Chapter 29...
SUSPICIOUS MINDS
"I'm in the mood for nachos," Kelly mused, placing down Kofi's Xbox controller and clutching her stomach dramatically as Kofi entered the room with a bag of Doritos he'd found in the kitchen cupboards.
"Am I a mind reader or what?" He grinned, tossing her the bag and watching as she tore it open and began munching. After spending so much time with Alicia, who ate nothing but what Maryse told her to, seeing a chick with an appetite was a refreshing change.
"Technically, these are just Doritos and not nachos." Kelly corrected. "Add some cheese and dip and we'd have nachos."
"Alright, you want some silver cutlery to go with that?" He joked, once again comforted by Kelly's friendship. The pair were close once again, and had returned to their usual evening routine of rushing through homework before moving onto gaming and snacks at each other's houses.
Before Kelly could come up with a smart response, the bedroom door opened without a knock, and Eve came inside, obviously in the process of getting ready for a night out. Her make-up wasn't finished, her hair was still in a towel and her body was covered up by a bathrobe. "Kelly," Eve looked at her blonde friend. "I'm in need of some fashion advice."
"...and that's my cue to go to the store and pick up some essentials." Kofi grabbed his wallet off his desk. "Anything you want me to get, Kells?"
"Nacho-making equipment!"
"If you're going to 7Eleven, you can get my staff card out of my wallet, and you'll get a discount! My wallet's on the kitchen counter!" Eve called to Kofi, before dragging Kelly down the short stretch of corridor to Eve's room, where the usually spotless haven was a seat of clothing; dresses and skirts scattered over surfaces and shoes on the floor, as Eve's iPod was currently blasting out 'California Girls' by Katy Perry.
"Oh my God, it's like a bomb was set off on Rodeo!" Kelly smirked, picking up random items. "What's the occasion?"
"Jack and I are double-dating." Stressed, Eve took the towel off her head, releasing her wet locks and running her fingers through the damp waves. "With Ted and Layla."
"That should be fun." Eve hadn't told anyone about her discomfort at Ted and Layla's relationship, not even her confidante Kelly. "I mean, you and Ted are so close, it'll probably be more like a group outing, right?"
"Yeah," Eve muttered, now wanting to move off the subject. "So I wanted some fashion advice. I'm thinking it's between two dresses; the blue halter neck and the white mini dress with a black lace panel."
Kelly stepped back to take a good look as Eve held both options against herself. "Well, you wear blue quite a lot, but that's fine because it suits you really well. But I really like the white dress."
"So you're thinking the white?"
"Definitely." Kelly replied, beginning to tidy up as Eve removed her bathrobe and slipped on the white dress. "With the black wedges?"
"Aren't the wedges too clumpy for such a feminine dress?" Eve queried, beginning to put on her make-up. "Wouldn't a pair of slinkier heels be better?"
"Good thinking. So are you gonna just let your hair dry naturally into waves, or are you gonna straighten it?" Both girls knew the fashion talk was fun, but when all was said and done, they'd have to leave Eve's room and return to boys that had no idea of their real feelings.
"We never hang out anymore." Maryse sipped through the straw which sat in her margarita until the glass was empty. Leaning back against the headboard of Brie's bed, she looked around at her friends; Alicia, Rosa, Brie and Nikki. Yeah, best friends were hard to come by, but she liked to think these girls had her back. "It's great just...having everyone around."
"Umm, Eve isn't here," Brie pointed out, coming into the room whilst Nikki followed with a plate of organic veggies and dip.
Of course, what the twins really wanted to serve was something with high sugar and/or fat content, but with Maryse and her calorie counting obsession in the room, that wasn't going to happen.
"Right," Maryse rolled her eyes, frustrated at the mention of the brunette's name. Secretly, the French-Canadian had been ecstatic that Eve was unable to attend the sleepover at the Bella twins' house, but she wasn't going to admit that to the other girls, who seemed happy enough.
