Whatever awkwardness that still lingered from what had happened moments ago with Luke disappeared the moment we arrived at the site for the class picnic.
A few weeks from now, we were going to be done with high school, so this picnic was more of a get-together before everyone inevitably went about their business. Most of the kids in school were just like me and had families rolling in billions, and I mean the pounds kind of billions, so they would all be taken into their family businesses as regional heads or something of the sort.
Someone like me was going to get whisked away by Granny immediately and made to crawl under a mountain of business journals while she went off on vacations to Hawaii or one of those luxury resorts in the Maldives. I could tell the woman was slowly biding her time while watching me like a hawk. I could see it in her eyes sometimes, you know?
The kind of look you give someone you're fattening up just so you can dump all your responsibilities on them.
So my future was not looking so bright. AT ALL!
I was many things, but hardworking and business-driven was MOST definitely not one of them. In fact, the probability of our business ending up in bankruptcy because of me was... well... ridiculously high!
Trying to get those thoughts out of my mind, I opened the door and walked out, shutting it harder than I intended. My security had already stopped, standing some distance away or just following from afar.
Behind me, Luke's relaxed voice resounded as he stepped out from the front seat, barely distinct over the music emanating from the spot where my classmates had gathered.
"You aren't coming with me?"
Humph! Who the hell wants to spend a second more with this playboy?!
I didn't answer, just scoffed and walked toward the site of the picnic. In an open clearing, groups of my classmates had gathered on mats and blankets, large umbrellas hanging over them and shielding them from the sunlight.
They were all playing cards, laughing over bottles of vintage whiskey while betting stacks of cash in dollars.
Some people wandered around the forest beyond the clearing, probably guys wanting to explore or couples looking for a place to set the mood for their irritating romance.
Especially Vera and Anthony, the most cringy couple in class. Even now, I could see them rubbing their noses under a pine tree while giggling like idiots. The sight alone was enough to ruin my day—or my appetite!
I stopped when I got to a large mat where seven people had gathered—seven boys and five girls.
They were playing a truth and dare game, all of them chanting.
"Drink, drink, drink, drink..."
Apparently, a guy had lost a dare and was being made to drink some dark-looking stuff from a large flask. Too amused and oddly invested, I sat with them and got lost in the rhythm, chanting along with them while watching him raise the bottle like he was going through the greatest crisis of his life.
"Drink, drink, drink..."
Curious now, I bent toward Alicia, a very extroverted girl who was sitting right opposite me.
"Hey, what's that he's drinking anyway?" I whispered, not forgetting to keep chanting midway.
Her lips curled gleefully.
"Oh, it's just coke."
I nodded, a little confused and somehow deflated. If it was just that, why was he hesitating so much...
But she wasn't finished yet.
"It has lots and lots of salt..."
My face twisted in disgust, but then I was overcome with glee too.
Watching this guy drink this abomination was going to make my day very interesting.
So, raising my hands, I began to clap even louder.
"Drink, drink, drink, drink..."
He raised the bottle, then brought it to his mouth. Taking a deep breath, he downed it.
"Uhhhhhhhh!" everyone groaned in revulsion, but the funny thing was that the guy kept drinking like he was actually... enjoying it?
But it was no surprise. This was the same disgusting guy who had once talked about eating some weird sushi when I gave the tour of the school to freshies. His taste buds were definitely abnormal.
Everyone was now staring, mouths open, as he gulped it down, the entire thing already almost finished. The moment he was done, he belched, rubbing his tummy like he had just savored something delicious.
My eyebrow twitched. This was no fun at all!
Now irritated, I got up and made to walk toward Aisha, who I had already spotted sitting on a blanket right at the edge of the clearing, just before the first line of trees. She was talking with two girls—both twins.
They were Fiona and Leona, both very troublesome, annoying brats who definitely hated my guts. After all, for someone as demure and pretty as I am, those bitches are just jealous they can never be me!
"You won't join the game, Allie? Or are you running away now because you're admitting you're just that much of a pussy?" one of the guys called out, while some of the idiots around him laughed like it was actually funny.
I turned, tilting my head at the sucker. He was so going to have a very bad day.
"Fine, I'll play your game, Xander. Truth or dare?"
