Hating Grayson ✓

15

"I can't believe that Jake got suspended." Hannah says, completely baffled, despite the fact that he did start a fight with the guy who hooked up with his girlfriend.

"What about Diego? Did he get in trouble?" Phillip wondered.

"He also got suspended." Hannah says.

I had not seen Jake since the fight yesterday, none of my friends have. We had each texted him a bunch, but he hadn't even seen them.

"I feel so bad for him." I say.

"For Diego?" Hannah practically snapped her neck in my direction, her eyebrows arched.

"No, for Jake." I said.

"I can't believe Alicia would do that to him, stupid skank." Hannah complained.

As my friends continued talking about it, a text came through my phone.

Unknown Number:
Where are you?

I could feel my eyebrows knit together as attempted to decipher who was texting me.

Me:
Um, who is this?

Unknown Number:
Wow, Little Cooper, you wound me. I can't believe you don't have my number saved.

Grayson??? How the hell did he get my phone number? And why the fuck was he texting me asking where I was. I rolled my eyes before clicking on his contact and changing his name.

Me:
Fuck off!

"I think I might go over to his house later." Hannah says to the group.

"I'll come with." Phillip says, drinking the last sip of his sports drink.

Another text came through my phone.

Bonehead:
I'd like an OJ from the cafeteria thx

I chuckled in disbelief as I read over his text. Pompous prick!

Me:
Get it yourself!

Bonehead:
You don't get how blackmail works, huh?

I'll be waiting in the courtyard.

I groaned frustratedly as i clicked off my phone and shoved it into the pocket of my pants. "I'll see you guys in class." I say, turning in the opposite direction, headed towards the cafeteria.

Just to piss him off, I decided to order him an apple juice instead before I headed to the courtyard and shoved the bottled apple juice into his chest, hoping that I had somehow developed the strength it takes to lift Thor's hammer and caused one of us ribs to crack.

The rest of the day was spent reluctantly doing whatever Grayson had wanted me to do. I took his lunch to him, I even got him snacks from the vending machine and returned his stupid books to the library, paying for the late fee out of my own pocket. Honestly, I'm surprised he could read. Actually, I'm surprised he even knew what a library was.

That afternoon well after school had ended, I was glad to be in the comfort of my own bedroom: the one place that was Grayson Scott free. Only to get stressed out over his homework that he wanted me to complete for him.

How on earth was I going to complete Grayson's homework when I wasn't even in his grade. Sure, I may have been a few grades above him on an intellectual level, but I had my own homework to do, none of which involved Trigonometry, a topic I had very little experience in.

I had spent forty minutes staring at his homework sheet, as if staring at a piece of paper could somehow advance my skills in advanced mathematics.

And it's not like I could ask my older brother for help, seeing as he's in the same mathematics class as his idiotic best friend, and they probably have the exact same homework.

Wait... Maybe I didn't have to ask Mitchell for help. Maybe I could just wait for him to finish it himself, and then I could copy him?

Yeah, I like that idea.

Of course I wouldn't copy his exact answers.... Or could I? It's not like I would get in trouble. Then again, if Grayson happens to fail out of Trig, he could take that out on me and tell everyone at school that I kiss dumb and annoying guys when I'm drunk. Correction: Guy, singular.

Maybe if I do his stupid homework for him, he'll finally stop holding the fact that I kissed him over my head. Like I needed to be constantly reminded of the worst moment in my life.

I put the homework sheet on my bedside table and rose from my bed to go downstairs and see if dinner was ready yet.

A text came through my phone.

Hannah:
Have you heard from Jake yet?

Me:
Nope. I thought you were going over to his place?

Hannah:
I was going to, but I chickened out.

Me:
Maybe Phillip has heard from him?

Hannah:
Phillip says he went over to see him but Jake's mom told him that he wasn't allowed visitors, so Phillip didn't get to see him.

Me:
I'm sure he'll text us soon. He's probably still upset and embarrassed.

Hannah:
Okay. Talk to you later.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket as I stepped off of the last step and onto the ground floor. "Please tell me dinner is ready!" I begged, dragging myself towards the kitchen.

"Dinner is ready." Dad says.

"It looks great Mr Cooper." The voice that belonged to the person I hated most on this earth had commented. Dear God, why are you punishing me? Of all the people, why did it have to be Grayson Scott seated at my family's dining table? Why couldn't you send an incredibly adorable puppy?

"Why are you here?" I asked him, narrowing my eyes.

"Grayson's family is headed up north for a few days, so he will be staying here with us until they're back." My mom explained why the bane of my existence was currently sticking a fork into a bowl of my father's famous Mac and Cheese.

"I have an idea, why don't Grayson and Mitchell go camping deep in the woods?" I suggested, taking the empty seat next to my mother. "Maybe they'll get lost and wrestle with a bear."

My mom smacked my arm. "Don't be rude, Dally."

"Dally?" Grayson snorted. I looked angrily at him, hoping that if I look at him any harder his head would implode.

"It was Mitchell's nickname for him when they were kids." Mom says. "Isn't it sooo adorable?"

Dad takes the seat at the head of the table, salting and peppering his bowl of Mac and Cheese before digging in.

"I remember that, and Dal used to call Mitchell Michelle." Dad added, causing Grayson to laugh.

"Shut up, Gracie." Mitchell punched his best friend in the arm.

I laughed out loud at Grayson's nickname. Here I was thinking his nickname was Jackass or world's most gigantic idiot.

His eyes met mine in a glare as I shoved a forkful of Mac and Cheese deliciousness into my mouth.