The Bad Boy's Sleepover

Chapter 25

Lola scuttled down the sidewalk of one of the busiest streets in their suburb. She nearly knocked into a man, who only scowled at her briefly before hurrying away. 

She ducked and swerved when needed until she finally reached one of the most popular ice cream parlours in their small town. As expected, the place was already bustling with adults and students alike. 

Lola spotted some schoolmates from her year but no one acknowledged her when she walked in to take a seat. It was highly likely that none of them even knew her. 

She was in luck. There was a couple just leaving their seats and she rushed over to occupy it like the hot property it was. She took a seat and placed her school bag next to her. 

"Would you like to order, dear?" A waitress was already standing by her table while another cleared it. The service here was top notch, probably another reason why the place was so popular. 

"Not yet, I'm waiting for someone," Lola replied in a low voice, as if it was some sort of rendezvous that no one else could know about. She cleared her throat and repeated her words again when the waitress eyed her in confusion. 

"Okay, will check on you in five," She bristled, her tone implying that Lola was wasting a table many others were waiting for. 

Lola fiddled with her phone idly. Tyler had texted her to meet him there after school. She had figured they would walk here together but something came up for him which lead to the change in plans. 

She slid a thumb across her screen, unlocking her phone and checking for messages. Shouldn't he text or something if he was going to be late? Or worse cancel. 

Just then she spotted chocolate brown wavy hair as Tyler rushed in. He waved at their classmates who stared on in curiosity as he made his way to her. It's as if they've never seen Lola before and she could've sworn she had Math with one of them. Lola's cheeks burned under their attention but then they turned around, losing interest after a few seconds. 

If it had been Damien or Tyronne, the entire school would hear about it in minutes. Thankfully, it was neither of them.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. Had to run a last minute errand for Ms. Heather," He sat down across from her and ran a hand through his bouncy hair. It is only then she registered that they were actually sitting across from each other in Mc Macy's ice cream parlour, a place famous for first time dates among students. 

Lola didn't know if she was dreaming because it certainly felt a lot like one. Tyler's honey brown eyes were twinkling at her and she could feel her insides squirm but then she thought of Julian and the picture they found. 

She leaned back in her seat just as Tyler crossed his arms on the table and leaned forward. 

"It's fine. It was hardly a minute," She waved him off nonchalantly, making him smile. 

"Have you ordered?" 

As if on cue, the same waitress from five minutes ago materialised like magic by their table, her finger ready to key in their order on her tablet. 

"I'll have one chocolate chip cookie dough. Regular," She said and Tyler's grin widened. 

"That's my favourite too. I'll have one as well." 

The waitress nodded and then hurried off to take someone else's order which left us to our growingly awkward silence. 

"So how's your blog going? Did my interview help with your views?" Tyler teased mischievously, making Lola wonder if he already knew the answer to that.