Shadows and Popularity

Chapter 07: The House

Chapter 07: The House 

Maya gaped at the structure in front of her.

A beautiful red bricked faux chateau standing three stories high, four tinted black windows draped each floor, and overgrowing vines from its roof to its sides on the ground gave it a majestic feel. The house was so pretty, she thought it picturesque. The evergreen lawn was well-trimmed, the concrete path toward the front door was thick and strong, something that reminded her of a path to another dream, and the bushes from the sides were cut in the shapes of wild animals. She looked around the suburban area, and found in each lot a house with their own architectural originality, the sunset giving the place a wonderful, orange touch. She had never been to this part of the city before, and now she suddenly wished she hadn’t fallen asleep on their ride here.

Speaking of the ride here, she looked back at the car where Nathan was talking with Sakri. A faint gust blew pass her when she did, so she had to hold her skirt to her sides to keep it from flying upward. When the wind passed, she tidied her hair. She looked back at Nathan then, and caught him looking at her.

She smiled, he blushed.

She was about to make her way toward them and ask him if they were going to leave soon, but Clarisse got in her way when she held her shoulder.

“What’s up?” She asked with a polite smile. She was already feeling quite comfortable with the musician.

“Get his number for me, would you?”

“You mean Nathan?” She reassured, then waited for her nod before she continued her wade toward the two.

Sakri stopped talking first before Nathan caught on and looked back. He fumbled out a ‘hi’, and, as curious as she was as to why he was blushing, Maya decided to keep on track.

“Can I have your number before you go?” she asked straightforwardly.

Sakri cocked a brow just as Nathan went silent for a second, before he fumbled in getting his phone out of his pocket. He coughed before he relayed his phone number to Maya, who took it down on her own flip-phone. As the heartthrob told the wallflower that she could call or text anytime of the night, Sakri thought how obvious the guy was, yet was still able to talk straight to the girl.

The rebel came down to two conclusions however. Either the heartthrob really was that smooth with girls, or the wallflower was just as dense as a rock.

“So,” Clarisse said, coming up to Sakri.

“So what?” The rebel said, not taking his eyes off of the pair.

Clarisse smiled. “You gonna have a hard time with him, lone wolf?”

He shrugged. “Why are you even helping them out, anyway?”

She shrugged. “Maya’s a good person. She’s a friend. Of course I’ll help her.”

“She’s a wallflower.”

“And?”

Sakri looked at her. “Lily’s a wallflower.”

Clarisse’s smile turned from cheerful to meaningful. “And?”

He sighed before calling out to Nathan. “Hey, cupid! It’s time to go!”

Nathan visibly flinched. “Do NOT call me that!”

Maya watched as Clarisse laughed with hearty glee. She smiled, enjoying the tune, and kept her lips curved when Nathan patted her shoulder.

“Stay low. Sakri said this place is private property so the paparazzi’s gonna have a hard time getting in here. I have no idea where I’m going, but he promised it was safe.”