'Dude, she's so annoying I can't even be arsed I swear'
'What was this one about then?"
'I accidentally pushed her pencil case off the table and she literally just shouted at me for 5 minutes'
'You think she's fit though?'
'Oh yeah definitely'
***
The two crashed to the floor, Will falling on top of the girl, his hands landing either side of her head. Unfortunately for them, in that moment there was nowhere to look other than each other's eyes.
She almost drowned in the shimmering topaz green that was his eyes. And her big gazing sepia eyes were not hard to miss. For a solid 12 seconds, that's all they were focusing on.
They weren't shouting and screaming about the other one being annoying or ignorant, they were just staring. Incapable of moving.
Anika's eyes then drifted elsewhere.
While she would never admit it, Anika found Will extremely attractive. He stood at a perfect 6ft 1, his hair looked soft, you'd be able to run your fingers through it easily. And let's not forget his sharp, solid jawline. Able to cut a hand if brushed passed it.
He was obviously a good looking boy, but he certainly didn't have a personality to match. But here she was, laying underneath him, her eyes focusing on his lips. His pink, soft looking, incredibly kissable lips.
But before she did anything she would undoubtedly regret, she sat up, causing Will to fall back and lean against the door. Anika coughed, getting her voice back.
"What just happened?"
She questioned, both of them sat on the lift floor, still a little dazed over the previous interaction.
"Don't know"
He replied, looking around them. The light was dimmer than it was when they initially entered the lift, and it seemed to be stopped in between floors.
Anika immediately stood up, pressing the button for the floor they were initially stood on. She pressed it continuously, praying that the doors would open so they could go back to detention.
But her prayers were not answered. The door remained closed.
"Oh my god no"
Anika groaned, sliding down the wall until she was sat in the corner.
"What?"
"We're stuck in here. We're stuck in this lift. This is literally my nightmare"
She placed her head in her hands. Not only was she stuck in a lift, she was stuck in a lift, with her least favourite person.
They sat opposite each other, Anika's head leaning against the wall, Will tapping on his phone which had no service.
"Do you reckon they know we're in here?"
Anika spoke, looking at Will shrug and slide his phone in his front pocket.
"They'll find us eventually, our bags and shit are in Misses classroom. They'll notice we're gone at some point"
She nodded, re-tying her shoes, not knowing what else to do with her hands. Will's leg bounced on the floor, the awkward silence filling the small space.
It being summer, there was an added thin layer of heat that warmed the confined space. Will reached back, pealing his jumper off of his back. He rolled his sleeves up so they were just passed his elbows.
Which Anika was a sucker for.
She averted her eyes, looking back down at the ground.
The time was now 16:53
Anika kept thinking about the trouble she was going to be in when she got home. And while she had a good reason to be late, she was preparing herself for the shit storm.
The time was ticking on and nothing was happening. No movement, no shifting and no conversation. The two sat in silence.
Both wanted to start a conversation, but neither felt like they could deal with another fight. Usually, they have a maximum of 2 day, and considering they had already reached that limit today, one more would just be exhausting.
"My first detention, and I'm stuck in a lift with William Lenney"
She sighed, letting the situation finally sink in. Will chuckled, nodding his head.
"Doesn't sound too bad to me"
He replied, earning a teasing roll of her eyes from the girl.
"Of course you'd say that"
The two were silent for a few moments, before what she had said finally came to Will entirely.
"Wait, this is your first detention?"
She nodded, Will leaning forward so his back was lifted off the wall.
"In 4 years, this is your first detention?"
"Yes"
She exaggerated, smiling at the shock look on his face.
"How have you made it this far into comp and not had a detention before? I get them practically every day"
She shrugged.
"I care about school. Plus, my mother would murder me if I had one. So don't be surprised if I turn out dead tomorrow"
She chuckled without humour.
"Is she one of those mothers then?"
Without needing a proper explanation of his comment, she nodded her head. She couldn't believe she was about to have this conversation with William Lenney.
"The pressure I get from her to do well is insane. I'm doing pretty well in school I think, and for a B or an A not to be good enough for her, really puts a damper on everything"
She spilled, not really caring whether he was listening or not. At least it was someone.
"But you're an A* average"
He reminded.