His smile turned forced. "That's not how it works."
I smiled mockingly. "So you're a pussy too? Guess it takes one to know one."
The girl beside him, Mira—his girlfriend—turned to look at me heatedly.
"Hey, watch your mouth!"
I rolled my eyes. "Bitch, the air here has turned stale. It's high time you picked up that toothbrush."
"You—"
"That's enough," Xander yelled, motioning toward me with his head. "Fine, have it your way. Truth. Go on, hit me. Let's see if you have what it takes to make me"—he shook his head mockingly, bending two fingers in the air—"squirm."
The guys around him laughed, and I smiled too. Really, this just got a whole lot more interesting. Just when I thought the day couldn't get any worse, this guy had to go and shoot himself in the foot!
I went back and sat on the mat, facing him. Mira kept shooting me dangerous glares, like glaring hard enough would make me drop dead on the spot. Beside her, Linda—her bestie—was doing the same. Like, what's up with these bitches?
"Hey, Xander," I called sweetly. "Are you really, really sure about this?"
His face twitched now, but I could see the faintest crease of uneasiness in his brows.
"Just ask the damn question already!"
"It's okay if I record this, right?" Chris said, raising his phone. "I kinda get a great feeling whenever Ada shows up grinning like this."
Everyone was talking all at once now, each of them interested in the stunt I was about to pull.
I yawned dramatically, watching irritation creep onto his face before I finally decided to speak.
"Tuesday night, I saw you in your car at the school driveway. It felt a little strange because the damn thing was shaking and bouncing around on its wheels," I said, watching his eyes widen before I was even done speaking.
But I continued, loving every second of this moment.
"There was someone else with you that night, inside that poor, overworked car." My smile widened even more. "Now would be a great time to let us know who was in there with you and whatever dangerous stuff you guys were doing to get the car all shaky shaky."
I leaned my head against my shoulder, watching as his fists clenched tightly.
"You're such a manly, definitely-not-a-pussy kind of person, so this shouldn't be a difficult question to answer, right?"
It happened on one of those nights I stayed back in school to accompany Luke during hockey practice. I just happened to run into something a little... peculiar in the driveway.
"Ba... babe..." Mira nudged him on the shoulder. She had probably realized that she wasn't with her darling that night, which meant...
Beside her, Linda had already gone pale.
The people around them had caught the hint by now and turned to look at him, their expressions strange.
"I wasn't with anybody," he replied, his eyes filled with hate as he glared at me. "I tend to bounce around when listening to music, so that was probably it."
Hmmm, classic denial. What the hell happened to the spirit of truth and dare?
But hey, I wasn't going to let this guy off that easily.
"That's strange," I said, narrowing my eyes thoughtfully. "Because I could swear I heard Linda's voice somewhere in there."
I clicked my fingers. "Oh, I get it. It was just the radio."
"You bastard!" Mira exploded beside him, yanking him by the collar of his shirt while Linda shakily tried to calm her down.
"Mira, she's talking nonsense—"
A punch to the face cut her off, and soon both girls were practically rolling on the floor.
Everything around them descended into chaos. Their fight didn't spare the burgers, fries, and other stuff scattered around the mat, turning everything into a soggy mess. Xander had already sneaked away, and people nearby had started gathering around while cheering the two girls on like they could go at it forever.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
I quietly beheld my artwork with satisfaction before walking away toward Aisha and the two girls, who were now watching curiously.
"What the hell is going on?" Aisha asked.
I sat beside her, resting my head on her shoulder. "Maybe it's a new kind of handshake? Both Mira and her bestie love making handshakes, so maybe they decided to make it a little more... expressive."
Aisha giggled. "Yeah, expressive alright. What the hell did you do...?"
"Hello, Alyssa," Leona, one of the twin girls, called out to me, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in her voice. "Any meeting with your narcissistic guts is always a deep displeasure."
My eyebrows furrowed. "What are you saying?! I am not narcissistic. Am I narcissistic?" I asked, turning to look at Aisha, who quietly averted her eyes. And I could swear she started whistling under her breath.
But I continued anyway. I had to correct my image here!
