Tutoring was less than horrible with Barnabas the next day, just mind blowingly boring. He needed to learn how to lighten up and not have a pole stuck up his ass all the time. But, I guess having a sheriff for a father guaranteed that pole being permanently lodged up there. That's a lot of pressure to be perfect.
I tapped my hand impatiently on the desk as I went through some questions, annoying Barnaby to no end and giving me some sense of amusement. It was childish- but I wasn't doing it on purpose, it was just a tick.
"Can you stop that fucking tapping?" He snapped, thumb and forefinger rubbing his forehead. I shrugged on arm, checking my watch for the time.
"If I stop will you let me go earlier? I need to get changed"
He gave me a curious look but nodded, angrily sighing. "Just stop the tapping. It's doing my fucking head in" Ever since he realized I swore more than a sailor, it had enabled his own foul mouth to express itself. On some levels, it was kind of hot.
I shrugged and finished the last equation, pulling my bag up and saluting Golden Boy. "Have a good fuck- I mean date with Denise tonight. She's one of the cleanest girls I know"
I gave him a knowing smirk before shrugging. Her cleanliness wasn't my problem- but it would surely become one of his soon. Especially if he liked fucking the whole football team.
"Wait, what do you mean?" His suspicious voice stopped me and I sighed, turning around. This boy should really find out more about his hump and dumps- but out of the kindness of my heart I decided to clue him in.
"She's not called S-T-Denise for nothing Barny boy. That information is gonna cost ya later" I winked and hurried away before he could ask me anymore questions- which meant I would be late for my date with Vincent.
Ah, Vincent. His name, the thought of his face and body, just made me feel all warm inside. Gooey and sappy, yes, but also hotter than a fucking firecracker- that man was a sun to every star at this school.
I quickly got changed out of my sweats into a pair of fitted shorts, a black turtleneck with a knee length sleeveless coat and some high heeled ankle boots.
I looked in the mirror, running my hand through my choppy black hair and nodding.
"Don't act like Yonce, be Yonce."
I actually wasn't that obsessed with Beyonce like all the other girls and boys of my generation- I preferred someone like Cupcakke. She was a slut and revelled in it- was honest about it. But the saying fit Beyonce's name, so I had to use it.
A text pinged on my phone and I read it excitedly.
I'm here. Do you want me to come in?
He was a gentleman, a true, hotter than the sun, gentleman.
Nah, i'll walk out and you can gape from the car.
I hefted my bag into my locker, taking out my wallet and car keys. He could drop me off later so I could get my baby back.
I went to walk out of the hallway but spotted a wild Barnabas, casually leaning against the door frame, an angry look on his handsome face. I cleared my throat but quashed the urge to ask what was wrong. He was the ex of my dear friend Belinda, my resident Devil of a tutor and just a general prick.
He glanced up from his phone, then took a second, longer look, green eyes wide. I felt a smile tugging at the corner of my lips, but spotted a large Cherokee waiting out in the parking lot.
"Have a good one Barny Boy"
I pushed past him and out to the big truck, smile on my face as Vincent jumped out, dressed immaculately in a pair of light blue jeans and short sleeve button down. He gave me a low whistle, opening my door. "You look beautiful"
I raised a brow, settling into my seat. "The only way from tracksuits is up"
He laughed, a melodic sound, and started the truck. "You still looked hot in that tracksuit. If anything, the bedhead gave me too many ideas"
Ooh. I liked where this was going. I gave him a sultry smile, shrugging one shoulder.
"Let's just see how this first date goes okay?"
He flicked his gaze to me, hand moving off the hand brake to my thigh.
"Trust me, you're going to love it."
And for the rest of the night, I really did. He took me to a small restaurant near the city center, one that had the nicest Thai Green Chicken Curry I had ever had in my whole life. Vincent could tell, because I sat there moaning the whole time I ate it.
But then I saw a gleam in his eye, and decided to quiet down. Ya girl might have had a lot of sexual experiences in her life- but she didn't just go and give it out willy nilly for any willy.
After the dinner, Vincent took her to the nearby park, both of them just walking together. It was different from the usual dates men took me on- but it was much nicer. So much nicer.
He ran a hand through his hair as night fell, gaze flicking to me. "So, how come you were at school for a bit longer today?"
I sighed, shrugging. "I had tutoring. You know, with that Barnabas guy?"
Vincent's face soured, mood dropping. "Yeah. I know him."
Note- Don't mention Barnabas around the siblings.
He sighed, placing his hand on my own. "Sorry. Not your fault. Why do you need tutoring anyway, you seem like an extremely smart girl?"
I preened in his praise, letting a small smile grace my lips. "Reasons. Ones that you don't need to know right now"
Vincent gave me a curious look before lifting a shoulder, turning back to the path. "My sister said you were the only one who stayed behind when Barnabas publicly...shamed her. Why?"
Ah. The burning question any big brother had.
I ran a hand through my hair, making it stick up in small spikes. "I'm not gonna lie and say kindness or the goodness of my heart. To be honest, it was curiosity mainly. I wanted to know why someone as pretty, smart and happy as her would let herself be played by Dumas. And it is letting themselves be played- because Dumas has a well known history with women."
I shrugged. "Belinda is probably the only vaguely innocent girl at school I know. She might be badass in other senses- but in the terms of her heart, she needs to have a nudging in the right direction."
There was a silence and I wondered for a few anxious seconds whether I had overstepped the boundaries. Finally, Vincent sighed and nodded.
"You're right. She hasn't had much experience with boys- since I've been with her and warding off any love interests she may have had. But why haven't you succumbed to that tool's charms?"
I barked a laugh, folding my arms. "I don't need fuckboy drama. I've got other things going on"
Like my glacial parents, hiding my time at college working towards my Applied Mathematics Degree and somehow slowly upping my grades so it doesn't seem like I'm cheating.
"That didn't stop a lot of other girls"
I rolled my eyes, "I don't like him okay? Sure, he's handsome and Godlike with his looks, but that doesn't make up for personality. And he's never even paid me a glance. It's a mutual disinterest"
"He's an idiot."
Vincent stopped, curling a hand around my arm and pulling me back to him. He was tall enough for me to have to tilt my head back and look up at him. His blonde curls fell about his face and his face was serious.
"You're beautiful Circe. Possibly one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen."
Oh. Oh. Was it bad that I started tearing up? All my life, especially at family functions, I had been compared to the icy beauty of my parents- and all that came out was how different I looked. A yin to my adoptive parent's yang, I was the beast to their beauty.
Never had I been called beautiful.
"Keep going, I want my self esteem to go up"
His face cracked into a wide grin, one that set my insides melting. "You're smart, witty, funny, and so much more than I think people at your school give you credit for. Than you give yourself credit for."
I waved him away. "Are you even real? No real man would say this"
He gave me a wink. "No, I'm the figment of some woman's imagination." (A/N Glance at camera)
I sighed. "I knew it. No man is this perfect"
Vincent stayed quiet for a few beats. "Yeah. That's true."
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