"I know, but anything less than that, stuff gets taken off me. My phone, my computer, my bloody guitar. Literally anything that brings me joy"
He was aware that her home life wasn't the strongest, but he didn't realise it was so structured.
All the times he had called her a teaches pet or a try hard. Every little jig that he threw at her just to get a reaction. She continued her rant.
"I was out with Amber once, it was a Saturday and the day before we got the results back for our triple science exams. I had all A* apart from 2 B's in physics. She tracked my phone, showed up at the local park, and demanded I came home"
His eyes widened, she was laughing at the story, finally after all of these months seeing the humour in the situation.
But Will didn't know what to say, or even do with his face.
Was he supposed to laugh?
Was he supposed to console her?
He didn't know what to do.
All he could think to say was,
"I think my parents have given up on the idea of me doing well in exams or class module tests. I'm C at best and Mam just has no faith in me anymore"
She shuffled slightly closer.
"Are you happy with that assumption?"
He looked down, never been asked this before, let alone by Anika.
"I don't know. I think Mam not caring anymore has ruined it a little. If she showed genuine concern, then maybe I would try a little harder"
He looked up at her, expecting a sarcastic sympathy look on her face. Instead, a knowing look.
They both could relate in some way or another to each other's situation.
They both had the same feeling of resentment towards their mothers.
"What do you want to do when we leave school?"
Will questioned.
"I want to become someone who teaches special needs. I've started volunteering at my local daycare on Saturdays and Sundays, it's so cute watching them all run around talk nonsense"
She cooed, thinking over all of the little toddlers who just played all of the time, how easy their life was.
"Bit noncy innit?"
She laughed, rolling her eyes.
"What about you? What do you want to do?"
"Uh"
This being the first time he had been asked this question, he was a little unprepared.
"I'm not sure, something to do with filmmaking"
Anika raised her eyebrows.
"That's cool"
He slightly nodded, thinking of what he could say considering he hadn't planned for a conversation with her.
"Yeah I guess it is. I've always filmed stuff, for the family or for myself. And apparently I'm good at it, so may as well do if for a while"
She smiled. Who knew William Lenney was so driven.
"Well I hope that goes well for you"
She quickly taps his hand. Despite the short amount of time they were in contact, it feels like all of Will's body heat had transferred from Will's body to hers. A burning feeling being printed against her fingers.
"I uh, I took these pictures at the fair if you want to see. Proper artistic and shit"
She chuckled at his use of words to describe his art. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, the first time he had touched it in a while.
He scrolled through his camera roll, filled with pictures of random benches, trees, regular people strolling the streets.
He found the pictures, passing over the phone.
To say she was pleasantly surprise, would be an understatement. In her mind, he was practically useless. But here he was, with an actual skill. An amazing skill.
"These are great Will"
He blushed a little, slightly shocked at the idea of a compliment coming from the girl who had cursed his name since year 9.
"The fair never looks so good from where I'm standing"
"You were at the fair?"
She nodded, not blaming him for not realising she was there.
"Yeah I wasn't there for that long"
She fiddles with her bracelet, completely forgetting about why they were stuck in the first place.
"How come?"
A part of her regrets bringing up the fact she was there, because now an insecurity of hers was about to be exposed.
"I'm not really a fair person. I get really uncomfortable in big crowds of people. Plus, it felt weird being around so many people my age and younger all smoking and stuff"
He nodded knowingly. A large amount of his friends all smoked or vaped. And while it didn't make him to uncomfortable, he could see why it would make someone else.
"Do you smoke?"
She questioned, quickly receiving a shaking head.
"Matt, Olly, Frankie and Ben do, but I don't. I tried vaping once, but it weren't for me"
She internally sighed in relief. She wasn't sure why she was so thankful that he didn't. A few minutes ago she would've cared less whether he did or didn't. But as their conversation started flowing nicely, a shift started developing.
"I sometimes worry I'm too boring"
She admitted, a confused look covering his face.
"What do you mean?"
She shrugged.
"People all around me were smoking, vaping, drinking, going on big rides. I literally saw a girl from year 8, roll up a spliff, and take it like it was normal practise"
He chuckled softly at the way she emphasised her words, finding it adorable. The way she used her hands while she spoke. How wide her eyes were while she ranted. Her eyes were always the first thing he noticed when he came face to face with her. Without realising sometimes.
