Stella's P.O.V.
Why did I even come to school today? I basically had all free periods and it's not like class attendance mattered all that much since finals were over..
I didn't get a wink of sleep last night, and I'm way too tired to be here. Why didn't I get any sleep, you ask? Well, Tristan called me last night, and then before I knew it last night turned into this morning and I realised I'd spent the entirety of the night talking to him. It's not like I stayed up for him on purpose, it just.. happened?
But anyway, I've only got one more period to get through, I'll be fine.
"It's gonna be awesome! Stel, are you listening?"
I hummed, lifting my head from the table to face Bloom and Musa, who were talking across the desks in front of me.
"She's obviously daydreaming about her boyfriend" Musa sang.
"Am not! And he's not my boyfriend!" I defended.
"Oh? Then why are you all tired, what were you doing last night?" Bloom asked.
"We all know what.. or rather, who she was doing last night.. up top, girl" Musa said, raising her hand in a fist bump motion.
"Ew, no I was certainly not doing that. But we did talk all night" I smiled.
"Everything is going good between you guys, huh?" Bloom asked.
Truthfully, yeah. In terms of us, it was going smoothly. It had been over a week since Tristan and Brandon's whole 'truce' ordeal, and surprisingly they had been getting on quite well too.
Okay, that's a lie, they've only crossed paths once since then and barely spoke but Brandon didn't scowl for a change so that's good.
"Snap out of your sex dreams, Solaria. We have a lot to do today!" Musa interjected, and rather loudly too, making half the back row, which included Riven and Liam, eye me in suspicion.
"That's news to me, what are we doing?" I asked.
"Bloom's end of year pool party.." she reminded.
"Right" I nodded. "So what's on the agenda today?"
"Well, since my parents are out of town for an early holiday this weekend I figured we have it then.. meaning tomorrow. So we have a lot of shopping to do" Bloom said.
"Sky said he'd get supplies for the barbecue, and Musa and I are on decorating duty. Who's doing food?" Bloom asked.
"Me please! I'm the best when it comes to catering for parties" I said.
"You gotta take Liam and Brandon with you, though" Musa said.
"Why?" I asked.
"You can't possibly carry everything by yourself Stel" Bloom said.
"Hey! Mustard!" Musa called, making the guys join our conversation.
"Would it kill you to refer to me by my real name for a chance? You're really doing a number on my street cred" Liam complained.
"And that sentence just killed any 'street cred' you had left. Go grocery shopping with Brandon and Stella tonight, and make sure she doesn't just pick up a dozen pizzas, we need a variety" she clarified.
"It was one time, and they didn't have anything else, it had to be pizza!" I defended.
"If that's what you wanna believe. Now, that leaves one more thing.." she started.
"Booze!" Riven said, with a grin that basically spelled out trouble. "Don't worry, I got it covered, ladies"
"You sure?" Musa asked.
"Trust me, I have contacts" he assured.
"Make sure none of those contacts are the cops. You don't wanna end the night in handcuffs again, buddy" I laughed.
"How many people are coming to this thing anyway?" Liam asked.
"Just us. The last thing I need is every drunk hooligan in Gardenia wrecking my house and getting us busted for underage drinking and partying" Bloom said. "So the seven of us, plus Sierra of course. Oh, you should invite Tristan!"
"Really? Is that a good idea?" I asked. "Brandon and him don't exactly have the friendliest history"
"I'm sure it'll be fine, Stel. Plus, tell him to bring that girl he's talking to.. Alison, right?" Bloom asked.
Alison... that just might work. He'll be too distracted to be loosing his cool at Tristan all night.
"Leave it to me, she'll be there" I said.
He's gonna be thrilled, I'm practically doing the work for him, right?
"Wait what?! Stella, please tell me you didn't already invite her!"
I'll be honest, not quite the reaction I was expecting...
"Relax, it's done" I said, unlocking a shopping cart from outside and pushing it in. Liam was currently helping Sky get supplies but promised to meet us at the grocery store soon.
"Besides, ungrateful much? You should be thanking me, I'm the one who convinced her to come. Not that it took much, just the notion that she'd see you half naked at some point and she was all in" I snorted incredulously, rolling my eyes at how easily I got her to agree.
"Why could you possibly be mad this time?" I asked, turning into the candy aisle before coming to an abrupt stop.
"Maybe because I haven't spoken to the girl in weeks?" he said, gripping the edge of the cart as he appeared on the other side of it, preventing me from moving it.
"What? I thought you liked her?" I questioned.
"She's alright, I guess. But she hasn't called me since that date Liam set up, so I figured she wasn't into me anymore" he shrugged.
"You absolute idiot" I scolded, throwing a bag of marshmallows at his face. "Do you really know nothing about girls?!"
"Ow!" he groaned, rubbing his face. "Apparently I only know about hot-tempered, psychotic, maniac girls who beat me with bags of concentrated sugar!"
"She wants you to make the first move, she's playing hard to get" I explained. "She's so shamelessly into you it's kinda concerning, and frankly quite baffling to me.. but anyway, she's waiting on you to call her! You're lucky I invited her, I single handedly saved any hopes of you getting with her"
"I don't need you to interfere, I can handle myself" he said, grabbing some snacks off the shelf and dropping them into the cart.
"Doesn't look like it. If it weren't for me you'd be going solo" I reminded.
"I assume you're bringing your little boyfriend" he said.
"Stop calling him that already!" I groaned, reaching for some tortilla chips.
