Between the Lines | ✓

Cliche 11: Badboys Can Be Princes Too

"That was so good," Aubrey sighed happily, patting her stomach before turning to me. "But Xander, are you sure you don't want us to pay you back? You don't have to shout us lunch..."

I laughed, mind flashing to my absurd ex-main-lead's bank balance and the ridiculous string of zeroes tacked onto the end of an already large number. Though Xander's never-present parents left a lot to be desired, the weekly allowance deposited like clockwork into Xander's account was more than I could ever desire. 

"No, it's fine, seriously," I said, laughing off her words. "Don't worry about it."

"I'm worrying about it," Elias huffed as I laughed again, bumping his shoulder with mine, the boy rolling his eyes. "Next time, I'll pay for you," Elias quietly mumbled after a moment, eyes darting to the ground before tentatively looking back up at mine. I just smiled, shrugging, Elias mirroring my expression as his eyes lit up.

"Oh, guys, I have to head home now," Aubrey sighed, tapping on her phone. "My mum needs me to help her with something. I'll see you at school on Monday?"

"Mhmm. Which direction are you heading in?" I asked, Aubrey pointing down the road. "You're catching that tram? Elias, where are you going?"

Ho-ho-ho, if you two are going in the same direction, this would be the perfect opportunity to further your relationship. The original public transport scenario was a fail, but life is all about second chances - I'd know!

"I'm heading the other way," Elias said, and I felt my stomach drop. Geography has to be a bigger cock-block than the protagonist herself, huh.

"Aw, bummer," Aubrey said, sticking her tongue out. "Oh! I see the tram, gotta go! See you guys next week! And thanks for lunch, Xander!" The girl gave Elias and I two hasty hugs before bursting into a mad sprint.

"Wait-" I called out, but Aubrey was already a blip of red hair in the distance, disappearing inside the tram. "Oh, for crying out-"

"You need to pick your car up from school, right?" Elias suddenly asked, patting my back with the broad palm of his hand. "I have to pass that direction too, let's go."

Sighing internally, I nodded and followed alongside Elias. The trip back to school seemed shorter this time around, probably because both Elias and I were able to get our own seats and I didn't have to put myself through the awkward experience of sitting on the soccer captain's lap.

When we got the front of the school, Elias cleared his throat, rocking back and forth on his feet. 

"So, I guess I'll see you on Monday?" Elias said, nodding his head towards the train station he was going to. 

"Yeah," I said, before pausing. I rifled through my memories of 'Say No to Bad Boys', the author stating that Elias lived in a less affluent part of town far away in the suburbs, likely in a bid to make him #relatable. For me, it only made me see him as superior boyfriend-material compared to Xander, who seemed to have everything handed to him on a silver platter, which made him as arrogant as he could be. Elias, on the other hand, was hard-working and humble, and it made me want to cheer him on and help him out - and helping him get the protagonist as a girlfriend was step one, of course.

"Hey, you live pretty far away, right? I'll drive you," I said, Elias jerking beside me suddenly, making me jump. Turning to him with a quizzical look, Elias coughed and shook his head, gripping the strap of his sports bag tightly.

"No, that's, um, really nice of you, but, uh... I... Um... I don't want to bother you. It's out of your way, right? You really don't need to," Elias said, lips curving up into a small smile. "Thank you, though."