Once A Clown Always A Clown
The sound of my alarm woke me up the next morning. I only got about an hour of sleep last night, thanks to Caleb. I rolled out of bed, still half asleep, and made my way over to the bathroom, which was far too small to share with my older brother. The bathroom also styled hot pink walls, princess shower curtains, a princess soap dispenser, and a narwhal very poorly painted on the wall, all courtesy of my little sister. None of us had the heart to remodel it after she died.
I ran a brush through my hair and threw on the outfit Vikki picked for me. I viewed myself in the mirror. My eyes had huge bags underneath them and appeared sunken in. My lips were cracked, dry, and crusty; my hair sticking up in all sorts of directions.
I ignored my horrid appearance and slipped on my combat boots. I never went anywhere without my combat boots.
I swung my bag over my shoulder and headed outside to Vikki's car, which waited in the front for me.
"Woah, what happened to you?" She questioned, noticing my sluggish posture.
"Caleb, that's what," I replied angrily.
"You look awful. What happened after we finished talking last night?" She didn't seem very concerned about my well-being. She seemed more amused than anything.
"He was blasting his music at three in the morning and then proceeded to go through my stuff." I rested my head against the window and closed my eyes; my head pounding.
"Wait, how was he going through your stuff?" Her face lit up as she realized. "Oh my! Was he in your room?"
She seemed too excited about this. I opened one eye and glared at her. "Yes, he was in my room, and it was a nightmare!" I closed my one eye again and rested against the window once more.
She paused for a second, gesturing loudly with her hands. "You mean you had a hot boy in your room, in the middle of the night!"
"That's not the point!" I gently slapped her arm.
"Um, that is always the point," she giggled. "Okay, okay, I wanna hear the whole story from the beginning."
I groaned but complied anyway. I started by explaining what I had already told her over text. I then went into what happened after that. She gaped at me. "You threw his speaker off the roof?"
"Okay, maybe not my smartest move, but he was being a jerk!"
"Are you kidding me? That was rebellious, I love it!"
We pulled into the school parking lot before I could get to the part about my sister. I really didn't want to explain that part.
We stepped out of the car and she jumped in excitement. "I can't believe you had Caleb Hunter in your bedroom."
"Trust me, I would love to forget it. That guy is a douche." I massaged my temples.
"Glad to hear you think so highly of me, speaker killer." I jumped at the sound of Caleb's voice.
"Oh would you look at that, it's a shiny car." Vikki pointed to a random car and tried to make a casual exit, leaving me alone with Caleb.
I watched her in despair hoping she would come back. Don't leave me alone with this guy. I reached my hand out after her as she walked away. Come back.
"Come on, I don't bite," he joked, noticing my stiff appearance.
"Yeah but I might," I muttered, turning to face him.
We began to walk to the entrance of the building. "Wow, so first you wreck my speaker and now you're going to bite me?" He paused. "Actually, I'd be into that," he spoke casually, as casually as one could, pinning me against the wall so that his body pressed against mine. My cheeks flamed up from the proximity, his face only a few inches from mine.
He laughed and began to walk away. I quickly ran after him. "I really do have an effect on you, don't I, Scarlett?"
I scrunched my eyebrows. "Well, I'm sorry, it's hard not to react when someone is this closeâ'' I gestured with my handsâ"from you."
"Oh please, Love, we both know you want a piece of this." He gestured down his body.
"First off, don't call me Love; second off, in your dreams."
"Oh, you will be." He bit his lower lip, checking me out.
I groaned, burying my face in my hands, and walked away to find Vikki. I can't believe this guy!
I quickly found Vikki and chastised her for leaving me alone with Caleb. "Oh come on, it was funny?" She laughed and held up her phone.
She pulled up a picture of me and Caleb. He had me pressed against the wall and, without knowing the context, it appeared as though we were about to make out or fight; I preferred the latter. "Delete that!" I yelled and lunged for her phone.
She quickly yanked it away. "Not a chance!" She shoved her phone in her bag and swiftly blocked me from reach.
"I can't believe you, Vikki."
"Oh come on, it was a captivating photo!"
No, it most certainly was not.
I would have continued our argument but sadly the bell rang, signaling us to get to class. We walked into our first-hour lesson and took our seats. Caleb walked in about five minutes after it started; he showed no shame. "And why are you late, Mr. Hunter?" Mr. Jenkins questioned Caleb.
"I was busy," he replied smugly.
"I know this is only your second day, Mr. Hunter, but tardiness is not tolerated."
"Oh come on, I was just having a little fun."
The class burst out laughing. Mr. Jenkins's face turned bright red as he realized. "Just go take a seat now. I'll give you a warning this time."
