Hi guys, sorry it's been awhile. Been working on all sorts of pieces, for different things, but here is chapter 19, the perks of the bad boy. I hope you all enjoy! Be sure to let me know if you are team Ladriann, or Ariann in the comments below!

(Special thanks to ahimah for making my new chapter banners!)

xoxo, 

      PaintMeAPicture.

"I'm hungry." I protest.

"I am fully aware of your famine," she replies through her gritted teeth.

"Then why won't you take me to the food court?" I lurch forward, as she yanks my arm with her hand, guiding me through the mall.

"We will eat later. We have shopping to do." She answers, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Is that Marley and Britt?" I ask, squinting through a crowded shopping window.

"Who and who?" Khloe lets go of my arm.

"These juniors who are always in the back row of detention with me," I respond.

"Still not ringing a bell..." she says for the obvious reason of her not ever attending detention.

"They're the two wearing the drug rugs," I point.

"Adriann! Put your hand down, it's rude to point." She smacks my arm.

"Sorry, Mom." I roll my eyes. "What are they doing in there anyways?"

"Let me fill you in, since this land is so unknown to you. That's the pothead store." She points to the storefront.

"Now you're the one pointing," I cross my arms.

"They sell stuff to underage kids. God knows how that store is still open," she shakes her head, and suddenly once again grabs my arm, yanking me towards whatever girly store she shops at.

"You know, walking is an awful lot of work, I'm curious how much further?" I whine.

"I think you're better off not talking," she advises.

"Life would be so boring without my words of wisdom," I remind her.

"Agree, to disagree." She drags me up a staircase.

"Where are we going to find mascot outfits anyways?" I press.

"We're in a land of opportunity, Adriann. Just use your imagination." She continues to drag me up another flight of stairs.

"I can't quite imagine finding a pirate outfit here," I retort.

"Sure you can, a flowy top, some black pants, a belt and a pair of tall boots." Finally, we enter a store, one that I did not quite catch the name of.

"Maybe you can see yourself wearing that, but I cannot." She drags me straight towards the summer clothing. Sure enough, as a far as the eye can see, a variety of flowy white tops hang on display.

"Look, this would be nice on you." She pulls out a shirt from a rack, one I know she is currently observing, finding every difference from the other tops, even though I only see the same shirt throughout the store.

"Can't we just find like a Halloween store or something?" I cringe away from the top.

"Do you think it's October? Honestly you are so clueless sometimes." She shakes her head at me, and shoves the shirt in my face. I give in, accepting the hanger.

"I assume you are paying for this, right?" I squint at the back of Khloe's head.

"If it means I can get you to wear something tight and sexy, then yes." She nods.

"Alright it's a deal if you pay for Thai food," I hold out my hand for her to shake.

"Fine." She rolls her eyes, and dismisses my hand. She suddenly takes my hand, and guides me to another section of the store, and begins rummaging through skirts.

"A skirt? Really?" I groan, squinting at the skimpy material.

"Do you want Thai food or not?" She hands me a maroon, ruffled skirt.

"I'm no fashion expert, but even I can call this hideous." I refuse the skirt.

"You think all skirts are hideous," she reminds me, tossing the skirt onto my head.

"But a mini skirt?" I raise an eyebrow.

"It's not even a mini, it goes to your knee." She corrects me.

"You mean halfway to my knee," I hold the skirt up to my waist.

"I'm buying you Thai food!" She yells.

"Right, sorry." I mutter.

"You go try those on in the changing room, and I'll bring you everything else." She points towards the back of the store.

"Goodness gracious, Khloe. You're pointing again." I giggle.

"Go!" She screams. I do as she told me, and follow her finger to the changing rooms. Before I find an open stall, I spot a group of girls coming in and out of a family stall.

"You look so great." One of them tells the girl that just stepped out from behind the curtain.

"My arms look so big in it though." She whines. I tune out the rest of the conversation, I really do not understand girls. I slip behind a curtain, and make sure there is not a single crack I can see out of.

Slowly, I undress, slipping out of my black crop top and jean shorts. I've been living out of Khloe's wardrobe since I left home.

I step into the skirt, tugging it up around my hips, until it settles in the middle of my chest. In the mirror I suppose it does look quite pirate-like. As I wonder if there is a better way of describing my skirt than the word 'pirate-like', I pull the white top over my head.

"Knock knock," Khloe calls from behind the curtain.

"Come in," I laugh at her nerdy greeting.

"Ugh you're so lucky you have me," she looks me up and down, and begins to tuck my shirt into the skirt.

"Quit sticking your hands down my skirt," I try to shimmy away.

"That comment will most definitely not draw unwanted attention," Khloe continues until the shirt is safely tucked away. I take another look in the mirror.

"I look like a teenage hippi going to Coachella." I shake my head.

"I'm not near done with you," Khloe replies, stepping in front of me. She wraps a very thick, leather black belt around me, and buckles it. "And these," she tosses a pair of boots at me.

"Khloe, I can't wear those." I snort.

"Sure you can," she picks them up and again tries to shove them down my throat.

"People will think I'm a prostitute," I smirk.

