Hey, everyone! I don't know if this should be a one shot or not but I do know that I want to publish and see this story online. It's my first story published online but it isn't my first story. Anyway, bye for now! Tell me what you think! If you prefer not to tell me what you think, then...Well, to tell you the truth...I don't really care but wait...I do! So, please tell me if this should be a one shot or not!

~~xxRomanceNightsxx~

Present..

Grand Alumni Night- Sebastian Sr. Secondary School

7 p.m.

"-A lost cause?" I supplied as I stepped out of the shadow and an involuntary sigh escaped my lips. The two boys stopped arguing amongst themselves momentarily as they stared at the petite girl, me.

I couldn't help myself so I smirked. I was contented as to how their jaws dropped and their mouths were left hanging open as they saw me. They were like a picture; just standing there- a stolen shot.

"Iris." I nodded and took another step towards them. I was confident. No. I felt confident.

I ignored their awestruck expressions as I drew a deep breath. "I came because I wanted to see my friends, not scum." I grimaced as I said the last word. This is revenge. My revenge. So far, my acting seems to be doing a great job at convincing these simpletons.

I raised an eyebrow as I cleared my throat sharply.

This did it. It drew them out of their so-called 'trance' and they looked so comical as both of them shook their heads and stepped away from each other. The two guys looked at each other for a good sixty seconds before staring at me; surprise evident on their eyes though their expressions were grim.

"Iris Courteen?" One of the guys spoke up. Finally. I'd begun to think that they were deaf-mute or something. This guy had deep blue eyes and dangerously messy blonde hair. He was cute. No, he is.

At the tone of which he said my name, I knew then that he was doubting whether I was the real thing. And I was. Scratch that. I am.

I shook my head slowly with emphasis. "Don't you know me?"

Both guys blurted a "No!". I smiled. My plan was working.

"-I mean..We-mean...We know who you are..." The other guy stammered, trying to sound confident and all-manly. Whatever, that doesn't work on me. Not anymore.

The other guy had deep green eyes the color of a deep and virgin forest and he had dark brown hair that was as messy as the blonde's.

I decided it was time for the pre-climax of my act. Hope it works. Not that it won't. I rolled my eyes and sighed dramatically. "Yes, of course."

"Th-then what are you doing here? In this a-alumni event in-n our s-school?" Why on earth was he stuttering? Oh yeah, I thought devilishly, I'm beautiful now. On the outside. But I was shocked, of course. Never in my life had I heard Kent McGill stutter. I mean, he has an ego the size of the universe. Kent's the blonde.

This time, I knew that my smile was menacingly dangerous. "Why shouldn't I be? I am part of this school," I paused for dramatic effect. "Or used to be." And I winked at them.

Done. I knew they were lost somewhere in that superficial world where guys like them thought of the outside and not the inner beauty. They were still staring at me and their mouths were still hanging open. Ha-ha. Flies could get in without any problem.

I watched as what I said processed in their brains. Then, I saw it. The idea had hit them. I giggled silently. This was easy.

"Who are you?" I raised an eyebrow involuntarily. This was my usual instant reaction whenever something caught me offhand. Why on earth, in heaven and in hell- yes, yes dramatic, isn't it?- would Tri ask me that question?

"We know who are but who are you?"

Well that was a smart statement, Kent. I thought sarcastically.

I kept the belittling expression on my face as I thought of an answer. Something, something that was dramatic and original. But after awhile, I decided to tell them the truth. It was the right thing to do at the moment because it seemed appropriate. I sighed, wishing Cast was here. I already miss him!

But I have to do this alone. I'd been able to convince him that I could and should do this alone. Well, good thing, I guess. It took me a solid hour before he finally allowed me to come to this alumni party. After much persuasion, prodding and girl power. Yep, always trust and count on the girl power. That's my secret weapon.

"By any chance, do you remember the name of the girl you played with during senior year?" I brought my gloved hand to my chin and pretended to think hard. "What was her name?" I glanced at them and met their gazes.

I looked at Kent and noticed him nodding slightly. I locked gaze with him. "Sera? Alexa? Kim?" His face scrunched in a confused expression. Apparently, he was thinking.

I then looked at Tri and locked my eyes with his deep green ones. "Tria? Farah? Sarah?"

I ended the guessing game and shook my head slowly. "Do you remember her name?"

Kent and Tri locked gazes and understanding showed in their eyes. This is it. "Her name was Serene." They both said this and their confused expressions turned into amused ones as they probably remembered how they had played with her.

"Oh, she was the funniest idiot ever!" Kent exclaimed as he burst out laughing.

Tri joined in and they laughed like idiotic baboons having a field day.

I smiled, encouraging them to continue laughing their butts off. It didn't hurt anymore. My heart already belonged to someone else and any negative emotion wasn't welcome in my current state. I was in love and nothing can make this feelings and effects of love on me.

