Chapter 6: We'll All Jump Off A Cliff

"So, what happened when Liam and I left?" Hannah asks, clutching her chemistry folder to her chest as we walk down the corridor.

"Well I may have said something about needing to wash my locker, then was late to history, and then my excuse was that my pet monkey died," I shrug my shoulders casually, trying to brush over the events of the morning, "Why are you holding that folder like your life depends on it?"

"You what?" Hannah says, completely ignoring my question and latching on to the first part of my reply.

"I told Alex and Spencer I needed to wash my locker," I reply slowly, just before I pause for a second, "Then I was late to hist-"

"Okay I heard the first time," Hannah interrupts.

"So why say ‘you what?’" I put on a smirk, triumphant against her, "And you still haven't answered my question to why are you holding that folder like your life depends on it?"

Hannah's eyes dart around, unable to find somewhere safe to land. Suspicious. We come out of the school building and into the yard.

"Han?"

"I'm just holding my folder like this okay..." She trails off, peaking my curiosity further.

"You don't even like chemistry that much," I say, narrowing my eyes into slits, "So why are you acting all shifty?"

"I wouldn't call this shifty."

I stop and just look at her with raised eyebrows. Not shifty? Coming from the girl who is nervously rocking back and forth on her feet, unable to look at me in the eye, and is holding her folder like a protective mother would her child.

"Come on. What's in it?" I ask, not giving up on my quest for knowledge.

"Nothing really. Just..." She trails off once more and opens her folder. Upon the red card of the inside is a number.

A number!

"Is this what I think it is?" I wiggle my eyebrows suggestively unable to hide my huge grin.

"Maybe," Hannah whispers, snapping the ruby red folder shut. "Don't you dare say anything, or I swear I shall purposely put Lego under your bare feet!" She gives me a menacing glare before bursting into laughter. She stops laughing only momentarily to say, "Seriously, please don't tell anyone though."

"You sexy woman you,” I sing nudging my shoulder against hers, “And I am going to take full credit because I got you a lift in his car.”

“Oh and it has nothing to do with me having tutored him Maths for so long,” Hannah chuckles rolling her eyes.

Hannah and I decide to sit on one of the benches placed in the yard. She rests the folder on her knees and we both swing our heavy bags off our shoulders and onto the floor. Benches like ours are dotted all around, each one being used by students in a similar manner.

"So," I turn to face my best friend, "What happened?"

Her fingers immediately begin to play with the edge of her folder as she chews her bottom lip slightly.

"Well," she begins, "We got to the tutor room and were just working on algebra, and then at the end we started talking about random stuff I guess, about the video of you, and the picture of Alex. I had left my Chemistry folder on the table and when we got up to go Liam saw it so he picked it up. Then he opened it."

I cannot help but lean in closer with every sentence of the story itching to get to the finale.

"And then what?" I ask, prompting her to carry on.

"And then he wrote down his number, handed it back and said that he had enjoyed maths for the first time ever." Hannah says quickly before her cheeks were flushed with rose and she looked down at the floor.

“I guess Liam loves watching Netflix romances because the boy is going by the book here,” I tease receiving a jab from an elbow in response.

“You are so embarrassing Row, you know that right?” Hannah smiles, her hands weaving their way to her head smoothing the baby hairs which had begun to escape her ponytail.

“But you love me,” I chirp.

"Maybe deep down I do."

I jump as a voice whispers in my ear.

“But realistically I just love to wind you up.”

"Alex!" I growl, hitting out wildly behind me trying to bat him away, "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

I turn around to see Spencer and Liam stood just behind him as usual. "How long have you guys been there?" I ask slowly unsure how much of our conversation that had heard.

"Only long enough to hear you saying that I love you really," Alex shrugs with a smirk.

"Really? I thought she was talking to me," Spencer winks and flashes his pearly white teeth with a smile.

"Ladies. Come on. We all know she was talking to me," Liam steps forwards, his bright blue eyes laughing, "But I am sorry Row, I am just not into you; I sincerely hope that we can still be friends."

"You are such an idiot," Alex chuckles to Liam, shaking his head with amusement.

"That is just mean," Liam replies, pulling an overly dramatic pained expression, "You don't think I'm an idiot do you Hannah?"

"Yes," she answers immediately with a guilty smile.

"Well I'm just off to jump of a cliff then, thank you friends for making me feel so loved and appreciated" Liam teases whilst walking in direction of what I can guess is his next class.

"Break is almost over, I should get going to Maths," Hannah says to me before standing up and grabbing her bags, “I will see you after your Economics”

"See you later," I reply to her back as she leaves.

"Well Miss Steele, if I remember correctly, we have economics together next, and I sit right in front of you. I guess you can help me when I get stuck." Alex smirks wickedly, bumping his shoulder against my own.

"I love having you in my class, it is the thrill of my life," I say dryly, "But if you don't mind I think I'm going to go with Liam to that cliff."

Spencer laughs loudly as he walks over to my side. I grudgingly leave the comfort of my bench and stand up, retrieving my bag off the floor.

"Don't be so quick to go to that cliff, just remember I'm also in your Economics," Spencer says.

"And that's a positive?" I tease cruelly.

