The Cliche Gone Wrong

Chapter Eight

Dammit, her friends are back.

I ignore the chattering people around me as I sit on top of the table, staring over at hers. She laughs at something one of her friends says, ripping a piece off of her sandwich as she tosses it into her mouth. She looks...happy. Not like when she's stuck in class or waiting on tables at her job. Her smile is dazzling, her thick brown lips pulling back to showcase are near perfect smile, blinding you with its brightness.

She's never turned that smile on me.

I pull out my phone, pulling up the conversation between us as I draft her another quick message. "Wanna get out of here?"

I watch her stiffen as she receives the message, trying not to look at her phone as she tries to stay engrossed in the conversation. Finally she picks up her phone, her eyes immediately flitting to mine a couple seconds later. Her smile morphs into a frown as she puts the phone down and turns back to her friends, virtually telling me to fuck off.

I narrow my eyes as I watch the boy next to her touch her shoulder to get her attention, and she willing gives it to him, along with one of her breath taking smiles.

It isn't fair. I can't wait until detention today. I want her attention, too.

"Wow, Jude," Connor comments, finally drawing my attention back to my own table. "It's been almost 24 hours and you still haven't won the bet. Are you going to give up?"

This gathers the attention of most of the guys at the table, especially the young freshman who still sits at the corner.

"Hell no," I smile broadly, punching Connor lightly on the shoulder as I use this as an excuse to look back over at her. "My plan is already in motion. It's just a matter of time."

Connor laughs as he goes back to his original conversation, but I can't let it go, my leg jiggling anxiously as I watch that same boy touch her arm this time, although her eyes are already locked on him. I need to do something. She's looking at him like, well, like she's never looked at me. All these years and not once.

I have no choice but to get up from the table, walking lazily over to hers as I rest my hands on the one spot that isn't covered by books or food. The entire table freezes, all conversations halted as every single one of them turn to look at me. Killer's eyes are wide, near frantic as she pants loudly.

"Can we help you?" The girl next to Killer asks.

"You can't," I say dismissively, my eyes leaving hers to look at the person I came for. "But she can."

"I'm sorry," the girl laughs as she pushes a jet-black piece of hair off of her bare shoulder, trying to redirect my attention back to her but I don't fall for it. "What I meant to say was, fuck off."

I don't give her a second of my time, looking only at Killer. Her lips purse as she braces one of her elbows into her hand and drops her head into it, finally smiling at me. But it's not the same smile she shared with that other boy just a few minutes ago. It's almost...sinister.

"What do you want, Shills?" Her voice is smooth, but low, making me lean forward to catch her words over the continued hum in the cafeteria.

"I want to talk to you," I say firmly, not letting all of the other prying and hostile eyes distract me.

"What could you possibly want to talk to me about?" Her smile grows, her lips thinning as they spread wide.

"I think you already know," I smile. "Maybe we should go somewhere else."

She makes her head, her eyes twinkling with barely contained mischief and, something else. "No, we can talk right here."

I hesitate, not sure how to continue. Trying to seduce her one on one isn't that difficult, but when her friends are there to weight in problems start to arise.

"Are you nervous, Shills?" She asks, calling me out on my indecisiveness. "Are you afraid I'm going to hurt your feelings? Maybe I'll call you some mean names?"

"No, I don't thi—"

"Well you should," she laughs, the choppy sound echoing throughout the entire cafeteria. Its then that I realize the place is practically silent, the hum I imagined earlier absent as all eyes are on us.

"They call me Killer for a reason!" She laughs louder, although no one else echoes the sound, not even her friends. "I can make your life a living hell. And I should, for all the shit you and your hellhounds have put me through! So, it would just be best if you walked away now, before things get any worse."

For once I take her advice, nodding my head as I take a couple steps backward before turning and heading back to my table. Everyone greets me with confused looks and whispered smiles.

"What the hell was that?" Connor asks as I sit normally on the bench, not resuming my seat in the middle of the table.

I ignore him, my eyes falling onto Alan's irritated gaze directly across from me.

"I told you not to do it," he growls.

"I didn't know what you were referring to," I shrug innocently, unwilling to look away first.

"Well, now you do," he says, his eyes narrowing even more. "Nothing good is going to come of this. Just pay up and let it go."

My phone dings from my pocket, and I use that as an excuse to look away from Alan, ignoring his advice. I look at the notification from my locked home screen, my eyes widening as I see whom it's from. I quickly type in my password as I open my messages, my eyes flitting across the screen.

"See you in detention."

I look up to see her teasing eyes already on mine, before she looks away quickly.