The girls were in the hallway, laughing with each other, only their laughter slowly died down when certain someone came down the hallway with a smug smile plastered on his face, walking towards the girls.
"Rue" James smirked at her and she turned to him with her own smile, whilst Raina and Ariel looked on curiously.
"James" she smiled at him. "Find someone to enjoy that heated pool then?" Rue asked in reference to the text that he had sent her the other night, and Raina and Ariel almost laughed, remembering what Rue's reply was to his text last night.
James's smirk wavered for a moment, before it was back. "I did" he nodded and then moved a little closer to her. "Would've been nicer if it was you though" he then whispered, getting close to her.
Raina visibly gagged, whilst Rue just scoffed.
"In your dreams" she replied, taking a step back from him.
"Trust me, it's definitely nicer in my dreams" James then said, taking a step closer to Rue once more.
Rue rolled her eyes at James' comment. "Ugh, I'm off to class" she said, directing it towards Raina and Ariel, ignoring Jame's presence completely. "See you girls later" and with that she was taking steps away from them.
"Let me walk you" James then called out, starting to walk behind her.
"Piss off" Rue replied to him, speeding up her walk.
Raina and Ariel laughed at her actions, especially when they saw James walking to keep up with her.
Raina shook her head at the two, before turning back to Ariel. "I got to go talk to Miss Beck before class" she told her. "I'll see you later".
***
Ariel walked out of her class in a good mood, since she had done well on a test.
She was walking walking towards her locker, when a heavy arm was wrapped around her shoulders startling her, only for a moment before she realised who it was.
Kayden O'Riley, was Mr Popular of the school. James was best friend, and with Tyler, another boy in their year, they were basically the golden boys of the schools.
He had a reputation of a player, but the only constant in his world of girls seemed to be Ariel.
Ariel has had a crush on Kayden for years now, but never had the courage to tell him.
She was always the innocent one, and despite being friends with the popular girls like Raina and Rue, her personality stayed the same. Kayden and her had multiple interactions, some flirty, but it didn't seem romantic in nature, at least not in Ariel's eyes.
"So is it true?" Kayden asked, looking down at her with a quizzical expression as Ariel tried to pry his arm off of her.
Ariel frowned in confusion. "Huh?" Ariel asked, wandering what knew rumour was buzzing about.
There weren't usually any rumours going around about Ariel.
The last one she had heard was that she was adopted, since she was so different from her brother Damon in personality and in looks. It didn't really bother her, she kind of understood it since they were truly very different despite being siblings.
"Is it better?" Kayden asked Ariel, and she held the expression on her face since she had no clue on what he was talking about.
"What are you talking about Kayden?" Ariel asked him, and his curious face then morphed into his usual smirking one.
"Is it better under the sea?" He asked.
Ariel pushed away from him at the question, rolling her eyes, knowing that she fell into the his trap.
I should know better by now, she thought.
With a name like Ariel, she got teased way too often about it, and the main culprit always seemed to be Kayden. He seemed to live to tick her off.
"Oh go away" Ariel groaned, walking towards her locker, and of course Kayden didn't leave her alone.
"I mean, darling, take it from me" he started to say, coming closer to her. "It's definitely better, down where it's wetter" he whispered.
Ariel, forever the innocent one, paused for a second, not understanding what he meant by that until he started wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Ew gross Kayden" she shoved him away, an involuntary blush spreading across her face when she finally understood what he meant.
"How do you resist me so much?" Kayden then asked, looking at Ariel so intently, like he was searching my face for something.
Kayden was completely oblivious to Ariel's feelings for him.
In his mind, Kayden thought that Ariel was just different from other girls, and didn't think of him in a romantic sense, which baffled him. It wasn't that he was vain, at least not completely, he just didn't understand what Ariel didn't see in him.
Although having a friend who was a girl was something he liked having.
"Are you trying to play hard to get? Because it's working" he then teased, and Ariel shook her head at him.
Ariel was not surprised that not only did Kayden have no clue as to how she felt about him, but he also thought that her not wanting to be around him was due to some kind of game.
He didn't realise it was more for self-preservation.
"I'm not playing anything, I just don't want you" Ariel lied to him, hiding how she truly felt.
She was about to walk away, to the exit where Raina and Rue were probably waiting for her, when Kayden then came in front of her. "Lies" was all he said with a grin, and Ariel rolled my eyes at him.
"Truth" she replied, trying to side-step, but he came in front of her once again.
Ariel waited for him to make some sort of comment, or playfully hit on her, or something, but instead he just looked at her, cause her face to heat up.
She felt weird with the way he was looking at her. It was like he was trying to figure her out, or read her like she was some book.
"Okay" Kayden then said, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement, and Ariel was snapped out of her thoughts.
"Okay?" She asked curiously.
