On that Friday, the strangest thing happened to Odette.
She got out of her house with the goal of getting up her bike and riding straight to school. She made it as far as the first step of her porch before a yell coming from the neighbors house startled her.
"Hey, Odette!" It was no one other than Sebastian McCoy.
She was caught by surprise. Not that Sebastian did not talk to her, he was really polite and usually greeted her (one of the reasons she was hopelessly in love with him for three years). But, it was usually something not longer than a "good morning" or a "how is it going?" that was mostly out of his politeness than of actual interest in her answer. That is why she usually just bothered to smile back. However, this time, he had not only looked very glad to see her but he was also motioning for her to approach.
Well, that's unusual.
She did not seem to be the only one with that thought. His brother, Michael Caleb, slowly swinging on the balcony swing, looking as he always did, straight out of a bad boy teen fiction with a black eye and smoking a cigarette, raised one of his eyebrows in surprise. He bugged her. She never knew exactly why, but he bugged her.
"How's it going?" Sebastian did not move straight to his car and drove away like he usually did, he just stared at her.
For the first time he was waiting for her answer.
As soon as she realized this, she smiled to hide her shocked face. "Good. How's it going?" She added the last part when he did not make a move to leave.
He eyed the helmet on her hand. "Wanna a ride to school?" He pointed to his black Range Rover behind him. A car fit for the McCoys. Odette was too surprised to answer and he mistook her silence by hesitation. "I was just thinking that, as we are going to the same place, it would make sense to drive together."
"I-I don't want to bother you." She mentally kicked herself for the stammer.
You are over this silly crush, no need to get all nervous. She reminded herself while going down the remaining steps on her porch. She blamed his good looks. Yes, today he had dark bags under his blue eyes, and, if anyone paid enough attention, like Odette usually did, they could see that Sebastian's strong shoulders were slightly pointing forward challenging his ever so confident demeanor. Still, she thought he looked as handsome as ever.
Maybe that was why she nodded when he said it was no bother. He smiled at that.
Yeah, as handsome as ever.
He started making his way around his car in direction to the driver's seat and Odette forced herself to stop staring at him and also move towards the Range Rover.
She gingerly opened the passenger's door, however Sebastian stopped on his tracks and looked annoyingly at a point behind the car.
"Do you mind?" He turned to his brother sprawled on the sofa swing.
Odette looked behind her for the source of the problem and found it with no difficulty. The motorbike was simple, Odette for sure had seen other bikes that called more attention, something you would not expect a McCoy to own. She thought that might be exactly why Michael owned it.
Michael again raised one eyebrow, as if he did not know what Sebastian was talking about.
"Can you move your bike?"
Michael took his time taking a last drag from his cigarette and slowly stood.
Odette couldn't help but think how both brothers were so different. She knew that they only shared a father, the details of that story she could not say as sharing Mr. McCoy's old affair is not something that helps the couple get over it, nor are they proud of it. But, Sebastian and Michael still grew up together. She would have imagined that their personality would be somewhat more alike. And actually, now that she stopped to think about it, that was a time they were, not close they were never close, but they managed to live somewhat peacefully together. That was when they had something in common. While Sebastian was the quarterback of the football team, Michael was the captain of the high school swimming team. They both were remarkably good at what they did and had a fair amount of girls falling at their feet, that was until,one day, Michael just stopped, and the only girls to seek him were the ones with already stained reputations. A true waste of talent, was what Odette thought.
Michael passed by her and his eyes examined her from head to toes. It was not with particular interest, he was merely assessing her. She remembered Fra drooling about Michael's eyes. She knew they were pretty, a light brown that, as Fra put it, made girls "drop their panties", but as he studied her with more attention than most people did, it made her want to disappear.
Odette looked away and shifted on her feet. Her discomfort was not unnoticed by him. Not that he cared if he made people uncomfortable, maybe he even rejoiced on it.
Sebastian watched his brother walk as slowly as he could towards his bike. He could be so annoying.
"You know, Caleb, some of us actually care about being in school on time."
Michael did not say a thing, only cynically smiled while hoping on his bike. Odette pondered that if she was on the ending side of that gaze she would have been scared. He sure could be scaring sometimes, and he did not even say a word.
Still without pronouncing a single word, he turned the bike's motor with a loud sound and set off. That did not mean he would show up to school though.
"I'm sorry about that." Sebastian's voice woke Odette from her thoughts and made her look away from the retreating figure of Michael, who was not wearing a helmet, she noticed.
"I don't have siblings, but I suppose you are possible for their actions."
Sebastian smiled kindly at her and shrugged. "Yeah, not really. But I feel like I should apologize anyway."
In lack of a better answer she nodded.
Not even two minutes later, the atmosphere between them had changed drastically, or maybe it was all inside Odette's head. One year ago, she would have killed to be inside Sebastian's car with him driving her somewhere. In her dreams they were going to a 80's themed diner not to school, but she supposed the sixteen-year-old her would not have complained. Nevertheless she was nervous.
Although the radio was on, she felt like she should say something, make conversation, but she couldn't think about anything. Her leg shook anxiously and she was trying hard to not bite one of her nails.
"I need-" "So..." they tried at the same time.
"Yeah?" Sebastian asked first.
