"Give me the list. I'll go and get what's left while you wait here. It will save us time!" I suggest to my Mom later that day, after school, at the supermarket.

"Thank you. Here, there are only one or two things to get." She gives me the list, and I leave her there after throwing one last glance at the poor gawking fishes on the counter and the long line of people staring at them.

I walk quickly through the sections of the supermarket, barely noticing the products displayed on the shelves. I make my way easily to the section I'm looking for. I grab the kleenex in the middle of rows of make-up products, which I don't even glance at because I rarely use them, and I try to decode the last hieroglyphs of the list. My Mom has a lot of skills, but calligraphy is definitely not one of them! 

I'm so focused on trying to decode my Mom's writing that I don't see the sign 'Slippery floor', and next thing I know I'm slipping and plowing into someone, dragging him down with me. We both end up on the floor, me on him, and my face inches away from his face, a perfect face, strong jaw, luscious lips, eyes... ALEX CARTER!! I quickly pull away, my face heating up.

"Sorry, my bad, I..." I lose my words as I glance around and see a multitude of colorful rectangular boxes and multicolor little square packages all over the floor. I may be inexperienced in this matter, yet I don't need to look closer to know exactly what it is: condoms. All the blood rushes to my face in a burning turmoil, and I hear him chuckle over the loud hammerings of my heart. This triggers my survival instinct, and I try to get up, but I slip up again. I only end up redder as more boxes of condoms fall on us. I'm paralyzed, and there is only one thing left: I wish the floor would open up and swallow me all right now.

"YOU!! AGAIN!!"

This is not an earth-quake, yet my heart is quaking as hard. The disaster is a middle-aged woman showing up on the other side of the aisle. She's wearing a suit jacket in the bright red and blue colors of the store, so I guess she's a manager or something like this. She seems furious, and I can clearly see her eyes shooting lightning bolts behind her glasses.

"Enough is enough!! GET OUT OF THE STORE NOW OR I CALL THE POLICE!!" Two big security guys show up beside her, as if to prove her words.

I look at Alex Carter who seems totally unfazed; it's impossible to know what he is thinking. While, me, red as a beet, I'm oozing embarrassment and nervousness as I stammer my excuses, bringing the woman's lightning bolts on me too, "I-It's n-not his fault... I-I slipped on the slippery floor and–"

"I don't want your excuses! You BOTH get out of the store!!" She nods with an imperious lift of her chin to the security guys to 'escort' us.

This is the first time something like that happens to me. I'm left speechless and scared. I want to explain, yet I can't find my voice, and it seems useless anyway. So I hurry to get out with one security guy beside me, as if I was a dangerous criminal. While out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of Alex taking his sweet time, unimpressed.

We're each 'escorted' to a different entrance, and I'm thankful for that because I don't have to face THE bad boy after I've embarrassed myself and got him into trouble.

Standing near our car, I text my Mom to let her know where I am, and I feel eyes on me. When I look up, I see a group of guys leaving, and among them, one figure I recognize instantly with dark jeans a strong back wrapped in black leather: Alex Carter.

"What happened?!" my Mom asks me as soon as she joins me on the parking lot.

"Don't make me talk about it! It's really not my day!" I reply, starting to grab the bags from the cart and putting it in the empty trunk.

"I got something that will cheer you up!" She shows me a box of ice-cream, and my day instantly gets a little better!

"My favorite! Strawberry with–"

"White chocolate!" she finishes for me. She really knows me by heart. What would I do without her?! She's the best!

I try to hug her, but with our arms full of heavy bags, I offer her a smile instead, and she understands.

"A well-deserved reward after a hard day! You'll explain me everything later."

***

Here we go, in front of the school, the crucial moment has arrived.

Yesterday has really not been my day. This first day of school has been really... 'unusual', and I fear that today will be worst.

'Come on! You can do this! You've seen worse!' I try to encourage myself. But I don't know. Of course, I can endure humiliation and bullying; it's not the first time I embarrass myself, even though this one has been one for the books! Yet it's the first time I get a bad boy in trouble, and this is different. From what I've heard of Alex Carter, it's better to not get on his bad side: a guy who has scratched his motorbike has ended up in wheelchair for two months, he's once spilled all his lunch on someone just because he's passed him in the waiting line of the cafeteria, he's set fire to a 'client''s car who hasn't paid him..., and I've heard so much more! So I have reasons to be scared, and maybe transfer to another school, in another country, would be a good option! 

But right now, it seems I have no choice, so let's go. The better way is to go fast, head down, to try to get unnoticed.

At first glance, everything seems normal. I get jostled several times because 'they haven't seen me'. So nothing is out of the ordinary, yet I still hold my breath, and as soon as I spot Judy, I go meet her by the lockers because she knows all the gossips and news of the school.

"Hi, how are you? What's new?" I ask, trying to sound as natural as possible, and clearly failing miserably.

"Fine and you? Do you know the last news?"

