Falling For the Bad Boy
Chapter 7: We were lost
Stella's POV
"I heard there's gonna be a wicked party thrown by Candice. It's her birthday! We so have to go!"
I took my last bite of the sweet apple I was eating and successfully threw it inside the bin which was a few good feet away. Bloom leaned over a little next to me and I raised an eyebrow at Luke, who had just announced that there was gonna be a party thrown by one of the popular girls here.
"Sounds awesome! When is it?" Bloom grinned eagerly as Flora scoffed silently.
It was currently lunch in school; and it's been a few days since the incident with those creepy boys and Brandon savingthem, but we've grown distant and quiet ever since. I mean, we haven't talked at all but I still caught glances from him around school.
So to sum it up, it's been hella awkward.
Luke smirked, "In 2 weeks to be precise."
"In 2 weeks?! That's like nearly a month! Why so early...?" I exclaimed, trailing off.
I then waved my hand dismissively and glanced over at the both of them. "I've never been to a party nor will I ever want to go to one."
Flora slung her arm over my shoulder and smiled, "Same here! I've only been to a party once though -coz Bloom and Musa here forced me- and I hated it so no way." she threw a look at Bloom and Musa when she said the second sentence.
Luke, Bloom and Musa's eyes went wide in shock and I looked at them in confusion. "What?"
"You've never ever been to a party?" Luke gasped, slightly over-dramatically. Bloom gaped at me as Musa narrowed her eyes at me.
"Uhhm, I think I've already established that." I said, rolling my eyes.
Musa shook her head, "Damn girl! I never would have pegged you to be a party-virgin! Good thing we got Flora out of that one!"
I choked on my apple juice.
"And this is why I love Musa!" Bloom smirked, high-fiving her as Luke laughed and fell to the floor.
I stared at them with a disturbed look. "Whaaaat? Party . . . virgin?"
"Well, not virgin as in... you know." Bloom trails off awkwardly, "Musa meant she never thought you would be one to never go to a party."
"Wait- So if you've never been to a party... then you've never had your own birthday party in your whole life? What a sad childhood you had." Luke murmurs, shaking his head.
"Kid's birthdays and high school birthday parties are different, you moron!" Musa scowls, slapping the back of Luke's head making him glare at her.
Oh, how I love my friends.
"Anyways, who's up for this party?!" Bloom smiles excitedly. Luke and Musa nodded their heads whilst Flora looked reluctant.
"I'm definitely not letting you guys force me again." Flora muttered, glaring at them, "Besides, I have homework to do."
"Oh come on." Musa scoffs, ruffling Flora's hair, "Don't be such a nerd."
Flora growls under her breaths and sighs. "I'll think about it."
Then they all turned to me.
God damn it.
"Nuh-uh!" I muttered, shaking my head repeatedly, "Never ever in a million years!"
My friends groaned and protested as I stood up and walked out the Cafeteria, now heading to Mrs Hide's classroom to ask for the homework sheet I forgot to collect last time I has art... when Brandon and I had our little paint fight.
Yeah, it was anything but little.
As I walked through the corridors, I suddenly bumped into someone, causing me to abruptly lose my balance and nearly fall...
Until strong muscular arms encircled themselves around my waist; preventing my fall.
I breathed out heavily as I tried to calm down my fast beating heart from the shock of nearly falling; and it didn't help that the person's hot breath was fanning over my neck, sending shivers down my body.
My gaze slowly lifted up nervously and chocolate-like brown eyes captured my honey ones, keeping me frozen in place, unable to move or even breathe for that matter. I heard the person holding me cough all of a sudden, instantly breaking my train of thoughts and snap away our long gaze.
He straightened up and so did I; but his hands remained resting on my waist.
A small awkward smile painted on his soft pink lips as his mischievous eyes stared at me curiously, "Uhh... Hey."
I licked my lips nervously and smiled back at him. "Hi . . ."
Silence filled the air, causing him to shuffle around awkwardly and me to avoid his gaze as I kept glancing at his hands that were on my waist.
