Dating The Bad Boy

f i f t e e n

                          one week later
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: A PROPOSAL?

"I can't believe it's October already" Tessa complains to me as we walk to my locker. "Just yesterday it felt like the first week of school"

"Homecoming is soon, who are you going to go with?" I ask, shutting my assigned, blue locker. She shrugs, clutching her phone in her hand. "I might not go, save money for prom?"

"Oh, come on Tessa! Usually you're the one who's convincing me to do things, not the other way around." I roll my eyes and stroll into the cafeteria. I turn around to look for Tessa, but she's gone. Instead River comes up beside me.

"Hey." Is all he says. All he says is the one simple word and my heart...flutters?

"Hey" I breathe out. I glance him over, seeing he missed our first classes of the day. He casually wears black joggers, high top, black vans, an oversized white t-shirt, and a distressed denim jacket.

"Come sit with me and the guys today?" he asks and I stop dead in my tracts.

"What? Why?" I question.

"Why not?" he counters and gives me a little smirk. He takes my hand and walks me towards his lunch table, where buff football players sit.

"River stop! I can't go over there, I look so bad today!" I plead and try to pull my hand out of his grasp.

"You look cute, now come on!"

I drag my feet and follow River to his lunch table. All of the guys stop talking and glance at me, then River, then our hands, which are still intertwined.

"Guys, this is Wisconsin, Wisconsin these are the guys." River says, pulling up a chair for me and him.

"What no formal introductions?" a guy snorts, throwing a chicken nugget at River. I uncomfortably sit there, not knowing what to do. The guy sitting on my right nudges me.

I look at him and he's gorgeous to say the least. "You can eat your lunch, you know." he smiles, giving a small laugh. I nod but I keep my lunch box on my lap. "I'm Quinn by the way."

"Wisconsin" I say stupidly, he already knows that. River said your name, you idiot.

"Eat" he points at my lunch box, then turns back to his own lunch.

••

"I'm leaving for the game! See you later Drew!" I call up the steps. I open the door and as I'm about to close it I hear him scream bye.

I get into Tessa's car and we head to the school. "Arianna got asked to homecoming during study hall today. It was adorable." I laugh at Tessa's admiration.

"What happened to 'Bah humbug homecoming'?" I ask Tessa as I buckle and she pulls out of the driveway.

"Hmm well maybe that has changed since number 22 on the football team asked me." she giggles as we drive down the road. I let out a giant squeal and clap out of excitement. "Oh my god Tessa when did you and Aiden become a thing?"

"We've always had a fling, I guess you could say." she smirks and turns into the, almost full, student parking lot.

"Have you guys hooked up?" I ask, kind of curious with Tessa's personal life. She gives a half hearted shrug, definitely meaning she has.