Grace stayed over the night while we binge watched horror flicks the whole time. We watched movies till three in the morning but we stayed awake till five since none of us could sleep until the first rays of sunlight fell into the room. She and I discussed her campaign the whole morning. The previous day we had forgotten to get all the necessities for the campaign so Grace promised to buy them all that afternoon with James while I went to Michael's house.

I drove over there at two and noticed Drew's R8 on the driveway. On knocking, the door was opened by the proud owner of the car who grinned and opened the door wider.

"Michael, that crazy lady with the skateboard is here." He yelled.

I just rolled my eyes. Then I narrowed them maliciously.

"Well seems someone was disappointed last night." I said, looking at him with pity.

The cocky grin disappeared instantly.

"What? Who? Grace? She said that?Why? She didn't like hanging out with me? What did she say?" he babbled as he looked at me.

"Well, she said it was fun at first but it went downhill when you told her how much you liked wearing women's underwear." I said sadly.

"Wait,what? I never said that? Why would sh-----?" he stopped as he realised I was pulling his leg.

He did not like it.

"You are evil." He said, pointing his fingers at me.

"Grace was right. You really do know how to say the right things." I grinned.

And the grin was back.

"Really? She said that? What else did she say?"

"You will never know brother. That secret is hidden tighter then Area 51." I said, as I climbed the stairs to go to Michael's room.

But it was nice knowing that Drew was just as nervous about this budding relationship as Grace was.

Finding Michael's room was easy. It had a huge collage made of all the important scientists like Newton, Einstein, Edison, Darwin and Madame Curie stuck to the door.

I opened the door to see Michael listening to something on his laptop with his headsets on. I silently stalked right behind him and grabbing a pen, stuck it right inside his ear. I know it was childish but sue me it was fun.

Michael yelled and jumped up from his chair. He turned to look at me and glowered. He pulled off the headset and swivelled the chair so that it faced me. I sat on his bed and looked around. The room was cleaner than my room. And that was saying something since my mother suffered from OCD and cleaned my room every chance she got.

"Wow, this is not how I pictured your room." I said, as I noticed a stack of comic books neatly arranged on his bookshelf.

"Really? How did you think it would be?" he asked, looking deadpan.

"Books scattered everywhere and food wrappers all around. And of you sitting on the middle of it, doodling on a piece of paper, trying to make a machine that changes the atomic world as we know it."

"I am a clean freak so the last part of your imagination might be correct but I would kill myself before the first part came true." He admitted.

I looked around his room some more and screamed as I noticed one of the DVDs on his shelf.

"Dude, you have Dishonored 2? It isn't even out yet. How did you get it?" I said as I slide my fingers over the cover with awe.

"The CEO of the company who made it is a friend of my Dad. He gave it to me when he found out I was a big fan of his game."

My eyes widened as I realised what he was saying.

"You guys are like superstars." I whispered.

"What? No. I just got the game a little early, that's all. And for free." He replied cockily.

I looked longingly at the cover as I put  it back in its place. I turned around and walked back to the bed. It was time to get down to business.

"So, the Einstein Club..." I began.

Michael grabbed a pen and paper and sat up straighter like he was taking an interview. I raised one brow at him.

"You are taking notes?" I asked.

"Yeah, I don't want to miss anything." He argued.

I exhaled and started explaining to him all that I had learnt in the last meeting. He studiously wrote it down.

"Now, the most important thing for you to do is draw the attention of the members of the club. The teachers and the principal are going to notice you if you keep getting A grades and win competitions. But the members are different. Most of them are teenagers or in their early twenties so you have to charm them with your geekiness. Show them you are just like them. They hold 25% of the votes so thats an important number. To get the vote of the professor of the Ivy League college, there will be a competition held very close to the Selection date. The professor will be present then. The competition will be set by him. Whoever wins, gets his vote."

I looked at Michael and told him the honest truth.

"Michael, I am going to try my best to get you in but I have to warn you that you might not. See, the students who are selected are people who have been monitored for a long time. The Club pretty much decides on the next member two months before the Selection. You are new and you have very little time to draw their attention. You have to do something unique. Something extraordinary. Something that none of the possible candidates can do."

