14: Sneaking Out

Alonah sat in class with boredom taking over her senses as she tried her best to listen to the teacher discussing in front. Discussions weren’t really all that hard for her to listen to and she’s always paying attention when she’s in class—she’s even always teased by her friends how much of a school freak she is. While that much is true, she still has her days which consisted of well, her not paying attention. And it just so happened that today happened to be one of those days. With her mind still preoccupied about what happened during the weekend, she couldn’t help but feel a slight shudder go through her. When Xavier and the others said they would get to know her better, they really did do what they said. She had to deal with a bunch of questions being fired at her all at once to the point where she’s having hard time catching up. Honestly, it was such a pain dealing with them. As the bell rang, signalling the end of the period, Alonah let out a relieved sigh and was out of the room in record time. Looking at the time, she realized she still had ample time to visit Hayes at the football field before her next class. On her way there, however, she felt someone put their hand on her shoulder. She thought it was one of her friends, but was surprised when she came face to face with the one person she least expected to see. “Hi.” Xavier grinned. She blinked her eyes at him a couple of times. “What are you doing here?” “I’m taking you somewhere.” “What?” She screeched, earning a few looks from the students passing by. She felt a blush crossing her face while Xavier merely chuckled in his place. “Is your hearing not that well today, Ally?” He asked. “I said I’m taking you somewhere.” “No! Are you insane? I still have classes to attend!” Xavier looked at her like her words didn’t make sense to him at all. As he c****d his head to the side with a confused expression on his face, he ignored the scowl she gave him. “So?” Alonah’s jaw dropped. He did not just say that. “What do you mean ‘so’? It means I can’t leave!” He scoffed. “Oh come on. It won’t even take that long.” “That’s a lie!” She exclaimed as she pointed a finger at him. “Is it?” He challenged, a mischievous glint dancing in his eyes. “Well knowing you, of course it is.” “That’s so mean.” He pouted. “I don’t remember you being this mean during the weekend.” Hearing that made her stiffen involuntarily in her place. She would really like to forget what happened during that day as much as possible but with Xavier and the rest of the rowdy gang reminding her with every chance they get, it just seemed like an impossible feat. After all, they were able to extract a lot of blackmail material they could use on her just from that one interrogation. Alonah narrowed her eyes at the wicked grin that slowly spread across Xavier’s lips as she said, “I hope you go to hell.” He laughed, grasping her wrist in his hand as he dragged her away from the school. “Way ahead of you, love.” “Hey!” She protested, struggling to get free from his hold. “I didn’t say yes!” “What? I couldn’t hear you over the sound of your cries as you pleaded with Lu to let her change her mind about making you meet us.” “...you’re an asshole.” “I’m well aware.” He flashed her one of his grins that she’s slowly come to dislike as she dejectedly relented to his request. “You could be real reasonable when it comes to things like these.” “That’s because you give me no choice!” Alonah grunted. “All of you.” Xavier laughed. “We do know what we’re doing, after all.” Knowing that she has no chance of victory with the Leprechaun teasing her with the things she accidentally confessed, she sighed and let the guy drag her away to some place she doesn’t even know. “Seriously, where are you taking me?" He threw her a playful grin as they turned at the next corner of the street. She’s just grateful that wherever he’s taking her, she knows it’s somewhere safe and not somewhere shady since they both know Lu would have his head if he ever does something that might harm the girl. It wasn’t like she’s expecting Xavier to do something that would cross the line, but still. Alonah smiled at the thought, thinking about how useful Lu’s powers are over her friends at times like these. It's still nine in the morning, and yes, she’s supposed to be in school right now, considering it's a Wednesday, but Xavier thought it would be a great idea to sneak out. Sure, because her friends won't notice that she’s missing at all. They even start freaking out when they don't see her anywhere, even when she already told them ahead of schedule that she’s going somewhere. Yes, her friends are insanely paranoid like that when it comes to her. "We're going to a magical place." He replied as his hold on her hand tightened. She gasped, feigning surprise. "We're going to Wonderland?" He laughed at her sarcasm, already used to the retorts the girl throws his way. As a small smile played on her lips, she couldn’t help but think about how beautiful his laugh is. It’s so soft and angelic, you wouldn’t even be able to tell that the guy is practically the devil incarnate—that’s how deceiving the guy’s laugh is. "You still never