GO ON, WEAR A DRESS

I enter the hall with sudden unmeasured speed and the cold air conditioned smell hits me.

The frustrated, seething face of Sofia Richman is the first thing to catch my eye as she hurries past me, with her heels clicking in the hall bubbling with murmurs.

Why is everybody on a roll today? Was there a special mood ruining seminar that I forgot to attend? An extra Math class, maybe?

I walk further in and too soon I found two pairs of arms around me and from the familiar cologne, I knew who it was.

“It’s unbelievable!” Nathaniel has always calmed my nerves like chocolate. But right now, him and his otherwise irresistible pheromones would mess me up even more than I am.

Especially after the moment with Zac- No, Alanna don’t even think about him.

That human being dared kiss me without prior warning or permission and had the balls to be cockily rude after that. In spite of all this though, Nathaniel’s words couldn’t be more accurate. It indeed was unbelievable. Why it happened, how it happened. How it felt.

The moment kept replaying in my mind and his touch still lingered upon my lips.

“Oi. Are you with me?” His question breaks me out of my trance and I look at him with unfathomable intensity.

I know the question was casual but it somehow manages to stir something within me. And I almost start to feel bad about the kiss. When did he break the hug?

“Yeah. Sorry, I just zoned out.”

“Well well, it wouldn’t befit the latest chairperson of the Student Council zoning out this frequently now, would it?” My eyes widen at his words and my mouth opens up to form a small ‘o’.

“I am-“

“Elected and appointed the new chairperson, yes you are.” Nate laughs cheerily at the end, and his eyes are so happy, it almost makes me feel equally so.

At least that explains Victoria Secret’s anger.

“That’s uh-“

I don’t really have much to say about it, considering after the kiss with Zach, everything else is seeming unimportant.

And my mind is still hovering over the reasons for it, the ones that he didn’t give me.

Lily jumps up next at me, pulling me into a bone crashing hug.

“Lily, I ca-n’t bre-athe.”

“OH FUCK, I JUST KNEW IT!" She is too high on energy and excitement and she manages to make me laugh out eventually.

“At least you get to say ‘I told you so’.” I say with a small smile.

“Yes. I told you so.” She flicks her hair in pride and I let out a chuckle.

“How did they vote for me, though? I mean, they barely know me, right?”

“Because obviously everyone is not nearly as stupid as you.”

I roll my eyes and continue to be roped in a long list of congratulations from people, many of whom I don’t even know, followed by Ms. Xavier and Dean Brandon who simply gives me a knowing mysterious smile.

Everyone’s elated by the declaration. While my mind is lost.

“It was so amazing you know, when the results were out, like even Ms. Xavier was ecstatic. Where were you really?”

I had been roaming my eyes all around the room, trying to locate him but to no avail. Lily’s question makes me look back at her.

“Elsewhere.” I say absentmindedly.

Is he still here?

Does this change things between us? Or do we pretend this nothing happened at all? I am so confused by the equation Zach and I are sharing right now.

“You should have seen Victoria Secret’s face, I’m telling you.”

“You mean Sofia? You call her that too?” I ask with an unbelieving laugh.

“Oh trust me, the title doesn’t even deserve her, its just funny because I don’t like taking her name. She is just a cold heartless barbie I do not care about.” Lily scoffs and I laugh yet again, this time heartily before taking a bite of my chocolate.

“Congratulations Alanna !” A blonde girl comes up to me with an extended hand and I shake it with a small ‘thank you’.

“She’s the Deputy Chair though. Victoria Secret, I mean.” Lily utters with an annoyed face and I have to admit she is looking too cute.

“And who’s the other Deputy?”

“Zach.” I turn my head at the mention of his name and once again live the kiss in my mind.

Zach and Sofia are the Deputies?! Just somehow the two names sound strangely disturbing when used in the same sentence now.

“Oh.” That’s all I manage.

“And who’s the other chairperson?”

“Nathaniel.” I choke on my drink this time and let out a few coughs before regaining normalcy.

