4- His Personal Errand Girl
1038 Words
Jace was a devil in disguise. A devil who wore number seventeen.
After we left Mrs. Carter's office, he turned around to look at me. His arrogant smile was replaced by something darker, something more sinister than he showed the world. I gulped at the dark look that crossed his eyes and took a step back when he started walking towards me.
"Look, stay where you are! Don't invade my personal space." My voice came out weaker than I wanted, making the boy in front of me look at me with raised brows.
"So, this was your solution, Brooks? Running away from me? Did you really think I wouldn't anticipate your little move beforehand?" He asked me, and I licked my lips nervously.
"Oh, no, no. You're getting me wrong, Jace. I wasn't quitting because of you. It's just that being the only school journalist becomes exhausting sometimes. And these days I am not getting enough time to prepare for the exams either—" I started blabbering, and he let out a sarcastic chuckle.
"Lying now, are we?" He asked me, cutting me off.
"Of course not—"
"Listen to me, Brooks. And listen to me good. It was your misfortune that you saw me in the underground street racing. But that doesn't mean I would let your misfortune ruin my reputation and secret because you couldn't stop running your mouth." He said, once again interrupting me.
"Hey, where would I run my mouth, huh? It's not like I have friends to gossip with. Have you ever seen me gossiping before?" I asked him, and he snorted in response.
"I have never even seen you before yesterday, Brooks."
Ouch, that one hurt.
While everybody knew me as the hallway hawk, nobody really knew me. I was a nobody in Oakridge High, after all.
"So, until I know I can trust you with my secret, you are not getting rid of me. So, reach the hockey rink at four in the evening sharp. There's no use in running away from me, Brooks. I am the master of the chasing game."
I clenched my jaw, almost picking the rock to throw at him, but stopped myself when he turned around to look at me once more.
"I'd appreciate a good drink and snacks when you come to interview me. Hockey practices often leave me starving." He said, and I smiled sweetly at him.
"Of course, why not, Your Majesty. I might as well massage your soreness away." I said, sarcasm lacing my voice, and a devilish smile formed on his face as he nodded his head.
"Why not? But would you be able to provide me the kind of massage I want, Brooks?" And just like that, for the umpteenth time, I felt my cheeks reddening in frustration and anger.
Loud chuckles filled the air as he left, laughing.
"Bastard," I mumbled under my breath.
***
Jace looked genuinely tired when he walked out of the hockey rink. He was no longer in his jersey numbered seventeen. He must have taken a shower before coming out because he neither smelt of sweat nor had a single drop of it over his body.
Dressed in a brown button-up and a pair of beige linen trousers, he looked ridiculously handsome. His hair, still damp and unruly, only made him look more boyish than he really was.
"Does the job of school journalist also entail staring shamelessly at your subjects?" He suddenly asked me, staring at me insolently.
What a fantastic beginning, Selene.
"Not really," I answered, smiling sweetly at him as I placed my bag down on the bench and sat down beside it. "But it definitely involves seeing if the subject is really worthy of the interview or not."
His friends and players, who joined him outside, laughed at my words, making Jace's smile drop into a scowl as he glared at his friends before rewarding me with the same glare too.
I fought the urge to grin.
"And what is your judgement, Miss Hallway Hawk?" Nolan, the blonde-haired guy I remembered, asked me, enjoying it way too much.
"My judgement says that maybe he had earned this interview to be sitting here. You, however, are not needed here. At least, until you make it here. So, if you can excuse us." I said, and I saw Nolan glaring at me before he looked at Jace, who was somehow looking amused as he nodded his head at his friends.
"I'll text you, guys."
Once his friends were gone, he looked at me. Suddenly, with no one around us, my bravery went on vacation. Clearing my throat, I removed my diary and went through the list of questions I had prepared.
"Okay, let's start the interview. When did you first start playing—" I started with my first question, and he clicked his tongue, shaking his head at me.
"Show some humanity, Brooks; your subject is hungry. Interview can wait. Did you grab me something to eat?" He asked me, and an impish smile formed on my face.
"Of course, Your Highness. How can I forget your orders?" I said, removing a small pink-colored dinosaur-printed lunchbox and handing it to him.
He looked at the lunchbox in confusion before looking at me.
"What the hell is this?" He asked me as he opened the lunchbox and found a small packet of juice, animal-shaped biscuits, and two small cupcakes with a panda printed on them.
"Your snacks and drink?"
"I asked for snacks, Brooks." He said, looking at me, deadpan, and I smiled widely at him.
"Aren't they snacks? I got you a packet of biscuits, cupcakes, and juice. And look, those cupcakes have a panda printed on them." I said, and his jaw visibly clenched as he glared at me.
"These are kids' snacks, Brooks." He said, and I nodded my head in answer.
"Of course, they are."
"Do I look like a kid to you?" He asked me, his grip tightening on the pink-colored lunchbox, making me smile even more.
"Oh, you aren't? Forgive me, Ryder; your behavior must have misled me into thinking you were just a kid throwing tantrums."
- Writer
