I exited my house at exactly six in the morning, getting into my car and heading towards the address that Terence had texted me last night. The hotel he was staying at was thankfully closer to the edge of the city, making it easier for me to pick him up.
Honking my horn at the idiot who decided to suddenly turn into my lane without so much as a signal, I sighed at the traffic. The roads were always busy around here, even if you weren't in the more active areas.
I was almost there, thank goodness, I just had to turn right at the next stop light, and it's down the road to the left. He's staying at Holiday Inn, so when I see the sign for it, I breathed out in relief, finally making it to the parking lot. It took only about fifty minutes to get here, so I should expect to be at school earlier than I thought, hoping luck would be on my side today.
I had texted Terence right before I left, so I checked my phone for a response. He replied about five minutes ago saying that he just woke up and he'd be down when he was ready. Since there was time to spare, I was fine with him taking his time.
Unsurprisingly, he got out of the club's activities again. He texted me yesterday saying he told his teacher that he was visiting family today, and she just said to be safe. Apparently, however, the others were wondering where he had been yesterday and where he was going today. He assured me that they didn't know about our little agreement, and I was grateful for that. Maybe he had really changed, but who knows? Maybe he was as manipulative as he was before.
Walking out of and locking my car, I decided to wait in the lobby. The interior was pretty nice and felt homely. I checked my phone for the time, seeing it was 6:57.
I'd text him at seven if he wasn't down here by then.
Just as I thought that, I saw his figure jogging towards me from the elevator, his hair flopping up and down. Ha, I always found that funny to see. "Sorry for keeping you," he said when he approached me, breathlessly. "They were pestering me about where I was going."
I giggled at his disheveled figure. "It looks like they were using violence to get information out of you." His hair was messed up, his shirt was a bit ripped, and he had a scratch on his face. "Unless you were having your daily dose of sex this early in the morning, then never mind," I said, partially serious. I started walking away, indicating that he should follow me.
He did, and we exited the hotel, getting in my car. I drove off of the parking lot, back in busy traffic. He finally responded to my statement, saying, "They were getting mad that I was being secretive, so they kind of just pounced on me this morning. And Drew, I told you, I don't swing that way anymore."
I gave him a worried glance before looking at the road again. Jeez, they were more violent than I remembered. Even with our past, I still really cared about him, but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that. Not yet, at least. However, I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Oh, so are you gay now?"
He rolled his eyes at my assumption. "Yeah, I turned gay because of you. While dating you, I figured out that men were easier to handle."
"Ha ha, very funny. But please, sir, enlighten me on how this sudden change in you occurred," I said, referring to him diverting from his old ways.
He shrugged, "Well, after you left, I just gave up that kind of lifestyle. I realized you were right, that I was never going to have a good future if I just kept sleeping around carelessly, so I stopped."
"You forgot about my warning of STDs."
He laughed, "Ah, yes, how could I forget? You literally threw a box of condoms at me before storming off."
"What can I say? I'm a classy girl," I joked, but then turned serious for my next statement. "You didn't have to listen to me, you know. I can't control what you do and don't do."
"When we dated, I noted that you were pretty wise, so I took your advice, and it's actually made me a better person. So, thanks." Out of nowhere, he leaned from the passenger seat towards me and kissed my cheek.
If we weren't stuck in traffic right now, I may have just swerved and crashed into another car. That was how shocked I was. I could feel my cheeks heat up at the familiar feel of his lips, and I turned my head to give him a scowl.
He had a mask of innocence on, and I stuck my tongue out at him. It really felt like old times, but I still didn't trust him. "You're lucky the car was stopped just now, or else we'd both be dead."
He snickered, and the rest of the car ride to school was spent like that. Just goofing around and catching up with each other. I informed him of my new friends, also sneakingly establishing that him and I were just friends now. He chuckled and caught my drift, telling me that he had his eyes on Sydney.
