Chapter Thirty-Three: James vs. Storm

“What?” I said touching my cheek, “Is there something on my face?”

“What?” Garrett asked looking confused.

“Pardon?”

“Pardon?” He said repeating after me.

“Are you copying me?” I asked crossing my arms and narrowing my eyes at the little boy, a small smile on my face.

“Are you copying me?” He repeated, smiling showing off his two front missing teeth.

“What happened to your teeth?” I asked leaning across the table and looking at the four year old in wonder.

“What happened to your teeth?”

I let out sigh. I hope this doesn’t continue because I am definitely not in the mood to deal with this the whole time. “How about this, if you stop copying me I will buy you the all you can eat pancakes. Does that sound like a deal?” I asked the little boy.

He crossed his arms, a small pout appearing on his face. “Can I get some syrup?”

I nodded my head, smiling. For a four year old boy he was smart I had to give him that, maybe it was because he was siblings with Gavin. Nevertheless, this boy knew how to get his way and it was pretty adorable in my opinion.

I opened up my menu, scanning the items to see what drinks we could order. “Excuse me,” I said raising my hand and calling the boy who just walked past me. “Waiter?” I said calling upon him again.

He turned around looking straight at me, then coming towards me. “Yes?” He asked.

“Can we order?” I asked politely closing my menu and grabbing the one that was placed in front of Garrett and placing them in a pile.

The boy nodded his head, he looked around my age. He had short blonde hair and green eyes that stood out, he was pretty cute in my opinion but wasn’t really my type.

“What would you like to order?” He asked looking down at his notepad and back at me.

“We will take two all you can eat pancakes and two large chocolate milks.” I wasn’t sure if Garrett was going to finish the food or the large chocolate milk I got him. But if worse comes to worse, I could just finish it.

“Sure is that all?” He asked placing his notepad and pen back into his pocket.

I nodded my head, looking at Garrett who had his fingers in his mouth and attention was out the window. “Yeah, that would be all. Thanks.”

He nodded his head, looking at me curiously. “Is there something on my face or something?” I said feeling my face to see if there was any dirt or anything.

The blonde boy chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re that new kid. The one Gavin and Ben are fighting for.”

I knitted my eyebrows in confusion. “Pardon, me?”

He shook his head, “Never mind. I will be back with your meal shortly.” He said nodding his head at me and walking away.

“Hey!” I called out to him, but it looked like he didn’t hear me because he kept walking. I made a mental note when the boy came back with our food to ask him what he meant by that.

“Ali?” I heard someone say, “Oh, thank God.” I turned around and saw Gavin looking at me, in relief. He came up to me shoving me towards the wall of the booth as he made room for himself beside me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him, ignoring the urge to strangle him for shoving me like that. I told him that Garrett and I were going out for ice cream, this was the last place I thought he was to look.

“Garrett’s my brother. I know him inside and out.” Gavin said, “Plus we just had ice cream and this is his favorite place to eat.”

I crinkled my eyebrows in confusion. “It is eleven in the morning,” I quickly glancing at the clock that was hanging on the wall behind Garrett. “You had ice cream for breakfast?”

Gavin nodded his head, “Come on. Like you never had it!”

I kept quiet, “I had ice cream for breakfast before.” I told him truthfully, “But I do not have it every day like you two.”

“Who said we had it every day?”

I opened up my mouth to answer his question but the waiter returned to the table with me and Garrett’s chocolate milk. “Two large chocolate milks.” The blonde boy said placing two glass of milk, down in front of us.

I licked my lips in thirst, as I stared at my large chocolate milk. It was my all-time favorite drink and I could have it whenever and would never get sick of it.

I heard as Gavin let out a low whistle, “You’re insane if you think Garrett’s going to finish that.” He said, staring at the chocolate milk.

“Hey Gavin,” The waiter said nodding his head at Gavin.

“Hey Andy,” He said getting up from the booth and doing some weird bro hug to the blonde boy.

I narrowed my eyes in concentration, “Where did I hear that name from?” I muttered under my breath.

“I didn’t know you were working.” Gavin said, continuing to talk to Andy.

