A Guide To Not Falling For The Bad Boy

13

#13 He lied to you.

I took a hoodie off of the display holding it up to myself. "What do you think?" 

"It looks very comfortable." Otto said with a smile. He awkwardly looked around the store before wrapping his arms around his chest. 

"Yes. But we aren't going for the comfortable look." Raine reminded. 

The closer that the date got the less excited I became. I worried what everyone would think about me if I ended up with a guy like Zander. I remembered what I thought of him when we first met. And to be honest he hadn't changed too much. I promised this date to him, but after that it would probably be over. Part of me just felt bad for him. 

"Can we go get a pretzel now. Shopping sucks." Otto whined. 

"So he told you everything?" Raine asked, reading my emotions. She examined a sequin dress looking to me but I frowned in disapproval. 

"Yeah. It sucks how bad his mom treated him and how his dad just let that happen, but…" I was interrupted but a confused look on Raine's face. 

"He told you that? Zander's dad died, at a young age too." Raine turned to fully look at my face. "I went to the graveyard with him once to bring flowers." 

"Wait- what is happening? And can we please get further away from the lingerie to talk about it." Otto muttered, moving closer to us. He avoided eye contact with a woman, who acted if it was illegal for a male to be in women's clothing. 

I grabbed Otto's wrist more aggressively than I should have dragging him away from the judgmental lady. "That low down, dirty, son of a-" 

"Hey." Otto warned, partly because I was hurting his arm and partly because he hated when I cussed. 

"Let me get this straight," Raine began,"He told you that he would get you anyway he could. And that way was lying to you about his backstory." 

"And it worked." Otto gasped. 

"It didn't work." I snarled. 

"But you kissed him." 

"It was a mistake. I was confused." I sighed sitting on a plastic bench. I was longer confused. I no longer felt sorry for the boy with the big head, or the fake mask he hid behind. I wasn't sad that he had lied to me. I was angry, and part of me was relieved that the boy I almost fell for didn't even exist. 

Otto took a seat beside me, laying his head on my shoulder. His puffy hair tickled the side of my cheek. "Now would be a good time for a pretzel." 

I smiled, at my childish friend. "Lead the way." I instructed. 

Otto's hair bounced as he looked for a pretzel stand to complete his mission. Soon the smell of fresh bread filled the air. My mouth began to water as I saw one being sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. 

"So are you going to cancel the date?" Otto said hopefully, in the middle of eating his salty pretzel. 

"No way. Zander Raslon is going to learn a valuable lesson by the end of the week. Women are not something to be played with." 

Otto smiled at the old me returning. A part of me had been missing for a while and I was happy to see it return. 

"Raine. I need you to pick me out an outfit." 

Raine smiled with a straw from her sweet tea in her mouth. "Finally." 

"Otto can I pick you an outfit out too?" She asked. 

"Why? What is wrong with the clothes I have?" 

"No insult to batman. But I think he should be in his comic books rather than a seventeen year old boy's shirt." Raine replied. 

Otto looked to me for backup. "Just one outfit. It will be fun." 

"I don't like what teenagers consider fun. Speeding, drinking, hooking up." He counted. He stopped when his eyes met ours knowing he had lost the conversation. "Fine." 

After twenty dresses that were all too short and exposed much more than I liked. Raine was determined that she had found the perfect dress for my revenge on Zander. 

"Really green?" 

"I agree. Can we see the blue one again?" Otto said, finally enjoying his time shopping. 

"Green is Zander's favorite color." Raine said nonchalantly. 

"Than why didn't we start there." I sighed. My back ached at the hours of standing and changing into something new. 

"I don't get to see you like this often. It nice when you show a little more skin." Raine smiled innocently. 

"Okay. Otto your turn." I said not arguing with her anymore. 

The smile dropped from his face. ""Y'all didn't forget about that huh?" He rubbed the back of his neck.

Raine rubbed her hands together. "What look sound we go for?" 

Before either of us could answer she went off to the less colorful side of the story grabbing a hanger off of each rack. 

Five minutes had passed when Otto exited the dressing room in a completely difference style. My jaw dropped at the sight. "Raine No." 

"I know. I know." She said, brushing away her bang I just always wondered what it would look like. Otto stood before us in a pair of black skinny jeans with a metal chain that was attached to a belt loop. His pale skin poked through the holes ripper out at the knees. He also wore a black shirt that read. "We aren't meant to fit into society." 

Otto finally settled for a lighter pair of jeans. And a plaid shirt layered with a comic shirt. Even though Raine tried her best to get his away from that. At least Otto looked like a cooler nerd when he wore this outfit.