THIRTY

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I stare at my phone with indecisiveness. Should I call?
I mean, Alex did say that he'll fetch me everyday for now on since he thinks it'll make Courtney leave me alone in the mornings or he'll at least be there to help me out if need be. But even though we had a bit of an argument yesterday doesn't mean that's going to change right?

I shake my head at myself. Alex isn't a jerk. I grab my backpack and walk downstairs, tightening my ponytail along the way in an act of frustration.

"Morning mom." I greet my mother who lifts her head up from the book she's reading.

"Morning sweetie."

"Aren't you going to work?" I ask, eyeing her pajamas and untamed hair. She gives me a small smile, "I am honey, just later."

I grin at her. "Alright." As I enter the kitchen I grab an apple and stare at my phone, waiting for a text from Alex. I tap my foot impatiently and chew on my apple viciously.

He'll be here. He'll be here.

"Sophie, could you please stop tapping your foot like that? I can't concentrate." My mom calls out from the lounge. I stop munching on my apple and pause my tapping. "Sorry mom."

I hear shuffling and soon my mom appears from the lounge. She leans against the doorframe of our kitchen and raises an eyebrow at me.

"Why are you nervous?" She questions me.

I scrunch my eyebrows together, confusion washing over me.
"Huh? I'm not nervous."

"Then why are you tapping your foot like Thumper from Bambi?"

"Oh." Is all I respond with.

"Yeah, oh." My mom laughs while walking over to the kitchen island. She leans against it and gives me a sympathetic smile.

"So?" She urges me.

I sigh and run a hand over my face, "I just- I had a bit of an argument yesterday with Alex and I don't want to upset him, mom. I don't want to lose him over something do trivial and irrelevant. And he's supposed to be picking me up- if he even decides to show up after what happened."

My mom gives me a small smile, "Then apologise sweetie. Let him know that you didn't mean to offend him. And trust me sweetheart, he'll be here to pick you up. He's not one of those boys."

I nod, avoiding eye contact, not wanting my mom to see my guilt.
"You sure like him, huh?" My mom says with a hint of amusement. My eyes snap to hers and I tilt my head to the side.

"As a friend mom." I reassure her, hoping to erase any ridiculous ideas from her head.

"Uh-huh." She nods her head with raised eyebrows.

Just then, I hear a car hooting outside and my phone receives a text from Alex. I look down at it, letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"I got to go. I love you mom. And thank you." I peck her cheek quickly. I toss my apple core into the bin and grab my backpack as my mom bids her goodbyes.

I open the front door and close it behind me, seeing Alex's Audi parked outside my house.

He rolls down his window and gives me one of his million-dollar smiles and suddenly I'm smiling too. I open the passenger door and climb in, a strong whiff of Axe and vanilla hitting my nose in the process. Once the door is shut, I turn to him with a smile.

"Morning Princess."

I blush, "Morning Rosewood."
He smirks at me and he presses on the gas, driving us to school despite my wishes to stay at home all day. A comfortable silence falls over us, the soft music in the background being the only noise although it doesn't stop the thoughts from racing round my mind.

I swallow the lump in my throat and turn to face Alex.

"Look, Alex, I'm really sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to upset you." I explain, nervously chewing on my lip and playing with my fingers.

He looks at me and sighs, "I'm not mad, Sophie. I'm sorry I snapped at you, I shouldn't have." He briefly makes eye contact with me and I give him a small smile.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" I ask quietly.

He frowns. "Because you knew exactly where I was to begin with."

For just a moment it's as if guilt flashes through his eyes. I can't help but watch his hands tighten around the steering wheel which is when I notice the cuts and bruises on his skin.

"Alex?" I ask.

He looks at me briefly, "Yeah?"

"Look at me."

"I'm driving Sophie." He answers with a frown.

"Alex."

"Sophi-"

"Look at me."

He sighs and looks at me properly before looking back at the road.
I gasp in shock before slapping a hand over my mouth. Just like I was expecting, a blue almost purple mark can be seen on his cheek. Luckily it's not too noticeable. "What the hell happened?"I shriek.

"Nothing." He answers curtly.

