The Deal With The Bad Boy

Chapter Six

I had woken up on Saturday morning in my own bed, still in my red dress and no memory of how I had gotten there. My mouth felt like a sewer, and I was pretty sure I didn’t smell the most fragrant. I had dragged myself downstairs to be faced with the wrath of my mother who had lectured me about my ‘life choices’ and that I should be thankful that Jay had brought me home, who by the way was banned from our dinner table for two weeks for allowing me to get in such a state.  I had then been fed toast and sent back upstairs to have a shower and crawl back in my bed to sleep off the jack hammer that was trying to drill a hole in my head.

I had then spent the rest of the weekend wrapped up under my duvet feeling sorry for myself, my mum bustling in and out making excessive noise as she gave me water and tablets whilst huffing that this is what I got for being a drunken mess.

I had rung Jay who had informed me that he and Wade had found me in Archer’s bed passed out and that the high school bad boy had carried me to Jay’s car as unfortunately my best friend has the upper body strength of a middle school girl. 

I cringed majorly hard at his words, mortified doesn’t even begin to cover it, we had hung up after Jay had told me about his own twenty minute lecture that he had gotten off my mother as they tried to carry me between them up the stairs to my room.

On Monday morning, Jay picked me up, knocking the door hesitantly and thrusting a grotesquely over sized bunch of flowers at my mother with a mumbled ‘I’m sooooo sorry Mrs R’ before grabbing my hand and rushing me down the path away from my mother’s eye rolling and quirk of a smile.

Making our way into English, I dropped into my chair thankfully, Jay sitting in the next seat, rummaging in his bag for his books.  Looking up at the door, I watched as Wade entered the classroom, remembering how he had literally carried me out of the party, I quickly dropped my gaze before he could notice me staring. I sighed heavily as I rummaged in my bag for my things.

‘OK Cass?’ Jay asked concerned, looking up I nodded with a smile.

‘yeah I'm fine’ I replied placing my pencil case on to the desk and pulling out a pen.

Looking up again, I saw the bad boy was gazing at me, a smirk playing around his lips like he knew something I didn’t.  Tearing my gaze away, I peeked over at Jay who was digging in the bottom of his bag cursing.

‘Hey, Jay?’ I said tentatively as I played with my pen distractedly.

‘Yeah baby girl?’ my best friend replied absently.

‘I didn’t do anything embarrassing did I? when you found me at the party . . ‘ I asked hesitantly.

Jay shook his head immediately, ‘of course not Cassie, trust me, you were passed out when I got there, I’d have thought you were dead if you weren’t snoring so loud.’

My eyes widened as I covered my face with my hands, ‘what do you mean I was snoring?! How is that not embarrassing?!’ I hissed desperately.

Jay looked up at me in confusion, ‘I’ve heard you snore like a thousand times Cass, why would it be embarrassing this time?’

I groaned loudly as I slumped onto my desk, my face still hidden, ‘the bad boy was with you Jay! The bad boy heard me snoring! Why would you ask him to help you?’

Jay started to laugh, full on body shaking chuckles as I glared up at him through the c***k in my fingers, ‘babe, Wade was the one that found you and sent his friend to come and find me while he stayed to make sure you didn’t puke up and choke or something.’

I sat up quickly, my eyes snapping to the bad boy who was leaning forward at his desk, deep in conversation with Declan, oblivious to my horrified gaze.

Breathing in relief, I shook out my shoulders out, it looked like my anonymous status was going to work in my favour, I wasn’t even worthy of the time to tell others that I snore like a pig when I’m asleep.  Fine, I have a issue with a bone in my nose OK? It means I snore when I’m on my back, sometimes it’s so bad, my mum has to come in and roll me over. It’s not my most ladylike trait, but that’s not my fault, I was born like that, and mum couldn’t afford the surgery to fix it. As it doesn’t affect my breathing in anyway it would only have been done for a quieter sleep so really it would have been a waste of money to do it.  Jay had soon learned to bring earplugs when he sleeps over or place a pillow behind my back so I can’t roll over.

Shoving my embarrassment away, I pulled my reading book toward me, Jay doing the same just as the Literature teacher, Mrs Zian, walked in and told us we were doing quiet reading this session and that our homework would be writing a letter as if we were the character in the book to her beloved that she had left behind in her home town.

Waiting for her to sit down behind her desk and start marking paperwork, I placed my book in front of me on the table and looked over at Jay who was thumbing through the book with disinterest.

‘I’ve already read this six times’ he muttered, ‘I have the whole thing memorised, why am I even here if all we are going to do is read this period?’

Shaking my head, I whispered back, ‘well if you were a normal kid and played computer games, you wouldn’t have read half the library already.’

Jay looked over at me reproachfully, shaking his head in disappointment, ‘baby girl’ he muttered in disdain, ‘computer games rot your brain, literary works is the only true form of entertainment, well that and Mrs R’s film choices, they are deviiiiiiine!’

I rolled my eyes, Jay had his own gaming room with all the latest machines care of his ever-apologetic father, he would only play them if I begged him too and had even tried to sneak one of the older consoles into my room with a tv when I wasn’t looking.  I made him take those darn things back, I may be poor, but I don’t need charity! But man I was sad to see them being placed back in his car, it’s the closest I’ll ever get to owning something like that.

