Since the three of us are working on this project as a group, telling Xander about my Romeo dilemma probably wasn't the smartest move I could have made. The atmosphere around the three of us as we sit in a cafe is more than awkward, as I refuse to make eye contact with someone in particular. Romeo knows that I live a double life as Felisha Hughes and I now know that Ethan Sky is Romeo. And Xander, who I recently confided in, now knows Romeo’s true identity. But Romeo doesn’t know that Xander is also living a double life as Gabrielle, which makes it a little difficult to strike up a conversation. “Liars…we’re all liars here. Does it matter who talks first?” I have been overthinking a bit, so I have been too caught up in my own thoughts that I did not realize that I was verbalizing my thoughts. Xander and Romeo looked up from their tablets to give me curious glances as I brought my cup of tea to my mouth. “Hailey, are you feeling alright?” Romeo turned to ask me, while Xander, who
After days and days of preparation, we finally managed to finish our project. Thanks to my unwilling cooperation and the other’s impressive report making skills, our project made it into the science fair. I don’t know whether to be happy or not, because that would mean that we have to go to school on the weekend just to present our project to the other faculties and visitors of the school. I mean, why can’t they just take one day off on weekdays to have the school fair!? Is that so hard and taxing on the students!? Not to mention that we still have an upcoming exam heading our way. This school has such inconsiderate board leaders, I swear. “Hailey, wipe that grim expression off of your face and smile.” Xander nudges me as we stand next to our school project, which I am very tempted to drop on the floor right now since I want to go home. “Hailey May Collins does not smile. Especially in this place full of smart people. I do not belong here.” “It's amazing how confidently you can
“Hailey, I don’t think that this is the way to the science fair.” Romeo, dressed up as Ethan, glances at me with a worried expression. “Is it?” I masked my innocence. “Why would you, Ethan Sky, know more about the school when I am the one who studies here and not you?” He was left speechless by that. The truth is, Ethan and I will be making a detour to the school field, where there will be plenty of cheerleaders out to practice for the day. Romeo must have realized where we were going, since he seems to hesitate to walk along with me. “Hailey, this is-” “What is it, ETHAN SKY?!” When I addressed him, I made sure to yell out his name the moment we reached the field. As expected, most of the girls recognized him immediately. Well, Romeo does have a pretty face, and most girls here keep track of famous teens of their age. Ethan Sky just fits right into that category. “Hey, is that Hailey May Collins?” “Is that Ethan Sky with her!?” “It is! It’s Ethan Sky and she’s with Hailey M
The science fair ended, but the tension between Xander and Romeo didn’t. Because of Xander’s little slip up, Romeo has been keeping a close eye on him. The conversation about Xander’s slip up was only postponed because Xander threw the napkin with the dead body of the roach inside towards us. Even I was surprised when he suddenly pulled a Hailey May Collins stunt. Of course, I did not scream, but Romeo, on the other hand, ran out of the venue as fast as he could. Thankfully, Romeo, as Ethan, no longer has the opportunity to ask him about it. To put it another way, it's been awkward between the three of us since. “Why is it that you guys still sit at MY table even though our project is over?” I ask irritably during lunchtime when the two decides to sit with me. “For the last time, Hailey. This is not your table. This is the school’s property.” Xander responds, eating his meal in peace. “You.” I glare at him. “You have friends! Why do you want to sit here!?” “I was hoping to
No wonder that Xander has been talking about checking his message. It was about work. As it turns out, he needs Felisha to show up for an interview with Gabrielle. It seems like after our little charity event, the media wanted to hear more about why he and I were together at that time. I feel a little nervous since I am in the same waiting room as Gabrielle and he is not even looking at me or talking to me. I may be stupid at times, but I am not dense enough not to know that he’s angry at me for something. Xander is sitting across from me, scrolling through his phone. “Do you need something?” He asks, not even looking my way. I have a sharp intake of breath, like I am feeling the seriousness of the situation. There’s a nagging feeling settling at the bottom of my chest. “Are you mad?” “And what would I be mad about?” He questions. That got me silent as I play with my fingers. “You’re not talking to me.” I say timidly, a gesture that I rarely do as the confident Hailey May C
It is starting to become worse. The rumours, I mean. A lot of them have been circulating the idea that Felisha and Gabrielle were a thing, but it quickly ends out of jealousy for mine and Eliot’s modeling work. “This is such a mess. I thought that clearing our relationship would be the end of it.” I say, scrolling through social media and reading all the news about Felisha and Gabrielle. Just as I am reading an article, Xander snatches my phone. “Hey!” “That’s enough of that!” Xander scolds me, glowering like there's no tomorrow. I assure you that Xander and I are friends. He’s only acting grumpy because he is supposed to tutor me. “You read a lot more of those articles than your textbooks.” “At least articles have scoops.” I point out. “The textbook can help you get a score on the test.” Xander retorts. Damn it. He’s got a good point. With a defeated sigh, I slump on my seat. Sheen lets out a mocking laugh, earning a slap at the back of his head from Sandy. “You’re one to t
I screwed up. Because of what Sandy told me, I have a hard time focusing on the test. It got to the point where I don’t even know if I earned enough points to pass. All I remember is that I answered a few, but then started filling in and circling letters when it was almost time. Thankfully, it was a multiple choice question, so I have about a 25% chance of getting a question right. “So, how did you do on the exam?” I jolt from my train of thoughts when Xander looks back at me from his seat. “English is so easy.” I say, smiling. Honestly, I believe that it was the only test that I believe that I have done well. “Great. Did you do well on the grammar exam at the back?” “What’s grammar and was there a question at the back of the test paper?” “...” “...” Xander tries to smile. “A-Anyway, we just finished our math exam. How well did you do on that?” I stare at him. “D, B, B, C, A, C, D, A, B, C.” “What?” “That’s my answer for the first ten questions of the multiple choice on the
I try to think of reasons why the two of them would be hanging out together, but my mind keeps drawing a blank, save for one. I need Xander’s gaze and to make some hand gestures that I know he’d understand. ‘If she’s keeping you hostage, do you want me to beat her up?’ I merely punched my right fist to my left while discreetly looking at Vanessa before meeting Xander’s eyes again. Immediately, Xander got the message and was aggressively shaking his head. “Hey, you’re Gabrielle, right?” Ethan starts to wonder while looking at Xander. He already knows Gabrielle’s true identity is Xander, so he is trying his best to keep things normal. Ethan, thank goodness he is not a useless companion, begins to ask the question that has been bothering me. “Who are you with?” You know what? Forget what I just said. He just asked the wrong question. Still, I have to admit that it is better than nothing. Xander starts to turn to Vanessa. His face frowns uncomfortably when she starts to cling to him