Michael looked thoughtful. He chewed on the back of his pen.

"Maybe if I take part in a lot of competitions?" he suggested.

"You can do that but so will the others. Also,don't take part in competitions where you think you will lose. You can't afford that. You have to win all the competitions you take part in. So only choose those that you are sure you will win. Getting selected into this Club is a huge deal. The professor from the Ivy League who comes to select the next member? If you catch his eye, he might very well ear mark you for his university. Many of the members get proposals to join a particular university even before they sit for their SATs. So the selection is completely cut-throat."

We were silent for a few minutes as I let my words sink in.

"How did you get in?" he asked.

"Well, I have been first in my class since I was in sixth grade. I have always wanted to be a Doctor. I have devoured every medical book that I come across."

"So you are not all photographic memory." He said with a smile.

"Nope, I have a little bit of a geeky brain too." I said, grinning.

"And about the Spring Dance...." Michael began.

"Don't remind me. Grace hasn't found the perfect dress for me yet so that's something I am not looking forward to." I sighed.

"Well, its not you who has to impress the rattlesnake. Half of me hopes she isn't attracted to me even after the makeover. That will save me a lot of trouble. I wish Drew had been a student there. One look at him and Daisy would have dropped Brandon like hot coals."

"Did you know, Drew and Grace have been cosying towards each other?" I asked him.

"To be honest I kind of figured that out after Drew came home at seven in the evening wearing the stupidest grin I have ever seen." Michael said, shaking his head.

"Seriously?? It's nice to know that it's not only Grace who has gone all soppy on him."

"Tell me something." Michael asked. "Weren't you even a little bit sad when Brandon dumped you for the Spring Dance for Daisy?"

Somebody was full of questions this evening. But there was no harm in answering him.

"No, Brandon is a bully. I didn't know that before though. He was new here just like you. In the beginning, he was kind of nice. That's why I said yes in the first place. But after he got into the basketball team and started hanging out with the jocks and cheerleaders, he changed. Got cockier, crueller and became everything I hated. So, in a way, Daisy did a huge favour getting him off my hands. I just hated the way she did it, in front of the whole cafeteria."

"Well, I am happy that Brandon dumped you." Michael said.

I looked at him. He sputtered as he realised what he had said

"I....mean—because you...ummm.. hated him right? Thats..thats why." Michael stammered.

I smiled inwardly and stood up to go home since it was getting late. Michael stood up too.

"I should be getting home. It's late."

"I will drop you off." Michael offered.

"No, its fine. Its just two streets over. I can walk that far." I replied.

"No, i insist. I can't let you go alone in the dark. I will accompany you." Michael said, grabbing his jacket and walking towards the door.

I rolled my eyes as I followed him. Note to self: The Larson brothers were chivalrous too.

Michael and I climbed down the stairs to see Drew watching reruns of Breaking Bad.

"Bye Drew." I shouted.

He turned around to grin at us and said, "I had headphones near me to put on if things got frisky between you two in the bedroom. Thanks for disappointing me."

Michael threw his shoe at Drew. The latter easily caught it and flung it back.

"You do know, I have Grace's ear right? Annoying me, means seeing her walk away from you faster then jerry runs away from Tom. Think about that the next time you decide to go all Chandler Bing on me" I said, narrowing my eyes.

That sobered him up. "I am sorry. You are pretty." He said, with puppy dog eyes.

I snickered and walked out the door.

Before Michael could walk towards his car i said, "Let's walk home. There is a nice breeze going."

Michael shrugged and we started walking together. Michael had his hands in his pockets while the wind ruffled his hair. He made a pretty handsome picture walking like that. My head reached his chin which had always been an ideal height difference for me.

We walked quietly for a few minutes. But it was a comfortable silence. I had this strange urge to wrap one arm around his and walk. What the hell? Did Grace's sappy romance mind pass through to me by osmosis?

"Why are you the way you are?" Michael suddenly asked.

I saw him looking at me.

"Like what?" I frowned.

