Living Arrangements

Chapter Eleven: Stupidity

CHAPTER ELEVEN: STUPIDITY

"Come on," Caroline groaned, twisting the key repeatedly in the ignition and scowling at the frantic spluttering of her car's engine.

"Car trouble?" Drake bent down, leaning his head through the car window with a grin.

"No." She replied stiffly, exiting the car and slamming the door behind her.

"Just thought I'd walk to school today." Her lie was obvious of course, but it was too late to back out now and Caroline hitched her school bag over her shoulder, beginning to walk down the driveway. She heard a quiet chuckle behind her and Drake jogged slightly to catch up with her, stopping slightly ahead.

"You're serious?" Caroline nodded silently, still reluctant to speak to him.

"Caroline," Drake seemed to be holding back a laugh, walking backwards when Caroline continued forward.

"It's like a half hour walk, you'd be late." At this, he noticed her body tense up just the slightest bit and grinned. He'd found the chink in her armour.

"You'd really risk ruining your perfect record?" Voicing his assumptions was a risky move, but it was the obvious conclusion to come to that a girl like Caroline would have a perfect record.

It appeared that his assumptions were correct. Caroline stopped dead on the spot, closing her eyes for a moment and breathing out through her nose as if to calm herself. Drake smiled in achievement and took a step closer to her, his expression faltering only slightly when she stepped back.

"Caroline, would you like a lift to school?" She raised her eyebrows at his offer,

"You really think that's a good idea after what happened last time?"

The smile fell completely off Drake's face at her tone and he cursed himself for being such an idiot.

"Sure, don't you?" His voice didn't sound like his and his lie was utterly transparent, but Caroline simply seemed to find it amusing and her lips turned up in a small smile.

"Fine." She relented with a roll of her eyes, her expression hardening once again.

"But only to keep my record safe." Drake nodded, unsure why he was so hopeful that she was lying and that somehow he still had a chance of making it right.

Caroline tried to hide the giddy sense of excitement as she followed Drake back down the drive. She hadn't forgiven him, not yet. God knows, with her father's genes, it was quite possible she'd be able to stay mad at him for weeks. Luckily, she'd always been far too open-minded and Drake seemed to mess with her head in ways she couldn't understand.

The motorbike revved suddenly beneath her and she wrapped her arms securely around Drake's torso, unable to stop her smile when he shivered lightly at her touch.

* * *

Drake had never had any intentions of taking Caroline to school and although he was flattered that she would trust him, he was also a little shocked. He was almost sure she'd heard him last night when he'd sneaked past her door and down the stairs to rig her car.

When he passed the school driveway, he felt Caroline stiffen behind him and an odd feeling of guilt swept over him. She'd trusted him when he'd been an ass, just so she wasn't late and there he was, betraying that trust.

"What are you doing?" She yelled over the wind, her voice muffled from inside her helmet and Drake was silent for a moment before he replied.

"We need to talk."

* * *

A little over twenty minutes later, Drake pulled the bike to a stop and Caroline descended shakily, yanking the helmet off her head and shoving it roughly into his arms.

"You take me back right now Drake Stevens." She instructed stubbornly, her eyes blazing. She was acting almost angry enough to scare Drake into submitting. Almost.

"No." He replied simply, meeting her eyes and for several moments they stared at each other, neither willing to break the eye contact and give in.

Finally, Caroline sighed, water welling up in her eyes before she blinked.

"You need to take me back, I've already missed registration, I have history first thing." Her voice had taken on a desperate tone but Drake shook his head once again in refusal,  amused by how quickly her mood kept changing.

"No, really, you don't understand." Her breaths became heavy and she swallowed deeply, pacing up and down a small stretch of gravel.

"If I don't go to school, then I won't get my grades. If I don't get my grades, I don't have a future. If I don't have a future, everything I ev-"

As cute as her rambling was, Drake had a feeling she would have been able to go on like that for quite a while and stepped over to her, slipping his hand under her chin and pressing his lips to hers.

Caroline was shocked, but immediately pressed herself closer, sighing slightly against his lips when he placed his hands lightly on the swell of her hips.

It was hard to say exactly how long they stayed like that and there was a moment of blissful silence as Drake pulled back. Caroline's eyes opened slowly, narrowing almost instantly and she raised her hand, slapping it across Drake's  left cheek.

"You cannot just kiss me after being such an ass." She yelled, her voice embarrassingly hysterical.

Drake winced slightly at the reminder of how he'd acted and smiled sheepishly as he shrugged.

"Caroline, I know I've been an ass okay, but I do have perfectly good reasons." She folded her arms stubbornly, pursing her lips as she waited for him to continue. Drake took a deep breath, shocked at how willingly he was about to tell her everything. It was strange and impossible to describe, but all he knew was that he couldn't stand it if Caroline never forgave him.

"I have no idea how to even explain what I feel about you okay, but all I know is that you shouldn't feel the same way about me."

She looked confused, an understandable expression considering how vague Drake was purposefully being.

 "I am no good for you Caroline." He elaborated, his voice coming out louder than he'd intended and gaining odd looks from passers by.

He was shocked when he turned back to Caroline to see a wide grin across her face. Her eyes were alight with amusement, her smile taking on a cheeky quality.

"You are such an idiot."