The Heaven I Found In Hell

by Ashley Andrews

  "Ha-Ha." I said to him, showing him that I wasn't amused, even though I actually was, and completely forgetting about how annoyed I was with him.

  No, no…I'm not schizophrenic…I'm just really shallow at times.

  But this was Nathan's problem.

  No matter how much he laughed at me, teased me, or made me the center of his jokes, I never got fully annoyed with him. Sure what happened a while ago irritated me all of a sudden, but it never made me get angry at them, especially at Nathan. For the past month and a half, Nathan and I had grown closer by teasing and laughing at each other, so I already got used to him, and figured out that he was just born like that. Also, I just made myself believe that the things he said were never true. Example: me liking Anthony.

  I just like him as a friend, and nothing more.

  "I'm glad you're amused with my sarcasm, babe." He said, winking at me. That's another thing…

  Every time we teased each other, we'd end up flirting in a good-humored way. He'd call me babe, and I'd answer back with a 'dear.' Whenever he winked at me, I'd punch his arm playfully, and after that hug him. When he complimented me, I'd always return it…

  Damn it…I'm thinking too much…

  "Always am, dear."

  See…?

  I mentally told myself to stop, and forced myself to believe that we were just playing with each other. I knew he was just doing that because he was bored, and me…I was just playing with him because I'm a player…

  What the hell? Me? A player? Come to think of it, I am… For the past month, I'd been club hopping with Riley and co. every Friday, and while I drank and danced, I made-out with strangers, but unlike my first club experience in Ridgeway, this time…Nathan didn't stop me. He just left me to dance and make-out with those random people. Oh God…here I am thinking again…

  "Anyway, losers will kiss whoever the winners want them to kiss."

  Damn.

  * * *

  "Don't forget our deal, peeps." Nathan said, as the lot of us headed over to the parking lot.

  "I guess I have to add some things to my dress and mask…I gotta be pretty." I said to myself, as I pondered on my words carefully.

  I was about to enter my white BMW when Anthony called out my name. I answered him with a, "What?"

  "Do you mind if I call you when you get home?" He asked, entering his Jaguar.

  "Uh…sure…"

  "Cool. I just need to ask you something."

  "Okay…"

  I felt Cindy elbow me. I looked at her, and saw her grinning at me, but with a questioning face.

  What was Anthony going to ask me…?

  * * *

  Chapter 8: Playing Matchmakers

  * * *

  I was about to get in my bed, and let the linen sheets swallow me when my phone began to ring. I sat up, turned my lamp on, and got the phone that was placed on top of the side table. I pressed the green button, before I greeted the person on the other line.

  "Hey Alex." Anthony said, greeting me back. I pulled up the blanket up to my neck one handedly while the other one busily held the phone.

  "What was that you wanted to ask me?" I asked, starting to tense.

  Oh God…here was the moment of truth…

  "Can you help me?"

  I blinked my eyes rapidly, as his words started to dawn on me. "What?"

  "I want to ask Riley out."

  And here was the moment of unspeakable humiliation…

  I kicked the sheets off me, as I got out my bed, and turned all the lights on. I was fully awake now, and my brain was starting to use the diesel it still had working intensely rapidly. I felt like screaming, really, as in I wanted to torture my lungs, but after shopping the whole afternoon...? I don't think I have the energy left to do that. I pressed the phone much closer to my ear, before I spoke up again.

  "I thought you were…"

  I mentally cursed myself, as my attention turned back to Anthony.

  "You thought I was what…?" He said, sounding somewhat confused.

  "You like Riley?" I asked in bewilderment.

  No I wasn't surprised by the idea of him liking Riley for reasons I didn't know yet…I was surprised by the capability of one extremely shy person to bruise my ego so bad…I thought he was going to ask me out! Why did he pay for my dress and tell me I looked pretty in the gown I wore?

  "Uh…yeah…why…?" He asked, and I only started to figure out now that both of us weren't on the same track at the moment.

  "I thought you were going to ask me out…why'd you pay for my dress if you didn't like me?" Okay…that came out much more easily than I expected…and it felt embarrassing.

  Shit…do I hear laughing…?

  "Anthony…" I said in a tone of warning when a voice that wasn't Anthony's was more audibly heard. "Is there someone else there?"

  "Alex…you're on loudspeaker…" He confessed. I let out a loud groan as I plopped down hard on my bed, but since I was surrounded by linen, the rash action didn't hurt at all. "And I paid for your gown as an early 'thank you' for you helping me out in the future to get Riley…will you?"

  "Wait…you're pranking me…and asking me for help?" I asked, now it was me who was confused.

  "No, babe…he's just asking for help."

  Nathan.

