The Love Game

i

"Can you please tell me why we've been sitting here for the past hour doing nothing?" Leigh groaned to the brunette girl sitting next to her at the table in the mall cafeteria.

"Nothing? Nothing?! All of these boys passing by us and that's nothing?! You are so uncultured." The girl replied, looking at Leigh with a shocked look on her face before sipping her soda.

Leigh scoffed, "No, I'm normal. Face it, Jess. You're just weird."

Jess laughed loudly, causing a group of people to look over at them. Leigh sighed and looked down, hiding her face with her hand in mock embarrassment at her friend. "Wasn't Tess supposed to meet us here like, twenty minutes ago?" Leigh asked, interrupting Jess' laughter.

Jess shrugged. "She's probably hanging out with Jeremy. You know how they are. Inseparable." Jess smiled. "They're super cute."

"It's a wonder he didn't ask her out sooner before Cole got to her." Leigh added quickly before averting her attention to the aforementioned girl who was running towards them with a smile on her face and a purple haired girl walking behind her.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!" Tess exclaimed. "Lindsey and I ran into some issues at Violetta's."

Leigh grinned, "Its alright! You're here now, at least you didn't ditch us to hang out with your boyfriend!" she replied teasingly, causing Tess to blush lightly at the mention of Jeremy.

"He actually did offer to hang out with us," Lindsey states, sitting down next to Jess. "Tess turned it down. Said she had previous engagements with her girlfriends and then invited me to come, I had to go to Violetta's anyways so I thought why not?"

"Well I'm stoked you came! I haven't seen you since before you switched schools. Wasn't that before or after you dyed your hair?" Leigh asked.

"After. They wouldn't let me stay at your school with my hair. Idiots. It's obviously a fashion statement!" Lindsey laughed.

"Guys, don't look now. But a group of jocks are totally checking y'all out." Tess squealed, she pointed towards the large group of people that Jess had so embarrassingly caught attention of just mere minutes before.

Jess smiled, "Mostly Leigh, probably." she teased.

Leigh felt her cheeks turn pink at the comment, "Can you not?" she asked lightly, "You know I'm not that good looking!"

Tess looked at her with wide eyes, "Leigh! I'm pretty sure you're quite possibly the prettiest of us all! I mean, you've got everything going for you. The blonde hair, blue eyes, dimpled smile... Need I go on?"

Leigh rolled her eyes. "Please don't."

The girls laughed, and Leigh spoke up again. "Have you ever wanted to do something different with your life? Something... Out of the ordinary from the characteristics you've been given- the personalities everyone assumes you have?"

When no one replied, just stared, she continued. "I've been known as the shy little bookworm almost my whole life. I want to be something different. Just... Anything. Not a nothing."

"Leigh, you're not a nothing!" Jess exclaimed. Leigh shook her off with a wave of her hand.

"I know, I didn't mean it like that." she answered. "I just wish I could change things." she sighed, glancing over to see the group of jocks mentioned earlier, and upon looking intently at them; she thought of something. "Guys. I have an idea. You might not like this. But I do. It's going to work."

Lindsey chuckled, "Just tell us what it is, Leigh!"

"Well, you see that really tall jock? Brown eyes, dark hair?" Leigh described, to which the rest of them discreetly looked over and nodded at her. "Ben Evans."

"Leigh... That's the school player... What have you got planned in that pretty little head of yours?" Jess asked quickly.

Leigh laughed and stood up. "Just watch." she replied, beginning to walk over to the group. Ben noticed her and smiled politely.

"Hey there." he said, "Care to take a seat?"

Leigh nodded, "Sure."

"What's your name, beautiful?" Ben asked.

"I have a proposition for you." Leigh stated, ignoring Ben's obvious attempt at flirting.

Ben raised his eyebrow, "Oh?"

"You're the player, am I right?" she started. He laughed, licking his lips as he nodded. She made a closed lip smile, "Well. Let's play a game then."

Ben leaned back in his chair, "I'm listening. What've you got in mind?"

"One month. You and me. Sweet talk, play fight... All the sappy dating stuff.  Whoever falls first? Loses. Game over. We never speak again."

Ben grinned, "I don't even know you."

Leigh chuckled, glancing down at the floor as she bites her lip. "All the more fun."

Ben leaned forward, his elbows on the table as he put his hands together. "Alright. Let's play."

"Good." she grabbed the nearest napkin and pulled a pen out of her pocket, she scribbled down her number and passed it to him. "I'm Leigh, by the way. Could be your worst nightmare, but maybe your best dream." she laughed, turning around and walking back towards her friends.