The Player Game

Chapter 16

“Don’t you act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.  I saw you and Aaron acting all couple-ly this morning,” she exclaims, throwing her hands in the air with frustration.  “You can’t deny that.  Practically the whole school saw you two walking around like there was superglue on your hands.”

I blush at her chosen simile.  It’s true that from the moment we enter the school and part for homeroom, our hands haven’t separated once.  The reason is either that we are so loved up that we can’t bear to break contact, or that I’m too cowardly to let go in case of being stormed by the occupants of the school, the latter being most likely.

“So?” Verity inquires as I remain silent.  “What happened?  Are you guys together?”

Are Aaron and I together?  “Yes,” I reply, just not in the way you think.

She squeals loudly at my answer.  “I knew it!  I knew you guys had something going on,” she exclaims, clapping her hands together excitedly.  “Has he kissed you yet?”  Her eyes widen as my sudden change in facial colour gives her the answer.  “You have!”  If possible, she squeals even louder at finding this juicy fact out.  “How was it?” she breathes.

“Uh… nice?”

“Nice?”  She snorts loudly.  “I doubt that it was just nice considering all the experience Aaron must have.”

I flinch, an image of Aaron and some blonde bimbo with their hands all over each other flickering in my mind.  I blink the unnerving mental image away, concentrating on Verity’s sceptical expression.  “It was very good,” I enhance, fiddling with the hem of my blazer awkwardly.

“I think the adjectives you’re looking for are amazing, perfect, and steaming hot,” she corrects, pursing her lips together and scrutinizing my position as though searching for any giveaway of how it was.  Apparently coming up empty, she moves onto the next question.  “Has he taken you on a date yet?”

I shake my head mutely.  At least I can answer that question easily enough.

“You guys have kissed but you haven’t been on a date?  Well, I guess it’s early in the relationship.  Let’s give him a week to take you out, or else you can dump his puny ass,” she concludes, a sadistic smile creeping onto her lips.

I frown at her cruel ending, crossing my arms indignantly.  “I’m not going to dump Aaron because he hasn’t had time to take me on a date.  That’s like… like you saying that you’re going to dump Harry if he doesn’t propose to you in the next year!” I splutter, using the first comparison that to mind.  She raises an eyebrow, a motion swift and subtle, but intimidating all the same.  I grimace at my bad choice of words, waiting for the telling off that I’ll surely get.

However, to my amazement, Verity bursts out into a short round of raucous laughter, throwing her head back dramatically.  I stare blankly as she brings her head back to eye-level with a sharp intake of breath.  “You’re so… so…” she trails off, grinning amusedly, apparently at a loss for a suitable adjective.

“Stupid?” I offer wryly.

“Hilarious!” she exclaims.  “You’re just so hilarious when it comes to boys.  You don’t like kissing boys at parties,-” apart from Brad, “-you smirk when you find out that two boys like you,-" because it helps me win The Player Game, “-and now you’re in a relationship with someone who you’ve never been on a date with!”  Only since he’s the guy I’m playing it with.  Her eyes widen as a thought dawns on her.  “Oh my God - Brad!  Does he know that you’re together?”

“No,” I reply, frowning.  Why would Brad be interested in Aaron and I having a relationship?  Then it hits me-

“He’s going to be so jealous when he finds out.  I mean, it’s so obvious that he likes you too.”