Jordan sat there at the dining table, wearing his navy tuxedo, with white silk button-down shirt inside. He was wearing a dark blue mask, intricately designed with gold decoration on it. It may not be gaudy, but it did suit the theme of the birthday party of Scarlet High's Chairman, Mr. Carmichael, which was a masquerade ball. To him though, it was a modern one. There were quite a amount of boys that wore outfits like him, normal, but acceptable. There were some who went all out: capes, hats, outfits from the Victorian and Renaissance era, masks decorated with feathers and such. The girls looked quite interesting themselves too, Jordan thought. Like Kimberley, who wore a night gown where the bodice was decorated with lace and sweet colours like lavender were also used for her dress. There were some who wore bright coloured gowns with gaudy looking masks. Jordan thought that it was quite fun, seeing his schoolmates going all-out for such an event. Even Robert, who usually take a nap during such events, was into it too. He wore a black cape with a black suit, with a black mask. Jordan laughed at this, pointing out that he wasn't too 'colourful' during that night, but Robert only answered with his usual monotonous tone, "I heard the mango pudding's delicious. I have to dress up for the act, shouldn't I?", making Jordan shake his head at his friend's obsession for mango pudding.
Jordan was actually quite surprised by a certain person's appearance. He was even shocked by the fact that he could recognise the person, even if the person was wearing a mask. Lynn Mayura, already a student of SH just about after he saw her at the Bradford's function, wore a black silk suit with a black mask. Even though her outfit was somewhat similar to Robert's, but the effect on the people around them were different. For Robert, he got a few jabs of their male friends, calling him unfair that he 'wore something simple, when they were forced to wear gaudy colours'. For Lynn, it got a lot of attention. Mr. Carmichael, unsurprisingly Lynn's family friend, actually loved her outfit. In fact, Jordan heard him saying, "Ah, fan service day, Lynn?" when she stepped out of her black BMW earlier that night. She was now surrounded by girls, dancing with them even, getting jealous gaze from the girls' companions.
Jordan shook his head as he looked at the people around him. But there was something bothering him. Sophie. Where was she? He wanted to see her so badly after seeing her pained expression. He also wanted to see her outfit, and wanted to keep it to himself, not for the others, especially Scott, to see. Suddenly, he saw a girl with a dark red dress. Her bodice, as what Jordan could see, was velvet and decorated with French lace. The hem of her dress was lined with black lace. Her skin looked snow white, even under the lighting. Her lips were rosy red, and it certainly wasn't lipstick. What struck Jordan was her eyes. Sapphire blue. He felt his heart skip a beat, his breath stuck in his throat, he feared that he would not breathe. But he was alive. His heart and aching chest proved so. His hand felt numb as he tried to hold on to her, as he stretched his arms. He gently touched her arm, making her jump away from him. She looked at him, her lips parted only a little as she studied him. He studied her back. Red, white and black. What a combination for such a beauty. He wanted to take her away from there and just stare at her the whole day. But this was a party, and he should act like as if he were in a party. He gave her a half-bow, then brought her hand to his lips.
"May I ask for a dance, m'lady?" Jordan said, his tone rich. She nodded, her cheeks reddening slightly as she step closer to him as the music started. They danced with the music, following each and every note with their step. The dance reminded him the last time they shared a dance together, at her 'debut' party. He whispered into her ear, "Seems that we have got used to each other, Princess". He could feel Sophie stiffening as he said so, but they remain dancing, not wanting to break the atmosphere around them. As the dance was about to end, Jordan pulled her close to him, his arms around her waist, and carried her out of the dance floor. He noticed a few people around them looking at them weirdly, some were whistling at the scene. He could feel Sophie stiffening when he did this, and he grinned. He brought her away from the crowd, still not letting her go.
He could see a flash of anger in her eyes, but he remained unfaltered, still holding on to her and smirking at her. "Let. Go. Of. Me" she said angrily, biting off each word. Jordan shrugged as she said this, and pouted. "Who knows? Maybe I didn't want you to run away from me like last time. What do you mean by 'Goodbye', Sophie? Cause here I am, seeing you right now" he said, raising his eyebrows. He could see Sophie looking at the grass, avoiding his intense gaze. After a minute, he stepped closer to her, holding her chin and made her gaze at him. He could see the blue eyes turning and even darker blue, and he realised that she was close to crying. "Hey, what's wrong?" he whispered as she shook her head. "Nothing" she replied, looking up at the sky.
