FYI super long chapter ahead! I don't really have anything to say, so enjoy!
Stella's P.O.V.
Lately, I've been avoiding Brandon like he's the goddamn plague. We haven't spoken at all since Bloom's pool party which, FYI, was a whole two weeks ago. Yup, two whole weeks and not a single word.. we haven't gone this long without speaking, like ever. Even when we hated each other, we'd maintain constant communication with each other so this was just plain weird.
To be fair, it was mostly me.
Okay, it was all me.
Ever since Bloom opened her mouth (and of course, my eyes) I haven't been able to get this.. notion, this idea out of my head, that there was something more.
I can't deny the fact that he's been invading my mind for a while now, but I thought that was just because we were.. you know, because he.. well, maybe because..
Wait a minute - come to think of it, why was he constantly on my mind?
What justification did I come up with for it? I don't even remember what lie I told myself to be able to conceal that feeling but clearly it worked because I had convinced myself that it was normal, and we were just enemies turned friends with pretty screwed up pasts and minor trust issues, with the exception of each other. Not to mention, the several physical moments we had, and a handful of fairly emotional ones. Which both, for the record, make my stomach flutter for some peculiar reason.
Yeah, that's totally normal.
And because of all this overthinking and re-analysing I've been doing, I have not been able to face him or look at him same. Avoiding him at school is easy enough because we're barely there, since we have so little time left until the semester is over, but I haven't hung out at his house at all. Luckily, Liam hasn't noticed that anything's up, or so I hope. I did tell him I was going through 'girl problems', but I can only use that excuse for so long.
But despite my efforts, I've run into him a couple times and I feel awful because it's not like he did anything wrong. But I just freeze up, get barely two words out, and then find any excuse I can to bail. I really hope he thinks it's just typical Stella weirdness and not that I'm mad at him or anything.. maybe he thinks I'm still annoyed at him about Ali?
Talking about that delightful girl, since I've been so busy avoiding Brandon I never got the chance to tell him that his little friend is an evil scheming brat so he's still on good terms with her. Tristan thinks everything is fine between us, but truthfully, it's not. Bloom was right, starting something with him would probably hurt Brandon regardless of the way he felt about me, and my brain is too messed up right now to be a part of some complicated, messy love triangle.
I just need some time to figure this all out. I'm not gonna avoid Brandon forever, obviously. And whatever Tristan and I have or had, I'll deal with that too. But just for right now, I need a break. I just want it to be like old times.. ugh, it was so much easier when Brandon and I wanted to kill each other.
Anyway, back to reality. I was on the phone with Liam, letting him babble on about something while I was reading a magazine.
"This is so dumb"
"Tell me about it" I muttered, thinking about the conundrum I was in, and how I couldn't even figure out my own feelings.
"No, I mean this! Us talking on the phone when you're literally like ten feet away from me"
"Oh. Well, what, do you wanna switch to face time? Or maybe, yell through the window?"
"I'm serious. What is wrong with you, you usually ignore the idea of an invitation altogether and just barge into my house like you live here. So why can't you just come over?"
"I um.. I need to help my mom with dinner"
"Nice try, but your mom's car isn't in the driveway. And since it's a Friday, she's working late and won't be home for hours"
Dang it!
"You know my mom's work schedule? Stalker much.."
"If this is about your so called 'girl issues', we have ice cream and rom coms here too, so you can cry to your heart's content. You haven't been over since like.. I don't even know, three weeks? You do understand my concern here, right?"
Shit, has it really been that long? No wonder he's starting to get suspicious...
"Just get your lazy ass over, Brandon's out doing god knows what, so I'm all alone and so freaking bored, man-"
"Wait, Brandon's not there?"
That came out more.. hopeful and eager than I meant.
"No, I think he's hanging with Ali or something."
Speak of the devil...
Alison just makes my blood boil. I never really had anything against her, I knew she was kinda sketchy but I wasn't friends with her so it was none of my concern. But after what she pulled at Bloom's party, I realised she has some personal vendetta against me. And her being rude to me is one thing, but constantly being attached to Brandon's side.. like, what is she, a lap dog? She couldn't find anyone else to dig her claws into? She could date any guy, and she just had to chose my-
Oh god.. I sound so possessive. Maybe Bloom was right, I was a teensy bit jealous. But only because she's the reason we weren't as close anymore and admittedly, I miss that.
"...anyway, I know what you're gonna say.. call someone else. But everyone is busy, and so I basically have no one else to annoy so just-"
"I'll be there!" I chirped, before ending the call. This was my chance, I could finally hang out with Liam, without having to worry about bumping into Brandon. I mean, it probably sounds dumb because we hung out all the time when Brandon and I hated each other and of course that was much worse. But back then, we'd keep our distance. Ever since we became friends, there was no reason for him to hide away when I came over so he'd occasionally join us, and he acted comfortable with me there.
Which is exactly what I'm afraid of! When I say comfortable, I mean he acted like I was just another member of his household so he's just lounge around half naked most of the time, and if I can't face him now, what makes you think I can face him like that? School, I could mange because there's such thing as a dress code, and also dozens of people to get lost in, bathrooms to hide in. But his house, that's his territory, I couldn't to his own house and ignore him.
Although, in this case, maybe I could. He probably wouldn't be back until late at night.
That is, if Ali doesn't take him home..
So I could go over there, and I could leave just before he comes back. Good game plan, Stel.
Grabbing my phone, keys and a couple other things, I quickly left and knocked on his door. I looked back, double checking the driveway to make sure Brandon's car was gone.
God, I'm way too paranoid about this.
"Hey" Liam greeted, opening the door. "I was thinking we could-"
I pushed past him, heading straight to the kitchen with him trailing behind me.
"Okay what are we working with here? We have... mini oreos, double stuff, mega stuff.." I listed, casually raiding through the pantry. "And.."
"Chocolate" we both agreed, as I pulled it out.
"You invading my house and our food supply.. finally feels like home again" Liam chuckled, leaning on the counter. "Good to have you back. What are we watching?"
"We should watch a horror movie, like.. scream maybe?" I pondered.
"Nah, too cliché" he disagreed.
"Oh, I'm sorry mister 'I've watched the notebook 300 times', that's too cliché for you?" I asked.
"Whatever, just pick something" he said, handing me the remote as we hopped onto the couch.
"So.. did Brandon tell you what time he was coming back?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the TV screen.
"He said he'd be a couple hours, why?"
"No reason" I hummed.
"Does this have to do with the fact that you haven't come over?" he asked.
"Nope" I shook my head.
"Oh my god, you're ignoring him!" he gasped. "You're too afraid to face him and I totally know why"
"No you don't!" I said defensively.
"Ah, so you admit it, you are ignoring him!"
Ugh, fine! But he doesn't know why.. he can't possibly be inside my head, right?
"It's because you guys are in a fight, right? Because you and Ali don't like each other, so you can't talk to him without pissing her off probably"
Well, that's semi-true, so technically I'm not lying to him.
"By the way, I'm really sorry Stel. I know I'm kinda to blame for this, of I knew she'd be this terrible to you, I would've never set them up" he said.