I swallow hard and manage to find my voice through the big lump in my throat. "No, what happened?!"

"Wes and Bettany broke up! So it means one of the hottest guys of the school is single!" She grins widely, stretching her pink lips like a Cheshire cat, and I don't even hear the rest. Relief washes over me, and I can breathe again, well at least for now. I haven't seen Alex Carter or his band yet.

"Are you listening to me?!" I see a perfectly manicured hand waving in front of my eyes.

"Yes, yes, I was just thinking about some stuff I have to do..." I start fiddling with the zipper of my bag.

"Are you sure you're alright? You seem to have your head in the clouds even more than usual!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, for now..." I frown at the sight of my apple at the bottom of my bag.

***

The morning has gone quite well. I haven't had any classes with Alex Carter, and I haven't seen him. Moreover, I haven't heard any whispers about my epic stunt. After all, maybe he has already forgotten and has some more important stuff going on; I mean I'm a nobody, and he's at the top of the food chain. Or maybe he's planning his merciless revenge? I don't know yet, and I can't think about it now because I'm late for my first course of the afternoon. I've lost track of time as I've been too engrossed in my book once again.

Now, it's the second day of school, and I'm already running through the hallways, rushing to get to class.

I put my phone in silent mode as I get to the door – because a loud phone ringing bringing attention on me is the last thing I want – and that's when I run into a hard chest.

"Sorry, my bad," I automatically say without even looking up.

"You? Again? I'm starting to think you run into me on purpose..."

No! Please!! This can't be...?! But when I slowly lift up my gaze, following up the swirling black patterns on the navy tee-shirt, I'm met by the smirk I've heard in his words and that I've been dreading to see: Alex Carter's irresistible smirk. Why him out of all the people in this school?! I blame my bad luck!

"What?! No! It's not my fault! Well... it's m-my fault, but I.. I didn't do it on purpose... it was an accident." I'm talking about today but mainly yesterday. "I'm just... clumsy," I confess.

"Then, maybe it's the universe sending us signs..." His handsome yet annoying smirk grows through a dimple on one side.

"What?! Er..."

"Though yesterday was more obvious!" he adds with a glint in the eyes.

"Ahem, I hope we're not disturbing you the latecomers?" I jump as the professor interrupts us. I don't even dare to look at him; his severe, monotonous tone is giving enough away about his annoyance."Do you want us to introduce you? Do you think it's the 'get to know each other' time?"

I realize everyone is already seated and staring at us.

"No, thanks. We've already met at the condoms' section of the supermarket," Alex Carter replies smugly, without a hint of embarrassment.

Has he really said that?!! I pray my ears have misheard, but I doubt I could quite invent something like that, and I won't ask him to repeat. Redder than before – if that's even possible – I quickly go to my seat. I don't glance anywhere else than my desk, feeling all the eyes on me burning my skin, and I hide the best I can behind my long hair, shrinking in my seat and once again wishing it would swallow me all.

***

"This is NOT what you think!!" I state as soon as we exit the classroom.

"Oh?! Really?! Because it seems to me you've got pretty 'close' with Alex Carter!" Judy insists on the word 'close' as her blue eyes are twinkling deviously. "I didn't know you were such a naughty girl! You keep your cards well hidden! Did you ask him for advice?!" she asks with a wicked smile.

"Don't you know Alex Carter is bad news?! He's a bad boy, a player, a delinquent!" Lisa comes beside us, her serious features showing the complete opposite of Judy's.

Actually Judy and Lisa are the total opposite, and it's even more obvious by their characters than their contrasting hair colors. Lisa is a good girl, a goody-two-shoes, even more than me, and that's saying something! She's a serious girl who never steps out of line and works hard at school, even though she doesn't have good grades.

"A hot delinquent!" Judy grins.

"He's dangerous!" Lisa argues.

"STOP!! Can you please listen to what I have to say!" They both shut up and look at me with wide eyes.

"I just slipped on the floor at the supermarket and ended up falling on him. You know my clumsiness and my bad luck. Nothing more!"

They both burst into laughter and I stare at them unamused.

"At the condoms' section?!" Judy asks between fits of laughter.

"Yes," I reply calmly. "This is not funny."

"Well, you gotta admit this is comical!" Lisa says, and I'm at least glad that my doom is making them agree on something.

"Hilarious!" I say, my face staying stoic, but they seem to be oblivious of my sarcasm, so I add, "And now, everyone knows it! It's the second day of school and I'm already humiliated!"

"Everyone knows you've met him at the condoms' section, not how." Judy stops her hysterical laugher to point this out in a matter of fact tone.

So, here we go, they've got introduced properly, well kinda! ;)

What do you think of Alex so far? And Elena's stunt? ;)

And did you expect this from the title of the chapter? ;)

I hope you like this story, please let me know what you think in the comments, vote, add to your library... 

I am new here, so your help and your opinion are more than welcome :)