Chapter 39 She's Pretty.
"I'm sure you’re very pleased with yourself," Stephanie says in place of a greeting as she joins Brooke at their usual table in the cafeteria.
She hasn't been able to see Brooke since she got to school in the morning since they don't share any classes today.
"Is that how to greet your best friend that you're seeing for the first time today?" Brooke smirks, folding her arms across her chest.
"It's just the new way I greet best friends that are trying to play cupid," Steph retorts with a pointed look.
Brooke seems unfazed by the look Steph’s giving her. Instead, she grins and takes a bite out of her sandwich.
"Why didn’t you pick me up today?"
"I sent Chris to pick you up," Brooke says as if it’s only normal and happens every time—she says it like she’s casually telling somebody about today’s weather.
"Why did you do that?" Steph asks in exasperation. Brooke’s attitude towards it isn’t helping matters right now. She’s acting like Steph and Chris have been best friends like forever.
“Cause I didn’t drive my car to school today,” Brooke deadpans.
Confusion spreads on Steph’s face. “Why?”
“Cole picked me up today,” Brooke announces smugly.
"Oh." Steph frowns, thinking about how they might have decided to always come to school together as a couple.
Brooke, as if reading Steph's mind smiles. "It won't be happening every day. Even though he suggested it, I didn't agree to it because of you. It's sisters before misters, girl. I will continue to pick you up for school, okay?"
Steph sighs in relief. "Thank God. I thought I'd have to walk to school till you guys break up, or even worse—ride with Christopher."
"Cole and I are not breaking up anytime soon so that even think about that. And I still don't understand what you have against Chris. I understand that you hate his Playboy lifestyle but other than that, is there another reason you resent him? Is there something you're not telling me? Seriously, you need to help me understand," Brooke says with a serious look on her face.
"I don't resent him, B. And I have nothing against him. He's just not my favorite person to spend time with and as you said, I hate how he does girls like to play things." Steph answers.
"Seriously baby girl, you need to ignore that part of him. We all have our bad sides. You said it yourself that he's a good guy—fuck, I wish I recorded that."
Steph laughs because of the last part and the look on Brooke's face.
"Wait, has he ever made an inappropriate comment or ever tried to flirt with you?"
Steph shakes her head. "None that I know of."
"I can vividly remember you saying that he might be after you to hook up with you or something along that line. It had been weeks now and he hasn't even tried to flirt with you. He hasn't even talked about the damn kiss you guys shared so please just stop. Stop acting like you hate him or something." Brooke asserts, using the tone a mother would use to reprimand a child that misbehaves.
Before Steph can think of a reply, Cole slides in beside Brooke.
"Hey Babe," he says with a grin on his face.
Brooke's face lit up like a child's when opening a present. She turns to him and coos. "Honey bear. I missed you."
Their lips meet and they begin to kiss.
Steph covers her face with her palms.
"Can you guys not suck each other's faces off while I'm sitting in front of you?" Steph groans, not at all enjoying their display of affection.
Stephanie hears a familiar laugh beside her.
Cole and Brooke stop their display and Cole says. "Hey, Steph."
She peeps through her fingers before dropping her hands. She feels a presence beside her and with the way she's feeling and that familiar laugh she just heard, she knows who it is. He sits beside her with his tray containing his lunch.
Luke is sitting at the same table with us for lunch?
"You guys need to tone down your PDA around her. We wouldn't her to get uncomfortable, right?" Luke smiles at her.
"Thanks, I'm glad someone cares about how I feel." Steph returns his smile and glares at Brooke.
Brooke giggles and subtly motions in Luke's direction with a knowing look on her face. Only Steph notices but ignores her.
"Why are you sitting with us?" Steph blurts out before she can stop herself.
Everyone looks at her.
"I mean, Cole sits with us because Brooke is his girlfriend. And you've never sat with us." Steph adds in an attempt to not sound too curious. Mentally, she face-palming herself and calling herself names. She keeps her eyes on her food. She doesn't want to see the look on Luke's face at her outburst.
Won't Luke think she doesn't want him to sit here?
"He broke up with Ivy so he doesn't want to sit there anymore. It would be so awkward if he does." Cole answers for Luke, sounding like he's elated to relay that piece of information.
Brooke eyes with boyfriend. "Was that excitement I heard in your voice?"
"Duh! I'm glad Luke's free. I thought they'd be together till the end of high school."
Steph doesn't blame Cole for his excitement. He's concerned about his best friend. She finally looks at Luke to see a wistful look on his face.