He soon realised and his eyes widened as he instantly retracted his hands away from my waist. "Um, sorry."
I burst out in laughter; causing him to stare at me as if I was the weirdest person in the world.
"I'm sorry but- I am so not used to this awkward and silent Brandon! It's so weird!" I exclaimed, in between fits of giggles, "Where did the hot, flirty Brandon go?"
His awkward expression immediately vanished, now replaced with a smug grin as he wiggled his eyebrows at me. "Hot, aye?"
I instantly felt my cheeks burn up when I realised I had said that, but I quickly shook my head. "What? No! I meant cocky! Yes, you are incredibly cocky- not hot."
He rolled his eyes, but the smug grin still hasn't left his face, "Just admit it, Sunshine. I am so hot. And I bet you secretly keep hundreds of photos of me in an album- just like a stalker!"
I burst into yet another fit of laughter, even though I should really be complaining about what he said. His cockiness never fails to amuse me.
I missed this. His sarcastic remarks; his irritating yet cute smirks; his adorable smug grin; his flirty ways and most of all... him. I know it's only been a few days since I last saw him, but it felt like forever. I guess I was just getting used to seeing him every day.
But what instantly caught me from what he said just now was Sunshine. He had called me by the main nickname he usually used to annoy me. I haven't heard him call me that in ages... so I felt a little happy inside.
We fell silent once again, just with him staring at me intently as his smug grin slowly vanished. The tension had disappeared from the air too and it felt like we were on good terms again. I guess our agreements on not to mention about the past again was working.
"So..." I trailed off, looking into his eyes, "How's your little brother, Milo?"
I haven't seen the little kid in ages too. I missed him, guess.
"Miles, has been begging me to take him to see you again. He really misses you, ya know." he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets as an adorable smile tugged on his lips.
Awwh.
I felt my heart melt at the thought of Milo begging to see me and claiming that he misses me. So cute. It also made me warm inside that Brandon calls him 'Miles'. That's brotherly love for you.
Speaking of brothers...
"You're hanging around with my brother, huh?" I muttered quietly.
Brandon nodded in reply, tilting his head slightly as he continued staring at me. "Yeah, I do. Are you... okay with that?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" I chuckled nervously, feeling the tension slowly filling the air again. "Oh, and by the way, I'll keep our past events a secret. My brother will never know about... you know. He'd kill you... literally."
About how you had hurt me.
I watched as his body visibly tensed up, and his jaw clenched tightly. I furrowed my eyebrows at him and he let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have mentioned that." I sighed quietly, looking down.
He bit his lip, "Doesn't matter. Can we forget about that for now? Please?"
I noticed he had this pleading look and this guilt in his eyes which made my heart ache badly for him.
"Yeah, sure." I said, plastering on a smile. "But it still doesn't mean you can still be annoying and cocky as hell."
He bursts out laughing; his laugh sounding so wonderful to my ears.
"No promises, sunshine."
As I looked up at him, he spoke up again.
"By the way, I was actually on my way to tell you that we forgot detention from the paint fight a week ago." He explained, sighing, "The bitch reminded me about the detention and said we have it for one hour and a half after school today."
I gaped at him, feeling infuriated that 'the bitch' as Brandon called Mrs Hide as, apparently extended our one-hour detention by adding another half an hour.
"Damn." I muttered under my breath, a scowl now reaching my face.
I had expected Brandon to scowl or be angry that we had detention again, but instead, a sly smirk played its way on his lips as he leaned his body against the lockers.
"What?" I said.
He chuckled, "You didn't deny it when I said you were a stalker who collected photos of me."
Sh*t.
"I'm sorry, Stell. But I have to go to this football meeting thing." Sky explained, giving me an apologetic look.
I scowled and crossed my arms in front of my chest, "If you have this football sh*t, then wouldn't Brandon be going there too?"
He sighed deeply, running a hand through his blonde locks. "It's coz I'm new here, just like you. The other guys already went through this meeting a long time ago and now I have to do it, along with another boy who had missed it."
