Chapter 30:

Don't You Dare

With the birds singing on this crisp November morning, I make my way up the steps towards the school's entrance. The handle of the double door freezes against my hand, causing me to pull it away before trying again with my hand covered by the sleeve of my jumper.

Not many people have arrived yet but then again I don't know many people who would choose to come into school early on a Monday morning. Especially now that the sun refuses to rise before we open our eyes, that's the worst bit, waking up to the dark abyss.

Principal Clark has arranged a meeting with me regarding my 'appalling behavior' from the scene at lunch on Wednesday. He'd been meaning to organise a meeting on Thursday or Friday but he'd been too caught up in paperwork, or that's what his email said. The problem with Oakmore's principal is that he hates confrontation and would much rather handle matters behind the closed door of his office.

I have never seen him deal with fights or bullying but I suppose when someone hits the girl who's dad has just paid a ridiculous amount of money to get back in, you must protect her at all costs. I can only imagine the uproar from Amelia's dad if Principal Clark had let me walk away free.

Walking down the cold, hushed hallways, a hand grips my arm with an alarming amount of force. The pull of this hand forces me to turn around, facing the perpetrator behind it.

"Am I going to need a restraining order or something to get you to stay away from me?" I ask, sarcasm rolling off of my tongue.

"Don't try and be funny with me Haywell." Amelia warns.

The few extra inches of height allows her to tower over me, her eyes narrowing, making sure I feel intimidated. Her grip gets harsher, causing the red colour surrounding her fingers to deepen.

"What do you want?" I say sharply.

"Is your meeting with Principal Clark this morning?" She questions.

"That's none of your business. Now I thought I told you the other day, stay out of my way." I snap my arm from her hold, turning around to get away from her.

"What are you going to tell him?" Amelia appears in my face again, this time refusing to let me past.

"The truth. I've got nothing else to lose and it'll be my pleasure to watch you trail your way back to boarding school." I fold my arms over my chest.

"Don't you dare." She lowers her voice, stepping closer to me.

For the first time, I spot the faintest bruise on her left cheek. It'll be from the slap. Steven was right, it must've been a good hit. The bruise brings me the confidence I need and I take a step closer towards her, ready for another fight if that's what it'll take to stand my ground.

"Or what?" I reply.

"You're so naive." She laughs and I stare back, refusing to answer her.

"Lola, you have no idea about just how much I know about you." Her sniggering stops and once again she narrows her eyes.

I gulp at her words, suddenly the confidence has been knocked from me, alongside my breath.

"I'm telling you now, if you tell him, I will tell the whole school everything I know by the end of the day. You will never be able to step foot in this school again."

My eyes look back at her blankly as I nod my head.

"You hear me? See you in math!" She says, a sweet smile moulds her lips and she gives the smallest wave before walking in the opposite direction.

Leaving me to wallow in my own thoughts.

***

"So Miss Haywell, you must understand why I've had to call you here today." Principal Clark says with a serious tone.

"I do." I reply, my hands still shaking from my altercation with Amelia.

"At Oakmore we have three key values. These are: kindness, respect and responsibility. Now your actions last Wednesday broke these values and that is something that I cannot let go lightly." He tilts his head to the side, raising his eyebrows to emphasise his point.

"I've been principal for 15 years and I know very well that there are two sides to every story. Can you please explain to me what it is that exactly happened?"

I look down at my trembling hands, fiddling with the promise ring on my middle finger. I think over my words carefully as Amelia's warning spins around in my head.

"Amelia and I have been having a few problems lately and I suppose that it just came to a head that day."

"What kind of problems?" He frowns.

Nervously, my mind scrambles for an answer. The kind of answer that would result in no further questions or the kind of answer that a man simply can't understand.

"Boy problems. She's Zac's ex girlfriend and I sometimes get a bit jealous. She'd tried to get him to break up with me and I got so angry that I lashed out. I can't apologise enough for the problems I've caused and I promise that it won't happen again." I lie.

"Ah I see." He says, slightly uncomfortable at the idea of listening to problems regarding teen relationships.

"And in all honesty sir, it was also that time of the month, if you get what I mean. Us girls can get a bit heated, those female hormones and all." I say knowing that I've hit the nail on the head to make this meeting end.

Principal Clark awkwardly shuffles in his seat, the apples of his cheek begin to dust with pink.

