Side Note: Camila is meant to be pronouced "Kah-ME-Lah"  and therefore her nickname Mila is naturally pronouced as "ME-Lah"

Chapter 2: Player Or Bad Boy?

            I chose Marshall.

            If it’s one thing I didn’t trust in this world, it was Fate, and to determine something as important as my future career, I wasn’t going to let anyone – or anything – take control of it. Still, Todd tossed that quarter in the air; though I didn’t ask him which guy Fate wanted me to go after, and because of my lack of curiosity, he didn’t bother to tell me either.

            At school the next day, I quickly sought out Marriah Kendrick the moment I entered the building. Besides Todd, I had no other friends in school, but Marriah was often someone I could confide in since she was just as serious and goal-orientated as I was. An antisocial Goth with purple streaks in her shoulder-length, black hair, she had a niche for snooping and was the only member in the newspaper club.

            “It’s impossible.” I made a face. Marriah’s always spoken in a deep, depressing tone and it couldn’t get any worse since she was always extremely pessimistic to top it off.

            “I didn’t even say anything yet.”

            “You didn’t?” She closed her locker which she had personally decorated with Halloween decorations since the beginning of September. It was now the beginning of May, not to mention we were going to graduate in less than 2 months, but who am I to question her personal taste. “How unfortunate.”

            “Enough with the small talk,” I said, pressing my back against the metal locker beside hers. “I need to find a guy named Marshall Pittsburgh.”

            Marriah didn’t ask me why. Instead, she turned to me and raised one lazy eyebrow in curiosity. “Impossible,” she droned with that apathetic moan. “He’s constantly surrounded by half-naked zombies. You’ll die if you go in alone.”

            “I have to try. It’s important.”

            “Don’t be stupid!” She screamed. “You’re just sacrificing yourself!”

            “I don’t mean to be rude, but really? What the hell are you guys doing?” I tuned my attention away from Marriah and watched Todd walk up to us with an uneasy expression. “What is this? Some kind of dark, war comedy?”

            “I asked Marriah to help me find Marshall,” I explained. “I don’t even know what he looks like, and if it’s anyone that knows the schedule of everybody else on campus, it’s Marriah.”

            Todd gave me a look of uncertainty. “And why would Marriah help you with something like this?” He turned to her. “Do you even know why Camila’s looking for Marshall?”

            “To destroy him.”

            I looked away and pretended I didn’t hear. Everybody has their own problems.

            Todd, on the other hand, blew up at Marriah’s remark – so much that his cheeks ignited and his freckles disappeared. “What?! Why would you even think that?!”

            Marriah replied with the same absentminded tone, her eyelids paused halfway like she was only semi awake. “Creatures of the Light must fade into the darkness or become one of our own.”

            We all took a break from talking after that. Clearly the conversation would have gone nowhere if it followed that last thread.

            “Camila wants to force herself to fall in love with him,” Todd explained.

            “Oh.” Marriah turned to me. “Well that’s a complete waste of time.”

            “Tell me about it.” I took a deep breath and sucked it up. “But I have to learn the meanings of Love within a month. Otherwise...”

            “Let me guess. You won’t get a role in that play you auditioned for yesterday.”

            My eyes widened. Besides my dad and Todd, I hadn’t told anybody else about it. “How did you know?”

            “I have connections like you won’t believe,” she groaned.

            “You’re sort of like Gossip Girl,” Todd suddenly said. “But you know, the eternally seeking redemption version.”

            “You watch that?”

            Todd smirked and fixed his glasses. “It’s a guilty pleasure.”

            Marriah didn’t reply, but instead got back on topic. “If you really want to find him, there’s a second way – a secret passage.”

            “A secret what?”

            “Passage.” She lifted her phone and showed me the time displayed on its screen: 8:30 Am. “Right about now, the Creature of Light is finishing up his morning practice in the gymnasium. In about a few minutes, he should be entering the male locker room, and taking a shower before class starts at nine. If you go in, you’ll be able to reach him with ease since there’ll be no zombies inside, but I must warn you.” Marriah’s eyes intensified as she stared into me. “There will be packages of meat.”

            “Packages of what?!”

            “I understand,” I said. “I will go.” 

            “What?! Camila, are you out of your mind? You’re just going to infiltrate the male locker room?!”

            “I’ve got no choice. I’d rather face a bunch of brainless jocks than a catastrophic groupie of bitchy high school girls.”

            Todd groaned since he knew I was correct. “Why can’t you just fall for me?” He complained, with a droopy frown. “That would make things so much easier. I mean, I’m not that bad, am I? I mean, I’m smart and I’m...” He stopped there.

            “What else?” Marriah asked absentmindedly.

            Todd turned to her with a new found sense of hopelessness. “Girls like smart guys right?” He murmured.

            “Not in my books,” she grumbled. “The last time I checked, there were only three types of guys girls go for: the cute guys, the bad guys, and the rich guys.” She gave him a quick look up and down. “Frankly, I just don’t think you’re ever going to be any of them.”

