Annabelle sashayed over to Bruce and laughed at the scene he was staring at. "Is Susanna hitting on Bryan? Classic Su!" She giggled, Bruce shook his head and chortled at her devious humour. He rested his arm on her shoulder whilst grinning at the scene. It looked like Richard and Alisha were having fun spying on Bryan and Susanna. He hadn't met Susanna before but based on what he saw, she was interested in Bryan unwillingly. He wondered who she was looking for.
Bryan broke the silence by turning to Susanna, "Susanna, what do you think of your friends. Alisha and such? I don't know them very well yet." Richard and Alisha grinned at each other and gave a mental high-five to Bryan. Brilliant question.
Susanna knew that she had a few choices. She could be honest, say what she usually did and shower them with compliments, bring down her competition, or evade the question. She glanced at Bryan, she felt like she had a chance and decided to be honest. It wasn't like anyone else would know.
"I feel like I don't fit in with them. They all seem a lot closer to each other than they are to me. Alisha is a bit cold to everyone but she really does care about us all, I just wish she was more vocal about it. She also needs to depend on others more, she can't hold the world on her tiny shoulder but she'll try. Richard needs to grow a pair if I'm being honest, he's too scared of consequences to take action which means he never is able to make a big move but he's got the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met. Fred needs to leave this country and do what he's been built for, which isn't being Alisha's assistance, but he needs to have more confidence in himself before he does so. Eliza needs to speak up to Alisha more and realise that Alisha is her older sister and not the other way around, she can't always protect Alisha and that kills her, but there's so much love filled up in her small frame. Annabelle is actually really perfect, she'll always go for it with no hesitation. She's ambitious and wise and a great friend. But that's just my opinion." Susanna was playing with her fingers, she hadn't ever spoken her feelings before. She had been with them all since they were children, she knew how their brains worked but she never spoke her mind. She felt inferior to them thus she tried twice as hard to succeed because she wanted to fit in really badly. She chuckled awkwardly before she turned to see Bryan looking impressed by her.
"Thanks, that was very detailed. You really love your friends, don't you?" He felt like there was more to Susanna than she let on, but he decided that he shouldn't push her too far. Turning her against her friends would take something essential out of Susanna, she would lose the last piece of personality she had left. He would feel like he was robbing a baby of the only food in the world.
"I do?" She seemed to be asking herself as well as him, did she? On the other terrace, Alisha and Richard stared at each other, mouths agape.
"Woah." Alisha finally managed. Richard just nodded, he didn't think he'd ever hear Susanna say 'Richard needs to grow a pair', or anyone for that matter. Was she right? He thought about all the times he regretted because he had done nothing, and it wasn't a couple times, it was almost everything he'd ever done. Alisha knew that what Susanna had said was true, she was more shocked at the love she too felt in Susanna's voice. There was still hope for Susanna. The pair decided to leave their terrace and grab a drink to process what Susanna had said.
"What happened to them?" Annabelle questioned as she watched the separation with Bruce. She also stared at the weird atmosphere around Susanna and Bryan.
"Something unexpected…" Bryan sighed and made up an excuse to go see Richard and Alisha. Annabelle followed him and found them gulping drinks with no hesitation.
"You guys, calm down on the drinking!" Annabelle tutted and took away their drinks. She noticed spiteful looks at her from Alisha and Richard and frowned. "Stop glaring you owls." They narrowed their eyes at her and began pouting.
"Perfect princess, of course you don't have to drink." Richard mumbled causing Alisha to snort slightly. Annabelle heard him clearly and widened her eyes threateningly at them.
"Perfect princess. Okay, what the f-" Bruce quickly held her back and interrupted.
"Calm down now, what's wrong with you two?" He gave both of them a hard glare, which was returned with two synchronized eye-rolls.
"Apparently, Annabelle's the only good one of our group. She's the perfect princess… all the rest of us are flawed peasants. It's annoying because it's true." Richard complained, making Annabelle and Bruce laugh and mock the pair.
"I didn't realise Su paid so much attention." Alisha changed the topic by accident, but everyone was thinking it. "It's odd that she opened up to Bryan but never any of us." They all nodded and glanced at Susanna who was still chatting with Bryan.
"People open to strangers because it feels like no one else will ever find out. Plus Bryan's got his weird trustable aura so people just end up telling him stuff." Annabelle shrugged, she always was spot on when reading people.
Richard smiled at her fondly for a second, it was an old habit of his, but he managed to snap out of it quickly enough that only Alisha noticed. She squeezed his hand whilst talking to the others which comforted him greatly. No one noticed the hand-squeeze as their attentions had been moved to Susanna and Bryan. They all moved back to the terrace sneakily to eavesdrop on the pair. "They haven't said anything in a while, I hope they start talking soon." Alisha whispered.