"What.. little? Compared to me he is, if you know what I mean." he winked suggestively. "Unless you can vouch otherwise-"
"This'll hurt a lot worse than marshmallows" I threatened, holding up a can of dip. "You're gross, you know that?"
"Hey, don't blame me when he underperforms in bed" he muttered under his breath. I gasped at his bluntness before lightly ramming the cart forward, right into his abdomen.
"Looks like he won't be the only one underperforming" I teased, turning into another aisle as he trailed along, clutching his jeans as if I had shot him.
"Thanks a lot, Sunshine" he winced in pain. "You may have permanently impaired my ability to procreate"
Unable to contain my amusement at the situation, a giggle escaped my throat.
"Are you laughing?!" he accused, making me hastily shake my head in denial. "If I wasn't experiencing extreme pain right now, I'd come over there and shove you into the candy display"
"Oh I'd love to see you try" I laughed.
"Could you guys seriously look anymore like a married couple?"
I turned around, only to see Liam standing behind us with his hands full of various condiments, which he then dumped into the cart. His comment made Brandon and I glance each other awkwardly, before we continued walking.
"Does Bloom have a ketchup shortage or something?" I asked, going through everything he had put in.
"It's a barbecue, condiments are essential!" he said.
"Is this fancy chipotle sauce absolutely necessary? Because it's like ten dollars" Brandon stated, picking up a bottle. "The only difference between this and the cheaper version is the packaging"
"Relax, I'll pay for it. It's worth every cent, I swear.. " Liam said, snatching it back from him and throwing it in the cart. "I don't expect your amateur taste buds to understand anyway"
"But they taste exactly the same!" Brandon argued.
"Just let him get whatever he wants, there's no way you can win with him about food" I said. "Now, for the essentials.."
"The frozen pizzas!" I sang, skipping towards them as I heard annoyed groans behind me. "Guys, come on. I won't go overboard this time, I promise"
Well, that depends how you define overboard...
It was the next day, and I was standing outside Brandon's bedroom door, impatiently waiting to go.
"Brandon! I'm sure Ali won't care what type of cologne you wear, just as long as you're there" I yelled, trying to figure out why he was taking so long.
Deciding to give up on knocking, I twisted the knob and marched in, only to see him still in bed.
Great, it's almost time to go and you're telling me he's been sleeping the entire time I've been here?
"Unbelievable" I sighed to myself. "Wake up!"
"Brandon, wake up!" I urged, shaking his shoulders as he started to stir awake.
"It's too early, mamá" he mumbled, trying to pull the covers over his face.
"No it's me, Stella! The one who's gonna kick your ass if you don't get out of bed!" I warned.
"I don't remember you staying the night" he muttered, his eyes squinting as he adjusted to the light.
"I didn't, you overslept! What time do you think it is?" I asked.
"Like.. 8 o'clock?" he said, sitting up.
"Try 2 p.m. Go have a shower and get dressed, we have to go!" I ordered.
"This thing starts at like 4, we have plenty of time" he said, collapsing back into bed.
"No, I need to get there early to help out, and Bloom said to bring you to help Sky set up the barbecue." I explained. "You said you'd give me a ride, remember?"
"I told you all this yesterday" I reminded. He looked confused, as if he had no recollection of it. "Whatever, just try and be quick, I'll be waiting downstairs"
After about twenty minutes, he joined me downstairs and we left.
"Sorry we're late!" I said as Bloom opened the door. "Brandon here overslept, and-"
"It's totally fine, you guys are early actually" she reassured, letting us in.
"Early?" Brandon repeated, glaring at me. "You're telling me that Stella practically dragged me out of bed rushed me for nothing?"
"Doesn't hurt to be safe" I shrugged, as I searched through Bloom's living room.
"What are you looking for?" Bloom asked. I opened my mouth to answer but suddenly as loud squeal escaped, making them both jump.
"There she is, my wittle baby!" I gushed, pushing past them as I saw Bloom's cat Meredith stroll in. Taking the adorable creature into my arms, I tried to contain my excitement and not explode into uncontrollable shrieks again.
"Your favourite auntie Stella missed you, oh yes she did! Maybe she could adopt you for a little while again?" I pouted, stroking the little feline as I looked at Bloom.
"Come on, auntie Stella, I need your help blowing up the pool floats" Bloom laughed.
"Goodbye mi amor, try not to get any cuter while I'm gone!" I grinned, letting her down.
"You too, Sky is miserably failing with the grill outside" she said to Brandon, as we both followed her into the garden.
"Wow, it looks great already, you guys outdid yourselves!" I said, looking around at were pretty lanterns and lights hanging.
"It'll look amazing at night" she said. "And when Musa gets here soon, it'll be even better. I put her in charge of the music, obviously"
Bloom continued to tell me about Musa's plans to - and I quote - 'tear this place up', which sounded thrilling, but at the same time I really hoped she had nothing too wild planned. Usually when she parties, the whole neighbourhood knows it. After a while we had finished inflating a bunch of pool floats, and the boys had finally made sense of how to work the grill.
"The real party has arrived!" announced Riven, as he walked through the patio doors with a beer keg, and a ginormous cooler filled with drinks. And trailing behind him, Liam with an additional bucket in his arms, full of even more drinks.
"That.. is a lot of alcohol. Like a lot..." Bloom said, her voice ringing with concern since she was probably the most responsible one.
"Were you planning on getting the entire state of California drunk?" I joked.
