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Page 42
Max gets irritated and gives Jam one last forceful shove, which sends him flying across the cafeteria right into the populars' table. I have to hold back a laugh when food splatters all over Jam and the cheerleaders . If Melinda didn't hate me before, she definitely does now.
Max decides to end this once and for all as he crouches down right before Bells and takes her hand in his. “I will make this stop if you be my girlfriend.”
Bells, covered in food, blushes and giggles like a giddy pre-teen. “That was just plain awful. You really shouldn't sing, Max. You could have just asked me normally and the answer would still be the same.”
We all hold our breathes in anticipation as she deliberately keeps us waiting.
“Of course, I will be your girlfriend!” She answers, the whole cafeteria falling silent in disbelief.
The silence is unexpected; this is not what I was going for. I demand an immediate round of applause!
Jay, as if reading my mind, starts a slow clap from beside me to get the audience going. Just like he predicted, they all fall in line and follow his lead, erupting in claps and cheers as if actually happy for Max and Bells when we all know they don't really care.
I glance over at Jay and nudge him softly. “That was really nice of you.” Jay shrugs, dismissing my words. “I had to do my part.”
Max grins widely at Bell. “I only did all this because Aqueela told me that you love flash mobs and things like this.”
Oh no!
Bells raises both her eyebrows in confusion. “No, actually I hate these kinds of cheesy things. It's Aqueela who loves these huge performances.”
“Is that so?” Max turns in the crowds, searching for me.
I grab Jay and duck behind him before Max can spot me.
***
I gather my performers, leaving Max and Bells to their young puppy love.
First, I turn to Simo, Oog and Blubber. “I'm thoroughly disappointed in you three. Blubber, all you had to do was play the trumpet. Simo, all you had to do was play the flute. Oog, all you had to do was dance. What the heck happened? You were all three on the floor laughing your lungs out.”
Then, I turn to my next victim. “Boss Man, I'm sorry that Simo and Oog tripped you into Blubber and found it to be absolutely hilarious, but considering that you were to play the piano, I don't understand why you were standing in the first place.”
“Uhm…” Boss Man trails off, lost. “You never arranged a piano for me so
I was confused as what to do.”
“Oops, that's my bad. Totally forgot,” I say, excusing him. I spin on my heel to face Jam next. “You played the triangle like a pro but why you gotta steal Maxi's limelight? Not cool.”
“Hang ten, Flower?” he asks, wanting a high-five in order to make amends.
I shake my head. “No, Jam, no 'hang ten' for you right now, buddy.”
His hand falls as does his happy-go-lucky expression.
I point an accusing finger at Benley next. “And don't even get me started on you! You were so great but then you lost it because of a little bit of female attention. It makes you look desperate. You were our secret weapon to success!”
Grey's scowls at this. “I thought I was your secret weapon!”
He actually bought that?
I cough uncomfortably. “Yeah, uhm,” I falter, playing with the loose strands of my hair, “about that.”
“You lied to me?! Again?!” he shouts, causing me to cowardly back away from him.
“It's not my fault you were useless. You broke Jay's electric guitar,” I pause, “the one that I forced him to buy. Nonetheless, I don't really have anything to say to you. I kind of predicted what you would end up doing.”
Grey's mouth falls agape at my words. He's offended that I'm not giving him a proper lecture like I did with the others. He finds it insulting.
I look to the others for confirmation and they all begin nodding in agreement:
“Grey always ends up breaking something.”
“I knew Grey would lose his temper.”
“Saw it coming.”
Grey glances at all of us in disbelief. “Then why involve me in the first place?!” He all but shouts.
Cool that temper!
“Because you were lonely?” I ask more than state. “I didn't want to leave you out.”
For a second, Grey's eyes soften, his defensive walls shattering, but he's quick to rebuild them. “Next time, leave me damn well out of it!” He stomps away like an ogre.
“Where was I?” I ask aloud, unfazed by his anger. “Gland you were in the right. I don't blame you for going after BoyBand. I would have too if he threw a drumstick at my face.”