Caleb took his seat next to mine. The teacher unhappily handed him a worksheet. Not even a minute later, Caleb was already bothering me. "Psst, Scarlett? Scarlett?"
I tried to ignore him.
"Scarlett," he whined.
"What?" I yelled a little more aggressively than I intended.
"Ms. Valentine, please be quiet!" Mr. Jenkins warned.
I glared at Caleb and turned back to my paper. He proceeded to poke me, trying to get my attention. "What could you possibly want?" I kept my voice much softer this time.
"How do you do this?" He tried to give me his best puppy dog eyes.
I wasn't going to fall for it. "If you had been paying attention, you would know."
He pouted. "Oh come on, Scarlett, please."
"No, you should have paid attention." I turned away from him and stared at Vikki.
She smirked at me and pointed between me and Caleb, forming a heart with her hands. I mimed throwing up. Never gonna happen. Caleb was the exact opposite of what I wanted in a guy.
I turned back at Caleb. His hair lay in a tasseled mess as he stared at the problem on the worksheet. His face twisted in an almost adorable way... almost.
He clearly wasn't getting very far, the many attempts scribbled out on his paper a clear sign of that. "You have to multiply it by the reciprocal before you can simplify it," I whispered.
He stared at the problem, confused, before realization hit him. "I totally knew that." He began to rewrite the problem, this time doing as I said.
I laughed. "Sure you did."
He looked up from his paper, that signature smirk playing on his lips. "Did I just make you laugh, Love?" He commented.
My face dropped. I much preferred it when he didn't open his mouth. "Don't call me Love."
I turned back to my paper and ignored him for the rest of class, which wasn't easy. Finally, the bell rang and I couldn't have been in more of a hurry to get out of there. Caleb drove me insane. Even his breathing is upsetting me. "So you and Caleb..." Vikki teased.
"Are mortal enemies?" I finished for her.
"Come on, you two would make such a cute couple!" She pleaded.
I looked at her in disgust. "Never gonna happen."
"Never say never," she sang.
She danced away and I was left standing alone in the hallway.
I glanced around to see if there was anyone else I knew. I wasn't a fan of walking alone. I shoved my hands into my pockets and tried to keep my head down. Probably not the best idea in the crowded hallway. I ran straight into someone's chest. "I am so sorry, I didn't mean to, I wasn't paying attentionâ" I looked up to come face to face with none other than Bianca Brenner.
The two of us were practically at each other's throats all of middle school and now, years later, she still hated me and I simply wanted to avoid her at all cost, a plan that didn't go over well considering we go to the same school.
"Watch where you're going!" She screeched.
She dressed like a Barbie doll, plastic and all. Next to her stood Adam, captain of the debate team and one of the schools junior varsity baseball players. He fawned over her like she was the last piece of pizza. To him, he had just scored the biggest prize since his last home run, which I assume is a good thing. I'm more of a soccer person than a baseball person.
I tried to move out of their way not wanting to further our conversation. "And where do you think you're going?" Bianca stopped me.
"To class." My voice remained smooth and controlled, an attempt to escape unwanted drama.
"Come on, babe!" Adam whined, becoming impatient. "Remember what you promised me?"
He glanced down, making it painfully clear to everybody what he meant. That was definitely my cue to leave. She caressed his chest with her long stiletto nails. I bolted out of there while she tried to calm Adam.
I quickly walked to my next lesson, not wanting to be interrupted by anyone else. Sadly, that wasn't the case. Right by our classroom stood none other than Caleb Hunter, making out with yet another girl.
I entered the room, not wanting to see anymore of their smooching session. The bell rang and, to no surprise, Caleb came in late, as usual. He took his seat, which the teacher had placed confidently next to mine. Just my luck.
I avoided eye contact with Caleb but couldn't help but notice the bright red lipstick that was smeared across his face. I tried to hold in my laugh at his clown-ish appearance.
The teacher went on with his lessons. I focused on what he said, paying no attention to Caleb. As soon as the teacher finished speaking, which felt like forever, he let us work on the homework. I quickly put in my headphones and began the assignment. Before I knew it, Caleb tugged my earbud out. "What do you want?" I whisper-yelled, snatching my earbud from him.
He pulled my paper away from me and started doodling on it. "What are you doing?" At this point, he was bugging me on purpose.
"Drawing, what does it look like I'm doing?" He replied calmly.
I sighed, "I guess I should have rephrased my question: why are you drawing on my paper?"
"Because you need to have fun. You're so boring, just sitting and working on the assignment."