"Now that is what I'm talking about" Brandon said, fist bumping him.
"Guys.. a little help here? This is really heavy!" Liam complained, struggling to hold the bucket.
"Just put it down there, next to the chairs" Bloom instructed. "Now, are there anymore surprises I should be aware of?"
"I found the artillery"
If that's who I think it is, we're all screwed...
"Better beg for mercy, bitches!" Musa exclaimed, a giant water gun in her hands as a devious smirk tugged at her lips.
And before we knew it, she was spraying everyone, chasing us around the garden and not giving in. Luckily, I didn't get too wet because she was aiming for Riven and Bloom since they were screaming the most. But as soon as she saw I was using Liam as a human shield (which, no, he did not agree to), she decided to shift her attention to me.
"Don't think I forgot about you two!" she said, pointing the gun at us.
"Take him, not me!" I pleaded, pushing him forward.
"No! Take Stel, she deserves it!" Liam said, doing the same to me.
"Huh, so much for loyalty" I said, desperately trying to cover my face. But to my luck, her water gun had run out of ammo.
"Damn it. I'll get you next time" she said, tossing it at a nearby table.
"I'm completely soaked" Bloom sulked, grabbing a towel as she tried to dry off her hair.
"Guys, this is a pool party. We're supposed to get soaked, that's like the whole point?" Musa said.
"Yeah but not this early!" she said. "Did you at least bring what you were supposed to?"
"Yup, it's all here. I got these insane speakers, you'll be able to hear the music in all the way in Switzerland!" she said, as she started to plug in some cords.
"Lets hope not, Bloom's already worried enough with the entire bar Riven brought along" I chuckled.
After everything was set up, the party finally got started. Soon enough, Sierra, Alison and Tristan arrived - which everyone was a little weird about at the start. Probably because Brandon didn't even come within a foot of him, but at least that meant I could talk to Tristan without him butting in every two seconds.
Which I was doing peacefully up till now. We were just catching up, beside the pool, and from the corner of my eye I could see Brandon heading towards us.
I guess it had to happen eventually...
Pretending not to see him, I turned my gaze to Tristan and continued listening to whatever he was talking about. To be honest, I didn't really have any idea what he was going on about and I was just nodding along, because I couldn't focus worrying about whatever the hell Brandon was up to.
"You know, you guys should be careful.." he said, making his presence known.
"Why's that?" Tristan asked.
"The edge of the pool can be real slippery" he said, and not wasting a single second, he pushed his arm forth right into Tristan's chest, knocking him straight into the pool.
"Brandon!" I gasped, my jaw swinging open as I tried to register what just happened. "I can't believe you just-"
"What? Tell me that wasn't funny" he chuckled.
Oh, I bet he won't see this coming...
"Well, I hope you find this even funnier" I smiled, catching him off guard as I shoved him in too. But before he even made it to the water, he grabbed my arms, making me go down with him.
And now all three of us were drenched, gasping for air as our heads rose above the water. For some reason, Tristan was just laughing, probably at my failed attempt to push Brandon in.
"You good?" Tristan asked, as I caught my breath.
"I think there's water in my brain, thanks a lot jerk!" I coughed, looking to Brandon who was peeling off his shirt. I turned back to face Tristan because the last thing he needs is me looking at him to feed his insufferable ego.
God, he just couldn't wait to show off, could he? The second he gets a drop of water on his body, he wants to-
"Heads up, Sunshine!"
My thoughts were interrupted, quite literally, by the impact of his sopping wet shirt on my face.
Yes, he threw his shirt at my face, like I was a freaking laundry basket! He's acting like a freaking 4 year old, what the hell is wrong with him?!
"That's for pushing me in" he said nonchalantly, as I tossed the shirt aside and regained my balance.
"Oh yeah? Well this is for dragging me in with you!" I replied, splashing his face.
"You're gonna regret that..." he warned, a devilish smile tugging at his lips as he splashed me back.
"That all you got, Shields?" I dared, sweeping my hand in the cool water with even more force in his direction.
"I'm only warming up" he whispered, the proximity between us minimising as he advanced closer. Backing up had proven useless since the depth reached my shoulders, and I couldn't exactly run underwater.
So I just remained where I was.. I mean, what is he gonna do, drown me?
"I hope you can hold your breath, Sunshine" he smirked.
Shit, I need to stop speaking these things into existence!
I felt his fingertips brush my down my sides, gripping my waist.
"Don't you dare-"
The abrupt shock of bitter chlorine entering my mouth halted my words, dissolving them into nothing as he suddenly plunged the both of us underwater. I opened my eyes, seeing how close we really were and, for just a second, forgot why I was even mad.
Oh right, he's currently trying to drown me!
Glancing down to his arms which were hovering around my middle, I realised he wasn't even weighing me down.. so I could just swim back up. But for some reason I didn't - so maybe, just maybe.. I was enjoying this?
I felt the sensation of bubbles being blown towards my face, and my eyes met with his, all my thoughts vanishing as soon as I saw that adorable expression plastered on his face.
The way his lips pursed back into a dimpled smile, and the way his eyes glinted from the sunlight that illuminated through the water's surface, and how his hair was floating upwards in the most ridiculous way. How is it even possible for someone to look this good underwater?
God, is there a way to shut my brain up? Because there's no way I can seriously be thinking about him like this.. it's just weird, right?
