23: Doubts

Chapter 23:

Hazel POV:

*3 months later

I licked my lips and tapped the buttons on my calculator and wrote the answer down on the exam paper. I chewed my lip and read the last problem for at least five times but I couldn't understand the question. I slightly narrowed my eyes and tried to remember what Chase and I had studied yesterday night before he left from my house.

Was that a reduction or oxidation that lost oxygen atoms and gained hydrogen atoms?

I looked up at the clock and noticed that only a few minutes were left for the bell to ring and summer was right ahead of us.

I breathed out heavily and wrote down reduction in the space provided and folded the paper and at that exact moment, the bell rang and the supervisor instantly stood up and immediately started going round and picking up the papers. When she arrived next to me, I handed her the paper and she strode off to pick up the rest.

"Okay, everyone can go. Have a good summer!" she announced and everyone sprung off their chairs and hurried out of the classroom. I waited for everyone to leave the classroom because I didn't want to be a student sandwich and have the first two weeks of summer with a broken arm or whatever.

I left the classroom and walked down the nearly empty corridor since most of the students were outside screaming because they had just finished senior year. I breathed out a sigh of relief and stretched my arms upwards and yawned.

"Haaazzeeeeellll!" someone screamed from behind me.

I turned around and saw Jesy running towards me, a huge grin spread across her face. She engulfed me into one of her amazing bear hugs. I slightly stumbled backwards from the force. I chuckled and hugged my best friend back. She let go and squeezed my cheeks then ran off to hug someone else. I smiled and rolled my eyes. I turned around and hit someone's chest, I looked up and smiled.

"Babe," he said with a smile on his lips, I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his face closer and kissed his soft lips. His arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer to him.

"Get a room!" I heard Louis scream from behind me.

I pulled away and flung Louis the finger. He smiled at me innocently and I narrowed my eyes at him. He chuckled and patted my head.

"Our little innocent Hazel has grown up," he cooed and I swatted his arm away. "Feisty."

"Shut up, Tomlinson."

"Sassy, too."

"I won't hesitate to give you a wedgie."

"Threatening now are we?"

"Don't push it."

"Well! You're a little sassy woman, aren't you?!"

"Louis ..."

"No, seriously. You're always the sarcas-"

He didn't get to finish whatever he had to say because I jumped at him and pushed him backwards,  he stumbled and I took the chance and turned him around and lifted his jeans as high as I possibly could. He screamed in pain and slightly ran forwards to get away from me.

I grinned in satisfaction and he looked at me and slightly pouted.

"You almost killed me!" he replied, looking as though he was going to cry.

"Awh, there there, Boo Bear," Harry said and patted Louis' head. "It's alright. She was only joking around, weren't you Lezah?" Harry turned his head around to look at me and gave me a stern look.

I narrowed my eyes at Harry for calling me 'Lezah'. It sounded as though he was saying lesbian or something and it bothered me.

"We could go with that," I replied and turned back round and intertwined my fingers with Chase's. "Do you know where Liam is? He has my Biology book."

"I think he already left, dunno," Harry replied, turning around to look at me.

I opened my mouth to talk to Chase but Niall's hysteric screaming stopped me. I spun around and raised my eyebrows and saw Jesy running towards us while laughing aloud, holding something in her hands and Niall screaming behind her. Jesy reached us and hid behind Harry's tall frame, clutching her stomach, still laughing.

"JESY! GIVE IT TO ME!"

Instead of actually responding Niall, she laughed harder.

"JESY!"

"But it's hilarious!" she replied through laughter.

"GIVE IT!" he yelled, his Irish accent sounding quite clearly.

"No! I'm going to keep it forever and ever!" Jesy replied with a huge smile on her face.

"Jesy, no!" Niall whined. "I look ridiculous in that photo!"

"You look adorable."

"No, I don't!"

"What photo?" Louis asked, butting in.

