Song: Locked Out Of Heaven by Ross Lynch featuring Olivia Holt from the movie; Status Update

Chapter Fourteen: Some kind of second Justin Bieber?

"I'm just so happy! I don't even know how this happened! It was in the heat of the moment you know." She frantically said as Kai and I got down from the car and headed for the entrance.

"Slow down. Tell us what happened."

"Ok." She took a deep breath. "I want to say the whole story. That's why I didn't call you to say it yesterday. I'd prefer to do this face to face."

"Stop it and say it already, you're scaring me." Kai complained.

I gestured to Leyla's face. "How can this be scaring you? She's smiling like the Cheshire cat in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."

"True." She wasn't even paying attention. Her oh so sparkling eyes was searching the parking lot.

"Who are you looking for?"

"Xander and Zahra. I don't really like repeating myself." When she didn't see them or their cars she turned back to us. "I guess I could say it twice then."

"Or we could help you tell them."

"Perfect. Ok, so, where to begin?" She thought. "Ok, yeah. So yesterday, I went to your house to see how your date with The Zane Rivers went.." I cut her off.

"The Zane Rivers? Really? What is he? Some kind of second Justin Bieber?"

"Hotter." She argued.

"Wrong."

"Right." I turned to Kai and gave him an incredulous look after the word he just said.

"What?" He shrugged. "Justin Bieber isn't that hot."

"Really?"

"Back to my story." She snapped her fingers in front of our faces. "When I got there, Axel was just walking off your porch. He told me I shouldn't bother, that you weren't there. At first, I was kind of annoyed by how upset he looked just because you weren't at home, like why was he even looking for you? I thought you guys weren't friends."

"We're not."

"Then why did he want to see you at your house?"

"Beats me." I shrugged.

Lying to your best friend is not on the road to a healthy friendship.

But if she believes it, it's on the road to a successful acting career.

It doesn't work that way.

I think it does.

"Anyways." She started as we walked through the front door. "All my annoyance disappeared when he asked me to grab a bite with him. We went to Tate's, but that did not go so well. You guys know Avery, right?"

Kai snapped his fingers. "Yeah, she works there, right?"

"Yup. Charvi, do you know her?"

"Do I know Avery? Of course I know her."

Lying is bad.

This is different. This is acting. You've complimented my acting before, so you know the difference. 

Do you aspire to be an actress?

No.

Then stop lying.

This isn't even lying. I do know Avery, don't I?

"I was just wondering. I've never seen you at Tate's before."

"I go to Tate's a lot."

"Yeah, but never when Avery's working."

"I've met her before. Not just with you guys. Continue your story. Let's not get side-tracked."

"Yeah, true. So Avery accidentally spilled iced tea, I think that's what it was, all over Axel. But it's not like things were going well before then. Axel was so busy texting someone on his phone. I just assumed it was you, Charvi, and was already so upset."

It was her.

"I was glad Avery spilled her drink all over him anyways. I was already so annoyed he won't look up from his phone when I was talking to him."

See, I helped.

"He was so angry, he was ready to report her to her boss, but she just replied every snarky comment he sent her way. I wish I had her courage. I mean I would have been begging for his forgiveness."

I inwardly smiled triumphantly.

"You could have her confidence if you wanted to." I pointed out.

"Easier said than done. Where was I?" She asked as she opened her locker. Kai's own was opposite hers, on the other side of the hall, so he wasn't too far away. Though, students were more today since we weren't so early.

"At the part where Avery was telling him off." Kai offered.

"Oh yeah. After that, he sent me home and I was pretty much crushed. Then, a few minutes after I had gotten home, someone rang my doorbell. It was Axel. He said he wanted to give me an early birthday present."

Now, doesn't that sound familiar?

"I was so happy, but not as happy as when I found out what it as. It was a kiss. Axel freaking kissed me on the lips."

"What??" Kai and I echoed.

He kissed her?

Well, this was going better than I expected.

"And that's not even the best part."

"It's not?" We chorused.

"Nope. He asked me to be his girlfriend." She squealed.

Students passing gave her questioning looks.

"I'm so freaking happy for you, Leyla. Like what the butt? How did this happen? Like he was your friend, the next minute he's your boyfriend."

Isn't that kind of suspicious?

Of course not.

"My thoughts exactly." Kai sad.

"Axel Brown!! That's who I'm dating."

"What?" Xander exclaimed out of nowhere.

He was walking up to us.

"Did you just say what I think you said?"

"No. She said what you think she said." I corrected jokingly.

"That's exactly what I just said."

I squinted my eyes at him and tilted my head in a mocking manner. "Was it?"

He nudged my shoulder. "Seriously?"

I just laughed at his annoyance. "If you heard her say she's dating Axel, you're correct."

"How the hell did that happen?"

"I don't even know and I don't care." She clapped her hands and skipped down the hallway towards class, humming.

Zahra walked up to us and pointed at the retreating figure of Leyla in silent question.

"Axel's her boyfriend." I replied.

"What??"

Here we go again.

*************************

"Divide and conquer." Leyla said.

She had shared the invitations she had gotten yesterday between all of us and assigned us the tables we'd give them to.

The invitations had been written and designed in beautiful cursive handwriting. Something about how the old-fashioned way was the best way. I'm not arguing. These invitations were beautiful.

So by lunch, we all agreed to hand it out to everyone in the whole school. And by everyone, she meant everyone. And that's why I was stuck handing out cards to our row and the row of tables behind ours. And that included the table with the jocks and cheerleaders.

What luck.

I'm starting to think my friends hate me.

I gave to everyone in our row first while the people were still settling down. I started from the left to right. And the popular table was in the centre. 

