a / n dedicated to twenty_one_fangirls for being such a supportive reader. she's literally the sweetest person ever. thank you x
I K N E W Y O U W E R E T R O U B L E
W H E N Y O U W A L K E D I N,
S O S H A M E O N M E N O W.
I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE – TAYLOR SWIFT.
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"I GOT MY PERIOD."
I sat up straighter, flashing Jade a bemused look. "Really? Finally, woman."
Jade twirled a strand of her black hair around her finger as she stared up at the ceiling of my room. "I feel like I'm the only girl in the world who actually likes having her period."
I uttered a loud scoff. "Probably because it shows you're not pregnant."
Jade snorted to her self, clamping a hand over her mouth. "I'm pretty sure my mother would disown me if I get pregnant."
"Same, but not before beating me up."
Letting go of a sigh, she rolled over on her side, facing me. "How're things with Blaze?" she interrogated, causing me to roll my eyes.
I sighed. "He's okay, I guess. We're going out tomorrow."
"Wake me when you do," she mumbled tiredly.
"We're going out at night," I told her, snuggling under the covers.
"Whatever."
And so, with one final yawn, she closed her eyes and instantly began snoring aloud, causing me to sigh to myself. Not only was Jade a fast sleeper, but she also snores louder than a lawn mower.
I sank my face under my pillow and grumbled a variety of choice curse words under my breath. "Shut up, Jade," I groaned.
▂ ▂ ▂ ▂
"WRAP IT UP, GIRLS."
Breathing heavily, I positioned my hands on my hips, glancing around. A few of my fellow cheerleader teammates collapsed on the ground in a very dramatic manner, causing me to scowl in defiance.
I denied the strong urge to roll my eyes as I took a long swig of my bottled water, before wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. "Don't forget! Practice on Monday is cancelled."
A collective of relieved sighs sounded across the room and this time, I didn't even bother holding back an eye roll. Swinging my bag over my shoulder, I pushed the doors open and stepped outside into the cool weather, tugging at the end of my skirt.
I was in dire need of a shower. A nice, long, hot shower. I couldn't afford Blaze seeing me looking like this.
"Hey, Noelle."
Whirling around, I managed to catch sight of Ivan -- a guy I shared most my classes with. The corner of my lips twitched upward into a cordial grin as I scuffled over toward him. "Hey, Ivan. Have you seen Jade?"
"Uh, she just left," he responded, brushing his light brown hair aside.
That bitch.
"Oh," I muttered, chewing on the corner of my bottom lip.
"Do you want a ride home?"
My eyes snapped to his and I smiled in an unconscious gesture of admiration. "Yeah, sure." He granted me a short nod and I accelerated my pace, managing to match his fast ones. Rumour has it that Ivan obtained a crush on me -- and, of course, I used this piece of information to my advantage.
Ivan is a nice guy, he really is. But I just don't do relationships.
I rose into the passenger seat and gathered my hair behind my ears. "You know my address, right?"
Ivan nodded with a jovial smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Yeah, I do."
"Stalker," I twitted.
An alarmed facial expression was written along his features as he shook his head. "I'm not a stalker, I swear."
I pretended to sigh. "That's what they all say."
Our conversation came to a permanent end and I fixed my gaze outside the window, conjuring up scenarios in which Blaze would find out about the bet. The scenario usually ended in him knocking my teeth out before deleting my contact and ignoring me for the rest of my life.
Ostensibly, that will not happen. If he lays a finger on me, I'll be certain to make his life a living hell.
"See you at school?" Ivan trailed off gingerly, rubbing at the back of his neck.
I nodded with a smile hinting my the corner of my lips. "For sure." The bright smile that appeared on his face was enough to light up a dreary room and he quickly nodded, watching me as I opened the door.
Flashing him a flirty smile over my shoulder, I planted my feet on the ground beneath me and swung my bag over my shoulder. The auditory sensation of his car pulling out of his driveway sounded across the quiet neighbourhood as I mounted my way up the front steps.
As soon as I made it toward my room, I dropped my bag on my bed and sped toward the shower, furiously scrubbing at my body after I was done with my hair.
