Chapter Twenty-Seven [PART II]
"4 A*'s and 7 A's!" I beamed down the phone to my Dad while my mother drove down to Wilmington College Academy. After my interview at the Academy, I was given an offer, conditional of course. The Academy, although not a grammar was one of the most prestigious schools in Wilmington. It was one of those new types of schools, which only catered for students aged 16 - 19 with all this fancy state of the art equipment and honestly I didn't think I'd get in. Kendra applied too but I don't know if she got in. Aaliyah and Shay weren't going and Dane...I didn't ask him.
"Congratulations princess!" Dad replied with an obvious glee. He was proud, my mum was proud and I was proud. I had done it. After five years at Steward Martin High, I had gotten my grades and was leaving to go to a new place and open up a new chapter in my life.
We arrived at the Academy a few moments later. Dad said to call me straight after I had finished with my registration and everything but I didn't. That day I was absolutely buzzing. My year, that started off so perfect went down a huge downward spiral in a matter of weeks and after Dane and I broke up, it was really hard for me to actually feel normal again. My therapy was reading and revising, which lead to the good grades but I missed him so much. Some nights I'd cry and other times I'd just feel awfully depressed but gradually I got over it. I had done the right thing. I know Dane took it badly too. He sort of disappeared again straight after we broke up. I didn't see him in school for a good two weeks after that night and when I texted him just to make sure he was alright he just told me that he didn't want to talk so I respected that. Josh said that Dane said his Dad took him out of school for study leave but a part of me knew that was just a cover up.
He attended all of his exams though and after a while he started to come back into school but we hardly spoke then. It was so awkward when we did anyways. I would catch him staring at me though. A lot. But that was about it.
I started to speak to Cale again. Not because I wanted him to get together with him but because I needed his comic relief. I told him exactly how I felt about him telling Dane what he said and putting me in such an unfair predicament and he apologised but told me 'it had to be done'. I forgave him though and we just talked, as friends. He said he still liked me but I didn't let that get in the way of our friendship and thankfully nor did he. We were cool with each other. In fact we were so cool with each other that we all ended up getting in the same ride to the prom. We being me, Aaliyah, Shay, Lamar, Kendra and some other guy I can't remember the name of. That was nice.
Dane was at the prom. I wish he wasn't though. He looked to die for in his all black suit that really brought out his sharp facial features. He looked so good, I almost caught myself wishing we were still a thing but I wasn't that shallow. I knew we had to be separate. What made it kind of worse though was that he came up to me and told me I looked beautiful. That made me feel terrible. It really did but I had to just pretend it didn't hurt. We took a picture together. He asked. He said, it would be a nice memory and that we should just start a friendship together and I agreed but after that night we didn't talk to each other and I had no idea where he'd be studying at for the next two years. The picture was nice though. I was smiling. It wasn't really my best of smiles because I still felt incredibly awkward leaning against him for a picture but it really was a nice picture. Dane wasn't smiling. He's not really much of 'smiler in pictures' sort of guy. He did look sort of happy but for the most part he just looked at ease. Happy and at ease and even though he wasn't my boyfriend, I really liked that picture.
My hair looked really nice in it too.
My confidence was growing. It was growing in a slow way but it was growing. After the exams were done I went out a whole lot more and one time I even managed to sort of kind of flirt with this guy that kept staring at Shay and I in town but it was nothing big. Nothing major. He was a bit of an air head as well and all he did was make me think about how smart Dane was.
Anyways, my mum and I went into the Academy hall and I gave them all my exam results and I was registered. It was while my mum was talking to one of the teachers and while I was reading the Academy handbook that I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"Cale?" I asked in complete and utter shock. "What are you doing here?!"
He smirked at me. "I can't stay away from you baby girl, didn't I tell you that I'd be getting these A's in the summer?"
He wasn't lying. He really wasn't lying.
I can't say I wasn't happy. It meant that I'd have at least someone I knew at the Academy. A part of me really couldn't believe it. The Academy wouldn't have any of those boys that Cale hanged around with at school so I honestly thought he'd just go somewhere else. I also didn't believe he'd actually get the grades but he proved me wrong. You can't judge a book by it's cover and to be honest, sometimes not even the first few pages. Cale was one of those guys that you really had to delve into, to understand. I liked that. A part of me was still worried. I really wasn't looking to get into anymore relationships for now and having Cale around probably wouldn't help that but we were friends and we were cool with each other for now. I just had to see how everything would turn out.
Cale had to run off to this workshop that was being run for all people who chose the same subjects as him so for a while I just stood like a loser next to my mum while she babbled on to the teacher. A girl smiled at me while I was waiting. A black girl with really long hair that had the same wavy texture as my mothers and I smiled back. I contemplated talking to her but she seemed kind of shy so I just left it. Plus, I was still buzzing way too much.
"I hope me being here doesn't annoy you." He said right behind me. I jumped, frightened by the sudden voice at my ear but was calmed when I saw him and then shocked. He was smiling. Dane was talking to me again and he was smiling. He seemed really happy, like, extremely happy and in a weird way that made me really happy.
"I'm more shocked than anything." I replied awkwardly with a laugh. Dane nodded.
"Are we going to be friends?"
"If you want to." I replied with a small shrug. His emeralds twinkled.
"Can I ever win you over again?"
Freeze. Don't. Oh my God. Fuck. Say something!
"Just friends Dane, let's just talk about friendships for now."
But I still loved him. After all that happened, I still really loved him.
UPDATE: Like this? I've posted the sequel entitled 'XOX', check it out :)
sorry to everyone who thought I ended the story yesterday lol, i didn;t make it very clear. This isn't really a proper chapter but I don't really think I can call it an epilogue but this is what is going to lead into the sequel that I will be writing in the summer. Thank you to everyone who read 'XO' from start to finish, I've written like over 15 stories before but this is only the second story that I've actually finished (first on Wattpad) so I feel hella proud of myself right now lol. Shoutout to all the teenage girls who read this and could relate to Alex when it came to self-esteem and whatever. If someone hasn't told you today, you're absolutely amazing and I hope that all of you guys can appreciate how much you're worth without having anybody have to tell you. Confidence starts from within and I hope everyone who read this realises that! Love you all so much, that you for all the votes, comments and reads like I honestly never would've thought I'd get so many reads >.<
But yeah has anyone got any questions for me about the story? Maybe one of the characters or why certain things happened that may be a bit cloudy? Ask me down below inthe comments and I'll answer as soon as I can :) Byee hunnieesss
-Ariene x

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XO (BWWM)
Romance"Why won’t you let me in?!" He cried in frustration clenching his fists together with an undeniable passion, raising his strong arms. I stared hopelessly at him with more tears welling up in my brown eyes. “I love you.” He whispered to me. But he n...