The Popular Boys And Me | ✔

Chapter Five

Ashanti POV

I slammed my locker shut and made my way to the cafeteria. As I entered, a few random eyes turned my way.

Standing in line to get lunch, I plugged in my earbuds and played some music from my phone, tapping my foot against the floor which was a bad habit.

Suddenly, I noticed a boy standing behind me in line. He had brunette hair styled in an undercut fade, the top combed upward in a neat, effortless way. His hazel eyes met mine quietly and he fidgeted with the silver rings on the fingers of one hand.

I slowly looked away and soon after collected my lunch. I found an empty table and sat down in peace, running a hand through my hair.

I started sipping my juice when I saw Tristan walk in with Javier. I shifted my gaze as the song ended and then noticed those five footballers from earlier this morning now sitting at my table. I raised an eyebrow at them before taking another sip of my juice.

"Didn't realize I was such a magnet." I chuckled, pausing the music with a playful smirk. "Or do I have something on my face that says 'stare at me'?" I asked, glancing at them.

"Well, your attitude does say something different about your face." One of them informed me, rolling his eyes. I scoffed; it was a line I'd heard too many times before.

"And your breath is saying you might want to brush your mouth before speaking into someone's face." I shot back, taking a bite of my apple as he glared in response.

"You're sitting at our table." The guy to my right pointed out, trying to assert their supposed authority.

"I don't see 'assholes only' marked on the table, plus there's a lot of other unoccupied tables you could use for the day." I scanned the canteen before looking down at the table to find nothing, but my tray with fries and a cheeseburger.

"Look, girl, we've been nice to you since morning, but now you're getting on our nerves, so I advise you to get the hell up." Another one raised his voice, standing aggressively.

I nearly laughed, watching him squirm. "If this is your idea of being nice, I'd hate to see what you consider rude."

"Yeah, well, we don't have time to play nice with little girls who think they own the place." The one standing at the table, replied, his voice tinged with irritation.

"Oh please, save your tough guy act for someone who cares." I almost laughed.

"It's not impressing anyone." I continued, standing up to face him squarely and he became quiet.

I grabbed my tray, walking away from their gazes and headed for a vacant table, playing my music through my earbuds as if nothing had happened.

A few minutes later, the stares subsided and the group had settled at their table as I finished my apple, rolling my eyes.

Just then, a girl with shoulder length ombré hair approached and sat down across from me at my table. I groaned inwardly at the invasion of my personal space in this school. Her eyes fixed on me before she broke into a smile.

"You're new here, right?" She dared to pull out one of my earbuds, earning an arched eyebrow from me.

Before I could tell her a piece of my mind, she jumped in. "I'll take that as a yes." She asserted, scanning the bustling canteen around us. "You're in deep shit, that's for sure."

"What happened to me shouldn't happen to any other girl here." She continued, her tone serious and intense. Leaning closer, she caught my full attention as she returned my earbud.

"There's a game among the popular guys and the new girls." She whispered, her eyes darting nervously at the random stares, piquing my curiosity even more.

"Let's talk somewhere private." I suggested, intrigued by her caution as I glanced at my phone in my hands.

"Meet me by locker 212 in five minutes." I instructed and she playfully winked, feigning annoyance.

"You're such a bitch!" She exclaimed suddenly, drawing more attention our way in the canteen.

"At least I'm the best of it." I played along, nudging her head lightly, which earned a gasp from her.

I stood up, leaving the canteen and headed to my locker, waiting patiently. About a few minutes later, she arrived, rubbing her temples.

"My head hurts." She complained, pressing a hand to her forehead.

"Spill it." I demanded, cutting right to the chase and she sighed deeply.

"My name's Melody." She initially greeted me. "But, you can't let those boys know I'm the one who told you this, or things will get ugly." She added bluntly, her expression was serious.

"I'm Ashanti." I introduced myself casually, leaning against my locker with a nod.

"Anyway, there's a messed up game these popular boys play with new girls here." Melody continued, her voice lowering slightly as if sharing a secret.

"They bet on who can get a new girl into bed first. You and four others are their new targets." She explained, meeting my narrowed gaze.

"I tried warning the others, but most students keep their mouths shut and no one believes me, because of Ryan." She added as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Ryan?" I questioned, insisting her to continue.

"Yeah, the richest student in school and he's also on the honor roll." Melody informed me with a sigh. "He's the mastermind behind this game, but Harden usually wins, being the football team captain and all."

Melody paused, taking a deep breath. "Tristan, the school bad boy, also plays and Ethan, the student president, gets involved sometimes."

"And then there's Ian, the playboy, he's all game." She rolled her eyes.

"They compete for prizes from Ryan; money and expensive gifts." She continued, her voice filled with disgust. "The girls they target end up heartbroken or worse."

"I've seen it happen before." She assured, nodding as we stared at each other. "I've been through it and that's why I couldn't just stand by without warning you."

I absorbed the information with a raised eyebrow, finding my own response hard to believe. "Harden and Tristan are popular?"

Melody nodded.

"So, who got you in their bed first?" I inquired, tilting my head with curiosity.

"Ryan." She sighed, looking away briefly before meeting my gaze again.

I nodded slowly, asking, "How long ago was that? And who's in the lead now?"

"A year ago." Melody replied, her expression weary. "I believe Harden's in the lead, then Ryan. Tristan and Ian follow. Ethan is in last place."

"Well, boys will be boys, right?" I replied, shrugging my shoulders, "They can try all they want, but I’ve got myself and that's all I need for now."

"I appreciate your warning." I admitted to Melody, acknowledging her courage.

She smiled, a flicker of hope in her eyes as she requested, "Can I hang with you, please?"

I stood quietly, considering the situation and she added, "I don’t really have any friends around here because of Ryan."

I rolled my eyes, slightly groaning to myself as I started to walk away from her. Halfway down the hall, I turned back and saw her still standing by my locker, staring at me.

"Come on!" I chuckled at the expression on her face. "Don’t just stand there, staring at me." I beckoned, snapping my fingers for her to make a move.

She broke into a smile and hurried towards me. I held out my hand like a guiding star and she took it. Together, we walked down the hall.

"You startled me a while ago." She admitted, chuckling.

"Yeah." I replied with a playful grin, "I always do."