Cherry & Blue (Complete ✔️)

Chapter Six

Rosé

"He's so hot." Aaliyah gushes at her crush.

We're at the baseball stands watching the baseball practice. Aaliyah's eyes haven't left Matthew.

Matthew is really good, especially at batting, his arms flexing whenever he swings the bat is hot. The strength with which he hits the ball is admirable and hot. And not to mention the way he wipes the sweat off his forehead and swipes his hair back giving him that slicked-back look but then there's a strand that hangs over his forehead—now I'm just being a weirdo.

Watching this baseball practice reminds me of the I Don't Dance sequence from High School Musical.

Iconic.

"How are things between you two?" I ask her.

After their kiss, she told me they went on a date. Nothing much happened but it sure made Aaliyah fall for the boy even more.

"We've been texting, a lot." Aaliyah lays her head on my shoulder as she daydreams about her crush.

"And the kiss?"

"He doesn't regret it."

I beam and sigh in relief, happy to hear that my best friend is not one of those girls of his. That is the last thing I want for her. If Matthew Hale does one teeny tiny thing to hurt her, I'm going to pull out his blonde hair and shove it down his throat until he's spitting out a furball.

I check my phone and realize I'm late for my study session with Daniel—again. Honestly, after yesterday I don't know if I'm going to be able to look at him in the eyes again. The way his eyes taunted me, teased me left me shy, hot and frustrated—the good kind.

"Popped your cherry, yet?"

"My cherry?"

"You're a virgin."

Daniel knows I'm a virgin and I don't know how to feel about that. A part of me wants to cry in the shower but the other part of me wants to punch him in his handsome face for reading me like an open book.

But who am I fooling with my broken pieces...I'm not—oh, whatever.

I pout, sulking.

"You okay?" Aaliyah's sweet voice breaks through my thoughts.

Not wanting her to worry over my silly little problem, I smile.

"Yeah, I'll see you later." I grab my books and stand up.

"Coming over yours tomorrow night?" She asks me and I nod before leaving for the library.

Tomorrow night is Kai Jackson's birthday party.

<3 <3 <3 <3

Quietly, I flip the page after noting and sketching out the key highlights of mythology surrounding Rhea. As I reach out to grab the book Galaxies and Shooting Stars, my fingers accidentally touch Daniel's. For a moment, we both stare into each other's eyes. There's so much darkness in his and not a hint of mischievous like before.

Daniel lets me have the book and goes back to concentrating on his work.

There's awkwardness in the air, Daniel is radiating anger and it's making me nervous. I'm tempted to ask him what's wrong but think better of it. It's obvious he doesn't want to talk and I'm too chicken to start up a conversation with him after yesterday's ordeal. One look into my eyes and Daniel will know how much he affected me.

Writing the phrase once in a lifetime on a pink post-it, I stick it on the paragraph relating to the Perseid's meteor shower.

My phone vibrates with a message.