Prepsworth Academy

Chapter 85 - "I love you."

AmyThe recroom turned out to be a modern basement, completed with white carpets, a pooltable and couches and beanbags set up to view a large projector. I couldn'tresist running a hand over the green felt of the pool table, before sitting onthe edge of the couch, which was littered with green, blue and pink cushions.Jake sat down next to me, grabbing a pink cushion and setting down a bowl ofpopcorn on the table in front of us. "So greatand powerful Rose, what will we be watching?" Jake asked sarcastically. "Weshould watch a super-hero movie." Lukas exclaimed. Emma laughed and rolled hereyes."Oh yay, so we can all watch a blank, 2Dcharacter fight some bad guys. I'm just so,incredibly excited." Emma said sarcastically. "Hey,hey, hey, hey not every super hero is the same. They're different, they havedifferent motivations and inner strug-" Lukas began, sitting up."Okaythen Emma, what would you pick?" Harry interjected. Emma shrugged."Howabout we just watch something like TheBreakfast Club. It's fun, classic but it's also important." Harry suggested.Lily rolled her eyes and leaned forward, picking up the remote and flickingthrough the various categories."Easy. Wego down the horror movie route." Lily suggested."No. Noway!" Harry said. Natasha laughed, swinging over the back of the couch to sit nextto Lily."Actually,horror movies can be pretty fun. I second that suggestion." She added. Emmanodded along, grinning. Harry threw a betrayed glance towards Emma, whoshrugged again."Howabout we compromise?" I said quietly, inspecting a pillow."Go ahead."Millie said."Whatabout Singing In The Rain?" Isuggested."In whatworld is that a compromise? That's not what any of us wanted!" Lukas exclaimed."Yeah,but it's good, and fun, and exactly what we need." I protested. Surprisingly,Lukas nodded."Okay.Should everyone take a seat?" He said. Everyone seemed to move quickly, sittingdown on beanbags and on the couch, grabbing and sharing bowls of popcorn andlooking at Lily select the movie and click play. For a while, everything seemedquiet and happy and safe. It was like we forgot everything awful around us, andfocused on the movie. It was a briefmoment of safety. It was exactly what we needed. And it was exactly what wouldbring us all down.ElleThe moviehad kept us occupied, for a while, and after we'd run down to the living room,laughing and singing and joking. As everyone was talking and nudging eachother, I walked over to the massive glass wall and stared out at the ocean andthe darkening sky. I looked at the sunset, smiling at the streaks of softorange and dusty pink as they criss-crossed across the sky. I felt a wave ofcalm wash over me and I smiled, pressing my hand against the window.Are youokay?" I glanced around to find Dylan frowning apologetically at me."I just-"I began, before turning back to the wall, closing my eyes and losing myself inthe sunset. It was a while before I answered."I justdon't want to have any regrets. When all of this is over, when everything isdone and finished and everyone's gone and forgotten –" I began again, blurtingit out wildly as I tried to get my point across. I leant back against the wallas I watched everyone smile and laugh."Let mestart again. Rose will most likely tell us everything tomorrow, and then allthe innocence, all the happiness, however small we had – it will be gone. Rightnow is the only time that there are no consequences. And...I don't want to lookback and think that I could have done things better. That I could have saidsomething, done something that I'd always wanted to do. " I said, my wordsspilling out of my lips, being closer to the truth than I was comfortable with.Breathing in, I turned back to the sunset, letting the light wash over my face."I wantto have no regrets." I confessed, tears coming to my eyes as I watched theglowing sun sink beyond the water. It was the one time of day where there wasno fog, no mist, no rain, just clear skies and clarity. Dylan walked to myside, looking out at the sunset."What areyou waiting for?" He asked. I turned to face him, suddenly aware of how muchhe'd changed. He still wore that stupid leather jacket, but now it was twin tomy own. He still smirked, and rolled his eyes, but he also smiled and laughedand cared. Dylan noticed my gaze and lookedat me, smiling slightly. He extended his hand, his palm facing upward."Thenlet's go have no regrets.". I laughed and nodded, already walking to theothers."Change of plan. Tonight: we're going to have aparty." I announced. Everyone looked towards me, looking confused,"We'regoing to have fun. We're going to go crazy. We're going to have no regrets. Andwe're going to enjoy every last second." I said, looking out at everyone. I paused,frowning, before turning back and pointing at darkened landscape."Becausewhen the sun rises in the morning – all of that will be gone. Forever." I saidquietly, sparing a glance towards Rose."So, whatare we waiting for?" I asked, turning to look at Dylan. He'd already leanedagainst the wall, his arms folded, his eyebrows raised as if to say That's my line. I walked towards him,nudging him towards the crowd."Come on.We have a party to get to." JakeTwentyminutes in, and the makeshift party was in full swing. The table was litteredwith discarded bottles of alcohol looted from Dylan's room, which hadinexplicably possessed an alcohol cabinet. A massive set of speakers waspumping deafening music, sending the bottles and glasses on the table rattling.The lights were set low, enveloping the room in an orange haze. I looked aroundthe room, seeing Elle and Dylan dancing, Elle's hair flying around her. Rosewas dancing and telling