"No, don't worry about it. She seemed nice enough, it's not your fault" I shrugged.
"Well... consider this my apology" he said, grabbing the remote and shuffling through some titles before landing on Clueless.
Hell yeah, some iconic Cher Horowitz is just what I need right now.
"Paul Rudd is so cute" I commented, as the end credits rolled.
"Doesn't anyone find it creepy that they're literally step-siblings?" Liam asked, grabbing the abundance of plastic wrappers on the table left over from all our snacking.
"Former step-siblings, but yeah it's a little weird. I mean at least they're not related" I said.
"Yeah but.. they basically are. They grew up together, they have a sibling relationship, it's just weird. Not to mention the age difference, she's like 16!" he said.
"Okay true. Luckily it's just a movie, right?" I laughed, joining him near the counter.
"Did we really eat that much.. the bin's full" he said, trying to push everything down. "I'm gonna go take out the trash, I'll be right back"
"Oh actually, could you do me a favour Stel?" he asked, halting at the door. I hummed in response.
"My stupid phone charger broke, could you go grab Brandon's one? It's in his room"
"Sure" I nodded, as he muttered a quick thanks before heading out the kitchen. I jogged up the stairs, and soon reached the bedroom door, which was slightly ajar. I peeked inside, even though I knew for a fact he wasn't home. I guess a part of me feared he was here and I just had to make sure, to put my paranoid thoughts at ease.
I stepped inside, scanning the room for a while. Nothing much has changed since I'd last been in here.. it was a little messier than usual with some clothes scattered here and there, but it was still pretty clean.
Slowly making my way over to the desk, I scoured through the pile of books to expose an extension cord with various wires sprouting from it. But none of them were phone chargers, so I put everything back. I then pulled the knob underneath, trying my best not to make a complete mess of the neatly organised drawer, and searched for it.
I felt intrusive, going through his room when he wasn't here.. I'd never actually been in here alone. And it's not like I could causally just snoop through his things when he was here, so I didn't really know where things were. Sure, I'd hung out here more times than I could count, but I didn't really go around touching his stuff. He'd probably kill me if he knew I was in here, especially since we weren't on the best of terms.
Letting my curiosity get the best of me, my hands fumbled through the random objects in his drawer, until I caught sight of a little crumpled piece of paper. It seemed like a receipt or something, but upon closer inspection, I recognised it immediately from our little trip to San Francisco not too long ago.
*Flashback*
"Third game in a row? Shit must be broken" Brandon complained, hitting the side of the arcade machine.
"How does it feel to be a loser? See, I wouldn't know considering I've won the vast majority of games this past week, so please do tell" I gloated, examining my nails.
"No need to be cocky. I'm just being nice, truce - remember?" he said.
"You're totally using that as an excuse, you're a sore loser, Brandon. Just admit it, I'm really good at this!" I laughed, practically bathing in victory. I was having way too much fun boasting.
"Hey, watch it. This is a two way street, blondie. I'll retract it and go back to kicking your ass in a single second if you don't stop being such a show-off" he said.
"As if that's not gonna happen as soon as we get home. You couldn't be nice to me if your life depended on it!" I argued.
"Fine, you win. You're for some bizarre reason, really good at playing arcade games, you happy?" he asked.
"Did Brandon Shields just.. compliment me?" I gasped dramatically, grabbing his arm. "Oh, I never thought this day would come"
"Shut up, you're making a scene" he groaned, pushing me off. "And don't expect this to become a regular thing, okay?"
"What do you say we go get food? Maybe take a break from you hopelessly losing, nurse your ego for a while, huh?" I pouted.
"This truce is hanging on by a thread" he said, glaring at me.
"I'll pay?" I offered.
"Fine. Aren't you gonna collect all your tickets first?" he asked, pointing at the machine which was ejecting a string of paper tickets. I had already cashed enough in for dumb little novelty gifts and I didn't really need an excessive amount, so I ripped them out and handed them to Brandon.
"What is this?"
"They're yours" I said simply.
"But.. you won the game? Why are you giving them to me" he asked.
"So you can keep them as reminder of how awesome I am, and how much fun you had getting your ass totally demolished by your worst enemy. It'll humble you" I shrugged.
*End of Flashback*
A smile spread on my face, and for some reason I felt all warm at the fact that he still had it.
I can't believe he actually kept it?
In all honesty, I gave it to him as a joke, with the knowledge that he'd just throw it away, but.. he kept it? Never saw him as the sentimental type
Maybe it was a memento of that week.. thinking back, it was really fun. Even though we argued the entirety of the trip, it was the most we'd ever talked and the first time we'd genuinely had fun together.
So much has changed since then.
I suddenly retracted my hand, realising I was totally over-stepping. I should stop, I respect him way too much to just mindlessly ransack his room like this, invading his privacy.
I looked over to the nightstand, figuring it should be there, and walked across the room. I glanced over at his bed, my fingers ghosting over the soft sheets, as my mind drifted back to all the times I'd slept here.
I felt my a blush creep up my neck at the memory of being there, with him. The couple times we slept beside each other.. and how nice it felt being in his embrace.
The way his body was in such close vicinity to mine, and the way his arms felt wrapped around my-
Earth to Stella! Stop distracting yourself and find that charger already!
Composing myself, I went over and pulled each drawer open in attempt to find it.
"Where could it be?" I mumbled to myself in frustration. It should be in plain sight considering he uses it on the daily, so where the hell is it?
My mind finally clicked, and I bent over to look behind the night stand, where another outlet was.. and sure enough it was there.
"Bingo" I whispered, yanking the cord. Quickly turning around on my heel, I didn't notice the presence standing behind me and smashed into it. My face grimaced as I clenched my eyes shut, expecting to tumble backwards and hit the wooden bed frame. But instead, I felt two arms hook around my waist, steadying me.
"Careful there, Sunshine"
Shit.
My eyes flickered open, and instant regret washed over me. So close. Just a couple seconds faster and I would've made it out!
"W-what are you doing here?" I squeaked.
He shook his head in amusement, "Uh.. this is my room, remember?"
Right. Of course, what the hell was I thinking? I'm so screwed, he's gonna think I was snooping around which I was certainly not.. well not really, right? God knows how long he was creeping around..
"Question is, what are you doing here?" he asked, his hands leaving me as I regained my composure. I found myself missing the contact, but forced myself suppress that feeling as I tried to formulate an answer.
"I- um, I wasn't- it's not what you think-" I stammered like an idiot.
C'mon Stel, use your words! You had a valid reason, there's no need to act suspicious!
"So you weren't just rummaging through my underwear drawer?" he asked, cocking his head towards his closet.
"NO! I mean.. no. I-I was looking for a charger, uh.. Liam asked- charger, yeah.. nothing else, I swear!" I stuttered, feeling my cheeks burn up.
Jeez was a single word of that sentence even remotely English?
"Relax, I'm just teasing" he chuckled smoothly. "Why are you so on edge?"
God, why is his voice so compelling?
My eyes drifted to his mouth, not being able to focus on what was coming out of it.