They were so wide and welcoming. The brown was so warm, making it almost impossible for him to tear his gaze away.
Mid argument he found himself sometimes getting lost in her eyes. But this only resorted in his getting even more angry, hating the way she was making him feel.
He hadn't even realised she had stopped talking until she clicked her fingers in front of his face.
"Hmmm? Oh sorry. Nah I don't think you're boring. Drinking's over rated anyway. I think you're responsible"
She huffed, leaning back against the wall.
"What?"
He laughed, expecting a positive reaction to his statement.
"Responsible is boring. I've always been called responsible"
She chuckled, rubbing her eyes in slight frustration.
"Responsible isn't boring, it's just...responsible"
She scoffed.
"See! You can't even think of anything good about being responsible"
He smiled, looking down at his worn out school shoes. All the hours playing football had began to take its toll on his foot-ware.
"Seriously though, you aren't boring. You're you"
He spoke more hushed compared to his previous volumes. Maybe because the conversation was making him a little nervous. He wasn't sure why butterflies were currently fluttering in his stomach.
Maybe he hadn't calmed down since the tumble they had taken when they first entered the lift.
He didn't know what was causing this sudden surge in confidence. These words had never come to his head when thinking about Anika.
Usually she's welcomed with an eye roll, or a groan in disgust. He gritted his teeth, or frustratedly ran his fingers through his hair.
His friends can recall hours and hours of him venting. Complaining about how she was 'always up her own arse' or that 'she literally takes everything so seriously'
It had never crossed his mind that she might actually be a decent person. Someone who he told his dreams to. She shared one of her deep insecurities with him.
It had gone from tripping her up in the corridors, to laughing and joking stuck in a lift.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She questioned, her cheeks heating up and her fingers awkwardly fiddling. He pressed his lips together, not sure of what to say, being completely unprepared for this conversation.
"You're like, you I don't know. You're just Anika"
He stumbled over his words. For once, not a single sour word coming to his head.
"What's Anika like then?"
She pushed, wanting a straight answer from the boy, also wanting to see how far this was going to go before one of them got defensive and started a fight.
"She's uh"
He nervously stuttered, his cheeks going the same shade as hers.
"She's smart, hard working, helpful"
He listed, going against his previous attitude and opinions towards her.
"And I guess she isn't too bad to look at"
This comment caused the goosebumps to form on her skin. But luckily that was hidden by her shirt.
"I see"
She smirked, looking up at him which received an eye roll.
"What about me then?"
He teased. She shrugged, motioning zipping her mouth shut.
This left the two in a comfortable silence. They had both successfully completed their first nice conversation since they initially began loathing each other. And both of them were happy with how it went.
Will was sitting with a small smile nursing his lips, while the redness never left Anika's cheeks.
Anika looked all around her surroundings, the grey walls standing a few feet taller than Will. The buttons were all lit up, but they were flashing sporadically.
Detention was long over, which made the situation a little odder. How has no one come looking for them. Anika just assumed there would be a camera in here, which is a dead give away to where they are.
'Maybe the whole building has lost power, meaning the cameras aren't working'
She thought to herself, trying to make sense of this whole ordeal.
And then she remembered what day it was.
"It's my fucking birthday"
She sighed, looking back up at the ceiling. This caught Will's attention, looking straight up at her.
"I was supposed to go out for food straight after school"
She looked down at her watch, watching the arms show 17:00.
"Our reservations have probably been cancelled by now"
Will wore a sympathetic smile, which Anika didn't accept the way he hoped she did.
"It's your fault mind"
She scoffed, earning a confused look off of the boy. Their previous nice conversation now going completely down the drain.
"me?"
She nodded, a laugh erupting from the boy sat in front of her. He shook his head.
Here we go.
"None of this would've happened, if you hadn't of barged into me while I was running"
He laughed sarcastically.
"Maybe you shouldn't of been running. And it's not my fault you can't run in a straight line"
She rolled her eyes. Groaning at the prospect of returning to her mother, most likely also returning to an empty bedroom.
