Time Limit

Brooke

SELFISH ME

"Wha-what?" Was I dreaming? This guy, whom I had never met before in my entire life was asking me out, to the masquerade? Umm hello? Did the words "social life" mean anything to him?

I wasn't given any time to think, though. His face fell dramatically, and his outstretched hand fell limp. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. It's alright if you don't want to, I just --" Sighing, he shook his head and stuck his hands into his pockets, then walked away slowly.

What? No, no, no, no. Come on, outgoing Brooke activate! "HEY!"

Instantly, he whirled around, hopefulness evident in his eyes.

"Yeah?" He cocked his head, suddenly becoming shy.

God, he must really want to go to the ball with me. Eh, he probably just didn't know who I was, or how nerdy I was, or how my stomach rolled when I bent over, or how —

Stop overthinking, Brooke. Gulping, I whispered, "Yes," I clenched my fists,  and raised my voice,"Yes, Hayden, I'll go to the masquerade with you."

He visibly brightened up.  "Really? Oh this is great, thank you, thank you. I promise I'll give you a good time, I'll--"

I smiled, knowing full well I would regret this later. "It's alright, it's my pleasure to go with you."

He grinned, "Me too, me too."

- ----

"YOU WHAT?!?!?!" Brittany shouted, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me violently. "HAYDEN SANCHEZ ASKED YOU OUT? ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

No, I'm Brooke, I thought, rolling my eyes mentally. Out loud though, I said. "Yeah, so?"

I was interrupted by another scream. I sighed, really? Did she have to be that dramatic all the time? "What's the big deal? He asked, I said yes!"

Brittany let go of me, rolling her eyes so much it looked like they were going to fall off. "Brooke, this is Hayden Sanchez we're talking about." She looked almost ready to claw her head out when I shook my head, not understanding. "Hayden Sanchez," she said very slowly, like I wouldn't understand if she spoke quicker. "Is the son of the famous Juan Sanchez, who owns a huge shipping company. In other words," she licked her lips, "He's rich. Seriously rich. And he's like, THE hottest guy in the school. In fact, he's been a vogue model even in the real world, I'm kinda surprise you don't know him, really."

She glanced up at me, her face flushed, "Anyways, he arrived yesterday -- saw him coming in, but surprisingly, people haven't noticed yet. Don't worry though, by the time the ball rolls around, everyone will know him, so you'll get your attention." She finished brightly, apparently under the impression that the last piece of information was in fact good news.

I stood still for a second, my mind still processing the information. So apparently, this super famous model person asked me out, and I said yes. Great. I just ruined a person's perfect reputation. Gosh, how could I be so selfish?

Brittany bounced on her bed. "Come on, Brooke, I know you're not a fan of attention, but you really have to take this opportunity, okay?"

I nodded mindlessly, still in a daze.

She clapped her hands, obviously delighted. "Alright then, now we've got that settled, it's time for dress shopping."

I rolled eyes, visibly, this time. "Well, we have to go to a lecture for new students concerning more detailed information about the school and the Fandoms." I glanced at the clock on the wall. "And it's in about 10 minutes — we'd better hurry."

Bouncing off the bed, Brittany grabbed her purse lightly and sprang to the door. "Okay,  let's go."

Approximate half an hour later, all the new students from the HP and VLD fandom were seated in a small room, listening to a strict, pursed-lipped professor talk.

I sighed. She reminded me of Aunt Petunia a bit. Glancing at Brittany, I saw she was fiddling with her fingers, no longer paying attention.

Typical.

Turning my attention back to the teacher, I continued copying down notes, afraid I would forget the information. Yes, weird, I know, but that was just who I was. Still, it was strange being next to Brittany and copying notes in peace. Back in my old school, while Brittany might not have been brave enough to downright bully me in front of the teachers, teasing and snide remarks were almost inevitable. Now though, she was strangely quiet, just playing with her fingers harmlessly.

The fandom council is in charge of keeping order within the Fandoms and FA...the real world is called The Mortal Dimension...FA is operated by donations only...only one hour will have passed in your time at FA...FA and the TMD has to be kept secret from the characters once you enter the Fandoms...you can choose to enter any era or year in the Fandom, but your age will stay the same...

After one lonely hour of furiously noting down everything the teacher said, she dismissed us, leaving my hand sore and Brittany with an extra half hour of sleep. Everyone spilled out quickly, tired of the long day of lessons and looking forward to dinner.

I had to admit, food at FA was good, especially the Chinese tofu desserts. Me and Brittany said a table I'm the far corner, accompanied with a boy called Lucas.

"So, Lucas, do you have a date for the ball yet?" Brittany asked, leaning in, her bright hazel eyes sparkling hopefully. Again, he familiar feeling of dread settling in my stomach appeared as I was reminded once again of the ball and Hayden's ruined reputation.

I had tried to convince him to find another girl, but each time, he had just looked confused and hurt, and after a while, I gave up. Yes, cowardly, I know, but what else could I do?

And yes, before you ask, apparently, she had been wearing contacts to achieve those baby blue eyes that I had been so jealous of. Now, though, she had decided to accept her natural eye colour -- which, truth be told, I liked even better than the contacts.

Anyways, now Brittany was obviously trying very hard to get herself a date, and although she never mentioned it, I could see her getting more agitated as three days passed and she was still dateless. However, me getting one seemed to heighten her desperation.

Lucas, on the other hand, stayed pretty oblivious. "Yeah!" He exclaimed, his blond hair bouncing up and down, and his blue eyes sparkling. "And she's really fun to hang out with too! I just can't wait for the ball! I haven't chosen what to wear, though, and I --"

"She seems nice," I bravely interjected, wanting to save Brittany. She already looked ready to cry. Nonetheless, she mouthed a small "thank you", evidently grateful.

He stopped for a second, looking confused, but quickly brightened up. "Yeah, she is! And she makes really funny jokes and she doesn't like her voice on tape but I can even make sense of her freckles and it's the way she walks and when I see her my heart lights up on fire and I just keep going back to her and the way she flips her hair just makes me overwhelmed and--"

I sighed, resting my head on my arms. This was going to be a long meal.

Hi guys, thanks for reading up to here! Nothing much to say, except THANK YOU SO SO MUCH FOR ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO VOTED, COMMENTED, OR READ THIS! Anyways, you know the drill, vote if you find it nice, but please comment! Okay, I've ran out of things to say, except sorry for this abnormally short chapter.

Luv y'all, Gemma