I don’t want to drink anything anymore and keep the glass back. My long year just got longer. Again. For the I-don't-even-remember-how-many th time.

“Okay, tell me what’s wrong? What did you do?” I scrunch up my eyes in confusion, trying to understand Lily’s sudden question. And her accuracy of hitting the nail on the head.

“Nothing, come on.” My voice comes out so high pitched, it hurts my own ears.

I laugh out casually, putting my best perfectly normal face. Well it’s partly true. He did that, not me. Of course. My subconscious mocked me.

“You’re bursting your knuckles, strangers are happier than you on your own accomplishment, you disappear for so long, you enter dishevelled, you’ve been continuously searching for someone, you look pale, you choke on mentioning Nathaniel, something is definitely up.

And you’re eating chocolate."

I take a last defeated look at her and I know I will have to tell her. And so I do, without the details of Zach, being the jerk he is, denying me his reasons.

“You WHAT?!”

“Don’t make me repeat it please.” I face palm myself.

“That was rhetorical, shut up. Oh my fuck. Oh FUCK. You didn’t just do that! You did that?!” I sigh and look up at her with a slow nod.

“Okay. Let me gulp that down with a chocolate smoothie. Adalanna Callister and Zach Hayden. Wow. I love that sentence.”

“Don’t make me regret telling you Lily.”

“It’s amazing, okay? I mean, it’s Zach.”

“Yeah, except for the fact that he could almost pass for a public kisser.”

“Public, yeah. But wait, don’t they have a name for that? Is it gigolo? No, I don’t think… “

I shake my head at her resignedly and don’t really catch the rest of her stories as Zach walks in, right through the door, in all his glory walking like he owns the place.

His eyes stare at me intently, unashamed and determined. It seems he always knows what he’s doing and I hope he does for the kiss too. Because I don’t.

I blink rapidly and look at him with stealing glances as he walks up to Nathaniel and they have a bro hug. All his earlier anger seems to have been vaporised and he stands in mirth though I find his eyes darken dangerously when he looks at me.

“That’s enough. Stop eye-fucking him.” I blush at Lily’s choice of words with a simultaneous laugh.

But just then Dean Brandon announces for all the new elected core members to gather in the library tomorrow and I’m much welcome for the diversion.

Zach and I have no misadventures later that day and it goes on pretty simply with just random people congratulating me.

I take a long warm shower and slowly run my finger upon my lips unsure of what today meant. Lily is too excited. Whether about the elections or Zach, I’m not sure. I skip everything else and try to sleep early tonight. I’ve had some day.

*

"I LOVE ANTHONY!" Lily sighs dreamily beside me, and I raise my eyebrows as I re-read my copy of Sherlock Holmes.

"Ah, a month then. Eighty points to Steve." I mutter, looking down at the page.

"What- hey no! Steve's still- ongoing-"

I look up at this, and she has an irritated look on her face.

"Oh, so Steve and

Anthony- you're into that? Mhm, nice."

"Oh, totally! Viscount

me in!" She gazes away far off in a daze, with a broad stupid smile and

rests her chin on her palm, which is when it hits me- she- oh, man.

"Bridgerton?!" I ask her.

"Duh."

"So you finished it then?" I smile broadly.

"One sitting, baby, one sitting. Binged it."

"Did you hear In My Blood?!" I ask her excitedly and she-

"Y-E-E-E-E-A-A-A-S-S-SSSSS!"

She squeals loudly, with a body shake, eyes closed in delight, and I bubble up

with energy on my own seat.

"That was genius, I'm telling you."

"Oh, really. I want season 2, please."

"Season 2's Anthony." I say proudly, with a smirk, and her eyes widen in surprised

pleasure, when I cut her in.

"If they follow the book, that is."

Her enthusiasm drops a bit because of the lingering uncertainty.

"They're books?" She asks flatly.

"Yep."

"You've read them all?"

"No. Last two, I haven't."

