Trust In Love - Chapter 243

Logan entered Woodlands Academy.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

(A/N: Wait, no. Wrong POV. Oops. Oops.)

Alex squinted her eyes. She crossed her arms over her ċhėst, “Excuse me, Neal Conary. According to the second agreement from way back, that isn’t final until the day I turn 18 years old.”

Her fingers curled on her upper arms. If she wasn’t sure before, she was now. The compromise that she should attend Freccia Prep had stemmed from this old agreement between the two families. They had grabbed the opportunity for her and Neal to become closer. They wanted them to get along again.

Of course, her grandfather saw benefit in it.

He treated Neal like family.

Neal raised his hands in surrender, cracking a smile, “Just teasing, sorry. You never really expressed a problem with it after all these years.”

He was right about that, Alex thought. When her grandfather said that she’d marry Neal someday, she accepted it without question. She had seen it as a part of her future that had been already written by fate. She hadn’t thought about it much back then since she was hardly 10 years old.

Now, she could see why her mother had it postponed by creating the second agreement.

They needed to grasp the concept of marriage better. That way they knew what they were stepping into.

“That’s because it wasn’t in my list of priorities.” Alex rolled her eyes. She was only turning 17 years old. That decision seemed far away. “Again, don’t call me that. This little arrangement your family made doesn’t make me your fiance.”

“You wound us, Alexandra.” Neal pushed himself off the locker. He placed a hand over his heart, “This compromise is for my family to make it up to you. We arranged it to keep your safety as our priority. I didn’t even know about it until after the trial.”

Alex raised her chin, observing him through hooded eyes. It wasn’t just her who hadn’t spoken about the engagement. He also hadn’t until today. It seemed rather coincidental that he finally brought it after she came to the academy—as stated by the agreed terms of the compromise.

She didn’t have evidence at the moment but she wouldn’t let down her guard either.

“Well,” she huffed, stretching a sarcastic smile on her lips, “I can’t say it’s a real pŀėȧsurė to be here but I do thank your family for not letting me go to jail. Your step sister must also be happy to have such a caring step family.”

“It’s not a problem.” Neal shrugged. “The pŀėȧsurė is ours.”

Alex dropped the fake smile and headed for her classroom. They had exchanged greetings. She had done her part. She didn’t need to stay longer. Her hand swept the front of her hair, only to be blocked by the braid. She ġrȯȧnėd.

If her mother won’t stop braiding her hair, she had to drop the habit of sweeping her hair back.

Turning around the corner, Alex walked a few paces before noticing the stares. She slowed down her steps. She clicked her tongue when she recognized the direction they aimed at. It seemed like someone had decided to follow her.

She spun on her heel and made an effort to neutralize her expression. She adjusted her bag’s strap on her shoulder. “These are the female classrooms. Aren’t you forbidden here?”

“Being a member of the Student Council has its perks.” Neal winked. “I did promise the ȧduŀts that I’d look after you.”

Alex fled the scene, refusing to hear more. She had enough surprises for one day. Her feet led her to classroom 3C. The seats accommodated two students per table. She sneaked a peek at the nearest one. Like the lockers, they had embossed labels. She sighed in relief.

That made things so much easier. She mentally thanked whoever came up with this set up.

The numbers began at the seat beside the door. Then, they flowed down the row and coiled like a snake.

Students chattered while they waited for the first bell. It was the first time Alex entered a class fully occupied by females. Back in Woodlands, Max had the same class schedule as hers. He would always be the loudest person in the room. That also meant he had the center of attention.

The difference between that time and now was vast.

Alex quickly made her way to the last seat of the first row. She glanced out the window nearby. It offered her a different view from the storage unit last time. From the shape of the compound, she could guess that it was a gym. It had a dark gray exterior paint compared to Woodlands’s sand one.

She set her bag down on her table.

The other girl that shared it glanced over her shoulder. Her olive eyes crinkled at the corners, “Hey! You must be the new girl. I’m Isabella Kathryn. Please call me, Kate.”

The roots of dark brown hair blended into a medium blonde color from the middle and down to the tips. She had cut it into a bob that curled inward around her chin. It complimented both the shape of her face and her tan skin well.

Alex arched an eyebrow, “I will if you call me, Alex.”

