Chapter 34: Chapter 34

Rylie's POV

"Okay. So what's our first stop? Movie or lunch?" I asked, looking to Blake after a few minutes on the road.

"You'll find out soon enough. Don't worry about it," he reached over and took my hand in his. And just like that, I found that I didn't really care wherever he took us. All I cared was that I got to be with him.

Soon enough, the car pulled over in front of a shop painted a light pink and white. There was a huge sign at the top of the building that read “Tammie's Treats” in shimmering blue.

"Wait here!" Blake said before stepping out of the car. Few minutes later, he stepped back in holding a brown paper bag.

I stared curiously at him as he placed the bag on the car. "What's in the bag?" I asked, my eyes still on the bag.

"It's a surprise," he answered flatly.

"Okay. So what is it?"

"You'll find that out soon enough!"

"Aww! But I want to know now!" I whined.

"Well, your loss because you don't get to see it now," Blake objected, starting the car.

I groaned and leaned back into my chair, my eyes glued to the brown bag. With Blake concentrated on the road, I discreetly trailed my hand to the brown bag, hoping to grab it and see what was in it before Blake could stop me. Just as I was about to lay my hands on the bag, Blake chimed, "Don't even think about it, girlie!"

I huffed and retreated, folding my arms across my chest and turning away from him. The fact that he chuckled at my actions infuriated me even more.

Soon enough, we pulled over in front of the popular Cosmo Cinema. I hadn't been to it in a while but the few times I had gone there, I always had a good time.

"What are we doing here?" I turned to Blake to ask, alighting from the car.

He smiled instead, walked over to me, took my hand and nudged me forward with a "Come on!"

He started walking and together, we walked hand-in-hand into the building. Despite it being a work day and almost noon, it was still pretty packed. While the building was called the Cosmo Cinema, it housed a couple of other outlets as well such as a KFC, various shopping malls as well as the Cinema itself.

"So what are we seeing?" I asked, once I got over my awe and was finally able to close my mouth.

"Well I might have heard you talk about this movie to Olivia…" he started.

"By heard, you mean eavesdropped?" I cut in with a knowing smile.

"Heard? Eavesdropped? Whatever! Either way, I thought what better way to apologise for the whole nose thing than taking you to see your favorite movie? And here we are! Tada!" he spread his hands with a dramatic flurry.

"One question though. Did you plan to bring me here all along or was this just a spur of the moment thing after you annoyed me?"

"A bit of both really. I already planned to bring you here so after the thing about Sky, I just thought this would be the perfect thing to perfect my apology. So… you like it?"

I could sense that he was kinda nervous to hear my answer and in a way, it warmed my heart so I reached over and squeezed his hand.

"I don't like it," I paused for dramatic effect. "I love it!" I added.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Blake accused as I pulled away.

"Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't," I winked in a ‘I won't say’ manner. "So what movie are we seeing?"

"We're seeing… wait for it…. Raya And The Last Dragon!" Blake announced after a long pause.

"Really?" I squealed, pulling him in a hug before I could stop myself. "I've wanted to see that for weeks! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!" I hugged him even tighter.

"Okay. This is nice...but I think you're choking me!" Blake croaked, making me aware of what I was doing.

"Right!" I quickly pulled away. "Sorry about that. I've just wanted to see this movie for like so long but I missed it while I was in the hospital. You have no idea how much this means to me!"

"I think I do. I have the marks to prove it. Oww!" he moaned, his hand on his stomach as he took an exaggerated breath.

"Whatever. You might be a jerk but I guess sometimes, you have your moments," I admitted smugly.

"Aww than... wait, did you just say that I'm a jerk?"

"Well duh! Why else are we here? Now let's go watch Raya And The Last Dragon!" I let out a celebratory scream and made to go to the cinema but Blake abruptly pulled me back.

"We'll do that but for my next surprise," he waved the brown bag in my face. "While we enjoy a movie that's sure to be a blast, we can also enjoy…these!"

"OMG!! Chocolate jelly donuts!" I exclaimed, licking my lips at the sight in the bag. I accepted the bag from him and was quick to grab a donut from the bag from which I took a huge bite, moaning at the chocolatey goodness.

"I take it you like my surprise then?"

"Like it? I lo... I love it!!" I exclaimed after swallowing the bite in my mouth.

"That's good to see. I take it you're ready to see Raya now?"

"Well duh! Let's go!" I pulled along with me to the line for the movie.