Steph feels guilty for asking the question that has managed to change his mood so she decides to change the subject of discussion. But before she can talk, Brooke does.
"Do you know Ivy's not in school today?" Brooke asks to Steph's disappointment.
Luke nods. "Yeah, I noticed. It's something you can't just help but notice."
"It's surprising," Cole comments. "Do you think the breakup affected her in any way?"
Brooke scoffs and gives him an incredulous look.
"Puh leaze. It's poison Ivy we're talking about here. She was probably only using him. No offense, Luke."
"None taken."
None of the boys say anything about the noun that was added to Ivy's name. They figured it is what Brooke probably calls her and it suits her perfectly.
"Enough about Ivy. Let's talk about something else," Steph avers, desperate to change the subject.
"Halloween is in a few days. Jason's probably gonna throw a party and I think we should all go," Brooke says, moving a finger.
Luke shrugs while Steph says nothing.
"Steph, we need to go shopping for our costume. Cole, we're gonna wear couple costumes." Brooke instructs.
Steph sighs. She doesn't think she's ready for yet another party.
Chris, Jason, and Max are as per usual, seated together at their table in the cafeteria for lunch.
Chris tries to ignore Max and Jason's bickering as he eats his chicken nuggets.
They're bickering about their favorite character from a TV show.
Jason's ringtone disrupts their banter and Chris internally sighs in relief that they've finally stopped. They all stare at his phone on the table before Jason picks it up with a grin. He swipes the green button before responding to the person on the other line. They don't fail to notice the goofy smile on his face. When he ends the call, he drops his phone back on the table with a satisfied sigh. He looks at his mates to see them looking at him suspiciously.
"What?"
"Who was that?" Max asks.
"Piper."
Chris raises his eyebrows while Max smiles.
"You and this Piper are close, aren't you?"
"You could say that, I guess," Jason answers with a thoughtful look on his face. "I think I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend."
Chris blinks.
"I like her and I think she feels the same way. We went to the movies on Saturday and she kept calling it a date," Jason explains.
"Wow." Max mumbles.
Chris shrugs. "I should have seen it coming."
"I find it ironic that she was initially trying to hook up with you and now, she's with me. If didn't ask me to find her that day, I'd probably not know who she is. We kept running into each other after that." Jason specifies.
"Things don't always happen the way we want them to. It's a crazy world."
"Yeah, real crazy." Max comments in agreement.
"But are you okay with it?" Jason gives Chris a questioning look.
"Okay, with what?"
"That Piper and I might end up dating?"
"Dude! Why won't I be okay with that? I'm glad I didn't hook up with her. I guess I was just being the wingman all along," Chris chuckles.
Max laughs and Jason does too.
"It's not like I was ever interested in her."
Max nods, agreeing with Chris. "Yeah, we all know who you're interested in."
"Yeah. I met her the other day bro. He's like really interested in her," Jason smirks.
"I know that already. You don't have to remind me."
Chris groans, getting frustrated about how they're just saying these things. "Not you too. Why does everyone think that? I do not like her like that. We're just friends. Nothing more."
"Chris, can you please mention the name of other girls you're just friends with?" Max asks.
Chris thinks for a second but can't come up with a name. He remembers Steph's best friend. "Brooke......"
Jason huffs. "You only talk to her because she's Stephanie's friend."
"You guys don't know anything."
Jason and Max share a knowing look and laugh. "Sure."
Chris rolls his eyes. After a few seconds, he can't stop his eyes from wandering in search of the aforementioned hazel-eyed girl. He's surprised he hasn't already looked at her since he arrived. It's something he has been doing a lot nowadays.
His eyes meet the lovely image of her smiling. His lips threaten to tug up but he bites back the smile. He stares at her for a few seconds before finally noticing the person sitting beside her that's the reason for her smile.
It's Luke.
Luke Anderson.
The nice guy that isn't a player like him. The same guy that got his heart broken by the same girl that broke his own heart. Luke is probably the type of guy Hazel would go for, Chris muses. He's nice, cool, good-looking, popular, and definitely not a man whore as she once called him. The fact that she apologized doesn't change the fact that she said it. He's surprised she even apologized for something she wasn't supposed to apologize for because she was just being honest.
Chris watches them as they talk and laugh and the lovebirds sitting with them seem to be doing the same thing. He finds himself wishing he's the one sitting beside her. He wishes he's in Luke's place—being the one that's making her laugh.
