"Holy shitsticks, is that River Skyter?"
The second I stepped into the large, extremely hot room filled with masses of sweaty people, everything stopped.
People stopped dancing, drinks stopped being poured and music stopped being played; it felt as if the world had come to a sudden halt.
I wondered if it was because the news about Ash and Thorn trying to rip each other's eyes out due to me might have spread, but then quickly realised it was quite the opposite.
"I didn't know his body was that good? What the fuck?"
"Can you see how perfect his skin is? There's no way he doesn't exfoliate."
"Ooh I would totally tap that ass of his; I swear he's got more of it that ninety-nine percent of the girls in this school."
I let out an awkward chuckle, unsure whether to cower in embarrassment or try and hide behind Lila, when I suddenly remembered what I told myself.
Confidence. Get some more of it you nervous twig. Stop caring about whether people are judging you and do whatever the hell you want.
Clearing my throat, I let a bright smile spread across my lips and walked forward, straight through the crowd and into the middle of the dance floor.
Harry and Lila were close behind, followed by a few other smiling people known for being 'outcasts' or 'nerds' as the popular people liked to call them, and that somehow filled me with happiness.
"I don't know why you're all looking at us like you've just seen a bunch of hot people walk into a very badly decorated room, but get the music started before I go and do it myself."
With that, Nightmare by Halsey erupted around the room, sending everyone into a dancing and singing frenzy while I finally dropped my posture.
Turning to face Lila and Harry, I felt a tap on my shoulder and a few people emerged from the crowd.
"Hey River, we just wanted to say you look really good and we think that all those rumours that went around a while ago weren't real. You're too... nice to do anything like that."
My face stayed expressionless for way longer than what was thought socially acceptable, but once the information had sunk in, a light blush scattered over my cheeks.
"Thanks, that... that means a lot to me. You all look great too." I wasn't lying either, the girls looked cute in their matching purple dresses but the guys looked even better in the white suits.
Although, that was personal preference of course.
"Hey! Riv! I see you ran out of fabric, huh?" Scarletts voice grabbed my attention and I turned to find her in a long, sleek evergreen coloured dress with think straps and a length that just grazed the floor.
"Oh shut up. You clearly didn't have anything left for the back, there's nothing there." I taunted back, instantly feeling the playful tension hanging between us.
"Yeah, well. Whatever," she paused for a moment before grabbing my jacket, proceeding to pull me down to whisper something in my ear. "Though, I don't suppose you could grab Lilas attention, could you? She looks quite pretty tonight..."
I moved away and wiggled my eyebrows, nudging her side simultaneously. Her cheeks turned a light pink as she smacked my arm, surprising me by how strong she was.
"Fine, I'll get her so that you two can make out while I try and avoid Thorn and Ash." She nervously squeaked at my words, lowering her head as to not look into my eyes.
Chuckling softly, I tapped Lila on the shoulder and led her attention over to Scar who was stood, a smile gracing her lips, holding her hand out.
Lila raised an eyebrow, lips tugged into a smirk, and made her way over to Scar slowly.
"You look very beautiful tonight Lila." As soon as Lila had taken Scarlett's hand, the red-head had pulled their bodies together and wrapped her arms around Lilas waist tightly.
"Just tonight? How rude of you Scar. Though, I have to admit, you look rather stunning yourself." The pair walked off together, hands linked, and I could sense a bond forming between them.
I felt my heart warm at the thought, happy that Lila had managed to find someone to dance with as she had been complaining earlier about how no one had asked before.
Harry had wandered off to talk to a few of the nice girls he shared lessons with, leaving me alone in the middle of the dance floor with swarms of people talking and dancing all around.
Sighing to myself, I walked over to the stand at the back of the room and picked up a glass of lemonade. Just as I lifted the cup to my mouth, I felt a tap on my shoulder, causing me to turn around.
Confusion washed over me the second I saw James stood there, a glass of Fanta in his hand that contrasted strongly against the royal purple suit jacket and trousers paired with a black shirt.
"James? Hey. I, erm, didn't expect to see you tonight." I placed the cup down onto the table beside me, confused as to why his expression seemed so solemn.
"S-Sorry for bothering you River, I just- I just wanted to apologise for everything I've done to hurt you, and thank you for what you did in the classroom the other week. I-I didn't deserve your pity, I know that... but I do have a r-reason for what I did." His voice was soft and calming yet wavered every few seconds, almost as if he was on the edge of tears.
Unsure of what he was going to tell me, I nodded, signalling him to continue. However, when he glanced around warily, I took the hint that he didn't feel comfortable telling me with all these people around.
I grabbed his wrist and held it firmly, so I couldn't lose him in the crowd, and then began walking towards the exit.
He quickly moved his hand so that our fingers were intertwined, which confused me even further, before moving to walk beside me.
We made quick work of pushing through the mounds of people, all thanks to him since he didn't have an issue pushing past, but then again everyone just moved out of his way the second they saw him.
The cool air hit me like a bomb, goosebumps erupting up my arms one after the other until I was almost sure they were covering my entire body.
