The Substitute (A Natasha Romanoff Story)

Chapter 9

Naomi

After the good night's sleep I had, Friday morning came quicker than I expected. Unfortunately we didn't have English on Fridays so I missed out on seeing Natalie. Saturday would make up for it though, the thought of her making me ecstatic.

"Why are you so smiley?" Wanda asked teasingly when we met outside te entrance of the school.

"I'm just happy," I replied.

"Are you high?" Ezra asked, examining my face until I swatted his hands away. As much as I loved my friends, they could be a little invasive sometimes.

"Are you guys ready for the most kickass party of the year?" Jasper ran over to us and squeezed between Wanda and I as the four of us walked to the quad.

Unlike everyone else in our group, Jasper loved celebrating things, regardless of the occasion, especially Valentine's day. He liked the idea of celebrating your partner just because you loved them. Every year, Cypress hosted a huge dance at the school and Jasper offered to be the main sponsor. He told us that the ticket money was going to charity instead of the principal's bank account like usual.

"I think I'm gonna skip it this year," Ezra said.

"It's our last year to celebrate. If I don't see your faces there, I will hunt you down," Jasper threatened.

"I have plans already," I admitted with a playful smile spread across my face.

"Oh yeah, with who?" Ezra mocked.

"My brand new vibrator," I joked and Jasper snorted.

"Sounds hot, what's their name?" Wanda added sarcastically.

"Pussy Pleaser 5000," I grinned, making the four of us burst out laughing.

In all honesty, I didn't have any plans for Valentine's day. The previous year, we ditched the dance and got drunk at a strip club a few blocks away, after Ezra bribed the bouncer to let us in. Safe to say that the four of us really enjoyed ourselves. I remember waking up in Wanda's bed the following morning, surrounded by random people I had never met in my life. How I got there, I had no idea.

"Seriously though, Jasper's right. We all need to be there." Wanda said, once she had caught her breath.

"How much is the entry fee?" I asked.

"Ten dollars per person," Jasper replied and the three of us gave him a dumbfounded look. "It's for charity, don't act like you're broke," He added when he saw our expressions.

"Do you guys have dates?" Ezra asked.

"If you go with a date, you won't be able to explore your options," Jasper winked "There will be a lot of single people there, looking for someone to help...break them out of their shell," Jasper tried to explain.

"The only thing that's going to break out is Syphilis again if you don't keep it in your pants." I retorted, giving him a pat on the shoulder, earning a snort from Wanda.

"That was one time!" He pouted, making the three of us laugh. "And it was Chlamydia."

It wasn't like we could blame him. A few months ago, there was a huge Chlamydia outbreak at our school and a quarter of our grade got infected. Unfortunately, Jasper being one of them. After that, the school tried to encourage safe sex and provided each of us with cheap condoms, even the teachers.

"Whatever," Jasper rolled his eyes as the bell rang "Friday afternoon, three sharp. Be there." He instructed before stomping off to his first class, Ezra followed him.

"He's so cute," I joked, turning to Wanda.

"Yeah," She chuckled softly "I feel bad for him though,"

"Why?" I asked "He knows that it's a joke, he said that he's cool with it-"

"No not that," Wanda interrupted "Apparently his dad's been pretty hard on him lately. I think he's just worried. I mean we're graduating soon, so it's understandable."

Jasper's dad had always been a simple, straightforward guy. He was like my dad, but didn't have as much personality. That was the main reason why Jasper was always out of the house, partying and staying over at my place. He said that he liked the energy of my apartment and seemed to have favored my parents over his own. My parents trusted him, probably even more than me.

"Yeah, I guess so," I said, biting my lip "The two of us are going out later, I'll check on him."

"Just see how he's doing," Wanda smiled "I'll see you later!"

"Bye Wanda," I said to her before we both parted ways.

I saw Natalie about three times that whole day, not once stopping for a conversation with her. It was just intense eye contact and brushing our shoulders every time we walked past one another. At lunch, I watched as she walked across the road to grab a cup of coffee, like every afternoon.

"I swear she gets hotter every day," Ezra spoke, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"She's the prettiest woman I've ever seen," Jasper added and Ezra hummed in agreement.

Wanda and I turned around to look at them, a look of disappointment on both our faces. These were the kind of thoughts that they needed to keep to themselves.

"After you two...of course," Jasper insisted with a shy look on his face.

"You both sound like whores right now," I said to them. In reality, I was the whore.

"But the whores are right though," Wanda admitted "How can someone be so gorgeous?"

I tilted my head, who was I to disagree? She was one of the most gorgeous women I had ever laid my eyes on. We watched in silence as Rushman walked down the street, her soft red hair - that I had the pleasure of running my hands through - flowed in the wind, until she disappeared around the corner. Since our hookup the previous day, I couldn't stop replaying the moment in my head. I even zoned out in my classes as I thought about it constantly. Knowing that it could possibly happen again just the very next day, excited me. The thought of getting caught barely crossed my mind, my only thought was her. I got to do what most people in the school were dying to do and that made me feel so fucking powerful.