His Flower [DISCONTINUED]

9: Cafeteria Texts

Antonio Brown was disrupting the pattern.

Before last week, I would've never gone on a motorcycle. I would've never revealed to anyone my secrets. Heck, I would've never bickered with anyone the way I bickered with him.

But, he was changing all of this. I wondered what it was that was drawing us together. After all, he was the stereotypical bad boy, and I knew better than to acknowledge guys like him. His constant bruises from the fist fights he got himself into, his motorcycle, his addiction to smoking, his disheveled hair, his lopsided smile, his toned abs, his... I'm getting sidetracked, aren't I.

It was just my luck that he lived with Romano, one of my two best friends in this town. It was practically inevitable that Antonio and I encountered each other.

Anyways, Lily and I were sat in the crowded school cafeteria. We'd found an empty corner table on the first day of school, and had claimed it as ours ever since.

"Mm, Rose, you have to try these cafeteria cookies," Lily urged from across me, licking her lips. "They might give you salmonella but it's so worth it."

I snorted at her, about to reply. Though, a freakishly loud giggle from across the cafeteria made our heads snap up. The noise came from the center table, where the meanest girls and the wildest guys sat. Of course, each member at the table was ridiculously attractive—anyone short of their stereotypical standards was simply deemed inferior, which was stupid, considering this was high school, and most people sported braces, acne, glasses, or all three.

Surprise surprise. Antonio was sat in the very heart and center of the table. He was goofing off and making everyone laugh, per usual. A raven-haired girl was sitting dangerously close to him, and her arms intentionally grazed his body. I glanced at what she wore and raised my eyebrows. Did this school have a dress code? The girl was undoubtedly pretty, but her top was more of a bra.

"Kimmy Stevens," Lily spoke as she followed my line of sight. "Beth's second-in-command. She's so desperate for attention it makes me sick."

"I'll take your word for it," I grimaced as I watched the girl practically grind against Antonio in broad daylight.

I suppose my gaze on the table lingered longer than it should've, because Antonio's dark eyes suddenly met mine. Just like that, a smirk fell onto his face. He began to rapidly type on his phone. My phone dinged and I looked down.

Unknown

Caught you staring.

I scoffed and glanced back up at Antonio, whose smile only widened. With a wiggle of his eyebrows, he urged me to respond. I reluctantly did so with a sigh.

How did you get my number?

I looked back up at him, while he looked down to respond.

Avoiding the topic, are we?

I rolled my eyes, suddenly looking down again when my phone was hit with a second ding.

You jealous?

I looked up to see what he was talking about. Realization dawned on me once I saw the dark-haired girl was practically on top of him. Although, I wasn't jealous at all. It was no surprise Antonio had girls pining after him anyways. I finally responded with a small chuckle.

In your dreams.

The three typing bubbles almost instantly appeared.

Oh you're in my dreams, alright.

The smirking emoji at the end of his sentence made me shake my head and stifle a giggle, sparing a glance up at him.

"What are you laughing at?" Lily asked.

I glanced at her in surprise. "Uh, nothing."

She turned around to see what I'd been looking at, then swerved around to face me again.

"Oh," she knowingly grinned.

"Oh?" I repeated.

"Oh," she confirmed.

I gave her a look of amusement. "What's oh?"

She coyly smiled. "You were staring at Antonio."

"No I wasn't," I denied.

"Don't lie, I saw you with my own two eyes," she pointed an accusing finger at me.

I defensively lifted up my arms. "Alright, fine, you caught me."

"That's right, Lily knows all," she smugly nodded.

"Did you just refer to yourself in the third person?"

"It's normal," she insisted.

"It's not."

"It is," she argued. "All the celebrities do it. Like, Rihanna..."

Lily's voice drifted in one ear and out the other. I found my hazel eyes trailing over to Antonio once more. He was still watching me with a subtle smile on his face. I immediately took the opportunity to grab my phone.

Who's staring now?

He shook his head with a lazy grin.

Got me there, Flower.

As I looked up at him with a smile, it quickly disappeared at the glare sent my way. Not by Antonio, but by his friend beside him.

I frowned and looked away, immediately getting hit with déjà vu. I remembered seeing that boy on the day I'd slept over at Antonio's house. He had looked just as bitter as he did right now. What was his name again... Benny?

I was distracted from my thoughts by the sound of the bell. Lily and I got up and walked out of the cafeteria. I walked backwards to face her.

"Ugh, I've got PE next," Lily groaned. "I think we're playing volleyball."

"Yikes, good luck!" I said in sympathy, knowing how unathletic she was.

With that, we bid farewell and separated. As I turned around to face forward, I suddenly bumped into a wall. I gasped and stumbled backwards, surprised to see that I hadn't bumped into a wall, but a person.

It was Benny. He was about 6 feet tall, just a few inches shorter than Antonio, yet nearly a foot taller than me. My, he was so gorgeous with his clear ebony skin and high cheekbones. Though, the scowl on his face made me wince.

"Watch it," he snapped.

I gaped at him as he stalked off. Geez. I barely knew him, but I was getting the hunch that Benny disliked me...

• • •

hmm, wonder what benny's problem is

QOTC: apple or orange juice?
AOTC: orange

hope y'all enjoyed, vote if u did!

love, emmanuela<3