She sulks longingly, and after minutes of sitting silently, she suddenly asks me with

untamed urgency-

"How is he in the book?"

I answer immediately, without even thinking, or looking up from my book.

"Arrogant. Irresistible. Girl hates guy. Guy mistreats girl. They kiss. They fight. They

make up, fall in love."

As I hear my own too relatable words, I freeze with a jerk, and look up slowly, to see Lily smirking at me evilly, with narrowed eyes, and I retort with a quick "No!"

She continues smiling, and I dive back into my book, after rolling my eyes.

"Even Kate had had difficulty keeping her head when his lips

had been on hers. For one blissful moment, she’d forgotten everything. She’d

known nothing but an exquisite sensation of being cherished and wanted—no,

needed—and it had been heady stuff, indeed.

Almost enough to make a lady forget that the man doing the kissing

was a worthless cad."

Oh god.

Why is it, that my brain, my brain, has to conjure up

literary references that remarkably resemble my life, to taunt, mock and ridicule me.

It goes like- 'ooh, see this, sound familiar, no? Come on, try to remember, yes that's

it, now sulk.'

Sometimes, I really hate my ability to remember things.

The kiss replays in my head, and the similarities are astounding. Because that's exactly how I had felt.

For one traitorous moment, I had believed that Zach truly desired this, and forgotten that he is a worthless cad".

As much as I love literature for voicing out feelings that probably I won't be able to, I hate Zach at the same time for causing them in the first place.

But no, this is not the Regency age. I am not Kate Sheffield, and Zach is not Anthony Bridgerton.

And if our story would turn out in a way, even close to theirs, I would be beyond

thankful.

But I know that's not sufficient suffering and torture and pain where Zach's involved.

Kate had it easy, compared to me and that is saying something, because Anthony

gave her a pretty hard time as well.

The bell brings me back from my unchartered thoughts, and I glance at the same lone I

had been staring at since the past five minutes

“That’s the bell, I have to go to the library.” I tell Lily while standing up and she hands me a chocolate bar before I leave.

“Your Zachadoodles will be there. You night as well need it.” She speaks teasingly and I roll my eyes before making it to the library. Honestly I don’t know for how long Lily is going to keep up with this teasing thing.

The library is beautiful. Any library would be but then this is more so. Large, spacious and the white walls with the signature overhead lights adding to the mood. This is my new favourite happy place.

We occupy seats around a round table with Dean Brandon sitting directly across me and Nathaniel, engrossed in some paperwork and waiting for the rest of us to join in.

“Oi. Do you know what this is supposed to be?” I whisper to Nathaniel who is sitting with his hands on the table, resting his head on his joined fists, eyes closed.

“I’m sitting right here beside you too, you know. So I don’t. Perhaps some event though, I guess.”

I fake glare at him and he gives me a lopsided smile in return, after a long stare. Is he okay? He’s acting strange.

“T-U-CKKK!”

What the-

I jump and look up at the sudden sharp noise in the never-ending silence of the room. Nate sits up straight with a jerk. Josh drops a pen on the table.

Victoria Secret. Walks up to the table, with her loud, clanking heels and an overly enthusiastic face. Even Brandon gives a peering look over his spectacles and I suppress a smile.

I am so sure she has never, been to a library before. She reaches us and is reluctant to take the seat beside me. I look up at her with a raised brow and she walks around to sit beside Nathaniel.

She is so weird. I sigh, and an uncontrollable grin breaks out on my face.

The sound ceases eventually and everyone settles back. Nate whispers a “stop smiling”, while fighting his own smile.

I clasp my palm over my mouth and turn around to find Josh looking at her as if she’s a fish with legs, clothed in dress pants, which makes me want to crack up all the more.

He looks over to me, and shrugs his shoulders mouthing a “What even-“

My laugh breaks out. And I cough immediately, to mask it. Fudge. I am so beyond the point of hating her, she’s so entertaining, what the hell.

As I stop, Brandon looks up and raises his eyebrows at me. He doesn’t say anything but I’m sure he meant ‘I get it, but you need to stop'.