"Mums gonna kill me"
She sighed, placing her head in her hands.
"Just explain to her that we got stuck in the lift. She'll understand"
"No she won't. You've seen what my Mum's like when she's angry. I'm surprised we weren't kicked out of parents evening"
She cringed at the memory. The embarrassment that she felt during that incredibly painful night.
He remembered that night clearly. Usually, he loved to see Anika in distress. 'A taste of her own medicine' he would say. But seeing her on the verge of tears over her parents, caused a feeling to form in his stomach.
Sympathy.
A small part of him wanted to walk over and comfort her, which he almost did.
Until she glanced over, throwing him a 'what you looking at?' look. Once he had seen this, he rolled his eyes and turned away, not forgetting about the feeling.
Truthfully he regretted commenting about her parents. He'd never regretted anything more in his entire life.
But the anger he was experiencing at the time, completely took over any remaining sense of restraint. As soon as the message was sent, nothing was the same.
"Look Will, please just say sorry about the charm. I'll never mention it again if you do"
Was it still not getting into her head that it wasn't his fault?
"Do I have to spell it out for you Philips? It. Wasn't. Me"
"Who else could it of been then William?"
He rolled his eyes at the use of his actual name. Only his mother and Anika called him that, both using it when they were mad at him.
"I don't know, but it wasn't me"
"We were friends Will. Friends until you cocked it up"
She pointed at him, this conversation finally coming up.
Sure they had fought over many things, but the dreaded text messages had never been discussed before. Not with each other at least.
"We weren't exactly friends Anika, we spoke maybe 3 times. And anyway, I didn't cock it up. You were the one who started it"
"How?"
He sat up straight, his hands now coming into play.
"If you hadn't of brought up my break up with Ellie, I wouldn't of said that about your family"
She sat up on her knees, levelling them.
"I think mentioning a break up between people who were going out for about 2 months, is a little different compared to commenting on a family. Those are two completely different things"
While the break was a little painful to the boy, he knew it was no where near the same as the feeling of your family falling apart.
"Look, I'm sorry you're so sensitive"
He put his hands up. Bad move on his part. And he knew it as soon as it left his mouth.
"It's not so much being Sensitive Will, my whole family was collapsing, and I couldn't do anything"
Her eyes now beginning to water. The second time that day.
"And you helped that by spreading it around our entire class. And now everyone knows that my fathers gone and my mother is insane. All because you got a little upset over a poxy break up"
All Will could do was sit and listen. He didn't dare to speak, not after hearing her pour her heart out to him.
But at some point she finished, and he knew he had to say something.
He cautiously retched his hands out, gently cupping her cheeks. This made her shoot her head up, her dazzling eyes peering into his.
"I'm sorry"
He whispered, knocking the wind off of her feet. William Lenney apologising? No, this can't be.
"I'm sorry for what I said. And I'm sorry about the charm"
All the words suddenly came to his head, like some sort of miracle. He had thought about this conversation before, but could never figure out what to say. But now everything seemed so simple, he just spoke from his heart.
"I wouldn't like it if someone spoke about my family like that and I'm sorry for embarrassing you in front of our class. I just didn't like the idea of someone getting the better of me so I just said the first thing that came to my mind. I regretted it as soon as I sent it, but it was too late to take it back, I'm so sorry"
She wasn't sure what to do.
Or say.
"You don't have to forgive me, but I really want you too"
By now his hands had slid down from her face and he was holding her hands very tightly, making sure she was getting everything he was saying. Not missing a single word.
After a few moments of silence, he let go of her, falling back on his feet. Anika hadn't moved.
While his apology wasn't a big show, he was just gently holding her hands and talking quietly, it was everything she had ever wanted to hear from him.
An apology. An actual apology from William Lenney.
He had finally, after 3 years, apologised for what he had done. Sure they had many arguments in between them and now, but they suddenly became unimportant. They were all forgotten.
She'd never once seen Will apologise for anything. He'd always been stubborn and careless to what people were saying.
But for some odd reason in that moment, he cared about what she thought.
She had said multiple times before, that if he apologised for the fight that started it all, she could move on from it and they could be friends.
And after sharing their first nice and friendly conversation, it was clear to him that he wanted that. They both did.