One minute he's being unbearably annoying and the next he's being all.. cute. For some reason I just can't stay mad at him like I used to, even when he's being an idiot.
Despite the bizarre nature of my current thoughts, my mind somehow felt at ease.. like it was just the two of us and nothing else disturbing the peace. I'd be lying if I said this was a new sensation, though. Sometimes I feel like that when I'm around him - like I don't have to hide, but that's probably because we've both been so vulnerable around each other already. Thinking back, it's literally the foundation of our friendship, the only reason we truly stopped fighting. We were so much more similar than either of us had initially anticipated, and that changed the course of our relationship.
I feel this.. closeness to him, that I don't really feel with anyone else. I've told him things that I've never said to anyone else, or even out loud maybe, but he just made it so easy in those moments, he was so open and I felt like I could trust him. It's weird, thinking about how much things have changed since I first moved here. I have my mom, and Liam and my friends of course, but.. I also have Brandon. I don't think I've appreciated that enough, having someone like him. I'm not as close to him as I am with my other friends which is probably why it's easier for us to have this unspoken transparency with our feelings.
It's just different with him. It's easier to breathe, knowing we have this mutual understanding of each other's experiences, and that I have someone to talk to about everything. And it makes me feel kinda honoured that he entrusted me with his deepest, darkest secrets.
But my temporary feelings of serenity and stillness became nothing more that.. a fleeting moment, as I felt a pair of arms draw me back above the surface, and right back into reality. And just like that, all those thoughts and feelings went back to being buried.
Brandon's P.O.V.
"Don't you dare-"
Without wasting another moment and risking her disappearing, I gripped her waist, tugging her down into the water with me.
Her nose scrunched up at the sudden impact, knitting her brows as she frowned in annoyance. Immaturely, I decided to blow bubbles at her face, which quickly replaced her expression with an amused one, her lips curving into a grin.
God, she has such a pretty smile. You can't look at that smile and not instantly feel at ease, like all your worries suddenly just fade into thin air.
Her eyes travelled along my arm, until they finally met with mine. She looked lost in thought, blinking slowly - almost mesmerisingly, as if she was deeply focused.
I wonder what she's thinking about.. I'm so curious as to what's beneath those amber eyes, under that vibrant smile. What's really going on in her mind all the time.
Considering the fact that I know the most personal details about her, it should be a given that I'd have some idea. Yet, I still have this unwavering feeling to learn more, to really know the Stella behind the safe front she puts up. For months now, I haven't been able to silence the thoughts I've had about her. But over the last couple weeks and especially after that day in the garage, it's been impossible to suppress this ceaseless urge to get closer to her.
The most frustrating part is, I have no clue why. It's not like I'm dependant on her, we go days without talking and we're not the best of friends or anything, but I still feel her presence all the time. Like she's right there, in my head. I guess that's what I get for opening up to her, right?
Maybe this feeling will subside sooner or later, but just for now I was caving in, admiring her in this moment. She looked angelic, in intense concentration whilst her hair drifted aimlessly around her.
Before I got the chance to comprehend what was going on, she was gone. Lifting myself up back up above the water, I saw Tristan with his arms around her.
Of course he had to come in and ruin everything. For a good 3 seconds I forgot he existed, and boy, was it a good 3 seconds.
"That's enough loverboy, she's all mine now" he chuckled, making her laugh.
Yeah, in your dreams maybe.
Honestly, what does she even see in him? I know I was friends with him once, but he's a total airhead.
"Thanks to the both of you, my perfectly good outfit is ruined" Stella huffed, looking down.
"Personally, I think it's a good look" Tristan commented.
Can he get anymore gross? If I was her I would've punched him by now.. he better watch his mouth.
"You guys should go in and change" Musa said, standing at the edge of the pool with a towel.
After we all climbed out and dried off, Stella and Tristan went inside to change while I stayed, since I was already wearing trunks. Frankly, I wasn't comfortable with her changing in any vicinity to him, but she can handle herself, so I should probably stop worrying every time they're left alone.
But then again, when she looks like...
That.
I was instantly snapped out of my thoughts when I glanced up and saw her step out... god damn, she is gorgeous. I mean, I'm not blind - I can admit she's attractive but I've never seen her so... exposed, in broad daylight. Not on purpose, at least. A couple awkward run ins and accidental glimpses but I never really intended to look at her the way I was right now.
I'm a total hypocrite, cursing at Tristan when I'm doing the same thing.. I tried so hard to retract my eyes but it was impossible
The orange bathing suit she was wearing wasn't too revealing or anything, but it was a bathing suit after all. My gaze travelled down her body, taking in her petite frame. How her shoulders peeked through her damp hair, and the way her waist curved in. My eyes stopped as they scanned over that little pink scar above her hip, and I recalled the night of Liam's party, when she told me how she got it.
She was so shaken after that nightmare, but my dumb comment about scars being hot made her laugh. I couldn't help but smile at the memory.. when I told her she could tell me anything I meant it, but I wasn't prepared for what she told me. I wish I'd made it clearer back then that I was here for her, and checked up on her after that.
I guess I was staring longer than I thought, because my trance came to an abrupt end when I felt a sharp poke on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Liam shaking his head in disapproval.
"Stop gawking at my best friend, perv" he said.
"I'm not- I wasn't gawking" I denied, grabbing a beer bottle from the cooler below me.
"Uh, yeah you were" he argued, sitting next to me. "You're acting like you've never seen a girl before. I know it's been a long time man, but seriously? Can you take your horny, ravenous gaze elsewhere? Like, I don't know, perhaps Alison, the girl you're here with.."
