Chapter 20: A failed Picasso work

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Alex didn't show up at school the next day. Or on Friday. Rumor has it that he got suspended, and if the teachers found out what happened - it's likely that they did - that would probably be true. My friends kept asking me about him, the whole school knew what had happened, like Noah had said, a day after. I stayed silent though, not telling them what had happened. They knew it had something to do with me, but gave up eventually. 

I've just been sitting on my bed, reading. It doesn't really distract me though, there is too much on my mind, and I can't focus on Percy, Annabeth and Grover's discovery of the pearls to the underworld. 

I finally get up and go downstairs. I see my Mum baking a cake for me to share and I sit down on a stool, leaning over the kitchen bench to her.

"Hi...?" she looks up from her cooking momentarily. I take a strawberry from a bowl and eat it. Mum slaps my hands just after it goes into my mouth. "Natalie! I need those!"

"What," I say, with my mouth still full. "Would you like me to spit it out and put it on the cake?"

"No," Mum rolls her eyes and continues icing the cake. "Do you want to invite Bubbles over? I'm going to have a load of spare icing and sprinkles," she says. 

"I'm sure she could do with that..." I say. But, then I think she'll try and squeeze details out from me about Wednesday. "Actually, she'll probably go on a sugar rush. Her parents won't be happy. Give it to the boys."

"If you say so. Boys!" Mum yells down the hall. They walk down the hallway and look at the cake with excited looks on their faces. "I'm just about finished icing this. You can both have the icing beaters in a couple of minutes."

"All of it?" Paul asks.

"Yup, unless you want to have some Nat?" Mum asks, washing up her knife and laying on the strawberries and sprinkles.

"Nope," I say, slamming my hands down on the bench and sliding my chair back. "I'm good."

"Ok, Michelle is expecting you at 5:45, and it 5 now, so get some clothes on and pack your bag," Mum says, handing a beater to each boy, who are both looking excitedly at the white buttercream icing smothered on top of them. 

"Pack my bag?" I ask, turning to leave but looking back, confused.

"Yeah, your overnight bag," Mum says, frowning at me. 

"What?" I shriek.

"Did Alex not tell you that you're staying over?" Mum asks, putting the cake into a box and walking over to place it in the fridge.

"No!" I yell.

"Jesus, Nat, no need to overreact," Lucas rolls his eyes and I glare at him. 

"Yeah, its Michelle and Jackson's anniversary, didn't you know? They're staying the night at a hotel, we suggested they did."

"Wait, so I'm staying over?" I ask. 

"Yup, now go pack and change!" Mum says. I run up the stairs and plonk myself down on my bed. I pull out my phone before I know what I'm doing and call Adele.

"Hey Na-" she begins.

"Stupid Alex and his stupid singing and his stupid punching and his stupid girlfriend and his stupid brain and his stupid voice and his stupid eyes and his stupid hair and his stupid leather jacket and his stupid toothpick and his FLIPPING STUPID SELF!" I yell. 

"Wow, girl slow dow-" Adele starts.

"He's just so STUPID! He literally got himself suspended because he has no self control. And I have no idea why he has Amanda as his stupid girlfriend! And he asked me to sing with STUPID him and he thought I would forget what he did because he thinks I'm stupid because HE IS SO STUPID!" 

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