Jordan sighed, then leaned against the tree nearby. Sophie stood there, still looking up at the sky. "How should I convince you that no matter what happens, I will never change my feelings towards you?" he said, taking off his mask. He heard Sophie sigh and she looked at him. She had on the same sad face she gave him before kissing his cheek yesterday. "You don't get it. It's the fact that you don't give up is the problem" she replied sadly. Jordan shook his head, then frowned. "Why? Am I going to be hurt when I get close to you?" Jordan replied, making Sophie nod. Jordan, still frowning, looked at Sophie with pure confusion. "So? There are many forms of love. There are the blissful ones. There are the sad ones. There are the ones that make your heart burst that you think that you will die if it happens for real. So what makes me hurt just to pursue you?" he asked her, now stepping closer to her. Sophie made her hair fall tumbling down her shoulders, like the night at the party. Even when he was confused and Sophie was trying to be unapproachable at the moment, he couldn't help but feel like running his fingers through her hair.
Sophie shook her head, her hair following her movements. "You don't get it. It's not me. It's the people who wanted to that comes with it" she said, gritting her teeth as she said the word 'people'. "What do you mean? Scottie?" he asked, somehow amused. "No. I mean, yes, he's one of them. But he's not the real threat, Jordan. The real threat is somebody else. Knowing him, he would definitely do something to keep us away. He might even make break you" she said, her tone desperate. "'He'? So my rival's a guy? How many guys like you anyway?" Jordan teased, not sensing Sophie's exasperation. "Jordan" she begged, making Jordan turn serious. "Hey, don't think too much. I will be always trying to get your heart" he said. Sophie was about to say something when Ken, the student council secretary, made an announcement using the microphone. "Everyone. Sorry to break the atmosphere, but it's time for the cake cutting session. Before we gather to sing the birthday song to our dear Chairman, we request Sophie Manuel, as President of the student council of Scarlet High, to make a speech" he said monotonously, looking like he was about to sleep. Why was he always looking like he lacks sleep, anyway? Jordan thought to himself.
Sophie gave him a brief nod and an apologetic look, she moved towards the stage. She was only a few steps from Jordan when Mr. Sanders, now known as the 'School Psycho' due to his outbursts from the Golden Event, took a hold of the microphone from the sleepy Ken. "Now, everyone, let's let out a chant to call her! After me! President! President! President!" he cheerfully said, with the crowd chanting with him, even though they were confused at first. Jordan noticed Sophie kept a cool face as she took the microphone from Mr. Sanders, who exclaimed, "Aww, no reaction?!". He did got a reaction, though he didn't see it. Sophie managed to give him a death glare, though it was only for a short while. Jordan stifled a laugh, and noticed Mr. Carmichael doing it too.
After Sophie's speech and cake-cutting, everyone gathered at the table to have a plate of the delicious cake. Due to the sudden crowd, Jordan lost track of Sophie. He cursed himself, angry for losing sight of her. Before he could search any further, he felt someone pulling his shirt from the back. 90 percent of his guess was that it wasn't Sophie, but he wished that the other other 10 percent was Sophie pulling his shirt right now. To him, Sophie was a demure woman of nature, and a person who rarely shows her feelings, though not all the time. He noticed that during his time of 'stalking' her, as what Robert said in their recent conversations. Robert once told him that Sophie wasn't naturally a cold person, she just made a mask to hide her soft side, in which Jordan had witnessed during recent events. He said that she learned her pokerface from Lynn.
He just realised that he was being pulled, so he looked behind him. It was Kimberley, who had on a dark expression. At first Jordan thought Kimberley was only joking around, but seeing her tightening her jaw, he knew she was serious. It was a habit that Kimberley do not know of; only Samuel and Jordan knew about this habit of hers. Kimberley was used to getting things her own way, but if she doesn't she would always clench her jaw, like right now. Thing is: he doesn't know what is it that she didn't get. Due to her dark expression and her pinching his side very hard, Jordan reluctantly dropped his intention to find Sophie; not entirely, since he wants to search for her after finding out what was bothering Kimberley. He brought her to another place, also away from the crowd, though if there were any passer-by, they could spot the two of them right away.