"Here you go." I shoved it into a jock's hands.

"What's this?"

"An invitation."

"To what?"

Why don't you open it and read it?

"To Leyla's birthday masquerade ball this Saturday. All the information is written inside."

"Here you go." I shoved it into another jock's awaiting arms. I was at the edge of the table so not everyone had noticed me yet. Plus, I wasn't speaking too loudly and the people on the other side of the table were engaged in a conversation. 

"What's this?"

"An invitation."

"To what?"

Why didn't you listen to me telling the boy who's right beside you?

If they were going to ask the questions that were already answered in the invitation, I couldn't handle it. Other tables didn't even bother asking questions. At least, most of them.

I pounded my fist on the table. "Hey!" I called out. Not loud enough for any other table to hear, but loud enough for people on this table to turn to me.

"If you didn't already know, I'm giving out invitations to Leyla's masquerade ball on Saturday. The invitations contain all the necessary information you need. Like address, dress code and others. It also says you should bring it along with you. It's like a password to enter because you won't be able to without one."

That made things a whole lot easier. No one asked questions or gave commentaries. That was until I reached the other side of the table. Skyler's side. Anastasia who was already dressed in her skimpy cheerleading outfit. Amelia. Hannah. Axel. Shawn. Mason. Wren. Zane.

"I think I'll pass. I don't want to give money at a charity ball, Charity." Skyler said.

I closed my eyes trying to control myself, opened it again and flashed her a smile.

"I never said it was a charity ball, but you not coming is fine with me. At least, we wouldn't have to waste the money for charity on pest control."

Shawn, Wren and Mason laughed. The girls just sneered at me. Axel was searching the cafeteria. Probably looking for his girlfriend. Zane was staring at his food. I'd think he wasn't listening, but I could see the corners of his lips twitching with a smile.

I skipped Skyler and started handing out to others.

"You skipped me." She complained.

Is she dumb?

"You said you'll pass."

"I changed my mind." She said as she snatched one from the ones I had stacked in my hands.

"Too bad."

"You have such a big mouth." Anastasia scoffed.

"Well it's a good thing I don't rub the edges with lipstick to make it look bigger."

I got to Axel. I was handing it over to him, but he wasn't looking.

"Axel."

He turned to me.

"What?"

"The invitation. Here." I handed it to him.

He smiled at me. "Do I really need one seeing as she's my girlfriend now?"

Some gasps and choking came from the table.

"I'd say you don't need one if she was the letting people in, but she's not. And I don't think the bouncer would be interested in you."

He took it from my hands. "Still quite the joker, aren't you?"

"Why would I change?"

I was moving on to the next person when I remembered something. "Oh yeah. I need to talk to you after school."

I handed the invitation to the next person. And the next. 

The last person was Zane. "Here you go."

He was just staring at me, not moving.

What is up with that?

"Hello? I said here you go." I grabbed his hand to take the envelope, but I didn't get to go far because Shawn's voice asked the question I've been trying to avoid hearing since yesterday.

"Are you guys like dating now?"

I exclaimed. "What?" 

"You know since you guys went on your first day yesterday, and now you're holding hands." I realized I was still holding his hands, and dropped it immediately. His eyes flashed back to mine.

Should I answer Shawn's question? Or should I wait for Zane too?

Zane seemed to read my thoughts.

"It was just one date. That's all."

"I thought you said it wasn't a date." Axel questioned.

"Uhhh." I nudged Zane's shoulder slightly so he'd answer for me. Luckily, he got the message.

"It wasn't a date at first because we went as friends with Wren, but then after he left, it became one."

"Is that so?" I felt Axel's eyes on mine.  

"Yes. It is." Zane replied.

I hated being the centre of attention.

"Please just take so I can continue." I shoved it in Zane's hands.

He grabbed my arm and tugged me down to whisper in my ear.

"You're not working today right?"

I shook my head.

He let me go and I walked over to the next table trying my hardest to ignore the gazes piercing through my back.

************************

"Hola clase." Señora Santiago greeted as she walked into class.

We were all seated except for the person who was supposed to be seated at the last seat on the second row. It was usually empty anyways and I never realized who seated on it when someone actually did. After my first lesson with Axel, I found out he was in my Spanish class. I never really noticed before because he was at the last seat on the last row. I was seated on the second seat in the middle row, and I didn't turn back that much.

You really should pay more attention.

I know right.

15 minutes after Mrs. Santiago had entered, Zane strolled into class looking indifferent.

"Hola Señora Santiago."

"Señor Rivers. llegas tarde." 

You're late.

"Lo sé señora . Mi amigo se torció el tobillo y tuve que llevarlo a la oficina de la enfermera."

I know Mrs. My friend sprained his ankle and I had to carry him to the nurse's office.

Wow. He's more fluent in Spanish than I am, and I've been learning it since I was about 3. I tried learning French too, but that didn't work out. There seemed to be always something wrong with my pronunciations so I decided knowing two languages was enough.

"¿Como es el?" She asked.

How is he?

"Está bien, pero necesita tiempo para descansar." He replied with a nod of his head.

He's fine, but he needs time to rest.

"Bueno. Tome asiento y copie lo que estoy escribiendo en la pizarra con los demás."

Okay. Take your seat and copy what I'm writing on the board with the others.

"Si señora."

Yes Mrs.

Wow. It was that easy?

He walked right up to Max who was sitting next to me on my right. He tapped his shoulder and Max immediately got up, packed his things and hurried to the empty seat.

Zane plopped down on his seat, turned to me and smirked.

"Hola Cherry."

***************************

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Hasta la proxima amor. ;)