teenage nightmare ² ━━ amour

2o.

2o.
chapter twenty:
I landed myself
in a nice
mess!

"We're done!"

The crowd erupted into whistles and cheers, mostly from our classmates. I heard Kiawe and Calem booming simultaneously through my earpiece. "A job well done!"

"You did it, guys! You did it!"

I straightened and exchanged a smile with Serena.

"That was a splendid duet!" Drew applauded as we made our way downstairs. The carpet had been fixed, and I assumed it was Calem's doing. "Tell me, Miss Anastasia, have you ever seen a duet as worthy as the one we just witnessed?!"

There was a brief silence before the opposing host responded. "I'm afraid not, Mister Hayden, but I do take immense pleasure in welcoming our freestyle performer for a solo performance!"

A furious-looking girl passed us as we returned backstage. I was in for a wild ride when Lisia threw her arms around Serena and me in an embrace. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I'm so proud of my babes!"

Serena and I exchanged a glance over Lisia, and Serena laughed, awkwardly patting her friend. "We need—air!"

Lisia immediately let go, but now I was engulfed in a one-sided hug from Calem. "You saved my hide, seriously!"

I chuckled nervously and thanked Kiawe when he provided us with two chairs and bottles of water. "Well done, both of you! I was amazed by the coordination."

I wasted no time in giving credit to Serena. "All the praise goes to her. She was the one who sang, danced, and helped me too! My clumsy foot would have messed everything up, but she thought of a song we both knew, choreographed it to fit my skills, and just took my he—haha, my breath away with the dance!" I quickly covered up, grinning at the girl beside me.

Serena blushed and looked down at her worn shoes. "I-I don't deserve such words—"

We all quickly disagreed. "No way!" Lisia exclaimed, embracing her again. Serena laughed sweetly and returned the gesture. I exchanged a smile with Calem at their friendship.

The moment was short-lived. "Calem, come in! I think I've spotted a big fish."

Calem unmuted his earpiece. "Who?"

"One of the dancers. He just set something up on the stage. It looks like one of those devices that blow up—failed inventions."

"Damn those guys!" I heard Clemont curse and exchanged a worried glance with Serena and Lisia. Calem, however, remained calm.

"Drew, come in!"

The noise intensified, and I struggled to hear as Drew spoke. "Yes?"

"Call the Anistar High juniors next. Code: Emergency."

There was no audible response from Drew, and I looked at our leader incredulously. "I was under the impression that Drew didn’t have an earpiece?"

"He didn’t," Calem said with a wink. "I threw him one during your performance. The boy's smart, no doubt." We nodded in agreement, hearing Drew execute Calem’s plan. "I gotta go. Make sure the first aid kit is ready to use. Ash, get some rest. I’ll assign someone here."

Calem left, his voice echoing in our earpieces as he called for Sawyer to take my place. I was relieved—and thankful. My right side hurt horribly, the numbness completely replaced by a stiff, stinging pain.

"I’m going to change out of this dress," Serena said, looking gratefully at Lisia. "It’s been such a pretty dress to wear! Thank you, Lisia."

"Nope," Lisia waved her words away. "It looks like it was tailored just for you. Why don’t you keep it? I haven’t worn it even once, and the first wearer gets the dress!"

Serena squealed and hugged her again. I smiled at their interaction, wondering what Gary and Misty would have thought about my performance.

"Ash!"

I snapped out of my thoughts. "Huh?"

Serena took my hand gently, turning it over and clasping my palm in both of hers. The simple action was enough to make something in my chest stir with pleasure. Get a grip. Oh, wait, she’s got one on you—no, shut up!

"I don’t know what I would’ve done without your incredible knowledge of, well, me." She blushed, and I felt an unfamiliar joy replace my dull soul. "You understood everything I meant to say without me having to say it out loud. You gave me full control, and you trusted me."

"Well—" I cleared my throat and tried again. "Well, what do you know?"

Serena beamed. In a rush of spontaneity, she leaned in and her soft lips grazed my cheek. The spot where she kissed burned hot, as if a light had ignited inside me. "Thank you!" she exclaimed once more, gave one final squeeze of my hand, and let go.

Then she was gone with the wind, an explosion on the dais providing a dramatic exit.

I stood still for a full minute, frozen in place, hand on my cheek. The pain in my side seemed to have fled—or at least quieted—replaced by a surge of excitement. Serena. Kissed. Me! She did, didn’t she?!

I could barely contain the burst of... something wonderful inside me. Without realizing it, I made a happy noise and left the backstage after exchanging a smile with Sawyer.

I didn’t care if he had seen it all. In fact, I felt like I didn’t have a care in the world.

I mentally planned my next steps as I walked up the stairs with joyful leaps.

Maybe a donut to brighten my mood further, but I gotta get a grip on myself first.

I decided to first run cold water over my right arm to soothe the burning, but what I saw on my way to the restrooms extinguished the flame that had been burning within me after Serena's special embrace—Clemont, Trevor, and Sophocles lay sprawled on the floor before me.