"You know, pulling pranks on people, punching them, kicking them. What made you be like that? Were you bullied when you were young?" he asked.

"What? No. I have never been bullied. I am friends with Grace, remember? The most popular girl in school? Nobody dared bully with me unless they wanted to feel her wrath. No it was something else." I replied.

Michael waited.

"It was a girl, in my eighth grade. Ramona. This incredibly sweet girl that I knew. She was in my history class. She was incredibly shy. Never really talked to anyone except me. She used to eat her lunch in the library. She suffered from asthma." I smiled softly. "I can still remember her smile."

"What happened?" Michael asked quietly.

"They locked her in the storage room." I whispered. "The hateful, freaking bullies locked her in the storage room. During recess. Nobody noticed she was missing since she never came into the cafeteria anyway. The janitor found her. While taking out the broom. The dust in there and her fear had triggered an asthma attack. She was in the hospital for a month and then she just faded away. I still remember her eyes, the last time I saw her. They were filled with laughter because the next day had been her birthday and her father had promised her a surprise gift. Do you know what it was?"

"What?" Michael asked quietly.

"It was a skateboard. Apparently she had wanted one since she had seen me using mine. The doctor had asked her not to use one since it was harmful for her. She had wanted to buy one so that she could keep it in her room. It made her feel closer to me, her only friend in school."

"That's why you want to become a doctor, isn't it?" Michael said while he handed me a handkerchief. I hadn't realised that I had been crying.

"Yeah. The doctor said that only if she had been brought a little earlier, she could have been saved. And I know it sounds stupid but I always felt that if there had been anyone with a little bit of medical knowledge, they could have done something to save her until she reached the hospital. And I was proved right with Mr Madison."

"I am so sorry. I didn't know about it when I asked." He said.

"It's fine. Of course you didn't." I sniffed.

By now, we had reached my house.

"Do you want to come in?" I asked, looking at him. I was shocked that I had told him so much. I had never told anyone how I felt except Grace and my parents. But Michael had an air around him that promised confidence and trust. His eyes understood. He seemed like the kind of guy who would help his friend hide a dead body.

"Really? I get the honour of going inside your house?" he asked cheekily.

"Yeah, but I want to rescind that offer now." I said,dryily.

"Nope, you can't take it back. Once the invitation is offered, you can't take it back."

"Really? My house, my rules." I retorted.

Before he could come back with an appropriate answer, the front door opened and Baba came out.

"What are you kids doing outside? Its hot. Come inside, the Ac's on."

Michael grinned at me, wagging his eyebrows as he walked towards the front door.

"Try and stop me now." He whispered as he passed me.

I rolled my eyes and followed him. And Grace thought I was childish.

By the time Michael and I reached the front door ,Ma had appeared behind Baba.

Baba looked all stern while he swept his eyes over Michael from head to foot. I tried looking at Michael through the eyes of a teenage girl's parents. He was wearing a casual Bazinga T-shirt with faded jeans and sneakers. He wore his usual glasses and his hair was styled the way it had been in the parlour. No eye brow rings, tattoos, piercings or black eyeliners. According to me, he passed with flying colors. From my parent's expressions, I knew they thought so too.

"Hello, I am Aryan Deb, Rebel's father. It's nice to finally meet you." Baba said, putting out his hand.

Michael shook his hand solemnly, "Hello, I am Michael Larson. Its nice to meet you too, sir. You have a lovely house."

I raised my eyebrows at his words. Somebody was trying to be charming. From my mother's fascinated look, I could see that it was working.

"Hi, i am Debra, Rebel's mother. Come on in. Don't stand out there." My mother said, urging us inside the house.

"What can I offer you Michael? Tea, coffee, juice?" My mother asked as we entered the house. She had her hostess mode on.

"Coffee would be nice, ma'am." Michael said, politely.

"Wouldn't coffee keep you up at night?" Baba asked.

"That's the plan, sir. I need to finish a paper due Monday." Michael replied.

Ma and Baba looked like they had found the son of their heart.

"Kiss-ass." I whispered to him.

