CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The bus arrived and waited for Dana and Ivy to clamber on. Ivy took a seat between Hazel and Finn, who both smiled in a friendly way, though there was a hint of mischievousness in Finn's green eyes. Dana sat beside Tyler and talked in a high-pitched voice about her dress and the way she had decorated the hall for the disco. Tyler nodded along and agreed to everything she said, whilst Ben glowered from a seat across from them.
Ivy had always hated Tuesdays. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes, getting rid of sleep.
"So," Finn winked. "Time for our plan, eh?"
Hazel whipped around to face him. "Plan? Oh no. You really have destroyed Ivy."
"That happened ages ago," Ivy rolled her eyes. "And yes, I am prepared."

Ben perked up. "What're you doing? Can I chip in?"
"Absolutely not." Finn shook his head. "This was Ivy's idea and she's going to go through with it."
"Fine." Ben's shoulders sagged.

"Hey, Ben." Lionel interrupted. "We're going to play some football at break. Do you want to play? You can be a team captain, if you want."
"Really?" Ben cheered up. "Sure thing!"
Lionel grinned. "Great!"

Finn and Ivy peered around the corner of the corridor. "You ready?" Finn questioned.
"Always ready." Ivy smiled. She followed Brent with her eyes - he was at his locker. "Right. Should I go now?"
"Yep. Go, go, go!" Finn pushed her out into the open.

She continued forward, working herself up to do as the plan instructed. She placed a hand on the locker beside Brent and another hand on her hip, making sure that a charming smile danced on her lips. Brent closed the locker and jumped when he saw her.
"What the heck?" He snapped. "Why are you here?"
Ivy made the smile bigger. "I have a question for you."
He narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"I apologize about Science that time." She batted her eyelashes. "I was wondering if I could make it up to you?"

Brent raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "How?"
"Do you have a date for the disco?" Ivy blurted.
A light blush crept into his cheeks. "No. Why does that matter to you?"
"You'll be the only one without a date." Ivy pointed out. "And someone may jump to conclusions. Or think that no one likes you. You may be teased or picked on-"

He was silent as he mulled it over. "Fine. Only for the disco."
"Good." Ivy beamed and turned, scrambling to get back to Finn.

"How good was I?" Ivy asked, a twinkle in her eye. "I was good, right?"
"Of course." Finn's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "You should be an actress."
Ivy grinned. "Should I?"

He stared at her and shook his head. "You're meant to be the most sarcastic person alive. I'm disappointed."
"But-" She paused. "Did I overwork it?"
"Yes." Finn patted her on the back. "But it worked, so all is good."

The football went spiralling into the goal. Tyler lay on the ground, rubbing his arm, a look of annoyance on his face. He stood and waved his hands wildly. "What the heck?" He shouted. "Ass!"
Lionel stuck his tongue out and did a victory dance in the middle of the field. "YOU LOSE." He screamed happily.
Ben wrapped an arm around Lionel, in complete and utter joy. "HA!"

Cinder, Heather, Hazel and Dana were on a bench, their eyes narrowed against the little bit of sun that shone from the sky.
Dana glanced between the bitter Tyler and the joyous Ben. She didn't know which one deserved her attention.
"Boys." Hazel rolled her eyes and leaned back. "Finn is off on a mission with Ivy. I don't think the disco will go well. And I probably won't even spend time with Finn!"
"Well." Cinder hummed. "This is Finn we're talking about. Pranks mean more to him than food and girls combined."
Hazel arched an eyebrow. "Thanks for the support."
"Um." Cinder forced a smile. "He'll totally dance with you, for sure."
"Too late." Hazel declared.
The boys continued their game, whilst the girls discussed their dates, dresses and disco dilemmas.

Lionel glanced between Heather and Cinder. He wondered whether Cinder was upset about his decision to go with Heather to the disco. The ball sailed past his ear and he stirred, jumping forward in the direction of the ball.
"Wake up!" Ben said, running as well.
But it seemed that Lionel was still asleep, for a moment later, he was on the ground with Ben rubbing his forehead.
Lionel's head and butt hurt.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tyler dancing and laughing.

"Ow!" Ben sat up. "Watch where you're going!"
Lionel chuckled nervously. "Sorry. It's the girls."
"Wow, dude, not now." Ben shook his head quickly. "I'm not talking about this stuff with you."
"No, not like that!" Lionel went a bright red. "I meant, I was wondering about whether Cinder was upset that I decided to go with Heather."

Ben chuckled as well. "Oh. That makes sense."
Lionel ran a hand through his golden hair. "Girls are so odd."
"I know." Ben shrugged. "They probably say the same thing about us."

I hope you enjoyed! Have a great day!
(:;) (:;) (:;)