Was he purposely trying to be this tempting? It would be impossible not to notice how irresistible his lips looked... I bet he's a great kisser.
I audibly gasped, shocked at my own trail of thoughts. Every time I got close to him, especially since Bloom's party, I haven't been able to deny how alluring he is. I just keep hearing Bloom's words echoing in my head, over and over again.
'He likes you, dammit!'
I sucked in a breath, trying my hardest to escape my outrageous thoughts and calm my rapidly beating heart.
'You can't seriously look me in the eye and tell me you feel nothing for him!'
His brown orbs glinted with concern, scanning my face, making me suddenly feel really self conscious.
Do I feel.. that way for him? Judging by the way he was making me feel right now, it wouldn't be that far-fetched. Maybe that's why I could barely bring myself to look at him, because every time I did, it just made Bloom's words sound right. Because, deep down, a part of me knew that there was some truth to it.
"Stella?" he whispered, inching closer. Instinctively, I took a step back, trying to maintain the distance.
Is he trying to make me give in to these ridiculous urges?
"I-I have to go" I managed to choke out. But before I could take a single step, he grabbed my wrist, pulling me back to him.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Fine" I snapped, jerking my hand out of his grasp, before crossing my arms. My eyes wandered around his room, trying to look anywhere but him.
"You think I'm an idiot? We haven't had a real conversation in weeks, you avoid me at school, and when I do get ahold of you, you brush me off. I mean, you can barely even look at me, Stel" he said.
I dragged my head up, forcing myself to meet his gaze. There was a look of hurt flashed over his features, as if he was upset.
Of course he's upset! I've done nothing but ignore him with no explanation, and probably made him feel accountable for it.
"Did I do something?" he sighed, searching my face for some type of answer.
I shook my head. "You're good. We're good"
"No, we're not. And you're certainly not." he whispered. "Talk to me, Stella. Please"
My heart ached at the thought of him blaming himself for my totally irrational behaviour. But I just couldn't articulate what I was feeling into words - to myself, let alone to him. I couldn't lie to him either, he clearly wasn't convinced and he did notice my distance. Which made me feel kinda good, knowing he was concerned..
"You freeze up every time I try to talk to you, what's wrong?" he asked with sincerity.
A sensation of guilt panged in my chest, knowing while I was so busy indulging myself in - much too graphic for my liking - daydreams about him, he probably thought I hated him.
"Sunshine?" he prodded.
That stupid nickname. Why'd he have to choose such an endearing, sweet nickname that made my heart do a backflip every single time he uttered it?
"Fine, you're not gonna say anything. We have all night, so I'm just gonna wait it out" he shrugged.
No, I can't be stuck with him all night! Think, Stella, think!
"A-Actually I'm going somewhere else tonight" I blurted out in a moment of desperation.
"Where?" he asked.
"Uh.. B-Brookhill?" I said, thinking of the first place that came to mind.
"What, Sierra's town?" he questioned.
"Yeah, she um, she invited me for a slumber party. Girls night" I lied. He seemed convinced, as he didn't say anything else.
"Oh, give this to Liam for me" I said, shoving the charger into his chest, shortly before racing out his room.
He's gonna figure out I lied, and then he's gonna be mad at me! Why'd I say that, was it really the best I could come up with?
I grabbed my phone from the counter, dialling Sierra's number as I made my way out the house.
"Stella, hey. What's going on?"
"Do you have plans tonight, like.. that you told Liam about?"
"No, why?"
"I need you to cover for me. I may have told Brandon I was having a sleepover at your house with the girls in attempt to avoid him and-"
"What? You're still not talking to him?"
"No! Listen, I told him I'd be with you tonight so if anyone asks just say I'm with you, please?"
"Sure, but where are you going to go?"
"I don't know, I'll probably hide out at Musa's house or something"
"Why don't you come over? I'm so bored over here, my house is empty per usual. I'd love the company"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! It'll be fun, plus now your alibi wouldn't be a lie. Anyway, it sounds like you need it more than me, with your all drama. Please?"
"Fine, fine. Thank you, by the way"
"No problem. I'll see you soon Stel"
I hung up, and peeked over at my driveway since I was still on Brandon's doorstep. My mom's car was gone, so I'd have to take an uber.. but, in all honesty I didn't really want to since it was getting late.
The sound of the door creaking made me jump in surprise, and I turned around to see Brandon.
Great, just great.
"At least let me drive you" he said.
"No, it's fine, I'll just-"
"You're crazy if you think I'm letting you go all the way to Brookhill this late on your own. Plus, you hate taking Ubers" he said.
Why does he have to know me so well?
"I don't wanna make you drive all that way for me, I'll be okay" I reassured.
"This isn't up for debate. Go get your stuff and meet in the car" he said. More like demanded...
A whole hour alone with him? This is gonna be one long ass car ride.
"Why is there so much traffic?" I groaned to myself, banging my head on the window. In order to get to where Sierra lives, we have to go straight through the city which usually is the fast route, but because fate just loves me, it was taking ages.
"It's Friday night" he stated in an obvious manner. "And, don't look so glum. You're acting like being stuck in a car with me is the worst thing in the world"
I shot him a glare, before letting out another annoyed sigh and shifting in my seat.
"So, you gonna tell me what's bothering you anytime soon?" he asked.
Did he just offer to drive me so he could interrogate me the whole time?
I scoffed in response, gazing out the window at the bright buildings which illuminated the dark night, creating the most beautiful skyline.
"Okay, for the past forty five minutes the only words you've said to me were 'turn on the heat', and then what you just said, which I'm pretty sure wasn't even directed at me" he said.
"You know, it's just gonna take longer if you don't answer me"
Well, here's a thought.. maybe shut up and I won't have to answer you!
"Hm, so she speaks" he joked, making me realise I'd spoken aloud. Aw man, that probably came out so rude..
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine" he reassured. "Little rude, but hey.. it's a start"
I rolled my eyes at his enthusiasm as a quiet chuckle escaped my mouth.
"And there's that pretty smile I've missed so much" he teased, looking at me before diverting his eyes back to the road.
Okay, and it is things like THAT!
That's why I can't stand to be around him, he just says cute shit like that all the time which is probably just a joke to him, but it makes my heart melt, and I positively hate it!
Well, actually I love it.. but I hate that he has that power over me. That ability to change my mood in seconds with his dumb flirty one-liners.
I tucked my face into my elbow, which was leaning on the window frame.
"If you blush any harder, people on the road might mistake you for a red light" he uttered nonchalantly.
"Excuse me?!" I gasped in offence, as he burst into laughter. "You little-"
"I was not blushing, jerkface!" I whined, squirming uncomfortably in my seat to hide from his continuous gaze. "How long left?"
"About ten minutes. By the way, remind me why we turned on the heat? It's so hot outside" he asked.
"Because I'm cold!" I stated, bringing my knees up to my chin.
"You wouldn't be cold if you wore something less.."
"Skimpy?" I dared, narrowing my eyes as I tilted my head to the side in an inquisitive manner.
To be fair, I was wearing a flimsy tank top and PJ shorts, but I was going to a sleepover! I dressed for the occasion, figured it was easier to just come in my pajamas, right?
