Love The Way You Lie
Chapter 27 – Old Rivals And Their Left Overs.
The blonde turned her wardrobe upside down to search for an outfit that would catch her eye, she placed shirts and jeans together, and she even modelled in front of her bedroom mirror, exploring a variety of shoes and dresses.
"This is ridiculous!" Pearl scolded to herself. She threw a pair of heels across the room in frustration and then slumped onto her bed to sulk for a while. "I can't go to that party looking like a shit show. Urgh, it's so painful being an ex of Kai Hiwatari because people expect you to be immaculate."
During the unconscious rant, Pearl felt a vibration tingle within her back pocket, it was her phone. Naturally, she pulled it to her view and squinted at the screen to read the text, surprisingly, it was from someone that Pearl hadn't heard from in quite a while - Hilary.
'I heard that Tyson invited you to the party. Fancy going shopping?'
'What a lifesaver!' Pearl praised to herself. 'I can go and pick a brand new outfit instead!'
"Do you remember when we first met one another, Pearl?" Asked the brunette who was sat at the dressing table with her eyes glued at her reflection. She tied her hair up and then smiled at herself, "You didn't even know who I was. Yet here we are, getting ready for a party in your bedroom."
Although the thought was sweet, Pearl was more fixated on her appearance to make sure that it was elegant. She had curled her hair, caked her face in makeup and then spray tanned her pale skin to make it shine a healthier glow.
No longer did the Hiwatari's ex look weak. Pearl refused to let the aftermath drag her down, especially as the media were referring to her as a 'girl who no longer had any relevance to the Beyblade industry.' It hurtful and downgrading, but Pearl was a fighter and she was ready to brand her name in the sport, one way or another.
At this point, Hilary was adamant that Pearl was ignoring her. She swirled her petite figure around to the stool. "Are you even listening to me?" She asked sternly, admiring the effort that her ex-teammate had placed into herself.
Hilary observed silently: 'She's obviously insecure about something if she is willing to go through this much trouble of looking so faultless.'
"Yes. It is strange." Pearl crossed her arms and glared at the dress that was hung up on the wardrobe door before her. "Sorry, I am just in ten different places at once. But I am listening."
"I thought you were." Hilary squinted, "Why haven't you got your new dress on yet?"
"Oh, I am just wondering if I should go or not." Pearl hung her head down to the ground and pressed her lips into a firm line. "I feel like I don't deserve to be seen there because I am not good enough."
'And this is coming from a girl who can blade!? For crying out loud!' Hilary's eyes widened like a predator, she was so flustered by what she'd just heard.
"I'm just going to pretend that I didn't hear that." The Bladebreaker manager crossed her legs, "Pearl, the party starts at 7pm, come on, pull yourself together and stop fussing."
Just as Pearl opened her mouth to retaliate, something else caught her attention, it was the scent of a perfume in which she recognised – her CoCo Chanel. Pearl then mirrored Hilary's squint as they exchanged a gaze.
"Are you- Are you wearing my perfume?" She asked, "Because I didn't see you bring any."
A light blush filled Hilary's cheeks and she cracked a smile, "I have always wanted to see what the big deal was with Chanel, so I had to try it. And no, I am not sorry for asking beforehand, because I can imagine you saying no even if I did ask." Hilary let out a laugh and then placed her hands together in her lap. "To be honest, I wouldn't share it either."
Amazed at Hilary's honesty, Pearl shrugged and laughed too. "No, that's okay. You keep it if you want too. I prefer the cheaper brands." She winked and then stood up to pick up her dress – she was finally prepared to wear it.
'I mean, why can't she? Kai brought it for me, it will confuse the shit out of him when he smells that on Hilary.'
Pleased with the result of that conversation, Hilary stood up onto her feet and twirled in her knee-length yellow frock, which had a thick lace neck covered in small golden beads. On her feet were some black flat shoes.
"What do you think? Is it too bright?" She questioned, and tugged the matching yellow belt on her waist. Hilary adored the fact that her dress was sleeveless. "I chose yellow because it's a happy colour."
Pearl tilted her head aside as she slipped into her dress, "You look like a million bucks Hilary."
She was truly impressed with Hilary's innocent taste in clothing. But Pearl, on the other hand, she was black n white in her slim figured spaghetti dress. The upper half of her dress was black, yet the bottom was white with white laced flowers covering her skirt.
"So do you Pearl." Blinked Hilary with a smile stained on her glossed lips, "I can't wait for us both to just walk into that dojo now, we are going to make so many heads turn with our outfits."
"I wouldn't get too overconfident." Pearl chuckled, "I read in the news today that even Ming-Ming has been invited. So she will probably steal the show, and in a way, I'm glad."
"What!? I don't think so." Hilary gasped, "From what I have read, the media are focused on you."
"Please don't make me feel any more self-conscious than what I already am." Pearl scoffed and slipped on her black heels. "I don't like the spotlight, I just want to make a living at what I am good at."