"Right then. There's not much else to say other than please don't let this happen again. I won't take this any further. Hurry along to class, I don't want you being late." He stands up, fiddling with his tie as he shows me to the door.

I thank him before hurrying out of his office. I suppose useless principal's come in handy sometimes and the key to making any middle aged man uneasy is talking about periods.

Making my way through the busy corridors, I reach the door to my French class room. Zac smiles up at me as I open the door, pulling out the seat next to him for me.

"Hey, how did it go?" He asks, pecking me softly on the lips.

"It was interesting?" I chuckle.

"How so?" He raises his eyebrow.

"He's not going to punish me and he gave me the usual lecture that it's unacceptable and against school rules."

Zac rolls his eyes clearly used to hearing the same speech from his many experiences of being in trouble with Principal Clark. Whilst Zac was mostly a good kid, his years of being late, ditching or messing around in class often landed him in the hotseat of the principal's office.

"That's not all though." I say.

He looks at me questioningly, understanding the scared look in my eye. He reaches out and takes my hand in his, running his finger over the ring he gave me.

"Amelia found me before the meeting. She threatened me with finding another way to get to me if I told him the truth." I mutter.

"Are you serious?" He asks, pounding his fist on the table, gaining us some weird looks from our fellow classmates.

"Please don't worry about it. I made up some lie and Clark believed it. It's annoying, I know but hopefully it'll mean she backs off."

"I suppose." He replies still annoyed, I reach up to his face, stroking my hand across his face.

"That reminds me. I need you to be ready for 7pm on Sunday." I say, a smile returning to my pale face.

"This Sunday? As in my birthday?" He cluelessly questions.

"Yes."

"Why's that?" He smirks.

"A birthday surprise." I tease back, finally giving Zac a piece of his own medicine.

***

Just as I promised, I sat in my car outside Zac's house bang on 7pm on Sunday.

I love birthdays. Mine is obviously the most important and is the best day of the year but I do have a soft spot when it comes to celebrating other people's birthdays. I always try my best to get the best gift and I'm not talking about something flashy. I mean the kind of gift that truly means something to someone, that gives them a smile that tells you that you've done something special for them.

Whilst this date is my main present for Zac, I've also bought him this cashmere sweater I'd seen him eyeing up online, along with his favourite chocolate and the soppiest birthday card I could find. I want to make him feel as special as he makes me feel everyday.

There's no better feeling than spoiling the ones we love.

I wait nervously for him, fiddle with the knot on my shirt. For his birthday date, I've chosen to wear a rose pink, satin shirt, it's low cut and ties up with a knot at the front. I've matched it with white jeans and short heels. I want to look my best for him and I need to look smart as Bella Amato is a posh restaurant.

Zac walks down his drive, approaching my car. He's wearing the same white shirt he wore on our first date, almost as if his conscience has told him where we're going but in reality he's still unaware of what the evening holds.

"Happy birthday baby!" I say as he gets in the car, I grab his cheek, squishing it with a kiss.

"What's this all about then?" He asks.

"That's still a surprise." I wink.

"Now I know how it feels when I surprise people. I'm not sure if I like it or not, I'm too impatient." He laughs.

I reach behind me to grab his presents off of the back seats. Handing him the blue gift bag, his smile grows bigger, making my heart jump with joy.

"Lola, you didn't need to get me anything." He gushes.

His hands nimbly unwrap the silver wrapping paper surrounding the jumper. He lifts it out, examining the material.

"You didn't?" He gasps.

I smile back, letting out a small laugh. He throws his arms around me, expressing his gratitude. I can't wait to see how he'll react when we arrive at the restaurant.

"There's more, check in the bag!" I tell him.

He pulls out the chocolates and his eyes land on the British chocolate bar with the words 'Happy birthday Zac' written across it's wrapper.

"What's this?" He asks with a lopsided smile.

"It's called a cadbury bar. It's a British brand of chocolate; the best. Remember how you told me that you wanted to try some British food? I thought this would be a good place to start. The only condition is that you have to share it with me, I've been missing that stuff and your American chocolate just doesn't come close to that." I reply, joking about our British vs American rivalry.

The chocolate battle is one that I know I will always win. It's a fact that British chocolate is better, it's creamier. Unlike the driving on the right side of the road argument, I have this one in the bag.

He takes out the card, reading it word for word. For a moment, I swear I can see a tear in his eye but within a blink it's gone. After reading it, he turns to face me and I notice a look on his face that I've never seen before.

