Chapter 11 of the Fangirls, book two rewrite!!!!!:D:D *SQUEALS*

 

Chapter 11

Mal was in the delivery room, giving birth to twins. But it was weird because all of the ultra-sounds had proved that there was only one baby. And then she died, delivering the second baby.

Mal awoke with a start. She wasn’t sure where she was or even if she was still alive, when she felt someone’s, hand holding her own.

“Mal, are you okay?” Ben’s voice said. Mal sighed with relief and nodded. “Did you have another nightmare?”

“Yes,” she said and explained her nightmare. Ben gave Mal sympathetic smile before he kissed her.

“I can see how that would be scary, but everything is okay. The bad guys are gone,” he whispered, taking her hand and brushing a kiss on the back of it.

Later, Ben came back into their bedroom with a smile on his face. “You have some visitors,”

Mal chuckled and smirked.

“Let me guess,” she said, slightly sarcastically. Ben grinned.

“You guessed right,” he said as he opened the door to let in the fangirls, Thaddeus, Evie and Jay, who was holding a bouquet of black dahlias, some of Mal’s favorite flowers. Though, there was already a vase of purple snap dragons on Mal’s nightstand that Ben had brought her earlier that day.   

“Hey! How are you feeling?” Evie asked. Mal shrugged.

“I feel okay. Lexi, what did you do to yourself?” she wondered as she noticed that Lexi was using crutches to walk.

“Oh, I’m fine. I just broke my ankle. But it’s okay. Walking on these is actually kind of fun,” she told Mal casually, as if breaking her ankle was a fun little game that she liked to play all of the time.

“How did you break yourself?” Mal replied.

“When, Mad Maddy’s people were chasing us, I tripped over a tree branch and twisted my ankle,” Lexi explained. 

“Sounds like a lot of fun,” Mal said sarcastically. After a little bit more small talk, they told them what was going to happen. They were going to imprison all of the villains that played a part and release the ones that didn’t and take the spells off of them. And just like that, the journey was over. 

A couple of months later, it was a pleasant spring day in April and the fangirls and Thaddeus were at school and Lexi had finally got her cast off a couple of weeks prior. They had sat down at lunch, pleased that they finally got to eat because they were all starving. Lexi was about to dig in to her ceasar salad kit that she’d made at home, when something caught her attention:

Adam was holding hands and laughing with another girl. Lexi’s jaw dropped and Breanna gave her a worried look. “What is it?” she asked. Lexi shook her head.

“I’ll be right back.” she said, her mind clearly far away. She walked to the hallway and tapped Adam on the shoulder. “Um, Adam? What are you doing?”

Adam turned to her and laughed as slapped himself in the forehead with the heal of his hand.

“Oh, right! You’re the person that I forgot to tell! I’m breaking up with you.” Lexi’s eyes widened.

 “What? I’m sorry, you asked me to be your girlfriend, sir!” she replied, sounding sad and mad all at once. Adam smiled at her.

“Yes, but the thing is I met this other girl and she’s super nice and cute and funny, and, you know, not an annoying fangirl.” And all of the sudden, Lexi was twelve-years-old again and she was at family school in Illinoi and she was trying to make new friends after her friend had to move and talking to a boy. She had been trying to make friends with him, but eventually he shoved to the floor and said, as if Lexi was an annoying little bug,

“Go away, you annoying fangirl! No one wants you here!” And then he walked off with his own best friend. Poor little frightened Lexi was so afraid to be herself until she had left Illinoi. She was afraid to be herself right then.

“Anyway, thanks! I knew you would understand!” Adam beamed at Lexi and then walked off. Lexi just stood there for a moment.

“But I thought you liked me. . .” she whispered, her eyes stinging. But she made up her mind that she would not cry, she just would go back into the gym as if nothing happened because she didn’t want to talk about it. But before she made it three steps, she crumbled, sunk to the floor, and promptly began to sob.