Suddenly Jay rose his hand, clearing his throat loudly as Mrs Zian raised her eyes in irritation.

‘Yes Mr Wells?’ she asked dryly.

Grabbing his stomach, my nerdy best friend gave out a feeble groan, ‘can I go to the nurse miss?’ he asked pitifully, ‘I don’t feel so good.’

Narrowing her eyes at him, Mrs Zian huffed, ‘fine, get going’ she grumbled as she went to drop her gaze again.

‘Can Cass come with me Miss?’ Jay added, his voice pitiful, ‘I feel a bit wobbly, I don’t want to fall down in the corridor with no-one around . . if something happened to me, my dad would be very upset, and I think it’s donation time soon isn’t it?’

The teacher rolled her eyes, ‘Miss Reynolds, please escort your very overly dramatic friend to the nurse so that she can tell him that he is fine, and he can freely skip the rest of this lesson’ she muttered. ‘Oh and Mr Wells, its not your father’s influence that is making me allow this absolute sham of an act, it’s the fact I know you’ve more than likely read that book cover to cover already so you being here and annoying me due to boredom is helping no-one.  Miss Reynolds, I expect you to read the chapters set in your own time to keep up, am I making myself sufficiently clear?’

Nodding immediately, I watched as Jay threw his stuff back into his bag beaming widely, only stopping for a second to beckon to me to do the same before throwing his bag onto his shoulder and standing up from his desk.  Following suit, I quickly cleared my desk and stood up, placing my arm around Jay’s waist supporting him as he gave another unconvincing groan, making his way to the front desk to receive our permission slips.

‘Mr Wells, Miss Reynolds, hurry up and leave my classroom before I change my mind, you are disturbing the other students’ Mrs Zion snapped in annoyance to our retreating backs.

‘Yes Mrs Zion’ Jay whimpered, shuffling his feet a bit quicker toward the door as I tried to keep up while keeping my grip on him.

Once outside, Jay shut the office door and spun around happily, ‘free! Free at last girlfriend! That was torturous, my poor brain almost melted from lack of stimulation’ he declared.

‘So what are we going to do for the rest of the hour?’ I asked, amused by his excitement.

Throwing his arm around my shoulders, he steers me toward the doors that leads outside. Pushing open the door and waving me through with a flourish he grins as I giggle and pretend to curtsey before heading out into the bright sunlight.

Making our way down the small incline, we head toward a large oak tree, Jay throwing himself down unceremoniously as I drop my bag and sit down beside him, leaning against the tree.

My best friend lets out a groan of appreciation as he rolls onto his back and starfishes in the grass under the shade of the tree’s branches.

‘Tell me Cass’ he moaned, ‘why are we not just skipping the rest of the day and going back to mine or to the cinema?’

I roll my eyes, ‘because you would never ever put your perfect attendance record in jeopardy unless you were dying’ I replied.

Cracking open an eye, Jay scowled at me, ‘you make me sound so . . . rigid’ he grumbled, ‘I can be a bad boy if I wanted you know.’

Raising my eyebrow, I smirked as I looked down at him, ‘really? Because I distinctly remember you coming to school when you had flu, your driver holding you up in your seat until you announced your attendance and then taking you to the nurse to get you sent home again’ I replied with a snort of laughter.

Flushing, Jay looks away from me, ‘that was one time baby girl, I hadn’t been sick in three years, do you know what that does to a guy like me?’ he demanded.

‘Makes you irrational and liable to stupid ideas that are not in keeping with your IQ?’ I shot back quickly.

Growling, Jay rolled onto his stomach, pushing himself up to his knees as an evil grin crept across his face, ‘you are going to pay for mocking me baby girl’ he whispered.

Yelping, I tried to scramble away as he grabbed my ankle, despite his skinny stature and pre-pubescent upper body muscle mass, the boy has a crazy strong grip. Before I know it, he’s dragged me onto the ground and is straddling my waist. Reaching forward, he begins to tickle me mercilessly as I scream in laughter, tears rolling down my face. You need to understand I am freakishly ticklish, literally, touch my sides and I’ll pee my pants. Jay only pulls out this particular card when I really push his buttons as he knows just how much I hate it. It’s like being tortured, I’d take being waterboarded over this any day!

‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry’ I scream, trying to push his hands away from me as I gasp for air.

‘Nuh uh baby girl, I want you to tell me that I am the smartest, most amazing, best looking boy you have ever seen’ Jay replies with a smirk.

‘I . . I . . .can’t . . breathe’ I choke out, kicking my feet as I try to dislodge him.

‘Say it baby girl’ the evil bastard shouts happily.

Giving in I struggle out, ‘you . . smartest . . most . . amaze . . best . . .guy’ between squeals.

Raising his hands, Jay grins widely as he replies, ‘you know it! I am awesome! You are so lucky to have me in your life.’

‘Yeah, not sure lucky is always how I’d describe it, now get off me you great lump’ I grumble, trying to sit up.

As Jay clambers off me and lays down on my right, I gaze over to the far side of the field, seeing a tall brooding figure leaning by the bike racks, I can’t make out his face but I get the feeling that he’s staring at me.