CHAPTER 9

  "We accept the love we think we deserve."
-Stephen Chbosky

Waking up at four am has it's advantages, it gives you plenty of time to get ready for school and being the major procrastinator I am, I even got to waste time watching an episode or two of my favourite shows. Evans' invitation hadn't gotten off my mind since yesterday, I was a little anxious too, I didn't know what for, I mean it wasn't like a date or anything. At 5.30, I got up to get dressed. I have plenty of clothes thanks to Bree, but nothing seemed to please me today. After a frustrating thirty minutes, I finally choose black skinny jeans, a dark maroon fitting top, and a grey leather jacket to go over it, then topped it off with a grey scarf. It was casual yet chic at once, and appropriate for the cold weather.

I'm not always so picky about my outfit, but today I just felt like styling my outfit a little better. Pulling my hair in a loose pony, I pulled on some cute little boots (boots are my aesthetic), then went down to eat some cereal.

After a while, I realized it's already eight and Zoey hadn't arrived, and she was always scolding me about my slow mornings.

Bree offered me a car a few times, when I refused because I didn't want her to pay for everything and that'd make me spoiled. She also advised I get a part time job and pay her off slowly but I just couldn't think about getting in a car, I just didn't like driving, especially with our Canadian winters' driving conditions.

As Zoey finally pulled up, I locked up the house and got in her blue Chevrolet, and she greeted me with a grumble. "Worst morning ever, I had an essay, a test and a presentation to work on last night. Also, Sam and I were totally hanging last weekend and he said he wanted to meet my parents." She rambled. "Like I'm nervous, he's really sweet an-"

"Zoey, that's great! Sam's a great guy and if anyone's going to meet your parents it should be him." I grabbed a granola bar lying around her dashboard, opened it up and took a huge bite out of it.

"Yeah. Yeah I think that's good." She honked at a car in front of us, "HOW ABOUT WE ACTUALLY DRIVE THE CAR OLD MAN!"

"Zo, let's not kill anyone today." I said with a full mouth.

"Well oldie over there is driving like my grandma, AND SHE'S DEAD."

"Wow... bad morning?" She just sighed in reply.

 I finally popped the question. "Are you free at lunch?"

"Why?"

"Well, Evans wants us to hang with him." I mumble.

"Wait back up, did you say Evans?" We pulled in to the school parking lot, and Zoey peered out the window looking for a spot.

"Yes."

"The Alexander Evans that was a total asshole to you last year. The one who you've been stuck in detention with. The one you've complained about since we were 14. That Evans?" She started parking the car.

"Yes Zo, he sort of apologized and wants us to be friends."

"And you forgave him?" The car died as she pulled the keys out of the ignition and raised an eyebrow at me. I shrugged.

"Well, maybe he's sincere, but I already made plans with Sam, I can't come." She replied.

"Oh, okay I guess. I'll just tell him no then."

"Why? You could go, it's just lunch and he'll have his friends there so it won't be awkward I guess."

"If anything that's even more awkward, Zoey." I grabbed my bag and walked out of the car, as Zoey locked it up.

"It's your call Scarlett, I wouldn't completely trust him though, stay on your guard." She said.

"As always." I mumbled walking in to the school doors.

♡♡♡

As I made my way towards the school gates, I started thinking of the excuse I'd give to Evans about lunch. Or should I just go alone? But then there'd be his soccer friends or jock mates and it'd be really awkward because I'm not exactly the most popular person around here. It could all go terribly wrong. Refusal it is. I saw Evans standing by the gates, scrolling through his phone, I didn't see anyone else with him though. Maybe they'd meet up later on.

I took a deep breath and walked over to him. "Hey."

He looked up from his phone and grinned, "hey, you came."

"Yep, here I am. But I can't go with you." I quickly said.

"Oh, why?" He stopped grinning, and frowned in confusion.

"Because Zoey can't come, she has plans with her boyfriend."

"And why can't you come?"

"I just told you." I say flatly.

"Okay, you're coming, no excuse."

