*Beauty*
"This Friday?" I frowned.
"Seriously, Ellie, you agreed this morning!" Gemma whined through the phone. "Besides that, I need you to come with me to the cinema before the party."
I took a break from glaring at the study guides strewn over my wooden desk, instead glaring at the ceiling as I searched for a memory that proved Gemma correct.
I officially hated education.
Oh, Will, how do you survive this?
Speaking of Will.... I smothered a squeal as I stared at Will's address and phone number, safely tucked in a crystal jewellery box along with other William Johnson memorabilia.
"Sure," I murmured.
Gemma responded by squealing. "Great! I can't wait!"
I wrinkled my lips as I peeled my eyes away from the box. "Who's going?"
Silence.
"Gemma?"
Gemma laughed awkwardly. "Er...it's just a group thing! I'm coming over to your house on Friday to pick out your clothes OK? Toodles!"
Then she hung up.
I frowned at the phone before sighing and tossing it on the bed.
It was a Monday night, meaning I had boatloads of homework, had to plan formations for the cheerleading squad, had to plan our monthly charity fundraiser, had a pep rally to organize and yet I had done none of that because I couldn't get past one page of AP Calculus. To add to it, every few minutes William Johnson managed to meander his way into my fantasies, making even the notion of studying ridiculous because I instantly became blind to anything but those emerald eyes.
The emerald eyes that had watched me repeatedly humiliate myself during school today.
Life was so unfair.
A knock on my door startled me out of my daze.
I groaned at the Mathematics book, slamming it shut. "Come in!"
The door creaked open, revealing Amelia and Tessa.
Amelia's piercing blue eyes, hidden beneath stylishly framed glasses flickered to my books then back to me. One perfect groomed eyebrow lifted in derision.
I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I was studying."
Amelia snorted before pushing back her long pale gold hair. Tessa on the other hand frowned at me, wrinkling her perfect nose in disgust.
"Why would you want to study?" Tessa squeaked as if the very word was revolting.
Which it was.
"Because I'm crazy." About Will.
Amelia was the youngest of our family of seven (six of which were girls). At fourteen she was still a perfect imitation of all the other Kent girls: blonde, blue-eyed and--wait for it--a cheerleader. She had soaring cheekbones beneath flawless creamy skin. Topped off by a tall slim physique, pink lips and thick lashes, she was gorgeous.
Tessa was my second youngest sister. At sixteen she was well over five foot five with long locks of champagne blonde hair, large doe-like blue eyes and perfectly made up skin. Her physique was curvier than Amelia's though she was slightly shorter. She also happened to go to the only other high school in town, Western (I went to Eastern). Usually, my mother left a couple years between her children to give them each a chance at Head Cheerleader in their high school. When Mom had discovered she was pregnant with Tess she'd made sure we went to different high schools so we'd both have a chance at Head Cheerleader.
My gaze flickered back to Amelia. I frowned at her. "Mom doesn't like it when you wear your glasses." My eyes scanned down her oversized sweater and old sweatpants. "Or sweatpants."
Our mother was to say the least...thorough. She was very specific about the image her Kent girls gave off. Most specifically, they all had to be cheerleaders. If they refused...let's just say they don't want to do that.
Amelia rolled her eyes as she leaned against the door frame. "Mom isn't home. Anyway, Dad called a family meeting."
I frowned. "Without mom?"
Amelia simply shrugged before turning and heading down the hallway. Tessa beamed before skipping after her.
I gave my study guide a last departing glare before following Amelia.
As I made my way to the living room, my eyes scanned over the walls. Almost every free space on the pale lilac walls was covered in images. It varied from cheerleading photographs of my mother as a teenager to Juliana and Selena's (my older sisters) graduation. They decorated the wall throughout the entire house, boasting to any visitor that our house brimmed with talent.
And yet I couldn't read a study guide.
Dad was already set up when we got to the ground floor. He sat at the head of the oak dining table mom had ordered from Italy. Beside him was his Mac book and his iPad which were both hooked on Skype, displaying the faces of my sisters.
