, my mum bombarded me with questions.
"Not now mum, I need to sleep. I have a long day of shopping tomorrow!" I said as I avoided her questions. I ran upstairs and lay down on my bed. I checked my emails last thing before I went to sleep and found one from a high end clothing boutique in the Carrin Valley mall.
Hi Asha,
We have read your resume and are very pleased with what we have seen. We would like to invite you to attend an interview tomorrow afternoon at 1:00pm in our Carrin Valley store. Please respond ASAP to confirm your interview. We look forward to seeing you,
Kind Regards,
ZINC FASHION