Muttering a string of curse words under my breath, I looked away. So my brother is my ride home but he can't drop me off to our house later since I have detention. He was having some football meeting stuff and had to drive a little far away to go there. He wouldn't make it in time to pick me up.
I blew out a sigh, "How am I supposed to get home?"
"Brandon will give you a ride." Sky said, giving me a pleading look, "Please, Stella. I need to go to this meeting. Sis, please, please, please, please, please-"
"OKAY!" I exclaimed, throwing him a glare for being incredibly annoying by over-using the word 'please'. "Fine! I'll go with that jerk!"
His eyes widen in surprise as he pulls me in for a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank-"
I groan, "Sky, shut up. Please. Just go!"
He grins excitedly and waves at me as he skips towards our car, "Have fun in detention!"
I lazily stomped inside Mrs Hide's class, only to find myself astonished when I saw a sleeping man on the desk instead of her. What the fuc-
"Sunshine!" a voice exclaims, causing me to look up in that direction to see jerk face sitting in the corner with a smirk on his face. "Welcome to detention!"
I glared at him and made a move to sit in the front row, only to stop when he called out to me again.
"Come sit with me." he smirks, tapping the chair next to him. "Or... are you afraid? I don't bite! Well, at least not in that way... if you know what I mean." He winked.
I grimaced, throwing him a look. "Gross!"
He rolls his eyes, "What I said is like base 1 of the dirtiest things I say. Want to know base 2? Which is by the way, dirtier than base 1 and-"
"No!" I immediately exclaimed, "Stop that!"
He sighs quietly, finally letting go of the smirk. "Fine. Just sit with me, princessa?"
I gave him a blank stare, but nevertheless walked over to him and sat next to him. "Where's Mrs Hide?"
"The bitch had teacher meetings sh*t to do. So now we got Mr Harver, the old food-crazed man who is practically a bat. Sleeps in the day, awake at night." he explains, letting out a chuckle.
I laughed, shaking my head. "So it's just you and me in this boring, quiet classroom then. What can we do?!"
A few moments of silence passed, until I caught Brandon wiggling his eyebrows from the corner of my eye.
"Ya know, there's a lot of fun stuff we could do." He smirked.
His sexual innuendos were really getting on my nerves now. But I couldn't help but laugh when my twisted brain had an image of Brandon and I kissing in this classroom for a second.
Yeah, that... that would be awkward.
But I guess this wasn't the first time. That dream, or should I say nightmare, I had a few days ago was full of Brandon and I... kissing. It made me want to puke my guts out.
"Are you okay?"
I looked to the side, watching as Brandon's smirk had vanished and was now replaced with a look of genuine concern onto the fact I had stayed quiet for a moment.
He was... concerned? No. That's close to impossible.
But of course, the look of 'concern' disappeared as quickly as it came since the smirk made a reappearance once again. No surprise there.
"You're thinking of a sexy picture of me shirtless whilst walking on the beach, aren't you?"
Damn it.
He's probably thinking I was thinking dirty thoughts about him. The cocky bastard.
"No, actually, I was thinking of 101 ways to kill you right now in this classroom." I remarked, smirking at him.
The colour drained from his face and his mouth gaped in shock, "What? Sunshine, how could you?! I thought you loved me!"
I raised an eyebrow.
Love him? As if.
But I couldn't complain much considering I had loved him when we were little. Then again, I was so young and stupid. I wasn't thinking, was I?
"But," he chuckled, a sly grin making reappearance on his lips, "I have to give you that one! That was pretty good."
An hour and a half later...
I WAS DYING FROM TOO MUCH LAUGHTER.
"Oh my- GOD! Brandon, STOP!" I exclaimed through giggles, hunching over in my seat as I hugged my aching belly.
Brandon scowled, "Stella! What the hell? Why are you laughing at my misery?!"
"HAHAHAHAH!" I practically screamed in more laughter until my eyes felt wet.
He glared at me and huffed under his breath, "I knew I shouldn't have told you this. I knew it."
As I kept laughing, he still stared at me curiously.