  "Well dear, why are you included in this private conversation?" I said in a matter-of-factly tone. I was now very fully awake, and was hoping I hadn't thought too much a while ago at the mall. Now my head hurt, and my ego was bruised…

  "Well, babe…" He started with the harmless flirting ongoing at the moment. "First, we are talking about my sister whom I share the same blood with…"

  Point…

  "Second, if I hadn't told Anthony to ask for your help, you'd still be clueless about the whole thing."

  "Why does he need my help?" I asked, oblivious to the capacity of Nathan's brain. He was actually smart, or maybe I'm just below the dumbass mark.

  God…sometimes I'm just such an idiot…and shallow…

  "Knock. Knock. You're my sister's roommate."

  Another point…

  "Well, do you have anything else to say?"

  "Yes…you're especially narcissistic for a girl..." He tactlessly said with a laugh, making me want to strangle him all the more. "…so confident that someone likes you."

  I heard a loud 'bang,' as if one of them slapped the other one hard in the arm, and what came next to the loud sound, was a thunderous, "Fuck!" If my guess was correct, Anthony was the one who hit Nate, and Nate was the one who cursed.

  "I'm a supermodel, F-Y-I." I said in a sarcastic tone.

  "So…are you going to help my dear boy?"

  I heard a 'shut up' coming from Anthony, and a wicked laugh from Nathan.

  "Be there in five minutes."

  * * *

  "So, what's our plan?" I asked the two alpha males the moment they opened their door. I stepped in their dorm room, and sat myself on the couch, as I waited for them to come over to where I was.

  "We don't have a plan…" Nathan confessed, as he took the space beside me. He propped his legs up, and rested them on the small table in front of us. Anthony, the only nervous one among us, decided to stand, and walk around in a slightly fast pace.

  "How long have you liked her?"

  "Uhm…"

  "How sure are you, you even like her?"

  "Interrogation here…?" Nathan teased, as he looked at me with a questioning face. I swatted his arm from my shoulders, and when he didn't budge I pinched his arm, though it still did me no good.

  "I just have a lot of questions." I said, defending my pride as I shrugging my shoulders.

  "Alex…Anthony likes my sister too damn much. He won't in this century ever ask you out, 'kay?"

  I laughed at him, before I started to complain. "I don't want to be near you. You're bruising my ego." I said, feigning a look of hurt.

  With that said, I got up from the couch and stood beside Anthony. Nathan mock-sympathiz
ed with me as he stood up and tried to pull me in for a hug. Sticking to the child I somehow was at heart; I tried to evade his embrace, but obviously failed. He was just too tall…with an incredibly well-carved body…I mentally shot myself a string of curses before the sound of Anthony asking me for help pulled me back to reality.

  "You guys aren't really helping, you know…"

  "I know." I said in unison with Nathan. I shot him a glare, and he immediately raised his hands up in the air. "Babe, great minds just think alike…"

  "Guys…guys…!" Anthony said in semi-loud voice, desperately trying to call our attention.

  Nathan and I focused our eyes at him, as he started to speak…in peace.

  "Are you two going to help me or just continue flirting with each other?" He asked, as that comment of his made me look at Nathan skeptically. Nathan, in return, gave me a look of mischief, making me scowl.

  "Uhm…are you going to ask Riley to the ball?" I asked, hoping for a nod.

  "I'm working on it."

  I sighed at Anthony and sent him a disbelieving look, as I sat on the bar stool in the kitchen. Nathan, probably wanting to irritate me more, sat beside me with his arm around my shoulders once again, and like before, I tried to get that heavy arm of his off me, but failed.

  "Why are you looking at me like that?" Mr. Romeo-in-the-making asked me, only noticing my look of incredulity now.

  "You're surrounded by Nathan and Blake all the time…"

  "Yeah…"

  "And these two people are like the most egotistical people in this school…it's a wonder why you haven't sucked their air, or gotten infected with their conceitedness."

  I looked at Nathan, and saw him smiling proudly as he banged his fists on his chest like a gorilla.

  "Blake and I aren't egotistical! We're just popular!"

  Uh…"And you call that not conceited…?" I asked, my question directed to Nathan.

  He shrugged his shoulders, before he decided to rest his fists on the counter top. I crossed one of my legs over the other, and waited for Anthony's next words.

  "We went out of topic again…" He stated, scratching the back of his head, as he gave us a look of uncertainty.

  "How do you want us to help you exactly?" I asked with fishy ideas still somewhere in an undetermined location in my brain. I just needed to find them.

  I may be stupid when it comes to academics, but I'm a certified pro in the love department…well, not entirely…I still have the 'commitment' part to work on…but wait…I don't want to work on it…

  "I have no idea…"

  "Can't you be like Blake and just go, go, go?"

  "I'm not aggressive." He reasoned out.

  "Wow, thanks for telling me the unnoticeable." I teased, sending him a smirk which he returned with a look of agitation.