"I’m less likely to make you want to go to that cliff than him,” He nods towards Alex, standing with his hands wrenched into his pockets waiting for us to begin to move.

As a three we leave the yard and enter the school building once more. The corridors are already packed with students, but having Alex Rossa on one side of me, and Spencer Adams on the other means people make way for us. The cost of travelling in comfort is the glares I receive from each side of the corridor.

"Why so tense Cinderella?" Alex whispers in my ear.

"Maybe because I have the whole of the female population of this school glaring at me, and that's not intimidating at all," I reply sarcastically.

"Are they?" He says, raking his brown hair with his fingers squinting his eyes at those around us. I wonder how oblivious a boy can be.

"Who is it you sit next to in econ again?" Spencer asks, changing the subject thankfully.

"Bethany Smith."

"The blonde?" Alex replies with uncertainty.

"Bethany has blonde hair yes," I respond curtly.

"She is the good looking yet intensely annoying one who prods you in the back to get your attention," Alex tells Spencer who nods in recognition at the description.

"Hey. Don't talk about her like that," I scold Alex.

Bethany had never actually spoken to me during our time in Economics, and we were far from friends, however, I was not allowing anyone to talk like that about someone else.

"I'm sure she's lovely," Alex corrects himself with a pained smile.

"Much better," I chirp nudging his shoulder gently.

We enter our classroom and I head to my usual place at the back of the room. At the start of the year Miss Hill put us into a seating plan. Somehow, Alex and Spencer managed to be put next to each other, whereas I got put next to Bethany. I swing my bag onto the desk and proceed to pull my pencil case and exercise book out, along with a calculator. I slump into my seat, and Spencer and Alex mirror my movement on the table in front.

"Cinderella," Alex sings turning around; a huge grin plastered to his face.

"Yes?" I reply in a sickly-sweet voice.

"I have lost my pen somehow."

"That is a real shame Rossa.”

"Do you have a spare?"

"Yes,” I say promptly, “But I am sure this pen will do,” I pull out the pen from his top pocket which was on obvious show. "Would you look at that? Seems that I found your pen."

"Seems you have." Alex takes the pen back and turns around back to the front whilst Spencer chuckles at him.

Through the door comes Bethany with her best friend Cleo at her side. Her blonde curly hair sways side to side with each step, and her blue eyes are exaggerated by the expertly put on eyeliner and mascara. Her designer bag hangs off her arm and her long fingers curl towards her. Cleo looks equally stunning with her dark skin, wavy brown hair and big brown eyes.

Bethany drops her bag onto the table creating a loud thud for a school bag. Slowly she begins to bring out the required equipment for this lesson. She slides into her seat and begins to drum her pink acrylic nails against the table.

I look up at the clock to see the time as 11:20am. Where is Miss?

"Cinderella."

"What?" I sigh as Alex once again turns round.

"I need a ruler."

I shove my head in my hands.

"Use Spencer's then."

"I've lost mine too," Spencer turns round with an evil grin.

I stare at them both. Speechless.

"Here. Borrow mine," Bethany flashes a smile and offers hers.

"Oh. Thanks," Spencer takes the bright pink ruler and returns the smile. That damned smile melts more hearts than I care to count.

"No problem," Bethany giggles.

"So, Rowan what are you doing tonight?" Spencer questions fixing his attention back to me.

"Working. Why?" I say suspiciously.

"You should have come to Liam's with us, if you weren’t working that is"

"She should have?" Alex joins the conversation swivelling himself back around with an unimpressed look on his face.

"I barely even know you," I say truthfully.

"Exactly," Spencer chuckles, “Makes things more interesting, less of the same on repeat.”

Miss Hills suddenly races into the classroom, her hair sticking out all over the place. She looks as if she has just run a marathon. Her giant glasses are wonky upon her nose, and her face is a bright shade of red. She drops her bags and many folders by her desk and tries to compose herself.

"Sorry I'm late," she pants, "Please open your books to the next fresh page and write the date." Miss Hills then tries to tame her wild red hair with her hands and reposition her glasses on her face. She sinks into her chair and logs onto the computer. Her green eyes fixated on the screen. Quickly, I scribble down the date in my book, resting my chin on my hand.

"So how do you know Alex and Spencer?" Bethany asks quietly, bringing me out of Rowan Steele daydream world.

"Oh it's a long story, I don't know them that well," I reply quickly, "Um. I like your bag," I say trying to change the topic, in disbelief that Bethany has actually started a conversation.

"I hate it," she retorts bluntly, looking at the leather in disgust.

"Oh," I sit there awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

"Sorry that must have come out really rude. I just-"

Miss Hill cuts through our conversation introducing the topic that day as Negative Externalities. A shock wave of groans travel through the class at the realisation we are going to have to remember the difference between the four similar graphs. The hour flies by in a flurry of drawing, rubbing out and general confusion. As the bell rings Cleo shoots up and beckons Bethany over to her. I try to ignore how quickly I am ditched at the end of the lesson and focus on trying to pack my bag in a slightly more orderly fashion today.

“Row, you don’t fancy hurrying up to you?” I look up to see Spencer peering down at me. “I’m starving and you are having lunch with us.”