My Heart's Choice (On Hold)

Chapter 34

After dinner, I make my way to Janet's home next door. The sky is pith black and is dotted with tiny stars. It's a warm night outside, although my skin is filled with goosebumps.

I knock on the door and it swings open on the second knock. My eyes meet the Earth-like orbs of Kenneth Williams. His lips tug upwards in a charming smile, and my dinner does flips and twists in my stomach.

I seriously don't understand why my stomach does all that when I see Kenneth, but for some reason I have no control over that.

"Hey, Come in, Dana," he smiles.

I smile back. He looks hot in a thin shirt and shorts, his curly red hair wet from a shower. I avert my eyes praying that he does not see me checking him out.

"Hi," I say, "So, uh, what happened with the practices today?"

His smile grows into a wide grin, "I got in," he says.

"Wow, that's good. And Mason is okay with it?"

His grin dims a bit. He leans a bit closer, dropping his voice.

"He does not know yet. Nobody does, infact. He'll find out tomorrow, sure. But I don't think he has the power to kick me off the team now," he says.

By cheeks burn with a sudden blush at the close proximity, and I pray that he does not see it.

"Oh," is all I can manage.

He gives me another smile.

"There you are!" Nora's voice booms from the top of the railing.

She bounds down the stairs, two at a time and gives me a quick hug.

"I have very good news!" she says excited, but then her eyes turn a bit conflicted, "but first, we should talk."

Okay. I forgot that I did not tell her about the she-stole-my-essay act that Rhea was putting up at school. Nora pulls me to her room and locks the door behind us.

I navigate my way through the maze of books on the floor and flop onto her bed beside her, pulling a book off the floor.

Nora examines me for a moment before commanding me to spill the whole story.

"Everything. Now!" she says.

So I tell her everything. From how Rhea and Mason shared the same class with me from the beginning of the year, to how they got me to do their homework, to how I ended up being Mason's fake girlfriend.

"Why do you seriously want them back together?" she asks looking confused.

"No, I don't."

"Then why would you go with Mason's plan?" she demands.

"At first I had no choice. But now he promised to keep Rhea away from me if I go with his plan. After they manage to get back together, I am free."

Nora watches me quietly with a skeptical look.

"That sounds like a fairytale," she comments.

I chuckle at the comment, returning to my book. But then I remember Nora saying she has news.

"What news do you have?" I ask her.

"Ah, that," her lips stretch into a wide grin, "Now this, my friend, is beyond just a fairytale."

"Care to enlighten me?"

"Well, our plan has reached a 95% success!" she announces, holding her arms out for effect.

My eyebrows shoot up while a happy grin tugs at my lips, "Really?"

"Really," Nora assures me.

Both of us do a little happy dance and fall back on to the bed, laughing like maniacs.

"Seth is already in my pocket. He's so close to dumping Rhea. It could be any minute now," she says sounding excited.

"That's the best news so far," I say.

***

I walk to the bus stop with a slight bounce in my step. After Nora delivered the good news last night, my world seems a bit bouncy and happy.

I wait for Mason to show up, like usual. I smile at each and every man or woman that passes by me. Unlike any other day when I choose to read a novel, over smiling at others, today seems a bit too bright to spend it reading by myself.

Mason's black sports car pulls over at the bus stop, coming to a halt right beside me. I have this huge grin on my lips when I climb inside and chirp a "Good Morning, Mason," to his panicked face.

"Are you ill or something?" he asks, watching me with concern.

I chuckle and shoot his smirk right back at him, "Can't I greet a person in the morning?"

He looks at me, up and down my body as if I had some mental illness. He blinks too much, perhaps expecting it to clear his mind of my apparently crazy behavior.

The car pulls onto the road, picking up speed. We accelerate down the street, listening to Ed Sheeran over the radio.

Mason pulls into the school's parking lot and we get out of the car. He runs an arm around my shoulder, casually leaning towards me, his strong perfume filling the very air I breathe.

"Do you want to tell me what's making you so happy?" he asks.

"Do you really want to know?" I ask him, smiling to myself.

Mason's eyebrows meet in deep concentration, "Yeah, what is it?"

I smile to myself. In a few day's time I'm going to be free! When Seth decides to dump Rhea for Nora, all this is going to end.

Should I tell him right now, or enjoy the teasing?

Strangely a part of me wants to tell him how much I wish Seth could hurry up, but a bigger part just wishes that Seth takes all the time in the world. I have no idea why.

"Well?" he urges me.

"Well...," I tease him, enjoying the look of curiosity in his eyes.

They shine bright, like emeralds, watching me closely for the next word.

"What? Tell me!" he demands, as we step into the main building and make our way towards the locker room.

"Well," I fake a deep frown, expecting to frighten him, "I don't think you can handle it," I say, maintaining a poker face.

His face falls slightly and the shine in his eyes disappear for a second before he scoffs loudly.

"I can handle anything!" he huffs.

My eyebrows shoot to my hairline, making sure that I add just the right amount of disbelief in my eyes.

"I handled Rhea in the first place!" he mumbles under his breath.

"Hey guys!" I hear the familiar voice of Kenneth Williams in the background.

I turn around to find him waving at me. I stop on my tracks, pulling Mason to a halt with me. Kenneth quickens his steps towards us, Matthew and Riley tagging along behind him.

A huge grin threatens to rip his lips apart and his eye look brighter than ever. Looking into them is like watching the sunrise on earth from outer space.

"So, news got around?" Kenneth asks me.

News?

"What's with all the huge grins, huh?" Mason grits his teeth, mumbling to himself.

"Aha! Not yet right?" Kenneth grins some more.

"What's happening?" Mason demands, his nose flaring.

"Let me show you," he beams, parting my hand from Mason's.

Kenneth pulls me towards the locker room, his footsteps quickening with the excitement of the apparent good news.

"Hey!" I hear Mason's voice behind us, "That's my girl. Get your hands off her!"