Fraternizing With The Enemy

When She Sees

HEATH AND PEARL SUBMERGE themselves in an endless, heated discussion about what scene they should do. She wants to go for a scene where Maya — the main female character— talks to her father about how she admits all the mistakes she's done and redeems herself. Of course, if they choose this scene, Heath will have to play the character of the father. Like a child, he argues and says he doesn't want that. Instead, he wants one particular scene. A scene where Maya and Liam -the main male character- have an argument and then, he confesses his love for her, which leads to a long — and very intense, to be honest— kiss.

Pearl feels annoyed, and that isn't even enough to describe how she's feeling. They have already lost thirty minutes, and she wants to finish her homework. Also, Elijah isn't being of much help because every ten minutes, he's peeking at them from inside, like a hawk. She finds it ridiculous, both also kind of cute. Though, it's sort of a distraction.

"Let's sort it out with a coin," Heath suggests, taking his wallet out of his backpack, to look for a coin. "Let the odds decide."

She narrows her eyes, heaving a sigh. "Fine. I'm going to flip it," she stretches her hand, and Heath gives it to her, snickering. "Heads or tail?"

He shrugs. "You choose."

"I choose heads." She throws the coin high in the air and catches it when gravity pulls it back down. Her heart sinks in her chest when her eyes see the result, and they instantly close, a groan comes from the deepest parts of her being. And she hands the coin back to Heath.

"Someone's a sour loser." She opens her eyes to meet a set of sea green ones on a face full of smugness, where a winning smile is plastered. "I guess we should get started." He smirks.

She glares at him before reading the screenplay on her hands. Pearl only wants to hit him with a chair, right on the face. She has never been the violent type, but in the last hour, she's realized that she can't spend much time around Heath O'Neal. And it's not that she hates him or anything like that. It's just that he's always finding a way to irk her. And Pearl stills wonder if he does it on purpose or if he does it unconsciously.

Maya walks forward, with her phone in hand, as she types a message to her mother. She glances up at Liam, who's sitting on a bench outside of the school.

Liam

Can we talk for a second?

Maya stands a few inches in front of him, not wanting to get too close. And folds her arms in front of her chest.

Liam

Why are you acting like this? So cold and distant?

Maya stares deeply into his eyes, nibbling on her lower lip.

Maya

I don't think we can keep going on with this friendship.

Liam stands up and closes the gap between them.

Liam

Why not? Have I done something wrong? Just tell me, and I'll fix it. Whatever it is.

Maya looks away.

Maya

Sorry. I can't do this.

Liam

May, please. Talk to me.

She looks up at Heath, raising her eyebrows. "Again, why do you want to act this scene?" Pearl's a fan of romance, and she loves reading romantic books and watching romantic movies. But acting a scene of that kind with Heath isn't something she finds appealing. Though, that's not the thing bugging her, and distracting her profoundly. It's the fact that he wants to do this.

He shrugs and leans back on the chaise lounge. "I think it'd be something pretty fun to do."

They're interrupted by the sound of voices in the living room, and Pearl knows her father's home. She gets inside the house, with Heath following behind, and it's hard for her to hide her surprise when she sees Asher, standing next to her dad.

"Hey, dad," she approaches him to kiss his cheek and glances at Heath before saying, "Dad, this is Heath O'Neal. A classmate from school. We're doing an assignment."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Heath shakes Nicholas's hand, offering a very bright, and polite smile. Which takes Pearl by surprise.

"Nice to meet you, too. You can call me Nick, don't worry." Behind the smile and friendly manners, Pearl knows there's a reprimand for her after their visitors leave.

Elijah knows it, too, and that's exactly why he has a smirk on his face, from the kitchen frame door, where he's standing. "What's up, Asher?"

"Your dad invited me to watch the game," Asher answers. Pearl knows Abraham isn't a fan of football. He's a golf kind of man, and she likes that. She isn't into golf, but it's good to not be surrounded by football maniacs all the time.