"No, I was gonna say weather appropriate. But now that you mention it.." he said, his eyes scanning over my body in a way that made me instantly aware of just how revealing my outfit was. "You do look kinda-"
"Don't finish that sentence unless you're prepared to be kicked in the throat" I threatened.
"So, does your grumpy mood have anything to do with the other day, because I told you that was an accident" he said.
And just like that, moment's over. He just had to bring that up...
"You don't accidentally soak someone with a garden hose, Brandon!" I growled, as he continued to laugh.
"It was the sprinklers" he shrugged.
Yup, in the time that I was ignoring Brandon, he managed to majorly piss me off and add fuel to this non existent fire, so I technically had a reason to be ignoring him, because I was definitely still mad at him for that..
"You know damn well there aren't any sprinklers on your lawn, you were literally there with the hose in your hand, I caught you red-handed!" I said.
"He shouldn't have been standing so close to the stream" he muttered.
"We were both in the same exact place, yet I came out perfectly dry. You were aiming for him, I- you know what, forget it" I said, looking out on the street. "Stop the car"
He did as I said, and I unbuckled my seat belt, and opened the door.
"What are you doing?" he asked. "Her house is still a couple blocks away"
"I know, I'm walking. I've had enough of your presence for one night" I said, proceeding to grab my bag and slam the door shut.
"It's not safe, just get back in!" he ordered.
"It's literally two minutes away, I can see it from here. I'll be fine, just go" I said, starting to walk off.
"You're being ridiculous!" he yelled from the car.
"Thanks for the ride" I yelled back.
I soon approached Sierra's house, and rang the doorbell.
Damn, her parents are rich rich. Like, my house isn't bad at all, but you could fit ten of them in hers. It's practically a Beverly Hills mansion! Well, obviously, I mean - we're not in Gardenia anymore, which is definitely just a small town compared to Brookhill. But still, I didn't know they were so fancy up here.
"Stella!" she greeted, hugging me.
"Your house is awesome. You sure you wanna give that up to bunk with me in little old Gardenia?" I asked, looking around in awe. "Maybe I should live with you instead"
"My parents think buying a big pretty house makes up for always being MIA" she laughed, shutting the door. "It's not as fun as it seems, but it does have its perks. I have my own music room which is really cool, I get to play my guitar in there and pretend I'm a big time rockstar"
"Well don't forget me when you're mega famous and on tour, okay?" I smiled.
"Wouldn't dream of it. You can be my groupie" she joked.
"Oh, I'm sure Liam would appreciate that position more than me" I teased, nudging her. "What are we doing first?"
"I already ordered pizza, figured you'd need it" she said.
"Have I mentioned I love you?" I sighed in relief. "Now, I have a lot of updating to do"
"It's not funny!" I pouted, stuffing my face with a slice of pizza.
"Oh, it is hilarious. He really didn't get a single drop on you, but managed to completely soak Tristan?" she asked. "Stella, you know that was no accident, right?"
"Yeah, but Brandon won't admit it! He was literally using Tristan as target practice!" I said.
I was currently telling Sierra the story that Brandon and I were arguing about earlier, and she was totally teasing me about it.
Basically, junior prom was coming up really soon, like next week soon. It's not as big of a deal as senior prom, it's more like a little end of year formal but nowhere near as extravagant. So people were asking each other, as usual, and since Tristan and I were going.. okay-ish, he decided to ask me.
But he made the terrible mistake of coming to my door with flowers and asking me. Now, I know that sounds adorable, so how could it possibly go wrong?
Well, I live next door to Brandon Shields, that's what went wrong.
It was so sweet, and it wasn't a huge deal or a cheesy promposal, it was just a nice gesture he did mostly to impress me I think. Anyway, I said yes, and it was all going smooth, until Tristan was suddenly covered head to toe in water. And I look over to see the culprit.. (Brandon, because who else would do something like that) standing in his lawn, pretending to mind his own business, with a hose in his hand.
Obviously I got extremely mad at him, and he was all 'Oh, I'm sorry, did I splash you guys? This water pressure just crazy!'.
It was so painfully sarcastic and I was just seconds away from throwing Tristan's flowers in his face.
"You know what this means right?" Sierra laughed. "He's so jealous. I wasn't even there and I can tell"
"Pfft as if.. he asked Alison, why would he be jealous?" I said.
I'll admit, when I heard about him asking Alison - through the girl herself, no less, she wasted no time rubbing it in my face - I was kinda hurt.
But then I remembered I never got a chance to clear things up after the party, so he still thinks she's an innocent little saint, and I can't warn him about her without ruining my pride and talking to him.
But.. I kinda that already today. It wasn't my fault, he forced me to talk to him, but still he wouldn't believe me anyway.
"Aw I'm sorry Stel. Maybe he just asked her in retaliation to Tristan asking you?" she suggested.
"I don't know. I guess there's a small part of me that kinda hoped he'd-.. I don't know he'd maybe..."
"Ask you?" she finished.
"Is that crazy?" I asked, throwing my head back on the pillow. "We're not even on talking terms, I shouldn't expect him to act all nice to me when he has Ali"
"Stel, the only reason he's going with Alison is because he can't go with you. Trust me" she said, grabbing another slice.
"What if I'm like totally ahead of myself? I know you and Bloom, and apparently everyone else, seems to think he likes me like that, but what if you're wrong? And I'm just making a complete fool of myself, imagining things and feelings that aren't even there, thinking we could ever be anything more?"
"Look, it's simple. Do you want it to be more?" she asked.
Do I want it to be more?
"I don't know.. I mean, I can't. With Tristan, and Alison, it would just be a huge mess, right?" I said.
"But hypothetically, if Ali or Tristan weren't in the picture?"
"I value our friendship and I don't want to mess it up" I faltered. "But whenever I'm around him I can't control my own thoughts, and okay, maybe I'm a little teensy weensy bit drawn to him. But that's it, it's probably an unrequited temporary school-girl crush type thing, that'll go away sooner or later"
"If it was really unrequited, then why does he look at you like you're his entire world?" she giggled, swooning back onto the headboard.
"He does not!" I scoffed, chucking a pillow at her.
"He does to! And what about all those little moments you guys had?" she teased.
"Remind me never to tell you anything ever again! I probably read too much into it" I shrugged.
"Really? Because last I checked, almost kissing someone a bunch of times, drunkenly hitting on them, comforting them when they're upset, cuddling them three times-"
"One time! The other two were just accidental!" I defended.
"Fine, one intentional time, flirting with them continually, and a lot more, doesn't sound exactly unrequited or platonic to me" she said. "And I know you probably have 'valid excuses' for everything, so let me just ask you this. Do you regret any of that stuff?"
"Um, I guess not... why?"
"Because all the stuff I just listed usually does ruin a friendship. But since it's so normal for you guys, have you ever considered the fact that you don't have a regular relationship with him? If that's your normal, then maybe you guys are more comfortable with the idea of being together than you'd care to admit?"
"Are you psycho-analysing me, Sierra Davidson?" I jested, pointing a finger at her accusingly.