Aw, they were always close, even when Terence and I were dating, so I could definitely see them getting together. I so ship Tereney, as long as he was serious about her. I mean, Sydney could be considered my only true friend from my old school, but I failed to keep in touch with her, or anyone for that matter.
I parked in my usual parking space, not too far from school but not too close. Before getting out of the car, I reminded him of the rules for today. "Remember, no inappropriate touching, which includes boob or butt grabs, or anything of the sort."
He snickered, "Yes, ma'am," and then we got out of my car.
It was only 7:48 when we got in the now not gaseous school. I grabbed his hand and hurried him to the main office where he could get a visitor's pass. Once obtaining one, we exited the place with my hand in his. I didn't mind acting like a couple again, it brought back good memories.
Contrary to popular belief and romance movies, I was most definitely not sulking and wishing for us to get back together. I was not one of those saps. Frankly, I was glad we were just friends; it felt right that way.
Afterward, we had to go back to the chemistry room to fetch my bag. Fortunately, the room was open and Mrs. Skol was in there. She smiled at me when I walked in and said that my bag was fine and not covered in poisonous fumes. I kindly thanked her and then ambled out of the room with Terence in tow.
We walked down the hallways in the direction of my locker. I was explaining Aidan's fuck up from yesterday, since Terence was curious and confused about how my bag could possibly be deadly.
"I mean, I could fill my bag with bricks and then chuck it at your face. That's deadly," I mocked after finishing my explanation.
"That is if you can even lift a brick. Do you even lift, bro?" he teased back.
"How overly used," I shook my head in disapproval. "I'm disappointed in you, Tence; I expected more of you." I used my nickname that I called him back then, just for the sake of old times. As our conversation continued, we got many looks, but I tried not to let it bother me.
When I had gotten everything I needed from my locker, I shut it, only to find Karen glaring daggers at me from down the hallway.
Ignoring her, I continued my conversation with Terence. Class would start twenty minutes from now, so I didn't bother heading to English quite yet.
"Act like you're interested," I whispered to him. I took a quick glance at Karen, indicating that she was the one we were really trying to convince. He nodded, and I leaned my back against my locker as he extended one arm to place his hand to the side of my head. We stayed in that position whilst continuing our conversation.
Before I knew it, Karen was over here faster than you can say "bitch". "Hello, Drew," she sneered with a sickeningly fake smile. "Who is this?"
"You told me to bring Terence, so here he is. I don't see why I had to prove it to you, but I felt the need to put you in your place," I spat back. Hey, I never denied that I was a bitch as well. I could be one when I wanted to.
"Nice to meet you," Terence said, offering his hand out to her, obviously ignoring the thickening tension in the air. He wasn't leaning up on the lockers anymore as we both stood up straight.
Karen openly eyed him up and down, not ashamed. Once finally meeting his eyes again, she gave him the biggest smile I had ever seen adorn her face. Might I add, it was fake, but she didn't need to know that I knew that. "It's nice to meet you too. Drew, why hadn't you introduced me sooner? I'm Karen, by the way," she said before shaking his hand for just a second too long.
She totally wanted to get in his pants. Not that I cared, but Terence could do better.
Rolling my eyes, I placed a hand on his shoulder. "See? I wasn't lying. Now, if you'll excuse us," I spoke before taking hold of his hand and dragging him away.
Wow, that was easier than I thought. I think she actually fell for it, and we didn't even have to kiss to prove it to her. Once far enough away from her, I started bouncing in glee. I wrapped my arms around Terence's neck, pulling him down to me. "Whoa, you're welcome. If you could please kindly stop choking me, that'd be great," he chuckled against my ear.
I let him go and gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I'm just so surprised that it actually worked," I whispered, making sure that no one could hear us. I wouldn't be surprised if one of Karen's henchmen- or henchwomen?- were snooping on us right now, to see if we were legit or not.
"I don't think it's over yet. She might come up to us later," he reasoned.
