The Heaven I Found In Hell (13 page)

"We don't have a plan…" Nathan confessed, as he took the space beside me. He propped his legs up, and rested them on the small table in front of us. Anthony, the only nervous one among us, decided to stand, and walk around in a slightly fast pace.

"How long have you liked her?"

"Uhm…"

"How sure are you, you even like her?"

"Interrogation here…?" Nathan teased, as he looked at me with a questioning face. I swatted his arm from my shoulders, and when he didn't budge I pinched his arm, though it still did me no good.

"I just have a lot of questions." I said, defending my pride as I shrugging my shoulders.

"Alex…Anthony likes my sister too damn much. He won't in this century ever ask you out, 'kay?"

I laughed at him, before I started to complain. "I don't want to be near you. You're bruising my ego." I said, feigning a look of hurt.

With that said, I got up from the couch and stood beside Anthony. Nathan mock-sympathized with me as he stood up and tried to pull me in for a hug. Sticking to the child I somehow was at heart; I tried to evade his embrace, but obviously failed. He was just too tall…with an incredibly well-carved body…I mentally shot myself a string of curses before the sound of Anthony asking me for help pulled me back to reality.

"You guys aren't really helping, you know…"

"I know." I said in unison with Nathan. I shot him a glare, and he immediately raised his hands up in the air. "Babe, great minds just think alike…"

"Guys…guys…!" Anthony said in semi-loud voice, desperately trying to call our attention.

Nathan and I focused our eyes at him, as he started to speak…in peace.

"Are you two going to help me or just continue flirting with each other?" He asked, as that comment of his made me look at Nathan skeptically. Nathan, in return, gave me a look of mischief, making me scowl.

"Uhm…are you going to ask Riley to the ball?" I asked, hoping for a nod.

"I'm working on it."

I sighed at Anthony and sent him a disbelieving look, as I sat on the bar stool in the kitchen. Nathan, probably wanting to irritate me more, sat beside me with his arm around my shoulders once again, and like before, I tried to get that heavy arm of his off me, but failed.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Mr. Romeo-in-the-making asked me, only noticing my look of incredulity now.

"You're surrounded by Nathan 
and
 Blake 
all
 the time…"

"Yeah…"

"And these two people are like the most egotistical people in this school…it's a wonder why you haven't sucked their air, or gotten infected with their conceitedness."

I looked at Nathan, and saw him smiling proudly as he banged his fists on his chest like a gorilla.

"Blake and I aren't egotistical! We're just popular!"

Uh…
"And you call that not conceited…?" I asked, my question directed to Nathan.

He shrugged his shoulders, before he decided to rest his fists on the counter top. I crossed one of my legs over the other, and waited for Anthony's next words.

"We went out of topic again…" He stated, scratching the back of his head, as he gave us a look of uncertainty.

"How do you want us to help you exactly?" I asked with fishy ideas still somewhere in an undetermined location in my brain. I just needed to find them.

I may be stupid when it comes to academics, but I'm a certified pro in the love department…well, not entirely…I still have the 'commitment' part to work on…but wait…I don't want to work on it…

"I have no idea…"

"Can't you be like Blake and just go, go, go?"

"I'm not aggressive." He reasoned out.

"Wow, thanks for telling me the unnoticeable." I teased, sending him a smirk which he returned with a look of agitation.

"Alex…"

"Or you can be like Nathan…" I started, thinking carefully.

What exactly is Nate…? He was hot to cut it short…if you guys need an explanation, then…here, he is tall, which worked to his advantage with relation to his athleticism, and all those practices gave him that lean, and perfectly proportioned body…his abs were hard and solid, just like the rest of him…and his arms…muscular, but not overly buff…he was lanky and well-figured at the same time…his neck…very kissable…making me want to give him a love mark…shit…was I…? Am I…? Damn. Should I continue? Why not?

His cheekbones were high, very comparable to those hot actors seen in magazines and television screens everywhere…his jaw line was well defined, and he had those pearly whites every guy envied of having, to get the girls they wanted by charming them with their smiles. His hazel green orbs always looked sleepy, giving him that apathetic aura…but every once in a while…they'd be filled with emotions that enabled hearts to melt and stomachs churn because of nervousness…his hair…the color of milk chocolate…always disheveled, making girls everywhere want to run their hands through it, and push away the left out strands that usually covered his eyes…

He was hot…and smart…one of the top students…unlike me…but he was arrogant sometimes…like me…

"Oh, wait…don't be like him." I said playfully, as I looked at the man that loved teasing me. Good thing I'm good at hiding things…after all the years I practiced trying to hide my weak spots.