"I'm serious! If you guys wanna act all oblivious, thats fine. But if you're not serious about Tristan, then you need to let him go because you're just gonna end up hurting him and yourself. Do you even like the poor guy, Stel?" she asked.
"I do! He's.. sweet, and cute, and it's just easy with him. We don't argue at all, and it's just simple" I said.
"Now see, that is more like a crush. What you have with Brandon is just real and you guys have history, there's so much more depth with your feelings. Love isn't supposed to be easy" she said.
"Nope, I can't even think about love right now, my brains gonna fry up like a charred omelet" I groaned. "I really appreciate your god-tier advice, it seems like everyone knows whats going on in my brain except me. But I've had enough boy talk. This is a girls night, or did you forget?"
"Believe me, I didn't..." she said, putting the pizza box to the side before clutching a pillow, and hurling it at me.
I gasped in surprise, picking it up and looking at her. "Are you challenging me to a duel?"
She grabbed a long throw pillow, holding it up in a sword motion.
"En garde!" she declared, with a mischievous grin painting her face.
After a pretty tiresome pillow fight, the both of were sprawled out the soft carpet, engulfed in laughter.
I sat up, still clutching my stomach from laughing so hard as our hysterics slowly subsided. "Living with you is gonna be awesome"
"I can't thank you enough" she smiled. "If you never made the suggestion, I'd be shipped off to Phoenix by now."
"I still can't believe you actually scheduled a business phone call with my parents!" she cried, erupting into a fit of giggles again.
"Well, you said they were too busy with work, so I made it business" I shrugged. "Thank god they were cool with it though, because plan B would've been much more difficult to execute. Not to mention, slightly illegal"
"Yeah.. I think they call it kidnapping" she chuckled.
"Oh, we should make cookies!" I squealed in excitement, getting up.
"Hm, I'm craving brownies" she said.
"We'll make both then, come on!" I grinned, still slightly tipsy from laughter.
A week later
My fingers fiddled with the champagne coloured silk in my lap, as I internally groaned in frustration. I looked down, realising I was beginning to create creases and I smoothed them out, letting out a nervous breath.
A week had flown by so fast, and it was already prom night. I was in the front seat of Tristan's car, impatiently waiting to get there.
My nerves were eating me up, I couldn't comprehend a single word Tristan was saying to me, and I was just absentmindedly humming along. I spent the entire weekend at Sierra's house, in hopes to avoid.. everyone to be honest.
And when Monday rolled in, we barely had to be at school since it was our last week. I've done a great job in maintaining minimal contact with both Tristan and Brandon so I could have time to sort myself out, but it was getting ridiculous at this point. I felt like the last couple weeks had been leading to this day, because I have to make a choice.
Either, I have to cut ties with Tristan and spare Brandon's feelings - because romantic or not, it's obviously caused a lot of strain on our friendship and I already feel like we're drifting apart. Despite what he's said, he's clearly uncomfortable with it and I don't want to do something I can't take back. Or I can continue, and potentially lose him.
Ripping my gaze off from my hands, I looked at Tristan, whose eyes were focused on the road ahead.
He's been so nice to me. I don't want to hurt him.. but surely he knew it would be complicated, taking a chance with me when I was friends with Brandon.
But I'd be lying to myself and to him if I kept leading him on with no intent to be with him. He's been nothing short of perfect, any girl in my position would jump at the chance, and gladly want to date him. So why don't I? What's holding me back?
"Do you like him?"
"W-What?" I asked in surprise, startled by his question.
What did he mean by that? Does he know..?
"The artist playing, Stel" he laughed, pointing to the radio. I exhaled in relief, realising he was referring to the music and not actually reading my thoughts.
"Oh, yeah" I nodded, clearing my throat in attempt to hide the fact that my stomach just did a 360 at his seemingly mundane question.
"You look really nice, by the way"
"Thanks" I smiled, glimpsing down at my attire. It wasn't anything too fancy, just an off the shoulder, neutral toned, satin dress which reached just above my knees, and a pair of heels to match. My hair was down, because I really couldn't be bothered with an uncomfortable updo that I'd have to spend the whole night fixing.
I had to break my silence tonight.. one way or another, I need to figure out a way to talk to Brandon first. Alone.
Once we got there, he went off to meet up with his friends, while I scoured the room for my own friends. My eyes stopped as soon as they caught sight of a familiar brunette.
He looks so good in a tux.. way better than Tristan.
I mentally cursed myself for comparing the two, before starting to walk over to him, since he hadn't noticed my presence yet.
What am I gonna say?
I don't know.. I'll just roll with it, I guess. Here goes nothing.
Before I even got within a mile of him, I felt a hand grab mine, and judging by the sharp acrylics digging into my skin I could already take a guess on who it was..
"Alison" I greeted, smiling politely as I yanked my arm out of her grasp.
"Stay away from him" she ordered. "Everything has been going great ever since I told you to back off, so why ruin it now?"
"I'm not trying to get in the way of anything, I just need to talk to him!" I defended. "Can I not do that?"
"Nope" she said.
She can't be serious? I can't even talk to him?
"Well, you're a real trusting date, aren't you? Not over possessive at all" I scoffed.
"You can't be trusted. He talks about you too much, I don't like it" she said.
"Are you threatened by me?" I asked, stepping closer as I got a sudden rush of confidence. "Brandon can chose his own friends, you know"
"Not if those so-called 'friends' are trying to jump his bones" she said, grabbing a drink from the punch bowl next to us. "He doesn't wanna talk to you anyway"
My mouth flew open in shock.. she's got some nerve talking to me like that!
"Listen here, sweetheart" I whispered, being mindful of the fact that we were in a crowd of people as I tried to keep calm. "This is a social event, so I have every right to converse with anyone I choose. I just need to talk to him for one second"
She chuckled in amusement, swirling her cup in her hand. "That's a cute dress.. it'd be real shame if it were covered in blood red punch, huh?"
"You wouldn't!" I gasped, knitting my brows together as I looked at the cup which was dangerously close to my chest, and then back at her devilish smirk.
"Try me" she whispered, taking a sip before licking her lips. "I said it once before, don't make me say it again. Stay away from him, sweetheart"
And with that, she turned around and walked right back to him, leaving me stunned.
"Screw you!" I whispered, narrowing my eyes at the stupid punch bowl. "Stupid red.. liquid!"
"Insulting drinks, are we?"
I looked over my shoulder to see Musa and Bloom, which instantly elevated my mood.
"Whats wrong with red?" Bloom asked, twirling a piece of her hair in her fingers.
"Nothing" I laughed, shaking my head as I hugged the both of them. "You guys look uh-mazing"
"Speak for yourself, hot stuff" Musa winked, elbowing me. "Where's your quarterback?"
"I don't know, probably with the rest of the jocks, doing whatever the hell jocks do" I replied. "Where's Riv and Sky?"
"They were here when we walked through the door.. I don't know" Bloom shrugged.
"So, uh, why were you yelling at the punch? Did someone spike you?" Musa questioned.
