“Ugh, I am not your sweet cheeks.”
He laughed. “Honey butt?”
I snorted out a laugh. “No!” I couldn’t help smiling.
“I’ll find one that fits eventually. How about we go to my place after school?”
“For what?”
“More sexy time.”
“Oh, that is not happening anymore.”
Xander paused in his tracks in surprise. I kept walking, and after recovering, he caught up with me again. “Fine, I’ll take you out on a date first. How’s that?”
“Um, that doesn’t change anything. Summer is over. You can move on. I know you don’t do more than messing around. You don’t have to let me down easy or anything. I don’t care. I got what I wanted. You got what you wanted.”
“You got what you…” He almost looked puzzled. “I thought you wouldn’t be the type to just sleep around.”
This time I stopped. I pulled him around the side of the building. “Quiet! Geez. Who are you to judge anyways, you man whore?”
“I’m not judging. I just thought…” He mumbled something.
“Please enunciate.”
“I thought we’d be together.”
I laughed. His face paled. “Oh, you’re serious? I’m sorry, but you’re not really boyfriend material.”
“What the fuck?”
“See you around!” I ran off and waved over my shoulder.
Date Alexander? As if! He’d crush my heart as soon as I opened it up to him.
……
Alexander kept pursuing me. He probably only did, because I said no. I bet if I had given in, he would have gotten over me, just like every other guy he’s been with.
Though, even before our recent time together, he had sort of watched me and showed up at random times and always knew where I was… No, this was Alexander! What was I even considering? I was being ridiculous.
Noah made an effort, too, which was… nice?
After a school assembly, for which I had to sit at the front, facing the rest of the student body, since I was on student council, Noah complimented me.
“Great job on the recycling initiative. I remember that was your idea.” He literally patted me on the shoulder.
“Uh, thanks.” Was I supposed to be happy that he had actually listened to me when we were going out? I did appreciate that he was making an effort to try to compliment me more, I guess. It just seemed forced, even though he was totally polite and probably genuine about it.
Xander also found me shortly after in the hallway. He boxed me against the wall casually with one hand by my head, heat radiating off his body. “Fuck, you were cute up there. You gave your awesome no nonsense direction about recycling, then sat down and swung your adorable legs back and forth in those revealing shorts thinking about who knows what. You drive me crazy. How can someone be so sweet and so seductive at the same time?”
My heart rate picked up. Did I do that? He sure noticed a lot about me.
He leaned closer. “Hmm, pooky?”
I laughed. “Not pooky!”
He laughed and sauntered away.
Later that week, my project was announced second place at the science fair. Second place? Ugh! I don’t mean to be a sore loser, but my project was soooo much better than the first place contestant’s. I ran DNA in gel electrophoresis, while the first place recipient did a stupid hypothesis on video games, and didn’t even write a conclusion!
Xander saddled up to my desk. “That should have been you, butternut.”
“Yes, it should have.”
“Damn, you’re pissed. You didn’t even get upset over butternut.”
“I just…” I took a deep breath. “I understand that life isn’t fair. But… I worked really hard, and I deserved the recommendation letter that’s provided by the science department for the first place winner. So many students deserved it more than Jack. It’s stupid.” I pouted.
He lightly pinched my cheek. “Just because his mom buys his success now doesn’t mean he’ll be successful in the future. That’s not real life. She can only buy his way for so long.”
“That’s true, thanks.” That did actually make me feel better.
“I don’t know what I’ll do when my dad stops paying my way. Will you take care of me then?” He teased.
I rolled my eyes.
Actually, though, now that I thought about it, Alexander had decent grades and activity involvement. It was just his attitude that made it seem like he was underachieving, when he quite certainly was not.
Noah later congratulated me, too. “Congrats! I know you’re a perfectionist, but you should be proud of second place.”
“I’m not unhappy about being second. Well, okay, maybe a little.”
Noah laughed. “And?”
“And I was more upset that it was unfair, you know? But I’m feeling better about it now.”
“Unfair how? The judging is anonymous.”
What did he mean how so? Did I have to spell it out for him?
“The science fair projects are supposed to anonymous, but Jack, of course, not-so-discreetly included a picture of himself from the side as if showing a picture of the video game on his poster, so of course, the faculty knows his family donates loads and invites the teachers to their yacht, so they would vote for him.”
“Woah there. Don’t be so pessimistic. He put in the effort for his science project just like everyone else, even if it wasn’t executed in the best way.”
“What? I’m not pessimistic! It’s realism! Even you just said it wasn’t executed well. Why did he win freaking first place for a poorly executed project?”
“Maybe they were trying to encourage him?”
“That’s dumb.”
“You’re over-reacting.”
First, I’m pessimistic, and now I was over-reacting? Did he not see it, because his family was just as well off as Jack’s? Alexander was technically more well off, but he saw it! I’m pretty sure most of the school realized it, too! Noah wasn’t petty. He wouldn’t mess with me like this on purpose. He was just too nice of a person, maybe.
My troubles didn’t end there that week
While washing my hands in the bathroom, Tom, one of my classmates who I had absolutely no prior beef with, came out of a stall and practically snarled at me when he saw it was me. Um, what?
“Hi, how are you?” I said in what I thought was a friendly manner.
“Don’t say hi to me.”
“Uh, okay?”
Completely unexpectedly, he shoved me full force from behind. My hip bone hit the sink, and I fell to the floor. “Ow! What are you doing?”
“Stay away from Oden. He’s mine, and this is my city.” Tom walked out.
Who was Oden again? Oh yeah, he’s some exchange student. I think he had asked me out to dinner or something, and I had politely declined and informed him I had a boyfriend at the time. Did Tom think I’d go out with Oden now that I was single? Insecure much?
I sighed and limped to the room of the nearest teacher. I explained what happened, and she just looked at me.
“Umm, so are you going to go talk to Tom or something about his poor behavior?”
“Well, let’s not be rash about this.”
“Excuse me?”
“Tom’s family is… well established in the community,” she started. Yeah, okay, his family owned half the city’s prime realestate. So what? “I feel that if I, or the school, was to upset him, his family wouldn’t be very happy.”
“It was violence on school grounds!”
“It will be a he said he said situation in which your word wouldn’t hold much weight.”
Between gritted teeth, I said, “Understood.” I walked away, but I wasn’t one to take anything sitting down. Dammit, my hip was super tender. This was going to bruise badly. That gave me an idea! I smiled to myself.