Young Writers Society

The previous chapter was the shortest so far.

This chapter will be the longest so far.

HAHA.

Please don't kill me, I'm just an amateur. *screams, flees*

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During practice, I put in all my effort to run the thirty laps, finishing six laps faster than them. Coach matched lap for lap and they had to run an extra six rounds. Serves them right.

I didn’t join them for dinner either. There was nothing interesting about watching them flirt with the cheerleaders, letting those sluts touch them. I saw Alyssa stroking Alex’s arm, flipping her stupid blond hair, and batting her eyelashes, laughing at everything Alex said. She spotted me looking and secretly gave me a smug grin. I rolled my eyes at her. Witch.

I spent my dinner at the field, kicking ball after ball into the goal, cursing under my breath continuously. I didn’t know who I was more pissed off at; Alyssa or the guys, but I was certainly incensed at both.

I was woken the following morning at seven.

“What in the world? Miranda! Why did you wake me up at seven, on a Saturday!!!” She had peeled off the covers, leaving me exposed to the cold.

“Today’s the big day, Liz! I’m in charge of getting you dressed and ready for your ‘little fashion show’.” She giggled.

“It is not a fashion show. And it’s freaking seven in the morning!”

“I know, but it will take me at least two hours to doll you up. You’re lucky I didn’t wake you at six.”

“I only take ten minutes to get ready! Not two hours!”

“Yes, but you don’t put on make up and everything.” I looked at her in terror. MAKEUP?! She ignored the look on my face. “Oh, I can’t wait! You’re finally going to look like a girl!”

“Thanks!” I bit off, my tone heavy with sarcasm. “God forbid that I should ever not look like one.”

She pushed me into the bathroom, not without much difficulty, and shut the door, instructing me to bathe.

“Remember to lather, rinse, repeat!”

“Whatever!”

“Shampoo properly!”

“Right.”

“Condition the ends of your hair!”

“Got it.”

“Remember to use cleanser for your face!”

“ALRIGHT ALREADY.”

“Scrub properly, make sure you brush your teeth as well!’

“MIRANDA!!! SHUT UP!!!” I roared at the door.

After bathing and brushing my teeth, she started doing my hair. Drying it out with a towel first then using a hairdryer to style my hair. She curled the ends of my already wavy ends, combing them in a style that allowed the curls to swing around freely with my movement, some falling to the front of my face, framing it. I had to admit, she did a good job, but an hour had passed by the time she was done. I wore the whitest underwear I could find, pulling the shirt over it.

Even when wearing white, the outline of my bra was clearly visible. “Those freaking pervs.” I growled. I pulled the skirt as low as I could go, but it was still mortifyingly short and now my belly button was revealed. “I WILL KILL THEM.” I snarled under my breath, Miranda chuckling at that.

She applied every article of make up she had. Foundation, blusher, mascara, eye shadow and lip gloss, which I dearly wanted to lick off. Unlike the Barbie dolls, she only applied a very thin layer to my face, saying that I looked good in ‘au natural’ and just needed a few touch ups.

“How about we really go au natural and leave my face alone?” I suggested.

“Nice try, Liz, but that’s not going to happen.” Dammit.

Finally, I put on the football necklace she had given me, the only thing I had worn willingly. Then, I went to fetch my sneakers when she stopped me.

“Woah, girl. You didn’t think I’d let you wear sneakers with that outfit, did you?”

“Yes.” I muttered, cautious. She was up to something, and I had a feeling I wouldn’t like it.

“Ta-da!” She grinned, holding out a pair of bright crimson stiletto heels.

I backed away from them as if they were bombs. “Miranda Whitley, I am absolutely not getting into those death traps.”

“Yes, you are. If you don’t behave, I’ll have to get the boys to help me.”

I glowered at her, sitting down on my bed. The last thing I needed was for a guy to touch my leg, which I knew my brothers would take pleasure in doing.

I watched her lace them up on my feet. “I’m not going to be able to walk with these things on my feet, you know.”

“Nonsense. We have a few more minutes to practice your walk.”

“Where are we meeting those morons so that I can kill them for putting me through this?”

“We’re meeting them at the entrance of school at nine thirty.”

Once she was done, I was forced to practice my walk. Good thing I had an excellent sense of balance and managed to keep myself upright. Most of the time. My legs wobbled as Miranda made me strut around the room, drilling me.

“Swing your hips to the side, keep your feet in a straight line, chest out!”

“Miranda…” I growled, warning her not to push her luck.

She then steered me towards the mirror and made me look at myself. Oh. My. God. I have a figure. I look like a …like a girl! Augh!