"Nope.. but Alison talked to me" I said. "Apparently I'm banned from speaking to Brandon till further notice, and if I break this imaginary restraining order, I get a face full of strawberry.. uh- whatever this concoction is"
"She threatened to throw her drink at you? No worries, I'll show her what the floor tastes like" Musa said, turning on her heel.
"Hey! No- Wait up!" I said, clutching her arm as I yanked her back. "You can't beat her up, this isn't fight club! Just leave it, it's fine"
"It's not fine, she's a major brat who needs to be put in check, she can't get away with treating you like that! I say let her go" Bloom shrugged.
"Bloom! You're supposed to be good cop here" I reminded, rolling my eyes at my friends antics. "Just forget about the both of them, okay?"
"Fine. But we're not leaving your side, Stel" Musa said. "If she tries anything, I won't hesitate to shove this stiletto right up her-"
"Shhh! I get it!" I hushed, as some people were starting to shoot us concerning looks.
"Now, lets lay low and have some fun, I just want to enjoy tonight with my girls" I grinned, swinging my arms around their necks.
"Boo! You're no fun, Muse!" Bloom yelled over the lively music, as Musa disappeared into the crowd with Riven.
"Let her be" I laughed, sitting down on a nearby table. "At least her man wants to show up"
"Some lousy dates we have! Sky is half drunk, and Tristan is.. being a bit of a manwhore" she said, pointing to Tristan who was socialising with a bunch of people. All the guys on the team were a kinda close knit group, and they often affiliated with the cheer squad, so they were like this one big popular clique.
"That doesn't seem to bother you in the slightest?" Bloom asked.
"Alison's a cheerleader" I sneered, looking at her. She had joined the group, along with Brandon who fit in pretty well considering his popularity and place in the team.
Wait, why did I even bring up Alison? Bloom asked me about Tristan.
"Yes.. she is" Bloom acknowledged. "What are you-"
"Bloom, I need to talk to Brandon! Like, seriously, I can't go on like this another day" I admitted, leaning back into the chair, as slower songs started to play. "Ali has been latching onto him all freaking night. I've been sitting here patiently waiting for a chance to get him alone, having to endure watching her put her hands all over him, and she won't stand down for a single second!"
"I know" she said, squeezing my hand sympathetically. "I have an idea"
"Please, I am all ears" I said, leaning my elbows on the table in front of me as I looked up to her.
"Well, he obviously doesn't know Alison told you to back off, because he wouldn't let that stop him from talking to you. So he must think you're still ignoring him and acting all cold but if you went up to him and asked him to talk, in front of her, she wouldn't be able to do anything about it, because then she'd have to admit that she hates you and she's obviously pretending the opposite for his sake."
"But I can't just go up to them, she'd smell me from a mile away and do something" I said.
"Not during a slow dance" Bloom said. "She can't lash out in the middle of a slow dance, right?"
"I guess not.." I said, not exactly understanding what she was getting to.
"Well, your chance is walking over here right now" she said, pointing to Tristan who was approaching our table.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You can ask him to dance, well- he's probably coming to do that anyway"
I'm so not in the mood to dance right now.. especially with Tristan, who kinda ditched me the second we got here. Not that I'm mad about it, I'd take that over having to hang with him and his crowd any day.
"You guys are gonna go dance, and then you can get really close to Brandon and Ali. When the song changes you can switch, and dance with Brandon instead!" She said.
"That's- there's no way she's gonna let me do that" I said.
"What is she gonna do, scream at you in front of all these people?" she said. "She thinks she'd scared you off, but if you directly talk to them, she's just gonna have to go along with it"
"But.. what about Tristan? I feel like I'm using him.." I sighed.
"I hate to break it to you Stel, but if he was serious about you, he would've made an effort to talk to you instead of chatting up every other girl in this room. Trust me, I don't think he'll be that mad, if anything you're giving him a taste of his own medicine" she said.
"I don't know about this.." I said, burying my face in my arms.
"Hey, Stella"
I looked up to see Tristan standing over me, with his hand held out.
"Wanna dance?" he asked. "You've kinda just been sitting here all night"
Yeah, because you left me here, remember?
I glanced over at Bloom who was glaring at with a pretty threatening look on her face.
"Actually, I don't feel like-"
"She'd love to!" Bloom interjected, standing up beside us as she grabbed my wrist and pulled me up.
"Have fun" she smiled, pushing me into him. I widened my eyes at her, before turning back to Tristan and flashing a very artificial smile, taking his hand.
I guess I have no option now but to go along with it.
Spotting Alison and Brandon, I tugged his hand forward, muttering some excuse about how I was getting claustrophobic and that we should move somewhere with less people.
Once we were a good couple feet away from them, I got closer, wrapping my arms around his neck, as his settled on my waist. I looked over his shoulder, seeing Alison cuddled up to Brandon's chest. Her arms were snaked around his neck, as if she was clinging onto him for dear life. I had tried to avoid looking at them for my own good, but I felt myself tense up at the sight of her hands grazing his body.
I think she noticed my presence, because all of a sudden she got even closer, burying her face into his shoulder.
Oh boy, what the hell was I thinking? I can't do this.
I was about to open my mouth, to ask him if I could go get a drink or something, but I felt like I heard my name being called.
"Stel!"
Am I going crazy? Is my subconscious playing tricks on me with me again, because if so I swear-
"Psst, Stella!"
My eyes roamed the room until they settled on the very same pair of chocolate brown eyes I was gazing at earlier.
Brandon..?
Ali was facing the other way so his face was in full view to me, and his head perked up slightly in relief that I had heard him. He started mouthing something to me, clearly not wanting her to hear him.
"Dance with me"
"What?" I mouthed, my brows knitting in confusion.
Why the hell is he asking me to dance when she's clearly more than occupied doing just that?
"Just do it! Please, just come over here!" he mouthed back.
Are you kidding me? The whole reason I got up to dance was so that I could get a chance to talk to him, I thought I'd have to try harder than this. But okay..
Upon hearing the music end, I retracted my arms back, shifting on my heel uncomfortably. "You mind if I um.. I dance with someone else just for this song? I'll be right back!"
"Sure" he shrugged. I flashed him a quick smile, before shoving past a few people until I reached who I was looking for.
I sucked in a breath as they came into view, and Alison immediately stared daggers at me.
Just do it, Stella! Stop being so shaky, it's not like he's gonna say no, he asked you!
"Hey.. would it be okay if I stole your date for a second?" I chuckled nervously, mainly looking at Brandon who was nodding along discretely. Why was he so desperate to dance with me anyway?
"Stella, hey!" Brandon in fake surprise, acting as if he hadn't just spent the last two minutes begging me to interrupt.
"You wouldn't mind, right?" he asked Alison, practically ripping himself away from her.
"But- where's your little boy toy" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"You mean Tristan? He's right over there, oh you should go dance with him" I suggested, pointing in his direction.
"That is a great idea" Brandon agreed, prompting her to leave.
"Whatever. Don't miss me too much" she winked, before finally strutting off. And then, I heard the biggest pent up sigh of relief from Brandon.