I narrow my eyes at him, "That's not nothing! You don't get cuts and bruises all over your hands and face from 'nothing' Alex!" My hands fly in the air in frustration and he sighs, running a hand through his hair.

"I got in a fight alright?"

"With who?"

"Some guys at a club."
"Why?"

" 'Cause they were jerks." He answers angrily

"Just 'cause someone's pissed on your battery doesn't give you an excuse to beat them up." I retort.

"They hurt somebody close to me Sophie. I wasn't going to let that slide." He explains, glancing at me briefly.

I don't respond to him but rather purse my lips and sink further into my seat to try and escape the frustration that creeps up my spine. Finally we reach school and he parks the car. As he pulls the key out of the ignition, I grab his hand without a second thought.

He stares intently at me as I observe his hands and their injuries. Whoever Alex beat up was certainly served a good beating. I look up at Alex and almost as if his eyes have sucked me up, I feel as if I'm in trance. For a brief moment my eyes gaze to his lips and linger there for a moment too long before I realise what I'm actually doing and snap myself out of it. I abruptly drop his hand and look away, grabbing my backpack hastily.

"We should get going." I mumble. He nods stiffly and we open our doors, making our way towards our school entrance.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

I shake my head at my stupidity, ignoring the stares of the curious students who watch Alex and I, most probably discussing why we came in the same car.

Number one speculation: we're dating. Ha. I wish.

Wait, what?

We reach the steps and notice the Rebels are all standing in a group, joking about like usual.

"Hey guys." I greet them.
"Hey Soph." Martin greets me back. He gives Alex a bro hug and something red on his hand catches my attention.

My eyes focus on it and I see he, too, has cuts and bruises just like Alex.

I frown, my eyes gazing over to Cole who also has some injuries. Not as bad, but still some.

And then Dylan.

His hands are clean; no cuts, no bruises.

Martin called Alex yesterday and needed help with something. Now Martin, Cole and Alex have cuts and bruises? They were obviously all involved in the fight and I cannot help but wonder who this person they beat up really is.

"Heard about your car. I'm so sorry about that bitch, Soph." Nina comments, making me forget what I was thinking and catching my attention.

I give her a tight-lipped smile, "It's okay."

I look around the group only to see Alex no longer around and rather walking down the hallway with a girl trailing after him. Something in my stomach tightens and I swallow the lump in my throat. Everyone is oblivious to what Alex is doing, almost as if it's normal.

But is is. Alex Rosewood: the notorious player playing with a girl.

I feel a pair of eyes on me and I look to the source abruptly. Dylan stared directly at me while Thalia nuzzles his neck and I frown.

"Thats the bell. Lets go guys." Nina says before we all slowly move inside the school building.
I look over my shoulder at Dylan one last time before I look forward again. However, I don't actually look forward to the day ahead of me.

****

"So if angle x is equal to forty-five degrees then the corresponding angle will be equal to-"
The minute Mr Howald starts lecturing us about geometry, I switch off and start thinking about more useful topics. Or better yet, more interesting topics.

A loud beeping noise interrupts Mr Howald from continuing the boring lesson and the students from taking notes. Well, those who were.

"Can all students please report to the field, immediately. This is an emergency. Please leave in an orderly fashion." The lady says calmly over the intercom.

I frown at the mention of 'emergency' and quickly pack my things up along with the rest of class who are already sprinting down the hallway, not giving a second glance to Mr Howald who, himself, is hastily packing his things up.

"Whats going on?" I whisper to Nina who walks beside me as we all leave the maths classroom. Before Nina can answer me, we hear a loud crash coming from down the hallway which makes my eyes widen.

"Guys, I feel like we should hurry up." Cole mutters. We all mumble an agreement and make our way out of the school building, heading to the field where the rest of the school is waiting happily. As we walk between the students, a few shrieks come from girls here and there while the boys laugh.

"My desk broke!" Someone yells.

"They have being fucking everywhere, and we didn't even know!"

They?

We head right to the back of the students. Some are clearly enjoying this as they laugh and joke around while others let out aggravated sighs and mumble complaints under their breath.

