Chapter four:
Magenta looked up at Will as he sat across from her at the lunch table. When he looked back at her and smiled she felt the same queasiness in her stomach that she had since she had first laid eyes on him. She really didn't understand what the feeling was, but Layla assured her that it was butterflies-meaning that she liked Will.
But she didn't. She couldn't! She barely even knew him.
Sure he was cute with his charming grin and how his hair had grown over the past few months and now in hung down a little in front of his eyes. Will had also beefed up since he got his powers and he was looking very, VERY, good. But Magenta would never admit this to herself, let alone anyone else.
When she realized that Will was looking at her expectantly she asked, "What?"
Will chuckled, "I asked how you are."
"Oh," She said feeling put out for some reason. "I'm good."
Will looked at her in amusement, "I'm good as well. Thank you for asking."
Magenta shrugged, "Anytime."
Will picked up his fork and began to eat his lunch that consisted of everything there was on the school menu today. Magenta soon found out the reason he ate so much was because now that his powers had manifested, it seemed that he was always hungry for some reason. Layla had said that before he had gotten his powers, he had a fast metabolism, now he was like the equivalent of a human garbage disposal.
"So," he began as he swallowed his fifth bite of food. "Are you doing anything tonight?"
Oh gosh. He had been asking the same question for the past month and every time she told him she was busy. There was nothing wrong with him, but she wasn't ready to see what would happen between them when it was just the two of them. Usually she had an excuse to not hang out with him: like having to do a project with Zach or she is hanging out Layla, or she was going to the store with her mom. Either way, she always had something to do and she could say she was busy without feeling guilty.
This weekend was a different story. She had nothing to do tonight since Zach was going over to Ethan's house for a video game night; Layla and Warren were going to have date night (she gagged at this when Layla told her about it with a dreamy face.) And her mom had gone to visit her Aunt for the weekend.
She had the option of lying to him or telling him the truth.
Looking at him, with his big brown eyes looking hopefully at her, she realized she couldn't say no; not this time.
"I'm not doing anything."
Will smiled at her, "Want to hang out?"
"Sure," she agreed with an uncomfortable smile on her face. It wasn't that she didn't want to hang out with him. Really, he was nice and funny and they had a good time when they were with their friends and Layla to play mediator for them. What were they going to talk about when it was just the two of them? Did they have anything in common?
Great, now she was nervous.
Without so much as a goodbye, she got up and left, making Will look after her with a confused face, but she didn't care. She needed to talk to Layla.
After searching the halls and classrooms for about five minutes, she finally found them in the gym. They were playfully wrestling each other. Magenta rolled her eyes at how 'cute' they looked.
"Hope I'm not interrupting." She said as she walked into the room.
"No, of course not," Layla smirked at her. "I was just about to let Warren have a break from me kicking his butt." She winked at her best friend and Magenta couldn't help but smile back her. If there was one thing she liked about Layla dating Warren was that he brought out a confidence in her that Magenta had never seen before.
"Yeah right, Hippy. You know it was me who had you." Warren protested crossing his arms with a mock glare on his face.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, babe." Layla said, patting his arm in sympathy.
Warren rolled his eyes, but surprisingly, he didn't say anything about her using a nickname to her. Magenta was shocked, Warren HATED nicknames.
"As cute as your guys' banter is, and it is oh-so-adorable," Magenta said with sarcasm, "I need to talk to my best friend before you hog her all night."
Warren glared at her, then turned to Layla with an eyebrow raised, "You gonna let her talk about us like that?"
Layla shrugged, "You will have me tonight." She reached up and kissed his cheek, then turned and walked up to her and asked, "Shall we?"
"What am I supposed to do?" Warren called after her, like a lost puppy dog.
Layla didn't even look back at him, "I don't know, go eat with Will and the guys."
When Layla finally reached her at the door Magenta motioned for Layla to lead the way. As they were walking away, she turned and gave a cocky in-your-face grin at Warren who glowered back at her. Taking a moment to bask in her victory over Warren, Magenta caught up to Layla and then quickly pulled her into the first room she saw that was empty.
"I'm freaking out!" Magenta said as soon as the door closed behind them. She needed the privacy so that she could actually open up to her best friend. Magenta didn't know what to do to stop the nervousness that had over taken her and she had no idea what it was that she wanted to say.
"Why?" Layla said; her whole face took on a look of concern for her. Magenta sighed and sat down at a desk.
Magenta looked at her friend in horror before she buried her face in her hands, so as not to have to look at her when she professed to her what was going on. "IagreedtohangoutwithWilltonight," she rushed out in one breath, hands still hiding her face.
"What did you say?" Layla said confused.
Sighing, Magenta looked at her in exasperation, "I said that I agreed to hang out with Will tonight."
Layla paused for a moment and then a slow smile spread across her face, "And this is a bad thing because…" she prompted.
"Because," Magenta stuttered for a moment. "It just is!" She cried when she couldn't think of anything else to say.
Layla nodded and sat down next to her, "I think you don't want to hang out with him because you have a crush on him."
"I DO NOT!" Magenta yelled at her. She wasn't getting it. She didn't like Will like that. Just because she noticed that he was super cute and just because she noticed that he was trying to grow a mustache DID NOT MEAN SHE LIKED HIM! Why couldn't her best friend understand that?
Layla raised her eyebrows at her, "I think 'the lady doth protest too much'," Layla said with a twinkle in her eyes.
Magenta scowled at her, "Don't use Shakespeare against me."
"'To thine own self be true'," Layla continued to quote.
"Can you be any more annoying?"
Layla looked at her as if she were deep in thought, "'Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven'. Just take a chance. Don't be a coward."
Magenta glared at her, "I'm not being a coward!"
"'Coward: One who, in a perilous emergency, thinks with his legs'." Layla said with a nodded of finality.
Magenta looked down at her hands thinking of who said that quote, but she came up blank. She would have to look it up at home. She was not going to ask Layla who it was by. Never would she give her that satisfaction.
Layla must have known what she was thinking of because she said, "Ambrose Bierce."
Magenta nodded, "I would never have thought of him." She conceded after a moment.
Layla smiled her, the same smile Magenta herself gave to Warren when they left the gymnasium five minutes ago, "I know."
Magenta smiled at her best friend. It was rare that Layla was able to out quote her. The smile left her face when she remembered what they were talking about in the first place, "What am I going to do? I already agreed."
Layla shrugged, "Just hang out with him. Go somewhere public if you think you can't control yourself around him."
Magenta punched her in the arm, "Shut up!"
"Hey," Layla cried rubbing her arm. "I was just making a suggestion. You guys can go somewhere secluded if that is what you prefer." When Magenta went to hit her in the arm again, Layla moved out of the way and then stuck her tongue out at her. Layla got serious a second later, "Look, if you guys go out tonight, and you don't have fun or you realize that you don't like him, than what is the harm?"
What was the harm? This could be her opportunity to see if she liked Will or not. This could be her only chance to know once and for all if the 'butterflies in her stomach were real. "Your right," she said after a moment.
"I know," Layla replied. "I usually am."
Magenta looked at Layla in amusement, "What has Warren done to you?"
"What do you mean," Layla asked in confusion.
"You're more confident. I like this sassy Layla."
She smiled at her, "I feel confident. I mean, have you seen my boyfriend?"
Magenta laughed at her friends joke. "Well, if you getting a boyfriend makes you this confident, then maybe I should get one as well."
"I hear Will is available."
Here is a brand new chapter, with so little time spent in between!
I feel very proud of myself. You should be proud of me too!
I got my job done; now it is time for you to do yours and leave me a lovely little review!