The Flirting Games

Star Wars Games - Part 13

Chapter Twelve

On Saturday night, Nate went to bed early. He couldn't be bothered with the usual good times going on in the North Tower Common Room.

He flicked through his phone, looking at old photos of himself and his friends. In the background of one of the shots he found Ellie. She was walking across the playing field behind his group, with her brother Jack. He zoomed in on her. She was looking up at Jack and laughing. Despite the slightly blurred focus, he could see the adoration on her face. Why didn't she ever look at him like that?

He scrolled his contacts; he had Ellie's number.

He tapped his fingers on the side of the phone a few times before composing a text to her.

Sorry about how things ended on Thursday. Are we still on for another lesson next week? I did promise Mrs Marsh I would get your History grade up.

There was a long wait, during which time he ate two packets of crisps and put his socks into pairs. He threw himself back down on his bed when his phone finally buzzed.

Yes. But no more trying to take me over to the dark side.

He grinned. Did she even know what film she was referencing with her "dark side" comment, or was she talking about the caretaker turning out all the lights?

He typed:

Don't worry, I shall use the Force.

Her answer came straight back:

You'd better. I've felt "your presence" and it wasn't anything to write home about. Don't let it happen again.

He was smitten. A girl who could quote Star Wars? He might just have to date her after all. He loved the way she took the mickey out of him.

He couldn't resist one more:

Watch your mouth, kid, or you'll find yourself floating home.

She was quick with a counter-quote:

Into the garbage chute, flyboy!

He lowered his phone, smiling like an idiot. He should remember that she had two older brothers; no wonder she knew Star Wars so well, and no wonder she was so good at banter.

His phone buzzed again.

He swiped it on with anticipation. But it wasn't Ellie, it was Melissa.

Hi, handsome. Last night was fun. It's a full moon tonight, just perfect for a sneaky stroll.

Nate frowned. Didn't girls know it was a total turn-off when they did the chasing? Maybe it wasn't like that for all guys; perhaps it was just him, perhaps he had issues. It would be nice to just be with a girl for a while instead of always looking for the next challenge. As long as there was some spark between them, he felt he didn't want to keep playing games any more.

He tapped his fingers again against the back of his phone as he thought. Then he began typing a reply to Melissa, just as an experiment:

That's no moon, it's a space station.

She replied immediately:

It is? Wow, really?

He sighed.

No, it was a joke.

Huh? I don't get it.

"Of course you don't," he mumbled to himself. It wasn't her fault she didn't know Star Wars; she was probably an only child. And he couldn't say there was no spark just because she didn't get his joke, but he had already worked out the night before that she wasn't exactly witty.

I'm sorry, Melissa, I won't be joining you for that stroll. It's not you, it's me...

He couldn't really be bothered to find the words for a decent excuse; he left it hanging and pressed send. In the old days he might have found his detached feelings funny, now he just felt like a jerk.

I really am sorry, you're very nice, and very pretty, I just like someone else more...

It sounded ridiculous; he deleted it before he sent something so obviously unlike him. He definitely did have issues! He turned off his phone and went to sleep.

***

"I think they should ban double gym class on a Monday!" Flora moaned, pulling on her hockey skirt, "It's just pure evil."

Ellie agreed heartily. But very little seemed able to dampen her spirits today. She wavered between various states when it came to Nate; sometimes she was miserable because he had all but rejected her when they kissed, but sometimes she wondered if it was because he was actually serious about her and just didn't know how to say so. After his texts on Saturday night, she felt more than ever that he really liked her.

Flora stamped out of the room and Ellie took her time doing up the laces on her boots. She was in no hurry to run around on a freezing field in a short skirt.

Her head shot up as she heard Nate's name. Someone on the other side of the changing rooms was talking about him. There were too many lockers for her to see who. She tried to creep to the end of the row in her clumping hockey boots.

It was Melissa Roper, a year twelve girl from EastTower, who was surrounded by her friends, but crying.

"So we spent all Friday night together, and he acted like he was totally into me. Then to dump me by text message! It's so out of order."

"You spent the night together?" One of her friends sounded shocked.

"It wasn't like that, obviously." Melissa glared at her friend. "Not that Nate didn't try of course, you know what he's like. I just meant we spent the whole evening chatting together. He was really flirting with me and then on Saturday he just went and froze me out."

One of her friends patted Melissa half-heartedly on the shoulder. "I don't know why you're surprised, Mel, he did exactly the same to me a year ago, remember? Only way worse! And we all made a pact not to get involved with him. Or did you forget and let your hormones do your thinking?"

Ellie slumped onto a bench. So Nate had spent Friday night snogging Melissa? He had pushed Ellie away and the very next night had been with Melissa? How far had it gone really? Why was she at all surprised? She had known Nate was like that. It was the whole reason she had tried to stop him from seducing Rose.

He was a total slimeball, good-looking, slimeball, funny, slimeball, sexy slimeball!

Coach Midden appeared at the door of the changing rooms. "Miss Parkhurst? Do you feel like joining us today, or would you prefer a detention?"

Ellie jumped up, grabbed her hockey stick and marched out onto the field ready to whack the stuffing out of some hockey balls.