"What's up?" Jordan asked, as he leaned on the tree, studying her. He was caught off-guard when Kimberley burst into tears. He walked up to her and put his hand her shoulders. "Hey, seriously, what's up? Tell me, I won't understand if you keep on crying, you know" he told her as she sniffled. She then wiped her tears, then looked up at him. Jordan let out a chuckle as he gave her his handkerchief. Due to her crying, Kimberley's mascara was ruined. She took the handkerchief from him, then wiped her tears and mascara. Jordan stood there, a questioning look on his face. "So?". He saw Kimberley tightening her hold of the handkerchief when he questioned her that way. "Samuel" was what she said.
"What's up with Sam?" he asked her. She then pointed at the direction of the crowd. When Jordan travelled his gaze towards where Kimberley pointed, and he knew why. Samuel was surrounded by crowd of girls, talking to them and eating cake with them. Jordan knew that Samuel didn't mean any harm; he was known to be the 'Gentle Prince', treating everyone fairly. There were a few girls that misunderstood his 'kindness' though, like right now. During the course of their relationship, Jordan had lost count of how many times did Kimberley ran to him, crying out of jealousy. As a friend, Jordan felt he was obliged to calm her. But as a man, he was rejoicing at the fact that he was needed. Though at this moment, Jordan felt only the responsibility as a friend, much to his relief. He knew that his feelings as man has long since faded, ever since he laid his eyes on Sophie.
He tried to stroke Kimberley's hair, something he would do before erasing her insecurities. To his surprise, Kimberley hugged his torso. Now this is new, he thought. Before, he would have hugged her back. Now, the thought of Kimberley hugging him made him remember how close he was to Sophie before, and her scent. He pushed Kimberley away gently, then looked her at the eye. "Kimmy, get a grip of yourself. You have Samuel" he warned. He heard Kimberley whimper as she pulled him back to her again. "No. We are so over tonight! I'm tired of him being so friendly with every girl!" she whined. "Hey, it's not just the girls. He's nice with the boys too. Heck, wasn't that part of him made you fall for him and made him yours?" he coaxed. "I don't care! He should belong to me, and me only! Not with those girls! Especially Sophie!" she whined again. Jordan felt a jolt of panic. Sophie? What was she talking about? he thought. Jordan shook Kimberley. "What do you mean, especially Sophie? What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice rising higher as he spoke.
Kimberley started crying again, and he calmed down. He was supposed to focus his attention towards Kimberley, not Sophie at this moment. He apologised for his insensitivity, and looked her in the eye. "You go ask Samuel what he did with Sophie" she said, now pouting. Jordan shook his head, then gave her a smile. "Just tell me, what should I do to make you happy again?" he asked. "Hug me" she ordered. Jordan hesitated at first, but when he saw the look on Kimberley's face, he hugged her anyway. He intended to make it short, but when he tried to pull himself away from her, Kimberley clutched her arms around his neck, making him choke. He gave her an alarming look when he realised that his face was close to hers. Too close. Kimberley looked into his eyes, and he noticed her smiling. "You're so nice, Jordan. I shouldn't have rejected you years ago. Do you want me? Cause I want you" she said, moving her face closer to his.
Jordan realised that she was about to kiss him, and in the nick of time, he avoiding his lips from hers, making her kiss his cheek instead. "Kimberley, STOP. I'm sorry, but as you said, it was years ago. I've moved on and after this, I'm going to look for her, so please, let me go Kimmy" he begged. Suddenly, he heard a twig snap behind them. He noticed Kimberley giving him a sly smile. "I don't think she thinks that way" she said, her eyes glinting mischievously. Jordan looked behind him, and saw the now unmasked Sophie, who had guilty look on her face. "Sorry. I-I would take my leave then" she said, then left. Jordan was about to chase her when Kimberley pulled his arm. "There's no use in chasing her, Jo. She saw the both of us being intimate, so the deed has been done. Stay with me, please?" she said. Jordan shook his hand away from Kimberley, then looked at her with pure sadness.
"If you did this when I still had feelings for you, I would have listened to you. But the only person who thought we were intimate was you, and unfortunately, Sophie. I've made myself clear that we are nothing but friends. Now, I will chase her to clear any misunderstandings. I wish the best with Samuel" he said as he left her. He heard Kimberley shrilly saying, "What?!", but he continued on running towards where Sophie went. He saw her walking fast in front of him. He waited until they were near the car park, then he caught up to her and grab her arm. "It was a misunderstanding" was what he said when she faced him. "I know" she said stiffly. "Then, why did you leave me there?" he panted, still looking at her. He saw her expression turning cool. Uh-oh. "Wasn't it a good thing? Now you can have her. I bet Samuel wouldn't mind when it was his own best friend who got his girl, instead of some unknown stranger" she said. I knew it, he thought. She was trying to push him away, like how she did in the infirmary way before taking hold of her locket.
