The Badboy, the Catfish & Me

Three

At the end of the day, I paced by my locker, waiting anxiously for Valentino. We had the same lunch period, but I usually spent my time at the library studying while he hung out with his friends at the cafeteria. The school lunches weren't halal to eat either, other than tuna sandwich Tuesdays.

A shadow turned the corner, and I heard people talking in the hall. I recognized Valentino's voice and crept close to the door to listen to him tell his The Fanclub that he couldn't hang out because he was going to study at the public library nearby. My face flushed at the lie. Why did he want to keep our meeting a secret from them?

"With Inaya?" Jamie prompted. Her wavy brown hair, styled with pink highlights to contrast against her pale skin, bobbed with every movement of her head. "You guys have been close all year."

"Yeah, if you say so."

"Ooh, is something going on between you two?" Elsa asked, raising a suggestive, dark eyebrow and edging closer.

It wasn't possible, but my heart held its breath, and I peeked through the door's window.

You could just tell Elsa Osborn was the leader of the three. She stood about two inches taller than Jamie Allan and Clara Gonzales and had a full head of dyed platinum-blonde hair. Elsa and Jamie wore tracksuits and duffel bags over their shoulders with Maxwell High Cheer Squad written over them. Clara didn't—she wore a crop top and scuffed skinny jeans that made her look like she'd walked out of a summer photoshoot.

Valentino wrinkled his nose at the unanticipated question. "She's going to be valedictorian," was all he said.

I gripped the strap of my school bag, feeling the weight of my books and the butterflies return at his confident words.

Only Clara smiled at him. On her own, sweet was the only way to describe Clara. She had rosy cheeks and a smile that made her look syrupy-sweet. She could probably rob a bank with that sort of charm.

"We'll see you tomorrow then," she said. "Bye, Valentino."

He nodded. "Later."

I waited a few seconds for The Fanclub to disappear before pretending to leave the room like I hadn't been eavesdropping on them. Valentino noticed my approach and smiled in greeting.

"Ready?"

"Yeah!"

"Let's go," he said, quickly closing the gap between us.

Almost every student we passed stared as we walked down the hall and out of the building. I wondered if Valentino noticed it. The girls loved him, and the guys wanted to be him. That was what happened when you were the captain of the boys' soccer team, towering nearly at six feet, with a head of dark blond hair and a face sculpted by fierce brows and poise. Despite his lighter skin tone, Valentino could tan with a soft tan under glow that shimmered when the sun hit him just right. I assumed it was because of his Salvadoran genes.

Our arms brushed up as we waited for the street light to change, prompting my heart to jump. I tapped my foot to a rhythm, and my heart returned to its normal pace. I absently adjusted my hijab.

I would've been just another fangirl admiring Valentino if not for my religion's decree for chastity and my vow to abide by it. And maybe that was why Valentino chose to spend time with me. He saw me as a girl with a deep personal conviction based on my faith and thought that my perceptions towards him wouldn't be muddled by shallow things like the looks and reputation that preceded his character. In other words, he trusted my judgment to be his friend over any other girl's.

My heart wrenched. I loved and hated that. Because what was I supposed to do when I was in love, too?

"I was thinking I could make an account for you," Valentino said as we crossed the street to the nearby public library. "So we could play together."