Emily should have known Alex would fail to tell stories. Somehow, she failed to see the details which others saw important. Maybe her dear cousin withheld information. It could be a combination of both.
Either way, she needed more source materials.
“So…” Emily began to say, “Lauren… can we have her over?”
Alex raised an eyebrow, “Why?”
“Oh, don’t look at me like that. Since you won’t tell your parents about her, this is the only time I get to meet her, isn’t it? I just simply want this chance while it’s still here. Who knows if your parents also decide to stay over?”
Alex loved her mother and her father very much but the idea of them staying in Woodlands while the whole town thought she was a boy… didn’t sound appealing. She wasn’t sure if this was what they called a teenager’s rebellious phase or if she just found it awkward to be around them in this setup.
“I’ll call her but that she might be at cheer practice” Alex said.
Getting up, she heard Emily squeal in delight. Her phone laid on a nightstand. The screen lit up in her hand. The notifications bar had a series of messages.
Alex frowned. That usually didn’t happen. Who would flood her inbox with nonsense?
Message 1: ‘Hey, Alex.’
Message 2: ‘So I thought about your plan to eat out with Max and Lauren.’
Message 3: ‘I am here to say that I still don’t agree to this but…’
Message 4: ‘If you really want to do it, I’ll agree to not sabotage it…’
Message 5: ‘IF I get to be nearby.’
Message 6: ‘I know this sounds bad because last time didn’t work out.’
Message 7: ‘But THAT is exactly why it should happen.’
Message 8: ‘Alex dear, did Emily arrive okay? Hachi is about to go ballistic because she hasn’t contacted her. Let me know soon!’
Message 9: ‘Alex? Are you there? I’m serious this time. I will not fail you.’
Message 10: ‘Not intentionally that is. Fortuitous events exist! They cannot be foreseen!’
Alex shook her head and pressed the 8th message. Of course, Emily didn’t touch her phone, a classic Emily thing to do. She even came to Woodlands Academy still in her uniform
Alex sent a quick reply to her mother. Then, she opened her contact list, searching for Lauren’s name.
The call rang three times before Alex heard the familiar voice.
“I knew it. This double date is a bad idea. Let’s not do it.”
Emily’s ears perked up. What double date? Alex kept her back towards her with a phone on her ear.
Did her cousin not know that she had the call on loudspeaker?
Alex rolled her eyes, “That is not why I called.”
“Ugh, Alex, admit it. You really want to go on a double date, right? If that is what you desire, we can do it. I’ll find someone and you go with your lover boy, Logan.”
“He is not—” Alex sighed, squeezing the bridge of her nose. She had to stop herself or Emily would hear, “My cousin, Emily is staying over. She wants to have a girl only sleepover and she has an invitation with your name on it.”
“Emily?” Lauren gasped, “Your girlfriend Emily? That Emily?”
Said Emily narrowed her eyes at her cousin’s back. The scheming little ferret! She fumed in her mind. Alex told people that she had a girlfriend? Why wasn’t this mentioned in her stories?
“Yes, the one and only.”
“OMG! I am so there! Expect me in 30 minutes! I can’t wait to meet her!” Lauren giggled excitedly.
Alex smiled, “Great. See you!”
“You too!”
Alex hung up on the call. She set the phone back down and went back to her seat on the floor.
When she turned around, Alex saw her cousin grin.
“She’s coming?” Emily asked.
“Yeah, she agreed to it” Alex nodded.
The curve on Emily’s lips rose higher and sharper, “Wonderful.”
Emily hummed to herself while she took another slice of pizza. Everything had gone according to plan and based on the call, Lauren seemed to be just the source material she needed for juicy gossip.
===
When the front door Alex’s house opened, Lauren had been attacked. A blurry figure ran up to her and tackled her, nearly knocking her over.
“Hello, Lauren!” A voice exclaimed in her ear, “I’m Emily and you are my new best friend!”
Lauren stood still and widened her eyes. She found Alex leaning against the door frame over Emily’s shoulder. She quickly glanced at the back of Emily’s head before raising her eyebrows at Alex.
Alex merely shrugged and watched them in amusement.
“Uh, hi” Lauren laughed awkwardly. She patted Emily’s back, still unsure of what to do, “Nice to meet you too.”
Emily finally released her—just a little since she still placed her hands on Lauren’s shoulders. She had the biggest and brightest smile Lauren had ever seen. She also looked so much more beautiful in real life—even without makeup on.
Was this person real?
“Come in so you can tell me all about Alex’s lover boy.”
Alex who stayed behind stiffened at the sound of Emily’s words.
How did she know about that?
“Logan?” Lauren asked. Then, something clicked inside her head, “Oh, you mean that Logan. Yeah, we can totally do that. Which ones have you heard? Don’t believe whatever Alex said. They definitely took a bath together that time.”
“What?!”
Alex felt the blood drain from her face.
“Yeah” Lauren nodded, “They totally did. Then, they got sick. And you know what? Logan came over to take care of Alex. He really cares about her.”
Emily couldn’t contain the delight in her system. She could hardly breathe because her facial muscles wouldn’t relax. Slowly, she moved to Lauren’s side. Then, Emily laced her arm around Lauren’s.
“Tell me all about it upstairs” Emily told her. She pulled Lauren into the house. Both of them ignored the remains of Alex’s body.
Alex hardly made a sound or made a move. Along with her blood, she figured her soul had also left. She had become a statue—a figment. She did not exist anymore.
What she had done? She had been too caught up at having Lauren around that she forgot Lauren witnessed most of her moments with Logan. Since no one else knew about her gender, Lauren must be dying to have someone to talk to…
… and Emily was the perfect candidate.
She just created a bomb—her personal bomb of teasing.
Despite feeling like her nerves had been fried, Alex somehow walked up a set of stairs and into her room. Maybe she still had some part of her brain working after all.
She just wasn’t sure if it would still function by the end of the night.
