Palindrome

Forty-Six

Chapter 46

Some things are better left unspoken.

No, but for real.

I do not need to hear a bunch of screeching girls gushing over Paxton. Bronwyn and Blake are trying so hard not to laugh while I hide behind my hand. We're in the convention center, waiting on our luggage to arrive. It's not as nice as the one from districts, but extremely huge nonetheless with a raised platform where Paxton's standing talking to the other state officers.

"He's cute," one of them says.

Another one snorts, "Cute? Sis he's hot even with the ginger hair."

"He can get it. Like that man could run me over with a bus and I'd thank him," the girl from before says.

"That smile. I'm never leaving DECA if this is the view we get," a third one sings delightfully.

Gag.

I've never cringed so much.

Turning to Blake and Bronwyn I whisper furiously, "Can we go somewhere else?"

Blake smirks, "But the view's so good from here."

Bronwyn bats her eyelashes innocently, "Yeah Aarohi, what's wrong with where we are?"

"I hate you two," I grumble and that's the last string before the two of them start laughing obnoxiously.

Under any normal circumstances I would have flipped them off, but Ms. Edison's right next to us talking to a few other teachers about getting us our hotel keys. So, I settle for a withering glare which is counterproductive because Blake's banging his hand on the table while Bronwyn's head is titled backward as she wheezes uncontrollably. The girls sitting adjacent to us shoot us weird looks, but I could care less at this point.

Just then, Paxton breaks free from the rest of the officers jumping off the platform easily. His gaze falls on me and he waves. I hold my hand up in greeting, a smile finding a place on my face. The girls in front of us however think he's waving their way and now they're squealing waving energetically back. Paxton looks confused for a second before winking at them and I swear to god one of them actually sighs out loudly.

This is absurd.

He's not even my boyfriend.

"Not yet he isn't," Blake says, and I realize I've said the last bit out loud.

"We'll find out on Saturday won't be?" Bronwyn muses.

I throw my hands up exasperatedly. "Does the entire chapter know about this bet?"

Bronwyn and Blake exchange glances, sharing a secret smile between one another before shrugging. Rolling my eyes, I see Paxton busy with another group of people who have all surrounded him. They're laughing like old friends, ruffling his hair, pointing out things about him. That's when I realize they're probably people from his old school's chapter. Sometimes I forget that Paxton had a wholly different life before he met me. Which is weird because it's been less than six months since I've known him.

And yet still.

"How's it going carrots?" I ask when he finally finds his way to us, collapsing on the chair beside me. Almost instantly I feel the piercing stare of a thousand ogling girls (and some guys) fall on our table.

He groans kicking his feet on the edge of the table. "Everything's a mess. It's going to take another hour or so before we can check in with our baggage."

"It's not your fault," Blake points out, but Paxton doesn't seem convinced.

"How about we get some lunch in the meantime?" I suggest, partly because he could use a distraction and partly because the stares were finally getting to me. It's like they're holding their breath ready to pounce on him.