Author's Note: And here is chapter six! Warning! WARNING! There will be fluff! :D ! Here the sparks fly ;). And i don't know if you've seen the tiny topic on my forum, it's for the homecoming chapter, i have three ideas so i was wondering if any of you have a preference. Drop your vote, please? Anyways, Hope you enjoy this one. Review!
Warren and I walked through the corridor decorated corridor. As we walked, we earned ourselves shocked and astounded stares from some people who were there. It already started I guess, but we have a long way to go. We finally got to the gym where the doors were already wide open. When we stepped in, I was amazed. "Check Yes Juliet" by We The Kings was playing; some people were standing and chatting by the food and drink tables while others were at tables or on the dance floor. It was dazzling. The room was decorated with flowing ribbons attached to the ceiling, balloons, hanging lanterns; the tables were covered in white and purple tablecloths and were surrounded by white chairs. It was just altogether resplendent. I tried spotting Magenta and the others but I couldn't see them. I hope she prepared Ethan and Zach for the big surprise.
"Quite the attention seekers, aren't we?" Warren said jokingly, referring to the stunned, wide-eyes, open-mouthed stares we were getting. We made our way over to a table and sat opposite from each other.
"So, what's the plan?" he asked.
Yeah, what was the plan? I thought for a minute before answering him. "Well for now, we just sit there and look pretty. Whenever Will shows up, I take it you know what to do."
"Oh, of course" Warren answered, his lips curving into a scheming smile. He was really going to enjoy this. Then I felt a small tap on my shoulder and I turned around. There stood a golden haired, tall-ish, blond guy in a black suit with matching trousers. He wore expensive looking shoes and I noticed a piercing on the top of his left ear. "Wanna dance?" he asked, an inviting smile on his face with a hand gesture indicating the dance floor where couples moved intertwined in each other. I looked from him to Warren, wondering what I should do. He merely shrugged dispassionately, so I stood up and followed the fair-haired guy to the dance floor where "Through the Trees" by Low Shoulder got louder. Around me couples were slow dancing, completely enlaced in each other. Jeez, get a room. I looked back to the guy. His face looked vaguely familiar. I think I've seen him before, Alan something.
"What's your name again?" I asked him.
He took my left hand and slowly brought it up to rest on his shoulder, at the same time puling me closer by the waist, and he held my other one in his left. He close enough now for me to see his almond ivy green eyes, and his thin sandy eyebrows. Strands of his hair fell in his eyes. He's handsome. I wonder what grade he's in and why I've never seen him around that much. "I'm Alan. Alan Morraux." He said, his voice low and velvety. "And you look gorgeous tonight, Layla." He pulled me even closer to him till my face was only centimeters away from his chest. "Uh, t-thanks." I said nervously, getting a bit uncomfortable with the contact, but this was the first compliment I had gotten tonight. He started moving with the music and I raised my head up. "Just so you know, I can't dance." I said, a bit embarrassed, "I don't want you to go home with blisters on your toes from me stepping on them so much."
He simply chuckled gently and replied, "It's okay, don't worry. Just keep up with me, it's not that hard." He took one step to his right his left foot following and I followed, stepping to his right. I let him lead me and soon enough it felt natural. I didn't even have to look down to my feet anymore. "See," I suddenly heard in my ear, "All you have to do is trust me. Let me take control," Alan spoke. His voice had changed. It was darkly sinister with a hint of menace. His grip on my waist strengthened, getting tighter. He held me against him, and I felt him inhaling deeply at the top of my head and then shakily exhaling. What the hell was he doing? I stiffened in his arms. Then I felt his hand slide down from my waist to the more exposed part of my stomach, going lower past my hip, and resting at the beginning of the long slit of my dress. My breath hitched in my throat. What was he doing? I tried breaking away from him and it was then I realized…I couldn't move! My muscles contracted and I tried with every ounce of my being to move but I couldn't. He brought his head down to my forehead and pressed his lips to it in a kiss. The music and chatter was slowly fading out around me and I felt him smile against my skin. What was he doing to me?
"I think she's danced enough for now, don't you?" I heard a familiar deep voice say, with a scary intimidating edge to it. All of a sudden, my arms plopped down to my sides and I felt heavier. I could move. As fast as I tore myself away from Alan and almost ran to Warren's side. He gave me a worried look before fixing Alan with a cold stare. I shifted my attention to Alan and he was standing calmly observing us. "Oh, my bad! If you say so. I guess I'll see you around, Layla, have a nice night." He said to me, with a warm smile before turning his back to us, walking away. Had I just imagined the whole thing? He smiled so innocently, and his voice was completely relaxed. But still, no. I couldn't have imagined my being frozen in place like a pillar of salt. "You alright?" I heard to my right. I looked to see Warren looking worried still.
"Yeah, yeah, it's okay don't worry, I'm fine." I said.
"I'm not convinced." He said after awhile, "But whatever happened, try not to find yourself alone with that guy again. He looked strangely…I don't know how to say it. But let's just say I had a bad vibe, and that's why I followed close.
