by Lannah Smith
"Have a merry Christmas and a happy new year, class," the teacher called over her shoulder as she left the room.
I pressed my palms into my ears when everyone around me screamed in delight.
Everyone was in an ecstatic mood as they prepared to leave, sharing vacation plans and examination results. School had ended for the year, the exams too, so everyone was celebrating.
It was also Friday. Butterflies filled my stomach and I repressed the giddy feeling inside of me as I packed my stuff and stood up. I'd banned John from meeting up with me for the meantime because I wanted to focus on studying and I was now eager to see him.
Hannah had already gone ahead and I wouldn't be even surprised if she was with Sophia. I frowned to myself as I walked out of the classroom. She was still hanging around her and she still wouldn't listen to me. She was bent on having her own way no matter how much lecture I gave.
Still, we hit an agreement. She promised she'd keep her friendly advances to a minimum and not freely broadcast her friendship with Sophia.
"I'm having a party tonight," I heard Hannah tell Sophia. They were both lingering in the middle of the hallway and with irritation, I walked over to them.
This wasn't what we had agreed.
Couldn't she see everyone looking at her with disapproval?
"A party?" Sophia asked.
"Yeah. To celebrate our freedom," Hannah replied. "No more classes. Isn't that divine?"
"You're just using that as an excuse."
"And my parents and the little brats already went ahead to our beach house so it's definitely a perfect time for a party!" Hannah exclaimed with such enthusiasm, she was clapping. "So you should come."
Oh, my God, she was crazy.
She was adding fuel to the fire. She was basically telling everyone Sophia was a close friend since Hannah only ever invited close friends to her parties, which made them pretty much exclusive. Didn't she learn anything when she was being bullied back in middle school?
Sophia saw me fast approaching and her smile disappeared. Hannah, seeing me, hooked her arm through Sophia's and clung to her tight. Then she beamed at me like she was not doing anything stupid and wrong.
"Hi, Terry!" she said. "How were the exams?"
"Boring," I deadpanned. "Did you get the enumerations?"
"I told you, Terry," she answered with a pout. "We are not going over the questions after every exam."
I rolled my eyes. "You forgot the answers, didn't you? It's a wonder you passed."
"So party tonight?" she said to change the topic.
I slid my gaze to Sophia and she ducked her head low. "Where?"
"My place. I already told Dana to get what we need."
"Is your friend coming?" I replied instantly, tersely and with obvious anger and immediately wished I didn't.
This was because apparently, it was the wrong thing to say and it was the wrong place to say.
It took her a moment to call it up but she did. Hannah stiffened and a thunderous expression came over her face. She wasn't even the least bit intimidated by the severe look I was giving her. Sophia, on the other hand, tried to look she wasn't affected by my antagonism. But she failed miserably.
"You know, I'm tired of playing your messenger," Hannah snapped. "She's right here, Terry. Ask her yourself."
I curled my hands into fists.
It was safe to say I was no longer angry.
I was enraged.
How dare she?
After everything I had done for her, after being best friends for many years, she was going to have a spat with me because of Sophia?
Because of her?
Leon had already taken John away from me and it was obvious he hadn't stopped taking him away from me. He was always going to be John's first priority. I knew that coming into this relationship but it didn't mean it felt good.
So there was no way in hell was I going to let Sophia take away my best friend too. She already had her messed up boyfriend. She wasn't taking anything from me like he was.
Never.
"What did you just say?" I said in a whisper-soft voice as, against my wishes but for my reputation, tried to suppress my fury. "Anata wa kono meinu to saidingute imasu ka? Anata wa bakadesu ka?"
Hannah gasped. "Baka means stupid, right? Did you just call me stupid?"
Sophia had gone pale. She tried to make Hannah let go of her but Hannah was hanging on her tight. My hands curled tighter, my nails digging painfully into my palm. I almost didn't care if there were people around, I wanted to scream at her and smack some sense into her. But before I could say something in return, Sophia suddenly came between us, clearly wanting to stop our fight. Her back was to me so I couldn't see her expression but her squeaky voice told me she was frightened.
"I can't come to your party, Hannah," she blurted out.
Hannah gave me one last scowl before she moved her gaze to the trembling girl in front of her. Releasing a sigh, she put her hands on her hips.
"Really, Sophia," she retorted in an exasperated voice. "You need to go out more often. Stop being such a loser."
"As much as I liked to go, Hannah, I really can't. We're leaving tonight, remember?"
"Oh, shoot," she muttered. "I totally forgot."