"So, we're only a couple of weeks away from homecoming," Rosa announced, placing down her drink on one of the bedside tables. "Obviously, Zacky and I will be going together, but what about the rest of you?" She turned her attention to the nearest Bella twin. "Brie?"
"Well, actually, Montel and I have been flirting for a while," A blush settled on her cheeks. "I'm hoping he'll pull through and ask me. I mean, he's cute, right?"
"Totally," Maryse confirmed. "And he's on the team, which is a plus. Nikki?"
"Well, the other night Dolph and I were texting-"
"Sexting," Brie grinned.
"No, just texting." Nikki stuck her tongue out at her sister. "Anyway, we have fun together, and we're both single, so...who knows?"
Having a date for school social events was a very important thing, something Maryse learnt after her unsuccessful jaunt at the Halloween dance, but even more important was having the right date. After all, it was easy enough for girls like them to get dates, but it was a case of finding the guys that were worth holding out for. Guys like Montel and Dolph were fine choices; they were on the basketball team, both popular and reasonably good looking; the twins had bagged a couple of reliable boys.
"What about you, Maryse?" Nikki dared to ask. The usually bragging blonde hadn't brought up her love-life in months; she'd become a closed book when it came to dating.
"Oh, no real plans just yet." Maryse said breezily. Since Jack, her love life had been a bit of a shambles; there was the short-lived tryst with Jared the college guy, but besides him, she'd got involved in a string of meaningless hook-ups at parties.
"Well, I'm sure someone will come along soon enough," Rosa could sense her best friend's discomfort, so she decided to shift the conversation. Looking over at Alicia, who's eyes and fingers had been glued to her sidekick, Rosa asked, "Who're you texting?"
"Kofi," Alicia put her phone in her pocket, before huffing, "He's with Kelly."
"Carlyle?" Nikki folded her legs, getting comfortable at the prospect of gossip. "They're friends?"
"And next door neighbours. They hang out all the time," Alicia tried to brush it off, but it bothered her more than it should have. "He stood up for her when the other guys were being dicks to her, and they're pretty close."
"Doesn't that bother you?" Rosa queried.
"Of course it does, but Kofi tells me they're just friends, and I'm gonna believe him." Alicia didn't want to nag at him; she didn't want to be the bad guy in their relationship, and badgering him wouldn't help the situation. "He's my boyfriend, and if he says nothing's going on, it's my job to believe him."
"But what if he's not being honest with you?" Nikki asked.
"Surely if he were going to cheat on Alicia, he wouldn't tell her he was with the girl he was going to cheat with." Brie tried to reason, as she smiled over at her friend. "I don't think you have anything to worry about, Leesh."
"Thanks, Brie." Alicia smiled back, squeezing the twin's hand.
"Right, who wants more margaritas?" Brie asked, getting up from her bed and holding up the empty jug.
"Me!" All the girls chorused.
"I'll go make some more."
"I'll help out," Alicia exited the room after Brie, desperate to escape the conversation.
As soon as Alicia and Brie left the bedroom and the sound of their footsteps on the stairs was audible, Nikki and Rosa turned to face Maryse. "Does she have anything to worry about?" Rosa asked.
"Of course. Kelly Carlyle is full of bad intentions. She'd steal the clothes off a blind man's back," Maryse said snippily, despite the fact this was not the case. "Ever since she left the squad, she's been bitter and stealing Kofi from Alicia would be the perfect way to spite us, and boost her ego."
"So what're you gonna do about it?"
"I dunno," The blonde shrugged, "But when I think of something, I'll get back to you."
Looking down at the Rolex on his wrist, Jack sighed. "Looks like they're late." He signalled for the waitress to bring him another Coke, before he began tapping his fingers against the white tablecloth.
"I'm sorry to drag you into this; you shouldn't have to hang out with Ted and Layla." Eve gave her boyfriend an apologetic smile. "To be honest, I don't really know why I accepted."
"This was Ted's idea?"
"Cody's, actually."
Now Jack was confused.
"It's a long story, but regardless, I couldn't say no." Eve began nervously playing with one of her rings. "I'm sure they'll be here soon."
