Just Friends

Chapter 4

Aaron

Here I am again, stuck in another boring class. My mind wandered to the new girl. So her name was Leigh huh? Interesting. She wasn’t like all the other girls who would fall to my feet with just a smile. Nope, I’m gonna have to actually put some effort into this. I don’t even know why I want her so bad. Yeah sure, she was probably the second hottest girl here; second only to Priscilla, if not THE hottest, but come on. Maybe it’s because she rejected me, I know it’s kind of weird, but I think I liked it. There was nothing more satisfying than the thrill of the chase. I guess I haven’t had to chase anyone for a while now. The girls just came to me.

I need a game plan. And fast. Because once all the guys see her, they’re gonna be falling all over themselves for her attention.

Leigh

It was almost 5 when I finally finished unpacking. I could have been done hours ago if Keith didn’t call, but I don’t mind though. My mind couldn’t help but wander back to the conversation. Maybe Keith was right, I am gonna die an old maid. Nahhh.. It’s not my fault I’m not into getting into a relationship yet. Besides, it’s not like anyone has ever asked me to go out with them, okay, that was a lie. Maybe a few people did, but it was more like a go out as friends kind of thing. I think. How are you supposed to tell anyways? Ugh! This is why I don’t bother. It’s too complicated. Hmm.. I’m kind of hungry already.

I hopped into the shower and got changed into my black short shorts and my olive green Bob Marley T-shirt. I quickly put my hair up into a ponytail and slipped on my flip flops. I decided to head on downstairs and look for a café or something. I found one a few minutes away from the dorm and ordered a chocolate chip muffin and a chocolate drink to go. I figured I might as well take this time to explore the school.

After about 10 minutes of aimless walking, I saw a soccer field with what I assumed to be the school’s team. I decided to sit down on the bleachers and watch them for a bit, besides, it was hard to eat while walking. Ignoring the looks some of the players were giving me, I continued to watch them practice. Soccer has never been one of my favorite sports to watch, but I loved playing it. Their team was pretty good, especially the number 7 dude. He moved across the field gracefully and maneuvered the ball around skillfully. No doubt about it, he was the captain. Suddenly, the coach blows the whistle signaling that practice was officially over. The boys jogged over to the water fountain, which happened to be right next to me. Crap. I averted my attention to my half eaten muffin and continued munching on it, not meeting the eyes of any of the players. I’m not really good at making new friends so most of the time I don’t even bother.

“Leigh?”

I turned around wondering who could possibly know me. My eyes turned to number 7, who just happened to be the same overconfident guy from lunch. What was his name again? I suck with remembering names. Uhhh..

“Hey! Aaron right?”

“Yep, what are you doing here? Miss me already?”

“Oh yeah that’s definitely why I’m here.” I replied sarcastically.

“I knew you were interested in me!” he said and gave me a grin to let me know he was just kidding.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re friends are waiting for you over there, shouldn’t you be going already?”

“Ouch! So anxious to get rid of me?” he said feigning hurt.

“That’s not what I meant!”

“Yeah but you still hurt my feelings. So, to make up for it, you’re taking me out for dinner!” he said as he batted his eyelashes like a girl.

“Is your eye having a seizure?” I said while stifling a laugh.

He gave me a crooked smile and I swear I felt something weird in my stomach. Like butterflies or something. Oh no. I’m turning into one of those girls!

“But seriously Leigh, I’m going out for dinner with Caleb and Damon, you should join us.”

“I dunno.. I don’t want to intrude or anything.”

“It’s no big deal. Besides think of it as a Welcome to our school kind of thing.”

Seeing no other polite way to decline, I replied “Alright then. So, where are we eating?”

Aaron told me to dress casual and meet up with them at the lobby in around a half hour. Apparently they needed “time to get pretty.” It turns out, Aaron isn’t that bad, not the egotistical jerk I thought he was at first. I went back up to my room and found that Priscilla had yet to arrive. I went over to my closet and swapped my t-shirt for a red fitted v-neck and put on a long silver necklace and black ballet flats. I faced my mirror and let my long hair down and spritzed on my favorite perfume. I grabbed my wallet and cellphone and headed off downstairs to wait for them. I still had 5 minutes to spare but when I got downstairs Aaron was already there. He was wearing jeans and a light blue polo that accentuated his tan.

“Wow, you’re early. Excited much?” I said with a smirk.

“Someone’s full of herself today.” He replied raising his eyebrow.

I laughed easily and gave him a smile. I don’t know what’s gotten into me lately, I normally can’t act like myself around people I’ve just met. But for some reason, I feel at ease with him. We talked for a bit while waiting for Caleb and Damon and when they finally got there, we headed off to the parking area.

Aaron’s car, as it turned out, was a Ferrari Enzo. I think my jaw just dropped. It was so beautiful. I stared at it with reverence. With its carbon-fibre body and electrohydraulic shift transmission, it could easily accelerate up to 100 mph in 6.6 seconds. I remember begging my dad for months for one but he wouldn’t budge. Don’t get me wrong or anything, I loved my silver Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren, but I had a soft spot for Ferraris.

“Uhmm.. How are we gonna fit in that?”

“Don’t be silly Leigh. We’re taking my other car.”

That’s when I noticed the black 4-seater convertible right next to it. I easily identified it as a Brabus 800 E V12 Cabriolet. Not exactly one of my favorites, but it was nice all the same. How is it even fair that he got a Ferrari Enzo AND this car?  

Damon and Caleb raced to the car fighting over which one of them would get shotgun. Caleb won.

“Dude, move over. I think Leigh should stay up front.” Aaron told him.

“But..”

“No buts.”

“No it’s all good. I don’t like staying up front anyways; it’s too much of a hassle to buckle up.” I quickly cut it.

“You heard the woman!” Caleb shouted gleefully as Damon sulked in the back.

The car ride was, well, it was very eventful. Damon, who was still sour about losing, decided that flicking pieces of paper at Caleb would be a good idea. The whole ride ended up being a war against the two of them. I don’t even know where they got the paper. It was hilarious and by the time we arrived, the car was a mess and I had bits of paper in my hair for getting in the way.

We stopped at the nearest mall, which was about half an hour away from the school—well, if you could even consider it to be a mall. It was very small, with only a few restaurants, a few boutiques, an arcade, and a Cineplex.

I followed the guys into a crowded pizza parlor. Judging by the number of customers they had, it was bound to be good. A waitress approached us and brought us to our table. She kept eyeing the guys and smiling brightly, but when the guys weren’t looking, she gave me a dirty look. This was going to be a long night.