My wet hair was bound up in a soft towel as I tugged at the hem of my baggy sweater, assessing my reflection in the mirror. As I reached out for my makeup kit, my phone rang and I uttered a sigh as I reached for it and balanced it in-between my shoulder and ear.
"Uh-huh?" I mumbled as I dried my hair.
"I'm coming over," Jade blurted from the other end.
My eyebrows rose upward in surprise. "Mmkay. See you soon." And without another word, I hung up on her and hurled my phone onto my bed, watching in despair as it bounced off and landed on the carpet. A frustrated growl escaped my lips as I bent down and retrieved my phone, setting it on my nightstand.
It wasn't too long until Jade arrived, a duffel bag in her hand. "I'm sleeping over," she stated without permission, tossing her bag on my bed. She guided her footsteps in the direction of my desk chair and then rolled it toward the middle of my room, before hooking her legs on either side of it and straddling it.
"There's this one bra that really knows how to boost your chest game," she muttered, squeezing her bottom lip in-between her thumb and index finger.
An involuntary smirked appeared on my lips as I sashayed over toward my closet and rummaged through my bras. "This one?" I plucked up my black, lacy, push up bra and dangled it in the air.
Jade nodded in approval. "Make sure you lean over at certain times. Give him a show."
I clucked my tongue, tutting. "You make me seem like a promiscuous woman."
"That's because you are one," she rejoined. "Now go change into that bra with its matching underwear while I go find you something to wear."
Grumbling expletive under my breath, I stepped into my bathroom and shimmied out of my clothes. As soon as I changed into my matching underwear, I sighed and stepped out of the bathroom, slapping my hands against my thighs.
Jade, flicking through a random magazine, nodded in approval as her eyes flowed over my slim figure. "You look hot."
"Am I meant to be concerned?" I rummaged through my clothes, offering Jade an expectant stare.
"Nah," she replied as she closed the magazine. "I like penis, so don't worry."
Nodding sardonically, I plucked up the set of clothes she picked out for me and handed her a flat look. "Really?" I deadpanned.
She smiled, nodding her head. "Really."
Sighing in annoyance, I changed into the navy tank top that she picked out for me, adjusting the straps of it. "Wait, wait. Lean over."
Glaring at her, I leaned over and she nodded, clasping her hands together in pure exuberance. "Okay, good. You have to show some cleavage. Not too much, though; you want to leave something to the imagination."
I narrowed my eyes as I shimmied into the black leggings she picked out for me. "What do you mean leave something to the imagination?" I jeered, mockery dripping off my every word. "I'm pretty sure Blaze knows that under this shirt, I have two boobs."
Jade waved a hand around in a flippant manner. "You know what I mean."
"No, Jade, I really don't," I sighed as I pulled up my short, black skirt. Jade, oblivious to this, grabbed a black cardigan and flung it at my face, handing me a cheesy thumbs up.
"Wear these." I gazed at her receding figure in puzzlement as she seized hold of a pair of black ankle boots. She set them in front of me and gestured for me to try them on, earning an annoyed sigh in return.
"I'm going to look like a giraffe," I muttered unhappily as I stood beside Jade. She had to crane her neck in order to meet my gaze -- and even then, she still couldn't quite keep her gaze straight.
"At least you're not one hundred and fifty two centimetres like me," she said, glowering at her short figure in the mirror. "I'm fat and ugly!" she whimpered. "No wonder Joseph broke up with me!"
A puzzled frown creased my forehead as she fell flat down on my bed and commenced sobbing into my pillow. Slowly, I backed out of the room and descended the steps, entering our spacious kitchen. I grabbed a handful of junk food and clutched them to my chest, climbing up the stairs at a snail like pace.
Then, as soon as I returned back to my room, I dumped them beside Jade and watched as she lifted her head off my pillow, sniffing. "Is that Kit Kat?" she asked, her voice tremulous.
"Yup," I murmured as I pursed my lips, fixing my hair.