After she decided that she was satisfied, we left the room and my nightmare commenced. “Would it kill you to smile, Liz?”

“Yes. But not before I kill the boys.”

She sighed. “Liz, we’re doing this for your own good. For once, just act like a girl. It’s only for a day, and after this you can kill them. You’re lucky I insisted on shopping with them, or they’d have picked something that would barely cover you.”

“Fine. It’s barely covering me now.” I snapped.

***

Either it was just a coincidence, or the boys had deliberately planned this. Walking from our room to the entrance of the school meant we had to pass the most crowded areas of Everfield Academy. As we strolled around the campus, Miranda’s hand on the small of my back to steady me, all eyes fell on me. The girls looked at me with jealousy, and the guys ogled at me. Eww, I definitely don’t want to know what is going through the guys’ heads right now. I swear I even saw my Trigonometry teacher, Mr. Walter gape at me, never having seen me in such an attire. Why won’t the ground swallow me up already?

Taking a deep breath, Miranda opened the doors of the school’s entrance and we stepped outside.

OH. MY. GOD.

The football and basketball team stood at the bottom of the steps that led to the entrance. The basketballers were armed with cameras and they started clicking away, but I was too busy noticing something else.

My brothers stood there looking at me in …admiration? Awe? Lust? All were wearing tuxedos, and Alex stood at the head of the group, a massive bouquet of red roses. What the hell? Are they all courting me now?

Miranda nudged me and we started descending down the steps. I must look really ungraceful right now.

I addressed Sean first, “You guys are coming along as well?!”

“Naw. The guys just wanted pictures and to be at the revealing of this spectacular once in a lifetime moment. We’re hanging out with Miranda. Alex and the others have stuff lined up for you.”

The cameras continued to click and I was starting to get very frustrated again. Miranda could tell that my anger was starting to resurface and she quickly ushered the guys off. Alone with the guys. This day could not get any worse.

“For the lovely Miss Pearson.” Alex said, trying to be debonair and flourishing the roses at me.

“Thanks.” I took and smelt the flowers, eyeing the boys suspiciously. “What’s with the get up?”

“We figured that if you took the trouble to dress up, we should too.” Daniel offered.

“How sweet. But it wasn’t like I had a choice. I’d rather be eaten alive by tigers. I look like a whore!”

“Aww, cheer up Liz. We’ve lined up something for you. Well, at least Alex, Dan, Greg, Will and I have.” Jackson beamed.

“What about Craig and the others?” I asked, confused.

“We’ve got our exams to study for. You guys are lucky you’re still not seniors.” Craig answered gruffly.

“What about Peter and Max?” Our football team consisted of three seniors, the rest of us were the same age, but Peter and Max were not in my class, unlike Alex and the others.

“Detention. We were late for class.” Peter mumbled.

“Man! We have to go for detention in monkey suits! There’s no time to change.” Max groaned. The two of them left first.

“We have to match!” Daniel argued.

“You made us wear a tuxedo to an event that will only last for a few minutes!” Craig groaned, running his hands through his hair.

“How did they manage to make us dress up anyway? There are more of us than them.”

“Yeah, but they threatened to tell Coach it was us who played that college scout prank on him last week.”

“Oh, right. Damn.”

“Well, we should be going. Have fun Liz, you really look beautiful.” Craig commented, winking at me. He looked at Alex and the others conspiratorially, who snickered, making me feel very worried.

Heading back to school, I overheard one of the seniors, Julian, complain “Stupid juniors, forcing us into this get up that lasted only a few minutes.”

Now there was just me, five idiots and an excessively gigantic bouquet of plants.

“You look gorgeous, Liz.” Alex complimented.

I blushed. “Thanks.” I mumbled shyly.

“She’s totally crushing on him, like he is on her.” Daniel muttered to Jackson.

“Yeah. You think we ought to set them up? Because I don’t think either of them are going to admit to they other that they like each other.” Jackson muttered back.

There was no indication that Alex had overheard their little tête-à-tête, thankfully.

“You look smoking hot, Liz. Love that bod.” William commended me on my appearance, his eyes travelling up and down my body.

I pointedly ignored him while Alex glared at him, flicking William’s ear.

“So what are you guys going to do in your tuxedos?” I continued.

“We were waiting for you to ask us that.” Greg grinned cheekily.

“We’re taking you on a date.” Alex revealed.

“A movie, lunch and dinner, and anything else you want to do.” William piped in.

“As long as you’re within our sight for the entire day.” Jackson added.

“Fine.” I answered, keeping voice impassive.

“You’re taking this well, Liz. We expected a lot of kicking, screaming and tantrums.” William commented, amused.