  "Alex…"

  "Or you can be like Nathan…" I started, thinking carefully.

  What exactly is Nate…? He was hot to cut it short…if you guys need an explanation, then…here, he is tall, which worked to his advantage with relation to his athleticism, and all those practices gave him that lean, and perfectly proportioned body…his abs were hard and solid, just like the rest of him…and his arms…muscular, but not overly buff…he was lanky and well-figured at the same time…his neck…very kissable…making me want to give him a love mark…shit…was I…? Am I…? Damn. Should I continue? Why not?

  His cheekbones were high, very comparable to those hot actors seen in magazines and television screens everywhere…his jaw line was well defined, and he had those pearly whites every guy envied of having, to get the girls they wanted by charming them with their smiles. His hazel green orbs always looked sleepy, giving him that apathetic aura…but every once in a while…they'd be filled with emotions that enabled hearts to melt and stomachs churn because of nervousness…his hair…the color of milk chocolate…always disheveled, making girls everywhere want to run their hands through it, and push away the left out strands that usually covered his eyes…

  He was hot…and smart…one of the top students…unlike me…but he was arrogant sometimes…like me…

  "Oh, wait…don't be like him." I said playfully, as I looked at the man that loved teasing me. Good thing I'm good at hiding things…after all the years I practiced trying to hide my weak spots.

  My heart was…I don't know defective at the moment. Maybe something happened to its chambers that it decided to give me a feeling I didn't want.

  Was I actually starting to like…? No…

  Nathan stretched his arm out, rested his hand on my head, and was about to tousle my hair when I instinctively got a hold of him and told him to 'Stop'.

  Stop making me want you…and also stop annoying me.

  And do immature boys listen…? No.

  "Alex…if you want me to hold your hand, you just have to tell me." I rolled my eyes at this, and let him continue. "We don't have to flirt harmlessly, you know…"

  "Nate…close your mouth…we're getting nowhere with your compliments directed to no one else but yourself…"

  Surprisingly, he obliged, and actually closed his mouth, like what I told him to do. He sat on the stool quietly, and let Anthony speak, as I asked questions.

  "I started to like her a few weeks before school started since the both of us, with Nate of course, took a road trip ending here in Ridgeway. It took us about…a few days…kind of…to get here, and we had stopovers, and slept in motels."

  "You guys? Motels?"

  "We may be heirs to billion-dollar fortunes but we're still humble." That was Nathan for you, guys.

  Uh, right…humble…

  "Anyway, during the ride, the lot of us bonded, and since it was only the three of us, and considering that we've known each other since we were…I don’t know…a long time…the ride going here was the ultimate bonding experience…"

  "It was a boring, but humbling experience on my part…" Nathan interjected.

  When he saw me roll his eyes at him, he instantly kept quiet. I guess he realized that I wasn't in the mood for tease-fests.

  "Nathan slept the earliest once…"

  "I remember that." He said, his conceited aura slowly fading. That was the Nathan I enjoyed harmlessly flirting with because when Nathan got too arrogant at times. It'd be hard for me to think of a comeback…'cause you know…I'm not really self-absorbed…hihihi. Right…

  "Well yeah…Ri and I started to talk and open up to each other while Nathan snored all throughout the night, and I found myself laughing at the corny jokes she said. I was also smiling every time she said something…I felt my cheeks redden whenever she'd slap my arm or mess up my hair for a tease…I felt the butterflies, you know…"

  "Oh damn…" Nathan said afterwards, as he ran a hand through his hair. "Can't take this much sappiness…"

  I slapped his arm, but unlike Anthony's feeling over skin-against-skin with Riley, I'm sure slapping Nathan's shoulder wouldn't make his cheeks redden, but when I looked at him, I found myself swallowing my words. Mr. Egotistical had his head down, but from the side, I saw his red cheeks. I rested two of my fingers under his chin, pushing his face up.

  No way…

  "Dear, did you play with your sister's make-up? It looks all-natural to me." I said, pounding my fists on the table as I laughed like a hysteric.

  Nathan got up from his seat, as he distanced himself away from me. He went to his room, definitely embarrassed, and left Anthony and me to talk more seriously.

  "So, he's out…" I said, smiling brightly over to Anthony. He looked at me nervously, which made me ask him what the problem was.

  "Anything wrong?" I asked while dusting off my cotton shorts, which I consider as sleepwear.

  "No, it's just that…I think you should apologize to Nathan."

  I arched my brow at him. What was he talking about?

  "Huh?"

  He opened his mouth and was about to say something when I held up my hand in front of his face. "Forget I asked something. We have to ge
t back to you…"

  "Okay…" He said, still sounding nervous, as he took Nathan's previous place, the stool beside me.

  "How are you going to ask her?"