Chapter 5

"No, Ariana, you're putting too much blush on my face! Emma, my hair is about to catch on fire!" I whined, which made them both laugh.

"Relax, you'll love the result," Emma said, holding back a laugh as I pouted. I cursed myself for considering going to Mr. Harold's farewell party just to see Liam's reaction to my look. I wanted to see if he would continue to flirt with me casually or if he would be nervous.

*Flashback*

I came to Arian's house a few hours ago with bags full of supplies. The creaking of the door drew the attention of Ariana and Emma, who were probably getting ready.

"Sophie? What a delightful surprise! What has brought you here?" Ariana stated. I felt shy and looked down before blurting out, "I am here to get ready with you guys for the farewell party." They appeared to be taking their time processing the information before tightly hugging me.

"Sophie! I am overjoyed that you are coming!" Ariana expressed her excitement with her voice. Emma forced me to sit on a chair and I awkwardly smiled.

"Let me do your hair while Ariana does your makeup," Emma said, smiling.

*Flashback ends*

I had been sitting here for hours after that, waiting for them to finish working their magic on my face and hair.

They finally finished after what seemed like an eternity. I wanted to look in the mirror, but Emma pushed me inside the bathroom, handing me my gown. "Check yourself out after wearing your gown," she said, winking.

Emma hasn't acted this childish in a long time. She was always the mature one in the group, whereas Ariana and I were complete trouble makers. That was until I grew distant from them. I guessed it was because we were all going to a party together for the first time in decades.

Until the last session, we went to a lot of parties. I could tell Ariana and Emma were surprised but pleased that I was attending the farewell party.I was surprised that I was willing to attend the party. Getting even with Liam felt good. My main goal was to get him so worked up that he peed his pants.

"Sophie, hurry up, we're running late!" From the other side of the door, Ariana yelled. "Coming!" I responded by slipping into my gown and walking out.

In disbelief, I looked in the mirror. I looked absolutely breathtaking... Ariana applied a simple yet stunning makeup to my face, while Emma tied my hair into a clean and stylish bun with a few strands of hair left behind at the front, which she curled to make my hair look elegant. I wore a ridiculously flattering, silly pink, flared ballgown that highlighted my curves.

"Let's go," Emma said, and I nodded while continuing to stare at myself. We rushed inside our car before heading to the club where Mr. Harold's farewell party was being held.

Mr. Harold had planned a small party at our college, but after most students scoffed at the idea, he changed the location to a club he had reserved for us. When we learned of the change in location, the majority of the college decided to go including us.

Ariana and I went inside while Emma parked her car. There were whispers and all eyes turned tousled. "Look at Ariana, she's pretty, but the girl next to her is sexy." "Wait, isn't that Sophie?" "No way! Is that Sophie?" "Is she back to her previous self?" "I like her this way. "She looks so fucking sexy!"

I ignored all the gossip about me and went in search of the tall, masculine brunette guy who was the main reason for my arrival. I eventually found him drinking beside the bar. When I approached him, he appeared surprised.

"Chica, you look amazing tonight," Liam replied. Even though I was confident, hearing his deep voice give me a nickname made me stutter a little. "You have quite a tongue on you," I commented as I sipped a glass of champagne. "Sure, I do, but I'm also good at other things." I give a small smile. "A dance?" he inquired. "I don't take no for an answer," he added. I chuckled before offering him my hand.

The night began with us flirting while dancing in time and ended with us making out in his car.

For the first time in months, I felt my cheerful self return, and it was all thanks to Liam.

One week had passed since Mr. Harold's farewell party. Liam and I had become good friends. We barely spoke during the school hours, except in the Library, but we hit it off at his house after school.

Liam and I never discussed about us making out because it was a one-time incident. But I didn't want it to be a one-time incident. More than ever, I craved his lips on mine. What sucked was knowing he probably didn't feel the same way.

Rather than discussing the project, we would spend the majority of our time jokingly flirting with each other. However, flirting with Liam was met with a lot of teasing from Ariana and Emma. They were constantly teasing me about him.

"I want to thank Liam for bringing my friend back," Ariana said rather loudly in the crowded cafeteria. "I agree, I wonder what type of black magic he used to bring my lost friend back," Emma added.

"But whatever he did had repercussions. My friend can't seem to get enough of him "Ariana whined, pouting and pretending to cry.

I rolled my eyes, having had enough of their teasing. I was only friends with Liam. I did have a minor crush on him. I wasn't stupid for failing to notice it. But I knew it was just a crush that would pass in a few days.

But a part of me believed otherwise.What if I fall in love with him  and can't get over him? That's why I was terrified.

I'm terrified of next Monday. That day is the deadline for our project. I was afraid we wouldn't talk again once the project was completed. There will be no reason for us to talk, and we will revert to strangers. I felt sick at the thought.

I didn't want us to go back to strangers. I wanted us to remain friends after the project was completed. But I knew it was almost impossible. We started talking because of this ridiculous project, and we will stop talking once it is completed.

I intended to make pleasant memories with him. I'll flirt with him more than usual, spend time with him other than studying, and so on. I wanted this chapter to be full of happy memories that I could laugh about in the future.

'My pitiful one-sided love story'

And who knows? Perhaps he'll fall for me during that time. My own irrational thoughts made me want to laugh.

The bell rang, jolting me back to reality. My friends looked at me as if I were a ghost. "What?" I inquired. "Nothing. I was just wondering why your face was making millions of different expressions while you were lost in your thoughts

"Ariana expressed her curiosity. "No reason, anyway, gotta go," I said as I ran away.