"Bryan, are you free on Saturday?" Susanna winked at him, trying to change the mood, she wasn't a completely different person just yet. Bryan was somewhat astonished at her blunt attitude but he knew that Alisha hadn't told her of their relationship yet. On the other terrace, everyone giggled as they listened in. They knew the process Susanna went through that always resulted in the boy agreeing to go on a single date with her.
"Um, what time on Saturday because I am a busy man!" He answered so that he didn't seem rude.
"Any time you're free!" She replied with Alisha's grin.
"Erm, I'll need to check my schedule…" He grinned back nervously.
"Just give me your number so that I can keep in touch with you, that way we can meet up whenever you're free." Her eyes were filled with greed as he put his number on her phone. "I'll bother Alisha if you don't get back to me!" She threatened playfully, but he knew she would. He gulped and laughed. What a dangerous girl, he thought.
"Um, Susanna I think someo-" Bryan tried to leave her now as there wasn't anything to talk about when Susanna interrupted him.
"How do you know Alisha, Bryan?" She asked as she blinked at him cutely.
"We've gone out together a couple times, and she was my blind date the other day. Plus-" Once again, before he could he finish and leave the conversation, she interrupted him.
"Blind date? How did that go for you? The last time she went on a date she stayed silent the whole time, a boy from school begged her for a date and she obliged. He ended up leaving the restaurant crying because she didn't say anything to him other than a greeting. Just nods and shrugs." Susanna laughed as Alisha shrugged at her wide-eyed friends. They all shook their heads, as did Bryan. It seemed very on point for Alisha to do so. "That wasn't even the best part," Susanna kept going as she tried not to laugh, "she came to me after and asked, 'Why did he leave so angrily?' and everyone at school started calling her the Clueless Ice Queen." Bryan chuckled, his Alisha was so cute. She blushed as everyone raised their eyebrows at her and shrugged again.
"She's hilarious." Bryan commented as he thought of Alisha. Susanna felt that there was something off about how he said 'She's hilarious', as if he was thinking about the most perfect thing in the world. She decided to leave it unless she saw it again, but she had to confirm his feelings for Alisha.
"She is hilarious. I wonder if she has anyone she likes right now, who do you think would be a great fit for her?" She beckoned as he gulped.
"I don't know, I haven't thought about it too much." He lied through his teeth as he looked down at Susanna. However, the second of thought he had was enough to convince Susanna that he felt something for Alisha, she knew what a lovestruck boy looked like.
"You love Alisha!" She growled, "Another one? Really? I swear to God!" She fumed as she walked in a circle. Alisha's eyes widened, as did Bruce's, love? They both hoped that wasn't the case, because they would have to rethink their plans if it was.
"I think I do love her." Bryan grinned into the scenery as he thought about Alisha. Alisha's eyes widened as she took a few steps back and bumped into Richard's strong, wide chest. She looked up at him, her face completely crimson but her eyes like a deer's in front of headlights, and he hugged her from behind. Everyone turned to her, equally shocked, they wondered how Alisha felt. If Eliza was there she would hug Alisha and tell her everything was okay, because she knew that Alisha didn't seem to like Bryan very much. Annabelle squealed thinking that Alisha would be happy since Bryan was a huge catch for most women and Bruce was as shocked as Alisha. From what they knew, Bryan was possessive over Alisha, he didn't love her but saw her as an object he wanted to control. Now he was in love with her, though they had noticed his behaviour was different, they didn't think it would consume him this much.
"Oh God…" Alisha murmured as she stared at the same moon as Bryan.
"What? God, I wonder what she'll think of that. Welcome to the line of suitors that adore Alisha Richards, you're one of many. I wonder if she'll ever even look your way." Susanna rolled her eyes and groaned as she saw his moony expression. Bryan turned to her with a smirk.
"I don't think she'll be too sad about it, we are dating now." His words sent Susanna into a whirlpool of emotions. She felt betrayed and played by Alisha and Bryan, yet she did see the joke. She also felt pissed at the fact that Bryan loved Alisha and that she seemed to be taken by him too. Alisha hadn't really had a relationship before this, so she was happy for her friend too.
"Wow." was all Susanna could manage.
"Wow indeed. I'm so happy!" He chuckled and turned to Susanna. "So I don't think it's the best idea for the two of us to meet on Saturday without the whole gang present. I'll grab George and all of your friends too!" He grinned as he rambled on and Susanna froze. He already knew everyone, everyone but her. She felt her inferiority and anger bubble within her but she decided to hold it in, she didn't want to seem shallow.
"That sounds terrific, I need to go to the lady's room so I'll catch you later." She tried to smile but she couldn't and she rushed to the toilet, a tear following her. Her nails left marks on her palm from her tight fists. Alisha wondered why Susanna left so suddenly, but as per usual, she just shrugged.
Susanna arrived at the bathroom and she punched the wall, she began sobbing, her waterproof make-up didn't smudge luckily, as she fell to the ground. She felt so betrayed by everyone, she hated it. Why must I always make a fool of myself, she thought. Her teeth grit as she screamed and kicked the wall. She would get her revenge on them all one day, especially Alisha.