OPERATION:Break the Casanova's heart

Chapter 8

NAOMI
I headed towards the court in search of Drew. Seeing him leave had made me forgot all about Stephen. Just the thought of Drew being jealous...it felt like butterflies had suddenly sprung to life inside me and started fluttering about.
Drew was practicing. I watched him ace a shot. It was perfect, just like Drew was perfect. I burst into applause. He looked over me and smiled. "Hi. What are you doing here?" He asked as he jogged over.
He was close I could reach out and touch him. "Nothing..." I said. "I just..." I searched his eyes for a hint if emotions I thought I'd glimpsed after I had sung that song for Stephen. Were you jealous? I wanted to ask. Do you like me?
His regard was friendly and nothing more.
It made me feel like a fool.
"There isn't any real reason," I said with a shrug. He continued to look at me with the same friendly expression he always had. The one he's always worn. I couldn't bear it. "I think I better go..."
He reached out to me as I turned to leave. He pulled me close, his expression serious. "Noami, I don't want you to get hurt," he said, as his hand gripped mine.
I felt my heart begin to pound. Was this the moment? Was he going to go all protective alpha-male on me and tell me I couldn't see Stephen anymore because, damn it, I was his? "D-Drew.."
He let go of my hand. "As you friend, I'm concerned about you."
"Oh." I blinked at him. Yeah, of course we were friends. How could I think any differently? Why would he be attracted to someone like me when he's got other, better, options? All he probably sees when he looks at me is a foolish nerd who hangs on to his every word. I forced myself to smile at him. "Okay, thanks. I'll keep that in mind."
I got out of there as soon as I could.
If Taylor Swift were to compose the soundtrack, then Drew's song would be "Teardrops On My Guitar." I headed back to the quad. In my haste to follow Drew, I had left all my stuff there. Yannie and the others were probably looking for me, and I had left my phone in my bag. I didn't want to go back.
Kryzel would have noticed that I'd left my things backstage. But Kryzel hadn't been in there before or during my performance. It had been a while since she and I had talked to each other. All my earlier euphoria and faded and in its place was a sick feeling of frustration.
So when I ran into a group of girls intent on causing me bodily harm due to some perceived slight I had committed against them by singing to Stephen, I was actually kind of glad for the diversion.
They surrounded me.
I felt like a heroine in a Korean drama. It was ridiculous. My life had gotten out of control! Still, I decided to go with it and play the part. "Look guys, I'm not looking for trouble...just please leave me alone," I said in my most pitiable voice.
"What a weakling!" One of the girls scoffed. "I can't believe Stephen would like someone like you." she looked me over. "He would never have paid any attention to you if not for your makeover."
I let out a sigh. "Look, just let me go alright?"
They all laughed. One of the girls came forward and pushed me. "You're nothing special! Ugly and coward to boot! Why don't you just die and leave Stephen alone, huh?" She made a move to grab my face.
Oh hell no! I pushed her back hard, sending her toppling over in an undignified heap on the floor. It was my turn to quirk an eyebrow their way. "At least Stephen noticed me after my makeover...unlike girls like you! No matter how much make-up you put on you face, you'll never disguise the fact that you look like a frog."
"You bitch!" The frog princess stood up and made a move to slap me, but I caught her hand and used my free one to land a slap to her face. I could see the imprint of my hand bloom on her cheek. "Oops, sorry about that," I said sweetly. This seemed to piss her minions off because they all moved to attack me.
I wasn't worried. I grew up with four older brothers who where obsessed with WWF and WWE shows like RAW and Smack Down. I had spent my childhood trying to evade getting caught in chokeholds, power bombs, and drop kicking my brothers in the face. These girls? I could take them.
And I did.
I watched them all run away after firing off one final (useless) threat at me. The sound of clapping was loud in the silence that followed. I turned in search of the source and saw Stephen leaning against the wall, grinning like a loon.
"You really are an Amazon, aren't you?"
"Thanks for the help," I said with a scowl. "I really appreciate it."
"No problem," he said easily. "I really enjoyed watching you fight." He walked over to me and slung an arm over my shoulder. "Thanks for defending my honor by the way. So, did you miss me, babes?"
"Yes I did, because we haven't seen each other for all of ten minutes. How could I not?"
He laughed. "Relax. You're being too hot-headed. Is that how you treat someone you like?"
Oh yeah, I was supposed to be in love with this guy. "Look, I can never miss you Stephen. How can I, when everywhere I look, all I see is you?" I froze. Didi I just say that? Kill me now.
He looked at me with raised eyebrow, and for a moment, I thought that my statement wouldn't fly. But then he burst out laughing and poked me in the cheek with his index finger. "You're ridiculously, you know that?"
I slapped him upside the head.
"Hey!"
"I tell you something from the heart and you laugh at me?"
"Sorry, babes," he said with a grin. He moved to kiss me but I turned his head away with a slight nudge.
"Don't call me that. You and I are not a couple."
"Aren't we? You're the one doing the courting so I get to decide when we're a couple or not, and I say you've proven yourself worthy of me." He took me hand. "So it's official, you're my girlfriend now. We're a couple. Let's go to a motel."
"What?! No!" I punched him in the arm with my free hand.
He started to laugh again. "Kidding, kidding! Just about the motel part though. You're still officially my girlfriend."
"Ha! In your face! That's not going to happen until you fall in love with me."
"Is that really necessary?" He let go of my hand. "Oh yeah, I forgot to give you something." He went back to the wall, and I noticed, partially hidden by one of the plotted plants, was my bag. "Here. You left this," he said when he handed it over.
"Thanks!" I said, surprised.
He shrugged and started to walk away. "Come on, let's go back to class."
I watched him for a moment before I called out his name. He stopped and turned to look back at me, one eyebrow cocked in question.
"Do you think I'm cute?"
"Of course not," he said with a shake of his head, "You're not cute, and you're not even pretty."
"Okay," I said with a shrug. I started to walk towards our classroom. I wasn't the type to give that much attention to my looks anyway. So what if those two morons, Stephen and Drew, couldn't appreciated how I look now? I think i looked good, and that was all that mattered. Damn assholes.
"Hey, babes!" He said, reaching out to grab my hand as I passed him. He pulled me close and rested his forehead against mine. "Cute is what you use to describe a dog. And pretty isn't enough to describe you." He smiled at me and moved to place a kiss on my forehead. "You're beautiful...and unique. I don't think there's anyone else like you."
Later, at the HSCC Headquarters, France teased Yannie about her and Stephen being so close. I was surprised. Stephen usually treated his exes coldly becausehe said they weren't worth his time.
"Naomi's right! And he doesn't really treat you coldly at all. He doesn't even remember me, but he was pleased to see you! And he says he doesn't want you to refer to him as your ex."
"You ask too many questions, Francisco Juan," Yannie said, rolling her eyes. "And who'd want to remember you, anyway?"
"You're a meanie."
Yannie laughed.
I studied Yannie. I'd always been under the impression that Yannie had founded the Coalition. If so, I wonder what Stephen had done to make her furious enough to do so?