Slowly, she sat up, crawling toward the handful of junk food situated on my bed. "You know me so well," she whispered as she ripped a chocolate wrapper open. "Sometimes, I think I should marry you. We can grow up and adopt a girl. Call her Chloe," she sobbed out.
"Same," I pondered.
"I love you. Don't forget about me!"
"You too! I'll see you!" I didn't get to hear her response as I grabbed my phone and closed the door, glancing down the hall. Slowly, I tiptoed down the hall, attempting to make it past my parents room.
"Where do you think you're going?" a voice came from behind me.
I cringed, turning around and capturing a glimpse of my father. "Uh..." I began, wringing my hands together. "I'm going out with a friend."
"Jade's in your room," my father responded.
"I have other friends," I explained, biting my lip.
His facade crumbled and he expressed a small sigh, propping his hands on his hips. "If your mamá finds out, I'm not in this."
An overwhelming feeling of excitement swept over me and I found myself smiling. "Gracias." Without further ado, I spun on my heels and rapidly climbed down the stairs, in fear my mother would catch me.
As soon as I arrived at my car, I rose into it and grabbed my phone, submitting a text to Blaze. 'hello :),' I sent, smirking in the very process. I anxiously waited for a reply, but in the end, I didn't receive one. I mean, he did see the message, but he didn't bother replying.
'don't ignore me, bitch.'
Not even a moment later, my phone pinged and I plucked it up, scanning the bland message he sent. 'What do you want?'
'are you ready for our date?' I replied cheekily.
He took quite a while to respond. 'It's not a date. It's...two people hanging out. After this, I'll deleted your contact from my phone and never speak to you again.'
'okay :)'. Although my response was simple, I was inwardly fuming with anger as I started the engine. Who does he think he is? Growling in annoyance, I pressed my foot down on the gas pedal, accelerating my pace.
Briefly, I arrived at his familiar apartment and I found myself glowering up at it in sheer exasperation. With a huff of air, I clutched my phone and climbed out of my car, making sure to lock it behind me.
I dropped my keys in my bra, before entering the apartment and glancing around. My eyes located an elevator and I hurried toward it, attempting to remember what floor Blaze's apartment was in. Was it one or two...? Or three...?
Smirking, I pressed my finger down on the button that led to the third floor, internally thanking myself for having a great memory. The metallic doors slid open a moment later, permitting me to step outside. I distinctly remember his room number being twenty one, chiefly because I wrote it down in my phone.
The only voice audible was the sound of my heels clicking and clacking against the floor as I made my way down the hallway. As soon as I reached his room, I rapped my fists against the door, shifting my weight to my left foot.
I was able to pick up a few laughs, before the door swung open to reveal a smiling Blaze. His smile instantly dropped as he noticed me standing there, bouncing back and forth on the heels of my feet. "What're you doing here?" he hissed, glancing behind him, before glancing back at me again. He closed the door a bit, his green eyes intently focused on mine.
"I came here to pick you up," I explained.
He blew out a loud, annoyed sigh. "Stay here," he admonished with narrowed eyes.
I pretended to frown. "What, why?"
"Because my friends are over," he spat out.
I arched a plucked eyebrow. "So?"
Before he could say anything, a third voice interrupted us. "Hey man, who're you talking to?" Langdon's familiar voice sounded throughout my ears and I watched as his brown eyes snapped to mine. "Oh, Noelle! What're you doing here?"
Blaze sighed in disappointment as I grinned and guided my full attention on his friend. "I'm just here to pick up Blaze for our date, since he was too much of a wuss to pick me up."
Langdon blew out a large breath, giving his friend an incredulous look. "Really, man?"
"It's not a—," I cut him off by grabbing his hand and yanking him toward me. He stumbled against me and our bodies flushed against each other, causing a grin to appear on my face.
"Let's go." And, without another word, I interlaced my fingers through his and dragged him down the hallway. He swore a few times as he yanked his hand away from me, wiping it on his shirt with a revolted countenance plastered on his face.
"Calm down, small one," I reassured him as we both entered the elevator. With a surly expression on his face, he leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his chest, scowling.
I couldn't help but chortle at his antics as I stepped out of the elevator, loitering around in order to wait for him to join me. He shambled over toward me in a rather hesitant manner, that defiant scowl still evident on his features.
