Trust In Love - Chapter 259

“Oh, it seems that Alex has some visitors,” Ashley remarked, looking out from the second story window. The parking lot laid out before her. She stood in the locker area and saw all the rows of cars. A group of teenagers caused a lively raucous.

Crossing her arms over her ċhėst, her aquamarine eyes crinkled at the corners.

“What an energetic group they are.” She chuckled. Her gaze flickered to her right. “Why don’t you take a look, Neal? They seem to be an interesting bunch.”

The Marquis turned his head. From his viewpoint, he could only see the SUV. It parked right in the middle so it was hard to miss. Unfamiliar teenagers loitered around it. If they hadn’t been visitors, they would have received a sanction for that violation.

Neal walked to the window. Slowly, his vision expanded. He could see the space nearer to gates. The group over there were split into two. Four stood together while two figures chased each other.

Alex had a rolled up mat as she tried to beat a guy with it.

“Hm,” the Marquis grunted quietly. His chin still raised, only his turquoise eyes followed their movements. He sensed neither ill intentions nor hostile feelings. Yet, his hand inside his pocket tightened into a fist.

A yelp made its way to their ears as Alex got trapped in an embrace. Her feet were lifted off the ground. The guy carried her back to their friends. He shouted at them to take the mat. Another guy with black hair obliged.

“Logan! Put me down!”

Neal froze.

The scene made sense now.

Alex got her wish. She felt the ground underneath her feet, facing her other companions. A pair of arms remained around her shoulders and hugged her from behind. She merely shook her head while rolling her eyes.

Her hands held onto them.

“Oho, they must be a couple. How cute!” Ashley gushed, “They looked great together too. Never seen her with this much energy. He must really make her happy.”

Neal closed his eyes and turned back to the hallway. “Come on, Duchess. We still have a few more places to attend to. Some clubs want special permission to meet after class.”

Ashley peeled her gaze off the parking lot. Approaching his side, her bronze hair swayed from its high ponytail. “The rumors about you must be true. You have no romantic bone in your body.”

“I don’t understand how people came to that conclusion.”

“Probably because they had never seen you interested in anyone?” Ashley snorted. They resumed their walk and headed for the female classrooms. The last bell rang and the students walked out, filling the hallways. They observed and made sure no one loitered for too long.

When the Marquis didn’t say anything, the Duchess pressed her lips together.

“Is there someone?” She teased, “You can tell me. I’ll keep it a secret.”

Neal glared in her direction. “I don’t see how that is any of your business.”

“Are you interested in men?” Ashley blurted out. It was only a passing thought but she couldn’t help but ask, “By that, I don’t mean that you’re only interested in men but… that you’re attracted to them.”

“…”

Nothing in their way could stop them.

“Emily, wait for us!” Elena yelled as they tried to keep up. They passed by student council members and followed the trail. She shook her head as her words went to deaf ears. She could never learn how her friend managed to run while wearing 2-inch heels.

It didn’t slow Emily down either.

“Charlotte, move faster.” Elena instructed. She also wanted to meet the people from Woodlands Academy. They seemed like a pretty chill group.

“Are you ordering me around?” Her sister scowled.

Elena rolled her eyes. She laced their arms together and pulled her to the gates. If they didn’t hurry, they might miss the group. She also really wanted to talk to their friend’s new boyfriend. She could almost imagine all the tea they could spill!

Oh, how she loved tea.

Meters ahead, Emily’s platinum blonde hair crossed the gates.

Her cobalt eyes immediately spotted the person she looked for.

“LAUREN!” Emily squealed at the top of her lungs.

A head of blonde hair snapped towards her. She raised her arms, ready to tackle—

Someone blocked her path. A hand snatched her wrist, forcing her to stop. She almost fell over from the sudden barricade. Her fast reflexes caught her in time. Blue flares ignited in her eyes. A rush of annoyance flooded her soul.

“Hey!” Emily complained, openly glaring the culprit.

Jae merely scrunched his nose. He wore a smug smile. “Hello to you too.”

