LUDICROUS | ✔️

chapter | 08

                                

──────
L U D I C R O U S
[ chapter 8 • milkshake & fries ]
──────

THE RAIN POURED heavily on the boys and me. Our clothes became a second cloak of skin as we ran towards Cindy's Diner. "This is all your fault," breaths out Zander as we entered Cindy's. He pointed at me, running his hand through his soaked hair.

"How is it my fault? I don't exactly control the weather," I say, wiping the droplets of water from my face. I turn to meet Zander's gaze to see he was glaring harshly at me. "We wouldn't have gotten stuck in the rain, if you hadn't decided to be late to practice," he simply shrugs.

"Yeah, well you try running away from your crazy ex," I grumble, not in the mood to relive the moments where I was running around the school like a lunatic just to escape my ex. "It's not fun by the way," I add dryly. "I 10/10 don't recommend."

Nathan chuckles from behind us, "That's why I stick to dating boys. They're less complicated and more fun," he lightly squeezes my shoulder. "For you, but not for me. I tend to draw both genders who are toxic," I tiredly reply, twisting one of the cold metallic rings on my finger.

"That's why I don't date," Zander speaks up. "Why should I put my time and energy in someone, who'll hurt me. I'm better off with being single."

"You're quite dramatic," Nathan tells the light-skin boy. And, in response Zander smacks Nathan aside the head. "Ow!"crys out Nathan. "Who's dramatic now?" Then in a blink of an eye they broke out into their own argument.

I sigh heavily, looking away from the two and around the diner. It was the same as usual, packed with teens from both high schools, just on separate sides. My gaze shifted towards where the Kingly Prep students sat at.

Atalie Anderson sat at a lonely table next to the window. Her dark black curls cascaded down her shoulders. Her long eyelashes fluttered as her eyebrows furrowed, scanning the pages laid out in front of her. She was lost in her own little world and still managed to look breathtaking.

I frowned slightly, it was highly unusual for her to be alone - well from what I've noticed anyway.

"Bro, why are you staring," Zander voice snaps me out of my daze. I shake my head turning to look at the two, "I'm not staring," I lie.

Nathan chuckles, looking at his feet before meeting my eyes. "Then what exactly where you doing?" I click my tongue, looking over my shoulder to glance back at Atalie. "Wondering if she snitched us out to her brother," I shrug.

"Really?" They both raise their brows, not entirely believing a word that came out of my mouth. "Yes, really. Now, I'm going to go ask her." I didn't bother to stay longer around the two because I knew how they were and they weren't going to allow me to leave without asking me multiple questions.

Striding towards her booth, I took a seat across from her. "Where's your bodyguards?" I ask, making my presence known. I watch as she shifts in her seat and looks up staring into my brown eyes. "What do you want?" she asks before looking back down at her papers.

"Good evening to you, too, " I said in my straightest voice, leaning over to get a peek of her work. She looked up from her work, blowing a strand of hair away from her face. "I'm busy," she tiredly states.

"What are you doing, maybe I can help," I question, pointing at the papers. She squints her eyes slightly while looking at me. A silence envelopes over us as her eyes dance across my face searching for anything to tell her I was lying. She sighs in defeat, rubbing her forehead. "What exactly do you want? Because there has to be a reason why you're talking to me," she finally says.

"Do I have to have a reason to hang around you?"

"Yes," she slowly says. "If you don't remember, my brother and you don't exactly like each other and our schools also."

"I admit it doesn't look good, but just because there's a stupid rivalry doesn't mean we can't be friends," I tell her, glancing outside to see the droplets of rain hitting against the glass window.

"Friends? You must've hit your head,"she remarks, taking a sip from her milkshake. "There's no way in hell we'll ever be friends."

I quirk a brow in her direction, "Why?" She simply shrugs at my question, moving the straw to her milkshake around. "Don't use that stupid rivalry excuse."

"Fine," she breaths out, looking at me. "My brother doesn't like you and I owe it to him to also not like you."

"He's your brother, not your owner, he can't dictate who you can and can't hang out with," I tell her, twirling a straw between my fingers.

Atalie perched her chin on the palm of her hand, "What did you mean by bodyguards?" She questions attempting to shift the direction of the conversation. "You go everywhere with your friends and brother," I say.

She nods her head in realization, "They're my best friends. And, it was nice having this short lived conversation but if you don't mind going because I'm a little too busy," she motions towards the work sprawled out on the table.

She didn't bother looking my way again when she began doing her work. I watched as she chewed on her bottom lip, eyes narrowed down on a problem. I picked up her calculus textbook, looking at what she was doing. "Oh, calculus, this is easy,"

Atalie dropped her pencil and gave me a bewilder look, "What are you still doing here?"

I shrug, "Unfortunately, God gave me a couple of years to stay here. But on a good note, I get to bless you with my presence," I grin proudly at her.

She reaches over and takes the textbook from my hands, "You're not blessing me with your presence. It's quite the opposite," she remarks, placing the book down.

I gasp lightly, placing a hand to my chest, "That hurt," she shrugs, not caring as she dips a fry into her chocolate milkshake. "Did you just - that's a crime," I between the fry and milkshake.

She furrows her brows, "No. It's the best thing to be invented," she defends going onto her second fry. "I don't think we can be friends," I finally state.

She places her bottom lip out, pouting, "Man, I was just starting to like you." Although I knew she was joking, I knew I was growing on her - I mean she's actually joking with me. "We're getting somewhere."

She meets my gaze, shrugging, "Maybe."