Bad Boy's Pet

Number 5

She peeked at him over the covers of her book. He did not notice. It would be weird if he did because it would mean he had also noticed the other million times she had peeked at him and that would be embarrassing. His laugh carried across the lawn and she felt a wave of sadness when she realized he was having a good time and she was still pining over him. This was what the general population of women would call pathetic. She knew she was. Thankfully, she had no friends to actually say it to her face.

“You are pathetic.”

Paige’s shoulders tensed and she turned slowly. Fearing whom she would see that had realized her secret obsession. A girl with the most unruly red hair was picking up her books from the floor while trying to keep her bag on her shoulder and her hair from her face. As a member of the curly unruly hair society, Paige could relate.

She stood up to help but the girl looked up at the same time and when their eyes met, the girl gasped making Paige freeze on the spot. “You,” The girl said and Paige turned to look over her shoulder, sighting nobody behind her, she turned back to the girl “I know you. I cannot pin it but I do.”

“Oh?” Paige frowned as the girl stepped over her books and adjusted the bag so it was now across.

“You are…don’t tell me, I know.” The girl shut her eyes tightly trying to remember.

Paige could not tell her anything because she had no idea what the girl was talking about. She did not even know her.

“I got it. You are the daughter of that dead writer.” The girl gasped audibly and flung a hand over her mouth after she said it “I am sorry. I didn’t mean for it to sound the way it did. I just meant…you know, it was on the news and I saw it and…,” She paused to take a breath “I am sorry about your mom.”

“Yeah. Um…your books are still on the floor.” Paige reminded and the girl looked over her shoulders

“Shoot” She hurried back and piled them up then whisked the hair away from her face before standing up books in the nook of her arm “I am new in case you were wondering.” She raised the stack.

“Oh.”

“Let’s start over. Hello. I am Nancy Walker. And you must be Paige Miller. I was a big fan of your mom. She made me swoon more than any of my insane exes. She was just so perfect.”

“Hi.” Paige was a little overwhelmed. She had never met anyone who recognized her because of her mother before. Only one of Tiana Miller’s books made it to the best sellers’ list and that was under a pseudonym.

“Look at me rambling on, I will let you get back to what you were doing,” Nancy told her and Paige nodded and sat back down before taking her book from the bench. She heard a crash and then an “Ow.”

When she turned in the direction of the sound, Nancy was on the floor and a tall teen who looked far too muscular for the clothes he was wearing, was standing above her, laughing, “You assh*le, how dare you laugh after bumping into me?”

“You should look where you are going Red.”

“No, you should,” She declared picking herself off from the floor “You aren’t even going to apologize?”

“Apologize? For what?”

“For bumping into me of course what else?”

“Look here Red, I don’t think you know who I am” He walked closer to her till he was standing right above her and he was looking down at her. Without so much as a step back, she looked up at him and said in a voice that almost made Paige ‘Whoop’ out loud

“Unless you are a person who is allergic to apologies then I am not interested in knowing who you are till you offer me one.”

He glared hard at her trying to stare her down but she didn’t budge “Piss off.” He told her before side-stepping her and walking away.

“The nerve,” Nancy gasped after him before looking down at her once again scattered books “Welcome to the first day of high school again Nancy.” She sighed and ran her hands through her hair in frustration.

“You might need this” Paige said offering her a crocheted scrunchie

“Wow, that is so pretty” Nancy gaped collecting it gratefully and pulling her hair up “So what? You walk around with an extra scrunchie?”

She meant it as a joke but Paige blushed in embarrassment and started to chew her lips, “I didn’t mean it like that. Damn it, I should really learn to keep my mouth shut. It was a joke.”

“It’s all right” Paige bent to pick up the books and Nancy joined her. The bell rang as they stood up “I have to get to class.”

“Really? Me too.” This time, Paige recognized the joke and smiled “I was not offered a map at reception so I thought there would be directions but I haven’t seen any so far. Are there?” Paige shook her head “Great. So, I will just be lost for the rest of the day.”

“I could help you to your first class. Where is it?”

“Um…I have no idea. My schedule is…” She looked over the books in her arm and then at the ones in Paige’s hand “…in that orange book over there.”

Opening it, Paige studied it “We have most classes today together.”

“Really. That is perfect.” Nancy started to jump but remembered the books in her arm “Let’s go, friend. I must have hit the jackpot today.” She started forward.

Paige was stuck in the same spot. Did she just call her “friend?” It was weird but she liked it. She usually dreaded anything that would make her have to talk to people but somehow, she did not feel any anxiety at Nancy calling her friend.

“I don’t know the way,” Nancy said walking back “You lead.”

“Right.” Friend.

“Damn girl, you got it bad,” Nancy said sipping her large bottle of fruit juice. Paige looked away quickly “Oh no need to hide that from me. I promise not to tell. I actually have no right to judge. I have done the craziest sh*t in my last school.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Paige claimed.

“I am talking about your apparent crush on Mc Hottie over there. And he is hot. Like fire. If he wasn’t yours, I might have a go.”

“He is not mine.” Paige defended.

But he could have been if you hadn’t been so demanding. She tampered down on the snicker from her subconscious. She had been battling with thoughts like that since she went to bed after slamming the door in his face. It had been almost three days and he still hadn’t looked at her once.

For all she knew, he barely remembered her. The thought made her angry.

“Girl, if that’s what you call a scowl then I don’t think you actually want to intimidate anyone. You look like a Pokémon. So cute.” Nancy cooed and Paige shrugged before taking a bite out of her burger “So, what’s the story?”

“With what?”

“With Mc Hottie of course.”

“There is no story.”

“Of course, there is. You are looking at him so intently and he is…,” Nancy gasped “Did you see that?”

“See what?” Paige looked up sharply.

“Mc Hottie just looked at you.”

“No, he didn’t.” Paige looked toward Cade but he was talking to a group of girls. No, he wasn’t talking to them, they were talking to him and he looked bored.

“He did. Listen. He might not have ogled you like you seem to have no problem doing to him. But he definitely looked. Trust me, I know these things.”

“It does not matter anyway.”

“The hell it doesn’t. I don’t know what happened but I know sure as hell that he is not your ex and if he is not your ex then, he is definitely not off limits. If you want him, go get him.”

If only it were that simple, Paige thought glancing at him again. She gasped audibly when she saw he was looking at her too.

“What?” Nancy turned and a grin appeared on her face “Wow. I would smash that.”

Paige was not listening to her. She was trying to keep her heart rate steady. It was getting increasingly difficult the longer he stared. She had just decided to wave when he turned away from her, said something to his friends, and then walk out of the cafeteria. “What the h*ll just happened?” Nancy wondered and Paige shook her head.

She had no idea.