Chapter Eight – Ashes, Ashes
Diane was looking at her blonde friend with a playful smile on her face.
“I wonder what poor Brad must be thinking right now. Getting rejected and all,” the cheerleader looked at her friend with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.
“Most likely who his next conquest would be, since I didn’t give him that opportunity,” Kristen tugged at her shoulder bag self-consciously, trying to forget what she had just done a few minutes ago when she had blatantly rejected the jock’s advances.
Diane chuckled. She knew that the blonde was going to do just what she did and she told the varsity star off to spare his feelings when she heard a rumor that he had his eyes on Kristen for some time already. Her gentle warning didn’t phase his determination though and Diane knew that Brad justly deserved the rejection for being so egotistic. “But Bradley was such a nice guy,” the cheerleader cooed, earning her a playful slap from her friend and they both laughed.
“You know as much as I do how nice he could be…when he’s trying to get into your pants.”
Another laughter before Diane spoke up, “It was better that you rejected him though. Telling you honestly? He’s not that good in bed.”
Kristen looked at her friend in mock disgust, “That’s really something I think I don’t need to know.”
“You mean, you don’t need to know how huge his –”
“Oh my god! You are so not going to continue that statement.”
“ – muscles are?” Diane teased and she didn’t contain the laughter that erupted when she saw the look on her friend’s face. “He is the star basketball player, so obviously they’re huge. Believe me; I have first-hand information, after all.”
The blonde shook her head. “I don’t really have interest in knowing how huge anything of Brad’s is. And can we please stop talking about your history with him?”
“Sure, I think that’s actually a great idea.”
“Thank you.” Kristen’s face showed the relief she felt upon knowing that she’d be reprieved off her the brunette cheerleader’s teasing.
Diane looked at her friend as they walked to her car. They were going on a shopping spree that afternoon and they both opted that they’d use Diane’s car to the mall. As they neared Diane’s Porsche, the cheerleader fished for the keys from her purse, clicked the key, and she headed for the driver’s side while the blonde went for the passenger’s side.
“So, in the past two months,” the cheerleader said as she started the car’s engine, “you’ve what? Turned down three guys already? And a few others before that too.” The cheerleader maneuvered her car out of the school’s parking lot and soon they were speeding up, the mall their main destination. “I mean, I get why you would turn down an ass like Brad, because hello! I have personal experience in that area. But the others…Well, they’re pretty decent enough guys, Kristen.”
The blonde looked at her friend, “Unlike you, I don’t have the time to date. I have a lot of things to focus on like the student government, and you know how busy things could be when we plan all the activities. Plus, there’s the school paper now too,” the blonde sighed. “Besides, you know what I’m looking for, Diane.”
The head cheerleader looked at her friend briefly before looking once again out towards the open road, “I know. I know. You’re looking for The One. Mr. Right.”
“Yes,” Kristen nodded. “And I don’t think they’re it, you know?”
“How will you ever find Mr. Right when you don’t even look for Mr. Right Now? You don’t even date, Kristen.”
The blonde looked at her friend incredulously. “I do date!”
“Yeah? Well, when was the last time you had a boyfriend, huh?”
“Last year.”
Diane smiled. “My point exactly.”
The blonde huffed. “Fine! Just because you’re my best friend and you change boyfriends like you change clothes doesn’t mean I have to be that way too, you know?”
“Whatever you say, my dear virginal best friend. I’m the head cheerleader. I have a reputation to maintain,” responded the cheerleader with a grin. “And I’m not telling you to date guys the way I do. I’m just telling you to date, you know, once in a while. Give these guys a chance.”
“I already told you, things could get busy sometimes.”
“Sure, Kristen,” the cheerleader said, oozing with unhidden sarcasm.
“I’ll go out with a guy when I feel like it,” the blonde said in finality, signaling the end of the argument. “And it probably won’t happen anytime soon.”
……………………
It was a good hour before the Gay Straight Alliance acquaintance party would officially start and yet people had already begun coming in hordes. It was no doubt that the talk on campus for the past week had been the said party and everyone seemed eager to go even just to have a taste of what it felt like to be inside the ‘heiress’ house. The aura of excitement emanated in the air, and the organizers of the party were nothing less than hopeful that the event would be a success.
What used to be the living room inside Lei’s house was now a miniature club, with all the works like a band stage and a DJ’s booth. Every person entering looked on in awe while bobbing their head to the music that now played in full blast all around the house. A few paces away from the kitchen stood the hired bartender behind the bar – something that was already a part of the house to begin with – and he had already started serving a few mild drinks to the teenagers, courtesy of Lei’s own instructions that the alcoholic beverages would definitely be present in the party, however they were to be served moderately and the known hard liquors would only be given out at the latter part of the night.
The bands that were going to play for the night were already near the stage, fumbling with their instruments or talking to each other. Some of the bands’ members were college students, others just coming from the neighborhood, but most were students of Wright-Duncan so it seemed like the whole getting to know each other was coming along easily.
Sven, however, opted to just sit alone in a corner with eyes closed, immersing herself to the music that blared from her headphones. She felt the presence of another person approaching her but she didn’t mind it. Instead, she even closed her eyes and continued getting lost in the song she was listening to.
