Opposites Attract?

Chapter 18

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Chapter 18

Corlene's POV

I groaned internally as the pain in my leg stubbornly refused to subside and grant me peace. Continuously shifting in my chair, I tried to shake it out without making it look too suspicious or obvious. Making eye contact with Arie, I knew I was failing miserably. His face plastered with concern, he raised an eyebrow, questioning if I was alright. I gave him a small smile to assure him I am, but the doubt plastered on his face assured me that he wasn't buying into my bullshit. I had to give him props for that. In the short few months we've known each other, he's evidently picked up my it's-okay-I'm-fine-even-though-I'm-far-from-it-I-just-don't-want-you-to-worry habit.

I turned my face away from him, keeping my facial expression light and pleasant. I was all too aware of Lysander's eyes on me, watching my every move. I ignored him as best as I could, praying he didn't see the hopefully subtle expression exchange between Arie and me. Ever since the incident in this exact room, I've been constantly avoiding him.

But you won't be able to avoid him forever, a little voice inside my head had the courtesy of reminding me. Internally, I rolled my eyes. Yeah yeah I know, but for the meantime, I can. I silently sighed. The little voice was right after all. I couldn't keep up with this. It was immature and childish. We weren't in fifth grade after all. Besides, we did need to talk about what was going on between us.

I laid my head on my hands as I watched the twins flirt shamelessly with Arianna. I'm proud to say she doesn't blush or hole up at every little thing they said to her anymore. Instead, she threw her head back and laughed or throw a witty retort their way. I couldn't help but smile. She's changed a lot since I first met her. Less shy and timid, more bold and secure. Not afraid to flirt back and to wink at the appropriate times. What made the interaction between Arianna and the twins more amusing for me was Arie. He growled at the twins anytime they flirted or touched Arianna. Unfortunately for him, this encouraged the twins to continue their shameless flirting, more stronger and bolder than before.

Ironically enough, a few months ago the thought of either of them flirting with Arianna Brett had been a laughable matter. Flirting with Arianna Brett? Please. However, more guys have been approaching her ever since people noticed the Big Dipper hanging around her. Unintentionally, her former tormentors raised her social status just by being around her. Naturally, she'd been uncomfortable with the attention but gradually became use to it. The attention also boosted her confidence and made it easier for her to talk to people. She'd come a long way and I couldn't be more pleased.

Around seven, Arianna and I wished the boys good luck (not that they needed it =, naturally) and left backstage. The club was jammed packed with teenagers, all chatting excitedly about the upcoming performance. Luckily, the bar wasn't completely swarmed. Maneuvering around infuriating, giggling teenage girls, Arianna and I made it to the bar unscathed. Louie, the bartender, greeted us with a toothy grin and we returned it, just as enthusiastic. He fixed us the normal root beer float. Though they were on the house, we gave him a nice tip. He nodded his thanks and pocketed the money, shooting us another killer grin before attending the other customers. Whirling around on our chairs, we faced the stage. The bar was slightly elevated, giving us a nice advantage over the crowd of heads on the dancefloor. We sipped our beers and ate the ice-cream waiting for the show to start. At seven on the dot, the DJ announced the arrival of the first dancer.

Ari and I weren't really paying attention until they called out the Big Dipper, as the crowd went wild, cheering and whistling. We sat up straighter in our chairs and watched intently. Their routine was absolutely amazing and in sync, as usual. At the end of their routine, Arianna and I joined the crowd in cheering and chanting their name as they exited the stage, cheering and blowing kisses at the crowd causing a rather irritating group of girls to squeal rather uncontrollably. I rolled my eyes but my smile countered it. After the boys disappeared backstage, the DJ announced the last performance.