Between the Lines | ✓

Cliche 14: Doors Don't Have Locks, Apparently

Considering the horrible start to my second life, somehow over the next few weeks things had mellowed out somewhat. Sure, I still had to hide from Xander's long list of sexual exploits, dodge his uncomfortable friends and redo highschool, but things weren't nearly as dangerous as they were when I first woke up in the world of 'Say No to Bad Boys'.

My life had gotten to the part of a cheesy teen film where viewers would be seeing a montage of clips of the past week set to the sound of the current tween song of the month. They would see scenes of me trying to get the protagonist and the second lead together, but none of them working because the protagonist can't seem to take a hold of any opportunities I made for her.  

The montage would show Aubrey and I in English class, presenting our John Donne project, Aubrey trying to contain her laughter when our eyes would meet and we'd both remember how I think that Donne is simply a middle ages simp. The film would roll onwards to show our teacher's face grow red when he accused me of simply letting Aubrey do all the work, but their mouth soon dropping when Aubrey piped up in a slightly shaky voice to defend me. 

It would show me hiding behind bushes and around corners to avoid the rabid group of girls that would be on the prowl for me, and me almost screaming when I would feel a pair of hands clamp around my shoulders. I'd whirl around, only to find Elias with mirth in his eyes and a finger pressed against his mouth in a 'Shh' motion, relief flooding me when he'd help sneak me away from the vultures.

There'd also be a clip of Xander's old friends watching me with narrowed eyes as I'd walk past their table towards Elias's day after day, and on one of those days, you'd see the other prefects and sports captains giving me dirty looks as they picked up their lunch and left when they saw me approach. 

But, moments later, you'd see Elias and Aubrey stay seated. Elias would meet my eyes with a small grin and a slight shrug as Aubrey gives me her own warm smile, offering some biscuits like she always did when I planted myself down in front of them. 

And then the montage would end there, with the three of us chatting over lunch, or at cafes on the weekend, or making Elias embarrassed as Aubrey and I cheered him on in one of his soccer matches. 

Because that seemed to be the norm now - it was always me, Elias and Aubrey. At first, it was because we were the main lead, the second lead and the protagonist, but now I couldn't help but just think of them as my friends.

Friends, who despite all of my best efforts, were still just bloody friends. 

So now, like every other lunchtime, I was sitting across from the clueless almost-couple-that-cockclock-themselves, staring at them as I stabbed at my chicken curry with a plastic spoon. Aubrey quickly noticed me staring, tilting her head to the side and sliding some of her own lunch towards me. 

"You can have some, you know. You've been staring at it all lunch," Aubrey said, making me scream internally as I took the offered bite of pasta in resignation, the protagonist then offering the same thing to Elias, who shook his head, turning to me.

"Hey, are you going to Arthur's party tomorrow?" Elias asked and I raised a brow.

"Party?" I echoed, Elias nodding in response.

"Yeah. It's his birthday, but he's also making it an 'End of Term' event, so he invited everyone in our year," Elias explained as I nodded, humming. Elias seemed to watch me carefully, probably expecting me to say yes - I mean, Xander wouldn't hesitate to go, not when parties were basically free alcohol and free real estate for sexual escapades and a chance to paint the walls with his wiener gravy.  

It was beyond my understanding as to why parties were so heavily featured in 'Say No to Bad Boys', considering the majority of these kids weren't even legally able to drink. Really, parties were just an opportunity for some unrealistically hot public sex - in Chapter 13, Aubrey had caught Xander with his man sausage stuffed ten ways up a girl's magic clam, and later on in Chapter 45 it was Aubrey being bent over some poor man's desk at a random university bash.