❝she was the girl, who bit the horizon, who peeled the stars from the sky and put them on her tongue, the girl who was hungry for the universe, who craved magic and saw the broken boy for who he truly was- a broken boy.❞
Beca...
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Chapter 13
The Difference Between Girlfriend and Girl Friend is Press Coverage
Ellis
"Porcey, I think I have a stalker," was the first indication that a friendship with Jem Leighton was bound to be the strangest thing I've ever done.
It was already March, the month when we'd already received all our test scores from last term's SATs and a week since the party, which I've managed to survived but not totally unscathed because the next morning, I had a killer hangover. Lula- my maid- had to lie to Dad, an event proved traumatic for her cruel kindness, and she laid me down in my bed, bringing up graham crackers and ginger ale to sober me up.
Nonetheless, I felt...rehymenated. If there was a proper word for it. Which should be the opposite because the anterior sensation was supposed to be dirty.
On a lesser level, the time had flown away so fleetingly I barely had time to breathe. More assignments were given, more headaches were induced and my piano concert for the All-City Festival where I performed as a guest pianist along with the Philadelphia Orchestra. I've broken into a fresh wave of stress and mental breakdowns where I spent almost up to two hours a day with my piano teaching rehearsing my piano techniques, making sure my fortes weren't too strident, or my tonal control didn't lack a true cantabile sound. I also spent another five hours a day practising my songs, memorising notes and humming tunes as my fingers flowed over the fluid keys. It rained for the next few days and Cheerleading practices were cancelled. There were no oncoming parties, no events, nobody got pregnant, no fights and quarrels (which I figured were mostly due to Jem and I's tiebreaker true, much to the shock and puzzlement of the student body) and life just sort of went on, like life always did.
On a lesser level.
I was practising my piano while it rained outside- and intolerably so. The onslaught of a torrent, thunder and lightning deafened the sound of my grand piano, interrupting whatever peace and quiet with the clouds so grey and dark we had to switch on the lights. It was a rather miserable day but I locked myself inside, heated up the fireplace and made myself feel comfortable. I was taking a short break, snacking on Lula's best confectionaries when my phone buzzed and I realised it was Jem.
Nonetheless, I was reaching for a strawberry tart when I frowned at Jem's statement. "Why would you think that?"
"Because this morning I found a note in my locker from this person impersonating a classmate, claiming she has a crush on me and that she knew what my favourite colour was as well as where I lived. Frankly, it's unnervingly flattering but simultaneously creepy."
"A note?" My eyebrows knitted, not sure whether this was unravelling it to a joke or not- you never know with Jem. "You sure...?" I trailed off.
"I am very sure. Like 98 percent sure. A sound of papers shuffled and notes being moved. Then he cleared his throat and read out to me:
