24. Love Love Kiss Kiss Death
Chapter twenty-four
Love Love Kiss Kiss Death
NOAH
“Dude, what’s happening?” Alex’s muffled voice came through my speakers, and I just knew he was stuffing some sort of snack into his mouth. Constantly eating, constantly going to the damn gym.
“Alex, I’d never thought I’d say this, but I need your help.”
Alex let out a Disney villain cackle. “My help does not come for free!”
“This is serious!”
I had his attention now. “Noah, what is it?”
“Get over to the West Street movie theater, NOW.”
I knew that the distress in my voice would seal the deal. “Okay fine, just give me a few minutes.”
“Are you ready?” I questioned, on my toes and ready to bolt if necessary.
I was already on edge from my meet up with Silas.
I was too afraid to go home, too afraid to face Damian.
He had to know that Silas and I were together again.
I didn’t want to have “the talk” again. Shit.
Damian was all the way up in my business anyhow.
I didn’t owe him any explanations. I figured the longer I stayed away from home, the easier the return would be.
I had run into the corner store on my way to the theater and bought a vape pen. I didn’t even need a flavor, just some damn nicotine. I couldn’t believe I had gone this many days without it, honestly. I took a few puffs. It wasn’t a joint, but it would do for now.
“Calm down, Noaaah,” Alex remarked to my nerves cutely, a bag of cheese puffs rolled up underneath his arm. He was wearing a teddy pajama shirt and oddly colored shorts, looking utterly bizarre.
I didn’t look much better. I had to borrow Alex’s belt to keep my destroyed pants from falling down. When he questioned the origin of my pant’s destruction, I told him that I would fill him in another time. Which I wouldn’t.
I had a seven minute drive before I arrived to formulate the following plan: Alex was my partner, my “boyfriend” for the night.
All I briefed Alex on was that a new girl from my school was Level Ten Psycho, and that I didn’t want her thinking I was available.
His response was that if she was anything under a level ten, I owed him fifty bucks and he’d hit on her instead.
We shook on it and made our way towards the doors.
“Shit, here she comes,” I muttered, seeing the perky blonde spot me from the inside the glass windows of the movie theater.
Alex scowled, already skeptical of my descriptions of her. “She can’t be that–”
The doors burst open.
“HEY, NOAAAAH!!”
Alex dropped his cheese puffs and turned to run. I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him to his original position.
“Stay, you idiot!” I hissed.
Chelsea attacked me, squeezing until I couldn’t breathe and made sure to press her breasts flush against my chest. I patted her on the back a couple of times, not enjoying the fact that several crowds of people were stopping to stare at us like we were the cutest couple.
“Hello, Chelsea. Uh...what movie are we going to see?” I asked, trying to pry her off.
“I just bought our tickets to, Love Love Kiss Kiss Death, a romantic horror combo!” She squealed once again.
Alex gasped and threw his hands up. “YESSSSS!”
I shot him a death glare, and he shrugged. “What? I’ve been wanting to see that.”
Chelsea stopped and stood up straight, pointing to my best friend. “What is that, and why is it here?”
I laughed nervously and wrapped my arm around Alex’s shoulder. Here goes nothing.
“Um, this is my boyfriend, Alex.”
Chelsea grew pale. “Oh god.” She put her face in her hands. “Why didn’t you tell me you were confused? I would have slept with you last week! Dammit!”
Alex narrowed his eyes and looked at me. “Yeah, I don’t like her.”
I jabbed him in the side, effectively shutting him up with a yelp, and took his hand. “Should we go get our seats?” I asked Chelsea, smiling.
If everything went according to plan, then I was a genius.
Chelsea looked defeated. “Sure, but your...friend...will have to go purchase his ticket.”
Alex slammed his free hand down on his hip, his lip coming out in a pouting gesture. “WELL, I sure hope SOMEONE is going to pay for ME.” He eyed me and grinned.
I sighed and pulled out my wallet. “Of course, sweetie.”
“Thanks, darling.”
Chelsea huffed and muttered something under her breath about, “It’s always the hot ones,” before leading us inside.
Alex leaned towards me, gritting his teeth. “She’s Level 20. You owe me HUGE.”
I nodded, knowing that there were a million things Alex would rather be doing right now than pretending to be my boyfriend.
I was surprised that he was actually holding my hand in public.
I shook off the feeling of stares around us, knowing that if I wanted Chelsea to leave me alone, then this was going to have to look as real as could be.
On the other hand, Alex was drawing more unwanted attention to us anyhow.
