Little Pheebs giggled at Chloeâs compliment. She couldnât help it. It was just such a funny thing how her âsisterâ liked to pretend she was more perfect than she was. Phoebe could point out all of her imperfection, both physical and mental, and it wouldnât faze the brunette in the slightest. It wasnât that Phoebe hated herself, or thought she was ugly; she liked the way she looked, but she wasnât oblivious to the ways she might appear unappealing to other, even if she failed to see
their imperfections most of the time. âOkay, okay,â she replied, still giggling slightly, âI give up⊠if you stop fidgeting with your phone. Malcolm would be silly to let you slip from his mind even a second, and Malcolm isnât silly. So there.â She said, finishing the argument. Sheâd put her mind to it, and now there was no deterring her. Phoebe knew in her heart that Malcolm and Chloe would figure it out. Chloe usually ended up with what she wanted, and sheâd wished for Malcolm for so long, it would simply be impossible for something not to happen. Malcolm was probably just busy getting ready and hadnât realized the text.
Then, at Chloeâs comment about going with her to the hall is Malcolm didnât reply, the young girl merely smiled up at the daughter of Poseidon and began rambling, now partly to get Chloeâs mind off of Malcolm, although she didnât quite realize how fast sheâd been babbling until Chloeâs facial expression registered and she giggled a little breathlessly, while Chloe guided her breathing back to normal. She smiled sheepishly at being chastised, not saying anything back. The look in her eyes showed all the apology needed. As Chloe finished replying after a little while, Phoebe laughed with her at the threat of Chase being drowned by Chloe of all people. It was just so ridiculous. She smiled widely up at her older âsisterâ. âJust donât get toooo drunk, Chloe-wowey.â She frowned slightly at the thought, âwhat if you fall and hit something?â Then the frown disappeared, replaced by a vibrant smile. âIâll take care of you. Oh, and you know I donât drink! Itâs much more fun to watch everyone else act all silly.â She giggled, reliving memories of watching the others, including Chloe, drunk in the past. âIâm glad Chance can dance,â she playfully added, âthen you wonât have to drown him for stepping on my toes.â She laughed softly again.
In the next instant, Chloe was making suggestions about her hair. Phoebeâs smile widened, if at all possible. âYes!â she exclaimed, excited again, âthatâs perfect! Absolutely perfect!â Phoebe adored curls; they were so beautiful. When she got out of the shower, her hair wet, it was always just weird and half curly, half straight. If she let it dry without brushing it, curls would appear, but if she even brushed it once, it would become straight. She didnât quite understand the process of her hair, but sheâd learned to live with it. It meant that her hair was straight on most occasions, however. Not that she minded, but she did so love her hair curly. Soft, red curls just looked so pretty.
Alex laughed at Robbieâs threat as the feminine male waltzed over to him. âUh oh, death by rainbows!â He feigned fright as he brought his hand up to his lips already forming an O, and gasped dramatically with a playful glint in his eyes. âWatch it, Robbie. I might pee my pants, and that would totally ruin the look you so carefully dictated.â He laughed again, relaxing. Okay, so their relationship was a little⊠weird. The fact that Alex just let certain things be handled by someone else entirely was highly unlike him, yet as with all things, it was different with Robbie. That guy had to be handled a specific way. Oh, he knew this comment would encourage the child of Iris to keep the bickering going, but he didnât mind it. Actually, it was just fun. He was certain Robbie would chastise him about even contemplating the destruction of his outfit in any way. The thought made him chuckle slightly as Robbie inspected him, handling even the slightest mishaps. During this, the son of Apollo stood completely still, letting his personal fashion expert take care of his looks.
If he didnât know Robbie crushed on both women and men alike, he couldâve sworn he was entirely gay. In fact, the only things he could think of that made Robbieâs more masculine parts peek, were if you insulted his pride⊠or hurt his baby sister, Phoebe. For some reason, Phoebe was the little titbit that could really spark the protective big brother in him, and thereby the masculinity that lurked. Maybe it was just that Phoebe was so fragile, she needed it, or maybe it was just the big brother thing in itself. If anyone could relate to that, it was Alex. Hell, he had several younger sisters, and they were all equally impossible to deal with at times. At least Phoebe didnât think she didnât need Robbieâs help. Alexâs sisters, however, all felt like they could handle themselves. He knew better, though. Not that he didnât think his sisters were able to handle some situations, but sometimes they needed him, and even though theyâd never admit it, he knew they recognized that he just wanted to keep them safe.
He truly wasnât trying to strangle them with his over protectiveness, but things like Em leaving just brought him out of his comfort zone. Heâd worried himself crazy, not knowing where she was, or whether she needed his help. At least in the confines of the Academy, Alex knew he could keep an eye on all of his sisters. Of course it helped that he had eyes and ears everywhere â gossip and news spread like wildfire around here. Like when he and Blitz had finally gone public with their relationship. Tell a couple of people, and suddenly the entire population knew, and then heâd had people complaining about
he hadnât come to tell them himself, feeling insulted that theyâd had to hear from others. It had been hell the first couple of days, trying to explain to people that he simply hadnât had the chance to get to them before the gossip did. But now, after a week, things had thankfully settled down and he could enjoy Blitzâs company without people coming up to ask about them every other minute.