"Isn't that Ted?" Jack pointed over to the doorway where Ted was entering, looking smart in a black shirt and trousers. "Where's his date?"
Jack's question was answered by what seemed like the longest five seconds in time; everything went in slow motion as shortly behind Ted came Layla, looking absolutely stunning, wearing exactly the same dress as Eve. Both girls were wearing the white dress with the black lace panel.
"Well, obviously that's why Maryse advised I didn't buy off the rack," Eve muttered.
"No way," Jack attempted to hide his smirk. He had to admit, it was a little funny. "I'm guessing you guys didn't plan to do that."
As Ted got closer to the table, he noticed too. "Well, you two are...At least you have something in common." He managed to say.
"Nice dress," Eve decided to be polite. "I'm Eve, and this is my boyfriend Jack," The two females exchanged polite handshakes, "It's nice to meet you Layla."
"Can we get something to eat? I'm starving." Jack sat back down, as everyone took their seats at the table. They ordered drinks and began the awkward conversation, unaware that everyone at the table held a grudge against someone else.
Ted and Jack hated each other. They were both in love with Eve, and had some awareness of the others feelings. When it came to love, no-one wanted competition, and that was what the other provided. Jack saw Ted as an outside; he wasn't in the main clique, and he didn't conform to what the other students did, despite the fact he was the prototype for what the popular guy could've been; good-looking, athletic, smart. Ted saw Jack as selfish and arrogant, and someone that couldn't provide Eve with what she deserved. Could Ted be a better boyfriend to Eve than Jack was? He was sure of it, and in some ways, both boys knew that.
Eve and Layla hated each other. Layla's reasoning was simple; Eve showed up in the same dress as her, but for Eve, it was much deeper. When Ted got together with Layla, it brought out feelings in Eve she didn't know she had for Ted. She was jealous, and she shouldn't have been, because she had a great boyfriend. Before, Ted was Ted, one of her best friends, but when he became off-limits, she wanted him to be more than that. Eve hated Layla for coming into the picture and making Eve see what was there all along.
"So, Layla," Eve began, looking at the female across the table from her. "Ted tells me you're a cheerleader."
"That's right," The British girl said, suspiciously.
"I'm a cheerleader too." She responded, cheerily. "Do you guys cheerlead for the boys' Catholic school?"
"Yeah,"
This girl wasn't exactly being friendly, Eve thought to herself. "Our basketball team's playing against your boys team in San Diego this weekend in the finals," Jack cut in. "Are you coming down with the cheerleaders?"
"Yes, I am." Layla replied, finally breaking her icy composure. "We're pretty excited about it, actually, because it's the first time we-" She stopped talking, as the sound of her cell phone ringing in her pocket cut her off. "Excuse me, I can't ignore this" Getting to her feet, Layla made her way towards the bathroom to take her call.
"She's pretty," Eve said to Ted after a short silence.
"I'm sorry about her, she's been acting really weird all day." Ted apologized, looking over at the door of the women's bathroom where she was inside. "I dunno what's wrong with her; she was being all...quiet before we left."
"Maybe it's her time of the month," Jack added unhelpfully. "You know, throwing a bitch fit because of it."
Ted didn't quite know how to respond to that. "Yeah," He smirked. "Maybe."
Before they could contemplate Layla's odd behaviour anymore, the girl herself returned from the bathroom, a guilty look on her face. "I'm really sorry guys, but I've gotta go. My sister's come down with food poisoning, and my mom's working so I can't help out." She picked her bag up off the floor. "Seriously, I'm really sorry-"
"Hey, it's fine, don't worry about it," Eve bowed her head as Ted kissed her on the cheek. "I'll walk you out."
"Well, that was really weird," Jack commented as Ted and Layla left the restaurant together. "She left pretty quickly."
"She's hiding something from us," Eve observed, "And I want to know what it is."
Layla's acting odd... you'll find out why in the next chapter!
Plus, the next chapter's in San Diego, so expect cheerleader/basketballer drama :)
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