Benley scoffs at my audacity. “It was an accident!”
“Mhmm, sure,” I patronize him, earning another glare from him.
Lastly, I turn to Dylan and FeeBee, my beautiful hip-hop dancers. “FeeBee, you did great but, next time, stay with your band. Dylan…no words can describe how awful you are at dancing. You make Max look like he can sing. That said, you're all dismissed. That puts an official end to Aqueela's Entourage.”
“Finally! I hope it stays dead,” Benley exclaims in fury.
“'It will be fun, she said',” Dylan retorts in sarcasm, using my words from yesterday against me.
I merely roll my eyes at Benley, ignoring Dylan flat. “Man up. You're gonna have to do a lot better than that scowl if you want me to tremble in fear. Remember, Grey hates me more than you do. Thus, I can take anything you dish.”
Benley raises both eyebrows in a daring manner before he approaches me.
“Oh, yeah?” he challenges, ready to take me on.
Before he can even get to me, Gland's already yanking him away by the back of his shirt. “Don't nobody be messing with my baby girl, Eela.”
I grin up at Gland, thankful. “I love you, Gland, but don't mind Ben. He's fine. You can release him.”
Gland holds him mid-air so that his legs are dangling in the air. “You sure? 'Cause BoyBand seems like a threat to you. I can take care of him chop-chop if you let me.”
Gland is really strong. I'm glad I'm in his good books. “That won't be necessary. Release the BoyBand,” I say, now worried for Benley.
“Stop calling me 'BoyBand'!” Benley shouts out in exasperation as Gland finally drops him back down to the floor.
I shove Benley out of the way, purposely elbowing him in the side. “You owe me, BoyBand, I just saved your life. Unfortunately, I couldn't save your dignity in time. It died a horrendous death.”
***
“Aqueela?”
“Yes, Jay?” I answer in ease.
“Do you have time to talk? I want to talk about—”
He wants to talk about our relationship and ultimately push me further away. He had his chance but now he's lost it. Max has never been more right.
“I'm sorry, Jay, but I'm not discussing this with you right now. I can't,” I tell him bluntly as he falls silent, listening to what I have to say. “We keep going in circles and I'm tired.”
Jay begins to shake his head profusely. “You don't understand. I—”
I hold my hand up to silence him. “I need to distance myself from you for a while. I just need a break from all of this chaos. I'm going to focus on school for a while, boost my grades up, maybe find a new place to live. After all, living with you is only temporary. You said so yourself. I'm letting you go back to the way we were befor—”
He interrupts again as if desperate. “I don't want that, Aqueela. If you just give me a second to—”
Fed up, I talk over him. “Just give me a break, please,” I urge, satisfied when he stops talking altogether.
I need him to understand that if we're ever going to work, we first have to go our separate ways and make sure that what we want in the end is the same.
“Can you just give me some space for a while?” I ask.
Jay stays silent for a moment or two as if he's lost his voice. I stare at him,
waiting for a response.
Growing impatient, I make a move to leave. It's only then that I hear his answer:
“If that's what you want.”
Chapter 36
Jay World
“You're so stupid, Aqueela,” Bell remarks from her seat as her usual French hairstylist, Ramos, trims her brunette locks.
“I know.” I sigh in despair.
I told her the entire story of what happened between Jay and I.
“He even told you that space is not what he wants and you still shun him?” she scolds me.
“Zie Aqueela is stupido. For once she had zie boy and she chase zim away in snap of zie finger,” Ramos comments casually as he twirls a lock of Bell's hair beneath his fingertips, in awe of her.
I roll my eyes at him. He adores Bells because she has 'glorious' hair but he hates me because I have split ends. He also finds me childish just because I request to sit on a child's chair when he styles my hair.
“Shut up, Ramos!” I snap at him.
