Alexandra, do you mind if
we had a quick talk?"
It was a late evening.
Alexandra was playing chess with Tony after he practically begged her for
fifteen minutes to do so, with Onyx staring at the chessboard who wasn't quite
following the game, when Bella came into view.
She could hear her coming from the sound of
her boots. She lifted her head, meeting Bella's gaze.
"Me?"
"Yes, you." She looked at
Tony.
"Can I steal her for a
bit?" Tony looked at her, then at Alexandra, and shrugged. "Go if you want,
it's late anyway."
"Sure." She answered the other girl, then
stood.
"So?" "Follow me, then."
They moved away by a couple of meters, sitting
on the sofa away from the fireplace.
Bella sighed deeply. "I can't believe I'm
saying this, but I need girl company."
Alexandra scoffed lightly. "Really? I get
that."
Her hand absently pointed at the direction of
the boys' dormitories. "I don't understand how you can handle those two."
Her lips twitched upwards. "I mean, Daniel
knows when to stop, and Aiden usually doesn't annoy me much, but Tony?"
"He's not that unbearable." She protested with
a laugh, even if she saw Bella's point.
"you know that when you
have two best friends and well one is a guy and well the other...you know, you
just have to… adapt.
I talk with Amit sometimes when I need it, you
know. Don't you have other girls to talk to?"
"Tony's younger sister right?"
Alexandra replied with a
nod and Bella continued to talk
"I mean I do, but… I just
can't relate with them, considering they are new students, I just don't know
how to explain it and I can't believe I'm saying this but I would rather talk
to you, and also, don't forget, we're literally the only returning female from
our set. So, I don't even know how you cope and handle what you do"
"Okay…" Alexandra shifted in her seat. "What
do you mean 'handle what I do'?"
Bella's head snapped up.
"That's what I want to talk about."
She laid against the back of the sofa, leg
crossing over the other.
"Aiden's been insufferable this year. He tries
to pretend he's not being much when he very much is, and it's awful. It's like two
years ago all over again…"
"two years ago?" She tilted her head.
"Onyx was always on Aiden's tail, remember?
And that led to Aiden talking about her nonstop. It was mostly about what a
pain in the ass she was, me and Daniel joined in, but then…"
Bella straightened her
back. "He just wouldn't stop talking about her."
"And he does the same now?"
Alexandra was more than confused why she participated in the conversation.
"I think he was just looking for attention
then." The other girl said.
"But it's different now."
"How so?"
"Well… Onyx hasn't said a word in what, three
weeks? We thought she was just being ignorant, but you and Tony are literally
talking for her, so it can't be that. Now Aiden's making a hundred theories as
to what could be the reason. We asked you about it, you know."
"My answer didn't help much, huh?" Alexandra
laid back herself.
"No, in fact, it made him
crazier." Another deep sigh.
"Thank god he has Daniel to
ramble to."
Alexandra looked at Bella
for a long moment.
"Don't you hate me?"
Bella paused but it felt like forever before she spoke again.
"I don't hate you… at
least I don't anymore. You're pretty alright, in comparison to others"
Their eyes met again.
"Honestly, I need more girl company, and as much as I hated it at first, it
must be you."
"That doesn't sound very enthusiastic of you."
"It's not, believe me, but I think we can get
along." A long moment of silence.
"Well then," She said.
"friends?"
"Sure," The other girl
extended her hand for her to shake and Alexandra took it, a smile in the corner
of her lips.
"Where are you going?" Tony watched Alexandra and Bella head for the door out
of the common room.
"The library, why, want to join?" Alexandra asked with
a smile.
"No, thank you,
actually." He faked a shiver, causing the two girls to laugh.
"Have fun,
then." He followed them with eyes until the door closed, hiding them from
sight. Then he turned to Onyx, whose attention he was trying to catch
beforehand.
"She really
abandoned us, crazy." Onyx's lips barely twitched upwards.
"I wonder what they would be talking about, you know.
I thought they hated each other, like, the way Bella would look at her with
such malice? Used to look, I suppose."
Tony met Onyx's eyes. "Do you think they're friends
now? Or are they going to be, possibly?"
Onyx shrugged,
curiosity on her face.
The first
emotion written on her face for the day. Tony shrugged himself, smiling.
"I hope, kinda.
I don't like Bella, nor her little group, but it is about time to put away our differences,
isn't it? Who knows, maybe at the end of the year we'll be friends with Aiden."
He wrinkled his
nose. "crazy, this doesn't sound real."
He looked up at
Onyx to realize her expression was once again neutral, deep in thought.
Tony shook her
shoulder immediately. He wasn't going to let her lose herself, not with him.
"Onyx," He
began.
"Wanna play
chess? C'mon, we haven't played in months." The other just looked at him for a
long moment, and then suddenly nodded.
Tony's eyebrows
lifted. "Really?" He grinned. "okay."
He took the chessboard from the close shelf and began
playing.
Tony made sure
to look from time to time at Onyx to make sure she was focused on the game,
instead of somewhere else.
They played a couple of games, three for Tony, when
Alexandra came back looking delighted.
"Had fun?" He asked her before looking back at the
chessboard for his next move.
"It wasn't half-bad,
honestly." She sighed.
"Bella invited us to study together on Saturday."
Tony's head snapped up. "And you agreed?"
"It would be fine,
Tony. Just a study session, nothing more."
He tilted his head at
her, then looked at Onyx. "Do you want to come?" Onyx just shrugged again.
"Saturday studying
session it is, then."