I gaped at him. "I'm not boring! It's not my fault I don't want homework after school."
"See, there's a simple solutionâ" he paused for dramatic effectâ "just don't do it."
"I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna take advice from a guy who looks like a clown," I mocked, referring to his lipstick.
He set down his pencil and pretended to be offended. "Excuse me, but ask any girl here, they like how I look."
I gestured to my lips. "I doubt they will when they see some other girl all over your face."
He tilted his head in confusion. His eyes widened as it finally hit him. He quickly pulled out his phone, examining himself in the camera. Sure enough, he saw the red lipstick covering his chin. Setting his phone down, he cursed under his breath as he tried to get it off using his fingers. "Is it off?" He questioned me, even though he could have easily checked using his phone.
He managed to smear it worse and now looked like he had a really bad rash spread across his chin. "Definitely not," I replied.
"Why is this so hard to get off?" He continued scrubbing.
"It's probably waterproof."
He ignored my prior statement. "I knew that was a bad idea."
I drew my eyebrows together, turning towards him. "Then why did you do it? What, you were bored?" I scoffed.
He shrugged. "Yeah, what did you think: I actually liked her? I don't do the whole feelings thing, Love."
What a player.
Just when I thought he was starting to be okay, he acts like an arrogant pig. "Have fun with that." I popped my headphones back in but before I could start my music Caleb spoke again.
"What, you're not gonna help me?" His voice came out highly snarky.
"Why should I? You did it." I didn't bother looking at him.
He desperately tried to get the rest of it off, only seeming to make things worse and now his sleeve was also covered in lipstick. "Come on, please, I cannot go out looking like this." His eyes pleaded.
"Why? Think it'll ruin your chances of finding another girl to mess around with?" I mused, clearly enjoying this.
"How am I supposed to get this off?"
I didn't answer and let him struggle a little while longer. He still wasn't getting anywhere. I reached my hand into my bag and aggressively moved stuff around until I found what I was searching for. "Here try this." I handed him a wipe.
He stared at it weirdly. "What is it?" He questioned, grabbing it from me hesitantly.
"It's a makeup wipe, it's how you get makeup off."
"I thought you said you didn't wear makeup, why do you have wipes for it?"
"You ask a lot of questions for someone who wants help." I couldn't tell him the real reason I carried them around with me.
He tried to wipe the lipstick off. Even with makeup remover he still wasn't having any luck. "Is it gone?" He faced me, the red still very prominent.
I laughed. "Still no."
He groaned. "Will you just get it off for me?"
I raised one eyebrow and stared at him skeptically before reluctantly taking the wipe. I held his chin with my other hand while I tried to get it off. I scrubbed harder and Caleb jerked back. "Ow! How hard is it to get off?"
"Very, it's like, stained onto your skin." I continued trying to get it off, to no avail.
Caleb smirked. "Are you sure you're not just trying to be close to me longer?"
I stopped immediately. "Yes, obviously that's what I'm doing." I deadpanned. "Do you want my help or not?"
He pouted. "Yes."
I laughed, shaking my head, and tried working at the lipstick again. My mistake: making eye contact. His eyes were a sapphire blue, different from the first time that I had seen him. He held my gaze and I could feel my cheeks turning red. My hand ceased movement as I tried to think clearly. I think this makeup wipe has too many chemicals in it, they're getting to my brain.
"Is it off?" Caleb asked, tilting his head slightly, and for the first time since I met him, his face looked almost...innocent.
I snapped out of whatever trance, or should I say curse, I was in and got the last of it off. "Yeah, but your skin is a little red from irritation."
I set the wipe on the table and picked my headphones back up.
"So, did you enjoy it?"
I glanced at Caleb confused. "Enjoy what?"
He smirked. "Touching me."
I scoffed. "Please, I was trying not to hurl!"
"Ouch, no need to be rude, Valentine." He clutched his heart.
I gaped at him. The audacity of this guy! "I wasn't... you were the one whoâ"
"Relax, Scarlett, I was joking." His expression remained carefree and happy.
I rolled my eyes. "Screw you," I mumbled.
He wiggled his eyebrows. "Is that an offer?"
I glared at him. He stood up and threw his bag over one shoulder. The bell rang as soon as he got up. I had to say, his timing was impressive.
Caleb rushed out the door, probably to go meet his next hookup. I gathered my stuff and took my time exiting the room.
Caleb stood just outside the door when I left. I gave him a weird look but continued on my way. He jumped over to my side.
"Uh, what are you doing?" I raised my eyebrows.
"Walking with you," he spoke casually as if it were ever so normal.
I narrowed my eyes at him, glancing around to see if anyone would throw something at me.
