[Whoop! It's not been too long since I last uploaded, so not too guilty! Seriously, though, can someone please tell me if my new idea is complete and utter b*ll*ocks? I need to know whether I'm going to put it up later or not. If the idea should be scrapped, tell me before I waste more time on it. Okay, so here's the next part! Comments please? Happy Reading ^_^]
"Hey Jack," Maggie sang out, running up to him. "Belinda's riding with Keith. So I guess I'm with you!"
"Oh, and why is Belinda riding with Keith?" Jack asked, mock-innocently.
"It might have something to do with them making out in the-"
"Okay Maggie, I think you know better than to gossip about others," Keith said severely, going pink. "Look, can we just get going? We're going to be late."
The ride to Maggie's school was quiet and Belinda was getting nervous. Jack was bound to say something once Maggie was safely out of earshot. He didn't disappoint.
"So...making out in the...what exactly? Or is this something I shouldn't be asking about?"
"Shove off Jack," Keith muttered, going red again. Belinda was half tempted to laugh at the conversation. It was like Jack was being the protective brother, making Keith squirm for getting a little...personal with Belinda. The more she thought about it, the more hilarious the situation seemed. She tried to smother her giggles but was having trouble - keeping hold of Keith was what was stopping her falling off backwards.
"Belinda? You going to tell me? Or am I going to have to torture one of you later? I haven't decided who yet," he added mildly, letting himself roll to a stop in front of the bicycle shed.
"Nothing much to tell," Belinda said, a giggle escaping as she climbed off of Keith's bicycle. "I mean," she corrected hastily when she saw Keith's raised eyebrows. "It's...not really your business?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm getting it out of one of you later. And seeing as Keith is in one of my classes..."
"It's not going to be me," Belinda said confidently. "You would find that a little too awkward, Jack. And now, I have registration so I'll catch you guys at break."
Waving her goodbye, Jack turned to Keith. Keith ignored him, hoping for a little more peace but he just wasn't in for a peaceful morning. Emma was already making her way over, her little eyes narrowed.
"Hi Keith," she said, voice purposeful and falsely bright. "I see Belinda's back. Did she make you give her a lift?"
"Uh, no, I offered," he said, carefully avoiding Emma's grasp. He didn't like it when she clung to him, refusing to let go.
"But- But why?" She seemed really confused. Keith was wondering how he could tell her when Jack piped up, smiling icily at Emma.
"Well, it sort of made sense. I mean, you'd want your boyfriend to give you a lift to school if he could, wouldn't you?"
Emma seemed to be stunned into silence. Keith couldn't help but grin a little when Jack had said 'boyfriend'. He honestly hadn't thought of it like that. He'd known that he liked Belinda and it had been bliss to find out the feeling was reciprocated but - it wasn't like everything was perfect, just like that. He had assumed they would date (eventually) but he wondered what Belinda thought of being boyfriend-girlfriend. He hoped she would just blush and stutter, smiling that dazzling smile of hers.
"Then why wasn't she riding on your bike Jack?" Emma said, her cool facade slipping slightly. "Because you guys certainly seemed...close, last half-term."
"Hmm, I suppose you wouldn't understand what it's like for a girl and a guy to be friends without being like that, would you," he said, more of a statement than a question. "Fortunately, both me and Belinda know that we're just friends. So does Keith, just, you know, FYI."
"Oh come on," Emma scoffed, snorting derisively. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that, after never having a girlfriend and having every girl drool after him, Keith would choose that nobody over everyone else? Please. Anyone with more than three brain cells would know better than to go out with that reject."
"Um, right here," Keith interjected, waving his hand in front of her. "And she's not a nobody. Her name's Belinda. And yeah, she is my girlfriend. Come on Jack, we're going to be late."
Keith ignored the whispers he was leaving behind him, loping into the building and wishing Belinda had been around to confirm it with him. It would have been nice to hear her call him her boyfriend. Still, at least he knew word would get around to her by break time. Gossip was big and when it concerned Emma, she was likely to spread it as fast as she could.
* * *
Belinda sat staring out of the window, trying to think of what she could do. She could get Keith to catch her up in maths - and maybe a couple of other subjects - but it would be unfair to ask him to teach it all to her. Maybe Jack could help out too...and maybe she could catch up with the rest on her own. Two weeks wasn't that much of a workload. Keith had caught up in his classes and he had been gone two or three months.
Belinda jumped when a shadow fell across her desk. Standing above her was a livid Emma, red-faced and narrowed eyes. Belinda was about to say something when the bell rang, making Emma sit down in her seat, shooting daggers at Belinda. Besides being amused at the oddity, Belinda was curious. What had she done to deserve that? She was still pondering that when the bell rang and she had to get up to get to maths. She felt a jolt of happiness as she realised she could sit with Keith today and she wouldn't have to feel too embarrassed.
Emma stopped her as she tried to go through the door. Her arms were folded across her chest and she was glaring frostily at Belinda. Resigning herself to listen, Belinda looked pointedly at her watch. If possible, Emma's eyes narrowed even more.
"Oh I'm sorry Belinda," she snapped, no pretence of friendliness. "I just need a quick word about what the hell is going on between you and my Keith."
"Excuse me?" Belinda snorted, her eyebrows raised in disbelief. "I think you'll find that that's my Keith, and if you dare start this with me, make it some other time. I have a lesson to get to."
Pushing past a shocked Emma, Belinda felt a small sense of triumph. She had never felt so...in control. Emma was going to learn not to mess with her, however hard a lesson she wanted to make it. She was still smirking when she stepped into the maths class and spotted Keith watching her. The smirk melted into a real smile and she sat next to him, grinning ear to ear. She could see a couple of Emma's friends start to whisper but she really didn't care. Having Keith next to her was enough to assuage any fears.
