Mr. Perfect

Chapter Four

[Zoe.]

It took Lucas exactly one day to achieve levels of popularity that stretched the boundaries of credibility. Not that this came as a surprise, of course. Personally, I was only shocked that his sycophants weren't worshipping him as some kind of god yet.

At first, I didn't understand. Sure, the guy was so gorgeous that even I got the urge to drop to my knees and lick him every time he walked by, but our school wasn't exactly lacking in the hot guys department. General hotness, by unspoken law, earned one a place in the popular group - but it wasn't enough to make one a ringleader with a fawning herd of followers within just one day.

Lucas wasn't just popular; he was infamous.

Now, far be it from me to take any form of interest in the comings and goings of the popular crowd, but for reasons unknown even to myself, Lucas and his high-speed rise to schoolwide fame piqued my interest. And it disturbed the hell out of me. I didn't want to be interested in this stupidly handsome boy; I wanted him out of my head.

It was with this goal in mind that I came to a (slightly desperate) conclusion: the only way to satisfy one's interest in something is to gain an understanding of it.

Thus, the plan was formed.

*

"But why do I have to be involved?" Ash whined, tugging the fabric of his hood even lower so that the dark flash of his eyes was lost within it.

I elbowed him into a plastic seat. "Because every spy needs a dashing partner. Plus, if I'm going to skip class, I may as well do it under the guidance of an expert."

"Spies work alone, Zoe. They don't need sidekicks," he huffed, choosing not to respond to the remainder of my words.

"Fine, then I'm Batman and you're my Robin. Happy?"

"No. I'm still here."

I sighed and turned my attention to the field before us. Ash and I perched awkwardly at the very back of the stands surrounding our school's rather diminutive football field. We weren't the only ones there; assorted girls and athletic-looking guys had snagged seats closer to the front and even a few teachers had dropped by to observe. We were, however, the only ones that quite clearly didn't belong there.

Down on the field, Lucas' silvery hair marked his position. He wore school standard PE attire: deep blue t-shirt and loose red shorts. He made it look like a fashion statement. Both pieces of clothing left plenty of skin on display. For the first time, I wasn't just guiltily imagining the muscles that might be hidden under there; I was seeing them first-hand, in all their slender, built, tightly coiled glory...

Bad Zoe. Bad. Bad thoughts.

The PE class was still in session. A game of football was just about to begin, and I was about to find out if the rumours of the new boy's 'unbelievable' athletic abilities held any truth.

Beside me, Ash was still grumbling. "Earth to Batwoman. Remind me again why you can't just observe your new crush and his fanclub on your own."

I dug into the depths of my bag and unearthed a chocolate bar. "I don't have a crush on him. I just want to understand what makes this one guy worthy of the attention of the entire school," I insisted, breaking off a piece of chocolate and holding it out.

Ash accepted the chocolate offering and his sour disposition melted somewhat. Barely hiding a smile, he answered, "It's because he's special."

"Yes, but what does that mean? What makes him special?" I muttered, hating that with every second my interest levels only increased.

Before Ash could answer, a whistle was blown down on the field. The players that had previously milled aimlessly around were suddenly attentive, alert. The game had begun.