Shit, I totally forgot she was here.
"Speaking of Alison, here she comes. I'll leave you two alone" he said, getting up and grabbing a drink.
"Have fun.. but not too much" he warned, giving me an 'I'm watching you' look, before leaving.
He was right, technically Alison was here for me - which was Stella's doing in the first place. She'd kill me if I took it for granted, especially after the way she claims to have 'saved' any chance I had left with her. So I probably owe it to both of them to try, right?
Stella's P.O.V.
As the evening went on, everyone was dispersed around Bloom's garden doing various things. Musa, Riven, and Liam were playing against Bloom and Tristan in some game in the pool, I think it was dodgeball. The others were either talking or drinking, or both. And I was managing at the grill with Sky.
Why was I on cooking duty? Well, it's been my lifelong dream to fulfil my fantasy of being a legendary fry-cook like Spongebob, flipping burgers as one does. Plus, if you're the one making the food, you get to eat it first too.
I looked over at Sky who had been staring longingly at the others for the past ten minutes, like a sad kid who couldn't join in.
"Go!" I said, tapping him with my spatula.
"What?" he asked.
"Go and play with them. I know you want to" I laughed.
"You sure? You'll be good here?" he asked.
"Yes! I'll be fine, I have everything under control" I said.
"Oh thank god, because Bloom and Tristan have been losing miserably and could use some talent on their team" he said.
"Right? Go and win, I'm rooting for you guys. I'm all good here, promise!" I smiled. He nodded, before jogging towards to pool and diving in.
"You need some help?"
I glanced up to see Ali smiling at me, with a solo cup in her hand.
"That's really nice, but I'm fine. You're a guest, you can go have fun" I said.
"You're a guest too, aren't you?" She said, picking up a pair of tongs. "Why aren't you playing?"
"Sports isn't really my thing. Plus, after Liam I think I'm the second most qualified person for this job" I shrugged.
"Oh? What, you're a part time cook?" she giggled.
"Unfortunately not, that's all Liam" I said, putting some food down on a plate to cool down. "But my mom used to have barbecues back when we lived in Miami, and she taught me and my br- I mean, she taught me how to.. well, work a grill. Not that there's that much science to it, but at least I know how to not burn down the place, and that's the most important thing here"
"True. Hey, thanks for inviting me to this, I appreciate it" she said, getting closer.
Geez, how much has she had to drink? I can smell the alcohol in her breath from here..
"But um, one thing" she whispered, in my ear. "Whatever you have going on with Brandon, it's over. He's mine, bitch"
"Excuse me?" I scoffed, pulling back.
Did I hear that wrong, or she just call me a bitch? After I bent over backwards to help her? She is so-
Drunk. She's drunk, Stella. She has no idea what she's saying, I'm sure she's just spewing random words right now.
"Look, you're pretty trashed right now. Why don't you get hydrated, I'll get you some water, okay?" I said, grabbing the cup from her hand and dunking it in the trash. I reached over for a second to get a bottle of water, and suddenly I heard her shriek in pain.
"What happened, are you okay?" I asked, looking back. I looked at her wrist, which had a tiny red burn on it, I assume from putting her hand on those tongs which had been toasting in the fire for a while.
"What's going on?" Brandon asked, joining us,
"Stella burnt me!" she whined, wincing in pain.
I'm sorry.. what did she just say?!
"Wha- no I didn't!" I gasped, my eyes widening. "I literally just saw you-"
"Why the hell would you do that, Stel, what's wrong with you?" he said, looking at me with disbelief.
"I didn't do anything, she came here and-"
"It's okay, it was an accident, I know you didn't mean it." she said, playing it off as some kind of saint.
She's really pretending to be the victim here? With the act she's putting right on now, I doubt the alcohol has anything to do with her behaviour.
"It's not okay, you need to be more careful" he said.
"I was careful, for the last time, she-"
"Don't be mad at Stella, I promise it was an accident! I shouldn't have been standing so close to her" She said, batting her eyelashes innocently.
If she interrupts me one more time...
"Plus.. it doesn't even hurt that ba- ow!" she cried, flinching in pain.
Oh my god, someone get this girl an Oscar... I mean, sure the pain was real but the performance she gave with it, wow.
"Come on, I'll get you a bandage" Brandon said, pointing her to kitchen and trailing after her. Before he could go, I grabbed his hand and pulled him back.
"You really had to burn my date?" he asked.
"You really had to bring a con artist?" I replied.
"What are you talking about?" he questioned.
"I didn't even touch the girl! She came up to me, and then she started being mean to me and practically threatened me, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt and tried to help her because she's clearly wasted out of her mind. So I left her here-"
"Wait a second, you left her alone? Next to an open flame, knowing she was drunk?" he interjected.
Thats what he picked up from this?
"You can't seriously be pitting this on me and taking her side?! She's a liar, Brandon!" I stated.
"Even if she did lie, you shouldn't have left her alone when you knew she was wasted" he said. "Plus, if you had a problem with her you should've thought that before you invited her, because that was you, not me, correct?" he asked.
"This isn't my fault, she did it on purpose!" I argued.
"Just- let it go, Stel. She's not mad at you, so don't make a big deal out of it. Because right now, you're the only one trying to start a fight" he said, before walking off.
Ugh. I can't believe it. I should've listened to my instincts..
