40.

40.

I stood gaping at the scene before me. Why the heck was there a party going on in full swing in the palace?
Noah seemed to share my confusion, though, he didn’t look shocked. If anything, he seemed used to it.
“Why is there a party all of a sudden?” I asked Noah, as he walked towards me.
We had just come back from that horrific interview, and instead of witnessing an angry queen (at least that’s what I was expecting), I was face to face with grand decorations and lighting.
“It’s a ball, by the looks of decoration,” Noah replied, after assessing the surroundings. “I don’t know, what for.”
Before I could say anything else, I saw Alice, strutting towards us from the palace entrance. Her glimmery pink gown blinded me for a moment, and I had look away to give my eyes a break.
She beamed at Noah, upon reaching us and threw her arms around his neck. “Noah! I missed you!”
“The feeling is…not mutual,” Noah muttered under his breath. I had to snort at that.
Alice turned a deaf ear at Noah’s words and turned to me, with a scowl. I smiled back sweetly at her, just to spite her. It actually worked.
“What are you smiling about? Don’t think that just because-”
She was cut off when Noah slowly pushed her hands away from around his neck and gestured to the palace. “What’s all this about?”
Alice instantly switched her expression and batted her eyelashes. “It’s a charity ball. So many important people are present today. And, our most esteemed royal guests from the entire world. Come on, let’s go inside. You are already in formals, so you don’t even need to change.”
Noah shook his head. “But, Chloe does, I am not going in without her.”
Alice huffed and turned to me, measuring me from head to toe. “Who asked you to wear this…thing?” she asked, pointing a finger at my jeans. Oh, please beach, jeans any day over glimmer pink gowns! “Did no one tell you about the ball?”
“Um…no…” I replied.
Alice paused for a second, then, let out a dramatic gasp, covering her mouth with her hand. “Oops, my bad. I was supposed to inform you but, it may have slipped my mind.”
“No fear when Sophia is here!”
I turned sideways to see Sophia walking- I mean, running towards me. She tackled me in a hug, upon reaching me and started praising me for the interview.
I laughed and pulled away to see Will walking towards us with a scowl, which was definitely directed at Noah.
“Was that necessary?” Will glowered at Noah. “Zain? Really? Zain?”
Noah bit his lip and scratched the side of his neck sheepishly. “Well…it’s not like you have shown interest in anyone else…” he trailed off, his eyes flickering towards Sophia.
It was Will’s turn to look sheepish and awkward.
“Oh yeah,” Sophia piped up, “you should have just said that Will likes a peasant. Don’t you, Willy?”
Well, damn…
Will cleared his throat. “No, um, technically I am not supposed to like peasants,” Sophia’s face fell slightly at this, but, Will continued after a pause, “but, in the light of some recent activities, I am going to make an exception-”
Will was cut off when Alice started giggling like a madwoman. I swear to God, I have never wanted to kill anyone in my life as much as I wanted to kill her then. She had interrupted Will’s semi-confession about Sophia. I couldn’t tell what Sophia was feeling: mad at Alice or glad that this was interrupted.
“Oh Will,” Alice chirped, wrapping her arms around his bicep.
Wow, beach…
“You know that I am always here, for you,” Alice continued. “I am sure Noah won’t mind if I spend some time with you. Don’t ever feel the need to make an exception.”
Oh my God!
By this time, Sophia was fuming. And, I could happily say in my mind, bye bye, Alice, you messed with the wrong person.
But, before Sophia could even take a step forward, a loud shriek erupted from Alice’s mouth and she jumped away from will.
We all turned to the source of her scream: Caleb.
Caleb had appeared unnoticed and…dropped a whole bowl of soup on Alice’s glimmer pink gown. But, if the grave expression on his face was anything to go by, he had done it accidentally.
“Oh my God, Caleb,” Sophia breathed, “I love you even more now!”
Caleb blinked and looked up at Sophia, then at Alice, then, her gown. “Oh my God, oh my God, OH MY GOD! I wasted food, I wasted food, I wasted-”
“Food!” all of us except Alice, repeated for him.
I was pretty sure that Caleb was going to be in a trauma over this wasted soup, for two days straight.
“Why the hell would you do that?” Alice snarled at him. “Do you know this gown’s worth? It can probably buy your whole existence!”
Uh oh, wrong move, Alice.
Caleb’s eyes were flashing dangerously by the time he opened his mouth. “Do you know how much this food is worth? It’s priceless! But, you know what? I change my mind. You and your gown deserved this after what you said to Mia inside.”
Oh no, she didn’t.
“Cal, what did she say to Mia?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.
“Mia was talking to some guy and she seemed actually happy-”
“She was not just talking to some guy.” Alice interjected. “She was talking to Tristan! Do you know who he is? He is Annabeth’s boyfriend!”
“What are you? Boyfriend police?” Caleb snapped. “And, she was talking to Tristan, so, what? Dude, she was just trying to hold a conversation with him.” he fumed. “Mind you, he was the one who approached her! You had no right to go in between them and belittle her like that!”
“I said nothing but the truth! Of course, she doesn’t deserve Liam or any other guy. Did you see the way she eats? Disgusting! And, did you see the way she-”
“Enough!” Noah held up a hand. “That’s enough, Alice. Please leave, before I do or say something that I will not regret.”
Alice pouted, stomped her feet like an eighth grader, then huffed and left.
Noah took a deep breath and ran a hand down his face, then turned to face us with a somber expression. “I am sorry. This shouldn’t have happened. None of the things that Alice is causing should have happened. I am truly sorry.”
“If you ask me, she is the one who shouldn’t have happened in first place.” Soph snorted.
I couldn’t agree less.
“Noah please, it’s not your fault,” I assured. “And don’t go apologizing for Alice. I will go in and talk to Mia. God knows that she needs her friends, now, more than ever.”
“I am not going to forgive that abomination on earth for bumping her elbow into my soup bowl and wasting it,” I heard Caleb saying behind me, as Soph and I walked towards the entrance. “She is so going to pay.”
I received peculiar looks from the guests for my choice of attire for a ball, but that was the least of my concerns.
“Poor Mia,” Soph said, falling in step beside me. “It was so hard for me to persuade her to get ready for this ball. She has been so out of her element ever since the whole Liam thing. I think it was more than a crush. She definitely liked him a lot.”
I nodded. “I think so too. Even though she never openly confessed it, I am pretty sure-”
The rest of my words died in my mouth and I halted in my tracks, when my eyes landed on Mia, crying on a guy’s shoulder, who had his arms around her. A guy who I could only guess was Tristan, from the way Anna, who was standing in the sidelines, watched them with her lips pursed.
A/N: I m sorry for the late update. I am half dead because of my study load. Ugh! Weekends are the only free time I am getting from now on. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Many of you were asking how many chapters are left. Well, I don’t even know myself for sure because I write as I go. But, we have almost hit the climax. I don’t think it’s too long before the ending. Oh, and now what are your ships? XD