chapter two | the deal 

Nevaeh Stolly

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Today Tamara could not get to school because she is sick. Apparently, she ate too much on yesterday's date. Now I'm at the station and I'm waiting for the school bus to show up.

It's not the first time I've been going by bus. Before I befriended Tamara, I was walking — ok, ok I was running hoping I won't miss the bus — here.

There are a few students at the station that I see every day at school. I greet them and they do the same. I sit down on a nearby bench and turn on the music in my headphones. "Paper rings" by Taylor Swift is the first song that delights my ears and I'm not complaining. It's one of my favourite songs. I still have to learn how to make paper rings. Even though some time ago I knew how to do them some, I completely forgot over time. My dumbass memory.

"I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings." Taylor is blessing my ears.

I love this verse.

The bus makes its presence after a few minutes and I get on it. The only free seats are in the back so I rush to catch them. And I did and some teenagers looked at me with hatred. But I shrug. I won already.

I put myself in the place next to the window and the music continues to play.

When we get close to school someone touches my hand and I turn my gaze to that person. I see Delyanie. Blonde hair, blue eyes, a smile of millions but a bad personality. "What happened?"

"Is it true that Carl invited your friend to next month's charity ball?" she asks in a false and pithy tone.

"Yes. Why?" I frowned with my eyebrows because I was confused. Isn't he allowed to?

She sighs dramatically and seems upset. "Maybe I have another chance with Zaiah," she tells one of her friends and leaves for her place.

The bus stops and everyone gets out of the car.

I walk into the building and I see the same faces that I see every day. I had the temptation to look for Tamara but I remembered that she is not in school.

How I'm I going to survive without her?

Tamara has been my best friend since we were little and has always been there when I needed it. We grew up together and I will always be loyal to her. Like she was to me. I was pretty rebellious when I was little and she always lied to cover the truth.

The most rebellious thing I did was eat dirt but it was a badass moment at that time.

On the way to class, someone pulls me by the hand and pulls me into a room. The person covers my mouth and my heart starts beating harder. "I'll let you go and you're not going to scream ok?" Zaiah's familiar voice resounds in my ears and I calm down.

He gently removes his hand from my mouth and I turn my face to him. "What are you trying to do? Do you try to give me a panic attack?! I know you're rich but don't think you feel the need to pay for my hospitalizations?" I yell at him and he rolls his eyes.

"Shut up and listen to me."

I make a face but listen to him. Again, a very rude kid.

He took out an envelope from his bag and handed it to me. I look at him confused but Zaiah tells me from the looks to open it. I am shocked when I see what was in the envelope. I audibly gasp and my eyes widen.

It's a lot of money.

"Thank you for the money but for what?" I ask Zaiah and I look at him.

"I'm not giving it to you for free. I need a favour." Zaiah seemed like he was ready to give flick on my forehead so I could wake up to reality.

"What favour?"

"Do you know the charity party to which my brother invited Tamara?" I nod positively. "I need to be my partner."

Oh ok. "You don't have to give me money, you fool. Hello! Free food, make new friends and I'll be with my best friend. That's my dream. I accept it!" I want to leave the room but his hand stops me.

"Listen to me to the end, Neve."

Neve. He's the only person who calls me that. He doesn't usually call my name — I think he would rather eat dirt than call my name — but when he does, he uses 'neve'.

"I want you to be my girlfriend. Like a fake girlfriend."

If I had water in my mouth I would definitely be spitting. "What? Why?"

He sighs. "Because I want to make my father angry," he says simply.

"And what does that have to do with me?"

"My father hates poor people. So how could I make him angry?" He asks me as he takes it a step closer. Don't know why. Maybe for the dramatic effect or something.

"I don't know dude. You tell me." I know the answer. But I want to annoy him. He is pretty when he is annoyed. His eyebrows twitch a little bit.

"I know you want to annoy me now but it's not going to work. To annoy him I have to date someone poor. Especially the daughter of the woman who works as a housekeeper for his house. "

I make a hurt face. "You say you want me to be your girlfriend but you make me poor. It's not a good start, Zaiah." Maybe I'm not a relationship specialist, but that's certainly not what you say when you want to get a girlfriend.

"Fake girlfriend, Neve! You have 30,000 euros in the envelope. Do you accept it or not?"

As much as I want I can't. If his father found out he's definitely going to fire my mother. I can't do that to her. "I can't. Your father is going to fire my mother the first second he finds out."

