Alex and company stayed inside the classroom.
She sat by the window, gazing outside. The sky stared back at her in crystal blue. The white clouds rolled by leisurely. Autumn leaves fell off the trees as a breeze blew by. Traffic noise had been muffled to a minimum.
The world beyond these walls seemed to be having a fine day.
She sighed.
Her phone vibrated from her pocket. She fished it out and glanced quickly at the screen. The caller ID read as ‘Mrs G’. A lump formed in her throat. She wouldn’t need to make these pseudonyms anymore. How strange… the little things she didn’t notice before now stood out the most.
She pressed the answer button and placed the speaker near her ear.
A faint greeting breathed out of her lips, “Mom.”
“Alex!” Angie yelled from the other line, “Oh, honey! Are you alright?”
Her daughter felt a number of eyes snapped in her direction. Their glazes bore on her back like bullets. The concern in them pierced deeper than skin. Alex tapped on the volume button, lowering it. She cleared her throat and attempted a more confident voice.
“Yeah, I’m alright. The staff are clearing the hallways outside so we can transfer to the Principal’s Office.”
“That’s good. Lilly is on her way so is your father and I. He isn’t taking this well…” Angeline trailed off, “But don’t worry about a thing. We’ll handle this mess. All you need to do is stay safe. Is Logan with you?”
Alex nodded meekly, “Yeah…”
“Good. What about Jae?”
“He’s…” she bit her bottom lip, wondering how to phrase her words, “He’s in his car, following Skye’s trail.”
“What?!” Her mother exclaimed. Alex flinched, “That’s dangerous! Call him back. Let the police handle it.”
“It’s not easy when he’s not answering.”
“That’s irre—”
“How is it irresponsible when you always said to not be on the phone while driving?”
“Oh, I see how it is, missy” Angie huffed. Then, she took a deep breath, “Well, I’m glad you still have your snarky sarcasm with you. I can rest easier.”
Alex chuckled humorlessly, “How’s father?”
The line became quiet for a while. Alex knitted her brows as a flock of birds flew across the sky. She wondered what kept her mother from talking. A few seconds later, she realized the reason. The microphone picked up on the angered voice of her father. He barked out several orders. To who? Alex wasn’t sure.
“I hope that enlightens you” Angie sighed, “I’ll make sure he cools off before we meet you but I am already telling you that this isn’t going to be easy.”
“I know.”
Silence engulfed them again. Alex felt a hand rest on her shoulder. A presence warmed her back, providing a source of comfort. She didn’t need to look to know who it was. Her free hand curled around the one on her shoulder.
“Well, you probably want some peace and quiet” her mother remarked, “I’ll be asking Lilly instead about the situation. Please stay safe, Alex. That’s all we ask.”
“I will,” Alex replied, “Have a safe trip.”
She ended the call and hid her phone. Leaning back on the armchair, she craned her neck. A pair of worried green eyes looked down at her. She chuckled, “Why are you acting like I’m dead?”
“Hey, hey, hey!” Max screamed from the back. A box of chalk laid on a desk. He held a piece in his hand. He had his arm raised when he heard Alex’s words. He pointed the chalk at her instead, “No talking about death. You can be as melodramatic as you want but I disallow any kind of words, phrases and sentences like that.”
Lauren scoffed from her seat, her arms crossed over her chest. She and Colin had moved two chairs against the door. They had done it in case someone would barge in unexpectedly, “I am actually surprised how well you’re taking this.”
“Pfft,” Max answered. He placed his hands on his hips, shaking his head at the floor, “My acting skills have reached a new level, I see.”
The couple exchanged a deadpan expression.
He ignored it and positioned a hand over his heart. He closed his eyes, tilting his head backwards, “I have never been more shocked in all my life, dear Lauren. My pal, my bro, my BFF… turned out to be a sis! A sister! But that’s hardly my concern.”
At this point, everyone had shifted their attention in his direction. Carla stood at the corner near the board, her back pressed against the wall. Logan had been next to her before he walked over to Alex during the call.
