Addicted

Chapter 5

 Esmeralda's  POV.

"You still haven't told us how you know him," Daphne pointed out as we sat in the cafeteria for lunch the next day.

With Daphne on one side and Abigail on the other, we sat in our usual spots, making room for Lara who sat next to Daphne, much to her disgust. Across from Lara sat Jackson who was next to Vera with Dallas on her other side and Finn opposite Abigail. Usually we'd be outside since it was summer but it just happened to be pouring with rain today, probably just to annoy everyone.

"Know who?" Jackson asked, taking a break from making Lara blush bright red and turning his attention to us.

"The new guy, Luke Hemmings," Daphne explained.

"I heard he just got out of jail," Vera spoke up, eager to contribute to any conversation including me.

"It's true," Dallas added in, "he's in our room and I overheard the guy talking to Mrs Fleur about his weekly cop updates."

"You didn't!" Abigail gasped.

"It's true," Finn nodded, "I heard him too."

"So he's like the school bad boy?" Daphne questioned.

"With his reputation, yeah, he's definitely the new school bad boy since Jules got kicked out," Marilyn appeared at the end of the table between Abigail and Finn, "the word is that he went to jail for drug dealing and he's out on good-behaviour."

"How'd you find that out?" Lara asked.

"It's good to have friends in the right places and it looks like you already caught onto that," Marilyn looked at her knowingly.

"So how do you know the bad boy?" Jackson got back to the root of the conversation.

"He went to my old school," I shrugged, not elaborating.

"He's hot, I'll grant him that," Vera giggled as Dallas nuzzled her neck as if to remind her who she was with.

"Seems like he made friends quickly too," Abigail nodded her head in the direction of the corner table where we spotted Luke sitting with three other boys Michael, Calum, and Ashton, the school's lame band.

"That's good right?" Lara piped up, "that he's settling in."

"He's the bad boy, he'll just drag them down with him," Jackson rolled his eyes.

"You don't even know him though," she frowned.

"But we know about him," Dallas pointed out.

"And no one wants to get mixed up with an ex-drug dealer, fresh out of jail," Vera shrugged.

"Unless you like bad boys," Daphne bit her lip causing everyone to wolf-whistle and laugh, making heads turn in our direction, everyone wanting to know what was going on.

"He's looking this way," Abigail nudged me, "you think he'd go for a girl like Daphne?"

Somehow I highly doubted it but I just said, "he's a bad boy, he'll probably want an innocent like Lara which is something Daphne could never pull off."

"I so could," Daphne insisted, overhearing my remark.

"I don't believe that for a second Miss Feisty pants," Jackson smirked as the bell rang.

We all stood up and headed for the door, people clearing a path for us so we could dump our lunch remains and get to class. I saw Daphne and Lara both shoot glances in Luke's direction and I linked my arm through Daphne's as we reached the door.

"You really are pathetic," I muttered.

"He's gorgeous, a bad boy and new, what about that does not attract your attention?" she hissed back.

"I'm surprised that you're not already over there, wrapping him around your finger," Jackson joined us.

"He's already around my finger though," I pouted playfully at him as we headed one way and Daphne went the other to class.

Luke's POV.

Watching her leave the cafeteria surrounded by her friends as people cleared a walkway for them, I couldn't help thinking how typical that was. Wrapping everyone around her finger to get her way and being in with the most popular crowd.

"Don't get your hopes up, that one wouldn't come near you unless she wanted something from you," Ashton grinned as we all stood up.

"So you up for tonight?" Calum asked, oblivious to our conversation.

"Sure, should I bring my guitar?" I questioned.

"That'd be awesome, we'll see what you're made of," he grinned before saying goodbye and disappearing into the mad rush of students trying to get to class.

Looking around, I tried to spot where she'd gone but it was useless. Firstly, I was about average height around here with so many tall people and girls all wearing black heels of sorts and secondly, we were all so tightly packed in and looking alike, it was impossible to tell one from another.

"Who's caught your eye?" Michael asked, noticing my scanning of the hallway.

"Esmeralda Grey," Ashton answered for me.

"Dude, she's so out of your league," Michael shook his blue-purple head, "you'll get nowhere with her."

"That's what I told him," Ashton nodded before heading in the direction of the art room as Michael and I headed to Chemistry.

"Why wouldn't I get anywhere with her?" I questioned with a frown, acting the innocent new boy.

"Firstly, you've been classed the bad boy since you're fresh out of jail and you're not just new, but hanging out with us," Michael shrugged.

"I'm the bad boy am I?" I raised a grinning eyebrow.

"Yeah, haven't you heard the talk?" Michael laughed as we entered the class and there she was.

Sitting with the quarterback from my dorm room, Jackson, on one side and a girl I'd briefly seen in English yesterday, Marilyn.

"There's your gossip girl if you need her," Michael nodded at Marilyn and I kinda saw what he meant. Perky, always listening in and totally not afraid to speak her mind, Marilyn made the perfect gossip girl.

"Class, quieten down," the teacher clapped his hands together and I quickly took my place next to Michael with the new girl Lara on his other side whom he was quietly introducing himself to.

I watched Esmeralda whispering away with Marilyn and Jackson, not sparing a glance my way and couldn't help noticing that she hadn't changed, at all. Still the same perfect composure, smile and laugh. She seemed like a ray of sunshine on this rainy day and everyone seemed to worship her from snatches of conversation I'd heard.

"There you go, staring again. She'll think you're more stalker than bad boy at this rate," Michael joked.