The Love Deal with Mr. Player

4. 20 ways to win a boy's heart

One day you will understand what you have done to me, but I will never understand why you have done all that to me.

4. 20 ways to win a boy’s heart

(Liana)

Asher might never know what hit him, but I knew exactly what was going to hit me.

The ball... His basketball.

Move, get back, my head screamed, but my body was frozen. I watched, wide eyed, as the ball sailed in air. It was fascinating. The way it twirled and danced in air.

"Move." Asher shouted. I looked at him and shook my head.

Thankfully I was not harmed. Trent pulled me away and Asher's ball fell down with a thud right where I stood just a second ago.

"You really wanna kill me?" I looked at him and he kinda looked scared. "Just because you’re afraid of failure doesn’t mean you can avoid it by killing me." I gave him my best confident, sarcastic smile.

This sarcastic smug Liana wasn’t original, she was forged, she was made out of necessity and she wasn’t exactly all me but I liked her more. She had some spine that I had lacked once.

“Me? Losing? Don’t you ever look at yourself in the mirror?” He said with a smirk.

Mirror. Mirror. Always the mirror.

"Grow up, Asher. Shallow water get muddied easily." I said with a sage smile.

"What are you-"

"I may not be beautiful, Asher. But I am not the ugly one here." I walked away.

***

After half an hour in the mall, I was bored as hell and they were all as angry as a raging bull. I shouldn’t have come.

I am hungry. Cookies. Cake. So hungry and so bored.

I can sneak out when they are not looking. I was planning my escape, when Riya yelled at me like a maniac.

“Liana Marie Stan, are you even listening to me?”

I almost jumped.

“You mad chick, what the hell do you want?”

“Go try this.” She handed me a pink dress.

Pink, really!

You liked pink. The pesky thing said. I knew it was my subconscious or whatever, but I called it pesky thing because it was always talking against me.

“I’ll look like a cotton candy in this. A bad looking cotton candy." I waved it at her. "Do you want me to be a laughing stock. I already am, without this." I gave her my best disapproving look. “Riya, this is not going to work, why don’t we go home and watch some scary movies and then take a nap?”

Oh, it sounds like heaven.

The idea sounded way more fun than wasting my precious time in the clothes jungle, which only had dresses from stone age.

Half Nakedness.

“No Liana, that’s not going to happen, go try this.” Sid cut me in and gave me another hideous red dress.

“Listen here, guys, I love you, but you know how I can get when I don't like something.” I said, giving them my best crazy look.

Sweet but psycho.

Harry almost backed away.

“I’m not going to wear any of this junk, so let us stop trying to make him fall in love with me and concentrate on making him fall from the top of the building. What say?” I gave them a hopeful look.

"No." Trent said.

“Ok, fine he doesn’t have to die, at least a few months in the hospital sounds so good to me, too.” I said with a crazy smile.

“Woman, you’re scary crazy.”

“I know. My psychiatrist said that to me too." I gave him a smile. "Do you want to know how crazy?" I said as I stalked closer to him.

"Save me." He looked at Sidney and Sidney shrugged.

"Not when she had that look in her eyes."

"What an amazing girlfriend I have." He said.

"I pity you, Harry banana. So this time, you are safe. But do something like what you did in the cafeteria yesterday, I will rip your heart clean out of your chest." I said.

***

After an hour in the coffee shop, we went to some shop nearby and this time I agreed with them to buy a cute black shirt and a pair of skinny jeans.This was just so that they wouldn’t lose their s**t and try to kill me in my sleep. This dress was in fact going to take a deep nap in the back of my closet.

“See you tomorrow at work.” I said to Sid as Trent dropped me off at home.

"Hey guys, do you know that we mericans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza each day, or 350 slices per second." She said with a smirk. "No matter Kerry's always busy.

Sid and I worked in Kerry's Pizza place, on Saturdays and Sundays.

Though my parents were well off, I still liked working for my own money. It was kind of satisfying to know that you have earned your paycheck.

I waved and ran away from my friends, in fear that they might change their minds and pull me out for another shopping spree, only to topple over and kiss the floor.

Ok, not my first kiss with the floor? It had always been the only kind of kisses I get.

I looked up to see Asher doubling over in laughter.

“I told you to make me fall for you, but here you are literally falling for me.” He gave me that infuriating smirk.

“Yes, I’m so in love with you that I can’t even walk straight.” I scoffed sarcastically and with a painful push I stood up with as much dignity as I had left. I rubbed my cheek.

“So why are you even here? Are you going to say sorry already?” I wiggled my eyebrows.

Was this some embarrassing coincidence or was fate clearly playing against me? I’d veto for the second – my fate just hated me.

“In your dreams. Now go and get ready for the dinner, everyone is already there.” His cold voice slightly, very slightly stung my heart.

“Oh being the gentleman that you are, you offered to escort a lady.” I sneered before walking away.

I wasn’t going to let anyone hurt me. He was not worth grieving over and he didn’t deserve my tears. If he was going to hurt me, I was going to hurt him back.

I was thankful to Asher though. If it hadn’t been for him, I’d still be that same dependent and fragile little girl Ana, who cried for everything.

But this Lia, she was strong and she could face problems. She could face every damn basketball life threw at her.

“You, a lady? Did you look at yourself?” His voice cut through my thoughts.

