The Fallen Angel

37. I wanna be yours

Isabelle Pov

Aria came sprinting towards me, panting like she'd just outrun a stampede of angry squirrels. "I'm sorry, Isabelle, I was totally gonna be at the party, but then life decided to throw me a curveball the size of Texas!"

I glanced at her with an exaggerated eye-roll, pretending to be utterly unimpressed. "Oh, really? Did your pet hamster spontaneously combust again, Aria?"

She huffed indignantly, cheeks flushed with exertion. "Hey now, don't mock the hamster tragedy of '22! It was a traumatic event, okay?"

I couldn't help but chuckle, shaking my head. "Alright, alright, spare me the sob story. Just make sure next time your hamster's flames don't clash with my party plans, deal?"

As I sauntered into the student council meeting, I threw Aria a playful glare, crossing my arms with exaggerated indignation. "Oh, don't you worry, Aria, I'm still stewing in the juices of betrayal from your no-show. But hey, I'll let it slide this time... maybe."

Aria rolled her eyes, her expression a mix of amusement and faux remorse. "Geez, Isabelle, you're tougher to crack than an unripe avocado!"

I smirked, taking my seat amongst the senior and junior representatives, ready to engage in some high-stakes political chitchat. "Hey, it's not easy being the Queen Bee of the student council, Aria. You should know better than to mess with my party plans!"

As we settled into our seats, the anticipation of the impending meeting hung in the air like a soggy blanket on a rainy day. We exchanged knowing glances, bracing ourselves for the onslaught of monotony about to be unleashed by the principal and teachers.

I leaned over to Aria, stifling a yawn. "You know, if boredom was an Olympic sport, these monthly meetings would be gold medal material."

Aria stifled a giggle, nodding in agreement. "Seriously, they should hand out trophies for enduring this level of mind-numbing dullness."

We both glanced around the room, observing our fellow student council members who looked equally thrilled to be there. It was like a scene from a movie where the characters were collectively suffering through a torturous experience.

But hey, at least we had each other to share eye-rolls and sarcastic comments with throughout the ordeal. It was the little things that made surviving these meetings bearable.

As the principal's voice crackled through the mic, announcing the impending doom of yet another meeting, a collective groan echoed through the room like a herd of disgruntled cattle.

"Dear students," the mic screeched, causing us to collectively wince. "The meeting will commence in twenty minutes."

Cue the chorus of "OMG" and exaggerated eye rolls as we exchanged looks of despair. It was like receiving a notification that your favorite show was about to be replaced with a marathon of paint drying.

"Twenty minutes of my life I'll never get back," Aria muttered under her breath, earning a round of silent nods of agreement from the rest of us.

But hey, at least we had each other to commiserate with as we braced ourselves for the impending onslaught of boredom. Maybe we'd even sneak in a game of "count the ceiling tiles" to pass the time. Anything to survive the torture of another student council meeting.

As Adrian and I locked eyes, I gave him a cheery wave before boldly making my way over. "Hey there, thanks for yesterday," I said with a grin, feeling like I was about to uncover some mysterious adventure.

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Yesterday?" he echoed, clearly puzzled.

"Yeah, you know, when you played the gallant knight and rescued me from the treacherous clutches of inebriation?" I replied, trying to jog his memory.

Adrian's expression morphed into one of pure shock. "Wait, you got drunk? And why were you flying solo at the party anyway? I didn't even go," he exclaimed, clearly taken aback.

Suddenly, the guys around us couldn't resist chiming in, their teasing voices echoing through the room. "Looks like someone had a wild night last year! How was your first rodeo with the spirits?" they taunted, erupting into laughter.

I couldn't help but join in the amusement, rolling my eyes playfully. "Ah, yes, the classic case of mistaking Coke for a cocktail. Rookie mistake, am I right?".

As the guys continued to tease and laugh, Adrian's patience wore thin, and he grabbed one of them by the collar, his anger palpable. "What the heck did you do, man?" he demanded, his voice tinged with frustration.

I stood there, feeling equal parts bewildered and amused by the unfolding drama. "Wait, so you weren't even at the party? Then who the heck drove me home?" I questioned, the pieces of the puzzle slowly coming together in my fuzzy memory.

Amidst the chaos, the guys all pointed in unison towards Ero, who sat in the corner with an amused smirk on his face. "Looks like your dark prince over there was your knight in shining armor," one of them quipped, sending the group into another fit of laughter.

I rubbed my temples, trying to make sense of it all. "I don't remember anything," I admitted with a sheepish shrug, resigning myself to the fact that my night had been one wild and mysterious ride.

"I woke up on the couch last night," I confessed, noticing Adrian's intense gaze fixed on Ero, who seemed to be reveling in the attention.

Adrian's eyes narrowed, suspicion evident in his expression as he continued to scrutinize Ero. It was like watching a detective zero in on their prime suspect in a crime thriller.

Meanwhile, Ero remained unfazed, casually leaning back in his chair with a smug grin plastered on his face. It was clear he was enjoying the spectacle unfolding before him, relishing the role of the enigmatic figure in our late-night escapade.

As Ero sauntered over to us, Aria slid in beside me, her whisper a welcome lifeline in the sea of awkwardness. "You okay?" she murmured, her concern palpable.

Before I could even muster a response, Ero cut in with all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop. "Let's go on a date," he declared, his gaze fixed on me, oblivious to the tension crackling between him and Adrian.

Adrian clenched his fists, his jaw visibly tense as he struggled to maintain his composure. Meanwhile, I felt like a deer caught in headlights, my brain scrambling to process this unexpected turn of events.

"The dark prince wants Isabelle on a date, huh? Well, there goes the headline for the next ten years," one of the guys quipped, earning a chorus of laughter from the rest of the group.

The air around us was thick with unspoken tension, the rivalry between Adrian and Ero practically pulsating with each passing moment. It was like watching a soap opera unfold in real life, complete with dramatic twists and turns at every corner.

With a grin plastered on his face, Ero leaned in and dropped the bombshell, "I wanna be yours," he declared, his smile stretching from ear to ear as if he'd just revealed the punchline to the world's most outrageous joke.

I couldn't help but let out a nervous chuckle, feeling like I'd been thrust into the middle of a romantic comedy gone awry. "Well, isn't this just the plot twist of the century," I muttered under my breath, my mind reeling with disbelief.

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