I tuned the boy’s conversation out as I focused my attention to the youngest Storm child. “Garrett!” I said grabbing his drink from his hands and placing a straw in it. “If you try to drink from the big cup you will spill.”

“Gavin says I am a big boy,” Garrett told me.

“Does he now?”

He nodded his head vigorously, H-he also said that I am old enough to feed Kingston.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.” I said smiling at the four year old boy.

He nodded his head, “Gavin also said, I could get anything I want for my birthday.”

I tilted my head, examining the boy. “When is your birthday?”

He shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t know.” Garrett then proceeded to drink his milk.

I felt Gavin’s presence next to me as I felt him shift closer to me. “Why are you moving so close to me? I don’t want your irritating presence next to me, or your stupidity to rub off on me.”

“Lying doesn’t look good on you.” Gavin said, grabbing a straw and placing it into my milk.

I raised my eyebrows at him, “So what does look good on me.”

“If I answer that, I will most likely get kneed in the balls.” He said taking a sip from my milk.

“Hey!” I yelped, grabbing my drink away from him. “What the hell are you doing? That’s is my drink you’re getting all your nasty saliva on.”

Gavin rolled his eyes, “You were bound to get my saliva on you, sooner or later.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, “You’re a pig.”

He smirked at me, his brown eyes sparkling. “I’m a hot pig.”

I rolled my eyes grabbing a new straw and placing it into my drink. “I don’t understand, your brother is right here yet you decide you want to share with me rather than your own blood.”

“Garrett’s not all my blood.”

Just then Andy approached our table placing to fresh plates of pancakes with at least five on each plate in front of Garrett and I.” Here you go,” He said giving us a toothy smile.

“Thanks.” I said to him, smiling.

“No problem, just call me when you want your cheque.”

Gavin and I nodded our heads as Andy walked away towards another table. “Are you going to share?” Gavin asked interrupting my thoughts.

“As I mentioned earlier, my money, my food.” I said cutting up a piece of pancake and shoving it into my mouth.

“You never said that.”

“Well I am saying it now,” I said swallowing a piece.

Gavin groaned, “Why can’t you share? Now I have to call Andy back over here.”

“That reminds me, how do you know Andy?”

“We met in freshman year, he was in my gym class. I always picked on him, for being such a scrawny boy.”

I rolled my eyes, “I hope you realize you are a mean, judgemental, bully. And I honestly have no idea how you have friends, or girls chasing after you for all that matter.”

“When you look this good,” He said motioning to his face and body. “It’s not what’s on the inside that matters.”

I didn’t want to answer him back, because I knew I was just going to start an argument and I was not in the mood for that at the moment. I was in a good mood, but after what Gavin had just said, he pretty much ruined it.

“Andy looks familiar,” I stated, changing the topic from the previous conversation. “I know he goes to our school but there’s like a gazillion people. I just can’t place where I have seen him from, I know he isn’t in any of my classes.” I said looking at Andy who was using a lot of hand gestures as he talked to some brunette lady.

“You probably remember him from the talent show,” Gavin said to me, interrupting my thoughts. “He was the announcer.”

“Oh, yeah remember now. I thought he had a thing with my friend Sarah.”

Gavin shrugged, in response. “That reminds me, our dance is due on Monday.”

“Oh, yeah…” I mumbled, staring at my pancakes.

“Do you want to work on it today?”  He asked, my head snapping to meet his questioning eyes.

“I want to say yes, but I feel like I spend way too much time with you.” I admitted.

Gavin snorted, “It’s not like you don’t enjoy it. Now, finish your pancakes and we will be off.”

“Why did you ask me if you were just going to make up my mind for me?”

“I was trying to be a gentlemen.”

“And how is that working out for you?” I questioned.

“Pretty well!” He said, grinning at me.

*

“I think you need a new car,” I announced.

“What’s wrong with my truck?”

I winced as the engine made some sort of weird noise, “I think the question is, what isn’t wrong with your truck?”

“I agree with Ali,” Piped Garrett who was sitting between Gavin and I. “This truck is gross and smelly.” He said pinching his nose.

“What?” Gavin asked, incredulously. “Just this morning you were telling me how you loved how the truck made funny noises.”