"Wow, I see the distrust!" Caleb joked.
"And why are you walking with me?" I rephrase my question.
"We're going to the same place." He acted as though this wasn't out of the ordinary.
I decided it best not to ask any more questions. It became clear I wasn't going to get the answer I hoped for. We continued to walk to our next class in absolute silence; not the awkward kind of silence, but instead, the silence in which your mind is preoccupied with thoughts. I found it far more peaceful than walking alone, even though every girl was staring daggers at my head as we passed. The guys weren't much better; they all seemed bewildered as to why someone like Caleb would be walking with someone like me. I wondered the same thing.
I stuck my fists into my pockets and lowered my head. My shoulders slouched as I tried not to make eye contact with anyone.
I felt Caleb's stare as he noticed my change in demeanor. "Are you embarrassed to be seen with me, Love?"
I avoided his gaze. "It's not you," I mumbled.
He squinted at me, making it clear he didn't believe me. Caleb sighed in annoyance and threw his arm over my shoulders. My whole body tensed up at the action. My cheeks reddened as I glanced up. The stares had become ten times worse. I swear a few girls wanted me dead. My breathing became unsteady. "What are you doing?" I studdered.
"I figured, if they're gonna stare, they might as well get a show." He kept his posture relaxed, not the least bit phased.
I tried to calm my breathing but had no luck. "How can you possibly handle this?" I whispered.
"Handle what?" He acted obliviously, meanwhile, there were a hundred eyes solely focused on us.
Just standing next to Caleb put me at the top of everyone's most hated list. "The stares, the countless people watching your every move, every single moment, of every single day."
He took a second to think about it. "I just don't care." The bluntness and ease of his response shocked me.
I gaped at him but remained silent. I couldn't fathom how he could possibly be okay with it. I pushed his arm off of me, causing him to laugh. "What?" I questioned him.
"You're cute when you're embarrassed."
I'm sorry, what?
My head shot up. Caleb strode away, skipping over his previous comment, to meet Evan, another one of the most wanted guys in school. Caleb greeted him with the classic bro handshake. I never understood how all guys knew that handshake.
Caleb acted as though he hadn't said anything. I, on the other hand, remained in my spot muddled. Did Caleb just call me cute?
I didn't have much time to think because the bell rang, signaling the start of class; a class I definitely was not in and, now, definitely late to, all thanks to Caleb Hunter. I groaned and rubbed my head. I had never been late to a single lesson in my entire life. Not a single person remained in the hallway aside from me, Caleb, and Evan. I rushed past the two of them, attempting to make it to third-hour at a reasonable time. "Why are you in such a hurry, Love?" Caleb called after me.
I scowled and turned back around to see him. "I, unlike you, actually care about not being an idiot."
"Come on, Love, you're already late, might as well have some fun."
Evan laughed at our bickering.
"Don't call me Love!" I shouted that particular phrase for what felt like the thirteenth time today. This guy never listens.
Evan attempted to stifle his laugh as Caleb and I got increasingly closer to each other. I wanted nothing more than to rip his head off at the moment.
"Fine, I won't call you Love."
I simmered down real quick, my shoulders slugging. "Thank you?" I couldn't tell if he was serious.
Caleb threw his arm over my shoulder again and turned so we were facing Evan. "Evan, have you met Scarlett over here?"
I should have known. My face dropped immediately. "Get your arm off of me before I cut it off and beat you to death with it," my voice stayed calm but I meant it.
This caused Evan to burst out in a fit of laughter, doubling over. "Caleb, I like this girl!" Evan wheezed.
Instead of removing his arm, Caleb pulled me closer to him. I glared at him and gave him a second to re-evaluate his decision. He made no change, so I sharply hit him just below the rib with my elbow, causing him to jump away with a yelp.
He rubbed his side. "Rude," he mumbled, pouting.
A small smile spread across my lips.
"So what, are you two sleeping together or something?" Evan asked us.
My eyes widened in horror. "What? No!" I protested.
At the same time that I yelled, Caleb laughed. "She wishes."
Evan eyed us suspiciously. "So, you're not sleeping together?" He raised his eyebrow.
"No, we're not," I grumbled, shooting Caleb a dirty look.
Jerk.
"She's my next-door neighbor," Caleb informed him, "so it's bound to happen eventually." He rested his elbow on my shoulder. "I'm thinking, a friend with benefits kind of thing." He wiggled his eyebrows.
"Absolutely not! I want nothing to do with you." I pushed him away and crossed my arms.
"Please, Love, we both know you fantasize about me."
