Dedicated to @beautyatwork bc she seriously inspires me and is a lovely person.
The song to the side is Clarity by Zedd bc it basically describes Scarlett and Cole’s relationship :)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
-Scarlett-
I jumped as a pair of hands covered my eyes and I was about to start thrashing around in the fear of being kidnapped, when I heard a familiar chuckle.
Brandon.
Smiling, I leaned back and he kissed my cheek.
“Hey babe,” he said, pulling up a chair and sitting down next to me. I knew everyone who was sitting in the cafeteria had their eyes on us; all waiting for something juicy to gossip about.
“So you ready for our date on Friday?” I asked loud enough for everyone to hear. That should give them something to talk about, I thought smugly.
Brandon smiled at me. “Most definitely.”
I grinned back.
Next to me, Stacy sat, flirting with another jock, but every now and then, I saw her shoot us occasional glances. They were filled with an indescribable emotion. Was it…jealousy?
I shrugged it off.
**
Brandon picked me up for our date, exactly at 7 pm in his shiny car. He took us to some French restaurant that was two towns away.
He was dressed very well in dark wash denim jeans and a button down shirt. When I opened the door he had presented me with a bouquet of flowers and with a big smile on his face.
Brandon was probably one of the sweetest guys ever. He walked me to class, offered to hold my books and always asked me how my day had been.
Ever since we had been going out he had stopped flirting with any other girl. Most of them backed away anyway. They wouldn’t dare to double cross me.
He is so perfect, I thought wistfully.
Good looking, smart, kind, thoughtful, funny and polite. He was flawless. It was as simple as that.
I came back to the present as Brandon cleared his throat softly.
“You okay Scarlett?” he asked, concern filling his eyes.
I nodded silently and he gave me a smile.
“Do you want to order now?” he gestured to the menu in front of me and I nodded.
“Um yeah, sure…but I don’t know what to order,” I said hesitantly and he shook his head.
“That’s fine. I’ll order for you,” he reassured.
I didn’t tell him that I hated French food.
He turned to smile at me after he rattled our order off to the waiter.
“Don’t worry, you’ll love it,” he said and gave me another brilliant smile.
We made small talk while our food was being delivered. It was mostly about football and classes.
“How is training?” I asked, referring to the many hours he spent per week practising football.
He sighed. “Gruelling.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I can imagine. My dance finals are coming up in about a two months and my teacher is pushing me harder and harder.”
“Oh yeah, it totally slipped my mind that you dance!” he exclaimed apologetically “how it is?”
“Not too bad,” I admit. “It’s just that I have to work on a new routine for the finals and it has to be perfect!”
“Good luck with that!” Brandon says kindly. “Maybe I can come watch you sometime?”
I shifted in my seat, slightly uncomfortable. I usually didn’t like it when people watched me dance. It made me feel anxious.
“Maybe,” I answered vaguely.
“What college are you looking to go to?” he asked and I frowned.
“NYU,” I answered “my father went there.”
“Following his footsteps I see,” Brandon laughed.
I nodded. “Something like that. Anyway, what about you?”
He frowned. “Somewhere I can get a football scholarship. A bunch of scouts are going to start coming to our games.”
I was about to open my mouth and reassure him that he would get in, when the food arrived.
Two plates were piled high with foods I didn’t know how to pronounce. There was something that looked like potato and carrot and some form of meat.
The waiter placed the plates onto the table and I dug in, enthusiastically. Brandon, opposite me, did the same.
It was quite delicious. The flavours seemed to burst on my tongue and the texture was quite creamy and light.
I sighed. “Oh my god, this is…”
“I know,” Brandon nodded. “Amazing isn’t it?”
I put my fork down. “How did they make this?”
Brandon laughed. “You have no idea how many times I’ve tried to ask them. But it’s a family secret,” he sighed wistfully.
“Damn!” I complained.
**
I tucked my coat in tighter as the wind hit my face as soon as we exited the restaurant.
Brandon had insisted on being a perfect gentleman and paying the bill. He even held the door open for me while exiting.
“So…” he turned to me “the night’s still young. What do you want to do now?”
I pursed my lips and then looked up at the starless sky. “How about we walk for a bit?”
Brandon nodded and we both walked side by side, down the road, leaving Brandon’s car in the parking lot of the French restaurant.
Despite the chilly air it was a beautiful night. There was a lot of light, mainly from the full moon and twinkling stars and an occasional street lamp. It was dead quiet and the only sounds were my high heels clicking as we walked.
“So…the psychology project huh? How are you going for that?” Brandon asked, turning to face me.
I shrugged noncommittally. “Yeah, okay I guess.”
“You got the Jackson kid didn’t you?”
I nodded. “He’s not too bad I guess.”
Brandon laughed, suddenly sounding very harsh. “You don’t like him or anything, do you?”
“No…of course not,” I answered back, too quickly. “He just does all the work,” I laughed with Brandon.
I instantly felt horrible for saying something like that but I didn’t want Brandon to think I liked him. And I didn’t anyway…like him I mean…it was Cole Jackson after all.
“Oh…right, you had me there for a moment. I mean, it’s not like you could like him anyway.”
“Yeah,” I muttered back trying not to cringe.
We lapsed into awkward silence.
I didn’t look Brandon in the eye because I didn’t really know what to say next. I didn’t know how to felt about what he had said about Cole.
“You and Stacy, huh?” I asked finally.
“What?” he said quickly.
“You and Stacy are partners…aren’t you?”
“Oh right, yeah of course. What about us?”
“How are you going? And what did you think I meant?”
“We’re fine and nothing, I was just confused,” Brandon replied and we fell into another silent gap.
“Do you mind taking me home now?” I asked. I didn’t know what to say anymore, let alone what to say.
“Right, okay, sure,” Brandon rambled and nodded.
We walked back to his car and climbed in. He started the ignition and sped out of the parking lot with a zoom.
The car ride was completely silent so I pressed the button for the radio, listening as the soft tunes filled the car.
He finally pulled up in front of my house and got out to open the door for me. I smiled slightly and began to walk up to my porch, with him following.
“I hope you had fun,” he said.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “It was good.”
“Well…” he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly “how about we do this again sometime?”
“Am I your girlfriend?” I asked out of the blue.
He looked slightly shocked but nodded. “Of course babe.”
I nodded. “Okay. And yeah, we should.”
“Great.”
I nodded again. “Goodnight.”
“Night,” he gave me a strained smile as I unlocked the door and went inside. As the shut the door and locked up I could hear the low purr of his car backing out of the driveway.
Mom wasn’t home as I raced upstairs and got ready for bed, making sure to fold my dress neatly and take my makeup off.
Brushing my teeth and tying my hair up into a bun, I slipped into bed, switching my lamp off as I did so.
I lay in the dark, thinking. I had gotten everything I practically wanted.
Brandon as a boyfriend. Popularity. Friends. I had it all.
And the date went perfectly. Brandon was sweet and kind and funny and thoughtful and just perfect. But there was something off in him and our date and my life.
It was vague and I only noticed it sometimes when I was at school or talking to Brandon or hanging out with Stacy but it was there. And I couldn’t for my life fathom what it was.
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A / N : an update for you people, hope you enjoy and make sure to check out my other books that are up on my profile as well! love you guys and talk to you in my next update! ps, who’s excited for mockingjay and jennifer lawrence??