My Cliche Love Story | ✓

Chapter 10

My cheeks burn with embarrassment, confusion, and anger, partly from the fact that I just practically threw myself at Dylan, for a prank that didn't even happen, and confusion because Dylan seems to know Katie. And then, I'm ticked off because, well, this new girl just tricked me into this whole thing!

"Katie," he repeats, and I roll my eyes, trying to keep in my frustration.

"Okay, what is this?" My eyes flicker back and forth between the two liars, wondering which one will fess up first.

"It's nice to see you again, Dylan," Katie's voice is overly sweet, and I throw my hands up in the air, completely ignored.

"When, how...?" Dylan searches for the right words to form his question, but I'm just waiting to here some kind of answer.

"I'll tell you later," she promises, winking at him. 

May I remind you, this is all happening at, like, two in the morning?

"Get past the cryptic responses," I whisper-shout, hoping the two of them can hear me. "Just answer me: how do you know each other, and what the heck is going on?"

I look to Dylan, actually hoping that he'll be honest and not lie to me, but he doesn't say a word at all. In fact, it's Katie that speaks up.

"Well, dear Alex," Katie grins, "I just couldn't resist when the perfect opportunity presented itself."

Sighing, I shoot, "I said no coded answers. What does that even mean?"

"Okay, just settle down," she coaxes, her crazy grin still in place. As she steps out onto the balcony of my bedroom and jumps easily over to Dylan's bedroom, that same psychotic look in her eye remains. "There," she starts, making herself at home, "now I can start."

I look at her expectantly, just waiting for some type of shit story to come out of her mouth.

"Alex Baker is the name I've heard most about while walking around on my first day of school. So I had to investigate. Then, no other than the girl herself shows up in my Interior Design class. When she mentions Dylan Carter's name, though, that's when I knew I had to listen in." She glances fondly at Dylan. "Otherwise I wouldn't have seen you again," she adds, standing up and touching his bare shoulder.

He jerks away, as if she's burned him, and tugs on a bed shirt. I'm really surprised that his parents haven't come up and found us up here, still awake, but I guess, it doesn't seem like anyone even lives here anymore.

"Oh, Dylan, don't deny it, you still remember me, don't you?" Her smile has turned from crazy to full on psychotic, matching the look in her eyes.

"Too well," he grumbles, and climbs onto his bed, backing into the head of it, acting like a shy little boy. This is so not the Dylan Carter I know.

"Keep going," I urge her, "I haven't got all night."

She turns and glares at me. "Fine. What I'm trying to say is this: I never really wanted to be your friend," she admits right off the bat, "I just wanted to see my prize again."

It's confusing to see that she doesn't even try to hide the fact that she deliberately took pictures of my attempted prank on my neighbor. And her prize? 

I throw my hands up in the air again, retreating to the window. "Okay, this is getting too twisted and complicated for two in the morning. I'm out," I hold up a lazy peace sign in both my hands, and crawl my way back to my room. Shutting out the lights, I snap the curtains closed, rubbing my eyes. 

I should think twice about staying up late for a prank.

The sun shines brightly through my window about five hours later, when I wake up. I'm late. Like, way late. It's already 7:15 in the morning! First period's about to start, I've got to get there now. Like I said, finals are the death of me. And that English project I'm supposed to do with Dylan? Yeah, that's due tomorrow.