Amir assigned everyone into their groups. Lavender was the leader of the design team. They were in charge of making the background,props, and posters for the musical. Cedar,Inez, Dahlia, and two other people were in this group.
Esme was a part of the fashion design team but she wasn't the leader another upperclassmen was. This team was in charge of making the costumes for the musical
Then for the construction team that was in charge up putting up the lights,cut out, moving things to and from set,etc. Elowen and Aiken are in this team.
"Alright guys see you this time tomorrow". Amir said dismissing them. "And remember group leaders add your members into a group chat".
"You already have our numbers don't you". Inez
said peering over Lavender's shoulder to look at her phone. "Yeah". The other two group members gave Lavender their number; all that was left was to get Cedars.
But Cedar was surrounded by his friends and the leftover club members. "All that is left is to get Cedars". Dahlia said leaning on the table. "I'll go with you to get his number". Dahlia said looking at Lavender's nervous face.
"Thanks". She smiled. "I'll support you guys from right here". Inez said, sitting down.
Dahlia nudged the shy Lavender over to Cedar and they walked over quickly. Cedar didn't notice them walking up but Aiken who was always in a forum conversation but not at the same time noticed them and nudged Cedar.
"Cedar". Aiken said, grabbing his attention. "Oh yeah you need my number for the group chat huh". Lavender nodded and handed him her phone to put his number in.
He typed away very quickly and gave Lavender her phone back with a smile. "Thanks". She said, Then both her and Dahlia quickly walked away. "Not too bad right". Dahlia said. "Yeah he seems pretty nice".
"Aiken was pretty nice too to grab him attention for us". "Yeah Aikens known to be pretty quiet". "Oh you know Aiken". Lavender said surprised.
"Yeah". Dahlia nodded. "You guys ready to go". Inez said, picking up her book bag."Our class starts in a couple of minutes". Lavender looked at her watch and sighed. "Last class of the day huh".
Cedar watched Lavender as she left the classroom getting a nudge from Esme who shook her head. Cedar just simply shrugged his shoulders.
Nothing was in set with Anastasia. She went to NYU but her and Cedar didn't talk that much. Texting here and there and hanging out in groups sure. But Cedar wasn't attracted to Anastasia and he could tell she was.
That was the thing about arranged marriages that always bothered Cedar. They were always one sided in people wanting the marriages. Anastasia and her and his family wanted the marriage but Cedar did not.
Esme was somewhat close to Anastasia; she was always on Cedar about Anastasia. Treating her right and whatnot. Cedar and Anastasia weren't even engaged. Often now than usual it pissed Cedar off and he would have to stop talking to Esme.
""Why are they having a school festival anyways? It's not like NYU is short on admissions, hardly anyone gets in". A random boy in the group said. "It's just a charity event for our parents to donate". Aiken said. "Plus only two of the Adell children came this year".
Cedar could feel himself slowly fading out of the conversation. He was just standing there. The conversation going in one ear and out the other. He tapped his shoe on the ground. Particularly thinking about nothing. Just thoughts of going home.
I want to go home. Why am I still here when I have no classes left today. Tap tap tap went his foot and thoughts. Time seemed to go on forever. With the others laughing in the background and soon he was walking in the hallway. Somehow he knew he was going to a cafe.
But he hadn't remembered any of the conversation of them agreeing to going to the cafe. There he was walking in front of the whole group. Everyone around him just moving and talking. Him walking zoning out of everything sinking further into his own thoughts.
Until finally he was in a cafe and a latte with leaf art was sitting in front of him. The buzzing of his phone pulling him out of his thinking. "Oh". He said surprised. "What"? Aiken asked. "My group leader is pretty quick with setting things up".
It was the group chat that Cedar was in. Lavender had texted asking what was a good time to meet up and the only person who hadn't replied was Cedar.
Wednesday at 4:30? Everyone was agreeing except Cedar. He quickly typed away agreeing with the time. And Lavender had replied with a silly gif leaving Cedar with a smile on his face.
He pressed Lavender's profile picture. It was a picture of her holding an ice cream cone with the ice cream on the ground and her with her mouth wide open looking at it on the ground.
He saved her phone number in his contacts and pinned the group chat in his messages. "Smiling that hard at a group chat"? Esme said. Cedar looked up at Esme who was staring right at his phone.
Only Cedar wasn't on the groupchat; he was looking at Lavender picture. "Doesn't look like a groupchat to me". Esme said, easing her eyebrow up. "Esme would you mind your business". Cedar said, slightly raising his voice. The table got quiet and Esme crossed her arms.
"You do realize that your family is trying to have to get married to Anastasia right"? "Key word trying". Cedar shouted. "Are you really going to do this your family have been planning this for years".
"What are you some type of keeper of the plans you need to mind your own plans how about that stop interfering in everything little thing I do". Cedar said, beginning to pack up his things. "You're so selfish you have no consideration for Anastasia's feelings".
"You only have consideration for Anastasia's feeling because she's your friend"! "Cedar calm down". Aiken said, tugging his coat. "No, why should I have consideration for the feelings just because she likes and just because my family wants a marriage between us no one's considerate of my feelings on the matter". Cedar tugged away from Aiken and pointed at Esme.