Unconditional love.

"I love you so so much Lola."

"I'll never find someone as good as you. I'm so lucky to have you in my life and be able to call you my girlfriend." He expresses.

"I love you too."

"And you didn't need to get me all of this." He says wide eyed.

"I wanted to spoil you." I reply.

He looks me up and down, accessing my outfit. A cheeky smile lines his lips.

"Trust me, you're the only present I need." He whistles before grabbing me, kissing my neck up and down causing me to shriek with laughter.

"Stop, it tickles." I giggle as he continues to peck my neck and chest.

Grabbing his head, I lift it from my neck, pulling his lips onto mine. He kisses me back passionately, tangling his hand in my hair. Our lips crash against one another, begging each other from more. His lips tasted sweet making them even more inviting. Zac moans against me and I slowly pull away before it can get anymore heated.

He smiles as he takes his seat belt to buckle himself in. Turning the key in the ignition, the engine rumbles below us.

"Where are we going again?" He asks, hoping I'll slip up and tell him.

"Wow, you're more annoying than me when it comes to wanting to know surprises." I joke.

Zac continues to pester me for the rest of the short drive to the restaurant. It begins to feel like an interrogation, with him asking me every question about this date that pops into his head.

The street lights reflect off of the bonnet, causing his eyes to glisten against the night sky. The two colours of blue contrast against each other. The midnight blue of the dark sky is full of mystery whilst the azure blue of Zac's eyes fill with excitement. They come together to create the perfect atmosphere needed for this date on his birthday.

As we reach the main street, I slow down, signalling to park a few shops down from the restaurant. Zac looks at me as I pull the keys out and grab my small bag. His face frowns with confusion and I can't help but curl my lips into a wide grin.

"Ready?" I ask as I open my door.

"Now I am confused." He says.

I let out a loud laugh, refusing to reply. Taking his hand in mine, my heels click against the path leading towards the grand from doors.

"Lola, are you serious right now?" Zac says in disbelief, gawping at the restaurant.

"I have a table for two booked, under Haywell." I tell the waiter as we reach the front of house.

I look up at Zac who's taking in his surroundings. This time the tears in his eyes are visible and it's clear to see that he's overwhelmed. Zac Enderly, the boy renowned for creating the most special, perfect dates is being spoilt for the first time in his life. This is something Amelia had never done for him, she was the princess and expected him to treat her like it in their relationship.

The waiter leads us to our table and Bella Amato is more beautiful than I remember. The restaurant is lit with candles, creating a romantic ambience as the tables sit under the glass ceiling which shows off the twinkling bright stars. The vast fountain in the middle of the tables continues to flow it's crystal clear water, with water lilies bobbing along the top of the water. The alluring chandeliers dangle above each corner of the restaurant, the dim lighting bouncing off of them. White lilies drape off of each table and amongst them are a range of tall, white candles, hidden under a glass lantern.

Bella Amato is completely different in the winter. The mood is snug and intense, the kind of mood to indulge in both food and love. In the summer it was much more relaxed with it's open door letting in the butterflies and heat. The flowers were more tropical and it was much more peppy.

Right now it felt like an out of world experience. It felt high end and exclusive. The rich atmosphere created a more intimate feel, which was perfect for tonight. This is exactly what Zac and I needed, it's as if Bella Amato always fit the mood of our dates. The way it was in the summer was perfect for the first date of two young teens. This time, it's ideal for the birthday of a young couple, completely in love.

My chair scrapes along the marble floor as the waiter pulls it out for me. Sitting down, he lays the folded up napkin across my lap. Zac sits across from me, thanking the waiter before the two of us are left alone in our amorous bubble.

"I can't believe you've done all of this for me." Zac says, his face is transfixed on mine.

"You deserve this, Zac." I say, mirroring his face.

The candle light flickers across his face, causing his skin to glow a warm tone and his dimples to cast shadows as he grins back at me.

"You are the love of my life Lola." He says, his smile warming my heart.

I look down bashfully, unsure of how to reply to a compliment like that.

We both continue to look around us in astonishment.

The restaurant rejoices with delight, filling with couples eating and absorbing in each other's endearment. Soft piano music plays from the live piano situated by the bar. The pianist plays slow, tender pieces of music which tug on our heart strings. The music controls us and our emotions like puppets, dominating our emotions.

And amongst this all is Zac and I, captivated in each other's affection, trapping this moment in the hope that it'll last forever.