The moment she felt soft lips press against her own, her eyes immediately opened in surprise and she took off the headphones. It didn’t take long for her to recognize the beautiful features and the smiling face of her bandmate.
“You’re so cute when you go all broody and emo,” the other girl’s grin widened at Sven’s raised eyebrow.
“Kinda defeats the purpose, don’t you think?”
“I don’t care. I like it when you’re looking all cute,” Jamie looked up, as if pretending to think, “and broody and emo and hot…and especially when you’re on singer mode. Turns me on.”
Looking intently at Sven’s brown eyes and then her lips, Jamie leaned in. The dark-haired girl instantly held onto her bandmate’s shoulders to keep the girl from going any further.
“Jamie, what are you doing?”
“Trying to kiss you?” Jamie said with a frown.
“Why?”
“Because I want to. And if the amazing sex we had last year was any indication, I know you want it too,” and Jamie tried to lean once more but Sven maintained the firm hold on the girl’s shoulders.
“I don’t want to make out with you, Jamie. And I’m not going to sleep with you again,” the dark-haired girl shook her head.
Jamie pouted, “Are you sure about that? I can change your mind…”
“I’m in the band now. Sleeping with you will be…complicated.”
The other girl’s pout turned into a devious smirk. “But it’ll be fun.” And Jamie waggled her eyebrows for added effect.
Upon seeing her bandmate’s silly antics, Sven couldn’t help but smile a little. Jamie saw this and realized that this was finally her chance. She leaned in with force and nibbled the dark-haired girl’s lower lip, her hand finding its way to the other’s neck. Sven stiffened for a while, caught in surprise, but after a moment, her primal urge won over and she kissed the other girl back. Tongues dueled in a passionate kiss until finally, Jamie pulled back, breathing heavily, and her fingers raked through the other’s hair.
“Tell me when you’ve changed your mind. I have a bigger bed now.” Another brief kiss and with that, Sven could do nothing but watch her bandmate walk away.
Just then, she saw her redheaded friend approach, a cup in one hand and a teasing smirk on her face. When Julia finally reached her, Sven took the plastic cup obviously filled with some kind of alcoholic beverage that was being offered to her.
“So, is that what you meant with not screwing her brains out, again, ever?”
The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes as Julia laughed.
“Are you done making fun of me? Coz if you are, then I’m going to tell you again,” even though Julia tried to contain herself, her eyes still shone of amusement, much to Sven’s dismay. “There will be no screwing of brains, or sleeping around, or anything that has to do with Jamie and me and a bed. Again. Ever.”
“Well, it doesn’t have to be a bed, Sven. The couch in your house is pretty soft.”
Sven grunted and Julia just had to laugh at that.
……………………
The blonde student council officer looked at her frantic cheerleader friend going about Lei’s house, making sure everything was perfect in that panicking way that was absolutely hilarious, if not for the fact that she was aware how serious Diane was with making the party an enormous success. It would seem normal to any outsider that the cheerleader was nervous because anyone would be if they were assigned the task of organizing the much talked about GSA party. But Kristen had known her best friend for years and if there were two things she knew, they were these:
Diane wasn’t just anyone.
And the cheerleader rarely gets nervous. Never over a party, no matter how huge it was.
So, it concerned Kristen when her friend kept going around checking everything out without even stopping to catch her breath.
There was also something the blonde noticed and that was the fact that her brunette best friend never, not even once, went near the area where the bands were currently situated. It was bizarre that Diane would avoid the bands’ area since if there was something worth inspecting in the GSA party, the bands and the live music would be on top of the list.
The blonde decided to approach her friend, if not to ask about what’s bothering the cheerleader, then to at least lend a helping hand…and a comforting aura.
So she did just that.
“I’m telling you, no hard drinks this early in the party. I don’t want people throwing their insides out in the middle of the fun! God, where’s Lei?!” The cheerleader exclaimed after having a fit with the bartender, now looking at her in annoyance.
Kristen placed a soothing hand on her friend’s shoulder and in turn, the brunette whirled around to face her.
“Kristen, I’m going crazy!”
“Relax, Diane. Everything’s perfect.”
“How can you say that?! People are coming here already and the first band’s going to perform soon and I want everything to be perfect, but things are definitely NOT going perfect.”
“Look Diane,” and the blonde pointed to the living room turned dance floor that was now crowding up real fast, “people are having fun. No need to panic and get all nervous.” The blonde looked at her friend earnestly. “And this isn’t like you. You never panic over a simple party.”
“This isn’t just a simple party, Kristen. It’s a party at Lei’s house and I’m organizing it.”
“All the more reason for you not to panic. Things are great!”
The cheerleader sighed as she swept her gaze over the people who have already decided to graze the dance floor with their presence.
“I know… I mean, I don’t know why I’m acting like this.” And with that, Diane’s eyes were drawn towards something at the bands’ area, but she caught herself and just as quickly averted her gaze. Thankfully, Kristen didn’t seem to notice this slight grab of attention on the cheerleader’s part.
“Look, just calm down, relax, and have fun,” smiled the student council officer. “You’ve been worrying too much these past few days.”
“Okay, I’ll just…get a drink or something.”
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End of Chapter Eight part one.