She had none of it.

“Let me go!” Emily said through gritted teeth. She tried to yank her hand back. “The person I want to see is Lauren!”

She kicked him in both knees. The grip around her wrist loosened. It was more than enough for an escape. She ran for Lauren and hugged her. She felt her friend’s rumbling laugh through their body contact. Slim arms returned her embrace.

“It’s so good to see you too, Em!” Lauren chuckled. Their upper bodies bobbed from side to side. “I love how both my girls prioritize me over the boys.”

“Of course!” Emily scoffed, giggling. “I can’t wait for the sleepover tonight! And the shopping we’d do tomorrow morning! We’re going to have loads of fun that Alex’s date will be a death march in a desert.”

“Oi!” Logan objected. He still had his arms around Alex. “Don’t have too much. She still needs energy after you hang out so don’t tire her out.”

“Because that’s your job, am I right?” Max cut in. He wiggled his eyebrows. A wicked glint flicked in his violet. “You know what I mean?”

Xiera coughed. She leaned towards him and whispered. “They are already at that stage?”

Max humored her and answered in the same way. “Yes, Logan has touched her undėrwėȧr.”

“No, he hasn’t!” Alex protested. As soon as the words came out, her cheeks flushed. She covered her face with her hand.

“But didn’t he help wash your laundry?” Max pointed out.

At his word, Alex’s back went rigid. Her stunning gray eyes popped out of their sockets. She pointed one finger at him, her forehead deepening from a scowl.

“How do you know about that?” She breathed out.

“C—Logan told me.”

Max scratched the back of his head. He almost slipped that time. If he had mentioned Colin’s name, it would lead to Lauren. It was technically Colin who told but it was Logan who gave the consent. Since the latter was part of the incident, it was much better to direct it to the proper source.

Alex spun on her heel.

Logan released her at once. His hands remained up, hovering in front of his ċhėst. Pure fear masked his expression as Alex stalked towards him. He took a step back. Then, another.

Then, another and another.

She did not let him escape.

“You told them about the bra?” She hissed.

Emerald eyes flew wide. “I did not!”

Kate gasped, joining Xiera. “So they did reach farther than first base.”

“What?” Alex exclaimed. She glanced over their shoulder. “No!”

“Who reached farther than first base?” Elena asked when she and her sister finally reached the group. They just got here and the conversation already sounded interesting.

“No one!” Alex answered her.

Charlotte blinked in her direction. “Probably you then since you’re so defensive.”

“Alright, alright. Stop it,” Logan intervened. If he didn’t do anything, this could escalate quickly. He looked at everyone with a warning. “You’re just taking things out of context.”

Lauren crossed her arms over her ċhėst. “But you did sleep together.”

More gasps and whispers came from the rest. Although they just met, they played along swimmingly. They exchanged mischievous thoughts and laughed under their breaths. Xiera and Max high-fived at their comments. Elena and Charlotte watched with suspicious eyes.

Kate simply tried not to smile too much.

“Lauren, not you too.” Alex whɨnėd, pouting at her friend.

Lauren relaxed her stance. She went over to Alex and hugged her friend close. She rubbed Alex’s back, offering her comfort.

“Aw, I’m sorry Alex,” she began to say. Then, she paused and pulled back. “But it is true.”

“Hey! Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?”

Alex slumped her shoulders. It was one against many. Her chances were low. They wouldn’t stop unless they wanted to. As long as they knew the truth, she could let it go.

Hopefully, they wouldn’t dare to do this in front of the ȧduŀts.

She could already feel the humiliation just by thinking about it.

“Sorry, couz, but you’re just so fun to tease.” Emily said. She skipped over to her cousin’s side and patted her shoulder. “It’s okay. It happens to some people.”

“Oh, yeah?” Alex ċȯċked an eyebrow. A tiny smirk tugged the corner of her lips. “Didn’t you lose to Jae in several arcade games and ended up going on a date with him? I think you even had a selfie of a kiss.”