"Wha-?" he said, puzzled. "She was in your arms. You should have taken advantage of the situation and made her fall for you. Then, your lovesickness would be solved" she said coolly. "What are you talking about? You know what? You're the one who's supposed to explain yourself to me" he said, now angry. She frowned, confused. "Whatever are you talking about?" she asked. "Samuel, of course! The reason Kimberley was in my arms was the fact that she was tired of Samuel being so kind to other people, especially to the girls. What made her snap was the thought of you and Samuel!" he said, now close to yelling. "Oh, you mean that" she said. "Samuel kissed me once" she said a-matter-of-factly, making Jordan so surprised, he felt dizzy.
"What?" he asked stupidly. "We kissed once. It means we locked our lips once" she said, her tone sarcastic. "And why do you care, anyway? You should stop pursuing me, Jordan" she said. Jordan felt his vein pop as he glared into Sophie's eyes. "Oh, so you think the fact that you once kissed Samuel is a good enough reason for me to stop pursuing you, then you are so wrong" he said, saying the word 'kissed' with difficulty. "Oh, yes it is. Now have a goodnight" she said, already leaving him. Jordan pulled her closer to him, then gave her a kiss near her lips. He clenched his fist as Sophie stepped away from him, shocked. "I was tempted to kiss you, wanting to erase that kiss you once had with Samuel. I don't know when he gave it to you, but I bet that was before he got serious with Kimberley. He once told me you were someone important, so I guessed it was a favour. But now, about the kiss; I will not take your lips, unless you want it. You wait, Sophie. I will definitely make you mine, I don't care who or what will stop me, but I'm a very determined person" he said, his voice calm.
Sophie was too shocked to say anything, then he saw her bite her lip. "Why? Even when you found out about me and Samuel?" she said, sounding sad. "I told you over and over. I'm serious in getting you" he said. "You're impossible. Fine, suit yourself, I can't control your heart after all. But I will tell you one thing: I will be attending a marriage meeting this weekend, where I will meet with potential husbands" she said. "Wait, so you will meet with a few men to discuss the prospect of marriage?" he asked her, baffled. She nodded, then looked at him sadly. "That's why, you should give up. Lynn's here now, so, a very goodnight" she said, stepping away from him. Before she got close to the now approaching BMW, she looked behind her one last time. "And Jordan? I love you" she said.
Before Lynn managed to drive off, he saw Sophie looking out of the window, looking at his direction. As they left, Jordan crouched, exhausted. "That wasn't fair. Telling me that you love me after trying to push me away. What do you want me to do? Stop the arranged meeting?" he asked himself. "Maybe so" a voice said behind him. Jordan stood up, alarmed. Samuel was behind him, alongside with Robert. "I heard the confession" Samuel said smugly, making Jordan blush. "Aww, that's not fair! It was supposed to be for my ears only!" Jordan said, fake pouting. Robert was stepped closer to him, his face serious. "So, what are you going to do?" he asked. Jordan shrugged, puzzled by everything that just happened. "I guess I should prevent it or something. But I don't know if it's what Sophie wants" Jordan answered, his tone a touch worried. Samuel raised his eyebrows at this. "She told you about the marriage meeting. Obviously, she wants you to stop it, somehow" Samuel said. Jordan coughed at this, staring at Samuel. "Whoa, hey! I didn't think that you guys were listening to our conversation from almost the beginning!" Jordan said, looking embarrassed. "From the beginning. We heard it from the beginning" Robert said, now glancing at Samuel.
Jordan looked at Samuel, his expression serious. "So it was really true that you kissed her?" Jordan asked. Samuel nodded, a guilty expression on his face. "Like what you said, it was way before I was serious with Kimberley. Actually, we were on the verge of breaking up, you remember that right?" Samuel answered. Jordan nodded, remembering last year when Kimberley wanted to break up with Samuel when she found Samuel carrying a girl to the infirmary. The girl fainted due to heatstroke, but Kimberley's jealousy made it into an issue. They made up, but Samuel started to avoid being around girls, afraid that Kimberley would go into a fit again. Samuel gave Jordan a sheepish look. "I did it as a favour. From what, well, I guess I don't have the right to tell you, so you should ask Sophie about it" he said, making Jordan disappointed.