But I wasn't in love with either Kent or Tri so the feeling of pain flashed and settled for a few seconds before it was replaced with the amusement that my plan was working well. I crossed my arms over my chest as I watched the two idiots laugh their butts off.

"She was so clueless! What an idiot!"

"...She didn't even realize that we were playing her until graduation!"

"Yeah and she spent the whole year 'falling in love' with us that my stomach hurts from all the laughing..."

"Why would we fall for her? She's ugly!" Oh, you're wrong. Totally wrong.

They stopped as Tri and Kent met each other's gaze in a 'guy' way. "She was-"

"-And still is!" Kent supplied.

"Yeah, I guess a chickens butt was more appealing than her!" And they burst out laughing, again. I sighed, idiots really have no life. Whatsoever.

I looked at my watch. Twenty minutes. Wow, that's a record. I've never spend more than five minutes with idiots like them. I'm not being a drama-queen, I'm just being me.

I think it's time to put this to an end. I cleared my throat once again as their tearful eyes met mine. I smiled sweetly at them before turning on a serious expression. Now this time, I wasn't acting. This was real. The confusion in their faces was funny and amusing but this had to be done.

Wish me luck, Cast. I told myself silently.

Don't worry, you're doing well. But I'm still worried. I held back the smile that was attempting to form in my lips. Cast's voice in my head sounded clear. Very clear. And that's how much I love him.

"You call her Sere, right?" I stated and quickly added. "Because it makes sense, Serene was a long name to say."

"Yeah...Serene was a long name and it sounds so...old...-" Kent explained lightly as he waved a hand in the air, clearly confused and irritated that the conversation was about Serene. A nobody in his dictionary.

"-So, we call her Sere..What about it?" Tri, the one that I considered smarter of the two spoke up. He, too, sounded irritated.

"She changed her name." I managed to sound blunt.

"Really?" Confusion flashed on Tri's before amusement filled his eyes. "It changes nothing."

Kent nodded, a smile forming in his lips.

I smiled and nodded slowly. This was it. "But you didn't let me finish...She changed her name to Iris." There I said it.

The effect or the reaction I wanted didn't come. Instead, confusion painted on their idiotic faces. "So what?" They both asked, raising their eyebrows.

Gosh, these guys are idiots. Can't they put two-and-two together and make a tent? That was an expression and I hated explaining anything since it would ruin my moment. You know, my moment of revenge.

I sighed exasperatingly. Cast was waiting for me outside and he'd given me forty-five minutes to finish my act of revenge. If I'd be here still after that time frame then he would get me. Thus, creating a pandemonium and the presses would be here in five minutes or less...And, oh, the torture of stupid paparazzi...

"Her name was Serene Thomas, right?" They both nodded. "You called her Sere, right?" They nodded again. "Serene Thomas or Sere Thomas changed her name to Iris. Iris Courteen." I emphasized the last three words.

Hope against hope that their brains would cooperate with me this time. I felt the phone in my purse vibrate. Shoot to kill-haha, I know lame expression but I couldn't help it- Cast was calling me! It was time! My forty-five minutes were up! Damn these two idiots.

I cursed silently. Then, paused as I studied their expressions turning from that of confusion to that of astonishment, amusement and finally, horror. I sighed, this was a good game but I was tired. This was the first day of my two week break from work and I wanted to start it with a bang. But now, it feels stupid.

"B-but t-that's i-impossible!" Kent's eyes bulged.

"Not possible!" Tri quipped.

Then, silence as their medieval brains started the thinking process. Ha-ha.

I decided to answer my phone. I took it out of purse, flipped it open and answered it in one swift motion. I'd learned to master this art since I started working. Also, I'd been very jealous of Cast who seemed to have perfected it.

"Hello-" I started but was interrupted. Of course.

"-Where the hell are you? Is it done yet? Are you done? Where are you? Time's up"- He was worried and I felt my heart soften as I listened to his 'worried rants' as what I refer to it.

A pleasant and genuine smile formed my lips. "Cast." I said his name firmly, softly and with as much love as I could express with one word. This silenced him, of course and I heard him take a deep intake of breath on the other line.

"I'm done." I glanced at the two idiots in front of me and still, their expressions didn't change. Poor idiots, I thought sarcastically before turning my attention to the one on the other end of the line.

"O-kay. I'm waiting for you. Here." Cast sounded worried and fussy. Okay, so I have to go now.

"'Bye. I'll see you then." I said as I turned on the spot. "Wait for me." I whispered to him before I flipped the phone shut and stuffed it in my purse.

I glanced back at the two idiots there. I'm walking out of your life, for good. I will have memories of you and I don't have a choice but never forget you since it was because of you that I found love; that I found Cast.

"Thank you for inspiring during our senior year." I gave them my sweetest smile that I knew melted the hearts of millions. I'm not being delusional. It's true. I'm just being me. Hands off!

