The Player Next Door ✓

29 | Deluded

I was so late to my next class.  

I ran into Comp Gov 20 minutes after it started, desperately apologizing for being late. Mr Laghari saw my exasperated expression and gave me a pass.  I walked to my chair, feeling a certain pair of blue eyes on me.

I stayed quiet through class until the bell rang and then I stayed behind to write our homework down. When I turned around, Luke was surrounded by other basketball players and they walked off to practice. 

We live in different worlds.

**

"Millie!  Take the trash out!" my mother yelled as she applied her makeup before work.

Flora grabbed an orange juice and sped off to school.  I sighed and reluctantly took the trash out.  The sun was glaringly hot today and I regretted wearing a turtle neck.  It was laundry day though. 

I squinted as I threw the bag into the trash can. 

A girl's melodic laughter drifted through the air.  I glanced across the street and saw Luke's sister walk out with a friend by her side.  Her blonde hair blew in the breeze as she threw on a pair of shades. She was wearing a plunge halter jumpsuit and black sandals. She was stunning. The kind of girl who could pull off any look.

Her friend was a brunette with blonde highlights.  She was wearing an oversized shirt, spandex shorts and Balenciaga sneakers. 

Expensive flex at 8am on a Tuesday.

Out of nowhere, Luke's black jeep wrangler swerved onto the sidewalk and he rolled the window down.  There he was.  Messy black hair and aviator sunglasses.  Classic.

"Get in."

"Hey," I waved at him from by the trash, "Your sister's here."

"In Millie," he growled.

"But it's stranger danger," I joked.

He was not entertaining my jokes this morning. "We're both late for school and you seem like the type to care."

Based on my desperate plea to our Comp Gov teacher after turning up 20 minutes late yesterday, he was right.

"Are you offering to drive me?"  Because I have a car...

"What part of get in do you not understand?"

"All of it.  But wait a minute. I need to get my school bag.  I'm not about to-"

"20 seconds." He started a countdown.

I stood there.  Was Luke Dawson really picking me up for school?  He was a bit aggressive about it, but this is like a dream...

"19."

Nightmare.

**

Luke's sister and his friend stared at me as I hopped into the passenger seat of his car.  I sat on the smooth leather seats and stared back at them through the rear-view mirror.

"What am I missing?" I asked.

I wasn't a fool.  The hottest guy in school does not give rides to girls like me.  And the hottest guy in my school is extra egotistical, so he's not giving rides to anybody.

We both knew it.

"My sister likes to take on projects," he finally answered.

His steel blue eyes were focused on the road ahead.  I admired his profile from the passenger seat, wondering what it would feel like to run my hands through his hair.

"What kind of projects?" I asked, trying so hard to stay focused.

"Social projects," he answered, "Like you."

"They've taken pity on me?" I clarified. 

I don't take offense that easily. And I got what he was saying. His hot older sister was bored and wanted to play around with his life. Turn a nobody like me into something decently attractive.

"They want to change you," he said, "And I don't want you to change."

I replayed his words in my head, just to make sure I heard it right. I don't want you to change.

"You don't?"

He tore his eyes from the road and looked at me, "I like you as you."

Be still my beating heart...

"STOP!" I yelled out, looking past the hot guy to a coffee bean logo, "I'm sorry to interrupt our moment because it's the nicest thing you've ever said to me and I literally died a little inside, but we just passed my morning coffee and... we can't do that."

He stared at me with a look that said seriously.

I stared back.  

He sighed and pulled over.

**

"One caramel macchiato please and a-" I ordered excitedly, and turned to Luke.

Luke sighed, arms folded across his chest. "A cold brew."

Boring.

Matt, the barista who never remembers my name, was staring at Luke Dawson in shock.   He knew Luke.  Everyone knew Luke.  He just had no idea what Luke was doing here with me.

"Hello?" I waved at Matt.

He snapped out of it, "Sure can do, Luke Dawson! We have seasonal cold brews you may like to try, free of charge.  A Marvelous Mint or Choco Mocha."

Luke didn't want to be here in the first place.  He especially didn't want marvelous mochas or sparkles on his drink. 

He repeated in a cold don't-ask-me-again voice, "I'll have the cold brew."

Matt pinged our orders into the cash register, "Alrighty, that'll be $7.80. Are you paying together?"

"Yes and I'm paying," I said, pulling out my wallet, "Consider it a deduction from the laptop."

Luke swiped my hand away and pulled out his credit card, "That's not how our deal works. I don't let you pay for drinks."

I raised an eyebrow. "You can take your card and stuff your outdated macho mojo up your-" a woman in the line behind us coughed, "-and let me pay back what I owe you. This is the twenty-first century and I am in debt to no one. Freedom, dude. It's in the Constitution."

...

...

...

"So that'll be $7.80."

I glared at Matt. Way to ruin my grand speech. But I forked the cash over anyway and we walked to the counter to wait for our drinks. 

We were handed two cups. Luke gave me one.

"How do you know this one is mine?"

"I'm pretty sure mine doesn't say 'deluded' on it."

He showed me the cup. Sure enough, instead of my name, was the word 'Deluded.' Matt hadn't forgotten this time.

I looked back at Luke. He was smiling.

Then he said, "Do you want to look it up in the constitution?"