"Well, it won't be a problem, since you are going to save her, right?" Robert said. Jordan shook his head at this, his face sad. "Even if I am, how? I'm not going to just burst into her marriage meeting all of a sudden! She and I have to keep our images as children of prominent businessmen" he said, then looked at Robert's and Samuel's faces. Both of them have somehow mischievous faces. "No, no, NO! Are you guys seriously thinking that way?!" Jordan asked, too shocked to say anything more. Samuel and Robert looked at each other, then nodded at Jordan solemnly. "It could work, right, Samuel?" Robert asked, looking at Samuel. Samuel nodded, then let out a mischievous grin. "Actually, I have a confession to make..."
TO BE CONTINUED
Jordan was actually quite surprised by a certain person's appearance. He was even shocked by the fact that he could recognise the person, even if the person was wearing a mask. Lynn Mayura, already a student of SH just about after he saw her at the Bradford's function, wore a black silk suit with a black mask. Even though her outfit was somewhat similar to Robert's, but the effect on the people around them were different. For Robert, he got a few jabs of their male friends, calling him unfair that he 'wore something simple, when they were forced to wear gaudy colours'. For Lynn, it got a lot of attention. Mr. Carmichael, unsurprisingly Lynn's family friend, actually loved her outfit. In fact, Jordan heard him saying, "Ah, fan service day, Lynn?" when she stepped out of her black BMW earlier that night. She was now surrounded by girls, dancing with them even, getting jealous gaze from the girls' companions.
Jordan shook his head as he looked at the people around him. But there was something bothering him. Sophie. Where was she? He wanted to see her so badly after seeing her pained expression. He also wanted to see her outfit, and wanted to keep it to himself, not for the others, especially Scott, to see. Suddenly, he saw a girl with a dark red dress. Her bodice, as what Jordan could see, was velvet and decorated with French lace. The hem of her dress was lined with black lace. Her skin looked snow white, even under the lighting. Her lips were rosy red, and it certainly wasn't lipstick. What struck Jordan was her eyes. Sapphire blue. He felt his heart skip a beat, his breath stuck in his throat, he feared that he would not breathe. But he was alive. His heart and aching chest proved so. His hand felt numb as he tried to hold on to her, as he stretched his arms. He gently touched her arm, making her jump away from him. She looked at him, her lips parted only a little as she studied him. He studied her back. Red, white and black. What a combination for such a beauty. He wanted to take her away from there and just stare at her the whole day. But this was a party, and he should act like as if he were in a party. He gave her a half-bow, then brought her hand to his lips.
"May I ask for a dance, m'lady?" Jordan said, his tone rich. She nodded, her cheeks reddening slightly as she step closer to him as the music started. They danced with the music, following each and every note with their step. The dance reminded him the last time they shared a dance together, at her 'debut' party. He whispered into her ear, "Seems that we have got used to each other, Princess". He could feel Sophie stiffening as he said so, but they remain dancing, not wanting to break the atmosphere around them. As the dance was about to end, Jordan pulled her close to him, his arms around her waist, and carried her out of the dance floor. He noticed a few people around them looking at them weirdly, some were whistling at the scene. He could feel Sophie stiffening when he did this, and he grinned. He brought her away from the crowd, still not letting her go.
He could see a flash of anger in her eyes, but he remained unfaltered, still holding on to her and smirking at her. "Let. Go. Of. Me" she said angrily, biting off each word. Jordan shrugged as she said this, and pouted. "Who knows? Maybe I didn't want you to run away from me like last time. What do you mean by 'Goodbye', Sophie? Cause here I am, seeing you right now" he said, raising his eyebrows. He could see Sophie looking at the grass, avoiding his intense gaze. After a minute, he stepped closer to her, holding her chin and made her gaze at him. He could see the blue eyes turning and even darker blue, and he realised that she was close to crying. "Hey, what's wrong?" he whispered as she shook her head. "Nothing" she replied, looking up at the sky.
Jordan sighed, then leaned against the tree nearby. Sophie stood there, still looking up at the sky. "How should I convince you that no matter what happens, I will never change my feelings towards you?" he said, taking off his mask. He heard Sophie sigh and she looked at him. She had on the same sad face she gave him before kissing his cheek yesterday. "You don't get it. It's the fact that you don't give up is the problem" she replied sadly. Jordan shook his head, then frowned. "Why? Am I going to be hurt when I get close to you?" Jordan replied, making Sophie nod. Jordan, still frowning, looked at Sophie with pure confusion. "So? There are many forms of love. There are the blissful ones. There are the sad ones. There are the ones that make your heart burst that you think that you will die if it happens for real. So what makes me hurt just to pursue you?" he asked her, now stepping closer to her. Sophie made her hair fall tumbling down her shoulders, like the night at the party. Even when he was confused and Sophie was trying to be unapproachable at the moment, he couldn't help but feel like running his fingers through her hair.