•••

"Oh my gosh! That was even better than I expected!" I exclaimed, breezing out of the Cinema.

"I know. I think I even enjoyed it."

"Lemme guess, you're not much of a cartoon person, are you?"

"Yeah. I'm more of an action movie buff but that was actually refreshing," Blake added, stepping into the car.

"I think my favorite part was when Sisu brought up her plan to get the last gem piece from Namari. That scene was absolutely hilarious!" I cracked up, holding my stomach.

"You're right. Disney movies are always so kissy and romantic. I actually loved Raya."

"Yeah, he's awesome. So back to school now?" I asked, buckling my seatbelt.

"Not quite. There's still one more place to visit before we head back to school."

"Where… Lemme guess, it's a secret?"

"You know me too well," he replied.

I gave him a good-natured roll of my eyes and leaned back into my seat. The car was silent but it was a welcome silence. Tilting my head to the side, my eyes fell on Blake and all I could see was how incredibly hot he looked.

As though realizing that I was staring at him, Blake turned his head to the side.

"Like what you see?" he asked smugly.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," I stuttered, looking away as a blush covered my cheeks.

"If you say so, darling!" he drawled, looking ahead. He pulled the car to a stop beside an obscure looking building. I alighted and fixed him a “What's going on?” look.

Pretending like he didn't notice my look, he walked over to me and pulled me behind him to the building. He knocked twice on the door and walked in.

It was set like a cafe and had a few tables with chairs set around them. There was also a kind of bar with stools lined about it. Just up ahead was a stage where a microphone and a screen were set up.

Blake led us to the bar and we took two stools that were placed together. He waved the barman over and ordered two milkshakes. The barman nodded and left.

"What is this place, Blake?" I asked, curiously looking around.

"Well, it's a karaoke bar."

"Why are we in a karaoke bar in the afternoon? I thought these places operated in the evenings."

"Well this one is always open. It's mostly a cafe slash karaoke bar and we're here for you."

"Me? What does that mean?"

"It's means you're here to sing!" he dropped the bomb. I stared at him wordlessly for a few minutes, my mouth curved in a "O".

"Oh hell no!" I shook my head vigorously, slipping off the stool so I could hightail it out of there. Blake was however quick to stop me before I could take another step.

"Rylie, you can't keep running away from this!" he argued, forcing me to sit.

"And you don't have the right to force things like this on me. You know what happened the last time I stepped on a stage."

"So? That was years ago. Listen to me… listen! You'll be fine. I've heard you sing Rylie and you're good. They're going to love you. And why is that? Because you're amazing!" he gripped my shoulders tight as he spoke.

"But what if you're wrong? What if they boo at me? What if...?" I rambled but Blake cut me off with his finger on my lips.

"Stop thinking about the negatives and instead, think about the positives. What if they love you? What if you end up having a blast? What if this ends up being the best experience of your life? Think about that instead," he said.

I didn't say anything but the idea still didn't delight me. "Rylie, quit worrying. You'll be fine. I'm here for you, okay?"

"Oh alright!" I mumbled under my breath. "I'll do it."

"That's great to hear."

The barman appeared with our milkshakes and Blake passed mine to me after clinking the glasses together. As I sipped on my milkshake, a lady took the stage and had her turn. Her voice wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. Once she was done, mild applause followed her off the stage.

After a few more people had their turn, Blake told me I was up. The dreaded moment had arrived. Taking a huge gulp, I got off the stool and slowly made my way to the stage. It was a wonder I didn't collapse based on how shaky my knees were.

I grabbed the microphone for support. The music started playing and I instantly recognized the song playing. It was Love Yourself by Justin Bieber.

The words appeared on the screen but I couldn't bring myself to sing. The words just seemed stuck in my throat and try as I might, nothing came out. Everyone's eyes were on me and I felt like disappearing into the ground. My eyes began to water as flashes of the last time I sang in stage flitted through my mind.

My eyes eventually came to a focus on Blake who gave me a thumbs up and mouthed the words "You can do this!" to me. I smiled at him and took a deep breath.

By now, the song had stopped playing so I nodded to indicate that I was ready and the song started playing again. When I started, my voice came out in a croak and the first few lines weren't too good. But as I continued, my voice normalised and the lines came out smoother.

*And if you like the way, you look that much

Then maybe you should go and love yourself

And if you think that I'm

Still holding on to something

You should go and love yourself...* I sang, keeping my eyes on the screen.