Followed close? "You followed us?" I inquired.
"Well someone has to keep an eye on you, hippie. And from the looks of it he was getting way too close for comfort." He said, his voice hardening. "Can't you simply take care of yourself? Jeez I'm not gonna be there babysitting you all the time, grow up." I was surprised when I felt a pinch in my chest. That stung a bit, but it was true. I was always relying on him these days. I'm sure it wasn't a day at the beach for him at all. I really have to become less dependent on everyone.
"You're right, so um, I'm gonna go get a drink." I said.
"Sure, I'll be at the table." He said.
I turned, walking away from him and to the food tables. The lights projected by the disco ball were flickering around that area. I reached the tables and opened a half-empty bottle of Sprite. I poured some in a paper cup and leaned against a nearby wall, drinking. My eyes scanned the room for Magenta and the others and I found them on far left side of the room, sitting together at a table. Ethan was engaged in what seemed like a very heated conversation with Zach when Magenta shut him up. She rolled her eyes and spun what looked like an empty bottle on the table. Oh, they were playing spin the bottle. Well at least they were having fun. I looked over to the other side of the room, taking another sip of my sprite and something caught my eye. The raven-haired girl was in a red, floor-length, figure-hugging halter dress and the boy in black dress pants and a long sleeved white dress shirt. His auburn hair was messy as usual. Will. His hands were resting on her hips and her hands were wrapped around his neck.
They were dancing to the slow song playing. I watched as he buried his face in the crook of her neck and hugged her closer to him. I could feel my eyes beginning to well with tears. This wasn't supposed to affect me. No. I wasn't supposed to feel anything. So why did it hurt? Why did it pain me so much to see him with someone else like that? With her. I don't need him. It's not as if he even considers me as a love interest to why should I bother? He whispered something in her ear and she giggled, briefly standing on her tippy toes to give him a kiss on the cheek.
I walked back to the refreshments table and dropped my cup, quickly walking to find the nearest exit. As soon as I was out, the tears began to fall, blurring my view as I walked through the corridors, before finally getting there.
It wasn't the courtyard, but the small school garden. There was a water fountain, sprinkling water a bit everywhere. I walked to a wooden bench under one of the trees and sat down. I shut my eyes tightly, letting the remaining tears stream down my face. I felt the muscles of my face were contorted into a grimace. I probably looked horrible now, my makeup ruined and all. But I had to get back inside soon, before anyone thought something was up. Actually, who will? Nobody in there gives a damn what's going on. They're having a good time. I know Magenta would care, but I can't afford to spoil her night. Warren is right. It's high time I take care of myself instead of constantly whining.
"You know, I'm starting to wonder how this always happens." I heard someone say. There was no doubt as to who that someone was. I felt him sit beside me. "I find you, you're a mess, and I'm the only one around, so I can't help but stick around." He finished with a sigh. I stayed in my corner of the bench, not facing him, not uttering a word.
"I saw." He said quietly with seriousness. I still didn't say anything. The wind blew swiftly, making goosebumps begin to rise on my arms. I should have grabbed my scarf before coming out here, but I would have probably broken down in there, so, it's not really that a big deal. The wind insolently blew again. It felt like an eternity before he finally spoke again.
"You may be surprisingly stupid, hippie, but at least you can figure this out" he said belittling. "Okay, so there's a little girl. She gets a really beautiful and amazing puppy for her birthday. She plays with her every single day, and she won't let anybody else touch her. They're inseparable. Then a few years pass, and the girl grows older, but she still loves her puppy." I listened to him, slowly coming out of my corner, and sitting normally. "But then one day, another girl gets really jealous, and so she tries to become friends with the girl, to spend more time with her so that she doesn't play with her puppy anymore. Little by little, the girl becomes distant and the puppy feels the change and gets sad because she feels abandoned, unloved, and alone. Then the little girl starts kicking the puppy out whenever that other girl came to visit. It gets worse, the little girl won't let the puppy sleep in her bed anymore, she stops feeding her, and she literally ignores her entire existence. The puppy gets depressed and…you can guess what happens with the lack of attention and affection." He finished. I found that I was tightly gripping the fabric of my dress as I was intently listening to him tell the story.
"According to you" he said, "Who is to blame for the puppy's death?"
I nearly jumped at him, shouting. "Well, the little girl of course, I mean, come on! Why? Just because she finds someone else to play with? That could never replace the years she had with the puppy, and she couldn't even see that other 'friend' was just jealous. Why did she only start caring about playing with her now otherwise? The puppy was just helpless, seeking the affection she usually got from her owner and all she got was rejection, but she still crawled back every time! That's not right! I'm sorry but that puppy should have pride even if it's beyond an animal to feel that, and that little girl doesn't know what she had. The puppy had been her friend from the start; she can't just replace her like that. And the puppy didn't have to die for someone that didn't even deserve her!" I finished my chest heaving as I breathed heavily, flustered.