"Are you practicing holding your breath underwater or something?" I laughed.
"She is the single most clingiest person I've ever encountered in my lifetime" he said. His hands gripped my waist with no warning, and the sudden contact made me flinch in his hold.
"Put your arms around me" he whispered, bringing me closer.
"W-what?" I stuttered, forgetting the context of the situation for a second.
"We need to look like we're actually dancing, put your arms around me!"
"Fine, no need to be so demanding" I muttered, doing as he said. His face was just inches away from mine, and all those stupid butterflies were coming back.
Okay, I need to muster up the courage to say something..
"Brandon, I-"
"I need a favour" he interrupted, quickly scanning the crowed in a cautious manner, before looking back at me. "I know you're still not exactly talking to me right now but I don't care, I can't spend another second around her"
"What? I thought you totally loved her, what happened to that?" I asked, trying to hide the blatant bitterness in my tone.
"Maybe if you hadn't been ghosting me all this time, you'd know that I don't like her like that, I don't think I ever will. But she doesn't seem to get the memo"
"About time you saw the light" I muttered. "What am I supposed to do about it?"
"Just don't leave me alone with her!" he said.
"You're not serious..? I came here with a date, I can't just ditch him because you need to be babysat"
"What, Tristan?" he scoffed, "Could've fooled me. I haven't seen him spend a single second with you all night"
"You know what, I'm so tired of you continuously bitching about him. At least he makes an effort to be nice to you, can't say the same for Alison" I said. "You know she threatened to pour punch on me if I spoke to you?"
"What? The reason you haven't said two words to me all night is because you're scared of her?" he said, a tinge of amusement in his voice.
"No, idiot, I'm not scared of her" I retorted, rolling my eyes. "This dress was not cheap, and she practically punctured my poor arm with those claws of hers. But hey, it's not like you'll believe me anyway"
"For the tenth time, I never said I didn't believe you! I just said maybe you misinterpreted something and-"
"I didn't!" I exclaimed, starting to get irritated "Why can't you just trust me when I say she's bad for you?"
"Why can't you trust me when I say Tristan's bad for you?" he challenged.
"Leave him out of it, this isn't about him!"
"Isn't it? Because ever since you've been hanging around with him, you've totally neglected our friendship" he said.
Unbelievable! I came here to try and smooth things out, and now he's blaming me for this?
"You are one to talk" I scoffed, "You think I've neglected our friendship?! Your little girlfriend has made it crystal clear that I'm not allowed to talk to you, if that doesn't scream toxic then I don't know what does"
"Stop using Ali as an excuse, she's not the reason you've been pushing me away. Every time I attempt to start a conversation you quite literally run off to the next town. You had weeks to tell to me about that... I've asked you countless times, but every chance you got, you just blew me off" he said.
I fell silent, not daring to speak because he was right. He was completely right.
I was in no position to be telling him that he was a bad friend, especially when I made no effort to talk to him about all this.
"You clearly have a no regard for how I feel, because I have beating myself up for the past month trying to figure what I did to make you this pissed at me, so please enlighten me, Stella. What the hell is going on with you?"
Pursing my lips together, I tried so hard to think of what to say to fix this, just realising how messed it had gotten thanks to me. That feeling of lingering guilt I had was just building up inside of me, and his words had set it off like a bomb.
All this time, I've been trying to avoid hurting him, and that's exactly what I ended up doing anyway.
Suddenly everything became so loud, and all I could hear was the music blaring through the room, and the voices of everyone else but myself. I felt like the walls were caving in on me, but really it just the sea of people chattering around me. My knees felt weak, and it was like my lungs were just void of oxygen, and I was suffocating.
I couldn't do this, not here. I need some air, asap.
"Come with me" I whispered, taking a step back as my arms dropped back to my sides. I grasped his hand, tagging him along as I made my way out, through the hallways and out the main entrance.
I breathed in the refreshing summer air, letting the cool night breeze encompass me as I instantly felt better. It was quiet and there was no one out here, except the two of us.
After a moment of silence passed, I turned to face him and with just one glance at his face in the moonlight, it all came crashing down.
"I'm so sorry, Brandon" I whispered, meaning it with every ounce of sincerity I had left. "This is all my fault"
His expression softened, and genuine surprise painted his features. He was probably expecting that I brought him out here so I could just yell at him in private, but I was done with this pointless back and fourth arguing. We kept falling into the same endless pattern, just evading the real reason we were fighting in the first place.
"I never meant to make you feel responsible, you haven't anything wrong, I promise. I just- I didn't want you to hate me, okay?" I choked out, feeling a lump in my throat.
"I don't hate you, why would you think that?" he whispered softly.
"Because you should! I didn't listen to you, and didn't take into account how much it would hurt you if I was with Tristan. After everything you've been through, I just forced you to forgive him, which you clearly don't and thats okay-"
"You didn't force me to do anything" he interrupted.
"But you did it for me, and I should never have asked you to do it in the first place, because you're still hurting. I was too selfish to acknowledge that and I'm sorry" I sighed, feeling myself fill up with regret. "You told me not to get involved with him, and I acted all morally superior and condescending, as if I knew him better than you did"
"You can't help who you're attracted to. I don't blame you, Stella. You don't need to apologise" he said.
Can he stop being so understanding and nice! It's making this ten times harder.. I wish he'd just yell at me and call it a day, it'd to my conscience wonders.
"That's exactly it, it's not even him I'm attracted to!" I exasperated, raking my hands through my hair in frustration. Realising how that came out by the perplexed expression on his face, my eyes widened.
"I mean- not that I'm a-attracted to someone else! Just.. the past few months, I have no idea where my feelings were, but I can tell you for a fact that I never intended to actually start anything serious with him. I wish I could take it all back, because now it's just gone way too far, and I don't know how to let him down without hurting him too. Have I mentioned how much of an insensitive, self-centred, inconsiderate, stone-cold bitch I've been, I-"
"Hey, stop it!" He interjected, his hands lightly grasping my shoulders as the space between us become almost non-existent.
"Sunshine, just calm the fuck down, please" he whispered, making my breath hitch. His fingers caressed the skin near my neck, and despite his touch being extremely soothing, it still sent shivers down my spine.
"You tolerated me trying to date the one guy you couldn't stand, you didn't even wanna go out with Alison and I basically forced you two together only to whine about how much I hated her the next day, and then I treat you like crap for weeks. How could you possibly not hate me right now?" I whispered, focusing all my efforts on suppressing the urge to burst out crying.
"The only thing I hate is seeing you like this" he whispered, his eyes fixated on mine. "Why didn't you just talk to me?"
"Because I just felt so guilty... but, I'm mostly sorry for making you feel like there was ever choice between the two of you. If I had known there was even a small chance I'd lose you over this, I would have never even looked in his direction, because it's not even a question... of course I'd pick you"
"Well.. that's nice to know"
I felt my stomach drop at that moment, instantly recognising that voice. Tristan.
Perfect fucking timing... I knew fate despised me but this was a new low.
Realising how bad this must've looked and sounded, I took multiple footsteps back so fast I almost tripped.