            “I’ll be a rich guy,” Todd snapped, “as soon as I complete my time machine.”

            I left them to bicker on their own so I could find Marshall.

            By the time I reached my destination, the gymnasium was exactly how Marriah had predicted – empty, minus a few students disappearing in and out of the storage as they picked up pieces of used equipment. I quickly made a beeline to the male locker room and when I sensed no one watching my presence, opened the door and walked inside.

            It smells.

            That was my first thought. Then I realized I was in the presence of a lot of half-naked jocks – all frozen mid-action taking off their clothes as they stared at me silently.

            I tried a smile to show them I mean them no harm. “Hello boys,” I said. “I come in peace.”

            “Ho ho ho ho holy crap!” Someone screamed. “It’s a girl!”

            “What the f–?! What the hell is a chick doing in here? You can’t be in here.” Mr. Basketball Player laid one hand on my shoulder before someone jumped him from behind and pulled him away.

            “Are you insane?! Don’t touch her! Don’t you know who she is?” Fear was all I could read from his expression. “Hair as black as night, eyes as clear as the sky – easily the hottest girl in school.” He swallowed hard. “It’s her. It’s definitely her. Ca- Camila Jones.”

            A loud whisper spread through the locker room as they repeated my name either in shock or in panic. From the way they looked at me, I almost expected them to get down on their knees and bow next, but they didn’t.

            “Don’t worry,” I told the crowd. “I didn’t come here to cause trouble. I only came because I’m looking for a person – a certain someone named Marshall.”

            The room remained quiet for another moment before someone the size of a tall gorilla – and perhaps just as hairy – stood and spoke up. “Um... if you mean Pittsburgh, he’s in the back.”

            His eyes trailed to the end of the locker room, and I followed them to a blue door at the back with a dandy, little sign that read ‘shower’ in the middle. “So he’s in there?”

            “Yeah.”

            I stared at it. “Okay then. Thanks.” I marched forward.

            “Wait! You’re actually walking in?! Are you out of your mind? They’re not just going to be wearing underwear in there! They’re going to be completely naked!” His eyes widened as if he feared I wasn’t getting the point. “Like completely.”

            “It’s something that I have to do,” I explained. “At whatever the cost.”

            Before he said anything else, I moved on ahead and pushed through the blue door. Immediately a burst of light blinded me, and when my vision cleared just enough for me to view my surroundings, I knew exactly who Marshall was out of the three guys inside the shower room. It didn’t matter that I’ve never seen him in my life and it didn’t matter that I didn’t have a single description of what he looked like – the moment my eyes found him, I just knew.

            Indeed, there could have been a billion reasons why Marriah nicknamed Marshall the Creature of Light, but apparently she chose the most simplistic one. He was like a Greek God – tall with golden blonde hair and creamy white skin that captured just the perfect hint of the sun’s kiss.

            And even more than Marriah’s little nickname, I realized why he was one of Ridgedale’s recognized princes. He was gorgeous. Completely. Head to toe.

            Unfortunately, Marshall turned out to be a complete idiot. Gorgeous yes, but he had about the same amount of brain cells as a sea sponge – if not less – and I arrived just in the nick of time to watch the three guys inside the shower room slap each other with wet towels and then giggle like school girls as they sprout out silly masculine lines.

            “Ha! That’s payback bro. Take it like a man.”

            “Take it like a man,” the other one chanted. “Take it like a man!”

            “Oh yeah? You guys are so going to get it now.” Slap! “How’s that for damage!”

            This was precisely one of the reasons I didn’t do love. Maybe girls were just naturally more mature than their male counterparts, but if I had to find a guy that matched my own levelheadedness, his age would most likely exceed a hundred.

            “Is it fun?” I asked. “Slapping each other’s butts with a wet towel – is it fun?” They stopped and turned to look at me with a shocked expression before they started panicking and hiding what they could hide with their hands and legs.  

            “Holy crap! How did a girl get in here?”

            “Are you kidding me? She’s not just some girl. She’s... she’s Camila Jones!”

            “Ca- Camila Jones?” Eyes wide with alert, Marshall stared at me with tension before he relaxed and laughed. “Who’s that?”

            I interrupted their private little conversation with a few clicks from my black ankle boots. “I don’t have that much time,” I said. “Don’t test my patience. I’m here to speak to Marshall. Alone.”

            Marshall freaked out. “You’re- You’re not here to tell me you’re pregnant right? With my baby?”

            His friend elbowed him in the ribs. “You idiot! Have you even seen her before?”

            “I don’t know,” he hissed back. “Lately, girls – they all have the same face. I mean, I could have done it...”

            Just for kicks, I started rubbing my tummy. “Oh how did you guess? You’re going to be a father soon Marshall.”

            He almost started crying. “Oh sweet Jesus. I’ve finally done it.”

            “Don’t worry,” I muttered. “I was just joking to lighten up the mood.”

            If anything, Marshall only looked more terrified of me than he did two seconds ago. “Do you always joke with a straight face?”

            “Oh that?” I smirked. “Yeah, it’s a habit.”