Chapter 6: The Rich Thing

Frankyfitzfuck (16:37) Grace? You there?

Violetsaregrace (16:45) Franks! Wait, brb!

Frankyfitzfuck (16:45) sure (:

Violetsaregrace (16:53) Sozzles, dad wanted to test me on my French.

Frankyfitzfuck (16:53) weren't you going to drop that after GCSEs?

Violetsaregrace (16:54) Yup. Dad said no.

Frankyfitzfuck (16:55) Must do what Daddy says lol

Violetsaregrace (16:55) Oh, I'm totes dropping it after AS

Frankyfitzfuck (16:56) cool uhm

Violetsaregrace (16:56) What?

Frankyfitzfuck (16:56) Rich told me about… you know…

Violetsaregrace (16:56) Uh no?

Frankyfitzfuck (16:56) The kiss

Violetsaregrace. (16:59) Oh, that little thing! Why did he tell you that? I was just helping him out.

Frankyfitzfuck (16:59) Yeah and why didn't you tell me?

Violetsaregrace (17:01) I was just helping him out!

Frankyfitzfuck (17:01) Sure… when you gonna admit you fancy him?

Violetsaregrace (17:01) I don't!

Frankyfitzfuck (17:02) Would you help Alo by kissing him?

Violetsaregrace (17:02) Alo isn't like Rich… Rich is really shy and needed the help.

Frankyfitzfuck (17:03) That isn't the reason and you know it.

Violetsaregrace (17:04) Ugh… I gtg

Frankyfitzfuck (17:05) What?! Don't go just because of that

Violetsaregrace (17:06) No, no, it's not like that. It's just dinner time.

Frankyfitzfuck (17:06) Okay. Please promise you think about the Rich thing.

Violetsaregrace (17:06) He's got a girlfriend

Frankyfitzfuck (17:07) He would choose you. Just practice the language of love on him.

Violetsaregrace (17:07) Byeeeeee

"Right, boys, my recital's in exactly one week, so… TICKETS!" This is how I greet both Rich and Alo during lunch at our not-so-delightful school canteen. I excitedly flourish the tickets in front of them before settling myself into the seat in front of them. I can hear the faint groan escape from Rich's lips, but decide that it's not going to ruin my decidedly joyous mood today.

Yesterday was filled with my Mummy's finest Sunday roast dinner, picking up said recital tickets - I had purchased four – Dad, Mum, Rich and Alo. I would have got another one for my Grandma, but she tends to fall asleep during them and gets into an argument with my Dad after the whole thing is over, so is it really worth the hassle? Nopey nope - a long bath and a movie night with the rents where we funnily did watch RENT. Delightful! Plus French (bleugh, I've got the class after lunch) and a short, but sweet skype session with my Franks.

"Ace, Grace," This is obviously spoken by the loveable Alo and not the sour-faced Rich. He takes one ticket from my hand, which leaves me with just one more to spare. "Wait, there are going to be other girls performing, right?"

I laugh, about to respond until Rich decides to give his two cents (such an odd expression, isn't it?) on the current situation.

"I swear we were forced into one of these like a week ago." He complains, shoving another forkful of chicken nuggets into his mouth. I wave the ticket with a little more determination as I try to reply.

"Actually it was two months ago." I stare at him, waiting for the excuse he's bound to come up with. He's staring me down as well, obviously wracking his brain for a legitimate excuse. I've heard them all before from being sick to his mum being sick to family gatherings to his grandma having died (his grandma is completely fine and alive. I always go round there for tea and biscuits). Anyway it doesn't matter how many excuses he gives, he always comes in the end.

"Well," He finally takes the ticket from me, looking it over as if he's interested in what it says. I take this moment to start eating my pasta salad. "Ugh, it's a Monday. So I'm going to be washing my hair, aren't I?"

I look back up to him, my hand hovering mid-air as I was just about to take my first bite. I slowly lower it, taking in this information before beginning to giggle uncontrollably.

"Ha, with your hair in that state, it's the least believable thing I've ever heard! Richard, indeed," I say tutting loudly, finally tucking into my food.

Rich sighs just as loudly as I tut and Alo is the one to break the silence between us both then.

"Nah, Rich has the softest hair in the world. Have a feel," I start to giggle as Alo begins to aggressively stroke Rich's hair as Rich protests loudly.