"Well," Warren said, eyes slightly widened in surprise at my sudden outburst, "I see when I put it that way you understand."
"What do you mean, when you put what in what way?" I asked him, confused.
He sighed, exasperated. "You're the puppy." He said, looking to me. Wait…that means he called me beautiful and amazing? No, probably just part of the story. But I slowly realized that he was right. Will and I were inseparable until he got busy and distracted with Gwen. Then he didn't 'have time' anymore, and it was like his friends didn't even exist. Like I didn't exist. Instead he started dating her and didn't even tell me about it. No, he lied. Yet, I was still crying over him? It's true that real friendship never dies, but right now, if I keep going like this, I'll end up like the puppy. So heavily dependent on that affection that my life revolves around it and I'm totally desperate. No, I won't let that happen to me. How come I had never realized this before? It made perfect sense.
"Thank you, Warren." I said. Hearing my voice I realized it was filled with more emotion than I had intended to let show.
"No problem, hippie. Just glad you finally get it." He said casually with some true relief in his voice.
"No, seriously, I mean" I said beginning to stammer as I searched for words that would express my gratitude. "Really, thank you. These days, I don't know what I would have become if you hadn't been there. I would probably be at home, stuffing myself with food, crying my eyes out like the baby I am. But now I don't want to force people to pick up the pieces after my messes anymore."
I paused for a second to make sure he was still paying attention and not tuning out, even if it wasn't like him. I was rambling quite a lot. But he was giving me his undivided attention, and his eyes were intently fixed on me. Did I have something on my face?
"And I promise, I'll definitely stop whining and learn how to handle myself, so that you don't have to stick around that much anymore." I said, half-jokingly before realizing what I was implying. Another brisk, cold wind blew and I shivered. He noticed.
"N-not that I don't want you around, it's actually the opposite, in fact you're really reliable, too reliable, and that's why I don't want to depend on you anymore, not that I don't need you, it's just-" I was caught off by his finger which he had softly pressed to my lips. It felt warm.
"Damn, don't you ever stop talking?" he said with a slightly annoyed look on his face, which also was a bit reflected in his tone
He moved closer to me and put his hands on my shoulders, rubbing up and down my upper arms. The warmth his hands emitted spread throughout my body. He was probably using his fire power at a very low intensity. It felt soothing and comforting. After a few seconds, I was no longer cold.
"You know, I'm relieved you've finally decided to take matters in your own hands, hippie. But I don't know about not leaving you be and not pissing you off anymore" he said, his hands stopping their rubbing motion, but still remaining on my upper arms. "Besides, I've sort of taken to babysitting you." He finished leaning in, his voice lower. His right hand went up to my face to brush away a strand of hair in front of my eyes and tucking it behind my ear. His hand lingered, and I felt my cheeks grow hot. I looked at him and found myself staring into his dark auburn eyes. I felt frozen in place, but at the same time I had the urge to inch closer. His hand went to cup my cheek with his palm and he ran his thumb lightly over my lower lip sending a quick jolt of electricity down my spine. What was this? I was struggling to keep my breathing even, as my eyes were glued to his and I couldn't tear them away. It was dark but the moonlight shone allowing me to see them lit with fervor and something else I couldn't quite put my finger on. Did they always have that charming glimmer in them? I could see his smooth-looking skin up close as I leaned in closer to him, shortening the distance between us. I wonder how it felt. Shyly, I brought a hand up to rest on his cheek. It was indeed endearingly soft. My heart was threatening to leap out of my chest. He leaned in even closer, our noses almost touching and his slightly full, tempting lips only a breath away from my own tingling ones. Did I want him to kiss me? Of course you do! You're practically begging for it the little voice in my head accused. Truth be told, my hand had caressed its way down to his neck, getting under his dark brown hair that was down and I was trying to bring him closer. I felt his breath on my lips, now our noses were touching before he dipped his head lower, ever so lightly brushing my lips with his, before starting to slowly pull away.
Oh no, you don't. And with that I closed the painfully short distance between us and captured his lips in a gentle yet demanding kiss.
This can't be real. I'm kissing Warren? Of course, it had to be real to feel this amazing. Well, he started it, but still maybe he had second thoughts and wanted to pull away and I forced him to? I just keep on getting myself in these situations. My train of thought was completely cut off as Warren responded fervently, his lips pressing harder against mine, as his hold on my waist tightened. The smell of his alluringly sweet cologne combined with the way his lips expertly moved over mine was too much. I gave into the feeling and brought both of my arms up, to wrap them up around his neck, hugging him closer to me. I inhaled sharply as I felt him gently bite my lower lip in response.
I had never in my whole life thought that a kiss could feel this good. And the way he held me, the way his strong arms encircled me, it made me feel…safe.
Author's Note: Okay, don't grade me too hashly, this is my first fluff! Got a huge exam in a few days so i probably won't update for a while, bear with me. But i will be back! (Muahahaha :) REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!