The Substitute (A Natasha Romanoff Story)

Chapter 3

I came home to a tidy apartment that afternoon, thankful that the cleaning people did their jobs. The house actually looked spotless, probably more tidy than before the party. My parents still hadn't called me so I assumed that they weren't going to be back for a while.

After spending a good few hours getting ready for dinner, I decided to use the time I had to see if Miss Rushman had any social media. I know I said that I wouldn't snoop, but it was just so tempting. It wasn't exactly like I was going to stalk her, I was just wondering how she saw the video.

I checked pretty much every app there was. Instagram, nothing. Twitter, nothing. TikTok, nothing. I even checked Spotify and Pinterest, but there was still nothing. It didn't make any sense, unless she was at the party herself, but that was out of the question. I definitely wouldn't forget her face, no matter how intoxicated I was.

I didn't realize how much time I had spent on my phone until I looked at the time. It was already quarter to six. If I wanted to make it for dinner, I would have to leave then. The thought of cancelling and staying home to do more research did cross my mind, but it was already too late. I didn't want to disappoint my friends either.

After a fifteen minute drive that felt like hours, I finally arrived at Mastro's. I saw Wanda waiting outside patiently, giving me a wave when she saw my car pull up. She wore a black Prada playsuit and matching Prada ankle boots. She topped off the look with gold jewellery.

"I am obsessed with you" I said to her as I jumped out of my car, embracing her in a much-needed hug. "How long have you been here?"

"About five minutes, I didn't want to go in alone" She shrugged.

"Well now you won't have to" I smiled, linking our arms together and walking into Mastro's.

It wasn't long before the boys arrived, sitting across from Wanda and I and we ordered our food. We spoke nonsense and laughed at Ezra's childhood stories that we had always enjoyed hearing. That evening I felt so carefree and genuinely happy, I had completely forgotten about the viral video. Of course it had to be brought up once again.

"You're the top story on the New York Daily." Jasper stated, showing us his phone and taking a sip of his Martini.

"Have they identified the blonde?" Ezra questioned, eating the last few bites of his steak.

"I don't think so. Naomi was sucking her face so hard that you couldn't even see her," Jasper joked, earning giggles from both Wanda and Ezra.

"It's so humiliating. Knowing that most of my teachers have probably seen the video, let alone Miss Rushman" I sighed, picking at my Caesar salad.

"Wait...she's seen the video?" Wanda asked.

"Apparently" I replied.

"I thought she didn't have social media?" Jasper rested his head in his hands, eager to know more.

"She doesn't. I don't know how she knows, but she seems fully aware that I was sucking face" I groaned.

"Maybe she liked what she saw" Jasper teased and I rolled my eyes.

"The video went viral. I mean, the whole of New York has probably seen it by now" Ezra shrugged, dismissing what Jasper had said.

"This was before it even went viral" I explained.

"It's nothing to stress about. Like I said, it will all be forgotten in a few days" Wanda shrugged.

We ordered dessert and continued talking, mostly making jokes about the situation. It was the only thing we could do, it wasn't like we could remove the video from the internet, even if we tried.

We started to become groggy and tired because of the amount of food we ate. All four of us were slumped in our chairs with bloated stomachs, trying to finish the last of our drinks. It looked like Ezra had eventually drifted off to sleep too.

"I'm going to call my driver to come and pick me up, excuse me" Jasper said, standing up from his chair and walking outside.

Wanda also excused herself to go to the bathroom, so only Ezra and I were left at the table. I took out my phone to see if I got any messages from my parents, occasionally sipping some of my water.

I felt slightly uncomfortable in my chair, shuffling around a little. I couldn't help but feel like I was being watched.

In the corner of my eye, I saw a mop of burgundy hair that caught my attention. It couldn't be who I thought it was. I turned my head and saw a familiar pair of green eyes staring at me. Miss Rushman. I gave her a stern glare, making her aware that I saw her. She was sitting with four other people who paid no attention to our little staring competition. There was a lady in a red dress with brunette hair, a taller guy that had huge biceps and short hair, a shy looking man with curly brown hair and a strong, attractive man with piercing blue eyes. I wasn't going to lie, they looked like every other New Yorker. In such a huge city, you would expect to see some different people every once in a while.

The redhead taunted me by giving me a small wave and rejoined the conversation the others were having, as if nothing happened. We were so dazed that we didn't even see the group of adults come in. Sometimes I forgot that my teachers had a life outside of school.

I decided not to entertain the woman and completely dismissed her, pretending that she wasn't even there. I continued scrolling through my phone, acting unbothered so maybe she would leave me alone. That was not the case. Her staring became intolerable and I was actually starting to feel slightly intimidated.

"Ezra, wake up. We're going now" I kicked the brunette's legs under the table, trying to get his attention.

His eyes fluttered open and he looked around, taking in his surroundings. The disoriented boy stood up from his chair without a word and started digging around in his wallet. I told him that I would pay for all the food since I was the one who asked them all out in the first place. I took out a few notes and left it on our table, making sure I tipped the waiter.

"I'll ask Jasper to get you home" I said to a slightly drunk Ezra.

"Yes please," He said tiresomely and I put an arm around him as the two of us walked out of the restaurant.

We met with Jasper outside who had just gotten off the phone and the three of us waited patiently until Wanda came back from the bathroom.

It wasn't long before we were approached by a bald, middle-aged man wearing a gray suit.

"Jasper? Jasper Riggs?" He asked my friend.

"Kenny? It's been such a long time!" He said excitedly "Guys, this is Kenny Clarke. He's a friend of my dad's."

"Hi, nice to meet you" Wanda said with a sweet smile, Ezra and I just waved.

Kenny and Jasper started their own conversation as Wanda, Ezra and I stood behind the brunette awkwardly. At this point, Ezra was fast asleep on my shoulder and I tried holding him up as Wanda kept checking the time on her phone. Their conversation seemed to be going on for ages, even Jasper started to lose focus, but Kenny just kept talking and talking. I was about to start walking to my car, until I felt something brush against my back and turned around to see the redhead walking past me. The brunette lady from earlier had an arm wrapped around her and the five friends walked out of the restaurant, chatting amongst themselves. Rushman and I held eye contact until she was out of sight and I sighed in relief when Kenny finally decided to say his goodbyes.

I drove home that night with nothing but the redhead on my mind. I was confused with her behavior. I wondered if she had followed me to the restaurant, or maybe it was merely a coincidence.