Sophie shook her head, her hair following her movements. "You don't get it. It's not me. It's the people who wanted to that comes with it" she said, gritting her teeth as she said the word 'people'. "What do you mean? Scottie?" he asked, somehow amused. "No. I mean, yes, he's one of them. But he's not the real threat, Jordan. The real threat is somebody else. Knowing him, he would definitely do something to keep us away. He might even make break you" she said, her tone desperate. "'He'? So my rival's a guy? How many guys like you anyway?" Jordan teased, not sensing Sophie's exasperation. "Jordan" she begged, making Jordan turn serious. "Hey, don't think too much. I will be always trying to get your heart" he said. Sophie was about to say something when Ken, the student council secretary, made an announcement using the microphone. "Everyone. Sorry to break the atmosphere, but it's time for the cake cutting session. Before we gather to sing the birthday song to our dear Chairman, we request Sophie Manuel, as President of the student council of Scarlet High, to make a speech" he said monotonously, looking like he was about to sleep. Why was he always looking like he lacks sleep, anyway? Jordan thought to himself.
Sophie gave him a brief nod and an apologetic look, she moved towards the stage. She was only a few steps from Jordan when Mr. Sanders, now known as the 'School Psycho' due to his outbursts from the Golden Event, took a hold of the microphone from the sleepy Ken. "Now, everyone, let's let out a chant to call her! After me! President! President! President!" he cheerfully said, with the crowd chanting with him, even though they were confused at first. Jordan noticed Sophie kept a cool face as she took the microphone from Mr. Sanders, who exclaimed, "Aww, no reaction?!". He did got a reaction, though he didn't see it. Sophie managed to give him a death glare, though it was only for a short while. Jordan stifled a laugh, and noticed Mr. Carmichael doing it too.
After Sophie's speech and cake-cutting, everyone gathered at the table to have a plate of the delicious cake. Due to the sudden crowd, Jordan lost track of Sophie. He cursed himself, angry for losing sight of her. Before he could search any further, he felt someone pulling his shirt from the back. 90 percent of his guess was that it wasn't Sophie, but he wished that the other other 10 percent was Sophie pulling his shirt right now. To him, Sophie was a demure woman of nature, and a person who rarely shows her feelings, though not all the time. He noticed that during his time of 'stalking' her, as what Robert said in their recent conversations. Robert once told him that Sophie wasn't naturally a cold person, she just made a mask to hide her soft side, in which Jordan had witnessed during recent events. He said that she learned her pokerface from Lynn.
He just realised that he was being pulled, so he looked behind him. It was Kimberley, who had on a dark expression. At first Jordan thought Kimberley was only joking around, but seeing her tightening her jaw, he knew she was serious. It was a habit that Kimberley do not know of; only Samuel and Jordan knew about this habit of hers. Kimberley was used to getting things her own way, but if she doesn't she would always clench her jaw, like right now. Thing is: he doesn't know what is it that she didn't get. Due to her dark expression and her pinching his side very hard, Jordan reluctantly dropped his intention to find Sophie; not entirely, since he wants to search for her after finding out what was bothering Kimberley. He brought her to another place, also away from the crowd, though if there were any passer-by, they could spot the two of them right away.
"What's up?" Jordan asked, as he leaned on the tree, studying her. He was caught off-guard when Kimberley burst into tears. He walked up to her and put his hand her shoulders. "Hey, seriously, what's up? Tell me, I won't understand if you keep on crying, you know" he told her as she sniffled. She then wiped her tears, then looked up at him. Jordan let out a chuckle as he gave her his handkerchief. Due to her crying, Kimberley's mascara was ruined. She took the handkerchief from him, then wiped her tears and mascara. Jordan stood there, a questioning look on his face. "So?". He saw Kimberley tightening her hold of the handkerchief when he questioned her that way. "Samuel" was what she said.
