THE PRESENT
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY FACE SCOOTER."
"No, please just let me explain."
"THERE'S NOTHING TO EXPLAIN. YOU CHEATED. END OF STORY."
"Gabs, it wasn't like that."
"MY FRIENDS SAW YOU, DICKFACE. THEY SAW YOU VICIOUSLY PICK HER UP FROM BEHIND AND SUCK HER FACE OFF. AND DON'T CALL ME GABS."
"It was an accident, I swear. I thought she was you.."
"OH, SO YOU THOUGHT THAT I HAD DYED MY HAIR BLONDE, LOST 15 KILOS AND WENT SWIMMING IN A POOL FULL OF MOTHERFUCKING DORITOS? JUST STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME."
And that was my morning in this suckhole I call my life. Although the highlight of this particular rendezvous, was when I stormed off and he got face smacked by a locker door trying to chase after me. I smirked as I heard his yelp of agony and didn't look back. He deserved it.
Scooter and I had been going out for exactly 3 weeks prior to today. 3 irretrievable weeks. In that time, I could have had myself a Friends marathon. Our "relationship" had started happily and ended crappily. I think that's how the majority of teenage relationships are.
It started with a bunch of us playing Truth or Dare, like the mature adults we are. It was my turn and I had been dared to ask him out. Apparently the whole group knew about my freshman crush on him and decided to lavish gifts upon me. The gifts of course being bringing colour to my pale cheeks and infinite facepalming tokens.
They'd started up a whole conversation about him and we'd drifted off from the actual game. I think that's all Truth or Dare is used for anyway. Gossiping with the truth questions (whether it's during or after the game) and cheap laughs from the dares.
Supposedly, it was cliché to have had a crush on Scooter because of his popularity within the prison camp (I mean school..) and I agreed wholeheartedly; I had seen the error in my ways and had come to realise my stupidity. And besides, who the fuck names their kid Scooter? But then my so called best friend, Mikayla had bestowed this dare upon me. At first I refused but then she blackmailed me by threatening to tell my dad I had started smoking, which of course was utter bullshit.
My dad's a great guy and gives me a lot of freedom. He wouldn't mind if I drank and partied and stayed out all night. He trusts me to stay safe and stay away from trouble. And I think that because of that I make the right decisions. Unfortunately, the only thing that he is dead set against is smoking, because he believes it's how my mother died. Both my parents smoked, that's actually how they met. They were outside a bar and she asked to borrow a lighter. She died from lung cancer when I was 8. That same day he never touched a cigarette again.
Mikayla had no idea about this and I didn't plan on telling her either, so I had to oblige to the dare. Thank god the bell rang just as I had finally accepted my challenge, otherwise I'd have six people trailing behind me, giggling like a bunch of fucking hyenas. And just as we all parted ways to our separate classes, Mikayla adds, "if he says yes, you actually have to take him on a date." Fuck my life.
In that last period I had History and as usual it drained my life. Although, in the last few minutes, I remembered wishing that the lesson was longer. The bell rang and I groaned realising I would have to face the music and ask out this douchebag. There was nothing wrong with Scooter per se, it was just we "rolled with different crowds" and my former crush on him was based on looks only.
I walked over to the guys' locker bay. He was the only one there. Jackpot. I approached him slowly and decided not to ease into it and just get it over with. He didn't see me coming, he was too busy organising his locker. I remember thinking what kind of teenage boy organises his fucking locker.
As I got closer, I checked him out from behind. I couldn't help myself. He looked even more amazing than I remembered (from the back, at least). I had found myself standing almost right behind him when my nerves kicked in. Still, I plucked up the courage and announced my existence.
"Hi!"
I must have said that a lot louder than I had originally planned because without warning, all his books toppled onto him. I start helping him to pick them up. He had a shitload of novels.
"Shit, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
"No worries, you didn't scare me. I have so many books this year they were bound to attack me anyway. Haha. And also, HI!!!"
Cutest. Laugh. Ever. And that voice.. he could read me the Bible I would hang on every word. Fucking eargasm. I laugh back and then I notice his eye.
"HOLY CRAP. DID I DO THAT TO YOUR EYE?"
"Huh, oh this?" his voice goes almost cold. "No. I already had it."
I question him about it and realise afterwards it was foolish of me to do so.
"What happened?"
He has to think about it. "I ran into a doorknob."
Liar. "What? Nobody runs into doorknobs."
"Well, I guess I'm the first."
I flash him a grin informing him that I'm not a gullible kindergartener. "You suck shit at fabricating stories, Scooter Finch."
"And you are gifted in lie detection, Gabriella Cope."
Mother of god. He knows my name.
"Indeed. So, are you going to tell me the real story behind your monstrosity of a black eye?"
"Of course. How about I tell you all about it over a cup of coffee?"
WHAT. WHAAAAAT. Did HE just ask ME out?
I keep my cool. "Did you just ask me out?"
"Maybe. Did you just ask me if I asked you out?"
"Yes. And assuming you did ask me out, I am going to say no to coffee with you."
"That's a pity. May I ask why?"
"It's not you, it's the coffee. Who drinks coffee on a hot Spring afternoon? Although.. even if it were snowing I would still decline the offer. Coffee disgusts me."
"Ah, now I see the problem. In that case, would you mind accompanying me in drinking a glass of iced chocolate? And to make it up to you for even suggesting your tongue come into contact with such a revolting beverage, the iced chocolates will be on me."
"Now you're talking!"
And that's how it all began.