"It's not even that funny! Just cause' my cousin Layla embarrassed me in front of my parents by telling them I'm gay-"
"B-B-Brandon!" I screeched between laughter, "S-stop.."
"-And just cause' she kicked me in the dic-"
"STOP!" I shouted, wiping a tear from my eyes.
I went into another loud fit of laughter and I was 100% sure I looked like a retarded seal by laughing like this and being so un lady like but I couldn't help it! He was hilarious!
Luckily the teacher was still asleep, otherwise he'd be yelling at me for laughing so loud.
To say detention was terrible would be a lie. For the past hour, I've been laughing my ass off. Seriously. Brandon kept telling me funny things that's happened in his life, and he also told me about his cousin, Aisha, whom he grew up with. He also told me how she changed as they grew up and became this, and I quote, 'bitchy and annoying cousin' who liked to tease him a lot.
She was also the only girl who was brave enough to stand up to him and even embarrassed him in front of his friends and family multiple times. And how she did it? Hilarious.
I would love to meet Aisha one day. I bet her and I would get along!
As I kept on laughing, his eyes captured mine and I could clearly see the annoyed expression on his face... but it didn't reach his eyes. His eyes were staring intently at me, an emotion I couldn't comprehend buried deep inside his chocolate orbs.
But if I'm wrong... it looked like he was staring at me with... amusement? Admiration? I wasn't sure.
After a few more long moments of laughing, he grew quiet and I realised he stopped complaining. When I finally regained my composure, I found him still staring at me, but with a soft smile on his lips. I released a sigh and leaned my back into my chair.
"What?" I asked, my honey eyes looking up at him.
He looked... mesmerised as he stared at me.
I watched as his grin grew a little wider and his eyes squinted with amusement, "Nothing."
Narrowing my eyes, I licked my lips nervously, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious about what I looked like. He never took his eyes off of me... and it was starting to creep me out.
"Brandon?"
"Yeah?"
"You're creeping me out." I said, truthfully.
His eyes finally left mine as he let out a cheerful chuckle. I laughed along with him. And then his eyes were back on mine. We were silent once again.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" I questioned, looking down. I started to fiddle with my fingers; the thing I tended to do whenever I was nervous. It was just a habit.
"I-I'm not sure..." he trailed off, tucking his bottom lip in his mouth for a moment, "There was just something about when you.. laughed."
I then furrowed my eyebrows. "What?"
"Your laugh." He stated, eyeing me curiously.
I let out a huff in frustration, "Yes, I know I laugh like a retarded seal. It's not graceful like other girls... but you don't need to remind me for god's sake."
"What? No!" he quickly exclaimed, shaking his head, "That's not what I meant!"
"Then what, Brandon?" I sighed exasperatedly.
I watched as he took in a deep breath and ran his hand through his soft hair, "Your laugh is different than other girls..."
"Well, no, shit Sherlock." I grumbled.
"... in a good way." he continued, biting his pink lips, "You looked like you didn't care about what anyone thought of you as you laughed... so. . . carefree and ..beautiful... and I like that."
My eyes slowly widened in surprise, not expecting him to say that at all. As I opened my mouth to speak, I found myself not being to utter out a single word. I was breathless.
After a few minutes of trying, I was finally able to say something.
"T-t-thank you... I guess?" I stuttered, feeling my cheeks flush.
He let out a laugh, which I thought sounded musical to my ears; unlike mine which I thought sounded terrible... despite what Brandon just said now about how he thought my laugh was beautiful.
Yeah, right.
"You can take that as a compliment, you know." he smiled, staring at me again. "You look damn cute when you blush. Take that as a compliment too."
I looked down, trying to make my blonde hair cover my face. "I'm not blushing!"
"Deny all you want, sunshine. You know I can see you." he chuckled, causing me to look up at him again.
"I'd love to meet Aisha one day. I bet we'll get along so well!" I grinned.
Brandon groaned, "Oh god, no. NO. I don't want another annoying person to become like my cousin and tease me all the damn time!"