The thought of running him over with a car suddenly became very appealing. If only I had one. I had never been a violent person, but Caleb Hunter may just make me one.
"Well, I mean, if he can't have you, then can I? You would match perfectly with my sheets." Evan winked.
I gaped at Evan.
"Ey!" Caleb high-fived him cheering.
You have got to be kidding me.
"I'm leaving," I scoffed.
Before I could even turn the corner, I had two sets of footsteps following closely behind me. "Come on Scarlett. You're not actually going to class?" Caleb whined.
I turned to look at him. "Yes, yes I am. And thanks to you we're late. Do you know how much trouble we're gonna get into?"
Caleb shrugged. "It's my second day, I got lost."
I crinkled my eyebrows.
"Careful, Love, your face might get stuck like that," he teased.
"Haha," I mocked, rolling my eyes.
Evan stared at us, pursing his lips. "Are you sure you two aren't sleeping together?" Evan probed.
"No! We're not sleeping together!" I yelled, far louder than intended.
I stormed off trying to lose the two of them. I swear Caleb Hunter is going to be the death of me. The two of them trailed behind me like a pair of lost puppies. "Scarlett, why are you so boring?" Caleb complained.
"Mystery girl! Don't leave, I don't even know your real name," Evan teased.
Boys.
"The name's Annabeth," I informed him.
"Wait, Annabeth, as in Annabeth Valentine? I've heard of you and your reputation. Care for a game of truth or dare?" Evan inquired.
I turned to him in disbelief. "We are incredibly late to our lesson and you want to play truth or dare?"
Caleb shrugged and smirked. "We're getting in trouble anyway. One round won't hurt anything."
Under no circumstances was I going to miss any more of class. Vikki was probably going crazy wondering where I was. It was quite out of the ordinary for me to do anything against the rules. I lived for rules, order, and structure. Caleb Hunter wasn't going to change that.
"I mean the second you walk into that room all eyes will be on you, especially if you walk in with us. Imagine what people would be saying." Caleb used my fear against me.
I sighed and weighed my options. What am I going to do? He was right. All eyes would be on me. If I walked in with them, it was only a matter of time before people started spreading rumors about me. I didn't want any added attention. I already had far more than I would like.
I sighed, realizing I didn't have much of a choice. "Fine. I'll play, but you guys have to come in at least five minutes after me. Deal?"
Evan and Caleb grinned at each other before speaking simultaneously, "Deal."
I can't believe I'm agreeing to this. Evan led the three of us down the hall. "I've got the perfect spot."
He brought us to a small, vacant hallway. The lockers were colored a dirty grey, very different from the usual vibrant blue lockers we all had. The rest of our school had been glittered in various embellishments of our school colors: blue and yellow. Our mascot, the lion, could be seen plastered in every spot possible. School spirit had become a major pride of Wescot High.
The hallway we now stood in radiated the polar opposite of our school's aura. The dim and abandoned ambiance gave it a bland look. The walls were bare, not even painted. All the lockers were dented and tattered, it seemed like no one had been there for years, except someone had. One of the lockers set slightly ajar, the dust non-existent, showing signs that it had been used quite frequently.
Caleb walked over and moved the locker aside, effortlessly might I add, revealing a shiny metal door with a neon exit sign above it. The sign flickered, broken and no longer illuminating properly.
Evan approached the door, holding it open for me. "Ladies first." He bowed, extending his arm.
I hesitated. Are they gonna lock me outside? As if reading my mind, Caleb chuckled, "Love, we're not gonna lock you out there."
I puckered my lips. "How am I supposed to know that? You were going to push me off the roof earlier."
Evan shot us a weird look.
"I wasn't gonna push you off the roof," Caleb mused.
"Well, you looked like you were."
"You threw my speaker off the roof!" He jokingly threw his arms up. "Of course I looked like I would." The smile on his face told me his true feelings.
"I'm sorry," Evan added, "Who was on who's roof and why?" He raised his eyebrows at us.
I sighed, I did not want to tell the story again. I regretted nothing, Caleb deserved it.
Thankfully, I didn't get a chance to tell the story. My best friend, aside from Vikki, came sauntering down the hall. Eliot had brown eyes and chestnut brown hair that swooped off to the side. He cut his hair to perfectly match Leonardo Decaprio's hair when he played in The Titanic. I was the only person he would ever admit that to, though.
Eliot stood half an inch taller than me, a fact I refuse to ever admit. For as long as I could remember, Eliot was short; I mean up to my shoulders short, that was until he hit puberty. His voice dropped and his height spiked. We were still close in height but he now stood half an inch taller and he wouldn't ever let me live it down.