Before Elijah can't say anything, Pearl says, "Heath and I are going to be in the backyard," she takes him by the wrist -which feels just wrong- and guides him outside, promptly letting go of him, as they both sit down.

°°°

UNTIL SEVEN PM, Pearl and Heath practice the script, and she's happy because she feels like this might work. Though the kiss scene isn't something they have talked about yet, they have been focusing on the dialogues and agreed on memorizing their lines throughout the week. But no words have been said about the kiss, and Pearl feels like telling him that it'd best to omit that part but stays quiet, deciding they can talk about it some other day.

Asher, Elijah, and her dad are upstairs in the TV room, but she can still hear their chants and screams of excitement, as she walks Heath to the door. He opens the door and turns around to look at her. "When do you want to meet again?"

"Today we did good progress. Maybe next week. Does it work for you?" She asks, putting her hands inside the pockets of her sweatpants.

"Yes, sounds good," he smiles. And it's a simple smile, no smirk, no smugness. And Pearl thinks he looks better that way. "See you tomorrow."

"Drive safe," she says, and instantly regrets it. Heath is giving her a coquettish simper in response, and she rolls her eyes. "Don't let it get to your head. It's night already, and I'm just giving you a piece of advice. From a fellow human to another."

"Sure, Blanchard," Heath nods. "Keep denying it, maybe one day you'll believe it." Those being his last words, he winks at her and walks away toward his car. She shuts the door, not paying attention to his suggestive words.

Oreo appears, running down the stairs, and stands in front of her, wagging his tail. And when she goes to the kitchen, he follows behind. Pearl serves herself a glass of cranberry juice, and seats on the counter, looking at Oreo, who's giving her the most adorable look in the world. "You want some of this?" She raises her glass in the air. "Well, you can't have it."

The dog barks and Pearl laughs with amazement. And right there, Asher walks into the kitchen, stopping in his tracks when he sees her. "Eh, your father and Elijah want some Dr. Pepper," he points at the fridge, and she gets off the counter, to get the drinks. Once she gives it to him, he adds, "You don't like football?"

"Not really," she answers casually.

He nods slowly. "Good." Smiles and leaves.

The rest of the night, she spends it in her room, finishing the rest of her assignments, with Oreo next to her on the bed, and her earphones on her ears. Vance Joy giving her goosebumps with his wonderful voice, and lyrics. When her mom arrives at home, she tells Pearl that they asked for pizza and they asked for a vegan one for her.

She's forced by her mom to have dinner in the TV room with the rest of them as everyone watches the game. She catches Asher gazing at her a few times and quickly looking away every time he realized she had caught him. By the end of the game, Pearl picks the boxes of pizza and Asher offers to help her, picking up the plates and empty cans of Dr. Pepper. Together they make it to the kitchen and put everything over the counter. She thanks him, not looking at him, as she's searching for a trash bag.

"I should get going," Asher points at the exit of the kitchen, twisting his mouth a little. "I'll go and say goodbye to your parents." He disappears out of the kitchen.

Pearl stares at the floor, in a bit of trance. Feeling something weird on her stomach. But it's quickly forgotten when she hears the voices of Asher and Elijah outside the kitchen. "It's no problem, man. You can come with us to school tomorrow. And when it ends, we go to the car dealership. I know about cars. We'll get you a nice one."

"Well, then. We'll talk tomorrow," he says, and soon enough, he appears in the kitchen entry. "See you tomorrow, Pearl." He waves at her.

"Goodbye," she waves back at him. And joins Elijah in the living room, after Asher leaves. Her parents both walk downstairs, laughing about something.

"Pet," Nicholas calls her. "Why didn't you tell me you were bringing a boy home?" He folds his arms in front of his chest. In the Blanchard family, it's known that Nicholas tends to be softer with Pearl, but also very protective. And adding the fact that he doesn't know Heath, just makes the situation worse.

