Tapping an agitated pen against the side of my notebook, I willed the math problem on the page below me to spontaneously solve itself. It was four o'clock on a Monday afternoon, and I was lying on my bed with Ava, attempting to get some work done.
Well, I was trying to get some work done anyway. Every twenty seconds or so, Ava would distract me by asking me a new 'fuck, marry, kill' question.
"Erm...," Ava hummed as she struggled to come up with another. Finally, she rolled over to face me on the bed and propped up her head with a hand.
"Actually, can you ask me one? I've asked the past three."
Dragging my eyes up from my book, I rolled my eyes. "Fine," I sighed. I paused as I took some time to think of an interesting one.
I looked back at her with a smile. "Okay, I know I'm going to regret asking, but out of my brother, Jordan, and erm...Sebastian. Who would you fuck, marry kill?" I proposed.
Ava thought for about half a second before speaking. "I guess it's kind of easy, marry your brother, kill Jordan, and fuck Sebastian."
The weirdest feeling ran through my stomach as the words 'fuck Sebastian' ran past her tongue. And for a reason, I couldn't explain, I suddenly felt mad.
I screwed up my face. "Fuck Sebastian?"
"Yeah, why would I not? He's hot, even you can't deny that Phoebs," she said as she shot me a pointed look.
Again, a feeling of anger twisted through my gut.
"Well, looks aren't everything, he's got the personality of a wet-shit. You know full well what he did to me on the Ferris wheel," I ranted off.
"Oh, poor you, tell me more about your torturous ordeal of having a hot guy snuggle himself closer to you in a carriage and teasingly try and kiss you. The horror," she gasped, her voice thick with sarcasm.
I gave Ava an immediate kick with my foot.
"Hey, cut it," she whined.
"Well, stop spreading lies. You know that's not what happened!"
Ava was about to say something else when she was interrupted by the sound of my ringtone. Sliding it out of my pocket, I quickly unlocked it before looking down at the caller ID with a deeply furrowed brow. It was Sebastian.
Knowing how much of a persistent bugger Sebastian could be, I reluctantly pressed answer and put the phone to my ear.
"What?" I asked bluntly, too lazy for pleasantries.
"I'm waiting in the car outside your house, get in," Sebastian ordered simply and rudely through the phone.
Alarmed, I immediately sat straight up in bed and rushed towards my window. And true to his word, I could see one of the Diaz family cars parked near the front of our yard and a vague figure of Sebastian through the driver's side door.
"Erm....I'm pretty sure this is considered stalking," I said as I stared at his figure through the window through deeply concerned eyes.
I could practically feel Sebastian roll his eyes through the phone. "Phoebe, can you stop being annoying and just get in the car," he sighed.
I narrowed my eyes. "Why?"
"Because I'm taking you on a double date."
Thankfully by the grace of God, I was not sipping a drink when he spoke those words as I would have for sure choked to my death on it from the shock of hearing those words.
I blinked once then twice as I tried to will my brain not to malfunction completely from the absurdity of what he'd just said.
"Hey, erm...I'm not sure where the message was lost, Sebastian but how do I put this...erm...I don't like you," I said bluntly.
Sebastian let out another heavy sigh. "I don't mean a real one, obviously. It'll be a fake one. Your brother took my sister on a date this afternoon and I think this will be a good opportunity for us to crash it and ruin it. "I mean, we haven't done anything to ruin their relationship in a while so, you know, we've got to do something...," he trailed off.
"Yeah, I suppose...," I pondered. There was a moment of silence.
"Unless, of course, you're happy with me annoying you for the rest of my life, and are happy to enjoy a future where I'm a permanent member of your family," he probed his voice taking on a musically mocking tone.
Knowing he had me cornered, I glared at his figure through the car window. It felt like I could just about make out his stupid face smiling smugly at me through the dark-tinted windows.
"Fine, give me a minute," I sighed in defeat before finally hanging up the phone.
"Who was that?" Ava called from the bed.
"It was Sebastian begging me to get in the car with him," I grumbled as I begrudgingly made my way to my dresser to put on my jacket.
As I turned to face Ava, I saw her watching me with an amused smile. "And you're going?"
"Well, yes, it's part of the plan to break up our siblings," I shrugged.
"Sure, it is," she winked.
Pissed at what she was implying, I grabbed a cushion from my swivel chair and chucked it at her face. She just laughed as it hit her, only making me more annoyed.
