Chapter 241.

Chapter 241. The Valentine’s Day School Dance: What’s Troubling Alicia. (1/5)

I sat back and relaxed as the DJ played song after song.

Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO, Payphone by Maroon 5, Gentleman by Psy, and both Closer and Paris by The Chainsmokers. There were a few nightcore versions of songs as well. How Do You Do by Boom, Wildfire, a vocaloid song, and I Can’t Get High by Royal & the Serpent.

When it was about 3:15 PM the DJ played Gangnam Style by Psy. 

When the song finished, Alicia returned to the wall directly below me. She scanned the surroundings over, looking for someone, but it seemed she didn’t spot whoever she was looking for. Honestly, her figure looked a bit lonesome from above. 

Rosa didn’t pull her along to slow dance this time. She’d been intercepted and surrounded by a bunch of second and third-year guys which left Alicia isolated by the wall alone.

As for those who intercepted Rosa… I had the sneaking suspicion it was under the direction of the student council president. It seemed he was finally making his move.

Once the lighting had been adjusted in the room to fit the slow song, the DJ made an announcement.

“This one goes out to all the beautiful ladies here today.”

As the DJ made that announcement and the first lyric to the sound played, Jass stepped forward once more and headed toward Alicia with the conviction to be mercilessly slaughtered.

“My life is brilliant.”

You're Beautiful by James Blunt.

“Pffft hahahaha!” I covered my mouth and ducked down.

The second I recognized the song I burst out into a laughing fit.

It was too funny.

As for why, it was because it fit him too well.

“My life is brilliant, my love is pure. I saw an angel, of that I'm sure.”

I couldn’t take it. I’d laugh myself to death at this rate. I weakly pulled myself up from the ground and leaned all my weight on the railing as I did my best to keep in my laughter.

“She smiled at me on the subway.”

Please stop. I’ve got stuff to take care of now that the student council president looks to be finally making a move, Jass. I’m seriously not going to make it because of you making me want to laugh.

“She was with another man.”

Ugh. This line. The guilt.

“But I won't lose no sleep on that”

You won’t? What the hell, aren’t you pretty amazing?

“'Cause I've got a plan.”

What the hell is this plan you speak of? It better be damn good man.

“You're beautiful.”

Huh?

“You're beautiful.”

Bro, that’s not your plan, is it?

“You're beautiful, it's true.”

Say it ain’t so. For real? Your plan is to just tell her she’s beautiful a bunch of times? I don’t think that’s going to work out man.

I rushed down the stairs unable to take it anymore.

“Are you okay? Your condition looks like it’s gotten worse.” The teacher at the bottom of the stairs asked me that. It seems he didn’t need to switch out. His classes were probably in the morning.

“No, I’m still feeling pretty sick, it seems it’s gotten worse rather than better.. Do you mind if I leave a bit early?”

“It’s not a problem. Go right ahead.”

“Thank you.”

I headed out the side door exit directly beside the teacher that exited out into the main hallway a short distance away from the gymnasium’s main entrance. There were two sets of doors with a small corridor between them before you entered the main hallway. I took out a pencil I kept in my pocket and wedged it in the second door that was locked from the main hallway side to keep it open.

After that, I rushed back to my locker and retrieved my bag. I looked left and right and made sure the coast was clear. I put in my blue contacts, quickly ruffled my hair up with some styling paste, and removed my school blazer. I took out a black zip-up hoodie from my bag and wore it over my white-collared shirt with the hood up and low to obstruct my eyes. I also changed out my old pair of shoes for the new ones Irene got me that I planned to wear at work from now.

Fully changed, with my head low, and my blazer under one arm covering my second pair of shoes, I rushed back to the gymnasium right before the song was about to end. I threw my blazer and shoes in the corner to the side of some lockers outside the gymnasium exit I initially came out of.

I didn’t enter through here though, rather, I went around to the gymnasium’s main entrance.

“Who are you?” Right as I was about to enter, the vice president who was coincidentally walking out of the gymnasium at the same time suddenly stopped me. I raised my right hand up and showed her the back with the stamp.

“I was a bit cold and I swapped into a sweater. I was inside up until just now.”

“Oh. Sorry about that. Please go ahead. You shouldn’t have your hood up indoors though.”

“Thanks. As for the hood, sorry about that. I’m just really cold, I was outside getting some fresh air just now, I’ll take it off as soon as I warm up a bit.”

“Okay.”

Phew. That could have been more troublesome than necessary if she was a stickler for the school rules. It was pretty unexpected for the student council vice president to be so easygoing.

I walked past her into the gymnasium and noticed the situation had changed in the two minutes I’d been away.

The student council president had finally made his move. He was beside Jass, in front of Alicia, with his hand stretched out toward her. He was trying to make use of Jass and put Alicia into a position where it was impossible to reject him.

“There must be an angel with a smile on her face...”

That angel was not smiling at all. Rather, she looked sad and troubled by the situation she’d been put into. She’d rejected who knows how many guys’ requests by this point. She appeared completely drained. 

Up until this point, she still hadn’t slow danced with any boys. She was trying her best to avoid it. She couldn’t slow dance with me publicly because of my relationship with Rosa. But that was only the case for Ran. Right now I was Sean, her coworker.

“But it's time to face the truth.”

I walked over to where they were located and stopped beside the two. They didn’t even notice when I arrived as they were too busy staring each other down. I extended my arm out and forcefully grabbed Alicia’s hand.

“I will never be with you.”

“You will be with me for this next song,” I stated with my voice altered to the point it was unrecognizable.

“Huh? What is it now?” Alicia seemed exasperated when yet another party was thrown into the fray out of nowhere.

“Dance with me for this next song.” 

“I’m sorry, I ca-” She hadn’t looked up. She had her eyes glued to the ground and hadn’t realized my identity.

“Just shut up and dance with me.” I pulled her up to her feet. She looked up at me and caught a glimpse of my eyes on her way to her feet only after I asked in such a rude fashion.

“Huh? Wha-” Alicia didn’t know what to say. Before she could say anything a hand landed on my shoulder.

“What do you think you’re doing? Who are you? Are you even a student here?” The student council president asked interrogatively.

Without turning to him, I raised my right hand and flashed the stamp on the back of my hand.

“I paid to get in and received a stamp like everyone else, there shouldn’t be any problems with that.”

“If you’re not a student here there is a problem.”

“Dumbass, I’m her boyfriend.”

I shook his hand off and spun Alicia around to my side with my arm behind her waist.

“Boyfriend? I can hardly believe you’re her boyfriend. Aren’t you making things up to try and get out of trouble for sneaking in here and forging that stamp?”

“Making things up? Alicia, am I your boyfriend, or an imposter like this guy says?”

“Huh? Uh… that is…” She had a hard time confirming it. Her eyes swam from side to side.

“As expected, Alicia’s troubled now because of your lie. She’s so kind she doesn’t want to get even an unscrupulous shady person like you into trouble despite how you snuck in.”

“That’s not it!” Alicia finally spoke up.

“Huh? Alicia, what do you mean that’s not it?” The student council president asked, deeply confused.

“She means this.”

“Mmmnmmm!” Alicia let out a startled sound when I leaned in and kissed her daringly in front of everyone. All eyes had been drawn to the commotion. I’d kept my face outside the student council president’s line of sight with the hood I had on.

With the poor lighting, and my hood up, those far away couldn’t make out my facial features very well.

“...” silence descended, everyone was shocked into speechlessness by the sudden turn of events.