Greenhouse || Xavier Thorpe x Male Reader

we could just kiss like real people do || chapter 13

 I run down to the greenhouse to grab the vase with the two roses about an hour before we're supposed to meet our friends for the Rave'N. They're still just as fresh as they were when I cut them, which is good. Back in the room, I change into my suit and tuck the rose in my pocket. Xavier finishes changing a few minutes later, and he ties his hair back in a ponytail. I give him the other rose, which he puts in his pocket to match mine. We link arms and walk down to the quad, where Enid and Wednesday are waiting.

"What took you so long?" Enid asks.

"We're early," I tell her. She shakes her head.

"I told Ajax to meet us here as well, so we just need to wait for him. And Eugene, I think he's coming as well, as per Wednesday's direction," she explains. As if on cue, Eugene appears, wearing a pink tuxedo.

"Am I the only one of us in rainbow?" Enid asks. The rest of us nod. "Ugh. Maybe Ajax will have a rainbow beanie or something."

"Enid, it is now 6:30. He's late. Let's just go inside," Wednesday says. "He can find us there."

Everyone is supposed to enter in pairs, so Wednesday and Enid disappear into the chaos of the party first, followed by Eugene with his arm wrapped around the air. I extend my hand to Xavier, and he takes it. We walk through the doors, greeted by several teachers. Wednesday and Enid are drawing all the attention, the girl in black and the girl in rainbow, so Xavier and I can sneak off to find a table without too many eyes on us.

"Well, at least we aren't the center of attention," he tells me, voicing my thoughts.

"Yeah. I'm glad. We're going to have to deal with a couple people we know, though. You ready?" I ask.

"With you? Of course I am."

I smile. Wednesday and Enid make their way to us, unfortunately attracting the eyes of everyone else. They sit down across from us, Eugene lost to the dance floor.

"Everyone's staring at you. Now they're staring at us as well," I hiss at them.

"Sorry," Enid says.

As the eyes slowly turn away from us, Ajax walks up. He is not, in fact, wearing a rainbow beanie. Enid glowers at him and pulls Wednesday away to dance. He follows them, leaving only Xavier and me, neither of us really the 'new dance pop' type. The crowd shifts from tables and punch lines to the dance floor, and a girl begins to approach us. Bianca. She wears a bloodred dress that looks almost like a siren's tail. It's a good choice, but were it not for her necklace I would have said she was spelling everyone to look at her.

"Well, I'd say surprised was an understatement when I saw you two," she tells us, sitting down. "I'm glad you're getting out of your head, though, Xavier."

"Hello, Bianca,' he greets her before turning to me. "Bianca used to pretend to date me so she could look good and I could have cover so people wouldn't ask why I wasn't dating anyone."

"Well, that was nice of her," I comment.

"Now I'm here by myself, because people won't stop saying he broke up with me because I'm a bitch," she sighs. "Not true at all."

"That sucks, I'm sorry," I tell her. I, too, thought she was a bitch, but I didn't know she and Xavier were 'dating'. I guess you become what they make you out to be. The rest of the group comes back over from the dance floor, but stop short when they see Bianca.

"What is she doing here?" Wednesday asks.

"Chatting," Xavier responds. "As friends," he adds when he sees Enid's glare. "Not like we were ever anything more."