ASSIGNED

Chapter 9

PICTURED: Asha's outfit

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"Hey girls, it's nice to see you again Bailey!" My mum said as we walked through the door.

"You too, Mrs Lawrence," Bailey replied.

"Mrs Lawrence, gosh I haven't been called that in years. Please, call me Sandra!" my mum told her, pulling out two chairs at the dining room table for us to sit at.

"What took you two so long to get home from school?" she asked.

"Mum, you'll never believe it. You know that book I love written by James Bachner? Well he was in Chadstone today doing a book signing! Bailey managed to get me in and I got a signed copy! Look!" I said, grabbing the book out of my backpack and thrusting it in her face. My mum knew how passionate I was about WWII and her eyes widened significantly.

"Wow Bailey, that's so nice of you! What a good friend you are!" my mum practically cooed, getting up from her seat and hugging Bailey.

"Mum!" I said, suddenly remembering, "How was your first day at work?"

"Oh, Asha it was so good! I'm so glad we moved here! I'm getting double what I was earning back in Adelaide!" she exclaimed, her smile practically stretching across her whole face.

"Mum, I'm so happy for you!" I told her, getting up to hug her tightly.

"Bailey, please tell me you're staying for dinner! I have cooked a roast and it's definitely too much for Asha and me to eat alone!" my mum practically begged. She must've been really happy that I was making friends, but was Bailey just a friend? I wasn't sure.

"I'd love to, if you're cool with that Asha?" Bailey replied, putting her arm around the back of my chair.

"What - oh! Of course. Mum makes a mean roast!" I said with a smile.

Bailey and I headed up to my room to research some more for our project while my mum continued to prepare dinner. I was still giddy from excitement that I actually had a signed copy of James Bachner's book, and without warning I practically tackled Bailey in another hug. She fell to the floor with me landing on top of her.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I squealed, "I can't believe today actually happened!"

I pulled away from Bailey, my face barely inches from hers. Her eyes locked with mine, her blue green orbs barely visible due to her enlarged pupils.

"Your pupils are massive..." I whispered, still hovering above her.

"Yeah, your pupils expand when you look at something you like," she said with a smirk. My heart skipped a beat but I tried to play it cool, rolling off her and sitting with my back against the bed.

"We should probably start researching, dinner will be ready soon," I said, my cheeks still red from her compliment. Bailey sighed quietly and sat up, grabbing a textbook in front of her and flicking to a page about The Resistance. Not long after, my mum had called us downstairs saying dinner was ready. I opened my bedroom door and the smell of the delicious roast wafted in.

"Holy fuck, that smells good!" Bailey moaned. The sound of it sent a jolt of electricity through my body, ending directly between my legs. What the fuck was happening to me?

Bailey and I raced downstairs towards the delicious food. Mum had set it out as if we were having a Christmas feast and I had a feeling she was trying to impress Bailey since she was the first friend that I had brought home. The table was set with placemats and more cutlery than we needed, and a candle was lit in the middle of the table.