"The one when I was two!" Niall replied, slightly yelling. The corridors were practically empty and only a few students where still inside the school, most of them probably preparing for tonight's senior prom and tomorrow's graduation day.

"I wanna see!" I said while grinning.

"No! No one can see it or I'll shred you all of you into little tiny pieces with the paper shredder thingy!" Niall protested, his face slightly turning red.

"Chill out, mate," Chase said and patted Niall's back.

"So I can keep it!?" Jesy asked hopefully.

"Don't show it to anyone!" Niall replied slightly yelling and Jesy instantly nodded while grinning like  a little child.

"Deal! Oh my God, you're such a cutie pie! With your little willy out, trying to-"

"JESY!" Niall screamed and she instantly stopped talking and smiled innocently.

"Sorry."

Niall breathed out heavily and turned around and walked towards the front doors of the school. Jesy squealed and skipped over towards Niall.

I smiled at the couple and tilted my head sideways wondering if Chase and I even looked as cute as Niall and Jesy did. Probably not, because Niall and Jesy were the perfect couple that everyone wanted to be. They were absolutely adorable and I didn't know what they would do without each other.

"Hey Lou did you pick up the suits for tonight?" Harry asked, turning around to look at Louis.

Louis' eyes widened and looked at Harry.

"I thought you were going to pick them up."

"I told you yesterday to go pick them up in thirty minutes!"

"I thought you said you were going to pick them up in thirty minutes!

"Louis! What the fuck is wrong with your brain, mate!?"

"Nothing is wrong with my brain! It's perfectly imperfect!"

"I can clearly see that!"

"Don't yell at me it makes me uncomfortable!"

"You're yelling! Now I'm feeling uncomfortable!"

"Guys," I tried to get their attention but they were too busy yelling at each other for not picking up the suits.

"Now what the hell am I gonna wear for tonight, huh!?" Harry yelled, slightly pouting. "I'm getting stressed. I cannot get stressed. My precious curls cannot handle me being stressed!"

"What the hell do you curls have to do with the flipping suit!?" Louis asked, sounding confused.

"Right, we're gonna go! The shop closes at 5, it's still 2.30, you can pick it up from there!" Chase butted in and both boys looked at him weirdly. "Closes at 5."

He twined his fingers with mine and pulled me towards the front door.

"Bye losers!" I yelled over my shoulder and pushed open the school's front doors and walked down the steps. We started walking towards my house in comfortable silence.

Chase and I have been together for three months and I did have the butterfly feeling whenever I kissed him. He made me happy and made me feel better whenever we were together. He always put a smile on my face whenever I was down and yeah, I loved him.

He had told me he loved me around two month ago when we went out on a date to the cinema and we were watching 'The Last Exorcist'. Romantic, I know. Then he dropped me off at home and and he said the three little words that meant so much. I always smile at the memory and it gives me the butterfly feeling. I know that three months ago, I didn't get the feeling but it just came along with time. He was the perfect boyfriend and I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't come along. I was still close with my friends, Zayn was still with Sophia but they were always on and off and Sophia still disliked me for no apparent reason.

I didn't know what was up with her. We did talk and have tiny conversations sometimes but I knew that she still disliked me. I did ask Zayn if he knew why but he didn't. On the bright side, she did suggest we all go together to prom tonight. I wasn't quite sure if that was a positive or negative thing but I went along with it.

*

"Jesy, are you finished?"

"Almost, just have to put on my dress," she replied.

I breathed out heavily, feeling butterflies increasing in my stomach. I was extremely nervous for tonight. Who would have thought that I'd be going to prom with my boyfriend of three months?

I smiled as I wrapped another strand of my hair around the curling iron and counted ten seconds, and swiftly loosened the strand of hair off the curling iron and forming itself into a perfect, loose curl. By the time I had finished the last two pieces of hair, I heard Jesy's heels clinking and I turned around and my mouth gaped open.