"Should we take your car or mine?"
He didn't bother tiring himself by replying, and instead, steered in the direction of my car. Obviously, he would. He didn't want to dirty his precious car. Holding back an eye roll, I climbed into the driver's seat and smiled, twisting to face Blaze. He was leaning against the closed door, facing me with his arms folded over his chest and his lips pursed.
"You're acting like a five year old." I smiled. "It's cute." Not.
Okay, it kind of was. But that didn't imply anything. I still hated him and he still hated me.
"Drive."
"Okay, okay." I glanced down and reached into my bra, fishing my keys out of it. Blaze's eyes slowly trailed down to my chest, before he averted his gaze to the front window. Score! I denied the tempting impulse to smirk as I inserted my keys into the ignition and rolled down my tinted window.
"Do you want to know where we're going?"
"I couldn't care less. I just want this night to be over so I can sleep."
Scoffing under my breath, I clenched the steering wheel, refusing the urge to curse his ass to hell and back. "Do you work?" I asked. "Perhaps flip burgers?"
He scowled. "No."
"Then how do you pay for the rent?"
"My dad does," he said, shrugging.
"Dependant ass," I teased. "What does he work as?"
"He's a pimp."
"Ah," I nodded. "And you aspire to follow your dad's dreams, am I right?"
"Yup," he muttered sarcastically.
I wanted to groan as our conversation came to an end. Why can't he keep a conversation going? "Where are we going?" he asked quietly, keeping his gaze fixed outside the window.
"I thought you couldn't care less," I reprimanded. He simply cocked a brow in response, yet he still managed to maintain his gaze out the front window. "It's a surprise."
"I hate surprises."
I pursed my lips in grave acknowledgement. "Sucks to be you." He glared at the side of my face for what seemed like a thousand years, causing me to grin.
"I know I'm hot, but staring at me for a long period of time makes me uncomfortable," I retorted.
"You? Hot?" he snorted quietly. "Yeah, and I'm Nicki Minaj's future husband."
I pretended to be offended, even though his words had no effect on me. "Wow, thanks Blaze. I'm wasting my time, taking you out on a date, yet here you are insulting my looks."
He kept quiet for several moments, before sighing and lowering himself in the passenger seat. "I was joking."
I sat there, stunned by his declaration. I didn't really expect him to add anything to the statement, hence why I was so shocked. Then, mustering up whatever morsels of confidence I had left, I managed to shape my lips in the form of a smile. "Thanks, Blaze. You're hot, too."
He tutted under his breath. "See, this, right here, is why I dislike your company."
I scoffed scornfully. "Because I boost your self esteem? The logic." He didn't bother saying anything else and I sighed, taking a moment to peek down at my phone.
"Keep your eyes on the road," he said a moment later. "I don't want to die at the age of nineteen."
"Shut up, Blaze."
An excruciatingly uneasy silence settled between the both of us, and this time, I didn't bother saying anything to lighten the atmosphere. If I did, it'll end on a bad note.
Before long, we had reached our destination and I unbuckled myself, glancing over at Blaze. He assumed a curious countenance on his face as he stared up at the building, his hand hovering over his seatbelt. Once he noticed me staring at him, he rolled his eyes and undid his seatbelt, biting down on his lower lip.
He's really hot.
Too bad he's annoying.
"Come on," I chirped, handing him an artificial smile. He ignored me and kicked the door open violently, allowing me to bite my tongue in order to hold in a stream of curse words that were just dying to escape my mouth.
"Wait," I called after him. He paused in his tracks and I jogged up toward him, feeling a slight, cold breeze riffle up my skirt. I tugged at the end of it and then stretched out my palm, watching as Blaze lowered his eyes to it. "Can you hold these for me?"
Sighing, Blaze grabbed my phone and keys, tucking them in the pocket of his black jeans. Then, he pushed past me, not bothering to loiter around in a discreet attempt to wait for me.
I sped in front of him and opened the front doors, taking a moment to gauge his horrified reaction.
"What the fuck."