I used to think Ali was a a total viper, but for Brandon's sake, I was nice to her and I welcomed my- well, Bloom's home, to her. And all this time, I was right.. as always!
I stomped over to one of the lawn chairs where Sierra was sprawled out, watching the others play since she was the only one apart from us who was sitting out.
"Alison is a vindictive, little, two-faced bitch!" I snapped, slumping down next to her on her chair, or basically on her - these chairs aren't really built for two people.
"Okay, calm down tiger. What happened?" she laughed.
"She came up to me, acting all innocent and sweet and then she told me that Brandon was hers and that I should 'back off' - whatever that means. And then she called me a bitch" I explained.
"Wait really? Are you sure you heard right, Stel?" she asked.
"Yes!" I nodded frantically. "But that's not even the bad part! I assumed she was intoxicated and tried to sober her up, and then she accidentally burned herself when I wasn't looking, although now I'm questioning whether that was an accident"
"Is she okay?" Sierra asked.
"She's fine, trust me, it was barely a scratch! Anyway, then Brandon came over and she started blaming me for it, all 'it's okay I forgive you Stella, I know you didn't mean it!' But he won't listen to me, and now he thinks I attempted to commit first degree arson on his little girlfriend!" I groaned, throwing my head back.
"Wouldn't it be assault, or like murder?" She questioned. "Arson is committed on property, not people. You know, like buildings-"
"Not the time be technical, Sierra!" I frowned.
"Sorry, that's not the point! I'm sure you can explain it to him later, he'll believe you" she assured.
"You believe me, right? She can't lure you to her side with her extremely hot model body and ridiculously perfect face?" I pouted.
"I don't know.. she is starting to give Liam some competition, might have to take her side this time" she joked, bursting into laughter as I nudged her shoulder.
"I'm kidding, of course I believe you Stel" she giggled, putting her arm around my neck.
"I don't understand.. did I do something to make her hate me?" I asked, leaning my head into her shoulder. I felt her laugh again, and looked up at her.
"What?" I asked.
"You really don't see it?" she asked in disbelief.
"See what?" I repeated.
"What exactly did she say to you. Word for word?" she asked.
"She said, and I quote 'whatever you have going on with Brandon, it's over, he's mine'" I said.
"Stella, sweetheart. She's jealous" Sierra smiled.
"Of who, me? That's funny, considering I set them up! What could she possibly have to be jealous over?" I wondered.
"Well she thinks something's going on between you, she literally told you to end it" she said.
"Yeah, but that makes no sense? I figured that was just trash talk, because there's nothing like that going on between us" I stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Even if there's not, she clearly feels threatened. She's um- how do I explain this.. marking her territory" Sierra said.
That's.. okay that's creepy. I had this exact conversation with Liam about Tristan.. have they been talking about this or something?
"You mean.. like she thinks I want Brandon?" I laughed.
"Exactly. Or, that he wants you, and she's trying to tell you back off so she has a chance. I mean, you told me earlier that she he didn't call her back, right? She probably thinks he wasn't interested because he likes you, and that you inviting her was just to rub it in her face or something" she said.
"But that's not the case, he's just incapable of understanding the complexity of the modern dating world, that's all!" I said. "Ugh, how do I fix this?"
"If she's really as bad as you say she is, then talk to him about it later. But for tonight, if you want to prevent her from falsely accusing you of assault again, just prove you're not a threat" She said.
"Okay.. how?" I asked.
"Maybe spend a little more time with the guy who's supposedly your date, remember him?" she chuckled. "If Ali sees you with him she'll know for sure you're not into Brandon, and she'll hopefully leave you alone"
"I hope. I thought I was done with high school drama when I left Miami" I groaned. "Guess mean girls are universal, huh?"
"Oh trust me, they are. Gardenia's got nothing on my school, though. I've met better mannered people in county jail" she laughed.
"Ugh.. private school, right?" I asked.
"Yup. It's terrible. My folks relocate a lot because of business, so I've been to pretty much every high school in California" She sighed. "But what's even worse is we might be in Arizona by summer.."
"What? Sierra, you're moving?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion "You can't leave, what about Liam?"
"I told him already. Well, nothings confirmed yet, but I told him there's a chance. He didn't take it that well, I don't blame him." She said. "Things have been going so well here, and I don't wanna leave. My parents don't really get it because I still retain my GPA and grades, but I never get to have a social life, or get attached to people because I'll have to leave them eventually, or just be a normal teenager for once in my life. I'm sick of always being the new girl, and restarting everything"
"Maybe you don't have to..." I suggested, an idea appearing in my head.
"What if you stayed? I mean, what if you moved in with me? You could transfer to Gardenia High, that way you'd be with all of us!" I proposed.
"Stella, I love you, but that's crazy! I couldn't do that to you and your mom. I'll figure it out, don't worry about me" she said.
"Look, we have plenty of room since it's only the three of us. And most of the time my mom and Angelo are gone, so you'd really be doing my mom a favour if you stayed, since I wouldn't be alone all the time and she'd have peace of mind knowing I was safer. Your parents have to let you stay to at least finish senior year, and if you transferred you'd be with us all the time, and wouldn't have to travel so much. You could spend the summer with them in Arizona, then come back here at the start of the semester. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention, your boyfriend lives next door to me! Name one down side to this plan, I dare you" I challenged.
"I can't. It's amazing, there's nothing I'd want more" she said.