My heart was…I don't know defective at the moment. Maybe something happened to its chambers that it decided to give me a feeling I didn't want.

Was I actually starting to like…? No…

Nathan stretched his arm out, rested his hand on my head, and was about to tousle my hair when I instinctively got a hold of him and told him to 'Stop'.

Stop making me want you…and also stop annoying me.

And do immature boys listen…? No.

"Alex…if you want me to hold your hand, you just have to tell me." I rolled my eyes at this, and let him continue. "We don't have to flirt harmlessly, you know…"

"Nate…close your mouth…we're getting nowhere with your compliments directed to no one else but yourself…"

Surprisingly, he obliged, and actually closed his mouth, like what I told him to do. He sat on the stool quietly, and let Anthony speak, as I asked questions.

"I started to like her a few weeks before school started since the both of us, with Nate of course, took a road trip ending here in Ridgeway. It took us about…a few days…kind of…to get here, and we had stopovers, and slept in motels."

"You guys? Motels?"

"We may be heirs to billion-dollar fortunes but we're still humble." That was Nathan for you, guys.

Uh, right…humble…

"Anyway, during the ride, the lot of us bonded, and since it was only the three of us, and considering that we've known each other since we were…I don’t know…a long time…the ride going here was the ultimate bonding experience…"

"It was a boring, but humbling experience on my part…" Nathan interjected.

When he saw me roll his eyes at him, he instantly kept quiet. I guess he realized that I wasn't in the mood for tease-fests.

"Nathan slept the earliest once…"

"I remember that." He said, his conceited aura slowly fading. 
That
 was the Nathan I enjoyed harmlessly flirting with because when Nathan got too arrogant at times. It'd be hard for me to think of a comeback…'cause you know…I'm not really self-absorbed…hihihi. Right…

"Well yeah…Ri and I started to talk and open up to each other while Nathan snored all throughout the night, and I found myself laughing at the corny jokes she said. I was also smiling every time she said something…I felt my cheeks redden whenever she'd slap my arm or mess up my hair for a tease…I felt the butterflies, you know…"

"Oh damn…" Nathan said afterwards, as he ran a hand through his hair. "Can't take this much sappiness…"

I slapped his arm, but unlike Anthony's feeling over skin-against-skin with Riley, I'm sure slapping Nathan's shoulder wouldn't make his cheeks redden, but when I looked at him, I found myself swallowing my words. Mr. Egotistical had his head down, but from the side, I saw his red cheeks. I rested two of my fingers under his chin, pushing his face up.

No way…

"Dear, did you play with your sister's make-up? It looks all-natural to me." I said, pounding my fists on the table as I laughed like a hysteric.

Nathan got up from his seat, as he distanced himself away from me. He went to his room, definitely embarrassed, and left Anthony and me to talk more seriously.

"So, he's out…" I said, smiling brightly over to Anthony. He looked at me nervously, which made me ask him what the problem was.

"Anything wrong?" I asked while dusting off my cotton shorts, which I consider as sleepwear.

"No, it's just that…I think you should apologize to Nathan."

I arched my brow at him. What was he talking about?

"Huh?"

He opened his mouth and was about to say something when I held up my hand in front of his face. "Forget I asked something. We have to get back to you…"

"Okay…" He said, still sounding nervous, as he took Nathan's previous place, the stool beside me.

"How are you going to ask her?"

It was his turn to give me a 'Huh?'

"How are you going to ask her to the ball, duh!"

"Just ask her…I guess." He said, scratching the back of his head in uneasiness.

I found myself smiling at his look of discomfort. It looked too cute…like a dear caught in headlights…no. A lost puppy was more appropriate and fitting for someone like Anthony.

"How will you stand out if you 
just
 ask her?"

He shrugged his shoulders, and I found myself sighing, at a loss for thoughts. 
That's something new…

"We need Nate."

"I agree."

I stood up from where I sat on, and made my way to Nathan's bedroom. I knocked on his door twice, and only entered his room when I heard him shout, "It's open!"

I opened the door, as I hopped my way to the side of his bed. Anthony followed suit, before he sat at the edge of the bed, and I took the space nearest to Nathan.