Our Shot (LAMS school au)

Chapter 33: Artemis and the Schuylers

"Oh my goodness! Aren't you just gorgeous!" Eliza exclaimed as soon as she walked into the cafe, her eyes landing on the table the five of us were sitting at.

Peggy and Angelica followed her, and took seats at the same table. "These are my sisters," Eliza continued, "Angelica, a-"

"And Peggy," Peggy introduced herself on her own, and then took the seat directly beside Artemis.

Lafayette was on the other side. He was trying to engage Artemis in conversation again, but she seemed preoccupied with talking to Peggy. This is a mess, I thought.

"Someone should tell him..." I muttered to Alex, who was sitting next to me.

"Tell who?" He replied, seeming slightly dazed.

"Tell Laf."

"Tell him what?"

"That Artemis is about as straight as a rubber band."

He turned to me, eyebrows raised. "Oh," was all he said, before turning back to watch the three on the opposite side of the table, "Yeah, someone should tell 'im."

Eliza was sitting next to Peggy. She was watching Artemis and her sister with acute curiosity. "So how old are you?" Peggy asked.

"16," Artemis responded, "I'm a sophomore at my school in Coleraine."

Peggy's smile grew. "Me too!" She began, "I mean, I'm a sophomore too. Here, not in Ireland. Obviously."

"Naturally," Artemis repeated, smiling.

Eliza shot me a look from over the table. She glanced at me, and then glanced at the pair beside her, then back to me. I had seen that look on her face before. Don't, I mouthed, but it seemed she already had a plan in place.

"Hey Peggy," she began, and attention was now on her, "How are things with... Sarah?"

Peggy picked up a fork from the table and spun it nervously in her fingers, meanwhile Artemis leaned in closer to listen. "We, um, split up on Thursday. I thought I told you," she said, giving Eliza a dangerous glare.

Well, as dangerous as you can get when you're Peggy. "Oh," Eliza responded, shrugging and smirking at me," I suppose I must have... forgotten."

Peggy chuckled nervously, and glanced back at Artemis, who was still smiling as though nothing of importance had been said.

"So, Cherie," and Lafayette was back in the game, "Do you anyone special yourself? Back in Ireland?"

Artemis cleared her throat, and I could barely believe it but for the first time since I've met her her smile disappeared. Shortly afterward, however, it reappeared. "Um, no," she answered, "Not for a few weeks now."

Lafayette nodded. "Well what about," Hercules began curiously, taking a sip of coffee, "That one blondie? Aideen, I think it was."

"Well, it turns out me and her weren't compatible," Artemis explained calmly.

Hercules scoffed lightly, looking at his sister. "That couldn't have been easy to hear after a year," he said.

Artemis shrugged, but didn't say anything. The disposition of the group now seemed quite somber, and I could tell Alex noticed as he squeezed my hand. Lafayette, however, was not deterred. "Oh, je suis desole, ma cherie," he explained, "I just recently split with ma petite amie, as well."

Artemis smiled, but it was a different smile this time. "What was her name," she asked simply.

"Adrienne."

The sound of her name brought up my memory of her photograph that I looked at with Alexander. She was a pretty girl, dark skin and dark hair to match.

I looked back at Artemis. She fit the description. It wasn't Adrienne, of course, but it certainly looked like her.

Wait! I thought in a sudden epiphany.

That's why Laf was so interested in her this entire time. She reminded him of his ex!

"You're crushing my hand, John," Alex whispered beside me.

I turned to him, and released my sudden grip on his hand. "Look at her," I told him quietly, and we both glanced over at Artemis, who was still talking to Lafayette, "Do you see the resemblance?"

It took him a second. "Adrienne, he whispered, and I nodded.

He brought his head closer to mine. "Do you think-" He began, but was interrupted when a decently sized spit ball hit him in the neck.

He stopped, and I covered my mouth with my hand to keep from laughing. "Come on guys," I managed, "Not while we have a guest."

But when I turned away from Alex, I realized it was Artemis who had shot the spitball; the straw was still against her lips. When she saw Alex's dumbstruck expression, she raised both hands in surrender. "He told me to!" She exclaimed, gesturing to Lafayette, who gasped.

"I did nothing!" He replied dramatically.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Alex's POV

After an hour or so at the cafe, I decided that it was time to head back; I had work to do, and I had also had enough excitement for one day. I was glad that John had decided to join me. The Schuylers had gone back to their dorm as well, but Hercules had offered to show Artemis around the city.

Lafayette, of course, had offered to join them. Our thoughts were still on that topic as I unlocked the dorm door and ushered ourselves in. "What do you think is going to happen?" I asked John, throwing my jacket over the side of my bunk bed, "With Lafayette and Hercules, I mean; and Artemis, too."

He shrugged. "Lafayette is no idiot," he said, "And he's not oblivious to that fact that he can't have the same kind of relationship with Artemis as he did with Adrienne, if that's even what he's after."

"What about Hercules?" I asked, and John only shrugged again.

"I'm afraid he is going to stand by forever," was all he said, but I nodded

John sighed, and sat down on his bed. I joined him, sitting beside him and folding our hands together. "You know," I began, slowly kissing his cheek, "All this talk of Lafayette and Hercules is making me jealous of them."

He smirked. "Really," he said simply, turning to face me.

I went to kiss him, and he allowed it. After a second, he reciprocated, and I took the initiative to wrap my arms around his waist, pulling him closer.

I could feel him running his hands softly through my hair. Encouraged, I moved to kiss his cheekbone, and then moved down his neck. I lifted up the hem of his shirt slightly so I could reach his skin, but as soon as I did he stiffened. "What?" I began jokingly, "Are my hands cold?"

"Um, no," he began awkwardly, "I just don't..."

I pulled my hands back. "I can stop," I said, pulling back completely, my mood officially killed.

John moved backwards on his bed. "Sorry," he muttered, "It's just, um, I have homework to do."

"That's fine," I replied quietly, and decided to leave him be.

I decided to content myself with grabbing my laptop off the desk, and climbing up into my bunk to work. I started the computer, but I found myself only staring at the empty screen.

The silence in the dorm was destroying me. I felt awkward, even thought I couldn't even see John in the bunk directly below me. What was wrong? Did I do something? I asked myself.

I thought he would have enjoyed what I was... doing. I knew I would have.

I pushed the thoughts from my mind and tried to get on with my work. I would never hold anything against John; he was my boyfriend. It seemed like all the pieces of the puzzle had come finally came together when I realized that.

That was, at least, until a brand new piece was introduced, one that didn't fit into any of the others.

That was when Miss Maria Reynolds walked into my life.