LOCKDOWN

Chapter 5

PEYTON'S POV

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"Peyton, do you want to come over to my house after school?" my friend, Laine, asked. "We can, like, watch movies or something."

She twirled her hair around her finger as she spoke, chewing loudly on bubblegum and batting her heavily mascara'd eyelashes at me. She attempted to blow a bubble, but ultimately failed miserably, then having to peel the gum off her lips.

"Nah, sorry. I can't. I've gotta go to McMann's house to work on our English assignment," I told her.

That was true, but if it wasn't I definitely would've made up another excuse as to why I couldn't go. I socialise with these girls at school, but honestly, I don't enjoy their company. They follow me around and flirt with the boys on the soccer team, except for Laine. Laine flirts with me, and though she's never mentioned her sexuality being anything other than straight, I figured she's trying to get me in her bed as a 'lesbian experience'.  I wasn't about that.

"Ugh, sucks that you are paired up with that bitch!" she groaned.

"Hmm," I responded.

Truthfully, Zara McMann wasn't a bitch. She had never been a bitch. But she's fake. She acts so nice to every single person, all the time. No one could possibly be that nice, it's definitely all an act. When she moved to Braidwood High in eighth grade she went up against me in the one hundred metre sprint. Ever since I was a kid I had been the fastest, the best, the one who was undefeated. I had to be, or my parents would punish me. But she won. I was so embarrassed, and after that I just never wanted anything to do with her. She had this preppy attitude, always getting top grades and showing up to school with perfect hair and perfect makeup. For so long I assumed she had the perfect life, the perfect family, the perfect everything...until yesterday.

I zoned out of the conversation between Laine and I, wishing for it to be over. I "hmm'd" and "yeah'd" my way through the conversation until the final bell rang and I was able to escape from her clutches.

I got into my car and reluctantly drove the route to Zara's house. I didn't enjoy spending time with her, as she was everything I aspired not to be; fake. I knew she was fake...she had to be. Nobody is that nice to people voluntarily. As much as I despised being in her house, it was definitely better than being in mine. Anything was better than that.

I pulled up to the curb outside her house, waiting in my car for a few minutes to brace myself for what was bound to be a terrible afternoon. For the first time ever, she had called me out for my actions. And as much as I hated to admit it, she was right. Maybe I had been treating her unfairly yesterday...but that didn't change how I felt about her as a whole. I finally convinced myself to get out of my car and go inside, taking my workbooks with me. I was adamant to take notes this time - I wasn't going to give her another excuse to lose her temper at me. She was so sensitive.

I pulled out my phone to send her a text telling her I was outside her house, but before I hit send the door flew open and her dog came bounding towards me, tongue, ears, and jowls flapping in the wind.

"Were you going to sit in your car all afternoon?" she asked smartly, and I scoffed at her.

"I had to hype myself up to deal with you all afternoon," I snapped at her, bending down to pat Dennis on the head.

Zara rolled her eyes before walking inside, calling Dennis behind her. She left the door open for me and I followed her through it, closing it behind me. It was only once we were inside that I took in her appearance. She was wearing a cropped singlet top with a pair of high waisted sweatpants. Her feet were covered by fluffy dog slippers and she had her long hair braided down her back. I may not have liked the girl, but I could definitely appreciate a good body when I saw it. Had this body been hiding under a school uniform this whole time?