He ignores me and goes back to speaking to Bells. “I don't know how zie flawless Ms. Bensten friend with zie hideous creature,” he points to me with his scissors, almost stabbing me in the process (he'd love that). “Ms. Bell such zie lady and Aqueela…uh such zie…not.”
“I think you should talk to him, Aqueela,” Bells suggests, still on the 'Jay' subject.
It feels good to spend time with my best friend again. I've missed our bonding sessions where I'm always lectured.
I raise an eyebrow at Bells, taken aback. “Since when do you stick up for Jay? You're the one always telling me that I deserve better.”
Ramos scoffs at this. “Nuh-uh. Zie Jay boy deserve better than likes of zie split end creature.” He points the flat iron at me this time, hoping to melt me.
The hot iron just grazes my skin. I yelp and jump back, glaring at him.
“Oopzie,” he remarks with a cunning smile.
“I was wrong,” Bell admits. “Jay is good for you, perfect even, I see that now.”
Ramos lets out a wistful sigh as he looks up to the heavens. “Zat poor boy. He stuck with 'split ends' for the rest of zie life. My prayers be with zim.”
Apparently, my new nickname is 'split ends.' I'm going to strangle Ramos with the wire of his stupid flat iron. “I hate this place,” I mutter aloud, peeved.
“You and me both, sister,” Max retorts, still lazing about on the couch, his arms crossed behind his head. He's been in the same position for an hour now. Poor guy.
Even though they've just started dating, Bells has already got Max tagging along on her girly outings. He's taken Mason's place in that department.
I narrow my eyes at him, pinning the blame on him. “This is all your fault. You're the one who told me to give Jay space. Now he's mad at me and refusing to talk to me. I'm going to kill you for this!”
“Please do,” Max begs with a pleading pout as if desperate.
I'll take it easy on him seeing as he finally started tutoring me in Math.
“It would be so easy to. I'd make it look like an accident,” I threaten him. “It would be like stealing babies from candy stores.”
Max frowns, perplexed. “You do realize that you just mixed up that entire saying? It's 'stealing candy from babies'.”
I shrug. “Apples and oranges. The way I say it would be the 'orange' way, FYI. Your boring, unoriginal saying would be the 'apple' way. Still, we're one in the same. Oranges and apples, a package deal.”
“Yeah, only if apples are way better than oranges which they totally are,” he retorts back rudely, earning himself a scowl from me.
Ramos watches the bickering between us. He cocks his head to the side in wonder, both eyebrows raised. “Ms. Bell, what are zay speaking of ? I do not quite understand zem nor follow zem.”
Bells shakes her head, clueless as always. “Hell if I'd know. My boyfriend and my best friend speak in a language that only they can understand. They really are one in the same.”
“No, we're not!” we snap at Bells simultaneously.
“Seems a little forced, guys,” she replies sarcastically. She's adamant that I'm the female version of Max and vice versa.
I turn to Max just as he turns to me. We both yell at each other, “Shut up!”
I try to keep a straight face but when Max starts to laugh, I too break out into fits of laughter. He grins and high-fives me, already over it.
“Zie idiots,” Ramos whispers loudly in Bell's ear as he gestures to Max and me. He's on Max's case too. He believes Bells can do better than Max. The only people Ramos approves of are Bells and Troy Story. In fact, he and Troy are more girly together than he and Bell are together.
I'm about to insult him back when my phone begins to ring. I immediately
answer, having seen the caller ID. “Yellow, uncle!”
“Hello, my favorite niece. Just phoned to say goodbye. Tomorrow I head out again,” he informs me.
I sigh in disappointment. “Aww, man. That sucks. I will miss you. Until we meet again,” I end dramatically. Fortunately, I made some time to spend with him recently.
He laughs from the other side of the line. “Until we meet again, kiddo. Take care of your crazy grandparents in the meantime. Don't hate me but I told them you'd visit them sometime later today. They're expecting you.”
“I hate you,” I joke.
“Love you too, later kiddo,” he replies before hanging up.
