Lessons On Love

8: Coincidence Or Fate

 Chapter 8: Coincidence Or Fate?

            “I don’t want people to say that I’m stealing the lead role just because I’m more popular than you.” Brooklynn pushed a strand of blonde hair behind her ear before staring at me with all the seriousness and grace that comes with the prestige her family brought her up in. “So to make things fair, let’s have a little talent contest to see who really deserves the role of being Prince Charming.”

            I forced a smile at her, but politely declined. “I don’t want to be in your stupid talent show,” I said. “It’s pathetic and I have better things to do with my time. Besides, I already told you I don’t want the role so just drop it.”

            The bell rang, and I quickly grabbed my books before Brooklynn laughed. “What? You scared? You don’t want the role, or you’re scared you won’t get it?”   

            Marriah, being the only one in class who didn’t stay for the drama, passed me on her way out, but still managed to give my hand a quick squeeze before vanishing off. It’s a trap, she was trying to tell me, but her warning barely laid a hand on my competitiveness.  

            “You think I’m scared of some side-street talent like yours?” I snorted. “Fine. Bring it.”

            Brooklynn beamed at me, her smile both venomous and beautiful. “Great! How about today after school then? Three-thirty? At the back of the school near the tennis courts? We’ll each go with a song from a musical of our choice. Majority votes win.”

            I flicked my hair over my shoulder before walking out of class. “Deal.”

            Just like I figured, it didn’t take long before the entire school caught drift of the showdown taking place after school. As far as the teachers and staff were concerned, it was going to be a friendly little contest between two rivalling talents. As far as the rest of the student body were concerned, there was bound to be a catfight.

            They weren’t wrong. Indeed it was going to be a contest between two rivals, and if Brooklynn did have a trick up her sleeve, I had every intention of attacking her on stage – in the friendliest way possible of course.

            Todd didn’t necessarily agree. “You’re going to get creamed.” He fixed his glasses before staring at me as if to see if I had completely lost my mind. “Brooklynn always has something up her sleeve and she’s not stupid enough to give you an opening. Chances are she’s going to position herself as far away from you as possible so you won’t even touch her if something happens.”

            I didn’t say anything since I hate being wrong and Todd couldn’t be more correct in the matter he just pointed out. “I’m heading off to History,” I said instead. “Don’t look for me at lunch because I’m going to look for Marshall. He hasn’t been replying to my text messages at–”

            Todd grabbed my elbow and stood on his tippy toes so he could look at me better. “Promise me you won’t go after school,” he interrupted, and I’m instantly stricken with the fact that he looks like a puppy – one that was sent to the animal shelter after it got beaten up by its previous owners. “I don’t want anything to happen to you Camila.”

            “Maybe,” I said, and then ran off before he could stop me.

            The thing with running away though, was that you can never run very far. If it wasn’t Todd, it was Tyler, and I couldn’t believe my luck that out of all the days he wanted to be early for History, he chose this one. Worse – and call it a really bad coincidence – but every class that I had with Tyler with the exception of homeroom, the seats were assigned alphabetically according to last name, and for whatever the screwed up reason, his seat was always attached to mine.