I pouted, "Way to ruin my mood."
Laughing, he pinched my cheeks, and I swatted his hands away, feigning a disgusted face. "I'd rather not have you spreading your STDs to me, thank you very much," I joked. He glared at me and pinched my cheeks again, but this time, his grasp was firmer, causing more pain. "Ow," I said while he still held onto my cheeks, probably making me look weird as hell since my mouth was outstretched. "Ow, ow, okay! I'm sorry," I managed to say.
Letting go, a hearty laugh escaped his lips. "Oh God, your face." He was clutching his stomach, and I think he was close to tears.
Gosh, well, I'm sorry that my face is naturally funny looking, I thought.
I tried to stay angry at him, glaring down at his bent figure, but his laughter was contagious. To my dismay, I joined him in his chorus of laughter, and the two of us stood in the hallway looking like buffoons. We gained quite a handful of attention, but right now, I didn't mind.
Someone coughed from behind me, and I turned around to notice that it was the gang. "Hey, guys!" I greeted, calming down. I pulled Terence to my side and introduced him to everyone. When the introductions were over, my friends all had shocked faces, except Aidan, who already knew who he was.
"Whoa, this is the real Terence Owens?" Amber questioned, receiving a nod from me. "Can I punch him in the face for breaking up with you?"
I nervously laughed, glancing at Terence who looked just a tad intimidated. I didn't blame him. "Actually, I broke up with him, so it's okay."
This caught Aidan's attention, but he didn't say anything.
"So, how's the plan going?" Chelsea quietly said, afraid that someone could hear her.
"So far so good. We just need to get through the rest of the day," I responded. With that said, the bell rung, and I bid my friends goodbye. Grabbing Terence's hand again, I led him to my English class.
The feeling of his hand in mine brought back so many memories. I involuntarily smiled, probably looking like a goof. I recalled all of the great times we had together, and I do admit, I kind of missed it. However, as said before, I'd rather have him as a friend than a lover. As the saying goes, things happen for a reason, so I was sure there was a reason the universe didn't want him and I together.
Walking into the English class was like walking onto a stage in front of thousands of people. Apparently, word spreads like wildfire in this school, much to my disappointment. I was hoping that it'd be later in the day when people started talking about us, not now. The entire class- well, the people who have showed up so far- was staring at us like we were the most fascinating creatures alive.
Jeez, we aren't naked, so stop staring at us like we are! I so badly wanted to scream this, but I swallowed the desire.
Braving it out, I walked up to Mr. Blais's desk. Surprisingly, I felt Terence's hand squeeze mine supportively. He knew I hated being stared at by a lot of people, but he didn't know that I was used to it by now. I smiled at him, reassuring him that I was fine.
I informed my teacher that Terence was a visitor, verifying it with the pass Terence had in his hand.
Since this class was fairly big, there was only one spare desk in the back corner. Mr. Blais told the person who sat in the seat in front of the empty one to sit in my seat for today, so Terence and I could sit with each other. Thankfully, the girl willingly complied, not complaining one bit. However, she'd be complaining in no time, as my seat was surrounded by a bunch of idiotic, stereotypical jocks. Ever since news broke out a month ago that I was Aidan's new friend, they would bother and harass me to no end with unknown motives.
Was I an easy target or something? Probably. I didn't bother fighting back, realizing that I'd just be wasting time and oxygen on them. Weren't jocks usually popular, therefore friends with other populars, aka Aidan and them? Well, maybe this school wasn't so stereotypical, as Aidan had never talked to any of these morons, not to my knowledge anyway. In fact, I felt like our group was classified as a different kind of popular, if that makes sense. I couldn't explain it, but there was definitely a difference between Jessie-popular, and let's say, Karen-popular. Huge difference.
Anyway, I felt bad, but the poor girl only had to endure it for an hour, and who knows, maybe she could even befriend them.