"No, it'll be awkward anyways, you should hang out with your jock soccer playing hunky friends and I'll go hang out ... with mine."

If you had any friends.

"You are my friend, plus everyone else had soccer practice so they couldn't make it." He explained. He started walking, so I followed him.

"You didn't go to practice?" I asked.

"Nope, I'm still on suspension, remember?"

"Oh right. You sure you want to hang out with me at lunch, alone? Aren't you worried someone will see us and you know.. talk?"

"Yes, to the first. And second, no." He simply said, not assuring me any further. Evans kept walking and I walked beside him,

"Where exactly are we going?"

"You'll see, just follow." We fell in to a comfortable silence. Finally, we arrived at the Pierre Park, it didn't take long to reach our destination, it only took ten minutes from our school.

"You brought us to the park? I'm hungry and you brought us to the park Evans. Is this another prank?"

"Why are you so skeptical, have a little faith. You know the best time to eat ice-cream?" He didn't wait for my answer as he pulled us towards the little ice-cream parlour on the edge of the park, "Always."

So we're having ice cream for lunch. I don't mind. I don't mind at all. Evans was smirking again.

"Knew you'd like the idea." I did like the idea, dad always said eating ice cream in the cold is the way to live life. I smiled to myself remembering the way he use to sneak ice cream to us so mom wouldn't find out.

The girl behind the register looked bored as she bobbed her head to the music, it's lunch time and cold outside, business was bound to be slow right now.

She heard us walk in and she straightened up immediately. "Welcome to Terry's." She asked with a plain face, she looked at me from head to toe and then looked over at Evans.

I saw her face spark interest and a smile brightened her face, "what can I do for you today?" She said in a perky voice, still staring at Evans, and he smirked, leaning on to the counter. I will slap that smirk off his face one day.

"I'll get a large rocky road in a cup please," he said lazily, then added, "with a side of you." The girl behind the counter giggled, as she flashed her teeth behind the pink lipstick she had on.

"Uh, I'll get the mint chocolate chip." I said, trying not to sound annoyed. The girl didn't look my way.

"A rocky road, anything else?" She asked. I gritted my teeth and smacked Evans' arm and he looked at me with a frown.

"Oh and she'd like a mint chocolate chip." He repeated.

"On a cone?" She asked looking irritated. I nodded. She punched the order in, "that'll be 8.76."

"I started pulling out my wallet but Evans had slapped a ten dollar bill on the counter. "I got it, Scarlett." He looked up at the girl, "keep the change." He gave the girl a wink and we grabbed our ice-creams and then walked over to the bean bags by the window.

"I could've paid, you know." I state.

"I know, but the guy pays on a date." He shrugged.

"Oh, so this is a date now, is it?"

"Well, seeing as our friends didn't turn up, with the two of us, it's a date."

"Sure didn't seem like a date when you were flirting with the waitress." I roll my eyes.

"Wait a second, is someone jealous?"

"I am not. I'm just saying it's not really a date if you trick a girl in to one and then flirt with other people."

"Jealous." 

"Not." I punched his arm.

"Ouch, you're so abusive." It was my turn to smirk. "You know, I don't know much about you even after three years of knowing you. So tell me about yourself."

"Uh what do I say, I'm seventeen and I have a strong disliking for cocky guys like Evans?"

"Alright you suck, let's play twenty questions. I'll go first, how about something easy. What do you do in your spare time?"

"I read, watch some shows, I dance sometimes."

"Your turn." He simply said, it was hard to see what he was thinking.

"Hmm, why'd you prank me all the time?" I asked curiously.

"Because it was hilarious." His eyes sparkled mischievously. "And because you always pranked me back."

"Well you started it!" I grinned.

"Nope, you did. You shared that embarrassing video of me. Thank God, it's gone now."

"But you insulted me first when we met, and I still have that video on my laptop."

He looked horrified, "you're lying."

"Am not. So don't get on my bad side again." I warned.

"Alright, my turn. If you were given a chance, where in the world would you want to travel?

"France."

"Like all typical girls, let me guess, to the city of love?"

