𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑇𝑟𝑒𝑒

Chapter 9 ~ Deal

Willow

Flashback

"Miss Carter?" I raise my hand letting the teacher know I am present. I'm sitting on a gym floor in gym shorts for my first summer class. Mom and dad are having me take it because they think I'm behind in it.

I thought I was done with PE in the tenth grade.

The clothes I'm wearing smell like old dirty socks and I can't even imagine how dirty the floor is. I look to my left and see a boy around my age sitting with his legs crossed and scratching the floor paint.

"Mr. Brown?" The teacher calls after he calls a few others, the boy picking at the floor raises his hand without giving the teacher a glance and goes back to his attention to the floor.

We sit here for about a good five minutes while the teacher gets everyone to attend. After that, we are called to do a jog around the field once just to warm up. I internally throw up at the thought of running.

When I was younger, I ran the mile test so fast because I wanted to beat that one really athletic boy, I did, but it caused me to pick out my guts and have to go to the ER later that day.

I groan as I get up and start heading out the gym and start walking slash jogging the field. All I can hear is the wind blowing the trees and the heavy breathing coming from the mouth.

I'm surprised to be finishing in under two minutes. I see two other boys are done before me sitting on the floor sipping their water. One of the boys is the one that had caught my attention back there.

I walk over to him and sip on my water. Maybe we can be buddies for the summer. "Hi." I say but get no response. I look over to see him fiddling with his water bottle. I clear my throat hoping to get his attention but nothing works.

I huff as I move to get up but an arm is dragging me back down. I look to the guy who did so but yet he still won't talk. I want to get up faster this time, but yet again, he pulls me back down.

"Okay you can't not talk to me and pull me down every time I get up!" I huff at him. Still nothing. I decide to stay on the floor a little longer with him until I see that everyone is heading back to the gym.

I stand up and don't feel a pull so I continue to walk. We are set to practice volleyball passing with a partner but of course, I don't have one. I go to the corner and start hitting the ball to the wall.

I'm actually very decent at volleyball, I played one summer at volleyball camp. I was one of the best on the team but let's not get too prideful.

I mind my business passing the ball to the wall when my back gets pushed and I get slammed into the wall. I slide down holding my back. I look up and see the same guy from earlier staring down at me.

"Can I help you?" He finally says his first words to me. I open my mouth in shock and a 'duh' look crosses my face. "Why did you hit me?" I ask to get up and retrieve my ball. I notice how deep his voice is. It sounds like he is more tired than anything. But I can't help but stare at the fallen hairs from his head.

"Because I felt like it?" He turns back around and goes to the wall across from me. So he doesn't have a partner either?

"Well? Do you want to be partners?" I ask in an annoyed voice.

"No." Then he walked away. And that was just the start of his tortuous ways.

Flashback over

🌿

"Can you please repeat that?" I was astonished. Maddox still stands at my car window. His words repeated in my head.

"I. Need. You. To. Be. My. Fake. Girlfriend. For. Break." He pauses in between words. It takes me a little while to take in what he said.

"Why would I do that?" I say in a low whisper. He looks really scared right now, like I might hit him, I probably would if I were standing next to him. But my seatbelt is restraining me from throwing a quick punch.

"I don't know, maybe because in the future, you could get a favor out of me, anything you want, just please. I can't do this with anyone else." It's almost like he is about to get on his knees and beg.

Not that I would mind.

"A favor?" I ask, crossing my arms. "Yes, anything, you can make me wear a dress for a week, you can make me drink those gross protein smoothies, you can make me go to hockey practice practice butt naked-"

"You do hockey?-"

"Point is, you can make me do anything for your benefit, anything, just tell me what to do, but Willow, I'm begging you, please help me with this and then once your favor is done, you can be done with me."

He looks at me with pleading eyes as if he is about to break down. I think about how I could use this for my benefit, I also think about when the heck Maddox started playing hockey, but as I look at the man in front of me, I can't think of one good reason to help him, and that makes me upset.

"Maddox- You know that in any other situation I would, but I can't move past what you did and do you this really huge favor."

"I know, Willow, that's why I'm saying sorry, because I was not in my right mind. I know that because my friends were there, it messed me up. I'm sorry for doing that. But Willow, I don't beg, but for you, I will because I need you."

We stare at each other for a while, I'm waiting for him to speak but it seems as though he is done.

"I will agree, if you do some things for me." He nods his head fast and doesn't let the smile that is threatening his face show.

Good grief.