"Everyone knows that you are good at blading." Hilary placed her hands onto her hips, "But you need to really prove yourself to the world before they recognise that. Hey! I have an idea, why don't you teach me how to blade and then I can show the world-"
"Hilary. As much as I love where this is going, I don't think it's going to work." Pearl interrupted with a sweat drop filling her forehead. "However! I will take your valuable advice. Thank you so much."
'I will give the world a show alright.'~
Even though everyone had blended in rather swiftly with their friendship groups, it was rather strange to witness the real relationships that had developed in the background of the tournament.
Hilary was talking to Mariah and the girls about their futures with Enrique blabbering away flirtatiously to them.
Max and Bryan were laughing away with Robert, Michael and Eddie.
Ray was reminiscing with Lee, Tala and Robert.
Gary, Garland, Ian and Crusher were picking away at the food table.
Kenny was dashing around after Ming-Ming's autograph whilst praising Emily's work.
And much more!
Yet the host, the man of the hour, Tyson Granger; he was lingering from every group to embrace everybody's company, he was picking away at the food table as he did so.
Like any girl would Pearl stuck to those who she was closest too, the Bladebreakers, mainly Hilary. But in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but acknowledge that a certain blader was eyeing her up like a starved reptile who had spotted his pray. She fidgeted uncomfortably and sipped her drink to soothe the nerves.
"What's up with you?" Whispered Hilary, a little annoyed about Pearl's elbow had twitched and spilt some of the drink that she was holding in her hand. "Can't you relax for five minutes? Kai is not here."
"That's a thought, since Kai isn't here, what was he like as a boyfriend?"
'And there it is!' Pearl bit the inside of her cheek to swallow her frustration. 'Why don't you just go and find out for yourself Ming-Ming?! He's currently single, remember!?'
"Oh, I bet he is such a big softie once you get past his grouchiness." Mariah laughed lightly, "Did you know that Ray can be such a grouch too? He once put Lee in his place because Lee had woken Ray up from his nap."
"That's actually pretty funny." Julia sniggered, "But you should be grateful that he's not grouchy all the time like Kai is."
"Pearl! Was he a good kisser?" Ming-Ming seemed quite excited about this topic, and this only freaked Pearl out even more. "Did he spoil you with all his money? Or was he a Scrooge?"
An unexpected figure then decided to jump in on the action – Bryan. "Did he fuck you good?" He wasn't afraid to ask the question which everybody had been dying to ask, especially as Bryan had no shame anyway. He was like an open book.
"SERIOUSLY!?" Pearl's cheeks flared up like a sunburn, she was extremely embarrassed "What the hell!?"
"GUYS!" Enrique was quick to change the subject because he wasn't the centre of attention in the girl's eyes, "How about we play some party games? I propose spin the bottle or 7 minutes in heaven!"
"You would!" Julia fired at him.
"Ask again when everyone is a little more drunk, Bryan." Max nudged Enrique and winked playfully. "Sober people are no fun."
"Max, I am Enrique, not Bryan."
Half the room was howling with laughter at this point.
"Someone has already had too much to drink." Rick mocked and snatched the beer from Max's hands. "I'm surprised your Mum isn't picking you up at 8-"
"Pft, shut up Rick." Max wagged his finger teasingly into Rick's chest and smiled sloppily. "I am a better blader than you."
"If your mum does appear outside at 8, I will kindly escort her home for you, Max." Bryan patted Max on the shoulder and then handed him his beer, "7 minutes in heaven it is then!"
"You do know that if you head into that closet with that scrawny blonde, you are signing a death certificate," Robert warned his teammate with a glass of moulded wine in his hand. "You are simply playing with a fire which will ultimately burn you."
"Oh come on Robert, I am not afraid of a bit of heat." Johnny stuck up his thumb to his captain and winked at Oliver. "Let's just see what Kai's leftovers can do then. In fact, I bet she's even more boring than you, old man."
Like always, Robert refused to waste any more of his precious wisdom on his naive teammate, so he just stuck up his nose and sipped his beverage like a baron.
Oliver turned his bored gaze elsewhere, meanwhile, Enrique just cheered him on. Max and Tyson, on the other hand, gaped at the result of the game – it was so devastating that Max had sobered up like a defensive brother.
The blond American male mouthed, 'this isn't a good idea,' and he nodded his head negatively. Tyson then looked around the room to make sure that Kai wasn't present yet, luckily, the coast was still clear. Ray was too busy chatting to Mariah, and Kenny was catering for Ming-Ming all night.
Pearl reminded herself out loud, "7 minutes, right."
"Unless you want 15-"
"No, I am happy with 7 thanks." Pearl snarled at Enrique, she picked up her glass of champagne and then paced into the closet. "I have a feeling that I might need this."