"My mother is in charge of the employees. Dad has no right to fire her. And my mother loves me. And if I tell her not to fire her then she doesn't." Ok, mamma's boy.

"Ok, I get it. But why do we have to pretend that we are together? I mean, why can't I come straight to the party and that's it?" that doesn't make any sense.

"Because at the party I will declare my infinite love for you. And there's going to be a lot of students in the school at the party. And they notice that we have no connection to each other. And everything's going to be destroyed. I'm tired of explaining. Do you want to or not?" He breathed out a sigh of annoyance.

Man, I hate being put under pressure.

So, either I do not accept and nothing will change in my life or I accept and I will have 30,000 euros, a fake boyfriend and the opportunity to make friends. And free food.

I look at Zaiah and see him anxious for my answer. He makes contact with me and I move my gaze and look blankly. I usually like making eye contact with people but whenever I look into his eyes, I break the eye contact. There is something inside them. Maybe dick because every time I look at them, something inside assembles a dick.

Ok. What could I lose? A day off? I can recover it. "OK. I'm in."

He wants to smile but stops. "So the rules?" I have to be prepared.

"1. We have to act like a couple. Kisses, hugs and whatever else couples do.
2. We don't have to tell anyone.
3. No feelings."

Well… We have a little problem.

"We have a little problem."

"What's the problem?" Zaiah says irritated. Calm down, little mister. Ain't nobody killing you.

"First of all, I have to tell Tamara. She knows me best and she will realize that I can be with you so quickly." Didn't he think about it?

"And what's the next one?" He already seemed to be angry. Again, calm down mister.

"And the second problem is that I've never kissed anyone else in my life."

Zaiah seems stunned. "You're 17 years old and you didn't kiss anyone?" he says and starts laughing.

"Hey don't judge me. Not everyone has found the right person." I put my hands crossed to my chest. He's the one talking? He kissed like a trillion people. I could get a disease from him

"Ok then." he puts both of his hands on my cheeks and approaches. I realize what he is trying to do so I put my hand over his mouth. He opens his eyes wide and waits for an explanation. "Slow down big guy. Don't kiss me like. I'm not ready. " I whisper and look up at him.

Zaiah licks my palm and I snatch it from his mouth, full of disgust, and I wipe my hand on his shirt. "Hey, that was my barely washed shirt."

"And that was my hand. Your point?"

"Let's go back. It's just a kiss. You don't get married, Neve." I hope not. I'm too young.

"I know, I know. But we have to do something
first."

Dramatic break for effect. "We have to do a DNA sibling test."  I have to know that there's no lost brother of mine. What? It happens often in books. I don't want us to have the same history as Clary and Jace.

"Why the hell would we do that?" Zaiah still has his hands on my face and my cheeks have already warmed up because of his palms.

Oh, he has some nice hands. Like really pretty. Slim, long, veiny hands.

"Why? Do you want your sister to have your first kiss with you, huh? Do you want to kiss your sister, Zaiah?" I say and I get closer to him to make it look more serious. In fact, this situation is very funny.

"I'm not going to do it," Zaiah tells me.

"Ok then. I don't accept it anymore." I walk away from him and walk towards the door. I walk out into the hallway. He doesn't follow me. That's not how it should go! I want my moment like in the movies and books.

I put my head between the door. "That's the part where you should tell me to come back," I inform him in case he doesn't know. I understand him. He doesn’t seem the type who watches rom-com movies or reads romance books. He seems like the horror genre type to me.

He just looked at me with no expression on his face.

Oh, so that's how we are playing. OK.

This time I want to go for real but his voice stops me. "Wait." He is smart after all.

I bite my lip and make some strange movements with my hand and head. I calm down and I'm going back into the room. "Yes, Zaiah?"

"You're so bloody lucky my aunt is a doctor."

I'm just smiling victoriously.

Zaiah nods to me to get out of the room and I'm watching him. When we get to the hallway I notice the students looking at us. Huh. It was like they weren't before.

Why are they looking at us? I mean, we did come out of the closet but it's rude to stare.

Zaiah approaches me and whispers in my ear. "We're talking more tomorrow." He kiss my cheek and then left me alone.

Oh, so we already starting? He should have told me. Rude motherfucker.

Oh, I shouldn't use the last word. Rude beautiful mom-hump. His mother did no wrong. I can't curse the poor woman.

Hey, he didn't answer my question about Tamara.