The Blonde Cheerleader

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Trio

Somebody turned down the speakers and now we were all bathed in silence, no one dared to speak. Well, except for the three new-comers who were still bickering in front of the car they came in with, oblivious to the crowd they have gathered.

Clearing my throat loudly to stop them, they still continued to ignore everything else and a vein of annoyance popped in me as I yelled, "Stop it!"

Finally grabbing their attention, their mouths clamped shut as they slowly turned their heads to me, pausing when they saw my stance. I stomped my foot heavily on the ground as my hands were glued to my hips, showing them all a dry look. I would have thought that this was going to be a joyful reunion but nope, that was completely thrown out of the window.

"Would it be a bad idea if we just go back out again?" Evan questioned as an attempt to milden my dwindling temper.

Sighing, I slowly walked up to them, "What the hell is going on?"

Vivian and Evan then proceeded to point at Gray and I whipped my head to face his direction. I was freaking pissed, but all he did was stare at me with all the wonder in the world. He didn't flinch when I glared it him nor even moved when I lifted a hand to slap his cheek.

When my palm indeed made contact with his face, his face followed the force but he quickly returned to looking back down on me with that gaze that was ready to melt my heart. Without a second too soon, he pulled me into his arms as he whispered, "I'm sorry."

"You left me," I murmured, struggling to get out of his grip by banging my fists onto his chest.

But he released me, only embracing me tighter as he buried his face into my hair, his flurry of apologies never ceasing for a second.

And ever so slowly, I felt my anger disintegrate and I gave up on my fruitless attempt to break free. Lifting my hands, I gripped his jacket as I laid my head on his chest, finally giving in to that stupid voice in my head that kept telling me to just fall back into his arms again, "I missed you."

Well, our moment was cut short by Hallie, who managed to pull herself out of the crowd, screeching at the interruption, "Clara, what's happening?!"

That was when Gray finally loosened his hold and I spun around, glancing at my family's curious eyes. And this was the moment when I remind myself that my mother was the only person who knew all three of these teenagers. Some of them met Vivian already, almost all got introduced to Evan during the wedding, but none have seen Gray in person yet.

"Vivian, Evan, and Gray," I said as I gestured to each person, "Apparently the surprises keep on coming."

Hallie sighed, her shoulders slumping in disappointment at the obvious way all of her planning went down the drain. But even so, she flipped her hair over her shoulder and showed a smile, trying to stay optimistic, "Well, there's nothing we can do about it. Let's just turn the music back up and continue the party."

Just was I was about to find my spot next to Gray again, Vivian dragged me by the arm while she huffed in annoyance, "I don't even know why I liked that Matthews boy, he's nothing but an annoying prat – nothing to back up those good looks."

He was usually a snarker to people he just met and perhaps this girl pushed all the wrong buttons. The result? Evan's smartass comments started rapidly firing towards her and even though Vivian was no real threat, she's not the one to back down when it comes to arguments.

The trick to get along with him was not by butting heads but by actually agreeing on things.

"Hold on, all three of you are here," I suddenly realized, "How is my dad going to house this many people?"