Winning My Ex-Crush

Fenella’s POV

The end of the school year had arrived. Starting this Sunday, we will all return to our respective homes for the summer vacation. Of course, all the kids were excited about it, especially with the end-of-year dance party before we left. Everyone was enthusiastic, except for me.

Without wearing my cheerleader uniform, I sat with my chin in hand. Today, I didn’t feel like doing anything, so I only sat still in the bleachers of the baseball field. I watched the last baseball team practice of the school year. After this, Laird would be attending a baseball camp throughout the summer.

I watched until the end. He knew I was watching him, and he ran over to me immediately after the practice ended.

“Are you free right now?” He asked me as he sat down next to me.

“Yeah, you could say that.” I nodded wearily.

We sat in silence as I regretted many things in my mind. He was understanding enough to let me sit silently on the sidelines of the field whenever I was feeling down.

He wouldn’t ask too many questions unless I decided to talk to him. He’d just sit quietly with me until I asked him to go home together. When he was feeling down, I treated him the same way.

Suddenly, his fingers stroked my hair and tucked it behind my ear. I looked at him in surprise, and he grinned.

“It’s been a long time since you dyed your hair brown, but I’m still not used to seeing it until now,” he chuckled.

“Why’s that? Is it weird? I don’t look good, huh?” I asked.

“I’m just not used to it. Although whatever hair color it is, it’s still you, Fenella Baxter, but I’m too used to your blonde hair,” Laird shrugged.

“Amy said brown hair suits me better,” I said more gloomily, remembering her words at the beginning of our school year.

“Oh, right. Amy is your roommate.” He seemed to recall something, but then he fell silent.

“Has she asked you to be her dance partner for the end-of-year party?” I asked awkwardly.

He turned to me, and we stared at each other. I wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but I wouldn’t stand in their way, as Amy had asked me to last night.

“How about you?” he asked.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

“I’m going with Clark,” I said, bracing myself.

“Clark? Who’s that?” he asked, furrowing his brow.

“A classmate in chemistry. He helped me study chemistry a lot yesterday, so I want to repay his kindness.”

“Oh, I see. I thought you didn’t need anyone’s help because you said you could study on your own. It turns out there’s another boy who helped you.”

His voice grumbled in a low tone, causing a sudden pain in my fingertips. Somehow, I felt like I was cheating on him. I quickly and breathlessly explained my reasoning.

“He often gets bullied by classmates because of his bigger physique compared to others. They often tease him and make negative remarks about him in class. I treated him well in class, and in return, he generously provided me with numerous study materials.” I took a quick breath.

“So when he begged me to be his dance partner, Amy said I had to accept it as a favor.” Not entirely accurate, but I wasn’t lying.

He grunted irritably. “I don’t understand why you’re so obedient to Amy.”

I shut my mouth tight. I didn’t know why I felt guilty. Until now, I was restless because I couldn’t explain to him what had actually happened. Even Amy proudly used my guilt towards Laird as a weapon to threaten me.

“Whatever. I actually feel sorry for Clark; he’s probably going to be really annoyed with you later. Besides, can you even dance? What if you mess up on the dance floor and make some people stumble, like in cartoon movies?” He laughed at me. His laughter sounded too loud for the bad joke he made.

“If you’re afraid I’ll mess up, I’ll stay away from you and Amy.” I grumbled.

He shrugged and got up from his seat. He stretched his body and then put his hands on his hips. “I’m not going.”

Hearing his answer, I widened my eyes in surprise. My heart was pounding as if it were about to burst with joy.

“Why?” I asked, trying to contain my excitement.

“My dad told Mr. Hoff to pick me up after work on Friday night. He didn’t want his weekend time to be disturbed just to pick me up, while Mr. Hoff would never work on weekends.”

Mr. Hoff is the Evans family’s driver. He’s been working as Mr. Evans’ personal driver since we were in elementary school, and he frequently claims that he holds many of his master’s secrets. Apparently, now Mr. Hoff’s strong position makes him brave enough to refuse weekend duties.

“Does that mean you’ll be going home earlier?” I asked to confirm again.

“Yup. My dad got permission from the housemaster. He called this morning.”

“So you turned down Amy’s invitation? Did she know?” I asked, trying hard to contain my joy.

“Well, I’ll tell her if she asks again. If not, then that’s fine. You could be the one to tell her that,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

I immediately shook my head vigorously. Informing Amy of his rejection after what happened last night would be like declaring war.

“You should do it. Who knows? You might change your mind and take the bus home just to join the party with her.” I teased him.

“What a nosy girl! Just say you’re afraid of disappointing Your Majesty.” He teased me as he messed up my hair with his hands.

“Amy’s not My Majesty, Mr. Know-it-All.” My hands tried to hold his fingers, but he was stronger and faster, and he ended up tickling my waist too.

“Stop it!” We laughed and tickled each other. There were a few small punches here and there, but we laughed freely because of our childish behavior.

“Come on, let’s go back to the dorm. I want to pack my bags,” he said.

My anxiety suddenly disappeared without a trace. I felt like the sea’s waves had erased the traces of whatever was written in the sand. I was so relieved that I finally laughed freely and went home with small jumps along the way.

He laughed at my antics, but he didn’t protest. In fact, he escorted me home until we reached the front gate of the girls’ dormitory complex.

“See you at home.” I waved my hand enthusiastically and said it loudly. He nodded briefly, then turned around and walked away.

I don’t know whether to thank Mr. Evans or pity Laird for missing out on one high school moment. One thing I know for sure is that Amy will never be able to capture his heart.

***

“Fenella, I’m sorry. I know you were forced to accompany me,” Clark murmured, and he glanced at me in fear several times.

He wore a black tuxedo and a red bow tie. He had his hair neatly combed and slick, with some curls still peeking out. People teased him, but I didn’t care anymore.

“It’s okay, don’t worry.” I smiled broadly at him.

Of course, I no longer felt anxious. My debt to Clark was paid off, I wasn’t kicked out of school, and I passed with just a mild warning from the teacher. My parents weren’t angry, and Laird didn’t label me negatively. What more could I ask for?

Oh, yes, especially one important thing. Amy failed to invite Laird.

That fact nearly brought me to tears of joy. Even when Amy shouted angrily, upset, and accused me of messing it up, I almost made a playful comment. Luckily, I managed to restrain myself and pretend not to know anything about his early return.

I insisted and acted, just like Amy taught me yesterday when facing Ms. Mitchelle’s interrogation. Fake it till you make it.

“Thank you, Fenella. I never even dreamed of coming to a high school dance party. Thanks to you, I now have a beautiful memory. Especially with a gorgeous and popular girl like you.” His face flushed with embarrassment as Clark’s voice trailed off.

“It’s okay, Clark. Come on, let’s just dance. Let’s make this a fun night for you.” I pulled his arm so we could go straight to the dance floor.

I didn’t care if people thought I was weird for willingly dancing with Clark. Also, this blue dress that was chosen by Amy? Pfft, yeah, the dress was ugly and looked pathetic, but I didn’t bother to change it.

In the end, I felt victorious because Laird sided with me. He didn’t mock me with Clark, and he even admitted he didn’t remember that Amy was my roommate, let alone her existence.

I felt like I had won against Amy, and it made me jump in joy.