Chapter Seven

Leah's P.O.V 

If someone had told me that I was going to be having dinner with Mason Kings and his mum, I wouldn't bother suggesting and straight up call the asylum on them. It was like saying I was going to become the next Picasso. Pretty untrue and distinct fact. Being at bottom of the food chain in school is where I'd spent my life ever since I moved to Bayter. I really tried to fit in as the chubby and brown haired kid but it just never happened for me and now here I was , with the most popular boy in all of Bayter, brown haired like I was but didn't seem to care about the thoughts of the Blondies.. and I was having dinner with his family.

Really. I would've called the asylum on them.

"So Lisa, Mason tells me you're the best student in school and you're aiming to be class valedictorian." Eleanor says, as she takes a bite of her delicious lasagna,  smiling warmly at me. I look at Mason, a bit surprised and wondering how he knew that.

"Mum- her name isn't Lisa. Its Leah. " Mason confesses,  not looking his mum in the eye and have an intense focus on his meal. He looked like a little kid who had been caught stealing candy.

"Why did you tell me her name was Lisa then?" Eleanor asks, her eyebrows scrunching together.

"There was a little misunderstanding.. sorry mum." He apologizes. She shakes her head and turns at me.

"Why didn't you correct me Leah?" I'm mouth shut not sure what to say.  How was I going to tell her that her son also didn't know my name and had just found out?

"I- I'm sorry ma'am. I should've corrected you." Was all that came out.

"Eleanor" she corrects and I smile which she mirrors.

"Back to our conversation.." She changes the subject back to my life goals.

"Yes.. Mason was right. I am aiming at becoming the class valedictorian.." I agreed, feeling my cheeks get a bit hot. I didn't like being the center of attention. 

"You know, I was also the class valedictorian in my time...." And then she proceeds to tell me more about her life in High School and also how she met Mason's dad. I noticed the smile drops from Mason's face when she mentions his father but I believed it to be a coincidence.

And so after a good meal of lasagna and some really good grape juice, she excused to bring some dessert. Me and Mason had offered to help but she disagreed and made us stay in our seats.

"Your mum is such a sweetheart." I tell him and he laughs heartil making me wonder how what I said had humor in it. It was a nice sound though. His laugh 

Focus Leah.

"That is cause she likes you. You should see the way she treated the other girls I had brought in the past."

And that brings me out violently from the little Mason admiration bubble I was in.

Of course.

How could I forget the real nature of Mason Kings?  I instantly lose interest in whatever he had to say and picked at my nails. I guess he notices my disinterest and stops talking, a little frown finding it's way on his face.

"And here you go; my specialty- Brownies!" Eleanor comes in,  dropping a bowl on the table and I feel my eyes slowly widen in horror.

I would've been at ease and eaten the 'brownies' she had brought but there was only one problem.

Those weren't brownies.

I don't know what concussion she had mixed  up to bake whatever weirdly shaped and probably badly tasting thing this was but I knew that if I ate this, I was probably signing up to end up in the ER.

"Have a taste Leah."

"These are Brownies Mrs. Kings?" I asked again, just to be sure. She nods her head. I look at Mason and he shrugged his shoulders in response although I could see the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"You don't want my brownies Leah?" The sadness in Eleanor's voice becomes evident and then I feel like a bad adult who just took a kid's lollipop.

"Of course I want it!" I take a piece and look betweenthe green eyed smug ass and his mother.

"I'm gonna eat it now" I announce, hoping the panic in my eyes shone brightly.

See you all in the ER.

"STOP!" Mason mum shrieked at me as the brownie was almost at the tip of my tongue.

I dropped it immediately, breathing out in relief that I wasn't going to have to call my parents to come pick me from the ER.

"I. Can't. Believe. You. Were. Going. To. Eat. That" Mason struggles to say in between laughs, clutching his stomach. Mrs. Kings giggled a bit but doesn't allow it escalate further.

What was so funny for goodness sake?

"Sweetie I am so sorry for putting you that. It was a little prank Mason and I decided to play on you- Well, I wanted to prank you and begged Mason to join in." Now I knew where Mason got his mischievousness from.

