Chapter Four - Party Pooper
  "Are you going to the acquaintance party?" Tom eyed me with curiosity in those beady ruby eyes of his.
    I clicked my tongue at him and hissed. "Me? Are you even going to ask that?"
   I huffed, crossing my arms at him to prove a stupid point. "The last thing people would want is a "witch" who'd curse the party and turn them all into slimy frogs and gremlins---which doesn't sound bad if you ask me."
"Plus, what would I benefit from it amigo? Would I suddenly be the "star" of the night with every guy gawking and having a mysterious dance and somehow end up like Cinderella with her lost shoe?"
      When he was rendered speechless by my amazing speech, I snort. "So what? Cat got your tongue bud?"
      He blinked, trying to analyze and sink in the words I just left hanging and then he flashes me a chirpy grin. "You're chatty today. I'm taken aback."
   I sigh. "Seriously, were you even listening to what I said?"
   He ponders, like he was thinking pretty deeply about it. "About the Cinderella right?"
   I groan, flinging my hands to the back of my head. "You're hopeless. Utterly hopeless."
   It has been a week since Tom transferred to our school. Of course with his charms and good looks--like every high school book written by a hormonal teenager who has nothing but posters of their idols----
     I'm getting out of topic. Anyway, he immediately became popular by the blink of an eye and every girl would check him out when he didn't even seemed bothered.
Some people would be darting their piercing gazes at me, often whispering that I bewitched Tom, that I hypnotized him into being my friend and while they all chatter, no one could help it.
Tom is going to stick by my side, and that gave people the disadvantage.
    Not like I think it's a blessing at all. Oh please, I can shove him in a bag and hand it to you while you elope to the countryside.
"I'll go with you," he offered, as if it was negotiable in the first place.
I snicker. "No thank you. How about you invite some other girl? I bet they're dying to ask you out."
He sighed, then ran down his finger across his slick blonde hair. "I won't go if you won't."
I shot a brow at him, frowning. "For the love of god--just go and stop being a whiny piss! I'm not your babysitter and I'm sure as heck not your mother!"
"But it's not going to be fun if you're not there," he pouted, puckering his lips weirdly.
I scrunched my nose at him. "Define fun, Beckett. You sure have some twisted definition of fun."
    "Well, I apologize if this 'crazy' guy wants to invite you to the party," he flashes me his boyish smile that would have enamored the girls nearby. "--I want to enjoy the party with my best friend, so is that really bad?"
    I cackled like I was the human form of Ursula. "Best friend? Since when were we friends?"
    He shrugs. "When I decided so."
  "Newsflash Beckett," I point a finger at him. "--I don't consider you as my friend at all-what more as your best friend."
   "How many times do I have to say to you that I hate your guts?" I furrow my brows at him. "--seriously you're going to be a Saint if you keep up this shenanigan."
He looked at me intently and rested his palm on my desk, leaning closer to me. I squirm in my seat, pushing his face away from me with my bare hands.
   With a mishevious smile, he declares. "I will make you go to the party with me."
I sourly laughed. "Oh you will."
. . .
I head to the rest room since I wanted to take a piss. I closed the cubicle and sat down when I hear the clicking of heels come closer.
I then hear one of them loudly say. "When are you going to ask out Tom?"
Another girl replies in her entitled, shrilled voice. "I guess today. I just hope he'll go with me."
"Of course!" another voice beamed. "--Tom wouldn't possibly turn you down. Just look at how pretty you are, Hannah."
  "No one could possibly have the nerve to reject you," they added.
Then this girl Hannah replies, sounding so nasally annoying. "Of course no one should. Then again, there's her."
When she said her, she meant me. And that was uttered in a hostile tone, which I couldn't care as much. "Curse her! Because of Avery, I can't even approach him when she's beside him like 24/7."
"Knowing that she's a witch, she might've hynoptized Tom into being with her," she fussed. "--and I'm way prettier than her! I can't believe a girl like her would be my rival."
   "Or, he pities her," one of her goons pipes up. "--when he gets tired of her, he'll surely move on and go straight for you."
That's it. I flung the cubicle open and their eyes widened upon seeing me, like I was a ghost who was out for vengeance.  They all look away like with my eyes darting glares. I smirk, taking my rumors to my advantage.
I take a step forward, murmuring in a low tone. "Well, well let's see who my new guinea pigs are. I've been dying to try out my new curse which covers your entire face with zits."
"And not just normal zits," I flashed a grin. "--it's zits that has pus and would multiply. I suggest you bathe yourselves with onions if you want to dispel my curse."
I added a creepy smile that might give them shivers. "Good luck."
And I walked out of the restroom as I silently laughed, tears forming around my eyes as I see them pale stricken like they had only a day to live. If they were really stupid, then I would be expecting them to smell like onions sooner or later. I swear my rumours can get handy sometimes.
I head back to the classroom, feeling all giddy but not enough for anyone to notice. I take a seat and feel Tom's eyes stare at me like I was going to disappear.
  I glanced back at him and he looks away, slightly flushed like I caught him in the act--which I did.
  "What?" I snap. "--is there something on my face, Beckett?"
   "Nothing," he pointed out, still refusing to look at me in the eyes. So he's suddenly timid now? "--it's just that you look happy."
   "Do you see me smiling right now?" I point out the blant obvious. "--if not, then you're just imagining things."
   He persists, finally glancing at me. "Well, I could just kind of feel like you were in a good mood."
   "Huh," I briefly utter. "--you're really weird, Beckett."
   His lips curve into a smile. He beams-quite too suspicious for my liking. "What if I had some supernatural sense--"
  "Stop that."
  "Fine."
  "But I swear I saw you smile for 0.1 seco--"
  "No."
. . .
The next day came and I was in for a total surprise--or maybe not, when I caught whiff of Hannah and her goons smelling like rotten armpit that hasn't been washed for years. I try to hold my smirk as I watch them motion this Hannah girl to Tom.
Tom sees her and I could see in his face getting a whiff of the awful stench. He smiles wryly and tries not to show his scrunched face--which is quite heroic and nice of him to do so.  This girl acts all shy, twirling her fingers around her hair as she looks up to Tom for an answer.
  I swear, did these people not smell themselves beforehand? The room would probably reek for at least a week--but it's all worth it.
Tom says something and the girl just stands there, awfully shock like the world just came crushing down on her. Tom turns his heel and strolls towards me as I look away, pretending like I didn't notice.
I see him in my peripheral vision taking a seat. Then he pokes my shoulder and I hiss. "What?"
"Are you going to the party?" he asks for the fifth time and I resist the urge to throw a punch at him. So annoying!
"If you really wanted to go, then you could've just went with that girl," I commented.
I see the corner of his lips go upwards and I narrowed my eyes at him. "What?"
He grins wider. "Were you watching me?"
I sputtered, my cheeks flush as I was getting too riled up. "W-why would I be watching you?! The world doesn't revolve around you!"
His smirk still remains etched onto his lips whilst he props a hand under his chin, inspecting me. "Hm... you know, Avery."
   "What?"
    "You're quite mischevious, you know?" he lets out a soft chuckle.
    I raise a brow. "How so?"
  "It's a secret," he winks and proceeds to leave me hanging for questions the remainder of the day.