Playing The player

Chapter 12

  "Who're you texting?" Blake asked, motioning towards the phone.

  "Sorry, what?" I murmured, still tapping away.

  Blake cleared his throat. "Who're you texting?"

  "Oh, sorry. Colt," I said in a rush, not really wanting to tell him. Would it seem weird? I mean, they were best friends after all.

  "Colt Harris?" Blake asked, disbelief coating his voice. "I had no idea you guys were friends."

  I shrugged, slipping my phone back into my pocket. "We weren't, but that was before I caught a lift from him yesterday."

  Blake still looked confused, but his eyes cleared at the mention of the lift yesterday. "You know, about that - you could've just asked me."

  I shrugged again. I seemed to be doing that lately - shrugging, I mean. "I didn't want to be a burden," I said honestly. It wasn't a lie.

  "You wouldn't have been," Blake insisted. Was he… was Blake jealous? No, he couldn't be. He liked my sister. He liked Nina. He liked freakin' Nina! Why did he have to like her? "I mean, you asked Colt. Do you even talk to him?"

  I shrugged - again. I don't talk to him, of course, but Blake's tone was starting to annoy me. Why was he so hyped up about it? For God's sake, what had happened had happened. I wasn't drilling him about whether or not he thought I was boring, so why couldn't he just let this go? "Not really. I mean, he's in my History class," I said pathetically.

  There it was, the History thing again.

  Blake shook his head, a slightly weary and annoyed look on his face, although I had no idea why he would be annoyed. "Look, you didn't even know the guy, and you asked him for a ride instead of me. I mean, that just doesn't make sense. I didn't even think he knew who you were."

  My eyes flashed. I didn't even think he knew who you were. Wrong move, buddy. "You didn't even think he knew who I was?" I seethed, insulted. "What's that meant to mean?"

  It's weird, looking back on it. I mean, I definitely wasn't the arguing type. If it were Colt or Courtney or hell, even Nina, my own twin sister, I probably would've just meekly nodded and apologized or something. But with Blake - I couldn't explain it, but he didn't make me feel like myself. When he was around me, I wasn't the shy, quiet girl everyone, even me, knew me as. I was someone else.

  With Blake, I was someone strong. With Blake, I didn't feel half, I didn't feel a quarter as intimidated as I normally would've felt. It was like I had a right to scream, a right to shout, a right to act like a total idiot. I didn't care what people thought of me, I didn't care what Blake thought of me.

  "Nothing," He said quickly, backpedalling, "I didn’t mean anything by it."

  I took a step forward, just as he took one back. Ha - I had made the Blake Carter take a step back! "Really? I think you're lying to me. You know what I think, Blake?" I jabbed a finger into his chest, and I ignored how it didn't have the effect I hoped it would; his chest was way too hard. Stupid boys and their muscles. "I think what you meant was that Colt saw me as a loser, which is why he wouldn't have any clue of who I am."

  Blake shook his head. "No Hayleigh - that's not what I meant."

  I ignored him, continuing with my little speech. "But for you to think that Colt would think that," I said, almost getting confused myself, "You must think I'm a loser. Is that what you think of me, Blake? You think I'm little and innocent and a complete loser. You think that no one's going to bother with me, especially someone as high on the social ladder like you. Or Colt."

  His eyes widened slightly. "I swear that's not what I think, Hayleigh."

  I shook my head sadly and looked down at the ground, biting my lip. "Whatever." Don't laugh, don't laugh.

  Blake's unexpected hand on my chin made me look up. "Don't bite your lip," He said teasingly, trying to cheer me up, "That's a boyfriend's job."

  His words made me smile with the tingly feeling it provided, and almost immediately, my whole façade fell apart. I started to laugh, and when I say laugh, I meant I started to laugh. I doubled over, bending and clutching my stomach as I tried to choke back my laughter.

  "Ah! Ah! Ah!," I choked out.

  You know those jokes about people who're laughing so hard they can't breath and they just clap their hands like a retarded seal?

  That person was me.

  I automatically clutched Blake's arm to support myself, but I hadn't realised how close we had gotten during the time I had my little spastic laughing retard moment. When I looked up, our faces were inches away, and I swear, it was just like that time in my bedroom, where we had been about to kiss. His beautiful blue eyes lingered on mine before darting down to my lips, as though silently asking me for permission.  I didn't say anything, and soon enough, his head was bent and coming dangerously closer…

  "Hahahahaha," I blurted out uncontrollably, nerves riding my brain cells as I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "I totally tricked you into thinking I cared whether you thought I was a loser or not! Hahahahaha! Hahahahaha!" Blake's face was confused, as well as a little… disappointed? I continued to fake-laugh hysterically, not even sure whether the stuff I was sprouting out was making any sense. "Well, will you look at the time!" I glanced at my wrist, where there was no watch, and faked a surprised look, "Homeroom started ages ago! I better go or I'll get marked absent!"

  With that, I darted out of his arms and practically broke the world record, sprinting to the door in record time. Just before I stepped in, my phone made a noise.

  From: Colt is sexy ;)

  How about we trade that coffee/tea/milkshake thing for a night out tonight? How does 6 sound? ;)

  Though the text was sweet, it didn't seem to make me as happy as the ones I had gotten last night. For flips' sake Hayleigh, Colt freakin' Harris just asked you out! Act a little more enthusiastic, will you? I chastised myself. Forcing a bright grin on my face, I hit reply:

  To: Colt is sexy ;)

  Sure, sounds great! :) xx

  My fake bright grin sliding off my face, I hit send.