Kayden gave Ariel a lop-sided grin. "Let's me and you have a bet then?" He asked and Ariel didn't know what to make of his words.
It was random to say the least.
How did we get to gambling all of a sudden? She thought.
"What kind of bet?" Ariel asked Kayden.
Kayden tilted his head slightly at her question, walking towards Ariel, as she took steps backwards.
He didn't stop until her back hit the lockers behind her. He then placed both his hands on either side of her head, caging Ariel in, and she gulped harshly at his movements.
The proximity was too close for her, with her heart hammering inside her chest.
"I bet I can make you fall for me" Kayden told her, starting down at Ariel, whilst her eyes were left widened.
How do you make someone fall, who had already fallen.
"T-that's ridiculous" Ariel told him, unable to help the slight stutter in her voice as she spoke.
Ariel had never actually been this close to Kayden or any boy for that matter. She could feel her body heating up, and her back sweating, unsure on whether this was a normal reaction.
"Well, you seem to be the only girl in school who seems to be immune to my charms and feels nothing for me. So, for fun, let's have a bet" he reasoned, and Ariel eyed him cautiously. "Oh come on mermaid, it'll be fun".
Ariel could see his pupils dilate a little as he looked at her, and his words were running in her mind.
Most girls in the school would throw themselves at Kayden, like he was their bed after a long day after school.
Ariel already knew that she had fallen for him and hard, and knew this bet was a bad idea, especially since it meant being near him more often. Ariel wasn't sure her heart could handle it.
"What do I get out of this?" Ariel asked him curiously.
She wanted to raise her chin a little, but refrained from doing do, which was a mistake since it would cause their faces to be closer together, especially their lips.
Ariel didn't even know what she wanted from this bet, since her mind, she knew she would fail miserably.
"What do you want?" Kayden asked her, amusement in his tone.
"Uh, I'll l-let you know" was all Ariel said, unable to think of anything.
"Fine" he smiled, a little too gleefully. "But, if I win..." he trailed off and Ariel saw his eyes move down to her lips for a second, before they were back onto her eyes.
Ariel gulped harshly, before asking. "What?"
Kayden pushed himself off the lockers, but still stood in front of her. "I'll let you know" he smirked.
"So deal?" Kayden asked her, tilting his head slightly, before his hand came up to push her hair behind her ear, an action that caused her shiver to run through her bones.
With a slight nod, Ariel agreed.
"Great" Kayden smiled at her, and it wasn't one of those cocky smiles, it's was a genuine one, one which made her heart flip.
Kayden's hand cupped her cheek, as he moved closer to her.
Ariel thought he was going to kiss her and her mind turned to mush, not knowing what to do.
He came closer to her, but instead of kissing her, his lips move closer to her ear. "Guess I'll be seeing you around a lot more, baby" he said, leaving Ariel stunned.
He pulled away from her, and gave her a wink, before walking away.
Ariel stood in the middle of the corridor, in a frozen state.
What did I just do? She thought.
***
A little while after Ariel's interaction with Kayden, she left the school with the girls, still in a slight state of shock.
She had been hiding her feelings for year, so all she had to do was continue to hide them for the duration of this bet.
That couldn't be all that hard she thought.
During the ride home from school, Raina and Rue had both noticed that Ariel was a little too silent in that car, and had asked her about it, but she simply shook her head.
That lasted for the amount of time it took for Raina to drop her home, and then Ariel caved and told them what she had just done, which then led to them telling her how stupid she was as they chilled in her room.
"I leave you alone for a little while, and this is what you go and do?" Raina asked Ariel, clearly not happy with what she had done.
Both Raina and Rue were aware of her feelings for Kayden, so agreeing on this bet, wasn't a decision they supported, thinking it would get Ariel hurt.
"It wasn't like I intended on it" Ariel mumbled.
"But you went and did it anyway?" Raina then said, and Ariel looked on guiltily.
Ariel knew that she wasn't completely wrong. There was no gun to her head making her take the bet, but the thought of Kayden leaving her alone seemed all too enticing.
Rue also shook her head at Ariel. "I'm agreeing with Rain" she said.
"You actually bet with Kayden? Are you feeling okay?" She asked her, and Ariel was literally about to blurt out 'no' as a reflex.
"I know it wasn't smart, but I just lost the ability to think" Ariel said, remembering how close he was to her, enough for her to be able to smell his scent.
"Ariel, think about this. You've already fallen for the guy, but this seems to just be a game for him. We just don't want you to get hurt" Raina told her.
"I won't get hurt" Ariel told Raina and Rue firmly, but they looked towards each other and sighed.
Rue then shook her head. "You can't be sure about that" she then said.
"But I am" Ariel told Rue, but she shook her head at Ariel once again.
Raina, who was sitting at the desk, then got up to come sit next to Ariel on the bed.