"What's up with Sam?" he asked her. She then pointed at the direction of the crowd. When Jordan travelled his gaze towards where Kimberley pointed, and he knew why. Samuel was surrounded by crowd of girls, talking to them and eating cake with them. Jordan knew that Samuel didn't mean any harm; he was known to be the 'Gentle Prince', treating everyone fairly. There were a few girls that misunderstood his 'kindness' though, like right now. During the course of their relationship, Jordan had lost count of how many times did Kimberley ran to him, crying out of jealousy. As a friend, Jordan felt he was obliged to calm her. But as a man, he was rejoicing at the fact that he was needed. Though at this moment, Jordan felt only the responsibility as a friend, much to his relief. He knew that his feelings as man has long since faded, ever since he laid his eyes on Sophie.
He tried to stroke Kimberley's hair, something he would do before erasing her insecurities. To his surprise, Kimberley hugged his torso. Now this is new, he thought. Before, he would have hugged her back. Now, the thought of Kimberley hugging him made him remember how close he was to Sophie before, and her scent. He pushed Kimberley away gently, then looked her at the eye. "Kimmy, get a grip of yourself. You have Samuel" he warned. He heard Kimberley whimper as she pulled him back to her again. "No. We are so over tonight! I'm tired of him being so friendly with every girl!" she whined. "Hey, it's not just the girls. He's nice with the boys too. Heck, wasn't that part of him made you fall for him and made him yours?" he coaxed. "I don't care! He should belong to me, and me only! Not with those girls! Especially Sophie!" she whined again. Jordan felt a jolt of panic. Sophie? What was she talking about? he thought. Jordan shook Kimberley. "What do you mean, especially Sophie? What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice rising higher as he spoke.
Kimberley started crying again, and he calmed down. He was supposed to focus his attention towards Kimberley, not Sophie at this moment. He apologised for his insensitivity, and looked her in the eye. "You go ask Samuel what he did with Sophie" she said, now pouting. Jordan shook his head, then gave her a smile. "Just tell me, what should I do to make you happy again?" he asked. "Hug me" she ordered. Jordan hesitated at first, but when he saw the look on Kimberley's face, he hugged her anyway. He intended to make it short, but when he tried to pull himself away from her, Kimberley clutched her arms around his neck, making him choke. He gave her an alarming look when he realised that his face was close to hers. Too close. Kimberley looked into his eyes, and he noticed her smiling. "You're so nice, Jordan. I shouldn't have rejected you years ago. Do you want me? Cause I want you" she said, moving her face closer to his.
Jordan realised that she was about to kiss him, and in the nick of time, he avoiding his lips from hers, making her kiss his cheek instead. "Kimberley, STOP. I'm sorry, but as you said, it was years ago. I've moved on and after this, I'm going to look for her, so please, let me go Kimmy" he begged. Suddenly, he heard a twig snap behind them. He noticed Kimberley giving him a sly smile. "I don't think she thinks that way" she said, her eyes glinting mischievously. Jordan looked behind him, and saw the now unmasked Sophie, who had guilty look on her face. "Sorry. I-I would take my leave then" she said, then left. Jordan was about to chase her when Kimberley pulled his arm. "There's no use in chasing her, Jo. She saw the both of us being intimate, so the deed has been done. Stay with me, please?" she said. Jordan shook his hand away from Kimberley, then looked at her with pure sadness.
"If you did this when I still had feelings for you, I would have listened to you. But the only person who thought we were intimate was you, and unfortunately, Sophie. I've made myself clear that we are nothing but friends. Now, I will chase her to clear any misunderstandings. I wish the best with Samuel" he said as he left her. He heard Kimberley shrilly saying, "What?!", but he continued on running towards where Sophie went. He saw her walking fast in front of him. He waited until they were near the car park, then he caught up to her and grab her arm. "It was a misunderstanding" was what he said when she faced him. "I know" she said stiffly. "Then, why did you leave me there?" he panted, still looking at her. He saw her expression turning cool. Uh-oh. "Wasn't it a good thing? Now you can have her. I bet Samuel wouldn't mind when it was his own best friend who got his girl, instead of some unknown stranger" she said. I knew it, he thought. She was trying to push him away, like how she did in the infirmary way before taking hold of her locket.
"Wha-?" he said, puzzled. "She was in your arms. You should have taken advantage of the situation and made her fall for you. Then, your lovesickness would be solved" she said coolly. "What are you talking about? You know what? You're the one who's supposed to explain yourself to me" he said, now angry. She frowned, confused. "Whatever are you talking about?" she asked. "Samuel, of course! The reason Kimberley was in my arms was the fact that she was tired of Samuel being so kind to other people, especially to the girls. What made her snap was the thought of you and Samuel!" he said, now close to yelling. "Oh, you mean that" she said. "Samuel kissed me once" she said a-matter-of-factly, making Jordan so surprised, he felt dizzy.
