Crown of Thorns • 3

Chapter 3

“So, Imogen… there’s someone I want you to meet!”

Alaska beamed at her. Imogen could clearly see the mischievous glint in her eyes. With a pair of squinted eyes, she crossed her arms and looked at Alaska.

“Who?”

She asked, eyeing the girl carefully. Alaska squealed excitedly, before she started to grab her best friend’s wrist, dragging her.

“Hey, chill!”

When they both arrived in front of an abandoned class of the school, Imogen sighed. She knew that this room wasn’t actually ‘abandoned’; it’s the videography club. To be quite frank, nobody’s actually interested in the videography club; just a bunch of kids, videotaping random stuffs.

Alaska knocked at the door thrice, before she opened the door with a huge smile on her face.

“Hey, hey!”

As Imogen expected, there was nobody in the room; maybe she was wrong, after all. The videography club isn’t a bunch of nerdy kids; it’s only one nerdy kid.

“Cade!”

Alaska cheered happily. Imogen’s green orbs squints suspiciously as she looks at the guy sitting behind a mac. He was wearing a pair of thick black glasses with locks of dirty blonde hair on top of his head. He glanced at both the girls before he sighed and stood up, towering over both of them.

Imogen directly frowned and stare up at his 6’2 frame; she hated being the shortest in the room.

“It’s Caiden, not Cade”

He said, boredom clearly lacing his tone.

“I know—but since we’re all friends here, Cade is your new nickname!”

“First, we are not friends. Second, why are you here? If you’re here to discuss about that silly project you talked about—“

“The project!”

Imogen cried out, flinging her hand out exasperatedly.

“Of-freaking-course!”

“Listen first, will you?”

Alaska muttered, glaring at her and the boy. Caiden rolled his eyes and nodded at the door.

“Exit’s that way”

“No! Listen!”

She could feel the frustration slowly eating her alive. She took a deep breath and ran her finger trough her shoulder-length straight hair before she sighed.

“Look. I know you both think that this project is silly. Imogen, you don’t believe in this thing and Cade—“

“—Caiden!”

“—Right…Caiden, the last time I visited, you looked like you’d rather die then help me with this project, but you guys…this isn’t as bollocks as you guys think it is”

“How so?”

Imogen mumbled, looking down at the floor with a sharp glare.

“Adrianna made fun of it already”

“Imogen, since when do you care about what Adrianna thinks?”

Alaska sighed. Imogen bit the corner of her lip nervously; a habit she could never stop doing.

“I don’t—I mean, I don’t know…it’s just—“

“Can you guys continue the drama somewhere else? It’s 3.30 already and I want to go home”

Caiden said with a yawn, shutting down his mac. He crossed his arms and stare at Alaska with a bored, unidentified expression on his face.

“I’m not going to help you two”

“We’ll pay!”

Alaska blurted out, making Imogen slap her forehead. Great. She didn’t even want to do this project, and now she has to pay for it?

“We can talk about this later, but we’ll pay!”

Caiden was silent for a moment. For the first time in his life, someone was actually asking for his help in videography…and he’s got the chance to get paid for it, too.

With a heavy sigh, he fished his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Alaska.

“Number. I’ll text you if I change my mind”

The happy grin crept back on her face as she happily squealed.
“Sweet! We’ll be looking forward for it”

As Alaska typed her number on his phone, Caiden couldn’t help but look at both of them and smirk mockingly. Imogen noticed it right away, making her frown deeper.

“What are you smirking at?”

He shrugged innocently, the smug smirk still plastered across his face.

“Oh nothing. It’s just so funny. She’s so happy and positive and you’re as bitter as coffee powder”

He said teasingly. The smug look on his face just fueled Imogen’s annoyance even more.

“Says the cold, nerdy loner”

She shot back, which made him roll his eyes.

“Bitter and childish. Such a dreadful combination”

“Why you, annoying piece of—“

“Here you go!”

Alaska said happily, oblivious to the bickering. She grabbed Imogen’s wrist and drag her out of the door, afraid that he might change his mind if they stay any longer.

“Keep in touch, won’t you? We’ll be going now! Bye, Caiden!”

He responded merely with a nod, making Imogen roll her eyes at him. Alaska giggled at his expression.
“Maybe I’ll text you later. We’ll see”

As the two girls started to walk away, Alaska sighed dreamily.

“He’s great, isn’t he?”

Imogen snorted mockingly, shaking her head. How could anyone see that jerk as a ‘great person’?

“Absolutely not. He’s a pain in the neck”

“Says the pain in the neck herself”

“Oh shut up”