The iPad was dominated by Selena, my second oldest sister. With a lithe body, icy blue eyes and ash blonde hair, she had the most cold and detached look of our brood. She was currently in university, studying something like paediatrics or psychology, I wasn't sure which.
The Mac was dominated by my oldest sister. She was the curviest of our siblings, paired with boatloads of make up, perfectly trimmed pure golden blonde hair and thick mascara-laden eyelashes, she was the Beauty Queen of the family. She was currently engaged to a rich businessman and ran her own business as a make up artist and make up tutor.
And yes, they had both been cheerleaders in high school.
My father was the only brunette in the house. He had perfectly groomed (due to my mother of course) bronze hair that my mother was constantly nagging him to dye blond. It was combined with a muscled physique earned from hours at the gym, tanned skin (partly earned from his Latina grandmother) cornflour blue eyes, a strong chin and feminine lashes. And because he was a Kent, he happened to be a former jock, a quarterback on his (high school and university) football team. I could not count how many times my mother had told us of their perfect love story--the quarterback and the head cheerleader. They'd both reigned during high school and college and had gotten married at eighteen.
"Sit down hons," Dad said, beaming up at us.
Amelia and I both trekked the small distance to peck a kiss on our father's cheek before sitting at our allocated seats at the table.
"So," Juliana piped up. "What's the news? I have to go soon, David and I are going to dinner with his parents today." She gave a dramatic sigh from between glossed lips. "The Flemings are going to be incredibly difficult to please."
Dad shot a loving smile at his eldest daughter before clasping his hands together. The movement shifted his cashmere sweater (which, of course, my mother picked out).
"Okay, your mother and I have huge news. Have you girls noticed your mother behaving strangely the last few weeks?"
"Well, she did almost forget to buy me those new Jimmy Choos," Juliana chipped in.
"No," Tessa and I cried.
Okay, I know, weird. But you have to understand, I've seen my mother go on a road trip during a hurricane to buy Jimmy Choos. It is next to impossible to stop her when she's hunting for shoes.
Amelia rolled her eyes. "So, what is it?" she pressed
Dad bit his lip. "Girls, I must stress that you do not tell your mother."
"Sure," we chimed.
Dad dragged in a breath. "We're pregnant."
Silence.
It was like the aftermath of a bomb.
Dad waited quietly as we all screamed in shock over each other.
"Mom is preggers?" Tessa squealed.
Dad nodded in answer. He spoke again when we'd finally calmed down. "Yes, your mother is pregnant. She's only a few weeks in so she shouldn't be showing yet. As you can imagine, we were very surprised with the news."
Tessa frowned then wrinkled her nose. "Eww. Does that mean you guys had--"
"Is it a boy or a girl?" Juliana yelped, interrupting Tessa.
Dad smiled. "We don't know yetâwe're leaving it as a surprise." He sighed, and his expression became grave. A foreboding silence coated the room. "However, though your mother is fitter than others her age, the doctors say it is a high-risk pregnancy. They are recommending absolute rest and no stress whatsoever."
"That's horrible," Juliana murmured.
We all nodded in agreement.
Dad looked at each of us in turn. "I'm asking for your help girls. I need you all to work as hard as you can to ensure your mother is calm. Juliana, try not to worry your mother and give her only good news. Selena, if you can, please do the same. Amelia, I'm entrusting you with the responsibility of attending all your modelling classes and appointments since your mother will most likely be unable to. Tessa, you must attend all your dance classesâ"
"I will," she pipped in.
Dad gave her an endearing smile. "I trust you will. And, Ellie." His eyes came to rest on me. "You must attend all your dance classes but you must also focus on your cheerleading. Since you have picked some more difficult subjects this year"âat this point, my cheeks reddenedâ"your mother is concerned your quality of cheer will drop. Amelia, Tessa, Selena and Ellie, you must all ensure you attend your tumbling, gymnastics, stunting and dancing classes. All of you should take your Perfectil pills"âvitamin pills for nails, hair and skinâ"regularly and without reminder and attend all your beauty appointments and extracurricular classes. Girls, this is detrimental. No stress for the next few months, OK?"