"Never mind." She quickly replied. She did not have anything to say anyway. "What were you saying?"
"Oh, I-" he cleaned his throat and for a moment Odette thought he was also nervous. "I wanted to talk to you about something."
She had no idea if that was good or bad. "Okay..." she joined her hands on her lap to keep her from picking at her nails.
"It's actually a proposition." He reached out and turned the radio off.
This is serious, she thought not so happily. She looked his way and even though he did not look at her, she could see that, by the way he gripped the wheel, he was at least a bit tense. And it was definitely making her tense.
"It's going to sound totally crazy." This keeps getting better and better. "But please just keep an open mind. It makes total sense once you think it through."
"What are you talking about?" Odette couldn't hold herself anymore.
He stole a glance at her and could surely tell that he was not making his next words look good. He sighed deeply.
"Okay... I know that you want to be Class President. I can help you get votes."
Alright it did not sound as bad as Odette thought. Help was very much appreciated, but why would Sebastian McCoy want to offer it?
"How?"
"Do you know who Melissa Fisher is?"
"Yeah, I think we have AP biology together." Odette did not see the point in his question but answered anyway.
"Do you remember her freshman year?"
"Not particularly. Had she started dating Colin Peterson yet?"
"Exactly!" Odette frowned not following how anything about Melissa Fisher could help her get the necessary votes. And the election would be in a month for goodness sake! "She was not noticeable until she started dating Peterson. You know why?" He stopped at a red light and took the opportunity to look at her. She looked how she felt, totally lost.
"Because you gain a certain status once you mingle with the 'cool kids'." She said between quote marks. "No offense."
Sebastian frowned slightly, not really knowing where the offense could be. He shook his head to get back on track with his important proposition that had a huge chance of being denied. "Yes, you do. One day no one knew her name, then Peterson took interest in her and everyone knew her name. They started dating and she became popular by association." He paused as if waiting for her to process the information.
That was not much to process. The popular kids is a closed group, if you are friends with the popular kids then you are also popular, that is it.
"The light is green." Odette pointed out as Sebastian seemed to be paying attention on everything but the actual driving to school.
"Can't you tell where I'm going with this?" He asked going back to driving.
Odette thought she could not possibly be following. What she thought was just too unlikely and stupid. And she told him so.
"I don't think so."
He took a deep breath a bit frustrated.
"Okay, I'm just gonna say it. I think we should pretend to be girlfriend and boyfriend."
...
Wow.
Odette was glad that he was the one driving otherwise she would have likely caused an accident.
Sebastian stole another glance at her and saw with apprehension her mouth hanging open in surprise.
"Just hear me out." He pleaded before she decided to slap him or something of the sort. "You need popularity to gain your votes, by dating me you would automatically be part of the 'cool kids' as you put it."
Odette's mind was spinning. She could not focus on one single thought.
"Who put you up to this? Evans?"
"What are you talking about?" He tried to say but she was already speaking again, a deep frown on her forehead as she stared ahead.
"I try not to mind when people make fun of me, but that does not mean that I enjoy the feeling of being the joke."
Realization hit Sebastian and he hurried to clarify while Pine Hill High appeared on the horizon.
"God, Odette. I'm not making fun of you. I would never!" He was slightly offended.
At the bottom of her heart she did not think he would. He was always a good person, at least that was how she saw him. Still, that was a too absurd proposition to be actually serious about it.
"What do you have to gain with that?" She asked when he was pulling up on the school's parking lot.
He parked the car and Odette watched him stare ahead at the people gathering at the school's entrance not really seeing them. His chest expanded in a deep breath. Suddenly he turned those beautiful blue eyes that once had made her swoon to her. She instantly moved her hand to put the rebel lock of her auburn hair behind her ear a bit self conscious with his attention, but the desperation she saw in his eyes stopped her. He was looking at her, but not really seeing her.
"I want Paris back."
Odette was relieved that it did not sting her heart to hear those words. She was used by now. Sebastian was meant to be with a model-wanna-be cheerleaders, not with someone like her.
She pressed her mouth into a thin line. "I don't think that by pretending to date me is going to make you achieve your goal."
The crack on his ever courageous demeanor deepened slightly at her words. "You don't understand. It's senior year and everyone is freaking out about the future. That's what's happening to Paris too. I just need to make her realize that. That we are meant to be together."
Okay, maybe that stung a bit. Odette realized.
"And you think that this is the way to do it?"
He nodded. "It's a win win situation. You become Class President with your new popularity, and I get my girlfriend back."
She could see the logic behind it. It was not that absurd after all, still...
She looked around, a few students peaked at them with frowns, some had already started whispering. Sebastian attracted a great deal of attention wherever he went, that was for sure.
"I don't know, Sebastian. It really does sound crazy."
"I know." He dropped his head.
"I'll think about it." She found the words were already hanging between them before she could stop herself
He looked up at her again, a small smile on his lips. Odette was not so immune to him now as she thought, and for that she cursed at her feelings as she got out of the car. A trio of girls close by had their mouths gaping while looking shamelessly at her. Seemed like she was already being noticed just by associating with the famous Sebastian McCoy.
A/N:
Oh, these two are just walking cliches but I love them😍
Please vote and comment. I like to hear from you😊
New chapter on Friday!