"I know I should've told you. Sorry, it was a last-minute decision. And you know I never bring anyone home. Please, don't be mad at me. Mom, tell him," Pearl pleads.

Nicholas and Ava share a look, and that says it all. "Fine. Next time, let me know, do you understand?" He says with seriousness.

"That easy? Seriously?" Elijah says. "I mean, wow, people. She just says please, and that's enough. Well, then, I'm going to get a wig and a skirt," he blusters and goes upstairs mumbling some other words.

His reaction makes the rest of the family smile, and everyone goes to their rooms since it's sort of late, and it's a school night. Her parents are very strict about everything related to school. That's the only reason why Elijah hasn't failed any classes; otherwise, he'd be a total mess. Pearl knows it. Her brother can be really smart, and he could get really good grades just like her, if only he puts the same effort into studying as he does on football. One can't be good at everything, right?

After a warm shower, Pearl slips into her pajamas, picks her hair up into a bun, and walks toward the window to close it, but stops right when she notices the view she has in front of her eyes. The window to his room is open, giving sight of his room, and of course, of him, walking shirtless from one side to another. He has broad shoulders, but he's not excessively muscular, and no abs are adorning his stomach.

He's like any other high school teenager -though, that's offensive because Asher Bohen isn't like any other high school teenager. He's attractive but not in a common way. There's certain fanciness to his looks that draws the eye; he's the kind of attractive that makes you want to appreciate his beauty, like a simple yet beautiful piece of art, modest, not the kind of attractive that makes every girl go crazy, like if it's a new pair of shoes that everyone wants.

This time, it's her turn to be caught staring and her heart jumps inside her chest, as she closes the window along with the curtain loudly, almost screaming. Then, she starts laughing frantically, with her hand resting over her chest, as if she could hold her heart and keep it from jumping with excitement once more. Pearl tucks herself under the blankets, drifting to sleep.

When she wakes up, the list of things to do is the same. Shower, get dressed, have breakfast, and go to school. As said before, Asher goes to school with Pet and Elijah. The car filled with the boys' voices during the ride, as they talk about last night's game, which only causes Pearl to zone out quicker than ever.

She's happy when they arrive at school and quickly gets out of the car, glancing briefly at both boys, as they're all now standing in the parking lot, still talking about football. Asher's wearing a grey V-neck sweater with a blue long-sleeved shirt underneath it, tucked inside a pair of navy jeans and desert boots.

Pearl knows much about men's fashion because Elijah, unlike most boys in high school, has a sense of style and she has come to pay attention to the clothes he wears, and exactly what kind they are. Naturally, she's a bit taken back by how well-dressed Asher looks but says nothing, nonetheless.

They part ways, and Pet finally sees Mack, standing with his back against his locker, and a book in hand. When she's close enough, she bents down a little to see the cover of the book. "The picture of Dorian Grey."

Mack looks up at her, closing the book, and says, "Decide it to give it a read. The movie was good, perhaps the book is better."

"Which movie?" Pet asks.

"The movie based on this book," he raises the book and gives her a duh look. Pearl rolls her eyes, shaking her head.

"There are many movies based on this book, you t**t," Pearl laughs. "I'm asking which out all the movies based on the book did you watch."

Mack's lips form a small O, and he responds. "The one from 2009. With Ben Barnes and Colin Firth."

"What?" Pet asks, stepping backward. "Mack, that movie changed most of the plot of the book, if not entirely. It added that, in my opinion, took away part of the essence of the story. Finish reading the book and you'll know what I'm talking about."

"The movie is never the same as the book, Pet. Remember that," Mack retorts, chuckling. Amused by Pet's reaction. She takes books and their plots very seriously.

"But there are movies that do justice to the books they're based on. Like The Godfather by Mario Puzo or The Silence of the lambs by Thomas Harries; they couldn't have cast a better actor than Anthony Hopkins, or The Shining by Stephen King, like people may have criticized it negatively at first, but the movie is a bomb, truly. Oh, and of course The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. The movies based on those books are just perfect adaptations, Mack."