Eliot and I had been best friends ever since eighth grade. Eliot was a year younger than me, in seventh grade when we met. He became friends with my sister, Carolyn. She was, at the time, in sixth grade. Carolyn constantly brought Eliot home and insisted the three of us hang out. After a while, Eliot and I grew closer while he and Carolyn grew further apart. It got to the point where Eliot and Carolyn were no longer friends. They were still friendly towards each other and on good terms but I always felt like I stole him from her. That was something I would forever feel guilty about.
Eliot carried a pale grey folder in his grip and didn't have a backpack on, telling me that he must be student aiding at the moment.
Our school had a program in which a student could aid and assist a teacher during the student's study halls. I did one last year. You mostly went down to the printer to copy papers. Sometimes we got to grade assignments but nothing too exciting.
"Lana?" Eliot called out in disbelief.
Eliot insisted on calling me Lana, as did my mother and brother. Eliot was just like family to me.
I covered my face and groaned. Could this day get any worse? "Hi, Elie." My nickname for him. He hated it, insisting that it was a girl's name. That never stopped me from calling him it, though.
"Elie?" Evan snickered.
Caleb hit him on the chest. "Dude, don't make fun of him."
Elie ignored the two ignorant boys to my left and continued, "What are you doing? Shouldn't you be in class? It's so unlike you to skip."
I stammered for my non-existent words. I had no excuse as to why I was late to third-hour, especially not twenty minutes late. "It's a long story."
"Actually, it's a quite simple one," Caleb began, "we kidnapped Scarlett over here and convinced her to play a game."
Elie's eyes widened in horror. "They what?" He yelled.
I jumped and covered Elie's mouth, for fear of drawing the attention of a teacher. "Relax, he's joking."
I removed my hand from his mouth, allowing Elie to speak, "Lana, what's going on? This isn't like you," he whispered so only I could hear him.
I didn't know what to tell him. Elie's opinion of me felt vital, he was practically my other half. The two of us did everything together. I had never lied to him before, telling him anything and everything, even things he didn't ask. But what was I supposed to tell him when I had no clue what I was doing myself?
"Are we gonna go play or what?" Evan inquired.
"Play what?" Elie asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Truth or dare."
Elie's head dropped in realization. He sighed, "So that's why you're skipping class. What is with you and truth or dare? You can never turn down a game."
It felt wrong: not correcting him. I should have told him that truth or dare had no sway on me in this matter but I didn't because I had no reason as to why I was skipping class. The idea just seemed almost...thrilling, nerve-wracking. I didn't think Elie would understand that.
"You wanna play, Elie?" Caleb invited.
Elie cringed at the name. He hated it when anybody called him that. He never seemed to mind when I did though. It was our thing. "It's Eliot," Elie corrected.
"My bad, mate. You wanna play, Eliot?" Caleb changed his prior statement.
Caleb's oddly respectful tone made my suspicions grow, making me queasy. Elie looked back and forth between me, Caleb and Evan. He stopped when he landed on me, his face filled with disappointment. I cowered. "Sorry," I whispered. I hated disappointing Elie.
Elie glanced up at Caleb and Evan before sighing, "I guess I'll play."
I wanted to protest. Elie never missed a class, especially not his study hall. He currently aided for his favorite teacher, Mr. Austen. Elie valued Mr. Austen's opinion more than anyone else's. It would kill Elie to disappoint him.
But I also knew that arguing would be useless. Elie was as stubborn as they came. He had already made up his mind, stopping him now would be impossible, so we followed the boys.
Evan and Caleb went out first, leading us to an open clearing behind the school. The smell of freshly mowed grass wafted past me. I awed the various colors of trees. The sound of birds chirping providing a melodic atmosphere. It was a gorgeous spot, peaceful.
I couldn't imagine that many people knew about it, even if they did, they wouldn't dare go in it. If Evan and his friends had declared it as their own, the rest of the student body wouldn't risk going near it. Evan and his group practically ruled the school.
The four of us sat down in the clearing, the grass tickling my legs. "I'll go first," Evan declared, "Caleb, truth or dare?"
Caleb didn't hesitate, "Dare."
Evan paused to think for a second. "I dare you to call your last one-night stand and tell her you want to go at it again."
Elie gave me a horrified look as if to ask what I was doing with these guys. I have no idea. Caleb took out his phone and, without breaking character for even a second, he very smoothly convinced her to meet him by the cafeteria later.
"Truth or dare, Eliot?" It was now Caleb's turn to ask.
Elie hesitated, "Dare?" His voice came out timid.
"I dare you to kiss her." He pointed towards me.