We all nodded in agreement. "No stress," we chimed.
Dad nodded and leaned back. "Good. Remember, do not tell your mother."
"Of course," we chimed.
***
As expected, the 'do not tell your mother' bit fell through. Just the next morning, when my mother had been caught staring dreamily at a junk food advert, Tessa had blurted out 'it must be because you're preggers!' before slapping her hands over her mouth.
And so the cat was out of the bag.
I glared over at Gemma, who was across the room, ordering popcorn with her date Tyler Benton. She preened and staged every single flip of her red hair in order to capture his gaze.
I felt cheated.
Gemma had made me up until I looked like I was trying way too hard for a friendly gathering. By combining a sheet of foundation, tons of mascara with a short red dress, my birthday Jimmy Choos and loosely curled hair I was convinced there was an ulterior motive to tonight.
To add to it, what was meant to be a friendly gathering only featured four people: me, Gemma, her latest crush Tyler Benton and lastly, the school's varsity quarterback Justin Markson.
This was starting to feel suspiciously like a double date.
What I'd do to go on a date with Will. Sigh.
Throughout this week I'd avoided eye contact with Will. I sat quietly within classes and left as soon as the bell rang. I couldn't risk another humiliation. But tomorrow...
Just thinking about the tutoring session tomorrow released a colony of rabid butterflies into my stomach. I would be talking to Will in Will's house while he shot me his trademark William Johnson grin.
It was unimaginable.
"Ellie? You OK?"
I blinked out of my daze, turning to watch Justin Markson give me a blinding white smile. He shoved a hand through his curly blonde hair before flashing the dimples girls loved to squeal about.
I rubbed my arms. Gemma had forced me to abandon my leather jacket in the backseat of Tyler's car, leaving my arms exposed and me freezing. "I'm fine."
"Did I tell you that you look gorgeous?" he beamed.
I tried to smile back while keeping my eyes locked on Gemma. What was she up to?
"Thank you. You look nice too." But not as nice as my Will would look.
Justin chuckled before leaning towards me. He inclined his chin towards Gemma and Tyler. "The two look like lovebirds don't they?"
I nodded before looking up into Justin's chocolate brown eyes. I was being a total stick-in-the-mud. It wasn't Justin's fault Gemma was up to something.
My eyes flickered back to Gemma and Tyler. Gemma's arm slithered around Tyler's biceps as she walked slowly and seductively towards us.
I rolled my eyes. Tone it down Gem.
Tyler and Justin shared a fist bump. Tyler stood casually, his stance oozing confidence. With perfect mahogany skin, dark brown eyes and a sunny grin, he was handsome.
"Are we watching the zombie movie?" Justin called.
Gemma shook her head. "No, that new Rom-com, Love at its best." Her eyes glinted as she said the words. "Is that OK?"
Justin's gaze met mine. "Perfect."
Before I could frown and ask why a stereotypical jock would be happy watching a romance comedy movie, a shiver trembled its way down my spine. My eyes instantly flickered to two figures emerging from the escalators on the opposite side of the room.
He wore dark blue jeans beneath a taut t-shirt and a leather jacket. His dark hair was perfectly dishevelled, several locks falling over his glasses.
I took a sharp intake of breath as Will's dark green eyes locked on mine. His perfect lips parted just slightly in surprise.
My eyes fell on the person next to him. Catherine chattered to Will as she brushed her long strands of hair behind her ears. For the first time ever, she wore a dress (a dark green that accentuated her skin tone) that stopped at her knees, exposing her lean calves. The slightest amount of make-up graced her face. Lip gloss made her lips glow while eyeliner made her hazel eyes pop.
A jolt of pain slashed through my chest.
Will and Catherine were on a date.
*
Soooo, I really hope you liked that :D Thank you so much for reading :) Every single person who does it brings a smile to my face and encourages me to write :D
This chapter is dedicated to OffTheRecord who is an awesome person who voted and commented on every single chapter and makes writing about Wellie a joy ;)
Have a fant-mazing day! God bless xxoxx
Yemi Everest