“So, I think most of us are here, we should start. First of all, it gives me immense pleasure to tell you that this happens to be the 50th year since our foundation. Which is why this year is going to be more special and eventful for us.

Therefore, the first thing – “

Dean Brandon pauses momentarily as heavy footsteps enter and all eyes turn to him. At least it’s not the fish in dress pants situation again.

He walks in effortlessly and our eyes lock after a moment. I sit dazed, unable to look away as his hazel intense stare makes a shiver run down my back.

It’s only after his trademark cologne and the signature Zach scent hits my nostrils too hard, that I realise that he has taken the seat beside me. I avert my gaze back to the table and I notice him leaning back in his chair, pushing the hair fringe back.

“I hope you’re aware that you’re late, Mr. Hayden.” Dean Brandon’s voice breaks out through the room and I resolve to not look at Zach again for the rest of the meeting.

“My apologies! Won’t happen again.”

“I just mentioned this year to be marking fifty years of this institution, before you decided to grace us with your presence.”

“I’m well aware of it, Sir. Thank you, nevertheless.” His lazy, thick accent churns the insides of my stomach with unwanted desire and I press my thighs tightly under the table. His voice is such a turn on, it’s ridiculous.

I look up to find the Dean resuming and from my peripheral vision, I make out a head turning towards me slightly.

I exhale heavily and fish into my jeans pocket to confirm the presence of the chocolate bar I’ll be needing too soon.

“So, the biggest thing this year, happens to be the Annual Inter Collegiate Sports Gala that St. Stephen’s hosts. I assume Coach Priestley has talked to you Nathaniel?”

“He has.”

Zach’s constant glances are too disturbing and ignoring them are even more so.

“Right. So this event would be grand and it will be flawless. My student council should make sure of that.

Now the teams would be staying with us during the whole tournament, about which I need a suggestion.

Where should we arrange for them to be accommodated? Because we had them in the hotels last year and travelling turned out to be a problem.”

“Sir, that would depend on how many teams we’ll be having.” I speak up trying to sound confident and unaffected. Trying.

Because now that I am part of this, I want to participate as much as possible. Not just sit here like a showpiece as some fish in dress pants over here.

“We’ll be having seven colleges participating, Adalanna. The number of students at the moment is uncertain, considering we’re waiting for their confirmation.”

“How about the hostel?”

“Yes, I had thought about that Zach but then we don’t happen to have enough spare rooms.” Silence descends and I try myself to think of a solution.

“Campus dormitories. In the old East wing.” Nathaniel’s voice booms out in the silence. Demanding and sure as ever, and I spot a flash of possibility in the Dean’s eyes.

“That, might be a possibility.”

“Indeed, sir. And it will be better to have them on the campus of the building we’re celebrating fifty years of.” I say with new found interest, nodding at Nathaniel who continues to look ahead, without reacting.

I frown. We need to talk.

“But mind you, Mr. Alderidge and Miss Callister. The East wing dormitories have not been used in a while and I don’t take responsibility for the species of organisms that might have originated there.

So I hope you two would not have a problem in cleaning.” Dean Brandon says with an amused undertone and light smiles break out all around.

“Not at all sir.” Oh, my OCD ass, as Lily calls it, is going to have a field day. I look over and smile lightly at Nathaniel once again and he returns a small tired one this time.

The dean begins to resume when I suddenly gasp out too loud with a small jump as I feel a hand on my knee.

“Any problem, Miss Callister? I’m sure your friends would assist you in the clean up if that’s what you’re worried about.” I flash an awkward small smile and purse my lips together.

I glance at Zach and he is looking ahead with an amused smile.

His hand draws slow circles over my knee and his touch resonates through my skin.

I had to wear a dress. Today of all days! Grrruuuhhhh- I’m gonna kill him.

Author's note:

Playful Zach is a mood. Go on, agree with me.

Alanna is the chairperson. Alongside NATHANIEL, that is.

Smells like action.

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