I rolled my eyes. “The only thing that’s keeping me sane right now, is the fact that I can kill you after today.”

“Is that how you treat all your boyfriends?” Daniel smirked.

“You guys are not my boyfriends.”

“Fine, your dates.”

“I’ve never been on a date.”

“I don’t believe you. Someone must have asked you out before.”

“Guys? Can we hail for cabs first?” Alex interjected, sparing me from my interrogation temporarily.

***

Jackson, Greg and William got into one cab, Alex, Daniel and I in another. I knew what that sneaky Daniel’s intention was when he slipped into the front seat before I could, purposely putting me with Alex in the back seat. Okay, Daniel will die first.

“So, you were saying you never had a date.” Daniel resumed the conversation.

“That is correct.” I replied stiffly. Alex kept himself out of the conversation, looking out the window. I bet he’s listening in.

“No guy ever asked you out? Seriously?” Daniel asked incredulously, his eyebrows shooting up so high that they disappeared into his fringe.

“They did. But I always kept my relationship with them on a platonic level. Just good friends. I see them more as my brothers.” I saw Alex stiffen. Crap. Did I say something wrong? Darn, I should have lied.

“Huh …you’re not a homo, are you Liz?”

“If by homo, you mean Homo Sapien, then yes.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Actually, I don’t.”

“Are you gay?”

“Not right now. Why should I be happy about being kidnapped?”

“You’re so lame, Liz. I mean, are you in love with girls?”

So that’s what homo means. Oh. “NO!” I reached forward to the front seat and smacked Daniel on the head.

“Oww. Just checking. No need to get all huffy. Anyway, since this is your first date, we’ll make sure it’s a memorable experience that you’ll never forget, hehe.”

“I don’t like your tone, you’d better not try anything funny, Dan.” I warned.

We arrived at Eastspring Mall half and hour later, and headed straight for lunch. It was still early, not even eleven yet, but we were hungry, all of us having skipped breakfast.

“Where should we eat? I’m starved.” Daniel stomach grumbled and growled.

“Let Liz decide.” Alex spoke.

“I think I could use a taco.”

“Excellent. I was thinking the exact same thing.” Alex grinned his lopsided grin and I felt my knees go weak. Behind him, I could see Jackson looking repulsed and pretending to puke at us. Twit.

***

During lunch, we were holding a burping contest, the one with the loudest and longest burp gets ice cream.

“Dudes, check this out- BURP!” Daniel belched.

“That is so lame, Dan. Watch this.” Greg braced himself, “BURRRPP!”

“How about this? BUURP!” Jackson attemped to belch. “Dang. I should have drunk more soda.”

“The three of you suck. Top this- BUUUURRRPPP!!” William challenged.

“Woah, nice one, bro.” Alex appraised. “I’ll try to beat you if I can. 1 …2 …3! BUURRRPP!!”

“Amateurs.” I rolled my eyes. “Step aside and watch how the professionals do it. BUUUUURRRRRPPPPP!!!”

The guys were staggered. The adults sitting around us shook their heads, looking at us with great displeasure while a table of boys cheered us on.

“WOAH.” That was all Daniel could say.

“You are unquestionably the champion, Liz. I don’t I’ve heard anyone burp like that.”

“Thanks. Shall we head for the cinema?”

Once again, Alex was being gentlemanly and insisted that I pick the choice of film. Maybe I should torture them with a chick flick. Then again, even I can’t stand those things. Ah well, we all love action movies.

“I feel like watching, ‘The Player’. Is that okay with you guys?”

“Awesome! I wanted to watch that. They say it’s got really cool ball tricks. Maybe I could try them out during football practice.” Alex commented.

“Okay, I’ll get the tickets and you guys get the snacks.”

“Make sure you get me a seat next to yours, Liz.” Daniel grinned, waggling his eyebrows.

“No way! I want to sit with her!” William argued.

“She can sit in the middle, then I’ll sit on one side and one of you can sit on the other.” Jackson quarreled.

“I’m sure she wants to sit with me the most!” Greg disputed.

“I disagree. I’m the captain, who would refuse an offer from me?” Alex squabbled.

Immature losers. I would have left them to bicker, but I was afraid they would end up in a brawl. “Guys? The snacks? I’ll settle the seating.”

I randomly handed each of them a ticket, numbered seven to eleven. They immediately started comparing who got the two extreme ends.

“I got seven!” Jackson declared triumphantly.

“I’ve got eleven.” Alex proclaimed proudly.

“Dang. So are you seat six or twelve, Liz?” Daniel enquired.

I smirked. “Neither. I’m number seventeen.”