Their faces void of any expression, all of them waited for the rest of Max’s speech.
It didn’t come.
“What’s your concern then?” Colin humored him.
Max lifted his head and glared at his friends. He pointed an index finger at them, swaying it from side to side. A tone of betrayal flowed out of his lips, “My concern is that… NONE of you had thought about telling me about this! All of you purposely left me out of the ‘Alex is a Girl’ Club! I bet you even know Alex’s girlfriend was a fake. You all played this game and had me stay in the dark! Bet you were snickering at my oblivious state.”
“What do you say about ‘Fight Club’ again?” Carla snorted, ” That’s right. No one talks about ‘Fight Club’.”
“So you’re saying I could not be trusted?”
A unanimous answer bounced off the walls, “Yes.”
“What the—” Max stepped back. The hand on his chest clenched into a fist. He whimpered, “Guys, that hit me right in the kokoro.”
“It’s not like they chose to know about it. I didn’t either,” Alex explained. She gave him an apologetic smile, “It just happened the way it did.”
“I seem to recall that I found out because you decided to tell me” Logan retorted. His thumb brushed the spot that connected her neck and shoulder, “That makes me the only chosen one of the group.”
“You are not that special!” She scowled, “You found out because you trespassed my aunt’s house! And because you stole my phone!”
Logan gave her a look, “And all of this is coming from the girl who sneaked into the basketball team’s locker to take the phone back by picking the lockers.”
Before Alex could fire back, a voice interrupted their banter.
“Wait! Hold up!” Max began to say. He raised his hands in surrender, “Phone? The lockers? Am I a genius or is Alex also that girl who bumped into me after the game?”
“You do know if we say the latter one is true, that means you are not a genius?” Lauren snickered.
He frowned at her. Then, a mischievous smile stretched on his lips, “Didn’t you have a crush on Alex? How was it when you found out she was a girl?”
“Oh, please! That’s nothing” she snorted, “Have you also realized that Alex was the Cinderella Jae had been looking for yet?”
Max’s eyes gradually widened as the revelation sank in. He opened his mouth but didn’t say anything. He snapped his head towards the culprit. Then, his gaze darted between her and Logan, “Alex is Logan’s Secret Girlfriend?!”
“Yes.”
“No.”
Alex glared at the smirking face behind her. Her eyes shifted towards the others as well. They avoided her gaze and focused on random things in the room. She squinted. They could pretend like they hadn’t done anything but she heard their answers loud and clear.
Only hers had been the different one.
“Ooo,” Max took a step back, “A Lovers Quarrel. I’d like to stay out of it. Thanks.”
“It’s not like that,” Alex groaned, “They just find it funny because of our English presentation since everyone else thought we were probably gay.”
Max gasped loudly.
“The Romeo and Juliet Sketch! Oh my—! I—! Woah—! Hmm…” he paused, rubbing a thumb on his chin. He furrowed his eyebrows as if deep in thought. Then, he grinned at the group. A new twinkle glistened in his violet eyes, “Dude, I ship.”
“That’s it!” Lauren clapped, “You are now part of the club.”
“Hell yes!” Max hooted in delight, “That reminds me though. It’s not the appropriate time but I am scared that I might forget to re-apologize again about the party. If I had known that you and Logan were a thing back then, I wouldn’t have done anything of the sort.”
“The party…” Logan thought out loud. His hand dropped off Alex’s shoulder. He slowly retreated from her, changing directions at the same time. He tucked his chin in and stalked towards Max. His green eyes darkened into a murderous expression.
It didn’t take long for it to take effect.
Feet shuffling on the floor, Max backed away immediately. He hit the wall behind him, panic rising out of his chest. He took a step to the side but Logan blocked his path with one arm. A sinister smile blossomed on his closed lips.
Max attempted for the other direction. Logan remained a step ahead of him and used his other arm to prevent the escape. He had Max pinned against the back wall. Their audience watched in shock. They all froze in their positions, their eyes bulging out of their sockets.
“What happened at the party again?” Logan taunted.
