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CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE! . *. ⋆ THE SURPRISE ⋆ . * .
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Harvard-Westlake Upper School, Studio City - Los Angeles (Thursday, November 30th, 2023 - 08:05am)
winter spirit week day 4
thursday morning started with a strange sense of normalcy and excitement rolled into one. i'd just had the most surreal night at the premiere of family switch, but here i was, getting ready for another day at school. today's winter spirit week theme was 'winter royals day', which meant everyone was throwing on their best crowns and capes, giving off the kind of regal vibes that clashed hilariously with the fluorescent lights in the hallways.
"who knew royalty could look this tired?" mackenzie teased as we piled into the car. she was adjusting the sparkly headpiece she'd found at the last minute, glancing over at me.
"oh, trust me, this is as royal as i can manage today," i laughed, tugging at the sleevs of my white fluffy coat i'd decided to wear. i'm matching it with a white skirt trying to go with the theme at least a little.
when we got to school, it was chaos in the best way. everyone was caught up in winter spirit week, and i could hear people congratulating me about the movie from across the halls. i felt my face heat up every time, but it was sweet. i never thought i'd be the one everyone was talking about.
our friends caught up with us between classes, talking about last night's premiere. "so, how was it? i saw some pictures online, and oh my god, you looked amazing!" ana said, giving me a nudge.
"thanks... it was insane, honestly," i said, shrugging, trying to downplay just how surreal it had been. "the whole thing went by so fast, but it was fun. i got to see xochitl again after a long time"
"and you saw connor again, right?" mia added with a grin. "how was that?"
"it was actually pretty chill" i laughed. "but yeah, at first it was kind of weird seeing connor again after months."
"ahh, the ex-boyfriend dynamic," blake teased. "bet that wasn't awkward at all."
"oh, totally not awkward," i replied with a smirk. "actually, it wasn't too bad. we just sort of kept things polite and moved on."
as the day went on, i noticed i was checking my phone a lot, scrolling through notifications and texts from people who'd seen the movie already. and then, i got a few texts from my parents; checking in more than usual. they asked how my classes were, if i had any plans after school, and if i needed anything picked up.