Meanwhile, Thaddeus had seen the whole thing, with Adam and Lexi and this other girl. And now Lexi was sitting in the hallway with her head in her knees and sobbing very hard. Without a word to anyone, Thaddeus got up and hurried to the hallway and Bridgett and Kaylee tried to get up and go with him, but Breanna objected. “Sit your behinds back down! I have worked too hard for this moment.” She told them.

“Oh, right.” Kaylee and Bridgett said in unison as they sat back down. Meanwhile, Thaddeus had reached where Lexi was sitting, trembling and crying like a small child with her arms wrapped around her bended legs. Thaddeus looked down with a look of sympathy in his painfully handsome sea green eyes.

“Lexi,” he said gently. “What’s wrong?”

Lexi’s head shot up from her knees, which were soaked in her own tears. She hastily tried to make it look like she hadn’t been crying and brushed her tears off her cheeks.

“Oh, I’m fine. Adam just dumped me and he’s been cheating on me and keeping secrets from me and lying to me- I mean, obviously, he’s NEVER seen Descendants two or he would have learned not to do that,” she said quickly, clearly trying to hold back a sob. Thaddeus just shook his head as he sat down next to Lexi, knowing that she was still inclined to make Descendants references when upset.

“Lex, you don’t have to conceal your feelings from me, it’s okay.” he said softly. Lexi was about to object, when she just gave up and broke down again. Thaddeus gave her a sympathetic smile as he put his hand on her shoulder and rubbed it back and forth. “It’ll be okay. I’m right here with you. We can talk about it if you want,” he prompted gently. It was a while before she did look up and talk again.

"I can't stop it. I'm sorry- I'm so sorry," wept Lexi. Thaddeus raised his eyebrows, thinking it was a little strange that Lexi would apologize for crying. She didn't, typically.

"It's okay, It's okay. Just breathe. You don't have to be sorry for anything. I've got you." Thaddeus whispered, hesitantly slipping his arms around Lexi, not really sure how she would feel about them being that close. Only Lexi did feel comfortable because she buried her face in Thaddeus's chest, unable to keep control over her emotions anymore. They sat like that for a good five minutes before Lexi was calm enough to speak again.

“I feel so stupid that I chose someone so stupid!” she exclaimed. Thaddeus moved his arms from around Lexi's shoulders and just held her hand.

“No, you weren’t. He just was just acting like a gentleman and then reeled you in with that stupid toothpaste commercial smile. It’s not your fault he never realized how precious you are,” he said quietly. Lexi’s cheeks flushed bright pink and she smiled up at Thaddeus, smiling her surprise and thanks at his remark. And then started to laugh a little bit.

“He does have a toothpaste commercial smile! He’s such a Chad!” she exclaimed. Thaddeus smiled to see her laugh and jokingly smacked his forehead which reminded Lexi of Adam and what he said to her.

“That’s who he reminds of! That’s been driving me crazy!” he said, trying make Lexi laugh. But then he noticed the sad look on Lexi’s face. “Is there something else? What’s wrong?”

“He called me an annoying fangirl!” Lexi cried as she broke down again. Thaddeus’s face burned.

“He did not.” He said quietly and with an edge of fury in his voice because he knew all about her troubled past in Illinoi. Lexi nodded.

“He did!” she squeaked. Thaddeus would NOT just stand there and let his best friend be treated like that.

“Fangirl, look at me.” he said, lifting her chin so she was looking into his eyes. “Don’t believe that for even a minute! You’re not annoying, you’re amazing! It sounds cliché, but it’s true,” he told her honestly and sweetly. Lexi smiled up at him even she was still crying.

“You really think I’m amazing?” she asked softly and tremulously as her lip trembled. Thaddeus nodded and smiled his own charming smile.

“I always have.” And then he reached his hand out and used his thumb to wipe away her tears. “Keep your head up, princess. You don’t want your mascara to run.” Lexi giggled and blushed. Thaddeus put his arm around Lexi’s shoulder and gave her squeeze. After a couple of minutes, Thaddeus stood up and held both his hands out to Lexi and she grabbed them and Thaddeus pulled her up and gave her another hug. And then he turned silly and he held out his arm to Lexi.