Chris is shocked when he realizes what he's doing.
When did he start having thoughts like that? When did he start making wishes like that? He asks himself.
Since you kissed her, you idiot. His subconscious answers him.
Jason notices Chris staring and nudges Max, nodding in Chris's direction.
"Guess who he's staring at?" Jason whispers to Max.
"Stephanie?" Max guesses.
"Yup. And he says he doesn't have any feelings for her. He hasn't realized it yet."
"Which one is she?"
"She's the girl sitting beside Luke. The one with shoulder-length black hair."
"She's pretty," Max says as he identifies Steph.
Chris stares on for a few seconds more, oblivious to the fact that his friends are talking about him.
He doesn't know why the sight of both of them enjoying each other's company stirs a foreign feeling inside him. He has no idea what the novel feeling is but doesn't think he likes it.
"Would you stop staring at her? You're starting to like a stalker," Chris heads Jason say and it takes him a few seconds for him to register that it's him that is being referred to.
Chris lets his gaze move back to his friends. Jason has a wide grin as he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.
The look on Max's face says 'we-told-you-so.'
Busted.
He's been caught staring at Hazel.
They're never gonna let him live that down.
He looks down at his lunch and clears his throat, causing Max and Jason to laugh at his expense.
After recovering from their bout of laughing, Max asks.
"Did anyone else notice that the bitch isn't in school today?"
Chris takes a sip from his bottle of water. "She isn't?"
He didn't even notice. And he's glad he didn't.
"Nope."
"I didn't even notice and I don't give a fuck. Luke told me he ended things with her."
"I'm happy for him."
"Do you think she's heartbroken and crying at home?" Max inquires.
The three guys look at one another before bursting into laughter.
"Very funny," Jason comments dryly.
"If she is, Karma's just paying her back in her coin," Chris says.
A few minutes after the final bell signaling the end of school rings, the two lovebirds with their best friends head towards the parking lot. Cole and Brooke laugh at an inside joke they seem to have shared while Steph who is on Brooke's side, rolls her eyes.
"Since I didn't bring my car." Brooke starts as they're nearing Cole's car. "We'll drop you off, Steph."
"Really?" Steph groans. "I'd be third wheeling? I'd feel like a gooseberry. That's just great."
"You're just being dramatic," Brooke chuckles.
"I can drive you home," Luke offers which causes Steph's eyes to widen.
Did Like just offer to give her a ride home?
"T- Thanks," Steph accepts his offer.
"There, problem solved." Cole beams.
"Should I take you home or should we hang out?"
Brooke grins. "Hang out of course."
She hugs Steph as they exchange goodbyes. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Have fun," Steph tells them as Luke leads her to where his car is parked. Brooke winks at her before they separate.
Luke opens the door for her to enter and shuts it when she's settled in the passenger's seat. His gentlemanly gesture makes her feel like they're going on a date.
She takes a deep breath to relish the feeling of being in his car for the first time. She can't believe she's in his car and he's about to drive her home.
Luke takes the driver's seat and buckles his seatbelt. He glances at her. "Now I'll get to know where you live."
Steph chuckles. "And do I get to know where you live?"
"Anytime you want to," Like answers without missing a beat. He turns on the ignition and pulls out of his parking space.
She stares at him as he solely concentrates on driving. He asks for directions as they get off the school grounds.
Maybe Brooke's right, Steph thinks. She should be the happiest person about Luke and Ivy's break up. If he was still with her, he wouldn't be able to give another girl a ride.
Maybe, just maybe her crush on Luke isn't just a silly crush. Maybe they could actually be something—that's if Luke ever thinks of her in that way. Maybe he will like her and ask her out. She stares at Luke who has his attention on the road. She imagines her hands interlaced with his as they walk in the park. She imagines them going on dates. She finds daydreaming on the spot, still staring at Luke's face as if in a daze. It would be so nice to date a guy as cool as Luke.
They stop at a red light and before she can compose herself and look away, Luke glances at her and their eyes meet.
He smiles and raises an eyebrow.
"What's on your mind?"
"Nothing." Steph turns away before her cheeks turn pink.
If he can read her mind now, all hell would break loose.
Instead of Luke probing to know what's on her mind, he asks.
"Wanna play the question game?"
Steph grins. "Sure. You should go first."
The traffic light finally turns green and Luke begins to drive. They spend the rest of the ride getting to know each other better.
Maybe, just maybe—she and Luke are perfect for each other.