fail to amuse me, Ally Bear." She froze at his nickname for her and she suddenly stopped dead on her tracks because for her whole seventeen years of existence, he's the only boy who has ever called her by an endearment that isn't really an endearment—more like a sweet nickname and a playful endearment on the good side of things. When he noticed that she stopped, he turned to look at her with a wondering look on his face. "What's wrong?" He asked worriedly, making his eyebrows scrunch together, and a crease to appear on his forehead. Seriously, he looks so cute right now, she can’t even laugh at him. She shook her head, a slight laugh escaping her lips. "Nothing, nothing. Come on, let's just get going. Bring me to Wonderland, Mr. Sturgeon!" She exclaimed and he laughed. She started walking ahead of him, letting go of his hand in the process, just to show her enthusiasm about the whole thing. She knows that he can tell it’s all staged, but he still heard his chuckle behind her, and  she smiled slightly. He finally caught up with her and he walked beside her with his hands dug deep in his front pocket. Seeing that sight, she couldn’t help but appreciate how hot he looks right now. "You know," He started, startling the girl beside him. She straightened up in her place after that, thankful that he didn’t notice her slight gawking. "Lu told me this interesting story." She raised an eyebrow at him. "And what might that be, Leprechaun?" He laughed, both clearly amused and startled by her nickname for him. He suddenly stopped laughing, but the amusement in his eyes still didn't waver. "She told me something about you and this Reese guy…” He trailed off. Instinctively, she felt a sudden wave of nervousness hit her, along with a sense of defensiveness. Did Lu tell him the whole story, or just bits and bits of it? Actually, did she tell it to him directly, or did she tell him because of something that led to that story? Wait, scratch that. Why did she even tell him in the first place? "What did Lu tell you?" She asked cautiously, as her eyes followed his every movement. He shrugged. "Just bits and bits of it. She told me that before her and Reese became best friends, you and him were best friends first. Until you liked him, and he also liked you back, so he asked you to be his girlfriend, but you turned him down, so he became irritated and that was the start of how things became awkward between the both of you." Okay, so Lu didn’t tell him the whole story. She wasn’t exactly sure how to feel about that. Still, it’s a good thing she didn’t because until now, she has no idea what to say to the people who ask her why she turned down the guy when the feelings were mutual. For her, feelings weren’t all she considered when she turned him down. She thought about how incompatible they are and how it would be a slow show to disaster. She just thought they were doing both of them a favor by ending things before it even began. Of course, Reese was frustrated by her reasoning and why she would dare assume that without even trying but she didn’t let herself get swayed by his words. Honestly, she still doesn’t know if that was the right decision or not. "What made her tell you that?" She asked as she looked at him. He looked around him and pointed on the left corner of the street as he said, "Turn here." She did as he said, with him following beside her. "She was just telling me not to break your heart like what Reese did, but she cut herself off before she could finish the sentence and shook her head. And me, being the overly curious and persistent bloke that I am, pestered her about it until she told me, but she didn't tell me the bloke's name of course. I asked her who, but she just shook her head again and I annoyed her about it again and again until she became irritated with me, so she ended up telling me." He said almost guiltily and she looked at him with mouth agape. That's why Lu told her not to tell him anything that would make him curious. He's so inquisitive and he keeps pestering people about it until they would give in and tell him in the end. She understands that being inquisitive is almost like his second nature as much as being a flirt is, but can't he tell that there are just things people can't tell him? She’s pretty sure he would be a horrible detective. People would become suspicious if he keeps asking questions. Seriously, his task hasn't even started, and people already know that he's a detective. Lu even told her once that Xavier wanted to be a detective when he was still a little boy, and it seriously left her laughing for the next two days—it’s just too good. "Wow." Was all she could come up with. He chuckled. "Yeah, I know. So are you and Reese still awkward about it? Especially since the both of you are in the same group of friends and you guys hang out almost everyday?" "Hey, look! That small girl looks so cute." She said while pointing to the girl across the street, dodging his question all together. At the moment, ignoring his question seemed like the best choice because honestly, she doesn’t even know it herself. Reese just keeps giving her mixed signals, that always leaves her questioning what the hell is wrong with him. First, he's all comfortable with her, then the next he's ignoring her like she doesn’t exist. Seriously, that guy has major mood swings. "Don't change the subject, Ally." He said and she ignored what he said again. "Look, she's so cute!" She exclaimed happily, still trying her best to divert his attention—which proved to be tough work. "Ally."  