“Deal!”

She chuckled and sat down. The girl behind Kate leaned towards her. Pin straight charcoal hair framed her face. Small face and skin pale as snow, she reminded Alex of a porcelain doll.

Fluttering her fake lashes, mocha eyes peeked out of monolids. “Hey, I saw you talking with Neal. Are you two close?”

“Xiera!” Kate scolded, hitting her friend’s arm. “Don’t ask other people about their business.”

“What?” Xiera pouted. She rubbed the sore spot. “I’m just curious. I’ve never seen him talk so much.”

Alex shook her head. She would have done it violently but it would look more suspicious. “Oh, please. It’s not what you think.”

Xiera gave her a disbelieving look, “I’m serious. We’ve never seen him act like that with anyone.”

Of course, you haven’t. Alex snorted in her head. Both of them had been groomed on how to behave. It became almost like a game where they try to faze each other—IF they were ever near each other.

“So spill!” Xiera pushed. She tapped her table lightly, “Are you childhood friends or something?”

Alex bit her inner cheek, choosing the best way to answer, “Our families are acquainted. He only talked to me on behalf of his father.”

That wasn’t an entire lie. It should be enough to satisfy the curious ears.

It worked like she expected. Xiera’s face lit up immediately, “Then, you must know about that trial that went down. His step sister ended up quitting school because of it. Most of the details are kept under wraps. I’d really love to know more about it. Can you help a girl sleep soundly at night?”

Kate rolled her eyes. Her friend surely didn’t hold back.

Alex pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry. It’s nothing personal but I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Don’t apologize,” Kate intervened and backed her up, “It’s your right to refuse.”

“Ugh, bummer.” Xiera whɨnėd. She sank on her table, cradling her head on the base of her palm. Then, she shrugged. “It was worth a shot anyway. By the way, like Kate said, my name is Xiera. My father mass produces LED screens. Kate’s family is in the restaurant industry.”

She tilted her head to one side. No one in the school had leaked information about the new girl. It was currently the hottest topic. The shroud of mystery around Alex piqued a lot of interests.

“How about yours?”

Alex froze. Not to sound arrogant but… they didn’t know about her? She looked back on it for a moment. She had been in the news whenever her mother held charity functions. There weren’t a lot of photos.

She also didn’t know the magnitude of PR they did when her secret was exposed. Was it only limited to Woodlands at the time?

Kate scowled. “Alex?”

She broke out of her reverie, “My family owns several businesses.”

Xiera ġrȯȧnėd loudly. She laid her upper body on the desk, “And you’ll inherit one of them?”

“Yes?”

“Where’s your sense of freedom?” She mȯȧnėd, exaggerating her breath, “Don’t you want to do something else? Personally, I find appliances boring. I’d rather do something fun.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Be a beauty influencer?” Xiera thought out loud, “I do love my makeup. Too bad I can’t wear most of them in this school.”

Alex scrunched her brows, “Why not be a makeup artist?”

“I actually want both and I have thought about it.” Xiera turned to her friend. She slammed a hand on the table, “See, Kate? Alex believes in me.”

“I never said I didn’t, Xiera,” Kate denied. She had an amused smile on her lips, “I just remember the times you dropped a new habit.”

“But I’m telling you. Makeup is different.”

“Then, I’ll still be your first viewer.” She chuckled.

“Yay!” Xiera cheered. She shifted her attention towards Alex, “You’d be second. Right, Alex?”

“Uh…” Alex paused. “Yeah, sure?”

Xiera narrowed her eyes. She lifted her hand to touch Alex’s face but stopped halfway, “You have such good skin. I think you’d be even more pretty with makeup. Want to be my first client? You’d have to be on video though.”

Alex blinked, trying to keep up with the conversation. “I’m not that comfortable with cameras…”

“Wow. I find that rare nowadays.”

“What do you mean?” She asked, her mouth turning down at the corners.

Xiera gaped. Was Alex serious right now? “Gurl, you’re a 10/10. Most of the others have started to become influencers. Then, there’s you who is camera shy. Do you even have any socials?”

Alex’s face turned into a guilty expression. “No, not really.”

“Figured.” Xiera snorted. Her gaze flickered towards the doorway. “Oh, sir Jefferson is coming. Time for history class then.”