Hannah looked so crestfallen that I couldn't help but feel jealousy burn through me.
So she wanted Sophia to come so much, huh?
"And I can't come tonight," I spoke, crossing my arms over my chest.
If Hannah had looked crestfallen at Sophia's rejection, this time her expression looked like I had just slapped her.
"What?" she wailed. "Why?"
"I'm babysitting," I lied.
Sadistically, I felt pleasure upon seeing her face.
Then that same pleasure turned to guilt when I realized I was becoming such a horrible person.
I caught Sophia staring at me, her brows furrowed, like she was trying to figure something out. When our eyes met, she coughed and looked away. My eyes narrowed at her.
What the crap was she looking at me for?
"This sucks, this totally sucks!" Hannah whined. She began to pace in front of us, her pretty face scowling at the floor. "What's the use of having a party when my two best friends aren't going to be there?"
I was looking at Sophia when she said the words two best friends. My expression must have terrified her for she had gone paler, if possible.
"It's been a while since I threw a party and this had to happen," Hannah went on. "She's not coming. You're not coming. What if no one comes? Am I supposed to drink all by myself? Am I supposed to eat all by myself? Do all of you want me to get fat? Might as well start calling me Fat Hannah. Hey, Fat Hannah, how's it going? Hey, Fat Hannah, want to go out with me? No, scratch that last part. Who would want to go out on a date with fat me—?"
"Fine, fine!" I interrupted her rant when I saw how many people were staring at us. "I'm going to your stupid party."
Hannah whirled around. "Really?" she asked, her hands clasped under her chin.
"Yes," I answered. "But I'm not staying all night. Will that be okay?"
"As long as you'll come," she said excitedly as she wrapped her arms around me. "You're the best ever."
It was petty but I gave Sophia a smug smile. She looked a little annoyed as she told Hannah and me farewell before she turned to leave us. Hannah let go of me to tell her how she should make up for not attending her party and it might be my imagination but Sophia began to walk faster.
While Hannah went to invite more people, I waited for her by the lockers and pulled out my phone from my bag. John was going to be disappointed that I was moving our meeting time. I was too. But it couldn't be helped. Hannah might keep asking about Rina and I didn't have the energy to keep the lie going.
Hannah might keep asking about Rina and I didn't have the energy to keep the lie going
Hannah invited me to her party tonight, I texted John.
It didn't take him a minute to reply.
<
br /> And? (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞ Are you gonna go?
I already said yes.
(T⌓T) You said no take-backs.
I'm not saying I'm not going to meet you. I'm only staying til 8.
Swear? Cross your heart and hope to die? Jk. I don't want you to die. But you swear? (-人-)
I swear. Come get me? I'll text you where we'll meet.
Kay. I'll hang out with the guys til then. But please hurry? And text me when you're leaving. (*^▽^*)
I sighed when I read his reply and saw the emoticon he was using.
It was like the whole kawaii debacle again.
Just yesterday, while we were exchanging texts, he kept calling me kawaii and if I hadn't threatened him with bodily harm, he wouldn't have stopped.
Hannah popped next to me and I immediately put my phone back in my bag.
"Who are you texting?" she asked.
"No one," I replied. "Let's go?"
Hannah grinned. "Let's."
Poker night with his friends wasn't bad.
John only lost a few hundred dollars, courtesy of Leon and Rohan. Skull, on the other hand, lost at least a thousand and he wasn't one happy camper.
Though the night wasn't good either.
It left John wanting to strangle someone, namely Leon, for being stubborn as fuck.
Leon had been brooding all night and when John confronted him about it, the asshole actually told him to mind his own business. That was always his line. He always told John to get off his back, to go away or to mind his own damn business. And it always pissed him off whenever he did that.
They were friends. Best friends. Like hell he'd do that.
The evening started shitty and left John in a shitty mood.
But he knew.
He knew that the best part of the evening was coming because he was finally going to be with Terry again.
John grinned to himself as he parked the car by the bus stop. He rolled down the window of the passenger side to see out and thought he'd have to wait long for her. But then, the door opened and Terry slid into the passenger seat.
"I was just going to text you," John told her as he leaned in for a kiss.
Terry indulged him for a few seconds before pushing him away. "I escaped," she announced. Her breathing was a bit heavy. She must have run. "Hannah started to make everyone sing karaoke with her so when she wasn't looking I left."
John noticed she wasn't even the slightest drunk. Buckling her seatbelt for her, he leaned back, rolled up the window and started the car.
"You said your best friend was throwing a party," he told her.
"Yeah."