Making my way to the door to go, I stopped in my tracks and threw a look at her over my shoulder. "You can stay here alone for a bit as long as you don't lie in my brother's bed again, okay," I clarified with narrowed eyes. The last time, I left Ava alone in my home, I found her lying under Max's covers in her underwear.
Ava blinked back at me innocently. "Okay," Ava she said with a sweet shrug.
It didn't take a genius to figure out her answer was the definition of shady, but I couldn't bring myself to care. Max deserved it for forcing me to hang out with Sebastian all the time.
"Whatever, see you later Ava," I sighed as I finally made my way out the door. "Enjoy your date," she called out to me as I left.
Rolling my eyes as I left the door, I didn't grace her with a response and skipped quickly down the stairs before heading out the front door.
Trailing my way over to Sebastian's car, or well more accurately Sebastian's sister's car, I popped open the passenger side door and threw myself down on the seat.
"Took you long enough," Sebastian said as he turned to lock eyes with me.
I looked him up and down in annoyance. "Long enough? I literally took five minutes," I cried.
"Exactly, it should have been two," he winked.
I shook my head at him. "Whatever, just stop being a smart ass and start the car."
Thankfully for my sanity, Sebastian for once in his life, did what he was told, and a few seconds later we were sliding past my automated gates and pulling out onto the road.
"So, I've been meaning to ask, was your dog knocked up in the end?" Sebastian asked with a loose smile before briefly glancing my way.
I plucked up a brow. "Interesting, so you find the assault of my dog funny, do you?" I scoffed as I gave him a dry look. "But to answer your question, no, she was thankfully not pregnant. I convinced Max to get her neutered at the vet quickly afterward in case it happens again."
Surprisingly, Sebastian nodded in approval. "Good, being un-neutered put her at risk of a lot of serious health issues, Pyometra being the worst because of its-"
"Yeah, we get it, Vetty boy," I said, rolling my eyes. I almost forgot he wanted to be a vet. If it was any other guy but Sebastian who was interested in the career, I'd have found it attractive.
As Sebastian turned the next corner, he glanced back my way with half-teasing eyes. "Why, what do you want to be cheer girl?"
I paused as I considered his question – it was a question I received quite frequently and hated.
"I don't know," I mumbled honestly. I'd never really been able to settle on what I wanted to be and that always bothered me. I couldn't help but feel jealous of people like Sebastian who seemed like they always had things figured out.
"Fair enough, we're still young" Sebastian shrugged, in what oddly felt like a comforting manner.
As Sebastian took a sharp right into a familiar parking lot did I realize where the date was supposed to be.
"They went on a date to the leisure center?" I asked in confusion, as I stared up at the bright purple neon sign that spanned the large building in front of us.
"Hmm, yeah they were talking about some bullshit about wanting to play mini golf," Sebastian explained as he slowed the car down to a halt in a parking spot.
"Anyway, come on," he said, as he locked up the car and climbed his way out.
I begrudgingly followed him as he led us over to the building. The second we entered, the familiar buzzing sound of arcade games filled the room as various teenagers, and families whizzed around to play whichever game they fancied next.
I immediately started scanning the hall, in search of Max and Lara. The mini golf section was right by the door, but they weren't by the register or at any of the holes of the course.
"Come on, they might be at the restaurant at the back," Sebastian said as he made a step forward. Taking me by surprise, Sebastian didn't wait for me to follow and instead took hold of my wrist and tugged me along behind him.
It was a weirdly touchy action for Sebastian, especially for someone who was so passionately ranting off about hand-holding just a few days ago.
As I stumbled after him, my eyes wandered around the room before landing on an empty snooker table by the corner.
"Hey, wait," I said as I came to a stop, and tugged him back by the arm.
Sebastian forced to stop, turned back to face me in confusion. "What?"
I nodded my head over to the snooker table with a smirk. "You still suck at this game?"
Sebastian looked at the table and then back at me before his eyes sparked with recollection and then challenge.
Back when we were around thirteen, Sebastian and I used to place snooker all the time and it was the only game I could seem to beat him in.
"I hate to break it to you Phoebs, but I never sucked at that game. I was one hundred percent letting you win," Sebastian threw back cockily.
"Letting me win?" I laughed. "You're like the most competitive boy on this planet, that's the last thing you'd do."
"Yeah, well now I wouldn't let you win because I'm not an idiot but back then I lacked a few brain cells," he snorted.
I narrowed my eyes as an idea formed in my mind. "Okay, if you let me win then I'm sure you won't mind a rematch then," I suggested as I nodded my head back over to the snooker table.