Alex was jolted out of his thought about a special blonde, when Robbie spoke up again. He blinked a couple of times, seeing the guy bow as his words sunk in. âYeah yeah,â he countered, waving off the insult pointed at him, paired with a complimented pointed at Robbie himself. Beautifully executed. He smiled wryly at the next words as Robbie straightened himself. âYou wish,â he countered playfully. âTell you what. Iâll give her kisses from me, and then you get to hug her at the ball.â He winked at his best friend before opening the door. He turned to Emily, flashing a smile. âTake good care of him. Donât let him take another bath, and,â he paused, sending Robbie a pointed look with a glint of teasing in his eyes, âno kissing my sister either, Mr. Manwhore. That one is off limits.â With that, and a little chuckle, Alex grabbed the long-stemmed red rose heâd bought for blitz from the table and walked out the door, promptly shutting it behind him. As he made his way towards baileyâs room, his thought wandered to Robbie again. But this time, he focused on the guyâs fascination with certain types of women. Alex knew Robbie well enough to be quite aware when the guy had a little thing for someone, like Blitz. She was Robbieâs type to a certain extent, and Alex knew Robbie would never act on whatever he felt for the blonde, but he didnât like it anyway.
It wasnât jealousy, and not quite wariness either. Honestly Alex couldnât quite decipher how he felt about Robbie liking Blitz in a way that you really shouldnât like your best friendâs girl. He knew he wasnât a fan of it â who would be? But he didnât love Robbie any less because of it. He would probably be a jerk to anyone else who looked at Blitz with anything but friendship in their eyes, but again⊠for some reason, Robbie was different. Maybe it was because Alex knew his best friend would never make a move in the wrong direction. Besides that, Blitz didnât reciprocate the feelings, so he had nothing to worry about. Bah, he didnât know. He supposed it was just as well, though. With that conclusion, Alex reached Baileyâs door and rapped his knuckles against the wood blocking his entrance. âBlitz?â he called, hoping she was still there as he hid the rose behind his back. If theyâd left, heâd just meet her at the ball, but he wanted to surprise her. Itâd bring that beautiful smile out on her face. He just knew it. Personally, a smile already grazed his handsome features just at the prospect of seeing her. Did it make him a pathetic, lovesick puppy? Probably. But he honestly couldn't say he minded; he'd missed her.
Nate couldnât help chuckling at Lanceâs reply. âBooze, huh? I knew something had to be your excuse.â He playfully shot back before smiling. His younger brother stood out among many of the other students; perhaps because he oftentimes didnât try to mingle, too occupied with his girlfriend outside the safe confines of the Academy. He could tell something was wrong, but he didnât want to pry, knowing that if Lance wanted to tell him anything, he would. Some people needed others to dig and poke to out any information, and though Nate knew Lance needed to out his worries, tonight simply wasnât the night. Besides, Nathan still wasnât sure how comfortable Lance felt talking to him about his private thoughts and feelings. Perhaps that was the main reason heâd decided to let Lance come to him, instead of the other way around. His younger brother wouldnât react well to probing. He was a private fellow for the most part.
He noticed Juliette approaching Lance from behind, just as his brother began speaking again, hinting at Ness. Juliette saw him noticing her, and gestured for him to silent. As he wasnât quite sure what she was up to, he decided to humour her for a little while yet, turned a wry smile Lanceâs way and chuckled a little at his comment. âTips?â he said thoughtfully, squinting his eyes in a mock gesture of suspicion, âwhat would you need any tips for, mister? To my knowledge, you have a girlfriend.â Then he merely shook his head and laughed. âBesides⊠it really isnât all that fun. Belie-âŠâ he stopped in his track, realizing Julietteâs intend too late. As she moved to cover Lanceâs eyes, Nate only managed a resigned sigh before Lance was moving. If heâd known the girl would be silly enough to not even warn Lance a little, he would have stopped her before it got that far. Some people just didnât take suprises well, and he knew Lance was one of them. Which meant that even before his brother had Jules pinned, Nate knew exactly what would evolve.
He registered Nessâ presence in the corner of his eye, moving at the same time as her. He almost growled in frustration when she fell. She gathered herself though, and Nate quickly turned to Jules and Lance, taking note of the situation. Lance had turned around and was now letting go of Jules. He couldnât help smiling wryly at the girl, giving her a quick look-over to make sure nothing appeared damaged. Lanceâs concern was evident on his face, but still, Nate had duties as a teacher. âLance,â he said, voice stern, moving to gently intercept the two, continuing his words as he gently assessed damages on Julesâ arm and shoulder, âIâll meet you outside the hall in a couple of minutes.â It was an obvious dismissal, telling the student to walk outside and stay there while Nate figured things out with Jules. He worried sheâs sprained something from the incident and though he understood Lanceâs actions, they were still unacceptable, even if he hadnât intended to hurt Jules. He shut Lance out of his mind as he looked into Julesâ eyes, âcan you move your arm?â He asked her, very gently holding her arm in his hands. Both his voice and eyes were laced with gentle concern and care.
He would look to Ness in a bit. Her fall hadnât seemed bad and she had gotten herself to the chair. He had to push personal feeling aside and care for Juliette first. He doubted Nessâ damage was that bad, anyways, and he figured, worst case scenario, sheâd limp around for the next couple of days. He knew her; Ness liked to run, and sheâd hurt her ankle several times during. He didnât hear any squeals of pain, and she didnât call for him. If she had, he wouldâve been there in the next second, although⊠if Julesâ damage was bad, he wasnât entire sure what heâd do. He cared too much for both girls, and it was so damned confusing. He glanced at Ness anyway as he heard a gasp of pain from her direction, concerned fluttering through him. âYou okay, Vanessa?â Man, did it feel weird to use her full name. He had to remind herself that her nicknames were off limits at all public times. Right now he was thoroughly irritated at being the only teacher in the room. Why hadnât the others arrived yet?