Oh well, I was still praying for you, girl whose seat I took. I think her name was Anita? I had to sit near those nuisances every morning on weekdays, and I was happy to have a break, even if it was only for one day.
"Would you like to introduce us to your friend, Drew?" The head cheerleader, Tasha, asked. She sat in front of Anita's usual seat, so I had to survive sitting behind her for the rest of class. She didn't like me either. In fact, none of the other populars really liked me, and for reasons I didn't know. Of course, I didn't care. I didn't harbor friendly feelings towards any of them either, but I kept those thoughts to myself. I usually wasn't mean to them, unless they bother me to no extent, which would be why I act the way I do with Karen.
"Yeah, sure," I calmly answered, leaning over a bit so she was able to see Terence behind me. "Tasha, this is Terence. Terence, Tasha."
"Nice to meet you," he repeated the words he had said earlier to Karen.
"The pleasure's all mine," she leered. Again, gross. "Is this your boy toy, Arlington?" she asked, loud enough for the entire class to hear. She didn't have to say it that loud anyway, because everybody's attention was on us. Even Mr. Blais was staring.
Jeez, the bell already rang, could you start class please?
I saw Terence squirm a bit in his seat, and I knew that he felt uncomfortable. Usually, if he felt under pressure, he wouldn't show his uneasiness. He must have felt extremely uncomfortable then.
"What's it to you?" I responded, not wanting to give her a direct answer.
"Oh, nothing," she smirked. "Just wanted to see if you were the slut that everyone thinks you are. I guess this just proves it." She gave me a condescending look, and I hated when people thought they were superior to me. That was why I almost lost my cool whenever people kept giving me looks and/or pestered me, but one of my friends would always be by my side to get rid of them. So, I hadn't exploded on someone yet, but I was super close to it.
"Call me what you want, but you don't even know me. If anything, I'd be more worried about your reputation. Do you even know what people, more specifically your so-called-friends, say behind your back?" I shot back. I could see one of Tasha's 'friends' sitting in the front row, and I saw her eyes widen, as if I just revealed some big secret. Some of the jocks started laughing too.
You'd think that populars like them would know how fake their friends actually were. With me, I knew that mine were genuine.
Before Tasha could respond, Mr. Blais finally decided that it was enough. "Okay, class. All attention on me please." Jeez, you couldn't have said that sooner? We wasted fifteen minutes of class, but I guess I shouldn't be complaining.
Tasha shot me a scrutinizing glare, while I gave her a look of nonchalance. "You just made the wrong enemy. I'll make your life miserable," she threatened before turning around in her seat.
"Yeah, get in line," I whispered, loud enough for her to hear though. I relaxed in my seat and crossed my arms, ready to get this class over with. All of a sudden, I felt Terence's hand on my shoulder, and I looked to see that his palm was facing up. I smacked it, giving him a quick high five.
"Good job, Dew. You're finally standing up for yourself," he whispered in my ear. I slightly cringed, hating the nickname he gave me a year ago. He knew I hated it too, that jerk. Nevertheless, I gave him a small smile before actually giving the teacher my attention.
Luckily, I didn't encounter any other rough situations until lunch. Bryan informed me that literally everyone knew of Terence. "Some people came up to me earlier, asking if you two were actually dating. I didn't know how to answer, so I acted like I didn't know you and walked away," he told me.
Logan said he was in a similar situation, saying that some freshmen guys asked him if I was willing to get with them. However, he handled it in a completely different way than Bryan. Let's just say, those boys weren't going home uninjured. Logan didn't get in trouble though, to my surprise.
"Some girls asked me if they could have a turn with Terence," Chelsea unpleasantly shivered.
"Yeah, you two are literally the subject of every conversation in this school," Ethan added.
"Great, just great," I mumbled, and Terence gently rubbed the small of my back, knowing it soothed me.
Sure, I expected the aftermath, but I didn't think it'd be this big. I only wanted to convince Karen, not the entire school!
