A Cupid's Guide To Fake Dating

Chapter 3

HOURS EARLIER

ELENA'S POV

WHEN LUNCH FINALLY came, I made my way to the cafeteria and ended up standing in a long queue, holding a tray that only had one bottle of water in it. Today’s lunch was mashed potatoes. I didn’t like it but I had to regain the energy I had lost during gym class.

Mr. Gai had it in for us today. His exercises were usually annoying but today he just kept yapping on about the ‘power of youth’ and how youth was the perfect time to try out new things. We ended up doing more pushups than I could count and an 800 metre race. A strong arm flung casually over my shoulder and I looked up to meet the green eyes of one of those casual friends I had- Jeremy.

‘Hey Jay.’ I said.

Jeremy, or Jay, as I liked to call him, was a tall boy with a cute smile who liked to wear stylish clothes and played basketball. He also had a tiny crush on Maria to which she was completely oblivious to.

The line moved and I stepped forward.

‘Have you seen Maria today?’ he asked me, scanning the cafeteria room.

‘Not after chemistry.’

He rolled his eyes. ‘I need her to explain a few things for me. I haven’t written my essay yet.’

A gasp escaped my mouth and Jay gave me a knowing look as his lips broke into a huge smile. ‘Did you forget to do yours too?’

‘I so did not!’ I argued. I actually did. I was so busy last night with my blog I forgot all about the essay. ‘Why don’t we give it to Maria to help us with. '

Jay rolled his eyes again. 'That's cheating, Elena. Ever heard of it?'

I rolled my eyes. He just wanted Maria for himself. The sly bag.

It finally got to my turn and my plate was filled with mashed potatoes. Yuck. I gave the cook a look before Jay and I walked towards a table where we saw Maria waiting for us.

When the school bell rang, I was the most eager to get out of class but then I remembered I hadn’t completed my essay yet and so headed straight for the school’s library. It was already past four and students were already rushing home but the last thing I needed was to fail first term because of some English essay I refused to write.

I would have done it earlier if I had a laptop, and my foolish brother wouldn’t lend me his. Speaking of brothers, I didn’t see Lay throughout today. I wondered if he came to school but then again he could be hanging out with those friends of his again. Those guys were nothing but trouble. They called themselves THE REBELS just because they skateboarded and didn’t go according to the school’s rules and regulations. If mom knew he was in a group like that, she would flip a table.

When I made it to the library, I expected to see at least a few students still hanging around but I found it empty; unfilled seats and vacant laptops everywhere.

‘So not cool,’ I muttered to myself but my voice seemed to echo out.

‘Be quiet,’ a voice startled me from behind and I turned to see the old librarian giving me a stern look. She pointed to the ‘no noise’ sign and I rolled my eyes. Seriously? There wasn’t a single soul here except me and her. Why the hell should I refrain from making noise?

I should have let her know that, but I offered a low sorry and made my way to one of the computers.

By the time I was done with my essay, it was already a few minutes after five. I spent an hour and ten minutes on it. I was just about to cross check my work when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

‘I am closing now.’ The librarian said.

Sighing, I carried my bag and switched off the laptop. The tired looking librarian waited for me to step out of the room before switching off the lights and shutting the door close. She walked down the hallway and I followed her. It wasn’t until I was out of the school compound that I realised I forgot something.

‘s**t!’ I groaned out. I forgot my essay in the computer.

***

No! My essay! I couldn’t believe I forgot it. All I had to do was transfer it into my phone. I looked back to the school but the gates were already locked and the librarian was gone.

I stared down at my watch; it was 5:39. I shouldn’t be out this late. After much deliberation and frustrated yells and kicks against the school gate that made my leg sore, I decided to give up and just go home, bearing in mind I’d have to arrive at school very early the next day.

Running back home from school was already starting to wear me off. Mom had a curfew we had to meet before seven and I was running as fast as my dead beat boots could carry me. I wasn't the athletic type and so didn't have the endurance they did, plus the earlier rigorous exercise Mr. Gai had put us through still made me want to catch my breath after five seconds.

Three more blocks, I told myself. Less than a few minutes before mum started to flip tables. I stopped to take a breather and then looked at my surroundings.

The hell?! Where was I? Surely I took the right shortcut. I looked at my watch; ten minutes after six. This wasn't looking good. I looked around again. Seemed I had walked into a skate park. Maybe I could just keep on heading forward, I'd probably see someone who could guide me out of here.

I jogged forward, looking around cautiously, hoping to see someone when a loud 'get out of the way!' made me turn just in time to see a figure skating towards me. Before I could think about moving out of the way, the figure collided with me and we both ended up falling together with a powerful thud. 

'Ow,' I muttered, rubbing the sore on my forehead. 

'Argh,' the figure groaned beneath me. 'The hell hit me?'

I looked down and realised the person who bumped into me was no other person than Ethan. Not only did my eyes widen from shock but from the fact that I realised which skate park this was. It belonged to Andre. No wonder I wasn't seeing anyone around.

'Elena?' My head snapped up at the familiar voice and I saw the confused and surprised stares directed at me, one of them belonging to Lay.

I almost sighed in relief. Finally, someone I knew. Then I saw Austin. He looked clearly as surprised as the rest, but his was more contained. If anything, he seemed slightly amused.

'Hey, are you alright?' Ethan was still under me, looking concerned. I got up quickly, recoiling as though I had been stung by a snake, and adjusted myself.

'I'm fine,' I forced myself to say wincing from the sudden ache I was having. Lay was by my side the next second.

'Let's go,' he reached for my hand. 'It's way past curfew.'

Before the others could say anything, he was already dragging me out of the skate park. Unknown to me, I had just lost something of important value.