Pink Camelia - Neil Perry x Reader/OC

'~ Chapter 3 - 'Hell-ton hash' ~'

~~~

The change rooms were filled with chatter and chaos after a particularly brutal P.E lesson, boys with towels wrapped around their lower bodies, a few who had already changed into their clothes had resorted to using the damp towels as make-shift whips, the mirrors were all crowded around as the boys checked their reflections. The teacher walked into the room to berate the students for not hurrying up.

"Alright boys hustle up- that means you Dalton." Charlie glared daggers at the man when he had walked out. 

"Alright who's up for trig study group tonight?" Meeks called as he walked into the main room. 

A chorus of boys saying 'me', 'sure', 'yeah' greeted this.

"I can't make it guys, I have to have dinner at the Dannbury's tonight." Knox said dryly. 

"The Danburrys, who are the Danburrys?" Pitts called from across the room. 

"Big alums! How'd you swing that?" Cameron entered himself into the conversation.

"Friends of my dad's, they're probably in their 90's or something." Knox said, sounding almost downtrodden. 

"Anything's better than Hell-ton hash Knox." Neil said, trying to be optimistic- "I mean if it makes you feel any better, I can't make it either, my dad's picking me up to go see some business partner of his or something." 

"Ooh good luck with that, know who they are?" Charlie asked, clearly still not quite content with his hair, still fussing over it in the mirror.

"Nope, no idea, apparently I've met them before but I can't say I'm too keen on having to hear the old 'I used to help change your diapers' speech." Neil said glumly as he walked over to where Todd was sitting on a window sill, head in hands, staring off into space. 

"Hey." Neil said, clicking his fingers in front of the boy's face to grab his attention. "Goind to the study group tonight?" 

"Uh n-no, I've got some history I wanna do." the shy boy replied, deciding to not add that the main reason is that he didn't want to be stuck in a group of people he barely new, without Neil there to talk for him. 

"Suit yourself." Neil said as he walked off. 

'~'

Dione walked in the door after a long day at school, the play had been announced that day. She and her friends had all been chattering about it all day, discussing who they thought would fit the roles best, Dione herself thinking of how she could design and construct the set to best fit the play, but now all of the jittery behavior, plus the long first week of school, had hit her, her limbs felt heavy, her eyes droopy, and her mind fuzzy. All Dione wanted to do right now was collapse on her bed and have a nice long sleep.

This desire however, would never come to fruition, as her mother called her over almost as soon as she set foot in the house. 

"Di, honey, we've got guests coming tonight, you'd best clean your room up-" her mother took a look at her for a second- "and you'll want to freshen up a bit, a good impression will do you well."

"Why? Who's coming?" Dione said, silently praying it wasn't another of her dad's work friends, they meant well, but she didn't think she could stand having to fake laughter at one of their jokes for the millionth time. 

"The Perrys." her mother said simply, looking cautiously at her daughter to gauge her reaction. 

Dione froze- after five long years of being separated from her best friend, she would finally be reunited with him. The whole thing felt too good to be true. 

After a while of standing in complete shock, she shook her head to clear it. She announced that she would clean her room, before running to her room, collapsing on her bed, and shrieking into her pillow. 

'~'

Once Dione had tidied her room and showered, she sat down at the sink mirror in her and her sister's shared bathroom and looked in the mirror. She looked far better than she had about an hour ago, but she knew that if she were to make a good impression on the Perrys she'd have to do better. 

She sifted through her wardrobe, finding her favorite green dinner dress, the cut of it perfectly complimented her features, she paired it with a nice pair of black shoes, and a black bow in her hair. she did her hair up in her favorite style, and put some makeup on, just enough to make her feel presentable. After checking her reflection more times than she would care to admit she made her way down to the kitchen to help her mother and father prepare dinner. 

"Hey sweetie, could you handle desert?" Mr. Hawthorne called from his spot at the kitchen counter with his wife.

"Sure, you want anything in particular?" Dione responded walking over into the now very crowded kitchen.

"Nope, just make sure it's edible!" her mother responded sounding pretty puffed out. 

"Alright how's brownies sound?" she asked, looking pointedly at Bella, who would no doubt be eating the majority of the desert.

"Oooh yes yes yes pleeeaaasse!!" Bella jumped up and down excitedly before either of their parents could answer. 

"Well I guess there's our answer!" Mr. Hawthorne said, beaming at his young daughter amused. 

The family spent the next hour in the kitchen preparing a fine meal for the night, leaving the whole house smelling of freshly baked bread, herbs, and spices. 

At exactly five o'clock there was a knock at the door.

~~~

look at me being all cheeky and leaving you all on a cliff hanger...