She looked so beautiful when she was talking about becoming a teacher, or when she was talking about the fair.
Will couldn't look away. And he didn't want to.
There was something about her talking casually about something she cared about, that made him look at her completely different.
Obviously he'd always known she was stunning, but his anger always saw passed that, so he had nothing but hatred towards her.
But now she was just sat in the lift, her legs tucked underneath her, her hair thrown back behind her shoulders and a shocked look on her face.
Will sat staring at her, praying for her to say something.
"Look, I get it if you don't forgive me bu-"
He was suddenly cut off by her lips crashing into his. His eyes widened, seeing hers tightly shut as she held onto the front of his shirt. She felt warm, making the idea of pulling away seem unbearable.
After the initial feeling of shock and confusion, he kissed back, closing his eyes and wrapping his arms around her torso. He hugged her tight, deepening the kiss.
They had both thought about this before. Amber had brought up the theory that the two just secretly fancied the other, which Anika just fake gagged and carried on with her work, secretly going red at the accusation.
When Will's friends brought up the idea of them having major crushes on each other, he just brushed it off with a 'she's fit but too uptight'. But he secretly smirked at the idea of kissing her.
And here they both are, lips locked and any care thrown out the window. Their breathing was heavy, neither of them taking a breath in since they began the embrace.
It was the most passionate kiss they had both experienced, neither of them imagining it would be with each other.
Her hands traveled from his shirt, cupping his cheeks, her hands fitting around his jaw perfectly, while one of his gently held onto the back of her head, her hair tangling between his fingers slightly.
She smiled, never feeling better. She could almost see Amber's smirk, considering she would always bring up the fact that the fighting was just an excuse to not start making out in the middle of class.
The two were so immersed in each other, they had hardly noticed the lift light coming to full power, and the door dinging open. A cough pulled the two apart.
Mrs Mell's.
"Well, sorry about that kids, the power went out. But I can see that you managed to occupy yourselves"
She had somewhat of a stern look in her face, as the kids quickly got to their feet, brushing the trousers and skirt down.
"Right, Anika your mother called and we explained everything to her so don't worry about getting into trouble when you get home, and Will we sent out a message to your parents, also letting them know"
They both smiled, thanking her and awkwardly making their way back to class. They laughed, blushed to fuck. They didn't say a word, only glancing at each other, smiling wildly.
They arrived at the classroom, their bags sat unattended by their seats.
The rain began hitting the classroom window, so Will pulled out the coat he was wearing when he first came into school.
However he had a little trouble zipping it up, the zipper getting caught halfway. Anika saw this, smiling as she prepared to zip it up herself.
Something silver has gotten caught in the element of the zip. She looked closer, pulling it a little.
A charm.
"Oh my god"
She looked down at the jewellery.
"Oh Christ, I didn't even realise it was there Anika, I'm sorry"
She had a good reason to be mad.
They had got stuck in the lift for no reason. What they were looking for was right in his bag.
But she didn't care.
"It's fine, I've got it back now"
She smiled. Will nervously reached back and grabbed his phone from his back pocket, handing it to her. She knew what he wanted, but she wanted him to ask.
"What do you want?"
He rolled his eyes, shaking his head.
"Put your number in it man"
She laughed, taking it from him and typing in her phone number. He bit his lip and he watched her press in the digits.
"There ya go"
She grinned, holding onto her hand as she passed over the phone.
"Don't forget to text me"
She told him, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek. He nodded.
"Don't you worry"
He promised, watching her walk out, giving him one more look.
Once she had gone, Will looked back down at his phone.
Victim of a robbery💖💎
***
Hope you enjoyed lads 🙏
Thank you sooooo much for 20k 🎉🎉🎉🎉💖💖💖💖
Sorry for the slight wait, I just struggled thinking of what to write but it's done now so three cheers.
I always worry with these types of stories, because I never want it to seem like it's moving too fast. And I wanted to make it like they do actually hate each other, until they don't.
Not like one of them has always had feelings for the other type. Which I love anyway.
I wanted to ask, if you do request something ever, do you want credit? Cause I can do that no problem
Anywho, upvote cause getting trapped in a lift is cliche gold.
That's all for now.
Bye-bye
🤙💛Xx