"Go on, feel it!" Alo insists further and with a tentative hand I finally reach over to feel his hair. It actually is rather soft, like I imagine his skin would feel with the amount he moisturizes and - wow, I really need to stop being so jealous of Rich's well moisturized skin! Caught up in thoughts of moisturizer, I only realize after probably a good few seconds that Rich has stopped protesting and I am the only one with my hand in his hair now. I feel the familiar fluttering in my chest – why now? There's no reason for me to be feeling it right now – as I am left frozen with my hand on Rich's head and with our eyes interlocked in some strange stare-off. Oh gosh, I know this would look so weird to any passersby –

"Hey," My hand leaves Rich's head as if it suddenly caught fire and Rich turns to look up at who has just joined us and –

Great. Just great.

Jade a.k.a The Metal Princess a.k.a the girl Rich is dating has just seen me with my hand on Rich's head and I can't think of an excuse for this at all.

She is giving me the oddest look, so I quickly glance down at my food and wow, pasta shapes are so interesting.

"Oh, hey," Rich says, but I am still concentrating very hard on pasta shapes. I can hear the sound of a tray being placed on the table so realize she must be sitting down. Was that the sound of a kiss? No, definitely don't want to be looking right now. Although… Franky's kind of in my head right now. She did make an excellent point – why was it so different between Rich and Alo? If this was Alo with a girl I would be making cooing noises and gushing about all the cute things they would inevitably say to each other. No, no, no… I already came up with the perfect theory as to why it's different and I don't need to justify it any further.

It's so weird, because I'm used to being literally one of the only girls Rich can stand to talk to or be with and it's given me so much joy over the years that he'll complain endlessly about doing things with me, but he'll do them all the same. Like with my ballet recitals.

That's the reason. That's it. I don't care what Franky thinks, that's the reason.

"Introductions?" I hear her say and she has a really nice, kind of husky voice.

"I'm Alo, hi." There's a sound of a tray clattering so I know Alo must have knocked his tray over in the process of trying to greet her.

"And… this is Grace." Well…

I look up finally, smiling broadly at her as she shows her teeth in, I guess, an equally friendly manner.

"Salut," Why am I speaking French? Rich is 'facepalming' at the sight of me putting my hand forward to shake Jade's hand. "It's lovely to meet you formally and finally."

I should be more proud of the image that lies before. After all Rich and Jade wouldn't now be sitting there with their hands awkwardly touching on the table if it wasn't for me! I got them together in an indirect fashion.

"Likewise." She says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. A silence soon falls upon the four of us, as my mind goes over all the conversation building techniques my parents have taught me over the years.

"Do you two have another date planned soon?" I ask, hopefully coming across as very excited about this topic matter. Jade looks over to Rich and they share this strange smile as if they have a secret world and secret jokes within this world. I should be cooing over this! I can't shake that feeling of annoyance though.

"Today actually. We're going to Rich's to look over his record collection." Jade says, looking back at me with the same smile. If Rich and I ever did something similar it would end with an argument over musical taste.

"Awwh, that's fun," I say after a brief silence.

"Anyway aren't we going to talk about your new friends?" Alo says when he seemingly can't take the small talk anymore. I shift my glance uneasily between Rich (and Jade) and Alo. The latter who is staring at me with such childlike excitement and the former who looks a mixture between bored and whatever the emotion is for trying to see through my soul with only his eyeballs at hand. He gives me a challenging raise of his eyebrows as he continues to chew on his chicken nuggets.

For he had already discussed this subject at some length with me on the phone yesterday evening. I forgot to mention that part in my Sunday activities.

"What the hell were you doing out with those Barbie looking, spastic –," He had begun to insult, before I interrupted him, because, language!

"Richard!"

"Well?"

"They invited me to go shopping with them."

"What - why the fuck didn't you tell us?" He was practically snapping down the phone.

"Why are you so angry about this?"

"Shopping? What and next are you going to be sitting around fawning over all the members of One Direction and planning how to sacrifice one of the less popular girls?" I had to hold the phone away from me at this point whilst thinking how glad I was we weren't having this conversation in person. It could have lead to spit all over my face from the amount he was yelling at me.

"Richard… They're actually really nice, you just don't know each other yet. I had a really nice time, did you?"

"When?"

"Yesterday. On your date or at the post-date hangout, either one." Silence. I win. I allow myself a small victory smile, wondering how quickly he'll come up with a response for not inviting me to the post-date hangout.

"I thought you had ballet so that's you asking why I didn't invite you before." It was at least more believable than the 'washing my hair' excuse.

"That's a really bad excuse, Rich. Why didn't you want me there?" And because a small part of me knows that his answer might include how awkward he feels about the kiss and that he doesn't know how to be around me and ultimately that he is replacing our platonic relationship for an actual romantic one, I quickly stop him.

"Wait, never mind. It doesn't matter, can we just forget about it?" I hear him exhale on the other side of the phone and wonder if he's just as relieved as me about ignoring that big question.