"I did. Did you? You totally need a personality transfer, but I am sorry you can't pay your way through it." I stood up and walked away.

***

After dinner, I slouched in the chair with a lazy smile on my face. I picked up the ice cream and started eating it, making a complete mess on my dress. I just didn't care.

“Guys." Mike called. I ignored. "Listen here, guys, guys.” Mike cleared his throat. I gave him a bored look before going back to drinking my now melted ice-cream.

He always did this like he was going to announce something life-changing, but every time it’d turn out to be something painfully plain and occasionally, even stupid.

“We’re going on a vacation.” He announced dramatically.

Wait. We are going on a vacation?

School wasn’t over yet. I love my parents. So cool.

“Umm dad, excuse me?” Asher asked, clearly baffled.

No, don't excuse him.

A vacation sounded too good to be true right now. I loved the idea of it. Just thinking about it made me feel happy and light and feathery. I closed my eyes, dreaming of warm sunshine on my face and beachy sand in between my toes and ice cream melting on my tongue and a hot guy in his trunks, showing off his...

Oh. God. Just the thought of it made me want to kiss my parents.

"Wait, where are we going?" I paused my fantasy half way and looked up at Mike. Mike gave me a look and cleared his throat again. He looked everywhere but me as he shifted in his chair. He kinda looked nervous as heck.

Something smells fishy. No. Definitely fishy.

"What is it?" I asked with a frown. Somehow I knew it even before the words left his mouth.

"We are going. You are not." Mike said almost in one breath.

"Whaaaaat?" I screamed.

"Lia, ssh, quiet." My mom said and I glared at her. "No, I don't want to be quiet. I can not be quiet. This is not fair. I want to go..."

“Do you think that is reasonable? You have only six months of high school left and you need to be here. You shouldn't miss classes.” My dad said with an amused smile on his face. Like he clearly enjoyed saying that.

"You and Asher are staying right here.” Carrie was straight to the brutal truth.

Asher and me? Staying right here?!

“What do you mean?” I yelled, after recovering from my shock.

Him and me? Alone? Not good. Not at all good.

“I mean Asher and you’ve to stay here and take care of each other.” This was my mom.

I snorted, clearly amused by my mom’s little speech. Asher and I taking care of each other!

“Like trying not to kill each other?” It was now Asher’s turn.

At this point we had to stand together, because we knew what the outcome would be if we didn’t. “I’m going to bunk with Brock.” Asher continued. He didn’t see the hard glare from Carrie and my mom. Sometimes they were so controlling for their own good.

Imagine two moms who’d continuously force you to go shopping with them, buy you dresses you’ve had nightmares of, spoil you with money, pester you about getting a boyfriend and living a life – Yes, I’ve two of those.

“No, that is not going to happen. Liana can’t stay alone.” My mom was angry now. She was rarely really angry.

“Let him bunk with Block or whoever and I can bunk with Riya or Sidney.” I took a pause between each word, like I was talking to five-year olds.

“It is Brock.”

Ok, really; after everything that I said, he had to correct his friend’s name? That was disturbing.

Everyone gave the two of us a stern look, including Bly and Shay – the little traitors – and I went quiet.

“You’re going to stay together and you’re going to keep our houses intact. If I find anything broken, I promise I’ll send you off to military school.” My dad trailed off. I knew, a simple protest and I’d end up cleaning the entire house.

First the love deal and now we were going to live in the same house. Yes, this was what I’d call a freaking fate.

“I’ve asked Martha to check the house frequently. She’ll come often to clean it." Carrie said.

"Asher, I want you to be in the house helping Liana like a real gentleman. I’d appreciate you not leaving Lia alone to be get killed by some robber.” Mike looked at his son.

What would he say if I tell him about the deal Asher had just made with me!

That is not real gentlemanly.

“Like really? If someone is going to kill me, it’d be him. Gentleman? This guy, he doesn't even know what it means. Mike, I’ve never thought you’re that dense.” I gave my uncle a stern look.

“So as everything is crystal clear now, I hope we can go and get some sleep. After all we’ve to pack soon We will be leaving in ten days.” Mike interrupted my protests.

“You’re going thatsoon? That’s very generous guys. Now, bid me farewell. I have to gather some self-defense tools.” I stormed away.

***

My head pounded like someone was hammering against my brain. If I died, I would come back and haunt them all. Every one of them.

Maybe, I should just call my friends over and have fun breaking the vases, dumping garbage in the pool, things like that. Having Harry in the house would be the right punishment.

My mom always feared Harry’s visits.

The first time he came to my house, he broke my mom’s favorite glass pitcher. The second time, he accidently stomped out my mom’s entire carrot patches. The third time, he ran around the garden with a garbage bag only to fall into our recently cleaned pool. These were the big ones.

While I was thinking about Harry, another thought hit me.

I had a deal to take care off, thanks so much to Harry, that frog brained i***t.

I decided I’d use the time to make Asher fall for me. Another one of my fantasies, but why not?

First of all, how could you make a boy fall in love? The sentence itself sounded uncanny. Then a perfect idea hit me like a lightning.

Google always has some answer. It doesn’t say no for an answer. If Google is a guy, I would be very attracted to him...

You are talking about a software.

So what... times are changing.

That was how I ended up looking at some hundred results and saved some of the promising ones.

"20 ways to win over a boy’s heart"

I had a doubt though, did Asher even have a heart?

___