I glared at Caleb. Elie's eyes widened and he began playing with his shoelaces. "Don't tell me you're chickening out of a dare as simple as that," Evan teased.
Elie stared at me, debating. I couldn't believe he was even considering it. There was no way I would let him kiss me. He's like my brother. "Do I have to?" Elie groaned.
They nodded and Elie quickly leaned over and pecked me on the cheek. "There," he concluded.
That wasn't the first time Elie had kissed me on the cheek but it was the first time he seemed embarrassed about it.
Evan and Caleb did not seem impressed. "Really, that's all?" Evan mocked.
"She's my best friend, it's weird," Elie defended.
The boys snickered. Elie continued, "Can we just move on? Truth or dare, Evan?"
"Dare," Evan answered smugly.
"Uh," Elie's voice laced with stress, as did his posture, "I dare you to," he paused again, trying to come up with something, "I dare you to post an ugly photo of yourself."
"Ha, jokes on you, I don't take ugly photos." Evan proceeded to take a picture of him with three chins and posted it to his story. He looked pretty ridiculous to me.
"Sweet Annabeth, truth or dare?" Evan gave me an innocent look.
I didn't bother to think. Under no circumstances would I pick dare with these two buffoons playing. "Truth."
"Lame," Caleb added.
Evan pouted.
I sighed, "Fine, dare."
Well, that didn't last long.
The two of them perked up. "I dare you to wear Caleb's hoodie for the rest of the day." Evan bounced like a little kid.
I raised my eyebrow. "I'm sorry, what?"
Evan repeated himself while Caleb removed his sweatshirt. His shirt came up with it, revealing his very toned abs. I looked away immediately. This just got very awkward. Caleb passed me the hoodie, which I reluctantly put on. The smell of vanilla and apples engulfed me; a dangerous and intoxicating smell.
The sweatshirt looked like a dress on me, the sleeves going slightly past my hands. The hoodie itself fell just below my fingertips.
"There, done. Truth or dare, Elie?" I turned to face him.
We carried on the game for a few more rounds and by the time it got to me for the fourth time, I had openly admitted my deathly fear of snakes and allowed Evan to braid my hair, leaving it a knotted mess. "Truth or dare, Love?" Caleb asked, referring to me.
Elie gave me a questioning glance at Caleb's nickname. "Don't ask." I returned my gaze back over to Caleb and answered his question. "Truth."
"Why do you always wear combat boots?"
I raised my eyebrow. "How did youâ"
Caleb cut me off before I could finish my sentence. "Vikki mentioned that you only wore those combat boots."
What else has Vikki been telling him? I wasn't particularly a fan of telling people the story behind my combat boots. I'd had them for almost three years and I was certain people questioned why I wore them so often. They were now tattered and worn out. The soles had holes in them. I still wore them every day though. "They were the last thing my sister gave me before she passed away," I rushed through my sentence and quickly tried to change the subject, "Elie and I need to get to class. We had a deal, remember? Five minutes," I warned them.
They didn't push me any further, for that I was grateful. I checked the time on my phone and realized going back to class would be useless, with there only being five minutes left. I still needed to meet Vikki and try to explain why I missed the entire lesson though.
When I stood up Caleb's sweatshirt looked enormous on me. Why is Caleb so tall? "Don't forget you have to wear the hoodie all day," Evan reminded me as if I could ever forget.
I complained but knew I had to anyways. Elie and I headed back into the building. I missed the sunshine immediately. "So what are you going to do?" I asked Elie, referring to him skipping part of class.
He sighed, "Don't worry about me, I'll probably just tell him that the printer wasn't working or something."
I frowned at him. The disappointment on his face was undeniable.
"What are you doing hanging out with them?" His voice remained firm.
I had no idea what to say so I came up with the best excuse I could. "Caleb's my next-door neighbor."
"I don't like that guy Lana, you haven't even known him for that long and he's already getting you in trouble." He stared daggers into the door as if his glare would reach Caleb.
I tried to justify hanging out with Caleb but I knew Elie was right. There was no denying Caleb was a bad influence. But I couldn't help it, there was just something about him, like I was drawn to him but still equally infuriated by his presence.
Elie had always tried to protect me and I always listened to what he had to say but it was hard to stay away from Caleb when he lived right next door. "Believe me I don't plan on making him a habit," I assured Elie.
With that, the two of us went our separate ways, deciding that we shouldn't miss any more of the lesson than we already had. I didn't want to tell him that I wasn't planning on going back inside the classroom.
When the bell rang for the end of the period, I waited outside for Vikki. She jumped when she saw me. A thousand expressions spread across her features, finally landing on pure confusion. She yanked me into a hug and yelled directly in my ear, "I thought you had died. What happened?"