"Okay, okay," Mack snickers. "Gee, calm down. I got it. No need for a lesson on film adaptations." The bell rings before any of them can say anything else, and that's their cue to start walking. One by the side of the other, they head for their classroom in silence, but suddenly a thought crosses Pet's mind. More like a reminder. The homecoming.

She's supposed to go to the homecoming with Mack, and she's got about one week and a few days to find a dress. That might be a lot of time, but the problem with Pearl is that's she's very picky when it comes to dresses, that might be the reason why she doesn't own many. There's hardly any kind of dress that Pearl likes, and most of the time, the ones she likes don't look good on her, or so she thinks.

Her thoughts drift away when she enters the classroom and meets a pair of serene, blue eyes that are looking at her. He quickly smiles, waving at her, but she only manages to blush, remembering what had happened the previous night when he caught her staring through her window.

But the moment is interrupted by a voice coming from behind, maybe a little too close to her. "Hey, Blanchard." There's no need to turn around to know what his face looks like, with hearing the tone on his voice is enough.

Pet turns around anyway, quickly stepping back when she notices the proximity of their faces. "Heath."

"Uh, that's a rather dry way to say hi to a friend, don't you think?" Heath snickers, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, get yourself some water then," she smiles cynically.

°°°

AGAIN, SHE'S WAITING for Elijah but this time she's got company. A sweet-faced guy with skin the color of chocolate, and another one with eyes the color of a bright blue sky that promises the arrival of good things. Mack decided to stay with her because his sister, Raven is at home with her boyfriend, and Mack can't stand to be in the same place as that guy. While Asher is there because he's waiting for Elijah, as well.

Her eyes set on the page of her book, the voices of the two boys sitting beside her distract her just slightly. And after a failed attempt to concentrate, she closes the book, putting it back inside her backpack. She sees Elijah throwing the ball with his right arm, right afterward he looks at Imogen, who's standing not far away with the rest of the cheerleaders' team.

Imogen only shakes her head and keeps talking with her friends. While Pet snorts, glancing around. Green meets blue, and a smile spreads across Heath's face, just as he waves at her. Pearl, unconsciously, frowns, puzzled by his friendliness, but waves back at him anyway.

Most of the girls in school would love to have Heath's attention, and it isn't like Pet hates it, or anything of the sort. But she does find it particularly strange and suspicious. Out of the blue, he's being coquettish, always saying hi to her, and even if the amount of attention he's giving her isn't really big, compared to how it used to be a few days ago, it's notable.

It gets worse when Coach O'Neal blows his whistle and tells the boys to take a ten-minute break. Heath's already making his way toward the bleachers where Pet is sitting, a simper adorning his lips with white perfect teeth. He sits beside her, leans back, and says, "So, I was thinking..."

"That must have been a brand-new experience for you," she looks down at her lap, with an almost imperceptible smile, but he managed to see it.

"It's quite nice that you get amusement out of insulting me," Heath laughs.

Pet looks askance at him. "Is it?"

"Yes, nobody has ever done such a thing. It's interesting to see you do it," he says. Pearl looks ahead, over at Elijah, who seems flaring from where he's standing, surrounded by some teammates. Her brother does not find any amusement or interest in the fact that Heath is talking to her.

"Why is it that you want, Heath?" She turns around to face him completely. "I don't think you came to tell me how interesting you find my insults, did you?"

"I was thinking that maybe we could go out." He holds her gaze, testing her, waiting for her reaction, for her response. Pearl's aware of Mack and Asher's eyes on them. She knows that out of the two of them, Mack must be thrilled to know what answer she will give Heath.

"Well, you thought wrong," she answers, uninterested with a shrug. He must have expected that response because he gives her a nod with a knowing grin.

"And you," he leans closer, too close for her taste. "Haven't even given it a thought."

"I don't need to."

"Blanchard, come on," Heath leans back, away from her. "Maybe you could have fun with me. You can't reject something without even trying it."