“Well I changed my mind,” Garrett stated.

I smirked, I was glad to see that he was on my side for this. “See, just get a new truck.”

“Money doesn’t grow on trees, Ali.” He said snapping at me. “In order to get money, I would need a job.”

I shrugged my shoulders, as if Gavin snapping at me wasn’t a big deal, “So get a job.”

“It’s not that easy.” He murmured, glancing at me from the corner of his eye then looking back at the road.

I didn’t reply instead I continued to look out the window, as the car began to come to a slow halt. I looked at the old, dingy looking building. “What is this place?”

“It’s Linda’s dance academy.” Gavin replied, “Well was. It is due to be demolished soon, so I come here all the time. I use to dance here when I was younger,” Gavin said, getting out of the truck then sticking his head back in to grab Garrett.

I opened the car door, as I winced as it made a screeching noise. “So, I was right. The big bad wolf did do dance when he was younger!” I said smirking.

“When did you say that?” Gavin said coming up to me as we walked to the front doors beside one another.

“When we were in the dance studio, remember? You made a referenced The Fault in our Stars.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” He replied, through his gritted teeth.

I placed my hands up in surrender, as I gave him a sweet smile. He just stared back at me with no trace of emotions, “So, how are we getting in?”

He stuffed his hand in his pocket pulling out a key. “With this, duh.”

“Why do you have a key?”

He let out a sigh, “Nerd. Why do people have keys in the first place?”

“To open doors.”

“Exactly, see you answered your own question, like a big girl!”’ He said sarcastically.

I ignored him, turning to look at Garrett who was gripping the ends of Gavin’s shirt. I stared at Garrett for a little longer, he did look a lot like Gavin except for the blue eyes. It was weird to why Gavin had such dark brown eyes and Garrett was the complete opposite, he must have taken from another parent or something.

“There,” Gavin said pushing the door open.

He motioned for me to enter first as I complied. Walking in I noticed how everything was basically gone except for a few furniture sitting around here and there. “What happened here? Besides you know getting demolished.”

“Linda passed away.”

“Oh,” I didn’t know what to say. I never had someone I knew, pass away.

“Don’t apologize, was just my dance teacher. No, big thing or anything.” He said, turning around and walking towards another door.

I followed with Garrett, reluctantly in tow. Gavin was already in one of the dance studios, when Garrett and I entered. “So, you must come here often to have had a key.”

“Yeah, Linda gave it to me before she passed. After she passed there wasn’t really anyone who could run this place and her only daughter moved to another country.” He seemed pretty upset but was trying to conceal it.

“Did anyone try to buy it?” I questioned.

“Nobody wanted it, so the only thing left to do was demolish it.” He said, chuckling as he watched Garrett who was making funny faces to the mirror in his own world.

“This place means a lot to you, doesn’t it?”

He nodded, “My mom was actually the one who enrolled me in dance classes. She was a dancer herself, I was pretty sure she wanted a girl not a boy. Or else she wouldn’t have put me in dance in the first place.”

I chuckled, “What happened to her?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re talking about your mom, in past tense.”

He shook his head, “Nothing happened. Let’s just get working okay?”

I nodded my head as I dropped the subject, “There’s some of my dance clothes in the closet.”

“You sure there isn’t like a bug on it or anything?” I asked grabbing the clothes from the closet. “Why the hell is it in here if this place is going to be demolished?”

“I want to keep something of me, so when the building goes down I will know that there was always a piece of me going down with it.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“You don’t make any sense. Now, just put on the clothes and let us get working.”

“I can’t.” I said, refusing to put on the clothes.

“Why?” His eyebrows knitting in confusion.

“Because, there’s two boys in the room. Why can’t I just where the clothes I am wearing now?”

“As much as I would like that, I wouldn’t think you would like it if you kept flashing me.” He said pointing to the skirt I was wearing.

I rolled my eyes, “Fine close your eyes and turn around.”

He waved his hands up in the air, in surrender. Gavin then walked over to Garrett who was amusing himself with his reflection, telling him to place his hands over his eyes, after that was done he did the same as well. I quickly pulled down my skirt, then shrugging over the large baggy sweatpants that Gavin gave to me.

