How to Steal a Happy Ending

•eighteen• No one asked for a reboot but we gave them one anyway

"James?" I prodded his shoulder for the millionth time, this time with added force. However, he continued to bend over his phone. He had one shoulder against my locker, and looked down his nose as his thumbs typed away.

Since yesterday, things have gone back to the way they always were. 'Always were' as in he completely ignores me whenever he sees fit.

The boy let out a low pitched growl, one probably aimed at the faceless person on the other side of that screen. Apparently, I wasn't interesting enough at the moment. (this isn't something I inferred, he actually said this to me like three minutes ago)

I decided to switch tactics.

"Dude guess what?" He hmm-ed absentmindedly. "Billy and Vince made out in the green room today," I lied blatantly.

His eyes unstuck themselves from the screen and rolled at me. "No, they didn't."

"Well, no. But now that I have your attention- lets go eat," I made for his phone but he'd lifted his arm up of my reach before I could even lay a finger on the precious thing. A pout blossomed. "Jimmy, come on, I'm starving. P-leaaase," I whined.

Satisfied by the amount of groveling I was doing, he pocketed his phone.

"Just one more thing..." He twisted his body towards me and pressed a hand against the locker, physically trapping me between him and its metal door.

Somehow, this tiny (albeit abrupt) gesture alone drove my hunger into the middle of next week...the kind of hunger satisfied by food anyway.

He leaned forward to stare me down, "Do you still want to be friends with Sara?" His electric blue eyes pierced through mine, making me feel like I was under Superman's x-ray vision. Only this one was no city saving hero.

I should have know he wouldn't let this Vince thing go down so easily. Even though I'm always ready to forget his mistakes the second after he makes them, he sticks me to mine just as easily. I heaved a sigh, "I..."

Did I want to be friends with Sara?

Between a rock and a hard place, its hard to remember why or how you wound up there in the first place. And it really doesn't help to have a specimen as impossibly hot as James hovering centimeters away from your reach. A Tasmanian devil was being imprisoned behind the bars of my rib cage. One that desperately wanted to break out and connect with those lips that questioned.

My mouth twisted. Ew, the hell did I just think about.

I arched my neck as far back as it would go, trying to put some space between us."I don't know...it seemed like a good idea at the time. Like-" I shuffled and looked towards the ceiling, "Like the perfect way to piss him off. Plus, she'd probably have loads of embarrassing childhood stories. But it's so not going to work." I added quickly. "Sara's pretty annoying...and prudish. Also, your breath stinks." Like hot chocolate and marshmallows.

He straightened his back, and the tantalizingly small cocoon I'd been held in dissipated. "First off, yours does too." A pout blossomed at this. "And second," he grabbed my arm and tugged me behind him. "Don't get involved with that guy again. Just let it go."

I snorted. If only it were that easy. "Whatever, can we just get to lunch."

"Yes, it's taco Tuesday." James happily stated.

I was about to tell him that there was no such thing at our school, but somehow it just didn't seem like the right thing to do.

"Claire!" A girl I knew from a hazy past called out from down the hall. Her usually shiny, straight hair was a windblown mess and her lips were slightly chapped from the weather outside. We waited as Paige hurried up to us, clutching a bundle of fliers.

"If you're gonna ask me to put those up, the answer is no." I told her before she could ask.

James nodded in agreement, "Same, I'm hungry."

Paige rearranged her stance to hold the bundle against her hip instead of with both hands. "Gee, thanks for the show of support," she said sarcastically. I plucked one of the glossy fliers out from the bunch and examined it. 'Enter the land of Disco.'

I looked back up at her, eyebrows raised. "Would you kill me if I fell on the floor laughing?" Her murderous glare told me yes.

I still snickered, earning a sound shove from her. My back thumped against James's chest as I pivoted on one foot. "Oh come on, say it out loud. The land of Disco! It's ridiculous." James and I repeated the line again and again, each rendition more mocking and needlessly over-the-top than the last.

As expected, Paige scowled and haughtily blew a strand of her honey colored hair out of her eyes. "It's not ridiculous, it's for the seventies dance, okay? And you guys better be there because I am working my ass off for this."

Paige was ever the over achiever. We used to be really tight when we were younger. But then high school happened. We were never into the same things but once we hit puberty we became a bit too different. She turned into peppy student president that also happened to be head of prom committee, yearbook committee, and basically every other committee imaginable... while I just turned into me.

"Well, James is definitely gonna come. I mean, look at the way he's dressing these days. Hobo chic he calls it." I nudged him, "Tell her you'll go Jimmy."

Using his thumb, James wiped a tear away from the corner of his eye. "Nah, these things are too much work. Plus you need a date."

"No you don't," she interjected hastily. "You can come with a couple of friends or alone. Or," her green eyes shone mischievously, "You guys could come together."

I chocked on air while James just shook his head, completely unfazed by the implication.

"Sorry Paige, it's not happening."

I don't know why, but my heart slumped at the same time as her shoulders. You know exactly why. I scoffed at that. I do not.

Meanwhile, Paige gave us a dejected okay and started to leave. If James didn't go to the dance, then most of the others wouldn't either. I sighed. Poor girl had to make all those stupid fliers for nothing. My hand shot out to stop her. "What he really means is that he can't possibly find a proper date in time. But I'll be there for sure."

James scoffed, "As if. One smirk and I'd have a million girls clamoring to be mine."

"Oh yeah, well I'm gonna go with that eagle tattoo guy from Art. Who are you going with?"

"That guy has a girlfriend, genius. And I could have the redhead from track, either of those sophomore twins or Marie." He said as he counted them off his fingers.

"Two Brentwood guys, my pizza delivery dude, that blond guy that's always in detention and my neighbor's hot grandson that's visiting from college." I finished triumphantly. James narrowed his eyes at me, the arrogant jutting of his lips indicating that he'd accepted the challenge.

"Are you taking all these people to the dance?" Paige questioned, interrupting our Texas showdown.

"No," James answered her offhandedly without taking his eyes off me. "If I score a hotter one, I want those bloody shoes you promised me."

I stuck my nose up in the air and mimicked his competitive hostility. "You're on, Montgomery."

He took a flier from Paige and carefully rolled it up before stuffing it in his back pocket. "You can't start till I say." We each took a step away from each other. I tried to hide the smile that bubbled inside me as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. "Three..."

"Twoonego!" I shot down the hallway, nearly slipping on the squeaky linoleum with two separate shouts of 'You bloody cheater!' and 'Does this mean you're coming?' trailing behind me like speed streaks.

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A/N: this chapter is unedited but I wanted to post something this week cuz I have exams soon and I'm like near the edge of failing terribly (no joke guys I got 7/40 in the practice tests #soscrewed)

Once they're over and I have hopefully survived---- I promise there shall be mega updates.

Edit: this chapter has been edited ! (and I may or may not have passed)