I put my phone back into the pocket of my jeans and turn back to my friends expectantly. “So, which of you are going to visit my grandparent's house with me?”
Max points at Bells just as Bells points at Max. Ramos points at Max too.
“I still have nightmares about that place,” Bells says, shivering at the thought.
“Don't be so dramatic. They're not that bad,” I lie blatantly through my teeth. They are that bad.
“I've heard the stories. Count me out,” Max replies, holding his ground on this one.
“Me too,” Ramos adds.
“You were never an option, Ramos. You're out of the running,” I tell him, bursting his ego in the process.
He gasps and places a hand over his heart, genuinely offended. I have no idea why seeing as we're not even remotely friends.
I grab Max by the arm and Bells by her wrist, dragging them both after me toward Bell's car. “You two make it into the next round. Congratulations. Whoop, whoop!”
“Shoot me now,” Bells says under her breath.
“No, you shoot me first,” Max argues, the two of them debating the entire way there on who deserves to die first.
I even have to drag them to the front door before forcing Max to ring the buzzer. No answer. I force Max to keep ringing it. It's a few minutes later before Grams opens the door. The first thing she does is whack Max upside the head. “Don't ring the bell for so long, you bloody twat! We didn't answer for a reason; you'd think you'd catch the hint!”
Max rubs the back of his head, a dejected look on his face. “Sorry, Ma'am.”
She ushers us all in before she takes a look at Bells. “I remember you. You're that skanky tramp who came with last time. If I recall correctly, you flirted with my husband.”
Bells mouth falls agape at this, her blue-green eyes parting in fear as she begins to shake her head profusely. “What?!” She blurts in shock. “I never–”
“Save it for the Queen,” Grams cuts her off.
“We're in America. There is no queen,” Max corrects her.
I slap my hand over his mouth before my grams hears. “Shush!” I hiss at him. “Grams thinks she's been living in England for the past three years.”
Max nods, pretending to seal his lips. For his sake, he most definitely should.
The theme song of 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' starts playing from somewhere in the lounge. It's then that we hear my gramps start singing to the tune. “Leonardo is the leader in blue! He does anything it takes to get his ninjas through! Donatello–”
“Howard!” Grams swats him on the arm. “I told you that I'm watching Dragon Ball Z now!”
Gramps shakes his head. “No, Lillian, I'm watching. I never get a turn in front of the TV. You always hog it like the hog you are.”
“I will 'kamehameha' you!” Grams threatens him.
“You can try, honey. I will 'cowabunga booyakasha' your ass!”
“That's not even an attack! You're just shouting words, Howard!” she protests, unconvinced.
“Leo can take your little cartoon characters any day.” Gramps boasts in pride. “He's an animation!”
“They're anime, not cartoons!” Grams argues, furious.
As they continue to shout at each other, I slowly back away, heading for the exit. Bells and Max follow me outside. “This was a mistake,” I confess. “Let's get out of here before they remember that we were here to begin with.”
“For once, I agree with you,” Bells says as we hop back in her car and leave as fast as possible, heading back to her house – I'm trying to avoid Jay as much as possible.
“Pillow fight!” Max exclaims in excitement the second we enter Bell's bedroom.
The pillow hits me square in the face. “This means war!” I shout at Max, picking up the pillow, readying myself to throw it back at him, twice as hard.
Bells steps in between us. “We have homework. We don't have time for pillow fights, idiots.”
Joykill!
“Bite your tongue!” Max raises his tone rather dramatically, gasping aloud at her words. “We have feelings, Bell.”
“Tut-tut.” I wave my finger at him. “Leave me out of it. You're speaking for yourself here. I'm made of stone.”
“That's always your go-to saying. It should be your catchphrase,” Bells teases me with a smile.
Max continues on with his rants. “Well, unlike Aqueela, I'm not a piece of meat with no feelings. If you poke me, do I not giggle?” he asks in a girly squeak, kidding around.
I pull a face in response. “I really don't want to know the answer to that.”