Avoiding the badboy 101

Trying to pretend like nothing happened last night is like a difficult mission. Plastering a fake smile in front of my family makes me feel horrible. I'm indirectly lying to them and its eating me up inside. How I wish, I hadn't heard a thing last night. Now I know that Nora hates me, my parents are liars and everyone knows something about me which I don't. 

I need someone to confide in, more than ever. Could I even trust Austin? My sister likes the guy I've been in love with for so long. I just wish all this is just a bad nightmare and when I wake up again, everything will be back to normal. But its not like that and the harder I try to pretend as if nothing happened last night the worse I feel inside. 

"All set to go, miss", Our butler says as he hauls the last box of my extra cliche romance novels into the trunk of the car.

"Thanks, Jeremy", I sit in the car once again sandwiched between the door and Nora. Why did she have to come? I know I'm not supposed to loathe my sister but after the words I heard with my own two ears, there's no way in hell that I'm ever forgiving her. 

'But what if it wasn't her', The annoying, little and measly voice in my head suggests. 

'Who was it then? Her non-existent evil twin sister?', I respond. 

Sure my acidic attitude and sour behavior towards my sister will get me nowhere in terms of uncovering the truth, I had no other option. I'm human too and according to psychologist behavior like this is acceptable. (I just made that up)

Whether its true or not isn't the point. My dad and that mysterious guy were worried that I might find something at A-List Academy which I shouldn't but since its the next destination of my journey, what better way to find out then to investigate?

"You finally made it, I thought you chickened out because of Xavier", Austin says as he greets me with a welcoming hug. He smells like vanilla and mint, all I wanted to do at that moment was snuggle deeper into his chest and inhale his scent. 

"I waited for this moment my entire life. And there's no way I'm chickening out because of a boy", I clarify. 

"We'll see about that, roomie", The notorious badboy remarks with an over confident smirk on his so not handsome face. Who am I kidding, he is handsome. I hate to say this but Austin can't even hold a candle to him. 

"Let's meet up with the gang", I suggest ignoring Xavier as if my life depended on it.

I quickly follow Austin towards the gang. Bridgett is on the phone like usual, I'm guessing online shopping. Sam and Stella are engrossed in a highly intellectual conversation about atomic mass and molecules. Tori on the other hand is reading, nothing unusual. 

"Brook, I actually though you chickened out because of Xavier", Bridgett declares when she senses my presence. 

"Seriously?", I deadpan, why was everyone having such ludicrous ideas. Never in my life would I chicken out for something this important. I have a lot of responsibility on my shoulder, besides I'd rather collapse under pressure than chicken out because of an egotistical, self centered, narcissistic, arrogant jerk. Half of those words might be hyperbole's, but they are true.   

"Since we're all here, shouldn't we head to the dorm block?", Tori says. 

Bridgett nods her head in agreement,"I agree, besides I've got a lot of unpacking to do."

"I just hope I can put up with your fashion shenanigans", Stella comments.

"Tori, you'll be the only one in dorm block C", I mutter miserably. 

"And your dorm room will be situated right in between dorm block A and D, good luck with that", She chuckles humorously. 

"I'll need all the luck I can get", I mumble. 

"What happened to that quirky, bubbly over energetic personality we're all so fond of?", Austin questions. 

"About that.............", I trail off as five pairs of eyes stare intently at me "we all need to talk."

"Are you amidst a fashion crisis?", Bridgett asks her ears perking up instantly. 

I shake my head in disagreement, "No."

"Did the main protagonist from a toe curling thriller die?", Tori asks adjusting her dorky glasses. 

"Did you accidentally blow up your science project, which could change the way humanity sees things?", The twins ask in unison. 

"Definitely not!"

"Did someone feed you a bar chocolate?", Austin puts down the worst case scenario.

I sigh, "No, no and no."

"Could we maybe talk somewhere else?", I say "in private", I add.

"The walls have ears", Tori mentions.

Sam emits a chuckle as the six of us walk into the school building. 

"We should totally have our own hideout", Tori suggest "like something out of a book."

"I agree, well it sounds nice to have a place where we all can hangout", Sam declares.

"Since we all agree, where should we even build our own little 'base'?", Stella questions.

"If I remember correctly, Neville told me that A-List Academy has tons of hidden rooms and secret passageways", I state "if only we could find one", I add. 

"Maybe we don't have to look too far, at your sister's party, I spoke to Caitlyn who told me about a secret room near Dorm Block C, it connects four rooms together. Two from D, one from A and one from C. Up to this day no one has found it but lucky for us, I did some digging and came across the forgotten entrance last night when I broke in with Caitlyn."

"You broke in with my sister on a supposed late night rendezvous at your highschool?", I interrogate him.

"Its not like that but, the secret passage way isn't that far. When I was able to locate it, it was pretty dusty and mucky. No ones been there in ages, you can tell from the state of the place."