The teachers up front are standing in a circle, talking amongst themselves as Mr Green, our principal, addresses them on a certain topic. After what seems like forever, Mr Green walks to the middle of the field and holds up a megaphone.

"Quiet down please!" He shouts.
The students all slowly hush, their curiosity of why we're out here getting the best of them.

"I apologize that your classes were interrupted," He starts, though some pupils here and there let out a happy 'whoop whoop'. "But I'd like to inform you that we've had... a bug infestation. Of termites."

At the sound of that, everyone breaks out into conversation, some girls shrieking at the thought of bugs being all around the school.

"Bugs?" Christina gawks.

"Yep." Cole answers at the same time as Alex.

"The termites are eating at certain infrastructure, making the school not one hundred percent safe. Therefore, we have decided that it will be in your best interest for us to close the school for a week to sort this problem out."

And just like that the school starts cheering, letting out shouts of joy and happiness, me being one of them.

"Settle down!" Mr Green shouts again. "We apologize for the inconvenience. Your parents will be notified and kept up to date. You have five minutes to get what you need from your locker before we close the school off. Please refrain from going to wooden infrastructure. You've being dismissed."

The school starts making their way to their lockers to grab their stuff and I grin to myself at the thought of a week off.

"I'll catch up with you guys," I mumble to the Rebels before rushing off to my locker, wanting to get my stuff before the hallways are filled up. The hallways are already crowded when I get there, most of the girls not wanting to touch anything while the boys purposely poke at anything wooden they can get their hands on. I roll my eyes and open my locker, grabbing everything stored inside of it and shoving it into my backpack.

I slam my locker shut and start making my way back outside all the while hoping I don't get crushed by the roof that can come crashing down on me at any given moment. Before I reach the door though, it opens and in walks the Elite; all high and mighty.

It's quite cliche really, the way they all walked in, taking up the whole hallway as the students part for them while their eyes follow their every move.

The problem? I was right in the middle of the hallway, staring directly at them.

The atmosphere changes and the tension falls over us like a heavy storm. My steps come to a slower pace as do theirs until I'm directly in front of them staring at Courtney who's wrapped in Logan's arms. They all look at me expectantly, waiting for my next move. If they think that I am going to move, they're dead wrong.

I stand my ground, holding my chemistry textbook tightly to my chest and holding my chin up high. Courtney smirks at me and Logan shakes his head in amusement as if I'm some joke.

We stay like that for a moment; staring at each other. I don't drop my gaze and continue to glare daggers at Courtney who does the same. All the while I feel Chris' gaze burning holes into the side my head.

That is until Courtney scoffs and the group split, walking passed me which only further confuses me. I don't understand what Courtney is playing at. One moment she keys my car and the next she simply ignore me?

I stay rooted to the spot, not quite sure what just happened, with a confused frown plastered to my face. I look over my shoulder briefly to see Chris doing the same thing with Kelcy. My head immediately snaps to the front door a few meters away to see a famous pair of beautiful eyes staring back at me.

The students watch me as I walk towards the door and push it open before turning to Alex and sighing, "Goodness knows I need this week break."

****

"Why did we come here again?" Alex groans as we pull up outside of Sunny Smiles. I slam his door shut and look at him, putting my hands on my hips sassily.

"Putting in the extra effort isn't going to kill you, Alex." I roll my eyes.

After we were basically kicked out of school, I decided going straight to Sunny Smiles. What? Like I said, putting in the extra effort won't kill you. And anyways, what's a few more hours?

Alex rolls his eyes, "We could've gone to the mall or something. Not work, Sophie."

I give him a deadpan look and he groans again, "Fine." He sighs. "But I'm doing this for you." He points out.

I smack a hand over my heart, "What a gentleman."

As the bell above the door rings when I push it open Kathy looks up at me, a smile making a way onto her face although it's slightly confused.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" She questions while she folds her arms and leans back in her chair. "Bunking?" She passes us a mischievous smirk and Alex laughs.

"Maybe me Kat, but definitely not Sophie." Alex chuckles.

I shrug in agreement.
"We've been booked off a week since our school has had a bug infestation."