"So? Is that a yes?" I prompted. "Come on. You're one of us, Sierra, and you always will be no matter what school you go to or what state you live in. But, I would really love it if you stayed, and so would everyone else"
"Fine, I'll talk to my parents." she smiled, finally giving in. "But, are you completely sure that your mom-"
"Yes, yes, yes!" I squealed, throwing my arms around her in excitement. "This is gonna be awesome, we're gonna be roomies!"
"What are you guys screaming about?" Liam asked, leaning on the edge of the pool.
"Sierra's staying with me and transferring to Gardenia high!" I yelled, causing a huge commotion as the others started to cheer.
"What? Really?" Liam asked, eyeing the both of us.
"Well, we don't know yet" Sierra said, "maybe-"
"Definitely." I corrected. "If your parents say no.. well, lets hope they don't because Stella Solaria doesn't take no for an answer. Dude, not only did I just save your relationship, but now your girlfriend is going to your school, and living next door to you, so you guys will never have to be apart. Am I the best, or am I the best?"
"You're the best" he laughed. "Now get in here, both of you. One last game to celebrate?" he asked.
I looked over at Sierra, and grabbed her hand before pulling her into the pool with me.
"Before we start, has anyone seen Brandon and Alison?" Bloom asked.
"Stella basically grilled Alison using a pair of tongs!" Sierra laughed.
"Hey! Careful, roomie. I might revoke my offer" I joked. "I did not burn her, long story short she got too handsy with the grill and decided to blame me"
"Well where is she? And where's Brandon?" Riven asked.
"He went to help her, but it's been a while.." I said.
"They are so banging!" Musa laughed.
"Ew, Musa! I hope not, that's my house, remember!" Bloom groaned, covering her ears "They better not be in my room, or so help me god-"
"Guys, they're probably not coming back since they're both kinda mad at me, so lets play already!" I urged.
"Okay, new teams! Sierra, Stel, Liam and Tristan, and Riv, Sky, Musa and I" Bloom said. "Get into place, guys!"
"Hey, Stel. I have a suggestion" Liam said, as we moved to the other side of the pool. "What about, I move into your house, and you move into mine! So I get to be roomies with Sierra"
"And what, I get Brandon? Yeah, keep dreaming buddy. Any more suggestions like that and I'll have to revoke your visiting rights" I said, narrowing my eyes.
"I can't even take your jokes seriously right now, you're really awesome, you know that?" He said.
"I've been told." I shrugged.
"I'm serious, you didn't have any obligation to do that" he said. "You're really helping her out"
"I did it because I love you both. Anyway, I could really use another girl in the neighbourhood" I said. "Now, you better not make us lose with your shitty aim, okay?"
"Only if you don't make us lose with your shitty throws" he replied, before moving closer to the middle.
Yup, our team is definitely losing.
"Come on guys, you're all wusses!" Riven slurred, holding up a cup as he poured another unknown liquid into it, inventing some random concoction.
Oh yeah, if he wasn't already smashed after the last 4 drinks, this one ought to do the trick..
"Shh! The neighbours are gonna call the cops if you yell any louder!" Bloom hushed, trying to keep everyone in control. It was getting dark, and of course Musa had some evil party games for everyone to suffer through.
To be honest, they were quite fun, although most of them required us completely embarrassing ourselves to avoid a shot. It didn't work out so well for Riven though, since he dodged every question or dare or anything thrown at him, and now he's completely drunk and embarrassing himself anyway.
"We're wusses? Who's the one refusing to do a single dare?" Brandon chuckled.
Yup, he and Ali came back after we finished the game. He wasn't in a mood anymore though, which was good. But Ali still creeped me out a bit. She was like glued to his arm, and it made me uncomfortable for some reason. I'm all for him getting back into dating, but did it have to be a girl like her? I was actually beginning to like her until the little stunt she pulled today. But I didn't wanna cause anymore drama, so I told the others to go along with her version of events, I even fake apologised to her to make her feel better.
So now I'm known as Stella, the girl who isn't allowed within 5 feet of the grill because it's a 'hazard'.. yup, lost my fry cook privileges for the night because of her! The things I do for these people, honestly...
"Fine, I'll do one!" Riven said. "Who dares to challenge me?"
"I dare you not to have a single drink the rest of the night" Sky said.
"Done" He shrugged, throwing the cup a side. "Consider me sober"
"Guys! We should make smores" Liam suggested.
"I'll get the marshmallows!" Musa said, getting up.
"I'll fire up the grill" Sky said.
"What about me? I'm not allowed near the grill, remember" I muttered, examining my nails. "Guess I'll just have to starve"
"Don't worry Stel, we can bring them to you at a safe distance" Bloom chuckled.
"But what's the fun when I can't roast them myself?!" I pouted. "This whole thing is stupid and you know it. The only reason we're keeping up with this charade is because Alison enjoys making me look like an irresponsible fool! You know, she's lucky I didn't really do it, because if it was up to me I'd just roast her whole freaking arm like a hot dog-"
"Stella!" Bloom scolded. "Why are you so pissed? I mean you were the one who practically begged her to come"
"Why does everyone keep reminding me of that? I know I did, but that was back before I knew she was a conniving little drama queen! I mean, can you believe she told me, to my face, that Brandon is 'hers' and I should give up? He's not property, and he certainly doesn't belong to her." I scowled.
"Are you jealous?" she asked.
"You're hilarious, are you drunk? She's the jealous one, keep up, Bloomie!" I said.