She sighed and turned to face him. "Xavier."  "Tell me." "Why?" "Because I want to know." "Why?" "So I could get to know you better." "But you already had that chance during the weekend." He pouted. “That was different.” “How was that different?” "Because knowing you in more ways than one is a great idea." "You might get jealous of what you'll hear." She gave him a smirk when she saw the surprised look on his face as she thought about how good it felt to throw his words right back at him. Still, it seemed as though he was not all that fazed by her response because in a matter of time, he’s already looking at her with an amused expression on his face. "Okay, let's hear it then." She laughed humorlessly, feeling dejected about the fact that he wasn’t even the least bit flustered. "No way, Leprechaun." "Fine. But I'm going to pester you about it some other day." He said and she laughed. "Yeah, sure you will." He rolled his eyes, when they suddenly came to a stop. She was so caught up with her talk with Xavier, she didn’t even notice where they’re going. But as she looked around her, she was surprised when the sight of the beach graced her eyes. Why is Xavier taking her here? They don't have any swimming wear with them and it's still morning. She’s pretty sure the water is still somewhat cold. Of course, there aren't that many people—actually, there aren't even any people, which is completely unusual.  Is he completely out of his mind? "Um…” She drawled on. "What are we doing here?" He turned to face her. "To have fun, of course." He ran towards the beach and sat on the sand with a towel that magically appeared. She looked at him in wonder as he patted the spot in front of him. She slowly walked towards where he was and copied his movements, her eyes still scanning the people-less area. "Why are there no people?" She asked and he grinned. "I rented out the whole place." "What?" The surprise in her tone of voice wasn’t lost on the guy, which eventually led to him laughing at her expression. "Neat, huh? Of course, it took some convincing and a lot more money to bring out, but it was fine." He replied nonchalantly and she looked at him with her mouth hanging agape. "How much money?" She questioned, but he just waved her off. "Don't worry about that." He said. "Okay, wait here. I'm just going to get something." He stood up and went towards somewhere that she doesn’t know where, leaving her all alone in the middle of the beach, still dumbfounded about the whole situation. He rented out this whole place? Why would he do that? It would have been just fine if there were other people here, but no—he just had to rent out this place. Gosh, he's so rich, it's not even funny anymore. Not a moment too soon, he came back, a guitar in his hand. He walked towards her and sat down in front of her, placing the guitar on his lap. "I'm going to sing you a song, so just sit back and relax." She was about to say something when he started strumming the guitar, which immediately shut her up in her place. "There are no words To paint a picture of you, girl Your eyes and those curves It's like you're from some other world You're walking my way," Alonah felt herself blush when she realized that he’s singing one of her favorite songs. It may have been just a coincidence, but it can’t be, right? The chances of this being merely a coincidence is obviously slim; she wasn’t an i***t after all, she’s just a girl in denial of the whole situation "Oh God, it's so frustrating So why do I disappear when you come near It makes me feel so small Why do I blow my lines Most every time, like I've got no chance at all," A smile slowly graced her lips as she continued to listen to Xavier’s voice. It wasn’t perfect, but he still sounded good. "If I can be a superman I'd fly you to the stars and back again Cause every time you touch my hand You feel my powers running through your veins But I can only write this song And tell you, that I'm not that strong Cause I'm no superman I hope you like me as I am," It honestly seemed like the guy wants to kill her with the way he’s acting. If he doesn’t stop all these wooing (which she still convinces herself is completely platonic), she would really start to consider her feelings for him being real. He stopped playing the guitar and he looked up at her with a smile. "How was it?" He asked. She smiled softly at him. "It was amazing." She replied and he let out a soft laugh while looking down the sand with a bit of pink in his cheeks. Aw, he's blushing. She laughed, taking pity on the guy who is obviously not used to her complimenting him like that. "Let's build a sand castle!"  "Okay, but I'm warning you though—I don't know how to build a sand castle." He said and she laughed again. "Don't worry, I don't know how too. We're just building it for the heck of it." She grinned as she gathered sand in front of her. "We don't even have a bucket." He said with a laugh. "It's fine. We don't have to have a bucket to make one." She winked at him and he laughed as he scooted closer to me. Thirty minutes later of trying their best, they were finally done building their sand castle. They stared at it blankly as they took in its appearance with only one word in both of their minds: horrible. The sand castle that they thought they could make turned out to be just a pile of sand that looked like a hill. They just put a stick at the top of it to make it look like a flag, but it still looks horrible. They even put a border on each side of it and a gate like figure, but it's still not it.  She was really not kidding when she said she doesn’t now how to build one. Apparently, him too. "God, our sand castle sucks." She remarked after a while. "Well, at least we tried." He said as he shrugged. Silently agreeing, she stood up while dusting off her pants and her hands, him following soon after. She grinned at him. "Let's play tag!" He didn't have the time to reply seeing as she already touched his shoulder and said, "Tag! You're it!" She ran away as far as she could and left him standing there, trying to digest what happened. After a while, she heard footsteps behind her and a round of laughter along with it. "I'll get you!" He said and she laughed. "No you can't!" She hollered as she continued running. She saw a big rock ahead of her and made her way there to hide, even though he can clearly see what she’s doing and leaned against it as she tried to regain her breath. Not even a minute later, she saw him standing beside her and she screamed in surprise before running on the other side of the beach. His laugh rang through her ears and she pushed her feet to run even though she’s already tired with all this running. She felt someone push her, making her land on the sand in a soft thud. She looked up to find Xavier's laughing expression. She glared at him and stood up. "That was so funny." He said and she smirked, a plan forming in her head. She walked behind him as he continued laughing and pushed him down, but his hand reached out to hold her in shock, making her land with him, her falling on top of him. This is so cliché. She’s seen so many movies like this and she’s already seen enough to know where this leads to. Her eyes widened slightly and she instantly stood up while dusting herself off, a blush plastered on her cheeks. She held out her hand to help him up, but he only looked at it, and took it after a while. She was about to pull him up, when he pulled her down, making her land on top of him again. He smirked at her as she stared at him in shock. She squirmed against his tight hold on her and glared at him. Isn't he planning to let her go?  He suddenly rolled them over, so now she’s the one under him and he's the one on top of her. "Now this position is comfortable." He stated and she tried pushing him away, but only to fail in the end. "Get off me, or I swear I will kick you where the sun doesn't shine." She threatened and he laughed. "Okay, okay." He stood up and offered his hand to her. "I should be the one doing this, and not you. That's why I pulled you back down." He explained with a cheeky grin. She rolled her eyes. "So sexist." She put her hand on his and he helped her stand up. As she took out her phone, she saw that it was already five minutes before twelve, making her eyes widen. She’s been gone for nearly three hours? Why didn't she feel the time pass by? It feels like they’ve only been here for just an hour, but it's already been three hours.  Time sure does fly fast when you’re having fun. "I think we better get going. We've already been gone for three hours." She said and he nodded his head. When they arrived at school, they stopped in front of the entrance of the school as they faced each other. "Thanks for today, Xavier.” She said gratefully. "No problem." He replied. "I had fun—really." She told him and he smiled, his hands dug deep on the front pocket of his jeans. "Well, I'm glad."  Smiling back, she replied, "Well I'll see you when I see you."  He nodded his head with a small wave to match his goodbye. Laughing slightly, she returned the wave before she made her way inside. She instantly walked towards the cafeteria, knowing that it's already lunchtime and found her friends sitting on the table near the window. "Hey guys." She greeted as she sat down on the only empty seat beside Dominic. Her friends looked at her in surprise before she felt all of their eyes narrow at her. Sighing, she honestly felt like she’s with her parents all the time with the way her friends are acting. "Where were you?" Hayes asked and she smiled while looking out the window. An astonished expression took over her face when she saw Xavier standing there with a grin on his face. Her friends followed her gaze and they instantly smirked at her, already knowing where she’s been all this time. Turns out, they didn’t have to worry at all. Alonah sighed, already knowing where this is going. "You owe us a story, Ally." They're just never going to change.