Chapter 22: It all Started With A Letter Under A Red Velvet Cupcake
"I still don't believe what you're telling me, Cerise. Byron was actually being nice?" Kelly leaned over to me, putting her upper body weight on her folded arms
"Is that all you got from that whole paragraph?"
I had dragged Kelly into the library and told her everything from yesterday, but I didn't see how she didn't question the part on Byron's dad and my mother.
"It isn't like Byron to be nice to you all of the sudden. What is that guy up to?"
"Shh!" Mrs. Crenchoff shushed us, still not bothering to look up from her computer
I placed my hands on Kelly's mouth before narrowing my eyes to her. "Byron's dad is dating my mother." I repeated, this time slower than before.
She rolled her eyes and removed my hand, placing it onto the table. "Cerise, it won't last a week. If Byron's dad is anything like him, then surely it won't."
I let that sunk in but still didn't believe it one bit. Mom and Ned seemed to be infatuated with each other. The bell rung for first period to begin signaling Kelly and I to go our separate ways.
While walking to class I could only think about one advantage from Mom's relationship. Now she hadn't bother to force me into something to wear this morning because she was too busy choosing something to wear to the new restaurant that Ned opened up across the city.
No kids allowed.
I shivered at the thought. With all focus on my thoughts and not where I was walking I bumped into someone.
"Cerise? Hey, didn't see you yesterday."
Carter.
How could I forget about that? I was suppose to meet him at the park yesterday.
Thanks so much, mother.
"I'm really sorry. My mom had this date thing and she forced us to come along but I didn't really want to go. I told her I had somewhere to be but then she--" I stopped rambling on when his index finger met my lips
"It's okay." He reassured
Before I could respond a football soared over his head, but he caught it instantly with his free hand that was not linked to my lips.
When he finally removed it he turned around to address the direction it came from. I cocked my head to see behind him since he was taller.
"Come on, man. Throw the football." Sean Eagan whined about three feet away
"No footballs in the hallway, Eagan." Carter told him, gently tossing it back
"Yes, Principal Woods." Sean smirked with an army salute. "Wouldn't want to get hit with another football, now would we?" His hazel eyes twinkling with amusement as they found me
"Sean."
"Alright, alright." He laughed putting his hands up in defense as he went around the corner
I mentally sighed as Carter turned back towards me. Believe it or not; I still had headaches from that stupid football. I got a small light red bruise from it beside my right eye which I think Byron noticed since he kept apologizing as we were leaving.
"Sorry about him." Carter apologized for Sean's stupidity
"It's okay. What's left for the project?"
"Just sorting out a few charts, but that's nothing. The only thing we have to do is name the thing." He answered
I folded my arms and raised my eyebrows at his sentence. He knew I never liked when he called our project a thing. "The furry adorable bundle of breath." He replied wryly as I smiled. "Better?"
"Better, " I agreed. "Besides; I'm sure we can just do that in the library since its just nothing." I said, mocking his tone
"Why the library? I swear; That lady only looks up from her computer when I step inside there."
I laughed. "Maybe she has a thing for you."
He shivered at the thought of our lazy yet grumpy librarian. "Yeah, no."
"Well I'll be late to class if I stand here having a relaxed and friendly conversation with you. I'll see you later."
There was no use of going to class, really. We were just having a supervised study that wasn't supervised since there was never a teacher. And when there was we got Mr. Frof who fell asleep within minutes after entering. When he awoke there would be impressive yet fatuous marker drawn mustaches drawn on his bald forehead or below his mustacheless nose. And while I'd be trying to read they'd be tossing paper balls at my back. Most of the guys at this school were so immature.
"Aww, come on. It was just getting good before you brought up our school's librarian having a burning passion for me." He groaned as I was about to walk off
"I've never been late to class before. No."
"Please." He stuck out his bottom lip childishly, but adorably.
"No." I said in a deadpan manner
"Please. "
This guy was so persistent. The game went on for about three minutes until I realized he used some horrible way of reverse psychology on me and said 'No' and I accidentally said 'Please.'
"Well since you begged." He said with a smirk, grabbing onto my hand
Where'd all my smarts go when I was around this guy?
"Wait, no. You tricked me!" I defended in a low voice, hoping no one would see us.
"That was the whole point, Cerise. Keep up." He said over his shoulder, still pulling me.
After struggling to get out of his grip for what felt like years but was actually two minutes I gave up. We were out on the field. The wind blew up some strands of my hair, nearly making it fly into my mouth. And actually it did. Thankfully Carter didn't see that.
The field was clear. Not a teacher or student in sight. We took a seat on the metallic bleachers. "Why'd you bring me here?"