"Jes! You look gorgeous!" I exclaimed. She giggled and smiled.

"Talk for yourself!" she replied and I looked down at my dress.

It was a cream-coloured dress, the top part sort of in a ruffled style, the middle part had silver, glittery flower patterned designs and the skirt was a sort of flat tutu and I was wearing a pair of silver high heels. Jesy was wearing a dress, the top part bokeh designed and beige, while the skirt was brown, a thin black belt around the waist with a small bow in the middle, matched with a pair of heels. Her hair was pulled into a bun with a few curls let loose against the sides of her face.

Overall, she looked gorgeous.

"I'm so nervous!" Jesy squeaked and I chuckled.

"Jesy! Niall is here," Jesy's mum yelled from downstairs.

"We're coming!" Jesy yelled back.

She turned around to look at me, a huge smile on her face.

"Let's do this!" she squealed, grabbed her tiny clutch purse and sprinted downstairs.

I breathed out heavily and followed Jesy. I went downstairs, careful to not trip or bend my foot due to the heels that I was wearing. May I point out, that I was still short when I stood next to Niall. I waited around ten minutes, watching Jesy's mum take photos of Niall and Jesy together on prom night. My parents didn't even bother telling Chase to come over at my house to take some photos before we leave so I decided that I'd prepare at Jesy's, meet Chase at Jesy's house and Jesy or Niall will take a couple of photos of the two of us.

Jesy and Niall were still posing for the pictures when the doorbell rang.

"Hazel, dear, can you get that for me?" Jesy's mum asked and without responding, I went to check who was at the door.

I pulled open the door and I held my breath for a second. Chase was stood in front of me, wearing a suit with a simple, white flower stuck on one side of his jacket. He looked up and smiled at me, I smiled back and moved backwards, to let him in. He grabbed my hand and wrapped a corsage around it, the same simple, white flower that he had stuck on his jacket.

"My mum said I had to give you a corsage," he said while slightly chuckling. I smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you boo," I replied and he smiled.

"You look gorgeous, by the way," he complimented and I could feel my cheeks slightly burning.

"Chase! Finally, picture time!" Jesy squealed and grabbed Chase and I's arms and dragged us in the sitting room and we had to pose for another ten minutes.

When the pictures were finally ready, we said our goodbye's to Jesy's mum and climbed into Chase's car and headed towards school. When we arrived, we headed towards the gym area since that's where the dance was going to be held at. The music was already on and loud and it was still 9 o'clock.

We entered the gym and lights were flashing everywhere, giving some 'disco-lighting' to the darkened room. There was a banner with curled writing saying 'Senior Prom!', there were three long tables with drinks and food placed on it, a huge stage where the live band 'Forever Wild' were playing and on one side there was this huge glittery background, with some lights on top and couples lining up to take the final prom picture. Balloons and some more decorations were hanging on the ceiling and on the walls. Some teachers were on one side, drinking and chatting with each other and in the middle were the students dancing to the music. On the side benches were the very few boys and girls sitting that hadn't been asked to the dance.

Overall, it was the usual scene for a senior prom night.

"Seniors! Please! Attention all seniors!" the school principle announced through the microphone. When she had everyone's attention, she smiled at us and continued with whatever she had to say. "I'd like you all to gather around in the middle of the gym so that the photographer could take a photo of our seniors for this year!"

After ten minutes, the photographer had positioned us all in good positions and took several photos and within a few seconds, everyone was back on the dance floor dancing, eating or drinking.

"Hazel! Chase!"

I turned around and saw who had called my name, Lenni. She smiled at us and briefly hugged me and gave Chase a flirtatious smile.

"How are you guys?" she asked with a smile and a built up guy walked next to her and placed an arm around her tiny waist.

"Fine, you?" I replied through gritted teeth. I felt Chase's fingers twine themselves through mine.

"We're perfect! Aren't we Gary?" she replied with a sweet smile plastered across her way-too-glossed lips. She turned around to look at her date, Gary.