I cringed from the increase in volume. "Caleb Hunter happened."
She clearly didn't hear me, becoming distracted by the aroma of my sweatshirt, well Caleb's sweatshirt, as she began to sniff it. She pulled out of the hug placing her hands on my shoulder, continuing to smell me. We got many odd stares from passersby. "You smell different." She inspected my face. "This sweatshirt wouldn't happen to belong to a certain tall, handsome boy who lives right next door to you, would it?"
I avoided her gaze.
She squealed and jumped. "O-M-G it totally is!"
I buried my face in my sleeves. The whole hallway now eyed our every move. I carefully peeped through the dark material of the hoodie.
"Why are you wearing his sweatshirt?" She enthusiastically whispered.
"It was a dare, okay?"
Her eyes glowed. She got far too much amusement from that. "Did you skip class to play truth or dare with Caleb Hunter?" It came out as less of a question and more of a statement.
She took my silence as an answer. "That is so cute! I totally ship it."
I stared at her in horror. "Me and Caleb? No way! I would never fall for someone like that."
The day I liked Caleb Hunter would be the day Hell freezes over and pigs learn to fly. Caleb Hunter is nothing but an arrogant and stuck-up pig, who would never learn to fly. "Come on! It would be just like the movies. How cute would that be?" She sighed dreamily and spun around.
"Caleb and I aren't even friends, I would like to keep it that way."
She pouted. "You're no fun!"
The two of us set off to our next lesson, thankfully they were right next door to each other so we could walk together. We didn't get very far before we were stopped by Bianca. "Um, excuse me, but what are you wearing?" She screeched referring to my odd attire.
My face flushed white. Does she know it's Caleb's? My thoughts rushed through my head as I tried not to panic. "What's it to you?" Vikki snarked.
I had never been more thankful for my best friend. "She looks homeless, I mean just look at her hair."
I cowered back. I knew I looked ridiculous, dressed in a sweater that practically engulfed my small figure, my hair lumped into one big knot. The stares from passersby only confirmed my thoughts.
"At least she has to try to look bad, all you have to do is breathe," Vikki snarled.
There are very few people who would deliberately pick a fight with Vikki, as she was known to throw hands. Bianca was one of those people, most likely resulting from a lack of attention in her own household, making her feel as though she must get it another way, even if that meant picking a fight or sleeping with guys who only want her for her body and not her mind.
I remained still in my spot, letting Vikki continue. I didn't want to make Bianca even angrier. "You know what your problem is?" Bianca shoved her stiletto nail into Vikki's chest.
Vikki cut her off before she could finish. "Yeah, I do: you."
Before Bianca could get another word in, Vikki dragged me off in the opposite direction. "That girl infuriates me," Vikki growled. "Why do you just let her push you around?"
"It's just easier to let her say what she wants, less conflict."
Vikki fumed, grumbling various rude comments about Bianca under her breath until we made it to our next class. I said my goodbyes to her, hoping she would calm down soon before she decided to kill Bianca.
I got several curious stares from my peers as I walked in. Thankfully, no one seemed to recognize the hoodie. I took my seat which, once again, was placed right next to Caleb's.
My plan at the beginning of the year to avoid people clearly did not go over well. The teachers apparently did not see the row of empty seats that surrounded me as a sign to leave me alone and instead decided it would be a great idea to stick the new kid beside the loner, as if I didn't see Caleb enough.
Caleb laughed at my appearance as I collapsed into my seat. He currently sported a messy hairstyle, courtesy of me, and a marker mustache drawn above his upper lip, both of which he had to keep till the end of the day. "Nice hoodie," he mocked.
"Nice mustache," I rebuked.
The messy hair only made him more attractive and the fact that he was able to pull off the sharpie mustache greatly upset me.
I began undoing the makeshift braid and ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to brush it. "So I heard your mother invited my family over for dinner," Caleb mentioned, causing me to choke on my own saliva.
"What? Are you sure?" I had vaguely remembered Momma saying something about wanting to invite them over, but I didn't think she actually would.
"Apparently. My mamá texted me telling me to make sure I dressed nicely. She's definitely going to enjoy the hair and mustache."
My jaw dropped. Sitting in Caleb's sweatshirt, next to Caleb, while his family sat around us, more specifically his mother, did not sound like the ideal situation. "Please tell me we don't actually have to go looking like this, there's no way! My momma's going to go ballistic."
"It was a dare, we have to, Love." He shrugged as if it were no big deal.
I slumped in my seat. Well, this is going to be interesting.