I winked at them cheekily before walking out of the room. I couldn't help it. My evil side was subsiding and my good side was content. I finally did it.

I proceeded down the familiar halls of Blake East High before turning to the single door that separated me from the outside world. I pushed it open and-

Well, I didn't know what happened next because all I knew was that my breath was caught and I was shocked. Something or someone was hugging me and I was caught off guard. I then sensed that same feeling and when I pulled away from the deathly hug, my heart stopped. Literally but began beating again. This time, faster, as the source of my emotions looked down at me.

Well, he was a head taller than me. My heart was threatening to beat out of my chest. I could barely breathe.

His scintillatingly beautiful and gorgeous blue-green eyes locked into mine and I sighed. Did I deserve this person? Of course, I do! I argued. His jubilant and victorious eyes overwhelmed me.

The still breath-taking smile on his lips took me to seventh heaven. I was in paradise. My paradise and apparently, his paradise.

"What was that sigh for?" His deep yet at the same time angelic voice filled my thoughts as his jubilant expression turned into a confused one. But the jubilance was still there, yep, it was still present in his eyes.

This time I noticed that he was still half-hugging me and we were locked in each other embrace. I smiled, just the way it ought to be. "You're too perfect for me."

I watched his expression turn from confusion into irritation. But not the angry-irritated expression but the soft one. "Nope." He argued. "You're the one who is too perfect for me."

I laughed. "Nope. Wrong answer."

His eyes twinkled with amusement as I laughed. I don't know why. "You are too perfect and too angelic for me."

This time, I snorted. "What does that mean?"

He grinned. "It means...Miss Iris Courteen that we need to go home now. Our vacation starts tomorrow."

I raised an eyebrow. He may seem severe but he doesn't. He was still playful and hearty. "Don't call me by my full name, Caster Debux." I scolded and swat his arm playfully.

He laughed at this and I was mesmerized. His laugh was heavenly and bone-brakingly beautiful. Just like everything about him. Oh, didn't I mention that his full name was Jon Caster Dene Debux? And, yep, unlike me, he uses his real name in the business.

"Cast?" But he ignored me.

He leaned forward and I thought he was going to kiss me but instead, he nuzzled his nose with mine and leaned his forehead on mine. We stared into each other's eyes for a long time. I was mesmerized and hypnotized by his hypnotic eyes and he probably was too, seeing the expression on his face, as if he'd just won the most beautiful thing in the world.

Our lips were only inches apart and our noses were touching. His cold breath washed my face and I inhaled his scent. His manly yet sweet scent. I knew it was a cliche but I was feeling light-headed.

His arms were still around my waist and my arms rested on his chest. We were like that for who knows how long. It seemed that at that moment we were saying silent words of love to each other using our eyes as a means of communication.

I love you.

I love this person in front of me. This person who saved me from living a life in hell. He was the one who became my hero. He was my hero. He is and will forever be my hero.

He leaned in closer and our lips touched. My eyes instantly closed at the feeling of his lips against mine. It was a soft kiss. It was warm, gentle and most importantly, loving.

Unfortunately, someone had to interrupt our moment.

"-Cast! Cast! Some-" Kin's harried voice stopped as he saw our intimate moment and we pulled away but were still in that half-hug. We both looked at Kin.

Kin seemed horrified of the idea of breaking his friends' intimate moment. This is no lie. His expression showed horror. "I-I'm sorry..."

I felt Cast's chest heave as he sighed. He was annoyed at Kin for breaking their moment. I, too, was ready to kill Kin for breaking my moment with Cast. I shot daggers at him.

He seemed to falter for a moment before he drew a deep breath and explained nervously. "They're coming. The paparazzi will be coming in a few-"

But Cast interrupted him. "-So be it." He sounded serious but then he looked away from Kin and his eyes turned loving when they met mine. "We shall continue this later on."

I brightened up a bit when he said this and it was obviously evident in my face as I noticed him chuckle before putting an arm around my waist and turning me to the path towards where Kin parked Cast's car. We walked steadily towards the car but as we spotted a few-and by a few it's totally a understatement- hundred (or so that's what I think) paparazzi crowded at the school gates. I stood in awe of how people could be so intent on keeping their jobs as I felt a light tug on my waist. I turned to look at a worried Cast.

I touched his cheek before reaching to hold his hand. "Let's go."

He smiled and leaned closer to whisper something in my hear. "We have two weeks of quality time and I don't want to spend it running away from paparazzi."

I shivered involuntarily as his breath touched my ear. By then, Kin was already inside the car so he blew the horn once.

Oh did he just do that? I leaned away from Cast and gave him a 'are-you-going-to-kill-Kin-cause-of-what-he-did?' look. And he answered with a light shrug and pulled me inside the car. I followed.

It was time to go.