Chapter 85 - Matchmaking And Gossiping

Because of their striking features and unique personalities, these seniors are already popular in their school since the first get-go, but this certain someone with them stands out in a different way.

That's because Winter used to be an outcast some time ago. She never attracted this kind of attention in any occasion before, and she even repelled others for the most part. However, on that very night, she has turned into such a stunning young lady who fits perfectly with all the hotties and babes. 

Indeed, nobody knew that Winter Agreste could ever be this pretty and charming.

Not to mention, she arrived with the most popular boy in school, which was really not out of everyone's expectations at this point. After all, rumors have been circling around about these two lately. They'd been hanging out a lot these days. That's why no one questioned it anymore when they walked in there as a pair.   

'Oh, everyone's staring. We really shouldn't have gone with Courtney and the others. I hope she's not too uncomfortable with the attention,' Ace thought to himself as he walked down the stairs with Winter. 

He glanced at her, surprised to find that she was calm and quiet through it all. With grace in her stride and confidence in her steps, she stares ahead and remains collected. Finding himself enamored once again, he can't help but blush a little and stare at her in awe. Considering that she was not good with crowds, he thought for sure that she would be nervous or tense, but he could see that she was faring better than he expected.

'Well, I couldn't blame them for being captivated. She does look very beautiful tonight.'     

Winter looks dazzling in her dress that shows off her sense of style, sophistication, and flair for fun.

It seems to be designed for looks and ease, made to be breathable and built for comfort. The below-the-knee length and 'bare shoulders look' show off just enough to get her noticed while the halter straps give her image quite the edge. The empire waistline gives a slimming effect on her figure, and without any sleeves, the outfit shows off a jazzy look for those warm summer nights.

Much to Ace's delight, Violet helped in choosing her dress and picked up something that would match his own outfit, which was this classic fit suit that went well with his side fringe hairstyle.   

'Gotta give my credits to you, big sis. I'll be treating you the next time we eat out.'

---

"Girl, you didn't tell me you're already sucking face with Ace!"

Winter tilts her head at Courtney who's looking at her with an ecstatic expression. Maxine is right beside her. It seems to her that they've been getting closer each day. With the cheerleader's natural outgoing personality and the delinquent's inherent snark, the two had gradually become friends over the course of time.

At the moment, the three of them are seated by their designated tables, leaving themselves out of the crowd in the meantime to have some little girls' talk. 

"Sucking face...?" Winter repeated, scrunching her nose.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You! And Ace! Together...!" Courtney enunciates, a smirk on her face.

"You conquered the one and only Ace!"

"Huh?! We're not together!"

"What...?" Maxine interjected, sounding quite bewildered.

"Dude, I thought you'd both be at... I don't know... second base by now?"

"Please, don't misunderstand. I agreed to come with him tonight as a friend. It's not what you're thinking. Why are you two suddenly so interested, anyway?"

"Wintry, the whole school is interested!" 

"Why would you guys even talk about that?" 

"Why wouldn't we be talking about that?"

"Because it's not that interesting?"

Maxine lets out a guffaw at that while Courtney gives her a look that says 'how adorable'. Winter shot them a glare - one that should've already made them take a step back. But then, they only continued with whatever game they're into.   

"You claiming the one and only Ace is very interesting, Winter!" Courtney proudly remarked. 

"H-Hold on a minute! What's with this 'claiming' thing? I didn't claim anyone!" Winter tried to talk them out of it but to no avail.

"Claim is a loose term..." Maxine corrected, waving her off. 

"Come on, Wintry. Everyone's been buzzing about how Ace blew off so many offers just because of you!"

"He what?"

Winter takes a breath, still trying to taking in their words. It's at her stunned expression that they let out a boisterous laugh.

"Just what is this about Ace denying other girls?" Winter asked with a puzzled look. 

"Oh, so you don't know...?" Maxine drawled and settled back, looking somewhat smug.

"Well, alright. Weeks before the prom, a number of girls already started asking guys out. So, some 'brave' girls decided to aim high. Xander was getting notes everyday. And I'm sure the other hot boys got requests as well."

"So what?"

"What do you mean 'so what'? I recalled that at least a couple of guys did try to ask you out too! You're one of the list of pretty girls in school as of late, you know. And since you'd been hanging out with us for the past weeks, those dudes thought of getting to know you better by doing that-"

"Oh, no they didn't! Pretty girl my face! Nobody did nothing! That's impossible to begin with!"

"Hmmm... Weird. I thought for sure... Well, anyway, so if the hot boys are the target, then the bullseye is the top of popularity ranking - in other words, Ace. That dude is on some other level."

Winter frowns.

She recalls what she had realized before - that Ace isn't like that because he wants to be. To know that he had achieved that sort of reputation makes her a bit sad. They all see him as a great person - warm and kind, with a smile worthy of springtime. Though she can't deny that, she also knows a more important side of him, which is that dreamer in him who also gets tired of the spotlight and just wants to be free. 

"Continuing on...!" Courtney chimed in, picking up where Maxine left off.

"Many girls gave it a shot. But Ace turned down every single one who asked. And wouldn't you know it? I heard some people talking about it. He'd actually announced that he already had a girl in mind, so 'all of their efforts are in vain'. And do you know who he had in mind?"

Winter doesn't need to see the sly look she's making to realize that Ace had basically called himself off-limits. In doing so, he had caused her to be off-limits too. Now, she sees what he'd done quite clearly.

That's why she didn't get to receive those offers that Maxine were talking about.

Ace already announced Winter off the market. A strategic move, she has to admit – using the girls' offers to his advantage. That is kind of similar to how Violet tried to use Marcellus as a way to escape the talk of marriage before. But unlike his sister, he's not using her for that same purpose.   

Ace seriously has a thing for Winter.

And it further shows when he performs a song at one point that night. He's been chosen to do a special number, and being the charismatic musician that he is, he ends up charming everyone there with just a few strokes on his guitar strings as well as his heavenly voice. But him singing in front of the crowd like that wasn't what took the whole cake -

It's when Ace announced something that put Winter on the spotlight for the rest of that evening. 

"I dedicate this song to my classmate, Winter Agreste. I hope you'll enjoy it. Happy eighteenth birthday to you."

And the crowd went crazy right then. 

---

"So, you're the sponsor, after all."

Winter found Marcellus at a balcony outside of the prom's event hall.

The night was about to end, and the sponsor for the occasion was already revealed by the event organizers and the faculty staff. Upon hearing his name getting mentioned over and over again in their acknowledgement speeches, she set off and looked for him. She also wanted to take a breather for the time being, already feeling overwhelmed by everything that went down this evening.     

"Did you enjoy your prom and your birthday?" Marcellus asked without looking at Winter, giving her the impression that he was mad about what happened last night like what she expected.

"I'm sorry for running away. I shouldn't have done that. I was being rude and selfish."

"That's not my question, though. I was asking if you-"

"Don't hide it, Sir Lexington. You can tell me about it. I know you didn't like what I did. Then again, you did a lot for me. But I didn't give back a single thing - not even a proper 'thank you' for all these birthday presents you prepared. I'm very sorry."

Finding themselves not on the same page, they let the heavy silence fill in for them for a moment.