Flirt

-flirting with disaster-

-flirting with disaster-

There's a particular skill needed for flirtation. It comes easily for some people, and for others, not so much. Honestly, one doesn't even need to be attractive to flirt and draw people's attention. Just like how there is a fine line between love and hate, there is also a fine line between drawing negative attention to oneself and simple attraction.

As the Nobilis started walking towards her, Ana glanced down at her phone yet again, only to see that it had loaded, finally. Scrolling down, she tapped her foot anxiously against the pavement and found that the leaderboard had been posted, listing not one name as the current head, but six. And who were the six? Only the fucking Nobilis and herself, as starters.

She looked up again. The five had gotten closer, their heads bowed down over their phones as they too, searched for the leaderboard. Ana watched as relief played across their features at seeing their own names there among the top, but then shock as they kept scrolling down the list. As one, their heads snapped up and looked around the school, presumably searching for her.

Bella's eyes found her first. The attractive brunette's normally serene and seductive blue eyes had turned glacial as soon as they met her own striking green ones. Ana pushed off the wall she had been leaning against, and then quickly walked to the nearest bathroom to check whether or not her makeup or outfit had been ruffled while outside. After all, the game was still on, and Ana needed to look her absolute best at all times.

Laying one elegant hand on the cool metal door handle, she twisted it open and briskly stepped inside, heading directly towards the full length mirror facing the wall in front of her. Stepping towards it, she surveyed herself with a critical eye, double checking her hair for any flyaways, combing the strands that had escaped her braided updo. From her bag, she took out her choice of weapons: two different mascaras, one lip stain tube, two different lip glosses, one clear and the other sparkly, a small powder brush along with a container of concealer and foundation, and an eyelash curler.

In order to have the best effect on others while flirting, one must look at least presentable. Others may have called Ana a bitch or a whore behind her back, but in truth, that was the furthest from who she truly was. Fine, she had dated her fair share of guys, but had also gotten the same number of heartbreaks and betrayals in return. So really, she was no different from any other girl in the school.

Reapplying her lip gloss, she also brushed a tad bit of concealer on her face, but not enough to coat her face with a second skin, like some of the other girls that begged for the Nobilis' attention. But Ana wasn't one to judge- makeup was supposed to enhance the face, and make a girl feel more confident, and if that was the way that those girls boosted their self-esteem, then so be it.

The door opened, and a girl strutted in. Ana craned her head to see who had entered, and only got a glimpse of those sexy red stilettos that Bella had been sporting earlier when the Nobilis made their entrance. "So, have you heard? We're all tied up for first place, hm?" Bella broke the silence.

Ana let out a quiet laugh, "Yeah, but I'm not too surprised- after all, most people here at this school would willingly die for you, so giving away their number so freely in the hopes that maybe you'll call them shouldn't have been a hard decision for them. Even if it meant that their chances of winning the game had been decreased."

Bella scoffed, "Die for us? Well, I should hope not, I don't particularly want to be stepping over dead bodies on our front door every morning, wouldn't you agree?"

Ana simply shrugged, and turned back around to face the mirror, once again looking for any imperfections. Bella stepped up next to her and also started checking herself out. Whipping out a tube of dark, crimson lipstick, she suddenly said, "So you haven't heard yet, have you? The real news, I mean."

Ana raised a questioning brow at her, prompting her to continue. "No, I can't say that I have, unless you're talking about the leaderboard situation, which I believe we just discussed."

"Well," Bella dragged out, "there's no one left in the school with an unknown number, can you believe that?"

"So what is going to happen to the game then?"

"You didn't let me finish," Bella held up one perfectly manicured finger up at Ana, shushing her. "There's no one left in the school with an unknown number... except us. And you, of course."

Ana tilted her head to one side, curls tumbling across her neck. "So that just means I'll have to flirt my way into getting one of your numbers, right?"

Bella smiled- an easy, languorous, little quirk of her mouth that had Ana instantly suspicious. "Actually, yes and no. Firstly, this is just a heads up, but us five have teamed up, meaning that you are going to have a hell of a time winning this game," she smirked nastily.

Ana merely leaned back against the wall, the cool tiles chilling her body. Putting one foot up, she balanced on one wedge-clad leg and smiled back at Bella. "Well, if that's the case, then thank you."

Puzzled, Bella stared back at her. "For what?"

Her wedges clicking on the marbled tiles as she brushed past Bella, Ana turned around and gave her one last dazzling smile. "For everything," she gestured to her surroundings, "for all these wondrous opportunities, for elevating my social status far beyond anything it could have ever been without your help, and for telling me personally, that the game is just about to get a hell of a lot more fun."

And with that, she strode away, leaving behind a shocked Bella, gaping after her.