When the song eventually came to an end, I mumbled a "Thank you" and got off the stage. To my surprise, applause followed me off.

Everybody was clapping and I found myself blushing out of shower delight and surprise as I walked over to Blake.

On getting to Blake, he picked me up and twirled me around before giving me a big hug.

"You were amazing out there!" he mumbled, his breath on my neck, giving me a warm feeling in my stomach.

"Thanks…for everything!" I gave him a huge smile as we parted. "I would never have had the courage to get up on that stage and sing if not for you. So thank you for that. You're an amazing friend, Blake Weston and I'm happy to have you as my fake boyfriend," I winked delightfully.

"The pleasure's all mine, Miss Myers," he kissed the back of my hand. "The pleasure's all mine."

*Later At School*

It was almost time for the football game and both schools had arrived and were preparing. Blake and I had slipped into school just after the bell for the last period rang. No one seemed to have noticed we were even gone except Olivia but giving a brief narration of what we did, she smiled and didn't say a word.

Everyone was making their way to the football field which was where I was headed with Blake beside me. I had an idea why he was with me but I chose not to speak about it and just enjoy having him beside me.

Then we ran into Sky. I hadn't noticed him at first but Blake had and he'd placed his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer to him.

"Hey Sky," I said anyway, ignoring Blake's gesture.

"Hey Rylie," he smiled at me. His smile was replaced by a different look as he asked, "What happened to you?"

I could tell he was talking about my nose but before I could answer, Blake exploded, "And what does that mean? Yes, her nose looks weird but she had an accident and if you can't deal with that, then maybe you're not really her friend."

"Okay Blake, calm down! Sky didn't mean anything by it, right?" I asked, stepping between both of them.

"Right. I just didn't expect it. I'm sorry about your accident, Rylie," he took my hand and rubbed the top with his thumb.

"Of course," I mumbled, pulling out of his grip as quickly as I could manage.

"Great. Now that that's out of the way, Rylie and I have to get going," Blake pulled me along with him before I could do anything else.

"Bye Sky. Good luck!" I waved at him.

Blake led me to just outside the field. He still had to get ready for the game so he had to go to the boys locker room.

"Good luck out there, Blake!" I said, turning to look at him.

"Thanks. But with you on my side, I already have all the luck I need," he pecked me on my cheek and headed in the direction of the boys locker room. I stood watching him until he disappeared from sight.

Shaking my head to clear the thoughts running through due to the peck Blake gave me, I headed onto the field and found a seat on the bleachers beside Olivia.

"Hey bestie," I tapped her shoulder as I took my seat beside her.

"Hey you. Here to support your man? Huh?" she nudged my shoulder suggestively.

"My man? Now I know you're crazy!"

"I'm crazy? I'm not the one who snuck out to play hookie with her boyfriend," Olivia sang in an accusing manner.

"And I thought you promised not to say anything," I whispered pointedly.

"Right."

"Any idea where Mason is?"

"None. He's been pretty scarce lately but he did say he would be here."

"Okay. The game's about to start!" I squealed excitedly as the cheerleaders prepared to come to the field. Just then, I felt a telltale sign that meant I needed to go to the bathroom. "I'll be back soon, Olivia. Nature's calling."

"I did not need to know that," Olivia gagged. I rolled my eyes at her and made my way past her to the bathroom.

After doing my business, I washed my hand and made my way into the mostly abandoned hallway. I was on my way to the football field when I remembered something I left in my locker. Blake gave me his varsity jacket to wear to the game. He said it was just to show support but I knew it was really about Sky. I forgot to pick it up before going to the game.

As I made my way to my locker, I got the feeling that someone was following me but the hall was empty. When I heard footsteps behind me, I jumped in fright and turned around but there was nobody there.

All of a sudden, I felt huge meaty hands cover my face and I was suddenly being pulled back. I tried screaming but I couldn't because of the hand over my mouth. I trashed and struggled against my captor but I couldn't get out of the tight grip holding me.

Just then, I was thrust face first into a metal box. The door was closed hard, causing a huge bang to resonate throughout the box I was in. Then it occured to me that I was actually in a locker. I couldn't tell the one I was in but it was dark and my nose and head hurt.

"Let me out! Let me out!" I yelled, trying to break out but the locker wouldn't budge. Eventually I gave up and leaned back into the wall.

"Somebody, anybody, help…" I called out weakly...