Johnny sniggered and then followed the Liberty wielder into the closet. Once the door had closed behind them, Pearl crouched down to sit herself down on top of all the shoes that were stacked up and Johnny had chosen to lean against the wall like a schoolboy stud.
Time was ticking away and the longer Johnny bottled up his courage, the faster he became flustered at the thought of being so cowardly. He cleared his throat to deliberately catch Pearl's attention, and he daringly spoke, "Does that champagne make you feel confident? Or, like me, does it make you alluring?"
"Well." She rolled her eyes and then drank the entire portion. "I wasn't expecting that from you. But you could say that it helps me to unwind."
"Unwind huh?" Repeated Johnny in a cheeky tone. He crouched down to become level with the sound of her voice, "If you need a hand to de-stress, then I personally can assist you with that."
"Is that so?" Cooed Pearl in a flattered tone; she suddenly admired his courage. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you share the same motive as what I do."
A jolt pulsed through Johnny's heart and he grunted with surprise. "Pardon me?"
"You want to annoy Kai, don't you? Oh, come, everyone in the industry knows that you guys both clash with one another."
After her comment had been registered, despite that he'd been called out, Johnny sat himself down onto the ground to get comfortable. He could sense her body heat and this was only beginning to make the atmosphere seem more intimate.
"Oh, I dunno, I'd say that you and Kai top list for creating drama within the industry. However, I also have heard that you are a worthy blader, so do hit me up sometime."
"Oh, my-" Pearl burst out laughing. "I will try and squeeze you into my 'dramatic' schedule. But anyway, are you just going to sit there and talk? We are running out of time."
'Well, I don't see her making the first move.' Johnny mentally concluded to himself, 'But I do wonder if Kai would bury me alive if I touched her.'
With the bubbly drug boosting her confidence, Pearl decided to take matters into her own hands. She leaned closer until her breath brushed over his moistened lips, "What's the matter? Phoenix got your tongue?" She whispered in a provoking manner.
"N- No."
"And you are supposed to be a European champion?" Pearl lightly blew some air on to his face to provoke a reaction out of him. "I find that hard to believe when you are acting like this, all frigid. I am referred to being 'Kai's ex-girlfriend' for a reason, I mean, I can be just as vile as he is, sometimes."
Before Johnny could open his mouth to retaliate, the door opened and Pearl pushed him out of the tight space. Awkwardly, the sudden intrusion of light blinded them both, so Johnny placed his hands behind him to soften the land on his arse.
"I am so glad that's over with." She happily chirped and gazed around the room to spot that Kenny was pouring Ming-Ming another glass of wine. "Oh! Top me up too!"
Max leaned towards Tyson to whisper in his ear, "Why does Johnny look livid?" He then sweatdropped awkwardly when his best friend then shrugged his shoulders in a clueless gesture.
"You are such a bitch!" The red-haired blader barked in temper as he stood up from the ground, "Let's go right here, and right now!"
The entire party then came to a standstill to witness the dramatic scene, everyone seemed wide-eyed, except for Ray, he was sniggering away silently in the corner of the room – secretly, he loved the drama on the odd occasion.
"I hope you are talking about a Beyblade match and not sex." Teased Pearl. "Oh, at least let me finish my glass of wine first Johnny."
"Stop toying with me and take my threat seriously."
"Guys! Really!?" Kenny huffed out loud, "This is supposed to be a party-"
"Go on Pearl! Kick his ass!" Cheered the host, Tyson. "Show him why the Bladebreakers recruited you."
"I hope you can perform under pressure, Johnny."
Just as everyone in the crowd burst into a fit of laughter, Pearl clinked her glass with Ming-Ming and then finished her drink. Afterwards, she prepared her launcher to point it back to her new humiliated opponent.
"I guess the journalists are right about you. You are cheap and that's probably why Kai liked you. I mean, after all, he's well known for jumping through a few loopholes in his tax."
"Pft, I bet you wouldn't be saying that if he was here." Pearl's tone seemed less sharp than the previous attempts and naturally, Johnny had noticed this – this must mean that he has struck a weak spot, excellent~
A/N: I know that I often express my views on fanfiction authors relying too much on feedback to 'enjoy' writing, but you guys lately have blown me away with your comments, I mean, it's not everyday where you see people from all corners of the fandom approach a fic to say: 'I read this years ago! I'm so glad that you are continuing it." Even people who are better than me have approached me, and I am just gaped by the support, so really, thank you so much. In all honesty, I have come back to this fanfic because I wanted to find out who I really was before I got so lost in this Little A Granger persona; it's helped a little I suppose because I have started to make more of an effort with myself again, I am curling my hair, I am wearing my make-up again and I am exercising to get back into shape :D. To some people, Fanfiction may just be words or a story, but to me, I have put my heart and soul into everything that I have worked on, so it's nice to revisit my old self on the odd occasion. Anyhow! Enough of my ranting, thank you for your time and take it easy guys - Granger~