“What are YOU looking at, huh?” he shouted at an elderly couple eyeing us with disdain. “Fuck off Grandpa, at least I’m getting some! You have a problem, huh?”
“Alex,” I warned. “Shut. Up.”
Alex huffed and smoothed his hair. “It’s not right that they judge us.”
“You’re taking this too seriously. Just hold my hand and be quiet,” I ordered, stepping up to the ticket booth.
“One ticket for, Love Love Kiss Kiss Death, please.” The name itself was a mouthful, and I could only pray the movie was worth fifteen dollars apiece.
The lady behind the counter pursed her lips at the sight of us before taking my money. I could practically feel Alex open his mouth to say something without even looking at him.
Before he had the chance to, I nonchalantly stomped on his foot.
“What are YO- OWW!”
I grabbed the ticket and hustled the limping Alex off before anything more could happen.
“DAMMIT!” Alex screamed, clutching his foot and hopping around like a dumbass.
I dragged him to a corner and nearly clamped a hand over his mouth.
“Alex, please! Just do this for me, without speaking to anyone no matter if you think they looked at us funny or NOT, and I will be eternally grateful! I’m already here, Chelsea bought my ticket, it would be rude to just leave.
On top of that, there is no way I’m going home right now. I’ve got…shit going on. Okay?”
Alex pouted and turned away. “Fine.”
“Are you mad at me now?”
“Yes.”
Sigh.
ALEX
I was busy ignoring my pretend boyfriend when I saw her.
Everything stopped.
It was Serenity Thorne: the most shy, beautiful, and kind girl that I had ever met at school.
She wasn’t going to school with me—no way, she was too good for that.
Serenity was employed through several of the colleges in the area and worked as a teacher’s assistant in my business management course.
I didn’t really know what that job title meant, but I guessed it was her part time job, or maybe something she did for fun.
She was so intelligent, especially when it came to running a successful business plan.
She was the only reason I was surviving that class, to be honest.
Her family, the Thorne’s, were literally famous for their wealthy businesses. Her dad, Jace Thorne, was on every billboard on the highway. He was “the face of money” as many called him. Her older brother, well, I guess technically cousin, was weird as hell. Silas was constantly hovering over her.
I admired Serenity so much. Not just because she graduated from high school two years early even though we were the same age, but how she treated everyone as equals, even an idiot like me. This mentality and purity of heart drew me to her like a magnet.
Outside of Noah, I didn’t have many friends. I remembered the day I was sitting alone in the food court after class when she came up to me. I was shocked to see her that close, because I never drew attention to myself in her class. I just didn’t want her to know how dumb I actually was.
“May I sit with you?” She asked, her eyes not meeting mine.
I blinked, my fork clattering to the ground as my hand turned to jelly. “S-Sure!” I exclaimed, trying to cover my major slip up with a grin.
She sat down across from me, lunch in hand. She blushed. “Your friends won’t mind me, will they? Sitting with an assistant?”
I laughed and rubbed the back of my head. “I- uh, don’t really sit with...anyone...”
“Oh.” She smiled and I didn’t breathe. “Okay.”
She sat with me almost every day after that.
We never really talked much. Just having her there was special. Just being able to look at her and know that she wanted to sit by me made my heart beat crazy. I had been trying to build up the nerve to ask her out, or something like that, but it just hadn’t happened yet.
She turned and spotted me, waving.
I grinned back at her, preparing to walk over to where she sat and make my move, when I realized something.
I was already on a date.
And holding another man’s hand.
A chill rushed up my whole body when Serenity’s facial expression faltered. She looked from Noah and then back to me, her hand suspended in mid-wave, her eyes lowering.
I desperately tried to jerk my hand away from Noah’s, seeing Serenity smile weakly before turning away.
GREAT. Now she thinks I’m gay and taken. This is what I get for helping my best friend.
“What’s your problem?” Noah asked, finally releasing my hand.
A little too late, I thought sadly.
I clenched my fist, knowing that there was nothing I could do about it now. I figured my chances with Serenity were slim anyway, so this should be no major blow to me. Still, I was upset at how she saw me just then.
“Nothing, but just know,” I pointed a finger in Noah’s face before taking his hand once again. “This movie better be GREAT, and you owe me a lifetime of servitude.”
Noah smirked, completely unaware of my plight. “Whatever you say.”
NOAH
Iwas smiling to myself at Alex’s brazen new mood when Chelsea strutted up and grabbed my hand.
“Come with me. I want you to meet someone.”