"What?" he asked stupidly. "We kissed once. It means we locked our lips once" she said, her tone sarcastic. "And why do you care, anyway? You should stop pursuing me, Jordan" she said. Jordan felt his vein pop as he glared into Sophie's eyes. "Oh, so you think the fact that you once kissed Samuel is a good enough reason for me to stop pursuing you, then you are so wrong" he said, saying the word 'kissed' with difficulty. "Oh, yes it is. Now have a goodnight" she said, already leaving him. Jordan pulled her closer to him, then gave her a kiss near her lips. He clenched his fist as Sophie stepped away from him, shocked. "I was tempted to kiss you, wanting to erase that kiss you once had with Samuel. I don't know when he gave it to you, but I bet that was before he got serious with Kimberley. He once told me you were someone important, so I guessed it was a favour. But now, about the kiss; I will not take your lips, unless you want it. You wait, Sophie. I will definitely make you mine, I don't care who or what will stop me, but I'm a very determined person" he said, his voice calm.
Sophie was too shocked to say anything, then he saw her bite her lip. "Why? Even when you found out about me and Samuel?" she said, sounding sad. "I told you over and over. I'm serious in getting you" he said. "You're impossible. Fine, suit yourself, I can't control your heart after all. But I will tell you one thing: I will be attending a marriage meeting this weekend, where I will meet with potential husbands" she said. "Wait, so you will meet with a few men to discuss the prospect of marriage?" he asked her, baffled. She nodded, then looked at him sadly. "That's why, you should give up. Lynn's here now, so, a very goodnight" she said, stepping away from him. Before she got close to the now approaching BMW, she looked behind her one last time. "And Jordan? I love you" she said.
Before Lynn managed to drive off, he saw Sophie looking out of the window, looking at his direction. As they left, Jordan crouched, exhausted. "That wasn't fair. Telling me that you love me after trying to push me away. What do you want me to do? Stop the arranged meeting?" he asked himself. "Maybe so" a voice said behind him. Jordan stood up, alarmed. Samuel was behind him, alongside with Robert. "I heard the confession" Samuel said smugly, making Jordan blush. "Aww, that's not fair! It was supposed to be for my ears only!" Jordan said, fake pouting. Robert was stepped closer to him, his face serious. "So, what are you going to do?" he asked. Jordan shrugged, puzzled by everything that just happened. "I guess I should prevent it or something. But I don't know if it's what Sophie wants" Jordan answered, his tone a touch worried. Samuel raised his eyebrows at this. "She told you about the marriage meeting. Obviously, she wants you to stop it, somehow" Samuel said. Jordan coughed at this, staring at Samuel. "Whoa, hey! I didn't think that you guys were listening to our conversation from almost the beginning!" Jordan said, looking embarrassed. "From the beginning. We heard it from the beginning" Robert said, now glancing at Samuel.
Jordan looked at Samuel, his expression serious. "So it was really true that you kissed her?" Jordan asked. Samuel nodded, a guilty expression on his face. "Like what you said, it was way before I was serious with Kimberley. Actually, we were on the verge of breaking up, you remember that right?" Samuel answered. Jordan nodded, remembering last year when Kimberley wanted to break up with Samuel when she found Samuel carrying a girl to the infirmary. The girl fainted due to heatstroke, but Kimberley's jealousy made it into an issue. They made up, but Samuel started to avoid being around girls, afraid that Kimberley would go into a fit again. Samuel gave Jordan a sheepish look. "I did it as a favour. From what, well, I guess I don't have the right to tell you, so you should ask Sophie about it" he said, making Jordan disappointed.
"Well, it won't be a problem, since you are going to save her, right?" Robert said. Jordan shook his head at this, his face sad. "Even if I am, how? I'm not going to just burst into her marriage meeting all of a sudden! She and I have to keep our images as children of prominent businessmen" he said, then looked at Robert's and Samuel's faces. Both of them have somehow mischievous faces. "No, no, NO! Are you guys seriously thinking that way?!" Jordan asked, too shocked to say anything more. Samuel and Robert looked at each other, then nodded at Jordan solemnly. "It could work, right, Samuel?" Robert asked, looking at Samuel. Samuel nodded, then let out a mischievous grin. "Actually, I have a confession to make..."
TO BE CONTINUED
