Homeroom 23

Chapter 13: The Torrid Love Affair

You'd be surprised how difficult finding two boys in a moderately large enclosed area of space. We had first checked the cafeteria with no luck, then had gone to the courtyard and Matt's room, both with no luck. We tried the obvious answer of Xavier's room of course, but he wasn't there either. Just as we had both practically given up hope, we ran into them.

"That's what I told her!" Matt exclaimed to Xavier as they walked down the hallway together, taking no notice of me and Daniel. "It was so insane the way she just—" Matt stopped dead in his tracks when he saw us.

"Hey Daniel," Xavier picked up for Matt, not skipping a beat. "Nice to see you. What are you doing with Melissa Greenfeild?" Daniel instantly stiffened, looking a little pale in the face.

"Nothing. I'm not doing anything. Not at all." Yet again, I found myself wanting to slap him in the face, but instead I just corrected him.

"Actually, we are doing something. We need to know a couple things from you guys." Xavier stared at me threateningly, and for a moment I remembered all of the reasons I used to be—and still kind of am—terrified of him. I was planning on backtracking and going with whatever Daniel had been saying, when he apparently had a change of heart.

"It was my idea," he sort of moved in front of me just a little bit, as if trying to defend me.

"Then why does she have to be here," Xavier mused, raising an eyebrow. Daniel stared at him angrily for a very intense moment, and me and Matt both exchanged glances to one another that read, what the hell is going on?

"You know Xavier," Daniel finally muttered after what seemed like an eternity of silence. "There's a lot I could say about you right now. There's a lot you probably wouldn't like getting out, correct? I think it's best we keep our petty comments to ourselves." I couldn't tell you what the look on my face was, but Matt's eyes and mouth were both wide open. Knowing him, if anyone other than Xavier had been told that, he would be laughing and hollering, but somehow he managed to stay quiet.

"Fine." Xavier said after a while. "Ask me whatever it is you want to ask me, and you can take your weird girlfriend with. I'm not answering unless Matt is with me."

"He can stay with you," Daniel assured. "In fact, let's just get it over with right here in this hallway. What drink did you guys give Ava at the party?" Matt instantly went pale as a ghost, but Xavier seemed to have more of a poker face.

"Me and Matt never gave Ava anything ever."

"Bullshit!" I interjected, "Brandon told us all about it!"

"Yes, but we didn't give it to her." Xavier claimed, "We can't be held responsible for whatever it is he and Max did to our recipe."

"Yeah sure, except you had made said recipe specifically for Ava, hadn't you?" I accused.

"Stop, stop," Daniel put an arm between us. "Xavier, she's not trying to say you did anything crazy like murder Ava—"

"Maybe I am."

"That's not very helpful," he shook his head. "All we want to know is what was in it and why you made it for her."

"One; I didn't make it for her. Brandon did. Two; it wasn't made for her, other people drank it that night."

"Liar!" I yelled, accidentally startling both Daniel and Matt. "Brandon specifically told us he had only made it for Ava."

"And you believe him?"

"More than I believe you!"

"Guys stop!" Daniel tried to calm us yet again, this time not even bothering with the hand gestures. "Melissa, calm down. Xavier, also calm down. We're not getting anywhere."