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" She arches an eyebrow, looking at him defiantly. She knows about Heath's incapacity to be with only one girl. The only one who doesn't seem to notice is Imogen.

He lets out a peal of loud laughter. "I'm not asking you out on a date. It's just as friends, that's it."

"But we're not friends," she snaps, thoroughly annoyed by him already. As said before, Pet can't spend much time around Heath, or else she'll explode.

"As acquaintances," he jokes. "Or friends to be." He winks.

"And that's a one lifetime opportunity, I'm certain," Pearl utters. "But I'm not going out with you, Heath."

"You don't even know where I'm taking you," Heath says. "I've got tickets for a concert. One Republic. Next month. You may want to rethink your answer."

"How do you know I like One Republic?" She raises her eyebrows, but she already knows the answer. That's exactly why she eyes Mack briefly, and therefore she ends up looking at Asher. His gaze isn't on her though. He's very busy with Mallory sitting on his lap.

"Blanchard, please, come on," he pouts, his eyes, suddenly, looking bigger than before, the light highlighting the green in them. "Do you really want to miss a One Republic concert?"

Coach blows the whistle and starts calling out all the players. Heath is now looking at her desperately, on his feet. In all honesty, she'd die to go to the concert, but could she go with Heath? The idea of it is just too odd, too abnormal for her. Hard to believe that Heath O'Neal is asking her to go out with him.

Coach starts calling Heath since he's the only one not standing on the field with the others. "Please, please, at least tell me you'll think about it, okay?"

She nods. "I'll think about it." Heath grins, and runs back to the field, to join his teammates. She turns to look at Mack, who's staring at her. But whatever is going through his head, it's hard to tell. "What?"

There he smiles and then starts laughing. "Can't believe you're going out with Heath. Never in a million years would I've imagined something like this could happen. This is what you call a once in a lifetime event."

"I'm not going out with him," Pearl says. "I never said I was. I only said I'd think about it so he'd away."

"Did you?" He smirks, and that only earns him a smack in the arm from Pearl. As he moans in pain, complaining, her gaze meets Asher's. This time Mallory isn't around, and Pet feels certain relief. It's as if she doesn't feel comfortable in Mallory's presence, and cannot believe Asher is like the rest of the boys that let themselves be part of her snake-charming game. Boys are the cobras, and Mallory is the snake charmer holding the pungi.

And Pet wonders how Mack feels about Mallory's interest in Asher. And she decides to ask him about it later. In the meanwhile, the eye contact between Asher and Pearl is interrupted by Mack's words as he keeps talking about whatever they were talking about before.

Pet gets up, starting to walk away from the bleachers. The school is big enough for her to walk around for a good while and distract herself from the thoughts forming in her head. She's trying really hard to not overthinking Heath's intentions, whichever they are, but it seems like an impossible goal to achieve each minute.

When football practice ends, and all the players are in the dressing rooms, the only ones on the field are Asher and Mack. She approaches them, quietly, not wanting to interrupt their conversation. "Elijah talked to me about it, but I'm not sure," Asher speaks.

"If you're good, it might be your chance. I tried, but Heath didn't think I was football player material," Mack shrugs.

"Isn't the coach who decides who's in and who's not in the team?" Confusion fills his voice, to which Mack responds with a shake of the head.

"I'll tell you about it some other time," he says and looks at something behind Pet. It's the team coming out of the dressing rooms. They wait for Elijah to come, but after a few minutes, it gets tiring. All the other players had already left; she wonders what can take him so long.

Pearl groans, making her way to the dressing rooms with big strides. When she's standing in front of the door, everything stops. Through the small window, she can perfectly see two people kissing. Their hands all over each other, causing Pearl the need to throw up. And that feeling is the thing that makes her react and get out of there as fast as she can.

Once she is far enough, she rests her back against a locker, and covers her eyes, wanting to forget the repulsive image of her brother making out with Imogen Johnson.