An ex-couples rivalry for the spot as student body president becomes even more convoluted when two new, unexpected candidates enter the race. Chloe and Preston team up, each vowing to get one member kicked from the competition-- but when they both e...
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"You should've seen it, dude," Hank said, just finishing the story of how Finn had given an impromptu speech in the hall between classes. "That really big security guard tried to chase him through the crowd and ended up face planting on the ground! It was—" He stopped, his gaze traveling somewhere behind me, expression morphing into a nervous grimace. "Pissed off looking Chloe headed straight for you. I'm out, I'll see you tomorrow," he said, patting my shoulder before hurrying away.
I shut my locker as I turned, watching her march up to me. I already knew what she was upset about, and I'd already tried to prepare for this conversation in my head. But her glare was fierce and as she stopped in front of me, I knew this wasn't going to go as planned.
Did anything with Chloe ever go to plan? If our short-lived relationship was anything to go by, the answer was a hard no. On paper, the two of us should've been great together. We were both ambitious extroverts from the same social crowd. We shared a love for deep-dish pizza and hockey. She was the brains, I was the brawn. To top it all off, we were even friends for a while before she asked me out.
But in the end, things just weren't what I expected. As always, I didn't have the feelings I hoped I would, and Chloe seemed more concerned with making social appearances together than actually forming a relationship. I didn't feel like her boyfriend, I felt like her trophy. Like I was just another item on her popularity checklist. I tried to end things on good terms, but she went ballistic, we blew up at each other, and the rest is history.
"Why is Emily Banks still in the race?" Chloe questioned once she reached me, crossing her arms.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. These past three days had felt so long; I was beginning to regret ever signing up for this thing. "I dunno, I guess she didn't want to resign."
I started towards the exit near the student parking lot, looking at anything but Chloe as she trailed along at my side. The white walls were still cluttered with posters, but I couldn't help noticing none of them belonged to Emily. I had to wonder why— with her art skills, I was sure she could blow the rest of us away.
"Did you tell her she would regret it? That it wouldn't be worth it? Were you threatening enough?" Chloe grilled. I could feel her staring at me even as my eyes studied the red lockers or the pale tiled floor, my gaze wandering aimlessly over random students.
"I... Well... No," I admitted. "No to all three."
"Could you not find her? Because I'm pretty sure I know who she is now—"
"I found her."
"So... what's the deal?" she interrogated as we reached the double doors leading outside. I pushed one open, holding it for her as we walked out into the chilly autumn weather.
"It just didn't feel right," I explained. My sneakers scuffed quietly against the asphalt of the parking lot, a contrast to the sharp clicking of Chloe's low heels. I watched for any cars that might be backing out as we headed towards my car, not fully trusting the driving capabilities of my schoolmates.