"Hey!" I exclaimed, laughing, "She sounds great!"
He let out a soft laugh, "Other than the times she's irritate me, yeah, she's great."
"Yeah." I agreed. Silence suddenly filled the air again.
"Aren't we supposed to be going home by now?" I said, glancing at the clock in realisation, "Sh*t! We were meant to leave detention an hour ago!"
Brandon shrugged dismissively, "I guess we got too distracted. I was meant to meet up and go somewhere with my bros half an hour ago."
I bit my lip as I clutched my phone in my hand, suddenly remembering that Sky told me to get a ride with Brandon.
"Looks like you're coming with me." Brandon said, and for the first time in that hour, I saw him finally check his phone, probably to read a text from my brother.
I hastily shook my head, and then stood up, "No, its okay. I'll catch a bus."
He instantly stood up after I said that, "Stella, I'm driving you. Your brother aka my best friend, said I have to."
"You need to meet up with your friends; I don't want to cause you any trouble just because my brother asked you to drive me." I sighed, grabbing my bag and quickly sprinting out the door.
As I finally reached the parking lot, I heard footsteps behind me.
"God, you're so stubborn." Brandon groaned from behind me.
I turned around and glared at him. "I didn't ask you to follow me."
He raised an eyebrow, looking quite amused by this, "Damn it, just let me drive you!"
"You're supposed to meet up with your-"
"Friends! Yes! But I'm driving you whether you like it or not." He smirked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
I sighed deeply, "I'm not a damsel in distress you know! I don't always need your help."
He chuckled, "Fair enough. But answer this- how does princess supposedly know how to get home when she doesn't even know which bus to take?"
I opened my mouth, ready to shout back a good comeback, but realised... I had none. None.
Sh*t.
The jerk had a point. I had no idea which bus to take... and I wasn't even sure if I had any money with me.
Why does this always happen with me?
I groaned aloud, realising that there was nothing I could do. "Do I even have a choice?"
He smirked, looking like he had just won a medal. "Nope."
"Do you even remember where my house is?" I asked, sighing exasperatedly.
I had been asking this question about, what, eight times?! And all Brandon answered was a quick 'yes' every single time. It had felt like forever just driving through this road. But as I stared out the window, all I could see ahead was an empty, unfamiliar road and just... trees. Trees everywhere.
"No."
My eyes grew wide at his answer. "WHAT?"
He groaned and ran a hand through his brown locks, "Look, I don't remember, okay? I don't even know where we are."
"WHAT?!" I yelled once again, feeling infuriated, "You idiot! I asked you this question for so many times, and now you finally admit that you have no idea where we're going or even are!"
I smacked his arm, but he didn't even flinch.
"I do remember your house... sort of. I think I took a wrong turn somewhere, god damn it!" he huffed, glancing at the rear-view mirror exhaustedly.
I scowled, "If you didn't remember where my house was, I could have used Google maps on my phone a long time ago!"
Then, it suddenly clicked.
Brandon and I faced each other, our eyes now wide as realisation crossed through our features.
I hurriedly dug through my purse, in search for my phone, and when I finally caught a glimpse of it, I fished it out and unlocked it.
Brandon kept driving but once in a while he kept glancing at me, wondering if I had searched Google maps already or not.
As I concentrated hardly on my phone screen, I clicked on the Google maps app and waited.
Waited...
And waited...
Realisation struck me.
By now, I was sure my eyes were so wide that it could pop out, literally.
"BRANDON!" I screeched abruptly, causing him to lose control of the wheel and suddenly get too close to the edge. He then got his control back and threw a glare at me.
"What?!" he huffed.
I gulped audibly, feeling my throat tighten, "There's no signal."
His chocolate eyes widen in disbelief, frustration and panic crossing over his handsome features.
"F*ck." He cursed, loudly.
We were lost.
A/N: So how's this chapter? I put in a few more Stella/Brandon moments in!
I'll try to update every 5 days... but I can't guarantee it. Please give me your reviews on this, it encourages me to write more and perhaps update earlier! :)