"Babe, this is the most cliche thing. Usually in a bet, the girl always falls for the guy, and most of the time, she gets crushed" Raina started to say. "But since you've fallen, I'm scared that's just more of a chance of you getting clobbered because Kayden just thinks this is all fun and games".
Ariel could see the concern that both Raina and Rue had for her, but she was sure she could handle this, and maybe in turn, Kayden may actually fall for her as well.
"Well I'll be the exception" Ariel told Raina, and she groaned at her.
"Can I please reserve the right to tell you, 'I told you so', when I'm right?" She asked Ariel, and she knew Raina wasn't exactly asking, she'd tell Ariel that anyway, if, it came true.
"Fine" Ariel huffed. "I won't give you that chance though" she added.
Raina then let out a scoff. "You say that now honey, but you never know" with a knowing kind of look, like she suddenly became clairvoyant and could see the future.
"Yeah, never say never" Rue then chimed in, and Ariel rolled her eyes at the comment.
She could practically hear Justin Bieber's voice singing that in my ear.
"You know when your brother finds out, he's going to go crazy" Rue mentioned and Ariel froze at her words. "His little sister, betting with a guy that he can make her fall for him" she added, and Ariel felt a slight panic within her.
If Damon found out, it would not be pretty at all.
"You make it sound really bad" Ariel frowned.
"Because it is" Raina says matter of factly.
Ariel rolled her eyes at her, "And you would know since your love life it so great" she blurted out and then felt instant regret, opening her mouth to apologise.
"I am so sorry, I didn't even mean to say that, it just came out" Ariel said breathlessly, taking Raina's hand, gave it a squeeze.
Weirdly, Raina just snorted at the comment. "Was that meant to hurt?" She asked, and Ariel look at her confused, thinking she'd just hurt her, but instead she was reacting like she'd just been told a joke.
"Relax, I'm fine" she said and Ariel looked to Rue, who just shrugged at her.
"Look, I know my love life isn't great either, but I'm just trying to be straight with you because I don't want you getting hurt" Raina then told her and she nodded in understanding.
Ariel knew her friends were just looking out for her, but she knew she wasn't as fragile as everyone treated her, she felt like she could handle this.
By the end of it, she thought she could make Kayden fall for her, and finally get the guy she wanted.
Ariel realised Raina and Rue just want to look out for me, but she thought she could handle this.
"Please don't tell Damon anything" Ariel asked the girls.
Before Raina could respond to her, Damon just happened to walk into her room at the same time.
"Tell me what?" Damon asked, leaning against the doorframe, wearing his signature look, black ripped jeans and a black t-shirt, his dog-tag chain hanging around his neck.
Ariel could hear Raina groan from beside her.
"Ugh, you're here" she said, loud enough for Damon to hear, who didn't react to her words, instead keeping his focus on Ariel.
"Don't tell me what Ariel?" He asked once again.
Ariel gulped at his question.
She was quick to cave with girls, and she knew if Damon stared down at her a moment longer it wouldn't be long before she blurted out the truth.
Raina was well aware of the look that Damon was giving Ariel, and decided to help her out before she put her foot in her mouth.
"That she has a boyfriend" Raina then said.
Ariel's head snapped towards her a the same time Damon's eyes nearly pop out of his head.
"What!?" He shouted, and Ariel winced at his tone.
"Relax, I'm kidding" Raina laughed, purely to mess with him she said that.
Ariel tried to calm her breathing, feeling her heart race.
"She doesn't want to tell you she tried to ride my car" Raina then lied.
Damon took a breath of relief, before frowning. "Ariel, you know I told you I would give you lessons" he said, and she nodded her head at him.
"What on your bike?" Raina laughed at Damon and she could see his fist clench.
"Our parents have a car" he snapped back in a harsh tone but Raina remained unaffected.
"I know, I-I just wanted to try" Ariel told Damon, going along with Raina's lie, and also trying to diffuse the tension between Raina and him.
Damon the sighed, seeing Ariel's expression. "You know you don't have to hide shit like this from me yeah? It's so minor" he then laughed, and she chuckled nervously.
"Well if you wouldn't blow up at everything, she wouldn't have to" Raina then said.
Rue placed her hand on her head, muttering something incoherent to the others.
Damon looked at Raina, visibly annoyed. "Why are you here? Don't you have a home to go to?" He asked her, nostrils flaring, a usual reaction when he came in contact with Raina.
Raina just smirked at him, "Why? Does my proximity make you uncomfortable?" She asked, fully knowing that it did.
Damon scoffed in response. "You wish" he told her, turning and walking away from Ariel's room.
"Dick" Raina said out loud.
Damon yelled back, "Bitch".
"Thanks Rain" Ariel told her, for covering for her, before she said the truth in front of Damon.
"You're welcome" she smiled.
***
Now I've included a bet.
This book probably couldn't get more cliche...or could it?
Hope you enjoyed :)