"People already think you're shady," she shrugs.

"Not in that way," I laugh.

"People have their theories," she shoves me onto a stool, forcing the boots onto me. Not only are they way to sexy, they are also at least two inches tall, and that is at least two inches too tall for me.

"Huh? I squint down at her.

"Forget it." She shakes her head.

"So, we did not discuss these boots in our deal, therefore I expect thai food and a large fountain drink." I fold my arms, as she laces up the shoes.

"Deal, You change, I'll go pay." I realize the lengths Khloe will go to in order to see me dressed like a female are a little extraordinary.

----------------------

"I have never seen someone eat so sloppily." Khloe stares in awe, as I gobble down my precious thai food.

"Get used to it," I reply, while chewing a mouthful of rice.

"You're so disgusting." She rolls her eyes.

"Pft." I take a sip of my coke.

"So, let's get down to it then." She changes the subject.

"Down to what?" I lift my head from the cardboard box of calories.

"Who you're going to ask to homecoming, obviously." She dismisses me with a sassy hand.

"No one?" I guess, praying she will leave me be.

"Wrong answer," she responds.

"Then who? Please fill me in." I say, sarcastically.

"Luke Solton." She adds emphasis to each vowel.

"No way in hell," I wipe my mouth with a crumpled napkin.

"Why not?" She raises an eyebrow.

"Khloe he has rejected me more times than I can count on all ten of my fingers." I shove the two of my hands in her face.

"Did you ever actually ask him out?" She presses.

"Well, no. But--" She cuts me off.

"And when you tried to kiss him, did he try to talk to you?"

"Kind of, but--" and again.

"So you really haven't given him a chance to tell you how he feels." She concludes.

"I mean you could say that, but trust me I'm quite certai--" one last time.

"No more. You are asking him to homecoming, and you are going to have a date. All because of me, might I add."

"Can I tell you a secret?" I ask, knowing she will answer yes.

"You know you can," she picks up my empty take out box. "But first let's throw this crap away." I rise from my chair, and follow her, carrying my empty fountain drink. She dumps the box in the trash, and I mimic her movement. "Alright, walk and talk," she leads me out of the food court.

"So you know how we got interrupted at lunch the other day?" I inquire, rhetorically.

"Mhm," she nods, adjusting her grip on our shopping bags.

"I stopped talking about Luke when Ari came, because I think Ar has a crush on me?" I say the sentence as more of a question than a statement.

"Took you long enough to notice." Khloe mutters.

"You knew?" I turn to her.

"I assumed you did," she giggles.

"Oh my gosh," I facepalm.

"But you like Luke?" Khloe asks.

"That's the thing." I pause.

"Don't keep me waiting," she ushers.

"Well, yesterday, in rehearsal, I had to kiss Ari."

"And you liked it?" Khloe finishes for me.

"I think so?" I sidestep out of the way of an incoming family.

"Maybe you just liked kissing someone." She suggests.

"Maybe," I consider. "I know I like Luke, and I also know that I liked that kiss."

"Sounds like you should figure that out." Khloe infers.

"No duh, Dipshit." I clench my jaw.

"Just saying," she puts her hands in the air, innocently.

"So now what?" I looks to Khloe, not knowing how to handle a situation like this.

"We make a pros and cons list," she pulls out her phone, and begins tapping the screen. "Let's sit," she points to a bench along the display window of a store. Together we sit.

"How does this work?" I lean over Khloe, examining the chart.

"We come up with the good things about being with Luke and Ari, and the bad things. Whichever has less cons, you should choose. Got it?" She explains.

"Yeah." I nod.

"Pros, Luke, hit me."

"Um," I take a moment to consider. "Very attractive."

"Give me more," she pressures.

"Live together." I add.

"Continue," Khloe urges.

"He's funny," I cross my legs.

"Good," she gestures.

"He's a junior?" I try.

"Irrelevant...but I'll put it on there." She writes it in. "Any more?" I search my mind for more good things about Luke Solton. There are so many wonderful aspects to the boy, but I don't know them yet. He's so quiet.

"Not that I can think of." I cup my cheek with my hand.

"Cons," she changes.

"Alright," what is wrong with Luke? As someone who worships every single thing he does, it is quite difficult to think of bad things about him, but he has done a few things that hurt me. "He's kind of shady."

"Sketchy, got it." She looks from me to the phone, expectantly, as I take my sweet time to come up with something else.

"Plays mean jokes on me," I think back to the other night in his bed.

"Cruel Prankster," Khloe tests the title.

"I don't know if he likes me," that's definitely a con.

"Unsure of feelings." She types.

"He's a junior." I repeat.

"That should really be cancelled out," she deletes the phrase from the pros side. "Alright let's tally."

"Three pros..." Surely I must care about Luke for more than three reasons, right? I guess I did have a massive crush on him, before I knew a single thing about the guy, but still.

"Three cons," Khloe counts.

"So we're back to square one then." I sigh. A god damn tie. Of course. My luck is impeccable. "This is kind of pointless, let's stop." I stand up from the bench, brushing my shorts off. I guess I'll never know whether on paper Ari turned out to be the perfect guy.