Accidentally Good & Bad

Chapter 2

To my surprise, I'm not the first one to make it to Pete's Pizza. The boys are there before me. 

As I walk in, I immediately spot the boys. It's hard not to spot three striking boys in a pizza parlor. Or anywhere. As I walk closer towards them, their conversation becomes easier to hear.

Will Griffin runs a hand through his hair. "She's not coming."

Shooting a spitball at Will, Parker Wilson rolls his eyes. "Relax, Griffin. She's coming."

"How do you know that, Parker?" 

Archer Scott gets up and holds out a chair for me as I make it to their table. "Because she's right here, idiots."

"Hey," I say lamely, sitting down in the chair Archer holds out for me. 

Parker whistles the Hunger Games tune and everyone leaves, including the staff. I look at Parker and we smile at each other. We both whistle it again and put three fingers in the air.

"We wanted to talk to you about something-" Will begins, but I raise a hand to cut him off. 

"I'm not doing your homework," I deadpan. 

The three hottest guys in school invite me to dinner at a pizza place. Me! The girl who no one likes. This can only mean one thing. They want me to do their homework. They can pay for my pizza but I refuse to do their homework. 

Parker roars with laughter. "This girl, I tell you. Hilarious!" He says to Archer. Archer just rolls his eyes.

"We don't want you to do our homework, Manhattan," Will says.

Parker gets serious. "Now hold on a second, Griffin." He looks ready to testify on why he wants me to do his homework but Archer slaps him upside the head and Parker shuts up.

"We have noticed that you don't have many friends," Will said carefully. 

"Actually, like none," I muttered. Archer heard me and chuckled. My eyes darted to him but I quickly looked away. 

After shooting a glare at Archer, Will continued. "And we'd like to be your friends." 

I stared at the boys. For once, all three of them were dead serious. And to their utter horror, I burst out laughing. I actually laughed! I laughed in their faces! At first the laugh was genuine but as the situation started sinking in, it turned sarcastic. I added a slow clap for an added effect.

Archer sat forward in his seat and leaned onto the table. He cocked an eyebrow at me. "And why exactly are you laughing, Manhattan?" 

I mimicked his stance. "Because, Archer, you don't make friends by announcement. You make friends over common interests. The fact that the three of you are so serious about this adds extra humor." 

I could tell that Archer Scott wasn't used to a girl firing back at him. Or anybody. But I couldn't help it. I caught the boys off guard and it was fueling my confidence. 

"So, if you will excuse me," I said, getting up, "I'll just be leaving now."

Will jumped out of his seat. "Manhattan, wait!" I turned around and he quickly said, "Okay so maybe this wasn't a great idea on our part. But we have good intentions."

"For once, I agree with him," Parker nods. "Manhattan, we've all taken an interest in you. We want to get to know you better. And what better way to do that than become friends." 

The harsh reality was that I did need friends. And I really was interested in hearing what they had to say. The way Will was looking at me so sincerely, Parker looking excited, and Archer looking amused. I think that's why I sat down again.

Taking a deep breath, I said, "Okay. I'm listening."