The Bad Boy's Black Eye

Chapter 9

I got to school incredibly early in the morning. I watched as people trickled into the courtyard.

It was almost time for school, and Caleb had yet to show up. I watched the entrance to the parking lot and smiled when I saw him pull in on his newly-pink motorcycle with streamers attached to the handles. More people rushed out from the school to see.

The warning bell rang just as he got off his bike. He scowled as he stormed up to me.

"You did this." I smiled.

"It'll come off. With a little bit of elbow grease." People around us started heading into the building.

"I hate you." I watched him as he shoved past several people.

"Whatever you say Pretty Boy."
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The school day ended and the weekend started. I was doing my homework in the kitchen when a knock came from the front door. Mrs. White waited on the other side.

"Hello Isabelle! I was wondering if you'd like to come over again. Have some tea, chat about our lives? It would be fun!" I smiled tightly and thought about the question.

"Sure. And it's Annabella, by the way. But you can call me Anna." Mrs. White smacked her head with her hand. She talked about her "hard time with names" the rest of the way to her house. I sat in a chair in the front room while Mrs. White yelled more about herself from the kitchen. Seconds later she sat in a chair across from me.

"I've been talking about myself this whole time. Tell me something about you." I saw the hunger for gossip in her eyes. "What brought you to the house next door?"

"My mom got a promotion. It involved a large pay raise and changing her location." She stared at me with a fake smile.

"That's all?" I nodded in response. "Then tell me something else. Do you have a boyfriend? What's your dating history?"

"I don't have a boyfriend." The next question definitely deserved a lie. "And I've never had one." Her smile dropped.

"Really?" I nodded. "Not one?"

"Not one." We were interrupted by footsteps on the stairs.

"Hey Mel, I'm going to take Sophie out for ice cream." Caleb stared down at the wallet in his hands. "Can I take your car?"

"Of course." He looked up to thank her, but fell silent when he saw me. A little girl arrived at his side, her jaw dropping when she saw me.

"It's the tooth fairy!" I quickly recognized the girl from her bed two nights before. She must be Sophie.

"Sophie, what are you talking about?" Sophie pouted at her brother's tone.

"That's the tooth fairy. She borrowed my stuffed cat so someone who needed it could use it." Caleb furrowed his eyebrows.

"The same stuffed cat that I woke up with yesterday?" Sophie nodded. Caleb turned to look at me, his fists clenched at his side. "Hey Bells, can I talk to you in private?"

I followed him up the stairs to his bedroom. He slammed the door and stormed towards me, stopping only a foot away from me.

"You broke into my house and told my sister that you were the tooth fairy?" I grinned.

"I also painted your bike pink and glued streamers to the handles. It's called revenge, Pretty Boy." I watched as he clenched his jaw.

"What did I ever do to you?" The question was so stupid that I wanted to laugh, but I didn't.

"You stole my teddy bear. The teddy bear I've had for the past nine years. The teddy bear that helped me through a lot of tough times. You can't just steal him and expect me to roll over."

He knew he was in the wrong. I could see it in his eyes. But there was no way he'd admit it.

"Get out of my house."

"I didn't plan on staying." I left through his window. Luckily I left mine unlocked.
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I'd spent hours fuming in my room. I was just starting to calm down when the doorbell chimed.

"I swear to god if this is Mrs. White I'm shutting the door in her face." I opened the door to see Adam on the other side. "We'll consider me surprised."

"What do you mean?" I shrugged away his question and pulled him inside.

"What are you doing here?" He opened his mouth to talk, but I interrupted him. "And if you say anything about Caleb I'll kick you out."

"It's sort of about Caleb." I began to pull him back towards the door, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop. "And how I think you're right."

I rolled my eyes and led him to the living room. He sat on the couch and I rested my legs on his lap.

"Caleb thinks so too. He just won't admit it." Adam furrowed his eyebrows.

"Then how can you be sure that he thinks that?"

"I can see it in his eyes. It's one of my many skills." Adam chuckled before pulling my legs so I was closer to him.

"What do my eyes say?" I looked into his eyes, seeing lust with a little bit of hope.

"They say you want to kiss me." Adam leaned closer to me. His face began to blur.

"And would you let me?" His face inched closer to mine.

"Nope." I scooted back to the other side of the couch, leaving my legs on his lap. "Nice try though."

Adam laughed. Even though his eyes still had that lust, I could tell that he didn't mind that I said no. Maybe Claire was wrong, and even though he knew I wasn't ready for a relationship, he wanted one.

I turned on the tv to break the silence. Adam and I talked for hours about our lives, our interests, everything. And thought that maybe, if I tried, I could want a relationship with him.