Bella got back home twenty minutes past six in the evening. She had purposely taken a cab home for two reasons. One, she didn't want Justin to know where she lived, literally half of her friends didn't know the road to her apartment, two, she didn't want to have to invite him in.
It was always like that. Duke wasn't that much of a prying friend so he really didn't bother about the interior of her house. Miles was that prying best friend who knew half of the reason why she didn't let just anyone in.
She opened the door with her personal key, got in, turned on the light and shut the door loudly. That was the only sound in this lonely house.
Being alone could cause mental issues and she was already so used to being alone that it was always weird when she went for sleepover at any girl's house but she always looked forward to those sleepovers especially when it meant she wouldn't be alone that night.
She headed towards the dining area and straight to the fridge. She opened it, grabbing a bottled water as she downed it one go. She had been freaking thirsty and it wasn't just thirst it was hunger. The good things that came with hanging out with Miles was that he would cook her any dish she asked for.
He was that best friend that you could rely on. He was charming, funny, quite impulsive and warm. She screwed through her phone to check if there were any texts from him but he didn't even reply the text she sent him. Was he angry?
She smiled thinking of his angry face and then about that funny smile he always had on his lips. They would have been good together if they came as siblings.
He would have been her cute twin brother or older brother. She had better get to calling him before he would do something to her because she didn't apologize sooner.
Like making her walk to school because he didn't show up to give her a ride. Or totally ignoring her for the whole day and making sad faces.
She pressed dial on his number as she headed up the stairs and his phone started ringing. " Hello Miles", she said sweetly as soon as the call connected and from miles away, his heart thudded just by hearing her voice.
" The number you've called is not in the mood to answer please don't call again later", he said in a gruff voice and ended the call. Bella smiled to herself and dialed again. He took too long to answer and when he finally did, he sighed into the phone.
" I'm sorry that I went out with Justin Gray and abandoned you but he literally came out of no where", she said softly in the sweetest voice ever hoping he was listening to her. Miles could be such a demon when he was angry.
" Miles?", she called out when he didn't say anything to her. The hallway was still dark, proof of her father and mother's delay when it came to fixing that darn lightbulb. She sighed finding her way to her room through the darkness.
" Miles I'm sorry", she called out softly and all of a sudden, her foot hit one of the tables in the hallway and she screamed softly in pain.
" Are you alright over there Anna?", he asked and she frowned forgetting her pain for a while.
" What's with the Anna now? I thought I told you am sorry", she said knowing fully well he only said her first name when he didn't want to say too much.
" If you're fine can I hang up now?", he said once again not giving her an answer as he ended the call from the other side. Bella felt her heart ache the moment the call was disconnected, she hadn't expected him to be so angry.
Miles was all she had, he was a friend, a brother and he was family. Did she really hurt him today?
He knew she wouldn't be able to sleep if he was angry at her but yet he hung up the phone. She dialled his number again and this time it was switched off. What went wrong? she asked inwardly as she threw the phone on her well arranged bed.
She walked over to her dressing mirror and stared at her reflection. A pair of grey eyes were staring back at her. She quickly tied her light brown hair in a messy bun and headed towards her wardrobe to pick out her pajamas.
Thirty minutes later, Bella came downstairs dressed in a black loose trouser and a purple tank top. Her hair was still packed in a bun and skin was glimmering from the aftermath of being in the shower for too long.
In her hand was her English textbook, her notebook and her pen. She went straight to the dining table and dumped the books there. She brought out her phone from her pajama pocket placing it on the dining table and then she sat down comfortably on one of the chairs.
Soon enough she was writing for her assignment, not what she thought was best for her but what she knew might not turn out well, all thanks to Justin Gray.
♥♥♥♥
The next morning was actually peaceful. Her Dad had gone on a business trip and would likely return tomorrow while her mom as usual went out early for work. She had the entire house to herself and it was pretty bright.
She had a great assignment to submit to Miss Josephina and she had the best apology to give to Miles once he came to pick her up for school. All in all, she was in a good mood.
She quickly finished the cereal and dropped her plate in the sink. She thought about doing the dishes once she returned home but then she remembered that Jennifer was hosting a party today, Friday night, and she would likely be sleeping over.
She quickly did the dishes instead and hurried over to grab her bag and her books. She was dressed in a while cropped top and peach colored short skirt paired with peach ankled boots. Her light brown hair was weaved in a nice loose braid which she placed on her right shoulder.
Her phone beeped and she quickly opened the door thinking it was a text from Miles and that he was outside her house. She stepped out and closed the door then locking it in the process. She turned around and moved out of the compound only to find Duke's white car parked in the drive way
She stared at him curious and he quickly helped her with the things in her hand. " Miles said I should come pick you up, said he had errands to run and he won't be able to make it in time", Duke said as he opened the back door and placed her things inside.
She got into the passenger seat without a word then she shut the door softly. She sighed deeply noting that he didn't have any errands to run, he was purposely avoiding her, then what, he would ignore her at school. This was hell.
Duke got in afterwards and placed his hand on the ignition. Soon the car was out and moving with Duke making small talks from time to time.
Her once good mood turned dull because of an unintentional fight with her best friend. This wasn't how she imagined her day starting off.
♥♥♥♥
" Hey Jennifer, I heard about your party and I am so psyched about it", Riley Hart, Duke's new girlfriend said as they approached the school's parking lot.
They were both in the same car, headed to school because Duke had asked her to help him out by picking Riley from her house and giving her a ride. So far, there was nothing wrong with the girl but for some reason she just didn't like Riley.
" I'm psyched about it too", she said softly, boredom evident in her voice. It was a party she had suggested for her and her friends yet she felt like the party wasn't going to be good enough.
Why did the idea of Duke and Riley detest her so much? She thought inwardly as she pulled up at a particular space in the school parking lot.
" See you at the party", Riley said as she stepped out of the car and Jennifer just calmly nodded. She stared through the windshield at the departing figure of the girl.
Riley was taller than her, had a good sexy figure, great personality and most of all, she was a member of the cheerleading team. She had black hair unlike Jennifer's Sandy blonde hair and her eyes were cobalt blue unlike Jenny's light brown ones. All in all, the girl was pretty.
She finally came down from her car shutting the door softly. She greeted some of her side friends and some girls decided to walk with her towards the school building. That was when she saw Duke car's drive into the school parking lot.
If it were before, she would have excused herself from the girls so she could meet him and they would walk towards the school building together but then she thought about the girl who was in the car with her just now.
And as if on cue, Riley walked past her probably heading in the direction of Duke's car. She returned her attention back to the girls next to her and remained calm. She wasn't needed anymore and that was the truth.
*******
Authors note:
I hope today's update was early and I hope you haven't given up on the book yet. It might be a book to you but to me it's a movie where every event has it's time. So stick around and don't miss out on the fun.
It's your choice if you choose to support this book but if you want others to find the book, then you really have to show your support for TBIL. Thank you.