"I know, we've established that. But I'll ask again, are you jealous?" she repeated.
"Of what? Of her?" I chuckled.
"Of the fact that she's cosying up to Brandon and not you?" She asked.
That's ridiculous, right? I didn't bother answering, because she knows the answer!
"I'm taking the silence as a maybe?" she prodded. "Come on, everyone here notices it"
"Notices what?"
"The tension between the two of you.. the four of you really. The way you act around her, the way Brandon acts around Tristan and you, and don't even get me started on the way you and Brandon act around each other. It's almost painful to watch" she said.
"And.. there's a consensus on this?" I asked.
"Even drunk off his ass Riven notices it" she laughed.
Huh.. well, I guess there's a bit of weirdness between us all. But that's because Tristan and Brandon have history, and well, Alison is making history by painting me out to be the bad guy, and trying to pit Brandon against me.
"There's something going on between you two. It's undeniable at this point, I mean since you guys miraculously just became friends, the both of you have changed. Especially him.. I gotta be honest Stel, you're the first person he's gotten this close to in a while."
Yeah, closer than she knows...
"I know you probably don't notice it, but he's changed ever since you've first got here. He's gotten so more.. content with himself, you know? None of us really know the details of what happened with his ex, Mitzi, but it was bad. Like he didn't leave his bed for weeks, he developed a major attitude problem that I know you're more than familiar with, he stopped doing the things he loved. But now he's like the old Brandon again, the one we used to know. You've had a huge impact on him and I don't think you even know it" she said. "Don't you dare tell Brandon that I told you this, because Sky will literally murder me, but he said you're the reason he's joining football again"
"I know" I hummed.
"You knew?" she exclaimed, nudging me.
"Yeah, he told me. Well, he didn't tell me really why, it was more of him teasing me, but yeah. Actually, he tells me a lot more than you'd expect.."
"See, this is exactly what I'm saying! And you're still not convinced?" she questioned.
"Convinced about what?" I asked.
"That he.." she started. "You know, he feels- you know what, screw it, I need liquid courage"
She grabbed the glass bottle next to her, and chugged down a pretty hefty amount, before suddenly bursting out. "He likes you, dammit!"
"Bloom-"
"He likes you a little .. actually, no, a lot more than a friend! And I think you see him the same way, but you're too stubborn to admit that to yourself, let alone to each other. So you'll just keep hopelessly pining until someone spells it out for you!" She proclaimed boldly.
Woah, that really was liquid courage.
"No, he likes Alison, okay? And I.. I have Tristan." I sighed.
"That is bullshit, and you know it." she muttered, throwing me off with her sudden use of profanity. Damn, I guess she's really serious about this?
"And Tristan, Stel he doesn't hate Tristan because of their weird messed up history, he hates him because he's trying to take the one thing that's been keeping him going all these months.. YOU! Maybe he doesn't fully realise it yet, Stella... but you know deep down that being with Tristan would hurt Brandon in more ways than you can imagine, and that's why you're avoiding it"
"But.. he said he was fine with this, they shook a truce, he said for my sake he'd-"
"Precisely! For your sake, he buries the hatchet with the one guy he cannot stand because it's what he thought would make you happy. What more do I have to say? I don't know whether he shows it in his owns ways, but he cares about you a lot. You can't seriously look me in the eye and tell me you feel nothing for him"
And after that, more silence. Just silence. I didn't know what to say, because there was no right thing to say. Everything Bloom had just said started to slowly piece together this puzzle in my head.. all those brief, fleeting moments we've had. Did they mean more to me than I'd care to admit?
"I-I don't know" I murmured. And that was the truth, the absolute truth. I had no idea where my head or my heart was at. It's not like I'm conflicted between Tristan and Brandon.. they're two different people to me. Brandon is more important to me, obviously, but that doesn't mean I feel something for him does it?
Why is this so hard to figure out?
"That's okay, Stella" She smiled sincerely, taking my hand in hers. "You don't need to make your mind up, or feel pressured to figure it out. I just wanted you to know how much he cares about you, since everyone seems to see it but you. And just because he's with Ali right now doesn't invalidate those feelings. But sooner or later, both of you guys are gonna have to figure out what you feel or don't feel for each other, other wise you're gonna end up hurting yourselves and other people. I just don't wanna see you get hurt Stel"
"Have I ever told you how thankful I am for your existence?" I chuckled, enveloping her in my embrace. "You always know the right thing to say. In a matter of seconds you managed to make sense of things I've been wondering about for months"
"Thanks.. out of curiosity, would you pay me for that advice? Because that's a business called therapy, and I could certainly get into that" she laughed.
"No, you're too good. The world doesn't deserve you, I'll just keep you all to myself" I smiled. "Now, can we please get some smores?!"
"Fine.. wait here though. I don't want you burning Alison's other hand" She whispered, getting up.
"Shut up" I laughed, swatting her arm, before she walked off.
Okay, firstly, Tristan and Alison will be gone (temporarily) very very soon, I promise. So there's gonna be a lot of straight up Brella in the next few chapters! I'm definitely gonna incorporate more of Brandon's P.O.V. because it makes their relationship feel more whole, getting both sides.
So, they're currently confused and in denial, but that's progress at least (thanks to Bloom of course). I'm exited to explore Stella and Sierra's friendship too, since she's usually by herself or with the guys most of the time so having one of her girls with her is gonna be fun.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, remember to review! Love you all! ❤︎