***

Approximately two hours later, we emerged from the theater. Alex was right, there were some really super ball moves I wouldn’t mind trying out. Unfortunately, I didn’t think Alex and the others saw any of those moves.

“So how did you like that part with the flying clown?” I tested the guys.

“Oh, err, yeah. It was awesome.” Jackson mumbles.

“His face was very funny.” Daniel grinned.

“Uhh, ditto.” Alex answered absentmindedly.

Yup. They definitely had their eyes on something else. Or should I say someone else. Throughout the entire movie, from the corner of my eye, I could see them looking at me. Thinking that a dark cinema was the perfect place to ogle without being caught, they were checking me out. Sometimes their eye would wander to some attractive girl down the row or at their sides. There was no flying clown.

“It’s still kind of early for dinner. Where do you want to go, Liz?”

Maybe I could torment them by making them shop for clothes with a girl.

“I think I need new clothes. Know any good shops here?”

“How about Victoria’s Secret?” Daniel suggested.

“Yeah, good idea!” The rest agreed.

“You guys are seriously sick.”

“Nope. I’m feeling perfectly fine.” Alex joked.

“Nevermind. Let’s go to the arcade. I don’t really like shopping anyway.”

“Liz, you are officially the best date a guy could get.”

“Yeah. She’s hot.”

“She’s totally up for a burping contest.”

“She doesn’t drag us off to watch some chick flick, romance thing, unlike most girls.”

“She’d rather go to the arcade then make us sit around on some stool while she tries on a thousand outfits.”

“She’s an awesome soccer player.”

“You flatter me.” I answered dryly.

As we headed for dinner after the arcade, Alex added, referring to the fact that I had beaten them in car racing three times in a row. “And she’s a natural at car racing.” They had accumulated enough points to get me a humongous teddy bear.

“So where are you guys taking me for dinner?” I asked as they led me up an escalator.

“Berceuse Chanson.”

“Lullaby Song?” I asked dubiously. It didn’t sound like a restaurant.

“That’s what it means? I always thought it was some kind of fancy term for a poodle dog.”

“Wait, it sounds familiar. Isn’t it supposed to be very expensive?”

“Yup. That’s the one.”

“I don’t think the six of us combined can even afford one full course meal there.”

“Liz, you wound us. Did you think we were that poor?”

“No. I just didn’t think you were filthy rich.”

“Nah, we’ve got enough.”

“Really?” My eyes narrowed, “You didn’t rob a bank, did you guys?”

“Hardly. But the football team is paying for our meal. We’ll deal with the bill, you just eat to your heart’s content.” Greg reassured me.

It was around eight when we finally returned back to school.

“I’ve got to admit, steak, lobster bisque, crème brûlée, you guys really know how to treat a girl.”

“Of course.”

“But thanks, really. As much as I don’t want to admit, I really had a fun time.” I smiled.

“Do we get hugs?” Alex asked, grinning from ear to ear.

I hugged each of them, especially Alex. “Thanks for the flowers, bro.”

“Anytime sis.” My skin tingled where he had hugged me, and my heart fluttered when he smiled his signature lopsided grin.

“Hey, you two flirting or something?” William asked.

“Do we get kisses on our first date?” Daniel inquired hopefully.

“Don’t push your luck, Dan. I haven’t forgotten about this miniskirt.” Their eyes automatically travelled down.

“Good night, guys. Oh, thank the others for me.” I quickly escaped to my room so that I could change out of my outfit.

“So how was your day?” Miranda pounced on me as soon as I stepped into our room.

“Better than I expected.” I admitted with slight reluctance. “It was kinda weird though, walking around a mall with five guys dressed in tuxedos following you. Also going around with a big bouquet of roses was sort of. The guys at the mall were all checking me out, so it was a good thing I had five jealous brothers guarding me. Except unfortunately, they were busy checking me out themselves. Alex was glaring at some Southside High guys that were looking at me.”

“You know, everyone thinks there’s something going on with you and Alex. Just now, some cheerleader spotted the teacher’s register and saw that your middle name was Alex. Rumours have it that you gave yourself that name.”

“WHAT?!” My voice an octave higher than usual, shrill and unpleasant.

“Is it true?”

“No, you know my middle name is Alexis.” Impatience coloured my tone. I wanted to find out which asshole came up with that rumour.

“I didn’t mean that, Liz.” Miranda avoided my gaze. “…Do you love Alex Taylor?”

He’s my brother. Or course, I love him like my sibling. I love him. But is it really for that reason anymore? … …I’m so confused.

“I …I don’t know, Miranda. I really don’t know.”