"So, you knew that thing in that bowl wasn't for consumption by humans?" This makes her laugh hard and I can feel my lips quirk up a bit.

"I definitely knew that anything made by me is not suitable for human consumption."

"But I really enjoyed your lasagna" I say to her and she puts a hand on her chest, smiling at me.

"Mum's a good cook but is terrible at baking and making dessert." Mason explained, earning a glower from his mother which made me laugh.

"Making dessert hasn't ever worked out for me. This is the outcome of my attempt at making brownies today." A sad sigh escapes her as she picks at the brownies.

"You really want to learn how to bake don't you?" She nods and picks up the bowl from the table, heading back to the kitchen.

"Mum's a drama queen. Don' t mind her." Mason says and I ignore him.

"Well lucky you because you're looking at a renounced baker's daughter. I mean- its even in my surname." I joked and Eleanor looked at me,  her face lighting up.

"Your parents are bakers?" Awe was written all over her face as she asked me.

"My mum. She's the baker" I clarify.

"Ah. Well, sweetie- do you think your mum would be willing to give me lessons?" There's so much excitement in her voice, she sounded like a little girl signing up for the pageantry.

"I would have to ask her. She's actually an accountant so she always doesn't have a lot of time . The baking is more of like a hobby side job."

"Okay. okay. I actually work from home so not much places for me to go. I will be waiting to hear from you."

"Of course."

"I think I should start taking Brown home mum.. Its just few minutes left until eight pm." Mason informed his mum, standing up. I follow suit and carried my backpack.

"And I guess I'm back to a boring house." She sighed out making Mason widen his eyes at her.

"Ouch!!" Mason says dramatically to his mum and we both just laugh at him.

"Thank you for dinner Eleanor. I had a really great time. " I tell her honestly and her lips widen into a smile.

"Me too. We'll definitely have to do this again. No pranks this time. I promise" I laugh as she walks me to the door.  I exit the house, not before receiving a surprising hug from her before going into Mason's car.

"Bye!" She waves at me as Mason starts the car. I wave back enthusiastically before Mason drives off.

"Well that was fun." He says and I glanced at him.

"Now i know where you get your mischievousness from. " I say to him before putting on the radio.

Some metallic wannabe song starts blasting in my ears, on its way to destroy my eardrums. I turn it off immediately.

"What in the world was that?"

"'Nauts in the moon'" He answers, about to put on the radio again when I slap his hand away.

"Jesus woman.. you are so violent!" He cries, rubbing his hand.

"And you're nuts! Who listens to whatever that was?!"

"That's metallic music Brown. I don't expect you to know what that is?" I throw daggers his way and he adjusts in his seat, clearing his throat.

"Do you have an aux chord?" I asked him. He doesn't reply opens his car retainer, bringing it put and gives it to me.

"I am going to introduce you to one of the best bands of all time" I plugged the chord in my phone and my worst nightmare happens.

I think about you.

Do you think I have forgotten?

Do you-

I unplug the the aux.. my cheeks growing hot by the second.

"Why'd you turn it off?"

"That wasn't what I wanted to play. Wait- let me get the song." I check for one of my faves and then plug the aux back in.

Well I know when you're around cause I know the sound

I know the sound of your heart.

'The sound' by The 1975 plays and I look at Mason.

"Now this is music" I tell him and he chuckled, shaking his head.

I keep on playing their songs for him and he acts like he wasn't enjoying it but I knew he was because who wouldn't love The 1975?.

"Make a turn here." I direct him once I see we're at my neighborhood. He makes a turn and goes a little farther and then I tell him to stop once we're in front of my house.

"So.. I know you're starting to love them." I turn to him and he rolls his eyes.

"Not at all. Nuts still way better."

"I am making it my mission for you to fall in love with The 1975. I'm going to make you a playlist."

"That wasn't part of the deal."

"Its not. I'm just making it my mission before the deal ends." I jump down from the car and wave at him and jog to the door.

"I'm still not going to like them!!" He yells after me but I just wave at him, laughing  before going inside.

My laughter is cut short when I'm met with mum, dad and Derek all waiting with their arms folded, looking expectantly at me.

"You have a lot of explaining to do young lady." Dad says, raising a brow.

Uh-Oh.