"I don't know. But what I do know is that you don't want to go to class." He said and it was absolutely true.
There was a bitter silence that lasted for about two minutes until I finally spoke up. "How's my future husband?" I asked him, referring to his little brother.
He raised his eyebrow in curiosity, but then finally caught on. "Oh, Cam. Still up to his tricks. But you do know that is considered illegal, right?" He elbowed me playfully
"Not if it's true love." I teased. I couldn't believe I was actually having a conversation with the guy. After several topics on mainly school, somehow Serena had came up. He had told me about not feeling their relationship anymore. Yeah, because that was new to my ear. But me being clueless to saying anything I had given him this whole speech on relationships that I read from one of mom's magazine of course.
"For someone who's never been in a relationship, you sure know a lot about them." He smirked
I scoffed. "How do you know if I've been in a relationship or not before?"
He shrugged, turning to face me completely. "Have you ever been in a 'relationship' before?" He asked putting up quotation fingers for the word 'relationship;.
"Maybe I have. That's for me to know and you to never find out." I held my head high proudly as I rest my bag down beside my foot. Who was I kidding? I had never been in a relationship. The only date I've been on was a play date, back in kinder garden.
"If you want to keep it confidential. I'm fine with that." He winked, just as the bell rung.
"Well I guess I'll see you later." I said nervously as I got up, still utterly surprised that my stuttering had left me immediately.
"I guess you will."
*
As I made my way through the crowded entrance of students I finally managed to squeeze into the hallway. The moment I started to my locker I was greeted by three girls.
"Cerise, we've been looking everywhere for you." Bianca pouted as my eyes shifted to the two girls with her.
Isabella Martin, a frizzy haired blond with blue eyes. Her eyes were really pretty, they always had a glint of sparkling green and she was about 5ft while the girl on the right was Tessa MCartney, another blond but with straight hair and green eyes about 5ft2. We sure had a high amount of blonds in this school or either people just dyed their hair blond to fit in. But I've never talked to any of these girls in my life. Why were they looking for me when they didn't even know me? Well maybe they just were following Bianca around like the most of the girls at practice did with Serena.
"Uh, hey. What's up?" I asked, spotting Kelly in the distance going to her locker.
Bianca seemed to notice my distraction and waved her hand in my face. "Hey, we wanted to ask you if you wanted to come shopping with us."
I was surprised at the words that just emerged out of her mouth. Before I could respond Serena appeared. She seemed to be eavesdropping on the conversation very well since she knew exactly what to object to.
"Are you asking her to come shopping with us?" Bianca let out a long sigh and shook her head. "Serena. Serena. Serena,"
Basically I'm just standing here going over the fact that I had just been invited to go shopping with some of the most popular girls in school. What was the catch?
"She can go shopping with us. It's not against the law. Besides; I am having a party next week Friday and she'll need something to wear. And she's almost apart of the team now." Bianca said
So I was invited to go shopping and go to a party?
"But you said it would just be: You, me,"Serena pointed to Bianca and herself. "Isabella and Stephanie." Serena pointed to the blond on the right
"My name's Tessa." The blond corrected but Serena only flipped her off.
"No one cares, Stephanie."
The girl scowled at her before turning her attention back on Bianca.
"So Cerise. Are you in?"
I could feel the lump in my throat as the four girls waited for my answer. There was an awfully long time that pass by as I just stood there stuttering, dumbfounded, but then the words soared out leaving me wondering if I should have chosen them.
"Sure."
Bianca and the girls squealed in excitement while Serena just glared at me. "Great. After school, today. Meet us by Byron's Carrera. Toodles!" And those were the last words Bianca Archer said before modelling off with an angry Serena behind.
I began pondering over the event that just occurred as I walked to my locker. Kelly's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "What happened over there?" She asked in a hushed tone. I knew she had been watching.
"Bianca invited me to go shop-ping." I told her, like I had never said that word before. I still had a hint of irresolution running through me.
"That-That's great. Wow. I knew she'd be way nicer than that pig of a brother she has." Kelly smiled then rolled her eyes at the mention of Byron.
I still didn't answer and then she spoke up again. "C'mon, let's go to second period then at lunch you can tell me all about your little conversation with Carter." She flashed me a flirty smile
"You- How did-"
"The great Kelly knows all." She said in a old magical voice as she closed her locker and pulled me to class.
"Sure you do." I laughed, "I just need to-" I froze. Where was my bag? I ruminated for a while all the places I had, had it.
"Cerise, what's wrong?" Kelly asked, just as we stopped at the classroom door.
"My bag. It's gone."
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