"Yeah," he replied in his deep voice that made me shiver uncomfortably.

"Well, we have to go! I have to find Sophia," she announced, slightly pushing her lips forward. She grabbed Gary's hand and pulled him away from us.

I trailed my tongue across my front teeth and breathed out heavily. Lenni wasn't close to our group anymore, if you haven't guessed that yet. Two months ago she had started dating this Gary guy and he had gotten her into doing drugs and smoking and we had tried to open her eyes that he wasn't doing her any good. She was a straight A student and she had gotten down to having her highest grade a C and lowest an F. She once tried to go out with Chase at a party, she wasn't drunk. She started hanging with Sophia and Amber and their little puppets. She changed and for the worst.

"Breathe," Chase softly whispered in my ear and I let out a deep breath.

We danced a little more and after three songs, we headed towards the table where the rest of the group was sat at. I sat down next to Louis and Chase sat on my other side. I rested my forehead on the table and breathed out heavily. I wasn't going to let Lenni ruin my night. She could flirt all she wanted with anyone but not Chase.

"You okay?" Louis asked and I lifted my forehead off the table and nodded.

"Yeah, just saw Lenni," I replied and he nodded, understanding the situation. "What time is it?"

"11," Zayn replied and my head shot to were he was sitting. I hadn't even realised he was even there.

"Babe, I'm gonna go to the bathroom and for a little bit of air, don't worry if I'll be long," Chase announced, giving me a peck on the lips and standing up.

"Um, okay, they're gonna announce prom king and queen soon," I replied, looking up at his tall frame.

"I'll be back by that time," he replied and I nodded. He briefly looked at Zayn then left. I breathed out heavily and rested my head on Louis' shoulder.

"Where's your date?" I asked him.

"I have absolutely no idea," he replied and I chuckled. "Harry is probably banging his date in some random class, giving her brain damage."

"Oh Lord," I replied and chuckled. "You're so mean!"

"It's the truth!" he protested while laughing. "Where's Sophia, Zayn?"

"Loo," he replied and yawned, looking bored.

I took my head off Louis' chest and grabbed the cup that was on the table, in front of Zayn.

"Who's this?"

"Mine," Zayn replied.

"What's in it?"

"Punch."

I took a sip from it and scrunched my face. "Is 90% of it Vodka!?"

"Yeah," he replied while chuckling, grinning.

I rolled my eyes and placed the cup back on the table.

*fifteen minutes later

"Attention everyone! It's time to announce the prom king and prom queen for the seniors for this year!" a girl announced through the microphone.

Chase still hadn't arrived but I wasn't too worried. He usually took a long time, thinking things and he didn't even take any notice of the time going by.

"Prom King is Niall Horan!" the girl announced through the microphone with a huge smile on her face. "Prom Queen is Jesy Adams!"

The whole room was screaming and clapping for the both of them. After they got crowned, they made their way towards the centre of the room and started slow dancing, couples joined them and since Chase wasn't here, I didn't go and dance.

"Wanna dance?" Zayn asked me since we were the only two on the table.

I looked at him and noticed that Sophia wasn't here either. I nodded and he took my hand in his and I could feel my skin tingling from his touch. I forced myself to not shiver. We made our way towards the dancefloor and when we found a spot in the middle, close to Jesy and Niall, he twined his fingers through mine and twirled me around. I smiled and when I was facing him again, he gave me a tiny smirk and placed his hands on my waist and I placed my arms around his neck. We started swaying to the music, without breaking eye contact.

He looked adorable, his brown eyes twinkling. His hands tightened their grip on my waist and I breathed in quickly. He pulled me in closer and then stepped backwards and twirled me around and when I faced him again he wasn't smirking, he was smiling a soft smile that made my legs go numb, butterflies exploding in my stomach and my brain stopping from functioning.

Whenever Chase gave me a soft smile, he never made me feel like that.