“I’m done.” Gavin turned around wearing a smirk, “What?”

“I think you forgot that there is tons of mirrors in the room,” I visibly paled. “Nice undies.” He said winking at me.

I groaned, “I told you to close your eyes.”

“Am I guy, you really think that I listened?”

I narrowed my eyes at him, “Garrett’s a guy.”

“He’s a child.”

“I am not a child, I am a man.” Garrett spoke up protesting.

“You know what? Can we just get this over and done with? These pants are beginning to slip off.” I said grabbing the waist band and holding them up so I wouldn’t flash Gavin once more.

“Here,” He said walking over to me and grabbing the ends of my shirt, pulling it up.

“W-what are you doing?” I stuttered, my face flushing pink.

“I am going to tie it, don’t worry I won’t try anything with my brother in the room.” Gavin replied winking. I muttered profanities under my breath, as Gavin let out a chuckle his breath fanning my face.

I felt his fingers brush my stomach, I felt goose bumps. I looked down at him as he was pulling on the waist band as a string came out from its holes. He then quickly tied it, as I let go of the pants. I felt his fingers wrap under my shirt as he pulled me towards him.

“All done,” He said whispering in my ear.

He pulled away looking me in the eyes, we stood there silently staring at each other in the eyes. I felt like he was trying to say something but I had no idea what it was. His hands were still wrapped around my stomach as his fingers brushed against my skin, as I felt my skin burn, just like my face.

Gavin broke eye contact as his eyes twitching as he looked behind me, “Garrett? What are you doing?”

I turned around looking at Garrett who was holding my skirt that was on the floor. “What’s the buzzing noise?” Garrett asked his eyebrows crinkling in confusion.

I moved away from Gavin walking over to Garrett and grabbing my skirt, “It’s my phone. Someone is calling.” I told them, as I pulled out my phone from the skirts pocket as I saw Ben’s name flashing on the screen.

My eyes widened as I realized I left him at the park. “Hello?”

“Alice,” Ben replied sounding breathless.

“Ben? Is everything okay?”

“No, everything is not okay.”

“I am sorry for leaving you at the park,” I rushed out, knowing that my parents will probably waiting at home with knives and guns to kill me for leaving Ben once again.

“Yes and no, but that’s not the reason.”

“Ben, you are not making much sense. What’s wrong?”

“You have to choose.”

“Pardon, me?”

“I am tired of waiting around, for you. You are constantly leaving me in the dust whenever Gavin comes around, now I am going to let you choose. It’s either Gavin or me, because I am done waiting for you.”

*****

Hello Lovelies,

Thoughts on this chapter? Is Gavin developing feels for Alice? Or is this just for the bet? WHO WILL SHE CHOOSE? This chapter took me forever to write, but I managed to sit my butt down, and write it even though it is Eid. I love you guys just so much, I had too! PS: Thanks for over 3 million reads guys! Means so much to me, that you guys are still with me!

Last exam was today! And NOW I am officially on summer vacation! Lol, no I am not. I am volunteering the whole month of August so… I am quite busy. Sorry lovelies, but in order to graduate I need to get some hours. This is an Eid gift to all my Muslim friends! Eid Mubarak and hope you have a great and safe one, inshallah! <3

Also, I GOT 6 more one-shot submissions Shout out to @@XOhBoiiX, @NerdyBaker98, @the_moonlight_love, @Imagination_is_me, @blackandwhite98 and @ImnotNlhub #thepresidentsdaughteroneshot! Still looking forward to reading more AMAZING submissions, so get on them people!

I also changed the due date of the deadline, it is now August 12, one week before it was supposed to be due. Because, I feel like announcing the winners on my birthday as well as an update. So it is now changed and I am terrible sorry for the inconvenience.

To win a dedication I want you to tell me 2 of your own name or your favorite boy and girl names! I am looking for suggestions for my next book which the summary will be posted on my anniversary on Wattpad in a week. And I still need names!

This is dedicated to my awesome editor @TanyaEkama

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Xoxo_mysteriousgirl