On My Way To Mr. Right

Chapter 22

“Charlotte, get up. You’re going to be late.”

Mom’s voice rings in my head.

Today is a Wednesday.

It's been days since Ross went to school, and now, I'm starting to get worried. I tried contacting her but to no avail. Charles went by her house this morning but no one was answering.

Where could she be?

I sighed at the thoughts of Rossalyn. It's not like her to just disappear completely for days. Especially without letting us know.

I chucked my books inside my locker and noticed the sea of people around me. They're all doing what every high school student normally does. They're all just passing by.

Then, something caught my eye.

"Lottie, hey ya!" Bea diverted my attention away from Adrian and Clara.

"Hey B," I beamed.

I looked around again, trying to find Adrian and Clara, but they were gone. What was that about? They were talking, with occasional smiles here and there. She is highly inconsistent.

"So are you ready for Spanish class?" She was looking rather giddy and happy.

"Why're you so cheerful?" I wondered.

"I want to tell you a secret," she giggled. I raised my brows at her. "Daniel's taking me to the formal!"

I gave her a confused look. She stared at me, giving me a disappointed look. Then it hit me. The winter formal!

"Don't tell me you forgot, Lottie." So I won't tell you. "We've been waiting for this the whole month."

"I guess it just slipped out of my mind," I smiled sheepishly. "So who's your date going to be?”

"Didn't you hear me?" She whined. I guess I wasn't paying attention.

She shrugs. "Daniel. Daniel Lee from Spanish class. You remember him?"

"Oh yeah, the muchas gracias guy, right?" I laughed. I remember that guy. He's in our class and the first week in, he badmouthed the teacher and apologized with a lot of grace. Least to say, he doesn't get good grades in that subject.

"Stop making fun of him," she punched my arm lightly and I whined.

"Okay, fine. Whatever." We walk to the Spanish class together. "Speaking of the formal, you've got your dress yet?"

Her face drooped. "Not really, no."

"Why? Don't tell me your father doesn't want you to buy a dress for the dance?" I don't think Mr. Baxter would go that far. He knows Beatrice loves any social events, wearing gowns and looking pretty.

She shook her head. "That's where you come in, Charlotte."

I sighed. Of course. It's got to be me.

"We are doing our annual dress shopping!" She squealed.

I groaned. "When is it? And how is it annual when we have never done this before?"

"Any day you want, Lottie. It will be an annual thing, though. I do wish Rossalyn could come with us." She grinned, showing her perfect white teeth.

"Does the twenty-fifth sound great?" I joked.

She grunted in annoyance. "So we're settling on tonight, then?"

Tonight? I can't go shopping tonight. James' dance is tonight. I shouldn't miss that. Though he hasn't officially invited us to come. But still, it's on the best friend code to attend whatever important event one of us is going to. It's moral support.

"Charlotte, is tonight good?" Bea asked, hopefully.

"But James is dancing tonight." I protested, hiding my extreme disappointment.

Speaking of James, I have yet to confront myself about the hideous dream I had. I didn’t give it much thought in the future, but I would love Hailey’s thoughts on it to interpret it in some way. She was superstitious that way.

"James? James can dance fine without us. As he had done so in dozens of previous performances, Lottie. Besides, Charles is coming and they can have their own boys' night out after. I bet they’ve invited other guys out, too."

As much as I wanna see James dance, I can't turn Beatrice down. It is friends over boys.

"What about Rossalyn, B? I'm worried about her," I told her, honestly.

"We could come by her house before shopping? Try convincing her or just to see if she's fine. Maybe she’ll even come with us. Does that sound good?"

I nodded my head. "That sounds nice. I miss her."

I felt sad at the thought of Ross. We haven't talked this long. We're the best of friends. It's our habit to talk daily. I text her continuously but I never got any response.

"So who's your date gonna be?" Bea pulled me out of my thoughts as we entered the room with only a few students.

"Date? I, umm, haven't thought of that," I admitted. I have been too absent-minded these past few weeks, balancing my internal issues with academic and friendship issues.

"Nobody's asked you out yet?" I shook my head. "Well, boys are bound to come your way. No one can resist your charms."

"Oh yeah? I wonder why I'm still single right now."

But not really. I got tired of being in a relationship. Having to satisfy someone else and make it my goal to make them happy is just so time-consuming and a distraction. So I thought why not just take a break from all this lovey-dovey stuff. It's not like the world's gonna run out of boys.

"That's because they're all scared of Damien and Adrian. Not to mention all the threatening looks James and Charles give to boys who try to sweet talk their way to you."

I looked at her confused. Why would anyone be scared of Damien and Adrian? Well, yeah, they are scary. But what has it got to do with me? Also, I have never seen James nor Charles threaten anyone. Especially not because they were trying to get into my pants or something.

"You are so clueless, Lottie." She smirked.

I was going to ask more about the issue but Mrs. Kenn slammed her books on the table just so everyone could see that she had arrived. What an attention-seeker!

I certainly was intrigued by what Beatrice meant. Maybe I understand why James and Charles would go make the extra effort to scare boys that make my way. They're my friends. They're my best friends. There's just this different kind of bond when you befriend a boy, you know? They become your brother, father, and sort of like a boyfriend.

But it would be weird if they were all of those.

But with Damien and Adrian? Why would anyone be scared to go after me because of them? It doesn't make sense at all.

Speaking of Adrian, did he patch things up with Clara? Why were they talking this morning? And why am I acting like a jealous and nosy ex-girlfriend?

I am not jealous!