Sebastian kept a steady gaze and smiled as though he'd already won. "You're on, but don't say I didn't warn you," he winked.
The two of us, clearly as competitive as one other, gave each other one final look before making fast steady strides towards the game table.
Once we were there, I immediately got to work setting up the different coloured balls in their correct triangular configuration, ready for the first shot.
"You know, how about we make this interesting with another bet?" Sebastian suggested smoothly as I finished placing the last ball.
As I looked up at him, I found him staring at me with a mischievous smile, while twirling the cue stick against the ground with his hand.
The words bet, immediately put my brain on high alert, not too fond of what happened the last time I made a bet with Sebastian.
"You're awfully fond of bets, aren't you?" I said as I watched him through careful, cautioned eyes.
Sebastian's lips lifted higher. "Yeah, I find they do the trick in helping me achieve what I want."
My brows pulled together. "Haven't your stupid bets done enough? You've already fucking seen me-"
I cut myself off sharply, my cheeks burning hot. There was no reason for me to bring up what I'd embarrassingly shown him in the bathroom a week ago.
Unfortunately for me, Sebastian turned to me with smiling eyes. "I've already fucking seen you what?" he probed.
"Never mind, just forget it," I said quickly.
"I've already seen you topless, is that what you were going to say?" Sebastian teased bluntly, like the ineloquent idiot he was.
I felt my soul physically cringe inward, hearing him say it so matter-of-factly and openly in a public place.
"I thought we agreed that you were never to mention it again," I snapped.
"Yeah, but only to other people. You mentioned nothing about not bringing it up between ourselves," he reminded me with a smirk.
My lips pressed together tightly with irritation, and I let out a weird grumble in response.
"So, anyway back to the point. You interested in a bet or not?" he said, as he cocked up a brow.
I rolled my eyes. "Fine, name what you want on your end."
Sebastian's lips immediately slipped into an easy smile. "If I win, then you have to give me a lap dance."
My nose wrinkled in disgust, but I reluctantly held myself back from cussing him out. Staring him dead on, I tried to maintain an air of confidence. "And if I win, you have to say I'm the most gorgeous and intelligent girl you've ever met and the greatest snooker player of all time. Then you have to bow to me," I stated smugly.
Sebastian looked me up and down with a funny look in his eyes, seeming highly amused for some reason. "That desperate to get a compliment from me, Brooks?" he teased. "But whatever, I'm in. You?" he asked.
I shrugged. "Yeah, why not?"
Sebastian's smile was obnoxiously wide at this point, and it took all the strength in the world, not to slap it off his face. It was honestly just embarrassing how cocky he was.
"You wanna go first, or should I"? Sebastian asked.
"You're welcome to go first," I shrugged in a pretence of nonchalance as I lazily picked my cue stick off the table.
Sebastian clearly not needing to be told twice, leaned over the table, and started positioning himself for the shot. His dark piercing eyes kept a focused gaze on the white ball before him as he prepped himself for his shot.
The flex of his muscles and the lock of his jaw certainly created a much different image than the skinny little thirteen-year-old, I once played with.
He pulled back in one sharp motion and soon the white ball skidded across the table and evenly scattered all the balls around. I stiffened in annoyance as two balls skidded into the pockets at the side of the table.
Sebastian threw me a pointedly cocky smile before walking his way around the table to start lining himself up for his next.
And just like that, he hit the next ball into one of the pockets. Then the next one. And the next one. Becoming seriously paranoid now, I shuffled anxiously from foot to foot.
Then to make it worse, Sebastian looked me up and down with a smile. "I can practically feel my lap dance already," he gloated as he started to walk to his next position.
Knowing I had to intervene in some form or another, I inspected him from head to toe as I tried to think of a way to distract him. Then the perfect plan hit me.
As casually as I could, I walked around the table until I was in the direct eye line of where Sebastian was lining up for his shot.
Leaning over the table slightly, I subtly tugged on the bottom of my top till my cleavage was properly on show. Sebastian briefly looked up at me, and instead of focusing back on the ball, his eyes lingered on my chest for several seconds.
His throat shook slightly as he swallowed, and his eyes kept drifting back and forth as though he was fighting himself to focus on the game. When he finally took the shot, the ball skidded off to the side, missing all the other balls entirely.
"Fuck," he cursed.
I immediately smirked, realizing this game was going to be a lot easier to manipulate than I thought.
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Next Update: Thursday