Helpless (Book 1)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I HAVEN'T STOPPED smiling since this morning after John left the house. I smiled unusually wide at breakfast, which concerned Martha since I'm not usually a smiley-type person. I smiled in the car ride with George on the way to school, which earned me a roll of his eyes and a small grin on his face as he shook his head, sighing through his nose. I smiled when I greeted the Sisters at the school's entranceway, beaming brightly and laughing which also felt unusual to me. I smiled in the hallways towards my locker, clumsily bumping into other students on the way. I'm practically bouncing on my heels now, swinging my locker door open to pull out my English class supplies. I keep glancing over my shoulders, left to right as I try to find John in the halls, trying to find a familiar six-foot four blonde male. 

 "Someone's in a good mood," says a voice behind my locker door. I yelp with surprise, nearly dropping my math textbook onto my feet but luckily, I caught it in my arms just in time.

 I whip my head over my shoulder to find Eliza, Angelica, and Peggy standing before me. Eliza smiles shyly, clutching her notebooks and textbooks close to her chest, her lips pressed together in a firm line. She wears a simple sky-blue dress with black leggings underneath and black heeled boots so the boots almost camouflage with her leggings. She has a purse slung over her torso, her purse just on her hip. Her hear done up in a high bun, letting a few curled bangs dangle in front of her ears. She wears minimum makeup and a few pieces of jewelry such as pearled earrings and a silver necklace around her neck, her bookbag on her back. Angelica arches an eyebrow while sipping on her Starbucks coffee, wearing a darker shade of pink leather jacket and a white shirt underneath with blue denim ripped jeans and white tennis shoes. Nothing too fancy. Peggy wears a long-sleeved yellow turtleneck and blue jeans with brown boots, her bookbag on her back as well. She has her arms crossed over her chest, both eyebrows raised and a teasing smirk on her face. I let out a sigh of relief and continue stuffing my locker with unnecessary supplies. 

 "Can you guys stop sneaking up on me like that?!" I hiss as I pull out a history notebook and stuffing it in my locker.

 "Sorry," Peggy snorts, tossing both her hands up in front of her before folding her arms again over her chest. She frowns, eyeing me worriedly, tilting her head to one shoulder. "No, seriously, Alex. Are you feeling alright?" She arches an eyebrow. "You're acting weird." 

 "What?" I splutter, trying not to giggle. I can't stop smiling. "Me? Acting weird? I'm not acting weird! You're acting weird!" I feel my cheeks grow warm, thinking about John: his beautiful blue eyes, his cheeky smile, his voice, his lips on mine... 

 "Alex," Angelica says after taking another sip of her coffee, a knowing smirk on her face. "Come on. We can tell something happened." I bite the bottom of my lip, eyeing them as I struggle to find the right words to say.

 "Um..." I gulp, scratching the back of my neck, rocking on my heels. 

 "How was dinner last night with John?" Eliza says, arching an eyebrow.

 My eyes shift from Angelica to Eliza, who smiles softly. She knows what happened with John and I after dinner last night. I let out a dreamy sigh, pressing my back against the locker, clutching my books to my chest. I squeeze my eyes shut, letting out an "Ooh" sound as I slide down the locker. I press my knees up to my chest, my face in my hands. 

 "I'm so helpless!" I gasp, lifting my head from my hands and pressing it against my locker. 

 "You had sex with John, didn't you?" Peggy prompts, her arms still over her chest, a smirk on her face, an eyebrow raised. My face pales, violet eyes widening. I whip my head over my shoulder, glancing up at her and shooting her a hard look. My face grows incredibly warm and I don't think it's from the heat.