"Uh… I guess. Are you like friends with these girls now?"

"Maybe. It doesn't mean I don't want to hang out with you anymore. And Alo of course. I still want to."

"Okay, I guess that's all that matters."

"Oh Alopops, I know exactly why you want to talk about them, but there's absolutely nothing to say. Apart from they're really nice and maybe we can all meet up sometime." I say as eloquently as if I was Princess Diana herself. Beat that, Richard. He lets out a snigger as he continues to eat. Jade turns to him with a look of puzzlement on her rather beautiful face.

"Really?! You're not just saying that, are you, Gracey? What's that blonde one's name again?"

"Wow, acting like you don't know…" Rich supplies and Alo elbows him in the ribs. They begin to play fight and I seem to be the only one realizing Jade has picked up one of my recital tickets and is reading it carefully.

"What's this?" She asks, sounding slightly disapproving but with an air of not really caring at all what it is.

"Oh, it's for my recital…" I say in my tinny voice, which I seem to have been using a lot more in recent days than usual. She looks up at me, a small smirk on her face that I can't really read. Rich and Alo stop fighting at that point then.

"Ballet shit? Cute," She says, looking over the ticket once more before setting it down again. I force a smile upon my face before continuing on with my pasta. "You weren't asking Rich to go, were you?"

Oh no. Have I somewhere along the way crossed an invisible line between Jade and Rich's relationship? Am I not supposed to have invited Rich to come? Is this girl language once again trying to baffle and defeat me?!

"Uhm… Well, yes –," I start with an awkward glance at both Rich and Alo who are glancing in between both us girls.

"Oh, it's a shame then…" She starts, giving me a piteous stare before turning to Rich and saying in a very excited voice. "That I managed to get an extra ticket to Napalm Death next Monday!"

Rich seems slightly taken aback for a moment before laughing in his own excited manner.

"No fucking way!"

"My brother totally hooked me up with it." She leans in to plant a kiss on his face which turns into slightly more tongue than I would have anticipated at our college canteen. Our kiss was nothing like this, I don't think. This is more… desperate and fast. Well, obviously it would be different from our kiss, as our kiss was between two platonic beings. Obviously.

I frown, knowing that stupid ballet recitals that you've attended a hundred of before don't compete in the slightest with going to the concert of your favourite band with your new girlfriend.

Alo hurriedly picks up the ticket and tries handing it back to me.

"Ask Mini to come instead," He says in an excited whisper, but I simply shake my head at him. I don't think I know either Mini or Liv well enough to be inviting them to my ballet recital.

Rich finally seems to come to his senses as he pulls away from Jade, or maybe it's the other way around, I don't know, and they are excitedly talking about Napalm Death for what feels like forever.

"Gracey-poo," I automatically giggle as this is said right in my ear and it tickles an enormous amount. I swivel around and find both Mini and Liv standing there.

"Mini-Moo," I test the waters to see if that is an appropriate nickname. She's smiling so I guess it's okay. "Oh, by the way, this is Alo and Rich… and uh Jade as well."

I am trying, honestly trying, to keep the excitement up in my voice for that whole sentence. I swivel back around to my boys and Alo looks like he's about to start drooling, whereas Rich is simply is raising his hand in which I guess is a form of greeting.

"Boys, this is Mini and Liv." I realize as soon as I've finished that sentence that I've called them boys and not given any recognition to Jade at all in that sentence. She seems to have realized too as she's staring at me with that odd bearing of the teeth that she was doing earlier.

"Cool… Right, are we going to sit?" Liv asks and it sounds as if she's asking Mini if they're sitting here, but Mini gives one of those wide smiles that she so often gives when she ignores the real meaning behind a question.

"Of course! Now come on, silly bitch, let's go practice our frenching somewhere… away from here!" I glance at my boys, Alo is staring up at Mini still with the inability to actually say anything and Rich is staring directly at me.

"Sure, okay!" I eventually say, standing up and picking up my bag

"I'll talk to you later, bo—," Best not to use the collective word 'boys' again when Jade is present. I'm really just looking at Rich right now anyway, because I have no idea what that facial expression of his means.

I wave a little pathetically at them, before heading off with my girls… I guess it really is changing. I can barely stand to hang around with both Rich and his Metal Princess, so I can't really be with my boys anymore, so maybe it's time to move on to my girls.

Or maybe force them to all to become life-long friends?

A:N/ Okay, I'm actually happy with this chapter and there was a lot going on here! Anyway I haven't really read through it because my eyes are about to fall asleep so please try to ignore any spelling/grammatical errors you've found! Hope you enjoy and next chapter includes some alone RG time :D