Mismatched (bxb)

HE SAID WHAT?

'HE SAID WHAT?' Leah spewed a mouthful of fresh juice back into the cup she had in her hand. 'I thought there were still some right-minded jocks left in the world. And of course, you said no like the perfect gentleman you are, just as you should.'

Carl felt stricken; glued to the spot, as his close friend rummaged through her locker angrily. Before he could react, though, Savannah strode over and barged in on their conversation uninvited; it occurred to Carl that she was always close behind, following them wherever they went.

'Of course, he agreed like the hopeless romantic he is,' she said softly, shielding their conversation from a passer-by.

'He wouldn't,' said Leah strictly, making Carl feel sick to the stomach. 'You said nothing of the sort, did you, Carl?'

'It's not that big of a deal, Lee,' Carl said in a small, hollow voice.

Leah seemed to be digesting this new piece of information in a very concerning manner; she looked like a headache was starting to form in her head and she wanted to throw up right then and there.

'What's your problem?' Savannah nudged Leah in the ribs, unconcerned. 'Oh, come on! He just needs to date that guy—date in the sense that he has to go around telling everyone that he is dating the guy.'

'Exactly,' said Leah, pain transparent on her face. 'He needs to tell the whole school that he's with Levi, the school's heart-throb Levente Carroll, whom he really likes. Don't you see how difficult this is going to be for him?'

'Don't make it harder on him, then,' said Savannah gravely, before lighting up a little. 'I think this is the perfect opportunity for them to bond. After all, how much longer are you expecting for this futile romance to go on? Surely, you're not going to keep this to yourself forever, Carl?'

Carl shrugged; what Savannah said was right, but he could also see where Leah was coming from. Maybe she needed to rest assured that nothing bad was going to happen.

'I won't make this a big deal,' said Carl, looking at Leah. 'I'll get over it.'

'See?' said Savannah, holding her hands up in surrender. 'You're worrying for no reason!'

'Shut up, this is a serious issue.'

And with that, Leah slammed the locker door shut so hard that the locker next to it banged open. Savannah grimaced, and patted Carl lightly on the shoulder before she, too, walked away, trying to catch up with the distant figure that was Leah.

Carl took a moment to gather himself before he went in the opposite direction that led to the music room. It was the one class he and Levi had together, and the only thing that made school worthwhile. Just as he placed his hand on the doorknob, someone reached from behind and pushed the door open, bringing them both into the classroom. Carl knew who it was; that purple wristband and black watch could only belong to one person: Ryan Cooper.

'Don't I deserve to be thanked?' the person echoed, but Carl didn't dare turn back for fear of getting confronted.

'As if I need you to open the door for me,' said Carl loudly, his back still turned back to the boy.

He would have felt ashamed of even the suggestion of needing Ryan's help, if there was anyone else in the room besides them. Fortunately, there was none.

'Ungrateful, aren't you?'

Carl squinted his brown eyes at the guy, feeling nauseated. He hated the guy; not only because of his audacity to make other people feel belittled, but also because of his ability to exploit every opportunity-- especially when it came to Levi.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' Carl responded with a smirk, feeling confident. 'It's not just about the door, if I am correct?'

'Well, aren't you smart,' smirked Ryan. 'Why don't you stay away from Levi, since you're highly intuitive?'

'When have I ever done what others tell me to do?' Carl stared right back at the green-eyed, blond guy. 'And for your information, it was your dearest Levi who asked me for the favour.'

Ryan's face twisted, almost like he was about to hit the other boy, but Carl wasn't scared of anything. He wouldn't surrender even if he was getting beat to death.

'You want me to give up,' he smiled sweetly, closing the distance between them and poking Ryan in the chest. 'But I won't.'

'Don't fool yourself, Carlos,' said Ryan. 'He'd never fall for a guy like you; you're too proud for your own good.'

'Who is he supposed to fall for, then?' Carl tipped his chin upwards. 'You?'

At that moment, the door opened and some students filed in, their gazes set on the fighting boys at the front of the classroom. Before there was any time for them to misunderstand the situation, Carl stepped back, and Ryan brushed off the front of his jacket where Carl had touched a moment ago. Somehow, they both knew the argument wasn't over.

'I bet he's got a good reason for using you,' said Ryan, as if in continuation to where he had left off.

'Don't kid me,' Carl replied curtly.

He caught sight of several students looking in their direction, and returned to his seat, still fuming with anger.

All throughout the lesson, Carl kept thinking about what Ryan had said. Was there really any other motive that Levi wanted to keep a secret from him? Was there more for Levi to gain and more for Carl to lose from agreeing to Levi's proposal? When Levi came to sit at his desk minutes before the lesson started, Carl caught the small smile that the boy sent his way, and wondered if it was more than what it seemed.

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What do you think about Levi's smile?

Is it of the sincere, genuine kind? 😊

I want to thank you for staying on this story for this long. Your views and votes mean a lot to me, especially since this is the first story I've published on Wattpad. At least, the first one that I write with an intention to stick with, till the end. 

😊😊😊😊😊😊

Fun question: Can you guess any of Levi's hidden motives? Will they complement Carl's hidden feelings?

02-02-2024