"I'm not kidding, mind your business Esme". With that Cedar left leaving everyone speechless. Cedar was so upset that he didn't even know how he made it home. He just did. Greeted the butler and all the servants.
The Claude manor was built from the ground up. It could be on par of a palace. You had different sections. Some you would have to walk outdoors and through the gardens. Cedar lived in one of the many annexes in manor. it was on the east side of the manor across from another annex of the manor that would be Anastasia's if he married her. The two annexes were separated by this maze garden the annexes were high off the ground that whoever lived in them were able to see the other.
He would look out the window hoping that the annex would stay empty forever. "Cedar the grand master wants to see you". Cedar nodded at the maid. By the grand master she meant his grandfather.
Cedar was close to his grandfather. His father as the only one who seemed to get where Cedar was coming from in the conversations that they would have.
His grandfather's name was Aspen from the tree and he was the one who named Cedar which is also a tree.
He named him that because his parents didn't quite have a name for him yet and when Aspen saw him in the hospital he had this tiny flock of hair that stood up like a northern white cedar tree.
Why a tree of all things is because well Aspen liked trees. Well all plants for that matter that's why the garden was the way it was.
He was a nice old man contrary to his wife who was always into some type of thing. She wasn't particularly nice and Cedar in his words she always seemed to be scheming something.
Cedar didn't know why his grandfather had married her but then again it was an arranged marriage. The only one who seemed to want it was his grandfather's parents, his grandmother, and his grandmother's parents.
He walked into his grandfather's study. His grandfather, wife, and parents lived in the main house and his siblings lived in other properties until the family who was taking over the family business would move in.
His study smelled of wood and plants. He sat on this brown leather couch with a blanket covering just his legs and a book in his hands.
Though Cedar had been in his grandfather's study many times before he always looked around and his grandfather would wait until he was done.
Pictures of past heads were scattered across the walls. Diplomas and caps. Old bookcases and a lonely desk and chair. A grand fireplace and a black bear rug spread out in front of it. Cedar still didn't knew whether it was real or not.
The brown leather couch that his grandfather was sitting on sat in front of the fireplace. "Hello Ceddy". His grandfather talked with a warm fake voice. Like someone that would read you a book to sleep. "Hey pops". Cedar smiled.
He dragged his fingers over the old wooden desk. Picking up a picture of his grandfather and a brown skinned woman smiling in a picture together. "Hey pops you never did tell me who this was".
Aspen looked back to Cedar holding the picture and smiled. "Ah that's Annette Adell". Aspen closed his book and walked up to Cedar taking the picture from him.
"I went against her in a case before when I was young the only reason I won was because her client decided not to show up to trial and dropped the charges". He placed the picture back down. "It was a high profile case and her client and mine dropped the divorce and stayed together".
Cedar walked back over to the couch with his grandfather confused, almost stammering over his words. "So why do you have a picture of her on your desk"? Cedar sat down and Aspen handed him a cup of tea.
"She was one of the most amazing prosecutors I'd ever seen". Aspen said smiling. "I was sure I was gonna lose that case and afterwards I went and watched a few other of her cases. Me and her became friends until I married your grandmother".
Cedar raised an eyebrow and started putting sugar into his tea. "It's chamomile tea, it'll help you sleep". Aspen said. Cedar nodded pleased. "Adell must be a common last name". Cedar mumbled drinking his tea.
"How was school"? Aspen asked. "It was good we're having a school festival. I want you to come". Cedar said excitedly.
"A school festival huh". "Yeah the art club is participating in it too, the group I'm in is over designing the art and stuff for the show I guess".
"You the leader"? "No no this girl named Lavender is I think she's in med school she draws pretty good". Cedar began rambling and rambling on. To the point Aspen rested his head on his hand and was just watching him talk.
He told him how they met in the library and she gave him a bandaid and how he was surprised to see that she was that lavender whose artwork he had seen all over the campus.
How Esme had annoyed him trying to scold him about Anastasia. How his professor was annoying him. Not once did Aspen say anything, only speaking up to co-sign or nod his head. Let out a chuckle here and there.
Soon they were up moving around the study while Aspen put things away. One topic about someone commenting something rude on Cedars instagram had particularly made him upset.
Then they were walking in the halls with Aspen now talking and giving Cedar advice. And Cedar had always listened to Aspen's advice with this serious look on his face and his eyebrows frowned.
Aspen pressed them, frowning his own. "We're here go to bed". Aspen held his hands out as if he was presenting something grand. "Hahaha". Cedar laughed and hugged him. "Goodnignt pa". "Night Ceddy remember what I said be nice to that girl she seems sweet". Cedar nodded and watched Aspen leave until he could no longer see him over the maze.
He went inside locking the door to his annex and scrolled through his instagram for a while. He had followed Dahila on instagram and she had made a new post that day. He scrolled past it at first and scrolled back to confirm that it was Lavender in the photo.
She has a lab coat on dissecting a fish. Her face was scrunched up and Dahlia was in the corner of the picture smiling.
Dawn of the fish. The post was captioned with Lavender tagged in the post. Cedar liked the post and went to Lavender's profile. Most of her posts were of a book she was reading or her eating some type of food.
Her latest post was her and Amir smiling and annoying the school festival and the book she was reading in the library. "Do no harm huh". Cedar smiled and followed Lavender who followed back and couple of minutes later.