"I am only a very laid-back and demure person who cannot help it when she shines a little too much. People always get jealous and spread such ridiculous lies. After all, they all want to be like me. Right, Aisha?"
She nodded a little too eagerly. "Right. It's almost impossible to find such a humble, easygoing person like you. How can anyone genuinely think otherwise?!"
"That's right," I said, looking at the two irritated girls while sticking out my tongue. "Get your facts straight, suckers."
Fiona laughed then, biting into a chicken wing. "Girl, you need to go get yourself a boyfriend."
I hugged Aisha's arm in horror, feeling mortified. "Hell no. Imagine having four male besties and then a boyfriend," I cringed, burying my face in Aisha's shoulder. "The horror. Just kill me!"
They giggled, and from there, the rest of the morning passed by in a blur. The twins and I exchanged insults throughout the afternoon—or rather, Aisha and I did, because my bestie has always got my back.
Luke passed by once, but I was too confused to talk comfortably with him, probably because of whatever had happened that morning. He spoke with Aisha while the two girls beside her blushed like idiots before walking off toward another section of the picnic where the guys on the hockey team sat playing cards.
I felt his dark eyes linger on me for a moment too long, and that gaze stayed with me even after he left. I struggled to understand the meaning behind his eyes.
Was he worried about the cold shoulder I was giving him, or was it something else?
I had never felt so confused.
Luke was my bestie, so thinking he might like me was a hard pill to swallow. After all, I had never imagined him as anything else, so having to deal with this new set of emotions felt a little suffocating.
Do I like Luke? Yes, as a friend.
Do I like like him? Well... I don't know. I wasn't a very romantic person to begin with, so understanding these emotions was difficult.
I took in a deep breath. I needed some air right now.
"I'm going for a walk," I told Aisha, already getting to my feet, watching as she raised an eyebrow at me skeptically. "I want to head into the trees and, you know, admire nature for a little bit."
She stood up too. "That's okay. I want to explore anyway, so we can go together."
I shook my head. "I need to clear my mind."
She raised an eyebrow curiously. "Clear your head from what?"
"You should let her go for a walk, Aisha. It'll be good training for her rash temper," Leona cut in.
Aisha rolled her eyes. "Shut your mouth, banshee. I am not talking to you."
I pulled my hand away from her. "I'll be back in ten minutes, tops."
She looked almost reluctant now. "Fine, but you better tell me what's up with you the moment you get back!"
I huffed. "Fine, I will, okay?!"
I watched as she sat back down, her expression annoyed at my refusal to tell her anything yet.
But really, how was I supposed to tell her about whatever was going on with Luke? It all felt so... so weird!
I began to walk toward the canopy of trees, feeling the branches provide shade from the sunlight. I took the central path, and through the edge of my vision, I could still see my security following me subtly through the underbrush as I edged deeper into the forest.
The forest was beautiful.
There were countless flowers between the trees, and the trees themselves had beautiful multicolored leaves that made everything feel even more fantastical. Bright birds flew overhead, whistling and singing as they built their nests.
I walked on, my boots crunching against dry leaves. This was really good therapy, and I could now understand why this place was regarded as a tourist site.
It deserved that title and more.
The silence remained undisturbed until I heard movement from behind a particular tree right in front of me. I wondered if it was one of my security guards moving around or just someone else exploring the forest, but I was curious enough to go check it out.
I just hoped this wasn't like one of those horror stories where something jumps out from behind a tree and tries to eat me. Because I was most definitely not nutritious. Not nutritious at all!
The closer I got to the tree, the more clearly I began to hear someone humming a tune. It wasn't the worst thing I had heard, but it still felt strangely familiar. Before I realized it, I had started walking faster, my heart nearly exploding out of my chest.
I could see him now.
He sat leaning against a tree, his headphones resting over his ears and his laptop spread across his lap. He raised his head to look at me, and I watched as a hint of complicated emotion swept across his eyes.
It was Nathaniel.
The boy from my dreams.
A faint wind swept through the trees, brushing past both of us as we stared at each other in silence.
I didn't know what to feel. I felt happy, sad, irritated, angry...
But I still raised my hand and waved, saying a single word that revealed nothing of the storm of emotions bottled up inside me.
"Hi?"