"Jealous?" came the immediate reply.

As we sat down on the sofa, Baba asked Michael

"So Michael, how did you meet my daughter here?"

"She saved me from a food-fight." Michael replied.

Brown eyes very much like my own stared at me. I could feel a lecture coming on.

"Which I did not start. I was outside with Michael. Ask him." I said, pointing at Michael.

"Yes sir, she was." Michael came to my defence.

Mom came in with a tray of coffee and tea. Dad and I preferred tea while Mom drank coffee.

"Who are you going with in the Spring Dance?" Ma asked, setting the tray on the table.

"Rebel, of course." Michael said with a frown. He caught my horrified eyes and realised I hadn't given my parents that teeny tiny information yet.

Oops.

Ma chocked and Dad looked at me in shock. I hadn't even told them that Brandon and I weren't going to the Spring Dance anymore.

"Well, that's great." Ma said lamely while her eyes promised retribution for not telling her about Brandon and me. Yikes.

"So Michael, where do you live?" Mom asked, as she poured the coffee and handed the cup to him, trying to divert from the previous conversation.

"Just two streets over in Madison Lane."

"That is really close to us. Have I seen your parents around by any chance?"

"No ma'am, my parents are hardly home. They travel most of the time for their work."

"So it's just you and your brother? I am so sorry. You boys must feel so lonely without your parents in the house." Ma said her eyes full of sympathy.

"Yeah but we are used to it. It was harder when we were young. It's easier now that we are busy in our own lives." Michael replied with a hint of sadness.

"What do your parents do?" Baba asked.

"My father owns Larson Mechanicals, a computer and electronic company and my mother is their vice president."

"Your father is Henry Larson?" Baba said with wide eyes.

"Yeah, do you know him?" Michael asked.

"Of course, everyone knows of your father. All the offices use the software made by your father's company."

My eyes caught Ma's and I saw her grinning widely. Yup, my parents were over cloud nine.

Michael was nice, rich, intelligent and good looking. Perfect boyfriend material.

Come to think of it, it made me sound weird for not being attracted to him.

Michael and my parents chatted for over an hour and by the end of it, I was pretty sure they loved him more then they loved me. He was perfect with them. Talked about electronics and baseball with Baba. Book stuff with Ma.

As Michael walked to the front door, wishing them a good night, Ma told him , "Michael, come visit us whenever you like. Don't be a stranger. And we will invite you and your brother as soon as possible for dinner."

"Thank you, Mrs Deb." Michael replied politely.

"Oh call me Debra. Mrs Deb sounds so formal." Mom scolded him.

Dad and I grinned at each other as we saw Ma fawn over Michael.

"I will see Michael out." I told them as Michael and I went outside.

"Alright. But no hanky-panky stuff children." Baba said sternly.

"Dad!!" I yelled, my face flaming bright red.

Baba just laughed.

I closed the front door behind me as Michael and I stood on the porch.

"Well, that was embarrassing." I muttered.

"Isn't that what parents are for?" Michael replied.

I shrugged.

"Well, my parents love you. They would be much happier to exchange you for me." I said with a smile.

"Don't say that. They might like me but you are their daughter. They wouldn't trade you for the world." Michael said softly.

I looked at him. The porch light reflected off of his glasses but I could still see the blue irises behind them. I realised then with a surprise that even though Drew was more handsome then Michael, the latter had a gentleness around him that made you feel protected. At least I did. Weird.

"Well, I will see you on Monday." I said, softly.

"Don't bet on it. Grace could put us on campaign duty tomorrow." Michael reminded.

I groaned. Michael laughed and started walking down the porch steps. He was halfway across the driveway when he turned back and looked at me,

"And Rebel?"

I had been about to open the front door. I turned around and looked at him enquiringly.

"I am really glad that Brandon dumped you. For completely selfish reasons."

He smiled and without waiting for my response, turned back and continued walking.

I stood shell-shocked as his words registered. And then I grinned. A grin that would have made the Joker proud. I turned back and opening the front door, entered the house with an extra skip in my steps.

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So did you like it? What do you think? Comment and let me know.