TEETH [chris sturniolo]

3.

"Why are you going to the library?" Nate asked while putting deodorant on, then he tossed it to Chris. "We've been here for years, I don't think I've ever seen you step foot in it."

"I'm going to get Cruz. She's coming over."

"Piper... Cruz?" Nate's eyes widened.

"I hear my woman's name!" Jackson yelled from one of the showers.

"I'm out of here, I'll meet you in the car." He told Matt and proceded to grab his bags and got out of the locker room before Jackson started asking too many questions he didn't has the answer for.

When he got inside, the woman on the front shot him a weird look. Probably thought he was new.

Chris looked around until his eyes caught a brunette.

"Yo."

The girl looked at him.

"Matt's waiting, hurry up."

"Ask nicely." She crossed her legs and Chris got distracted by the action.

"Uh... please?" He was feeling funny.

He blamed what he did next on the weird pressure on his chest, his brain was not functioning properly (since when were legs such a mesmerizing concept to him? How old was he? 13?). Her backpack was slung back on his shoulder before he knew and Piper was visibly confused.

"Uhm, thanks."

They walked in silence and when they reached the triplet's car, Chris shot his brother a warning look when the other boy's eyebrow shot up at the pink backpack. Chris threw his duffel bag and both backpacks on the trunk.

"Where's Nick?" She asked

"It's none of your business." Chris replied at the same as Matt said: "Home."

"Okay, fuck you, Chris. Thank you, Matt."

[...]

It all went to shit went Piper got frustrated and kneeled in front of him.

"Look at my mouth." She grabbed his shoulders to ground him in his place on the floor. "See the way my tongue hits the roof of my mouth? Rr. Did you see that? Rosa, rojo."

"I didn't catch that."

Okay, so maybe he did actually know how to roll his r's and was just messing with Piper. It did not have anything to do with the fact that the brunette was way too fucking close and he wasn't hating it.

"Rosa, rojo, carro, ropa."

Or the fact that she was kind of cute when she was mad at him.

"You're not even paying attention." She sat back on her heels.

"Since when do you wear skirts and makeup?" He blurted out, uncomfortable being alone with her. Clearly, it was not okay to ask that, Piper glared at him.

"I like looking good. Why do you care?" She asked.

"What, you got a boyfriend? Who would date you?" He laughed.

"I don't dress for anyone other than myself." She rolled her eyes. "Seriously, why do you care? This is the second time you've said something about my outfit. You into me now?" She teased him with a devilish smile.

Since when did they teased each other?

"What makes you think I could ever be into you?" He tried to put on a disgusted face, but he wasn't really sure he managed. "You're not my type. I don't think you are anyone's type." Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.

Chris somehow managed to struck a nerve, because suddenly Piper was cold again, mischievous glint gone.

"Write your list as a paragraph. Complete, full sentences, you're not in fourth grade anymore to be writing in bullets." She grabbed her notebook again and started writing.

"Piper..."

"Don't." She pretended to still be writing. "You and I? We. Don't. Do. This." She motioned the space between them. "We don't talk, we don't get along. So please, do your part of the project."

He nodded and got to work.

Five minutes later he sighed. Even though he could understand it, writing in Spanish was a whole different thing. It pained him to put his notebook down and tap lightly on Piper's shoulder.

"What." She snapped her head towards him.

"I-" He swallowed his pride. "I need your help."

Piper shifted closer to him, her back against Chris' bed, shoulder to shoulder with him.

"Tener is the infinitive form. When you're talking about someone it's supposed to be tiene. You're not conjugating."

Chris faced her to say something. But instead bumped noses. Her eyes widened and the question died in his throat, his eyes quickly glanced her lips, still shiny and pink from her gloss.

Piper seemed frozen in her place when he leaned in and their lips grazed each other.

"Thought you could never be into me, Chris." She said in a tone that indicated him she was trying to sound brave, her voice was barely above a whisper.

"We don't do this." He repeated her words.

"This is nothing." She replied firmer, but didn't move.

"I don't like you." He snaked a hand on the back of her neck.

"I despise you."

"I hate you." Chris finally pulled her in. A little rough, a little too charged.

Their lips crashed, pent up emotions finally getting the better of them.

"This" kiss, "means" pause "nothing" another kiss.

"What the fuck?"

The blonde girl shoved him back. A panicked look crossed her face as she turned to face whoever interrupted them.

Chris couldn't manage to get his eyes off of her. His chest rising up and down, wild eyes trying to find an explanation for what just happened.

"What the fuck?" Matt, Chris finally registered, asked again.

"We were working on our project." She said.

"Working?" His brother was shocked, to say the least. Meanwhile, Chris could not even muster up one word.

"Doing field work, whatever." She flicked her wrist. "Findings were found."

What was she even saying.

"Findings were— actually, I'm leaving. I don't want to know. I wish I could unsee that." He closed the door again.

"Well, that sucked. You should practice." She stood up and walked to where her bag was.

"What?"

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you're a bad kisser." She smiled innocently but Chris was so focused on the fact that 1) he just fucking kissed his sworn enemy, and 2) her lips were still swollen.

"Why'd you kissed me back, then."

"I pitied you." She answered with a pout as she slung her backpack on her shoulder.

Aaand he was back to hating her.