Trusting You

~Chapter 3

E  R  I  C  K     D  I  A  Z  '  S     P  O  V:

"Who is she?" I ask in awe.

"That's Jessica  Lopez, the toughest girl in school. You don't want to mess with her. Last year, a guy named Derek tried to get her to go out with him. She refused and threatened to make his life miserable if he asked her again. A week later, he asked her again in front of the whole school in the cafeteria where he thought she wouldn't say no in front of  the whole school. He was wrong. She was livid, she not only turned him down in front of the whole school, but she also humiliated him even further by slapping him hard across the cheek. He felt so humiliated, he left the school." Tyler says.

Tyler, Jake and I have been friends since summer. We met at a camp in North of California where we played soccer. Since then, we've been hanging out a lot.

"What's her deal?" I ask, confused.

"No one knows except her friend Jasmine. She's cold and tough around everyone else. She doesn't trust anyone except her." He says, shaking his head.

Unfazed by this piece of information, I suddenly have an urge to get to know her better. Find out more about her. She intrigues me.

"What's with her and volleyball?" I ask suddenly.

"She loves volleyball. No one knows the whole history of it, but we do know that she joined the team in 7th grade. She, Jasmine and Naomi were the youngest on the team then. They're really close friends now."

All of this information about Jessica left me wondering, were all of these rumors about her true? Is she hiding something no one knows about? 

I decide to get to the bottom of it. But for that, I'm going to need some help.

J  E  S  S  I  C  A     L  O  P  E  Z  '  S      P  O  V:

"Class, please take out your copy of 'Merchant of Venice'. We'll be reading that today." Mrs. Ramirez says.

We all groan. Jas is sitting to my right and she has fallen asleep. I roll my eyes. Typical Jas. She loves her sleep.

"Alright, now I'd like someone to read Portia's part for me. Volunteers?" She asks, as though expecting someone to raise their hand. She sighs.

"Jessica, would you please read Portia's part?" She asks.

I groan.

She decides to take it as a yes.

"Now, who will be my Bassanio?" She asks, looking around the class.

Just then, Erick walks in and takes a seat to my left.

He smirks at me and says, "Miss me?"

I roll my eyes. "You wish."

He winks at me. "Keep telling yourself that. One day, you'll realize it's not true."

I shoot him my middle finger.

"Ah, yes, Erick, since you have so much to say to Jessica, why don't you play Bassanio?" Mrs. Ramirez says.

He beams at her. "Of course, Mrs. Ramirez."

I roll my eyes. 

He takes out his copy and starts reading.

"My, fair lady, What must I do to become thy friend?" He says.

I sit up straight. That's not in the book. What is he doing?!?

"What are you doing, you idiot?" I hiss.

He just winks at me.

I roll my eyes and decide to play along.

"But none can be my friend, Bassanio. 'Tis upon my Father's dead will, that I may not choose my husband." I say.

"But surely, you can choose thine own friend?" He retaliates.

"Oh, but I can. If to do were as easy as to say, then I'd have but a hundred friends. I can easier call thou mine own friend, but of what good will it be if I cannot but trust you?" I say.

"How will thou know whether you can put your trust in me, if you don't? Portia, thou art the prettiest and smartest heiress in Belmont. There are at least a hundred suitors who will want to be thy friend. Thou must choose wisely." He says.

The entire class had caught on and now everyone was eagerly paying attention. Mrs. Ramirez had gone speechless.

"Yes, Bassanio, I agree. But why choose? I have what I need. Those I can trust art mine own friends. Thy must prove to be a worthy suitor." I say.

"ERICK! JESSICA! STOP THIS NONSENSE AT ONCE!" Mrs. Ramirez says.

Erick doesn't even look a tiny bit abashed.

Erick turns to me and winks. "Oh, I'll prove myself to you." He whispers confidently.

"I highly doubt that. You can't charm me." I say, arrogantly.

"Oh yeah? I bet that by the end of the year, you'll be in love with me." He says.

"Why the Hell aren't you scared of me? Why can't you just leave me alone?" I say, annoyed at his proposal for a bet. That too an impossible one.

"The same reason why you can't like me." He says.

That shuts me up. Was that his problem? The reason why he wouldn't leave me alone? Because he wanted me to like him, just like everyone else?

"Fine. I'll take your bet. I bet that not only are you wrong, but also, that by the end of the year, you'll leave me alone just like everyone else." I say, smirking. I'm so confident that he'll lose the bet.

"Just a warning though, I've never lost a bet before." I say, boldly.

He seems unfazed. If at all, he seems even more determined that he'll win the bet.

"It's on, babe." He says, winking at me.

I roll my eyes and show him my middle finger.

The bell rings signaling the end of the period.

I grab my stuff and get out of class as soon as possible.

A/N: Chapter 3! How did you like it? Vote if you like the chapter. Do you ship Tyler with anyone specific? What do you think of Erick? Let me know in the comments!