Kathy gapes at us and raises an eyebrow. "Okay, I wasn't expecting that kind of an answer. I heard you guys had car problems yesterday."

I nod stiffly. "Yeah."

"Well it was so boring without you two, and the children definitely missed you loads"

I laugh, "Is Lucy in her office? I want to speak to her real quick."
Kathy nods and tells us to go ahead which Alex and I do.

I knock on the door and here a faint 'come in'. I open the door and peep my head inside to see Lucy looking through a file on her desk.

She looks over her shoulder and flashes us a smile. "What are you kids doing here?"

"We got let out early anyway, I wanted to apologize for not been here yesterday."

Lucy slaps a thick blue file onto her desk before crossing her arms over her chest and sitting on the corner of her desk, "If you have to thank me or apologize one more time, I think I'm going to have to fire you."

I let out a nervous chuckle, tucking a strand of her behind my ear. She lets out an easy laugh before a frown takes it's place.

"What are you really doing here? You're supposed to be in school."

"Well you're going to be seeing more of us since our school is infested with termites. We've being booked off for this whole week." Alex explains as he casually leans against the doorframe.

Her mouth forms an 'o' shape and she nods in understanding.
"That's... good news I suppose? Bad news for the school but good news for you!"

We both nod. "A weeks break huh?" She asks in thought.

"Yeah. So can I help out with anything? The kitchen? Nurseroom? Classroom?"

She shakes her head behind her desk, her red hair bobbing along. "No, no. It's alright. You can have the week off too." She says dismissively as she picks up a pen and gets to work.

I gape at her, "What? Lucy, I can't possibly do that. You need the help and I've only just started. Who's going to look after-"

"Sophie." She deadpans. "You've worked really hard as well as you Alex. The least I can do to thank you is give you a little break."

I slump my shoulders in defeat, "Are you sure about this?"

She nods, "Absolutely. It's not like there's that many children anyway."

"Who's going to look after the kids with Rachel?" I ask worriedly.

"I have a few volunteers who wouldn't mind working this week to cover for you." She responds as she chews on her pen.

"Lucy, I really don't mind working." I say once more. "This is my job."

She gives me a playful eye roll, "Sophie, go. It'll be fine. If you have to argue with me about this I'll get a security guard to escort you out."

I laugh, my hair falling in front of my face. "Okay. Thank you so much Lucy." She gives me a reassuring smile and picks her pen up, ready to get back to work.

"Erm, Lucy?" Alex finally chokes up just as Lucy puts her pen to paper. She looks at him over her glasses.

"Yes Alex?"

"Since I'm here for community work, am I even allowed a week off?" He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. I forgot that's what he was here for...

Lucy stops writing and gives him a small smile. "As long as the boss gives permission." Alex nods and before I know it, we're out her office and walking back to Kathy.

"See you next week Kat." Alex smirks as he heads straight for the door.

Kathy frowns "Huh?"

"We were given the week off."

"No!" She whines. "Rachel and I are going to be so lonely!"

I laugh at her reaction and give her a reassuring smile, "Sorry girl!"

She sighs before giving in, "Alright, have fun!" She grins "While we stay here all lonely." She mutters under her breath.

I laugh at her as I walk to Alex who is already outside. I climb into his car and run a hand through my hair as he puts his key into the ignition.

"Where to now?" I ask.

He sends a smirk my way, "My place."

"Making moves on me I see." I wink playfully.

He shrugs, his lips twitching at the sides. "I've always wanted to bang a princess."

I gape at him before my laughter gets the better of me, "Never."

"One day."

"In your dreams pretty boy."

****

"So you guys have been given off? For the whole week?" Christina asks while I'm currently sat on bar stool behind Alex's kitchen island. A soft smile comes to my face at the memory of my first time here and I have to stop the reminder of Logan's words that follow after that memory.

"Yep." I answer popping the 'p'

"So now we all have a week free? I've never been more grateful to bugs in my whole entire life." Nina mumbles. Christina and I let out a loud laugh just as the guys walk in, a beer in hand.

"What you girls talking about?" Martin speaks in a high-pitched voice.

"Bras and thongs" Nina

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