The Deal

Chapter 14 - Persuasion

{You charge me up like electricity - jump start my heart with your love.

Powerful - Major Lazer ft. Ellie Goulding and Tarrus Riley}

Chapter 14 - Persuasion

I so did not want to be here.

Every class, everywhere I walked I had a cluster of eyes following me, words being whispered behind my back, but they knew better than to approach me. Damon had made sure of that.

Like my mood, the sky was dark, threatening clouds gathering overhead as the breeze began to pick up. After a long day of raising my gaze no higher than people's kneecaps, the final bell rang, and I headed straight for freedom, not in the mood to brave the overcrowded locker bays after the headache they'd caused before.

The first drops of rain began to fall, and I squinted against the biting wind and pulled the sleeves of my jumper down over my knuckles to keep warm on my journey home. Just as I began trekking down the sidewalk, the guttural sounds of a motorbike rose above the whistling wind, and I turned just in time to see Damon slow to a stop behind me.

"Need a ride?"

"What are you doing?" I asked, incredulous, as the first eager students began trickling out of the school. I shot him a panicked look. "We can't be seen together!"

Damon leant on the throttle, revving the motor loud enough to make me step back and send a panicked glance towards the school.

"Either we leave now, or you keep arguing and allow your school friends the chance to spot us. Your choice."

I bit the inside of my cheek, screaming internally at his calm words, before throwing caution to the wind and stepping towards his Harley Davidson. I was skeptical.

"Do you have a helmet?" I shouted, struggling to be heard over the battling wind and his idling engine. He looked at me.

"Just get on the fucking bike."

I huffed, but after casting an eye back towards the school then up at the leaking sky, I gave in and climbed awkwardly onto the back of his motorbike.

I gripped onto him for dear life, his disregard for my safety a worrying factor as his speed increased and we wove out into traffic.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before we pulled up outside my house, managing to do so without getting sprung by the coppers or smearing our brains across the tarmac. I slid as gracefully as I could from my seat, rain falling steadily as I checked that my bag was still strapped securely round my middle. As I moved away, muttering a quick thanks over my shoulder escape the downpour, Damon caught my wrist.

"Nothing's changed," he said, rain catching in his windswept hair as distant thunder accompanied the rumbling of his engine. I paused, taken aback by his words and the steady look he was giving me. "Just because our secret's out, doesn't mean your job is done. I still need you for Friday."

My jaw dropped. Was he serious?

"Are you insane?" I gaped, frowning. "I can't help you anymore. Not after this!"

"You don't have a choice," he grit out, water tracking steadily down his face like tears. "We made a deal."

"You're the only one who benefits from it!"

"How are you not?" He growled, brow furrowing at my resistance. I waited for him to elaborate, but he changed tactics. "Now that everything's out in the open, what's stopping you from helping me? We don't have to hide the truth now. You're just doing your job, same as everyone else."

"Except that it's illegal!"

He groaned, wiping the moisture from his face as he again fixed his luminous eyes on me.

"The battles are almost finished. I only need you there for the final rounds, and then you're free. I promise you."

What he was saying seemed reasonable, and I was tempted to consent just so I could get out of the rain - but I was exhausted, and the thought of returning to the stadium and subjecting myself to another bout of ridicule was not a tempting offer.

"I'll...think about it," I said eventually, holding his gaze until, after a moment, he released his hold on my wrist and straightened in his seat.

"Thank you."

For once, we turned away at the same time.

**

I had no intention of waking up the next morning for school, but when my door creaked open and a 40kg hound crash-landed on my chest, I really had no choice in the matter.

The day was a repeat of yesterday, only minus the confrontation instigated by Raleigh and her pals. I suffered in silence, doing my best to appear ignorant to the blatant stares and rumours that seemed to be circulating throughout the school.

Lucy did her best to distract me with idle chatter, and I threw myself into conversations about hipster beards and the pros and cons of boob jobs with gusto.

At lunchtime, we sought shelter in a classroom doorway, sitting side by side and eating our way through a jumbo bag of sea salt chips as we avoided the searching eyes of our classmates.

"Have you heard from Charlie?" I asked through a mouthful of potato. Lucy shook her head.

"I saw him yesterday, but when I waved, he turned away. No doubt bitter over you not telling him about Damon."

"To be far, I didn't tell anyone about Damon. Apart from Warren, that is."

"Yeah, well he doesn't know that. The poor probably thinks you didn't care enough to let him in on the secret. You've crushed his little heart."

"I have bigger things to worry about than Charlie's feelings," I sniped, although I didn't like the thought of him thinking badly of me. I sighed. "I'll get round to apologising eventually – but first, I need to handle Damon."

"There's nothing to handle," Lucy said simply, exposing the contents of her mouth as she did so. "You have to go with him."

"Why?" I whined, pouting. People really needed to stop saying that. "Look what he's done to my life!"

"What? Put you on the map? Single you out to be his girlfriend? Grace you with the gift of his presence night after night? Yeah, it sure seems like he was out to destroy you."

"Your sarcasm is not appreciated. And it was fake girlfriend."

"Don't say was. Oh, just go with him, Anna! Live a little. It will do you good! Enjoy the remainder of your time with the most sought after guy in the state!"

Well. What else was I supposed to do?

When the bell rang, and we packed up our belongings, I sighted the king in question, flocked by his eagle eyed posse who were leading the way back to the lockers. I watched him as he moved, marvelling at his ease and confidence in spite of everything that had been happening.

Having myself seen him bathed under the arenas floodlights, bronze skin slick with sweat and golden hair haloed in the warm glow; it wasn't hard to see why people were drawn to him. He certainly was a force to be reckoned with.

He must have felt me watching him, sapphire orbs flickering over to where I was stood spying on tiptoe before just as quickly flickering away. But the question was clear in his expression – are you I in or out?

I waited until his eyes met mine again before nodding. He looked away when I did, but I caught his subtle nod in return and the smile that touched the corners of his mouth.