Changing You ✦ 𝑍.𝐷.𝐻.

Chapter 10 {R}

"What's poppin', gorgeous?" Zach greeted as I approached him, making me chuckle softly.

What would Zach Herron be without his flirting?

He was leaning against my locker, and his own, like he had promised.

"What's poppin' yourself?" I smiled. He stepped aside so I could get to my locker and switch my books.

"Hey, so, I was thinking," he started, a sly grin on his face.

"Hold up, you do that?" I slammed my locker shut and turned to him with teasingly twinkling eyes. "Don't hurt your brain too much."

His jaw dropped in a fake offended, yet amused look. "Okay, rude," he said, making me chuckle again. "And yes, actually I think quite often. Anyway, I was wondering, if you're going to help me study, I need to be able to contact you, right? For questions and stuff?" He turned his gaze to his feet shortly. "Is this a good excuse to ask for your number?"

He was smooth, I had to give him that.

"Why would you need an excuse?" I asked him, tilting my head curiously while a smile formed on my face.

He chuckled, a bitter edge to it. "Because I don't think you'd give it to me for no reason," he stated, eyes shooting up to mine. "After all, I can't be trusted, right? I'm just a heartbreaker, a player, who's trying to sleep with you. At least that's what everyone thinks."

He waited for my reaction. And with the tone he had said it, almost like he was mocking someone, it clicked. He had heard my conversation with Lexa.

Of course he had: he entered the music room, which was right around the corner. The door had probably still been open as Lexa and I spoke with each other.

A part of me screamed not to do it. Maybe she had been right; maybe that really were his only intentions. Why would a guy who sleeps with tons of girls want something real. And why with me?

I knew there was a big chance I was just another one of his games and I would end up with nothing but a broken heart. But I wanted her to be wrong. It was useless anyway; I knew I couldn't just walk away from him now. I dreaded it, but I couldn't help it; I was already in too deep.

So, I reached for the front pocket of my bag and got my phone out of it, handing it to him.

"Prove them wrong," I told him as he looked from me to my phone and back, clearly surprised.

He took my phone and handed me his. I hadn't seem him smile so genuinely before.

We traded numbers and gave each other our phones back. He scanned over my contact and I looked at him weirdly as he immediately typed in something else, a goofy grin plastered on his face.

"Way better," he told me as he showed me his phone. Instead of 'Riley' it now said 'Princess'.

I bit my lip, immediately changing his contact in my phone as well. I turned my phone screen to him.

He rolled his eyes playfully as it now said 'Zachary Dean' instead of 'Zach'. "Touché," he chuckled.

"Let's go, Zachary Dean," I told him, starting to walk to the library.

I glanced back and saw him throw his head in his neck. "Aye, Princess."

It wasn't really busy in the library, to my relief. We sat down next to each other at one of the tables.