"Wow, sharing girls again. I guess we just can't get past the.. well, you know, past" he chuckled humourlessly.
"N-No, Tristan, it's not what you think!" I defended. "I didn't mean-"
"Hey, I get it" he shrugged. "I actually applaud you, didn't think he'd ever stop moping about the last one"
"But.. you could've at least had the decency to say it to my face" He scoffed coldly, letting an aggravated scowl consume his features, before he walked back in.
You've royally screwed it up now..
My gaze switched between the doors, and back to Brandon, contemplating what to do.
"Go. I'll wait for you" he said, with a look on his face I couldn't quite identify. Usually around Tristan he was always agitated, but he didn't have a trace of resentment or anger in his eyes, despite Tristan literally insulting him and bringing up Mitzi. He looked like he didn't give a care in the world, and he was totally content.
Or maybe it was just satisfaction because now Tristan was most definitely out of the picture?
"Thanks" I said.
"Hey, Stel.." he whispered lowly. I turned back to face him for a second.
"You haven't lost me. And you never will, I promise" he said earnestly, a warm smile tugging at his lips that somehow assured me that everything would be okay.
I nodded, turning back around to hide the grin that was creeping on my face.
But then I came to my senses, remembering what had just happened, and a frown soon replaced it. I followed Tristan through the hallways - as fast as I could, considering I was wearing 5 inch heels - and eventually caught up to him.
"Tristan! Can you just hear me out, please?" I pleaded, watching as he finally came to a stop, leaning against a locker.
"There's nothing to left to say" he said.
"Of course there is! Like, I'm sorry for a start"
Geez, I'm doing a lot of apologising today. Considering how overdue they were, I guess my dignity can withstand it.
"Sorry it happened, or sorry I caught you?" he asked.
"You're being ridiculous, nothing happened! And besides, you yourself said we weren't exclusive, it's not like I cheated on you" I said. "You know I didn't mean it like that. Brandon and I are just friends"
"You keep telling yourself that" he sneered, pulling himself off the wall as he began to wonder down the halls again.
"For what it's worth, I really am sorry!" I yelled, not having the energy to run after him.
He momentarily stopped, looking over his shoulder one last time.
"I think you came here the wrong guy, Stel" he stated, saying nothing else and walking off.
Maybe he was right...
"Are you sure you accept my apology?" I asked, eyeing Brandon skeptically as we strolled down the empty sidewalk.
"Yeah, I think the ice cream pretty much covered it" he grinned, indicating to the dripping cup in his hand.
It was really pretty late, and prom ended a while ago. Meaning, everyone had already ditched by the time we went back in, including all our friends, so we decided to leave too. Only, Tristan was my ride, and Brandon came with Sky, so the both of us were kinda stranded and we opted to walk home. But not before taking a quick pit stop at the ice cream store, because of my unrelenting insistence to buy him ice cream to make up for.. everything.
"We looked ridiculous walking in there at almost midnight, dressed all formal" he said.
"Speak for yourself mister" I sassed, peering at his dishevelled state. He couldn't stand being in a tux for any longer, and on the way there he'd already lost his blazer, his shirt was half undone and his tie was.. well, somehow it ended up around my neck?
"I obviously look impeccable" I joked, looking down at the loosely hung tie, which definitely added some.. zest to my outfit, I guess?
"You look beautiful, Sunshine"
The sudden compliment took me by surprise, making me stop walking as I stared at him in shock.
"R-Really?" I questioned in astonishment, biting down on my lip to prevent myself smiling like an idiot.
Why was I biting back a smile? It's no big deal, it's just a cliche comment, right?
"Why do you do that? Every time I compliment you, you look like I just stuck a knife in your chest" he chuckled, tugging my arm, prompting me to carry on walking.
"It was just.. out of the blue, thats all" I shrugged. "But thank you"
"I would've told you earlier, if you hadn't been hissing at me like a feral cat" he teased, throwing his empty ice cream cup in a nearby trashcan.
I rolled my eyes playfully, not even bothering to argue since, admittedly I was being a bit vicious at times.
"You clean up pretty well yourself." I said, elbowing him. "You definitely looked better in this tie than I do"
"Oh I have to disagree there" he said, fiddling with the end of it and swaying it around like a freaking dog leash.
"Careful, you're gonna choke me!" I warned, trying to keep up with his ridiculous movements without being strangled.
"Not my style, but I can be convinced" he winked.
"I'm serious, Brandon!" I groaned, starting to stumble on my heels which were absolutely killing my feet after walking halfway across town.
I was suddenly jerked forward, not anticipating the abrupt movement, and I lost my balance as I let out a panicked shriek. I crashed right into Brandon's chest, and my hands clung onto his collar as he secured an arm beneath my waist, breaking my fall.
"And now you're choking me" he snickered, as my grip tightened on his shirt in fear of falling again.
"I will if you don't stop laughing" I whined. "I could've shattered my vertebrae"
"Nah, my reflexes are too good. You're lucky a klutz like yourself has me to save you from all those potential hefty medical bills" he said.
"I wouldn't need your reflexes if you stopped tripping me up in the first place" I said, tearing off the fabric around my neck as I threw it back to it's original owner.
"Also, these heels.." I groaned, separating myself from his hold for what felt like the dozenth time today. "..Are a death trap!"
I bent down, slipping out of them before picking the pumps up by their heels. "That feels amazing.." I smiled in bliss, finally being able feel my feet again.
"You're gonna walk barefoot?" he asked.
"Dude, we're literally on our street" I pointed out. "I think I'll be fine. Besides, it's just smooth pavement, not a war site"
"I think Alison and Tristan hooked up" he blurted out randomly.
"What?! How'd you know?" I gasped.
"Well, I kinda saw them leave together" he said, clearly stifling a laugh.
We both looked at each other, before bursting into laughter.
"Isn't it concerning to you that-" I said, between giggles. "we find it funny that our respective prom dates left the both of us to be together? Shouldn't we be the slightest bit.. I dunno, betrayed? Upset, maybe?"
"Considering we kinda did the same thing to them, I think it's fair.." he chuckled.
"So.. is that it. Are you done with Alison?" I asked.
"Well if I wasn't already, her hooking up with Tristan definitely confirmed it" he said. "What about you, are you okay? Do you need me to like.. I don't know, beat his ass or something?"
"No, god no" I laughed. "I'll be fine. So, you think I can stay over tonight? I kinda owe Liam a sleepover for ditching him last week"
"It's okay Stella, you can admit it. You're just yearning to watch me lounge around shirtless again" he smirked cockily.
"Watch it! You're on real thin ice here" I warned, smacking his shoulder.
"Yeah, I missed you too, Sunshine" he chuckled.
If you made it to the end.. wow, thank you. That was the longest chapter yet, 12k words (sorry not sorry).
Tbh this was a complete mess of a chapter and writers block was killing me on this one, so I hope you guys liked it. From now on their relationship will have less conflict in it guess (but just for a while, there's much much more drama to come), and the next couple chapters are gonna be exclusively Brella bonding.
I'd love to hear what you guys thought, so remember to review. Love you all ! ❤︎