"Then why aren't you drunk?" he said, sounding accusing.
Terry chuckled and he quickly stole a glance at her.
"What?" he asked.
She was shaking her head when she asked back, "Haven't you heard anything about Hannah's parties?"
"I'm not certain I did."
"It's not like the parties you attend, John."
"That sounds boring," John remarked.
Terry slapped his shoulder. "You've never been to her party. How can you say they're boring?"
"Did a lot of people come?"
"Yeah," she said. "For your information, her parties are famous. But exclusive. Invitations are coveted by everyone who's anyone even when there's no alcohol."
Wait.
John actually did hear about Hannah Austin's parties. A girl he'd slept with last year kept whining about how she didn't get an invitation. And Skull may or may not have told him about how ridiculous it was that she sometimes threw parties without alcohol and still get a lot of people to come.
John's eyes moved from the road to Terry. To his disappointment, she wasn't wearing a dress but a black knit top and a pair of ripped skinny jeans. And her straight, black hair was smoothed back in a neat ponytail at the nape of her neck. Seeing that, John wanted to pull the ribbon from her hair because he liked running his fingers through her silky hair, liked seeing her with her hair down.
"Don't take your eyes off the road, Steele," she spoke and he grinned as he obliged. "You might get us into an accident. And for God's sake, slow down."
He suppressed a deep sigh as he slowed the car down. He wasn't even driving that fast but of course, his beautiful girlfriend had to nag about his driving.
"I'm being careful, Terry," he replied in an assuring tone.
"If you hadn't opened the window I wouldn't have known you were driving," she murmured, looking around. "Is this a brand new car?"
"Nope. Had this for awhile. This is the first time I've driven it, though."
"You should let your pickup truck retire already. And I'll tell you right now, I'm not getting in that dirty truck of yours."
Like hell he would.
He and his truck had made a lot of precious memories together.
It was also the first vehicle his father gave him.
And he never planned to make her ride on it anyway. Those precious memories include fucking girls inside the truck, on the truck bed and even out on the hood.
Huh.
Maybe he should really throw away that junk already.
"Why do you think I used this car?" John answered her in a laughing tone.
Terry snorted and turned to look out of the window. At a stoplight, John turned toward her and brought the back of her hand up to his lips, laying a long kiss over her knuckles. He could tell that she was trying her hardest to stay composed but he saw that she was mellowing some when her fantastic lips twitched.
As he turned his attention back to the traffic , he asked her, "So what do you want us to do when we get to my place? And the offer to take you somewhere else still stands by the way."
She shook her head. "No. I can't risk being seen with you out of school. Not yet, anyway," she said, giving him an apologetic look. He nodded in understanding. "And you said your parents weren't home."
John smirked and opened his mouth to speak but she pressed her fingers there as well, silencing him.
"Get your mind out of the gutter," she warned.
Damn it.
Laughing, he kissed her fingers and pinched her cheek. "So what do you plan for us to do? I still have the billiard table in my rooms. We could also play video games. Or we could watch a movie."
He hoped she'd pick the movie option. Then he'd have the chance to sit close to her, touch her, kiss her and seduce her into going to bed with him. Hell, but it was all he thought about all day.
Please let her choose the movie.
He turned onto the street to take them to his home. The guard at the gate waved them through. As he pulled into the driveway, John realized that Terry was quiet and hadn't answered his question yet. He focused on the drive for the meantime and for the first time, the drive seemed to be unending. Finally, his home came into view.
Coming to a stop, he finally looked at her.
Then his eyes widened.
Terry was holding up a DVD on each hand and shit, she had that impish look on her face that he remembered so well. It was the same expression she wore when she gave him the kokeshi dolls as supposed presents when they were children.
Shit.
She remembered.
Shit, shit, shit.
Terry smiled mischievously at him, waving the Insidious DVDs in her hand.
His girl friend was mean.
It had been awhile since I had last seen the Steele Mansion and everything looked pretty much the same to me. The redbrick house was still three stories high. White pillars still lined the front, adding a regal touch and front doors was still painted back as well. His parents loved to show off the mansion so the attention to detail was very apparent. And being one of the most prominent families, it wasn't unusual for the other families to follow the design of their home, my parents included.
A man was waiting for us on the steps. It was the same man who took me home after sleeping with John and who led me up the Steele Towers. He was dressed in a suit, all in black, and
his austere manner more than matched his attire. He was also young, maybe the same age as Mr. Cameron or a few years older.
John and I exited the car and the man advanced down the steps with a dignified stride. When he faced John, he gave him a stiff bow.