"Heads up," Amber said, nodding to someone behind me. I turned, only to find the three people I didn't particularly want to see right now.
Karen, Kimberly, and Tasha stood behind me with determined faces, their arms folded over their chest. Great, Karen the Queen Bee, Kimberly the Princess, and Tasha the Cheerleader were all standing before me. Those were their appointed titles in school, by the way. They were the most popular girls, and they also happened to be 'friends'.
"Aidan, we need to talk," Kimberly was the first to speak. Aidan hadn't said anything to me today, and I wasn't sure what he was thinking. I think he was still mad at me for coming up with this stupid idea. Not giving him a chance to respond, Kimberly grabbed his forearm and dragged him away, much to his dismay.
Great, that got rid of one of them. I'd go after the ex couple, but I had to deal with the other two. "May I help you?" I asked them.
"No," Tasha sneered, "but Terence could certainly help me." By the end of her sentence, she had a flirtatious smile plastered on her face.
"Oh, I need help too, Hot Stuff," Karen winked at Terence.
Oh God, was this how they flirted? It was certainly cringeworthy, and I wanted to spew my lunch, and if my vomit happened to land on them, that would be fantastic.
"Yeah, you both need mental help," Terence muttered. I giggled, being the only one who heard him.
"Could you both just back off?" I asked.
"Why? It's not like he's your boyfriend or anything, slut," Tasha replied.
Karen followed up, "Yeah, he doesn't belong to you. Besides, he's just using you for sex, not the other way around like you think it is. You say he's your boy toy, but really, you're wrapped around his finger."
My fuse was shortening, and my desire to slap them increased. I was about to respond, but to my shock, Terence did it for me. "You know what? I'm sick of this! I'm not Drew's boy toy!" he shouted, loud enough to catch the attention of everyone in the cafeteria. My eyes widened.
I knew it, I knew he would mess this whole thing up. I shouldn't have asked him to do this, I shouldn't have trusted h-
He continued, disrupting my thoughts. "I'm her boyfriend, now stop saying she's a fucking slut, because she's not! Also, I'm not interested in sluts, so I wouldn't get with either of you."
I froze, my previous thoughts disappearing all together. The entire cafeteria was silent, except for the occasional, "Oooh, burn."
I couldn't help it, I started laughing. By now, I was used to so many eyes on me, so I didn't even care when people gave me crazed looks. "Yeah, you heard my boyfriend," I said, playing along. "So, if you could both kindly back off, we would appreciate it."
Shocked, the two stood there, frozen in place. "You heard the girl, leave!" Amber screamed, aggravated with their presence.
Infuriated, they both stormed out of the cafeteria, embarrassed beyond belief. Well, now there was something else to talk about, as chatter now echoed throughout the room.
In my opinion, they deserved it, but hey, maybe I was just a cruel person. "Thank you! You're a life saver, Tence," I kissed his cheek as my form of gratitude.
"Anything for my awesome ex-girlfriend," he smiled, making sure he said "ex" quietly, just in case someone over heard.
Just then, Aidan came back with an equally infuriated face. He sat down in his seat, mumbling profanities. "What happened?" Chelsea immediately asked him.
"Kimberly pissed me off, that's what happened," was his very vague answer.
Hm, I was definitely going to ask him about this later, but for now, I'd leave him be.
"What'd I miss?" he asked, changing the subject.
Ethan patted his shoulder and answered, "A lot, my friend. A whole fucking lot."
________________________
OKAY, I'M SORRY IF THIS WAS RUSHED, BUT A CERTAIN SOMEONE WANTED ME TO FINISH IT. I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY.
Anyway, yeah, so... I don't have anything else to say lol, except sorry if it's crappy.
Thanks so much for reading! Please vote, comment, or follow, because it'd be much appreciated :)
Have a nice day! Until next time~
~michellepandas