"What are we waiting for?", Bridgett butts in. 

"Just follow me", Sam instructs. 

We follow Sam through the partially deserted corridors of the dorm block C, most people were outside by the bleachers or engrossed in conversations. Classes in the first week weren't mandatory, so everyone except the nerds skip them. (And Me!)

The first week was usually where most students settled into their dorms and signed up for clubs and extracurricular activities. I've already sent my application forms to various clubs beforehand,since Noelle had instructed me to do so.

Canvases, abstract artwork, portraits, sketches and colour illuminated every wall, giving the dorm block an artsy atmosphere. "Its so beautiful", I mumble mesmerized by the colour, talent and the artistic imagination which decorated every wall. 

"We're here", Sam comes to a halt in a completely deserted hallway. There were only a few doors and a staircase leading to the observatory. 

"Please tell me our secret hideout isn't a storage room. I'm allergic to dust", Bridgett groans. 

"Its actually right here", Sam walks over to the statue of a gargoyle. Apparently it was sculpted by the first lot of students at A-List Academy. The gargoyle, is sort of like a historic trophy which marks the schools success when it was established. I personally think that it shouldn't be placed in a forgotten hallway but rather in the trophy case by the school office.  

"Don't tell me that to obtain the entrance to the secret room, we have to do something to the gargoyle. How cliche", Tori remarks. 

"Not really, all I have to do is, pull out the loose brick in this wall", Sam says as he shoves his hand behind the statue and pulls out the loose brick. The wall gives away revealing a dark abyss.

"Thats impossible, A-List academy has undergone so many renovations and nobody decided to fix the loose brick? Thats suspicious", Austin furrows his brows in confusion. Well, he did have a point. 

"Haven't you all heard the legend? Every half a century the ghost of A-List Academy ventures out to kill all those who have sinned and paints their blood on these very walls. The ghost is the one who makes sure these secret passageways are never closed, its his only method of transportation", Stella narrates. 

"Then what are we waiting for lets get going", I boldly step into a dusty room. Its bare with no windows, a rusty light hung from the ceiling worst of all the dust is so thick that its too difficult to make anything out. 

"I bought flashlights", Sam says handing me one. Despite the sunny weather, absolutely no light filtered into the room. 

"I rather stay in a storage room than in this dump", Bridgett shrieks. 

"I could help clean up", I volunteer. 

"Avoiding the badboy are we?", Stella says suggestively. 

"Yeah about that."

"Start talking Brookie, I need to get out of this dusty mess."

"This is our actual destination", Sam once again works his magic as he reveals a large entrance where a well lit hallway awaits us. 

As we enter the hallway, the entrance behind us snaps shut. "You can start talking."

"How do I know that I can trust all of you?"

"Because we're besties for life, like duh", Bridgett states the obvious. 

"Last night at the party-" "where were you?", Austin rudely interrupts me.

"I was in my room."

"And...................."

"Crying."

"Why?", He asks concern laced his voice. 

"I-I-well-I heard Nora and my dad talk about this mysterious guy named Max. He-I-my dad was worried that if Max found out that my dad took me from him, he'd kill my dad!"

"OMG", Bridgett blurts out. 

"Thats not all, Nora was there too listening and talking to them. Last night she was super mad at me and she hates me. From her voice to her words they were all filled with so much anger, rage and hate that I-", I pause trying to blink back the tears which threaten to spill.

"Brook, you don't have to continue", Stella soothingly rubs my back. 

"We're you're friends and we'll always be here for you", Bridgett promises me as Austin, Tori and Sam give me assuring grins.

"Thanks so much, you guys", I pull them into a ginormous hug. 

"So what do we do, about Nora?", Austin asks. 

"I need to find out who Max is, my dad was afraid that I might find out something here at A-List Academy and on top of that they know that Xavier knows something. Last night I couldn't get the truth out of him. But whatever it is, he keeps calling me Brynn."

"I only knew one Brynn, but apparently she was kidnapped as a kid. Middletin never saw her again. They used to say that her smile was so lustrous the sun got jealous",Tori informs.

"Maybe Xavier think I look like her and maybe my dad knows her?", I conclude.

"Or maybe, you're just saying that to make yourself feel better. Brynn never came back to Middletin, Brook you're dad was talking about you and nobody else", Tori says. 

"So, if this is our secret hideout whats the other dust infested room for?", Bridgett intervenes.

"Thats just a front, no one absolutely no one can no about these passageways", Sam warns us.

"Why?", Austin quizzes. 

"This passageway leads to our dorms", Tori points at the four doors opposite us. 

"The four rooms", Sam mumbles. 

"We can't tell anyone about this place if we want to solve the mystery behind the kidnapping of Brynn and how it connects to me, Xavier and to my parents."