I shivered automatically, cringing and caving in on myself before returning to normal seconds later. James let out a small chuckle, a noise that I had never heard properly before, but one that I definitely wanted to hear again.
"I won't keep you long as you probably want to get back to your friends, but... I just wanted to tell you that I ha-"
"River, I need to talk to you. Now." A clear, unforgiving voice filled the dark sky around James and I, a voice which I soon realised belonged to Thorn.
"H-hey, could you just give us a couple s-seconds? Then you can- you can have h-"
"Shut up you homophobic fucker. I'm taking River with me right now, so you better get your filthy hands off him and get back to your ridiculous friends."
He sounded like Ash.
Everything about his tone, his words, even his stance sent my douchebag alarms ringing, the same ones that go off when Ash is around.
James quickly stopped talking, lowered his head and then coiled his big hands into fists that stayed by his side.
"Woah there Thorn. No need to get all snappy, yeah? James and I were just talking. Friendly talking. He didn't touch me." Thorn looked at me skeptically, obviously not believing the words that left my mouth.
"Sure, whatever. Now come with me. I don't have time to stand out here and fre-"
"After I've finished talking to him! Why are you so impatient all of a sudden? Jesus Christ. All I want to do is have a conversation with someone but I'm clearly not allowed to do that because you say so, right? Well how about I-"
I never got to finish my rant, all because Thorn shoved one of his hands over my mouth and used the other to drag me back inside the building, leaving James all alone in the cold.
After almost a full minute of fighting against his tight hold, I managed to pull away and back away from him. "What the hell Thorn? Couldn't you at least let James finish talking to me? He had something important to say. But on top of that, why have you brought me to the art classroom?"
He looked around the room, almost as if he was worried someone could be eavesdropping on our conversation, before speaking.
"I-I have something to tell you, River. And I had to make sure that I got to you before Ash did, because I know that if he had, he would say that what I'm about to tell you is a lie."
All thoughts of James disintegrated in my mind, leaving me stood there with a confused expression and a whizzing mind.
"O-okay... tell me then." Thorn signalled for me to sit down on one of the tables so I did, and he soon followed by sitting opposite me.
"You see... I'm not at this school by chance. I'm not just any normal new student, yeah? Me and Ash are actually... friends. Well, we were friends. But that's beside the point. We used to be really close; I mean, we've known each other for almost ten years and we've been through to much together. He's like... he's like a brother to me. But after I got into trouble with the police a few years back, I thought that was the end of it for me. Yet Ash managed to get me out of it and here I am." Thorn looked down at his hands that were locked together and resting on his lap, a small smile on his lips.
"So when he asked me to move to this school and help him with something, I couldn't refuse. It was my way of repaying him for all he did for me. And that's how this whole thing began. To begin with, he told me to get close to you, involved in your inner circle of friends, and I agreed to that. After all, what could possibly go wrong? But when he started telling me that he wanted to hurt you and he was just using me to do that, I started questioning if what I was doing was right."
Thorn slid off the table and landed on the floor with a soft thud, the smile he possessed earlier now a frown.
"Then something crazy happened. I started to fall for you, River. Ash had told me that you were sweet and innocent and all kinds of things, but when I actually met you, it all became reality. I didn't want to hurt you anymore... I couldn't. So I turned against him. I started putting up a fight, saying how you didn't deserve this. He fought back of course and tried to guilt me into listening to him, but I knew I shouldn't. So I didn't."
I felt my heart thumping against my chest, tightening and loosening over and over again, sending my body into a confused daze. I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes, not only at the confession but at the pure, untainted truth in his words.
"I'm sorry, River. I know you probably hate me now. I mean, I would too. I was working with your bully behind your back. I was trying to help him for fuck sake. But please know that I... I really do like you. You're so kind and loving and funny and incredible and I just, I can't even describe it. You make my mind spin so fast I feel as if I'm about to fall off the edge." He choked back a few words, clearly trying to not let the emotions get the better of him.
"W-when we kissed, I felt something real. Did you? Did you feel it too, Riv? Because if you didn't, tell me now and I'll leave you alone. But... but if you did, kiss me again. That way I'll know that it's not a lie, that you're not doing all of this because of Ash."
I would have said something, wanted to say something, but fate wasn't on my side that day. Because just as I was about to tell him how I really felt, the door flew open at such speed, the handle slammed into the wall and left a dent in its place.
There Ash stood, his beautiful brown locks dishevelled, his glistening eyes wide. There he stood in his sleek black suit jacket and trousers, fitted as tightly as was possible before he physically couldn't breathe.
His hands were shaking, cheeks covered in a light pink blanket, but what shocked me most was the tears in his eyes.
Ash was crying.
The boy who walks around like he owns the place was, in fact, crying.
"Please, Sky. Listen to me. I need to tell you something before you choose." His voice quivered, making him sound weaker than I'd ever heard him.
"I'm sorry. I'm... I'm so sorry. I've done some horrible stuff, I know. But please, I'm begging you. Let me explain, River."
And he was crying because of me.
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Oops... surprise~
Leave your opinions here everyone! Did you expect this? And what do you think of Thorn and Ash now?
See you next time.
- Storm ð¹