"Well sure, but I also want to travel all over, and I'd want to visit my dad's hometown, Normandy. My parents met in the town on Mont-Saint Michel when she was touring. My mom promised me we'd go there together."

"That's amazing, my family's been in Canada for generations now. You guys planning a family trip?"

"Uh, yeah, one day." I lied. It'd be better than to launch in to a story of my family's death right now. We decided to finish our ice creams while walking back to school, and we continued our game. We asked each other about friends, grades, wishes and even Marvel or DC. (I chose Marvel but for Evans it's all about Batman). Soon we both were talking comfortably jumping to random topics, some like Mr. Leonard's not-so-secret affair with the gym teacher, soccer and university plans.

We were down to 15 questions each as we reached the school in no time, my hands a little sticky from the ice cream, and I pulled out some tissues to wipe it away. As we got closer, I noticed Zoey and Sam getting out of Sam's car, holding Starbucks cups in their hands. Zoey saw me too and waved, then grabbed Sam's hand and pulled him towards us.

Naturally, Evans and I also walked towards them and we met halfway.

"So you went." Zoey said in a low voice. Then she turned to Evans with a straight face, "Hello Alex, sorry I couldn't come. I hope you treated Scarlett well, though." She said in a serious voice and I nudged her.

Evans chuckled, "still the same Zoey, and yes I treated Scarlett well, maybe you could join us next time."

"Sam, this is Alexander Evans ... an old friend. And Evans, this is Sam, Zoey's boyfriend."

Evans shook Sam's hand, "you're on the student council right?"

"And you're on the soccer team," smiled Sam. "One of their best players I hear."

"Yeah well that's nothing, I heard about you're score on COD and dude, we gotta play sometime." He excitedly says.

"Well aren't they getting along merrily," says Zoey, rolling her eyes. "Boys." They just fell in to step and kept talking, as we walked to the school doors. And Zoey and I walked together behind them.

"I think they've forgotten about us." I laughed. I'm glad they're hitting it off, I certainly didn't expect the math geek and soccer player to get along so well right away, but here we are.

"So tell me about it!" Zoey hissed, hitting my arm.

"Later!" I whispered back.

As we entered the school, Sam and Zoey went their separate ways, leaving Alex and I together. "Er, well I've got a spare so.."

"Yeah, I'll uh see you in English class."

"Mhmm, thanks for the ice cream, it was fun."

"So you'll do it again?" He asked curiously.

"Maybe."

"Maybe." He repeated smiling, his green eyes twinkled, then he turned and walked away.

♡♡♡

I grabbed my textbooks out of my locker and stuffed them in my bag, then slammed my locker shut and made my way through the crowded halls. Students were rushing out to get home and the main entrance was completely busy. I changed my route to the the exit closer to the gym, I could almost hear Zoey cursing me for taking so long. It's not my fault I can't zip through the crowd and push and shove around like her.

I walked past the closed gym, posters stuck on the door cancelling all team practices for the day due to gym cleaning, grass mowing and repainting the white lines in the field. I rushed over to the exit and saw Zoey peering out of her car, looking for me.

I walked to her car and got in, the wind howling behind me, I couldn't feel my numb fingertips. The weather had taken a drastic change since lunch, and some announcements were made about a wind storm.

"Finally, girl it's like you want to be caught in the storm." Zoey exclaimed, changing her gear out of parking.

"Sorry, there was too much of a crowd, so I had to take another exit." I explained, taking off my hat and putting it in my lap.

Zoey stopped in front of my house, she hugged me farewell then I got out of the car and waved to Zoey one last time and she drove away. The wind picked up again whipping my hair back and forth, I pushed against it and walked forward towards my house. As the wind pushed my little feet, leaves flying at my face, a thought struck me, that made me freeze in the middle of the path, in the middle of the storm.

'All sports practices cancelled for the day.'

♡♡♡

My lovely padalumps, we're almost on chapter 10, whuutt??

Thank you for reading, each and every one of you, I hope it's not boring or lame. I try. Sigh,

BYE <3