“Care to walk to P.E together, milady?” he asked her in a British accent. Lexi giggled again as she took his arm and those butterflies started flying around her stomach again. She felt as though there was something there that wasn’t there before. (Something There, Beauty and the Beast.) Or was it there? But before they started walking back to the gym, Thaddeus turned to her.

“Wait. Before we go, I have a question,” he spoke. Lexi nodded to show she was listening.

“You’ve been wearing make-up a lot more often than you used to. If it’s okay, may I ask what that’s about? And how you suddenly don’t eat carbs that often either?” Lexi frowned again.

“Adam told me that I didn’t look beautiful if I didn’t wear make-up and said that I needed to lose a few pounds,” she said quietly. Thaddeus gasped.

“He WHAT?" Thaddeus yelled as Lexi nodded slowly. "He's WRONG! That is it!" Thaddeus composed his face into a somewhat calm expression as he turned back to Lexi. "Go sit with the girls. I'll be right back." 

"Where are you going?" Lexi asked, her eyes wide. 

"Just go sit with the girls." Thaddeus's calm demeaner was showing cracks as he muttered to himself in a voice he thought Lexi couldn't hear, "You don't want to hear what I have to say to him." 

Thaddeus turned and sped to the middle of the hallway. Lexi ran back into the gym to her friends and before they could ask her what happened and if she was okay, Lexi started talking rapidly. “Guys, you need to come quick! I think Thaddeus is about to tear Adam apart.” The fangirls quickly stood up and started hastening to the hallway. They could hear raised voices, both sounding mad. They made it in time to hear some of what they were saying to each other.

“Oh, please,” Adam was saying. “That annoying fangirl was just being a whiny baby. She needs to learn how take a hit.” He said, sounding like the jerk that he was. Thaddeus scowled.

“I think you need to learn how to take a hit, because if you don’t leave her alone that’s exactly what you’ll get!” he shouted. Adam laughed.

“Why do you have such feelings for her? She’s not even that appealing.”

Thaddeus looked as though steam was going to come out of his ears.

“First, yes, she is. Second, some guys fall for girls because of their personalities.” he said angerly.

“What’s so appealing about her personality?” Adam asked, sounding a bit snooty.

“She’s genuine and kind. That’s kind of a rare find these days in girls. In some guys, too.” Thaddeus said, an unpleasant edge creeping into his voice. Adam once again laughed, a cruel mean laugh.

“You’re so naïve! I mean,” he snickered. “What kind of parents did you have?”

Thaddeus inhaled sharply as he came right up close to Adam and right as he was about to mash Adam’s nose in like a pug dogs, he stopped, sighed and backed away only to just as quickly take hold of the collar of Adam's white T-shirt.

“Stay away from me, and more importantly, leave Lexi alone and stay away from her, or you will be answering to me.” Thaddeus whispered fiercely.

Adam started to back away in fear and tripped backwards into a mop bucket full of dirty brown mop water! The bucket flew and landed right over Adam’s head as everyone in the hallway started to laugh. It went everywhere, coating his bronze-colored hair and his plain white T-shirt, leaving him coughing and spluttering in rage and humiliation. The history teacher came running out of the lecture she was teaching and pointed her long-tapered finger at Adam.

“Hey, Zeller! Clean this up right now!”

Adam fumed as he got up and stormed off to get cleaning supplies. Thaddeus turned around and now noticed the fangirls staring at him in amazement with their jaws hanging. Thaddeus’s eyes widened.

“You guys saw that?” he asked, sounding a bit embarrassed. They all nodded and Lexi just smiled and walked forward and wrapped her arms around Thaddeus. Thaddeus’s eyes somehow expanded even more as he looked down at Lexi and hugged her back as all of the fangirls gave him two-thumbs up.

“Thank you.” Lexi said softly, then she stood up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. Thaddeus’s face turned a brilliant shade of crimson and he smiled back at Lexi.

“Aw, shucks. It was nothing,” he whispered. Lexi shook her head.

“No, it was everything, and it was perfect.” She replied as she took his hand and they ran back into the gym together.