"Alexandra, wake up! You're going to be late for school." Laura's voice echoed through the house from the kitchen. Despite being upstairs, Alexandra could still hear Laura's loud voice. Struggling to open her eyes, she managed to lift her head before nodding off again. Laura, having lived with Alex for a couple of years, knew her very well.
"Young lady, if I find you sleeping again, you know what I'm gonna do." Laura yelled again. Alex knew what she was referring to. Laura had a no-nonsense attitude when it came to waking up on time. If she didn't get up soon, Laura would splash cold water on her face, a tactic she had used in the past whenever the situation demanded it.
With past experiences suddenly popping up in her mind, Alexandra finally sat up in her bed. She rubbed her eyes and tried to shake off the drowsiness that still clung to her.
"I'm up, I'm up.." she mumbled sleepily, knowing it was better not to test her patience any further. With a big yawn, she swung her legs out of the bed and made her way to the bathroom to freshen up, after which she quickly got dressed and headed downstairs to join Laura for breakfast.
"Happy birthday, my dear child!" Laura kissed her forehead while wishing her. It was her 18th birthday.
"You already wished me, Laura." Alex chuckled. She sat down to eat.
"It's fine! I'm just proud that I get to raise a wonderful girl like you all these years... You are finally a big girl!" Laura said with a grin.
"Really? I'm glad to know that. Umm, by the way, did my father call you?" She inquired. Laura hesitated before replying, "No, he didn't."
"I see..." Alexandra said quietly.
"He's probably tied up. You know how busy he is." Laura reassured with a smile.
"It's okay. I'm used to not being a priority. Actually, its better for me if he didn't bother about me." Alexandra replied with a smile, determined not to let it ruin her day.
After breakfast, Alexandra prepared for school. Laura dropped her off, where her friends were waiting for her.
"Morning, everyone!" Alex greeted with a smile.
"Morning, birthday girl!" Daniel teased, attempting to ruffle her hair.
"Hey, hands off the hair!" Alex playfully scolded.
"Leave her be, Dan." Daman intervened. "She must have tied her hair with great difficulty. Remember when she couldn't even tie her hair herself?"
"Ah, my charming boyfriend, mocking me first thing in the morning for something that happened one time." Alex turned to Daman, giving him a playful glare.
"Sorry, dear. Just teasing." Daman apologized, quickly planting a kiss on her cheek. "Happy birthday." He patted her head, melting her anger away.
"Thanks..." Alex blushed slightly in response.
Meanwhile, the other three friends observed the couple.
"Tsk tsk. Young love." Rosalind teased.
"Let them enjoy. It's her day, after all. Come on, let's go." Natalie intervened, leading them away. As Alexandra entered school, she was greeted with birthday wishes from everyone.
"Looks like someone's popular." Rosalind teased, putting an arm around Alex.
"Well, it is my birthday." Alex shrugged.
"Sure, Ms. Popular!" Rosalind teased further.
"Okay, enough chatter. Let's head to class, guys." Natalie directed, ushering them away. The girls bid goodbye to the boys who were in another class.
While in class, a few girls approached Alexandra.
"Hey, I saw you with Daman earlier. Didn't I warn you to stay away from him?" Catherine, one of her classmates, sat on Alexandra's desk, causing her to glance up.
"Well, I don't feel obliged to listen to your advice, Catherine." Alex retorted.
"Huh? You...! I was just about to make him my boyfriend, and then you swooped in and stole him from me!" Catherine argued.
"Whaaaa?!" Alex was baffled. "I didn't realize you were so delusional. I didn't steal anyone from you. The reason you two aren't together is because he's not interested in you. You can't blame me for that." Alexandra explained, fueling Catherine's anger.
"Oh, playing the saint, are we? Acting innocent while ruining everything. You're despicable, Alexandra!" Catherine spat out. Enraged, Alexandra slammed her desk and stood up.
"You! Seriously, if you're so head over heels, why don't you just confess your undying love to him already? I'll even play cupid for you." Alexandra announced, seizing Catherine's hand and dragging her off.
"Hey?! What's the deal...?!" Catherine protested helplessly.
Meanwhile, Natalie went up to Rosalind, pondering about the impending drama."What do you think Daman will do?" Natalie inquired.
"Obviously put her in her place. But I never thought Alex would be the one to take her there. After all, he's her boyfriend. Unexpected plot twist." Rosalind mused.
"Maybe she's just hoping his reaction will ultimately stop Catherine." Natalie speculated.
"Hmm, should we go and watch?" Rosalind looked at Natalie.
"No, not interested." Nat replied with a deadpan expression.
"Thought you would say that..."
Alexandra and Catherine reached Daman's class, where he and Daniel were having a talk. Both were unaware of the drama brewing outside.
"Hey! Let me go! Are you serious? Are you really going to call him here?" Catherine squawked.
"Yep. I'm really tired of repeating the same words to you over and over. That ends today." Alexandra told her, without losing the grip on Catherine's hand.
"No, no, no! This is not the time or place! Release me, you brute!" Catherine struggled, futilely attempting to break free. "How are you so strong?! Are you part Hulk?!" she accused.
"Shut up, drama queen!" Alexandra retorted, then turned to the class.
"Daman, could you step out for a moment?" Alex called out to him.
Peering outside, Daman caught sight of Alex and another girl.
"Maybe she's calling you to tell you to break up." Daniel said with a smirk on his lips.
Daman shot him a sharp glance before rising to his feet.
"What's going on, Alex?" Daman asked as he approached her.
"Please, don't let this happen!" Catherine was begging desperately. Eventually, Alex relented with a heavy sigh.
"Alex?" Daman's call drew her attention, prompting her to meet his gaze. "What's going on?" he inquired gently again.
"This is Catherine." Alex introduced, her tone unreadable. "She insisted on meeting you, my boyfriend."
"Really now?" Daman's response was tinged with mild skepticism.
"Yes. So, meet my 'boyfriend,' Catherine!" Alex's smile held a hint of threat.
"Hello, Catherine. I'm Daman, Alex's boyfriend." He greeted with a forced smile, sensing Catherine's discomfort.
"Um... yes... Nice to meet you... I think I'll excuse myself now." Catherine stammered, making a hasty retreat. Alex let out a small sigh of relief, grateful for the temporary reprieve from Catherine's intrusion.
"Alex? Wasn't she the one you had a fight with before?" Daman asked.
"Oh, on the day we first met? You got it right. But that wasn't our only clash. You just didn't witness the others." Alex replied casually.
"So, why did you call her here today?" Daman asked. Then, a playful grin appeared on Alex's lips as she replied, "Maybe I just wanted to flaunt my tall, handsome boyfriend."
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After Alex returned to her class, she shared what had happened with her two friends. Catherine avoided Alex all day, likely realizing that Alex had let her off the hook for the moment.
Later that day, Daniel and Daman were nowhere to be found. Alex had a hunch about what they were up to but remained silent. Rose and Nat were also acting suspiciously, which Alex noticed because they were her friends, afterall.
"I feel like reading... Are you guys coming to the library?" she asked.
"Um... I have swimming practice, Alex." Rose replied.
"Me too!" Nat said with a nervous smile.
"You started swimming too, Nat? No one told me." Alex looked at her.
"Well, I started last week..." Nat said in a low voice. It was obvious that she was making it up.
"Hmm, is that so? Fine then. You do what you need to do. I'll be going now." Alex told them. She deliberately let them go because she knew they were planning something for her birthday. She just didn't want to spoil the surprise. And so, she took out a book, sat in her usual spot in the library and patiently waited for their call...