Lola's reflection in her locker mirror caught my attention from the end of the corridor. Earphones protruded from the pocket of her jeans, and her head nodded in time to whatever music she was listening to. That explained why she was still here despite the second bell already having rung. She wasn't going to be happy when she realised she was late to class. Then again, teachers usually let first-timers slide. I, on the other hand, probably couldn't afford to loiter, not with the lasting impression I'd made on the teachers hanging over my head.
Lola's front teeth captured the skin of her lips as she bit down gently, tilting her head as she judged her reflection. The outfit was stunning, but nothing she'd ever have picked out for herself, and it was likely she hated it. Up until a couple of days ago I'd never seen her in anything more than a simple t-shirt and sneakers.
With a sigh, she seemed to come to the conclusion that there was nothing she could do about it now, and grabbed her books before slamming the locker shut with an unusually loud bang. The noise made her cringe, and she removed her earphones, stuffing them into her pocket as she turned. It was only then that she seemed to notice how empty the corridors were, and a look of panic took over her face. Ducking around the corner, I waited until I could hear her heels clicking on the floor, getting louder and louder as she approached. Hoping my timing was right, I stepped out without warning, grinning when she crashed into my side and her books fell to the floor, her notes soon joining them in a messed up pile of white.
"Oh my gosh I'm so sor-"
Scooping her books up from the floor, her apology stopped mid-flow when she saw that it was me she'd bumped into, her jaw setting. Looking her up and down slowly, I smirked, stepping over the pile of papers on the floor and nodding my head in goodbye as I walked away.
"Oh, it's fine. I didn't want any help picking up the notes that you made me drop." Sarcasm dripped from her voice as she yelled after me and I turned with a grin.
"Great, then we're all good."
Her nostrils flared as she scowled, but she said no more before turning on her heels and scurrying to class. I decided not to follow her lead. I was already 5 minutes late; there didn't really seem much point in going now. Heading back out into the parking lot, I looked at the freshly cleaned AC vent in my car with a grin before speeding away as fast as the limit would allow. Skipping school and getting a ticket in the same day probably wasn't the best way to winning Lola over.
Getting lost in some of the crappiest heavy metal I'd ever heard on the radio, I didn't really pay attention to where I was going until I pulled up near the familiar clearing by the lake. I couldn't understand why I kept coming here. Occasionally, it helped me think, but for once I didn't want to think about the things this place made me think about. Instead, I thought of Lola, and how exactly I was going to go about getting her to fall for me. Obviously the usual tricks weren't going to help, she needed something bigger, something more real. She needed an actual date, rather than a casual fling. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been on an official date.
The details seemed unimportant at the moment, especially considering that I had no idea how to coerce her into this. That seemed a bit more urgent than the date itself. I figured that it would probably be best to do it in front of a crowd. She may not like me, but surely she didn't hate me enough to want to embarrass me so much as to shoot me down completely in front of everyone.
Swaggering into chemistry a half our late earned me a sharp glare from the teacher,
"Ryder, the practical's already begun, please just take the required notes off the board and stay behind after class."
I nodded with a roll of my eyes as I walked to my seat at the back of the classroom.
"Class, I will be back soon, please continue. No talking." She aimed the last part of the comment directly at me, and I feigned hurt, placing my hand dramatically over my heart.
Perfect timing. Dropping my backpack to the floor, I stood up, clearing my throat loudly as I walked to the front of the classroom.
"If everybody could please be quiet for a moment, I have a very important question." The class looked up from their work
"Lola?" She kept staring down at her experiment, but I could see her cheeks turning red from behind the curtain of hair.
"Lola?" I repeated, smirking as she groaned quietly and finally looked up.
"I, Ryder Case, want to ask you, Lola Mackenzie, on a date." Her face slackened in shock, her eyebrows rising as she glanced nervously across the classroom to Claire.
Claire shrugged helplessly, and Lola turned back seconds later, taking a deep breath. Tilting her head to the side slightly, she gestured to the door with her head before standing and leaving the room, her forgotten experiment still bubbling away on the desk behind her.
Grinning in accomplishment, I followed after her as the class gradually returned to whatever they'd been doing.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"I'd have thought it was obvious" I replied with a genuine grin, my smile widening at her taken aback expression.
"And why would I go on a date with you?" She raised her eyebrows challengingly, seeming shocked when I was undeterred.
"Because you want me." I stepped closer, and her head tilted up slightly so she could meet my eyes.
"- and I want you." I cupped her chin in my palm.
"- and I want a date."
I leant my head forward slightly and she pushed up onto her tiptoes to get closer.
"So why wouldn't you?"
She smiled slightly before finally closing the distance between our lips, pressing hers lightly against mine for a moment before attempting to pull away. Instead, I pulled her closer, and she deepened the kiss, smiling against my lips as she wrapped her arms around my neck. It took me a minute to register that this was all for the sake of a game.
"I'll take that as a yes then."
I couldn't help but feel proud at the sight of her eyes slightly glazed over as I pulled away.
"If I must."
YOU ARE READING
Revenge on The Bad Boy (Unexpected Match #1)
Teen Fiction"You can't play a player baby, it doesn't work that way." Lola Mackenzie is getting way more than she bargained for. When she agreed to help her friend get revenge on the player that broke her heart, she never imagined that it would be anything mor...