jokes to Millie and Rae. Natasha and Lily were on thetable, dancing and singing along to the song. I was leaning against the wall,watching Emma, Harry and Amy dance along together . Amy turned around andnoticed me looking at her. I glanced down quickly, staring intently at thefloor, hoping Amy hadn't noticed. She'd noticed. I looked up to see Amydragging me to join them."I'm nota dancing type of guy." I protested, shouting over the music. Amy rolled hereyes."I don'tcare." Amy shouted back, and I reluctantly followed her."Noregrets, right?" Amy said, finally reaching the others. No regrets. I exhaled,thinking that maybe, for one night – I could allow myself no regrets. I smiled,not allowing myself to think under the beat of the music. I jumped up and down,following the movements of everyone else. As I looked around the tiny circle, Ilooked at what everyone was doing. Emma had closed her eyes and had amysterious half smile on her lips, her arms up in the air, letting herself gocrazy. Harry was smiling outright, and mouthing the lyrics of the song, hisdancing erratic yet smooth. Amy seemed lost in the music, her blue eyes focusedon nothing in the room, her hair flying around her face, looking up towards theroof. Amy's eyes settled on me, and I gave an uneasy half smile."Fun,right?" She mouthed jokingly. "Completely."I mouthed back, only half-joking. I turned back, closing my eyes and focusingon the beat, smiling the whole time. LilyIscreamed out the lyrics to the song, back to back with Natasha, laughing andlooking out over the room. It was well and fully dark, but Rose had altered thelighting to a dim glow, which was a mixture of purple's, orange's and pinks.The room seemed to spin, and my thoughts were disjointed. My gaze caught onMillie, who was laughing with Rae and Rose. A tug of jealousy ran through me. Iknew that Rose could be interested in Millie, and I had no idea about Rae and Ifound myself shouting Millie's name over the music. Millie looked up, walkingtowards me. I gave an apologetic smile to Natasha, and bent down, eye to eyewith Millie."I thinkwe should make people pay for what they did." I mumbled, before shaking my headto clear it."Not payfor it. Face it." I amended. The room spun quicker, and I nearly fell off thetable. I put a hand on Millie's shoulder to stop myself from falling."Make it... fun." I said, smiling. Millie rolled her eyes."Ofcourse." She replied, walking back to Rose and Rae. She whispered something toRose, and I saw Rose cross the room to go to Lukas. I stood back up, turning toNatasha and laughing."I wantit to be good." I explained, lifting my chin up."Foreveryone to be happy." I continued."To ...face their fears." I murmured, more to myself than to Natasha. Natasha shruggedand turned away to dance."So areyou going to?" I asked. Natasha turned around, frowning, and stepped closer."Am Igoing to what?" She asked, her voice sharp."Faceyour fear." I said, laughing, and jerked my chin towards Tom. Natasha laughedand shook her head."You thinkI'm afraid of – talking to Tom?" She snorted, mumbling her words. I laughedalong with her, continuing dancing."Ofadmitting your feelings." I explained, before raising my voice slightly:"You are afraid." I said, eyes wide indisbelief. Natasha desperately shook herhead."I'm notafraid. And I have no feelings but hatred." She exclaimed in a low voice, eyesglittering. She looked to Tom, and then back to me. "Oh well.Cheers." She said, clinking her glass against mine, and stepping down from thetable in one long stride and walking towards Tom. I watched her, smiling, butsuddenly feeling alone. I sat down, and then slid off the table, before walkingtowards Millie, who was walking away from Amy, Jake, Emma and Harry. I held outa hand."Dancewith me." I said. Millie smiled, taking my hand and spinning me around. Istepped back, pulling Millie with me, and moving in a slow circle, at odds tothe manic beat of the song."So. You... prompted everyone to admit theirfeelings." I said slowly, my voice catching after every word. Millie nodded,her lips pursed. "Well, noteveryone." Millie murmured. "Who'sleft?" I asked, glancing around the room, trying to find someone who hadn'tmoved."You. Don'ttell me you didn't see that one coming." Millie said, slightly mockingly. Ilooked back to Millie."Actually,I called you over here to talk about that. I just kind of chickened out at thelast minute." I said, trying to turn it into a joke. Millie's eyes widened."Oh."Millie murmured helplessly. I attempted an easy smile and looked up at Millie.She seemed untouchable, standing under the coloured lights, a lazy smile on herface. I breathed in and readied myself."Here'sthe thing: I love you." I said, quietly but strongly. I continued dancing, myeyes slightly averted from Millie, my cheeks burning. Out of the corner of myeye, I saw Millie smile."I loveyou too." She replied. I looked up, a smile spreading across my face."Are you– are you...joking.? I blurted out,stumbling over the words. Millie shook her head vigorously."No."Millie said, watching my reaction, her face torn between elation and serenity.She was beautiful. So, so beautiful. And...she loved me. Suddenly, everythingawful that had happened seemed like nothing but obstacles, obstacles to gethere, to her. I took her hand, spinning her around in the flashing lightsbefore bringing her close. I looked down at her, my eyes sparkling."I loveyou Millie." I said, testing the words out on my tongue. They soundedbeautiful, better than any song or symphony I'd ever heard. Millie looked up atme, a half smile on her face."I loveyou too, Lily." Now that was evenmore beautiful, and it was all I heard, ringing in my ears as I kissed her.