Reese

I was currently in shock about the slap I just received from Noelle.

“Are you crazy? What the hell did you just do? You kissed me? Why did you kiss me?” she said, jumping down from the counter to face me.

I smiled at her before raising my eyebrows in a confused manner. I had wanted to kiss her so bad that I couldn’t get through the first base with the cheerleader because I kept seeing someone else's face.

“You don’t remember?”

“Remember what? Don’t ever do what you did again, am definitely not one of your flings,” she said, walking out of the bathroom.

I groaned when I realized we were both drunk that night. I was drunk and she was too, but a little drunk than I was. And we all had people who forgot bits of their memories when they got too drunk.

Stepping out of the bathroom to the cafeteria, I walked over to my table where Lucas, me and some friends from our school’s swim team seated. Which meant one fact; Lucas and I were on the swim team. I was a swimmer not because I sucked at other sports, but because I didn’t like getting soiled in the dirt.

“Dude, let’s head to the beach after school to catch some waves,” Matthew, one of the guys on the swim team said, eating his lunch. I pulled his tray towards me and started eating lunch. He opened his mouth to retort but closed it. He wasn't stupid enough to talk back at me.

I turned my head to Aria’s table a few feet away. Our school cafeteria was a large hall with a lot of circular tables and gross food. Due to the large body of students, the cafeteria was extended to having an upper floor. Most all seniors sat in the upper level.

Aria and Noelle’s table was a close second to ours by the left and the cheerleaders and the football jocks table was situated by the right.

“I clearly don’t understand why Lucas is pinning over that girl," Lewis, my other best friend sitting next to me whispered to me.

"Me too Lewis," I whispered back.

Munching on my taco, I got to thinking that I was overreacting too. I should tell Lucas, but later—at the beach.

I listened and laughed silently as the guy's conversation moved to practice later today. “I needed to get laid.” I muttered under my breath.
  

Noelle

I stormed out of the girl's restroom, fuming. What was HE even doing in the girl’s bathroom anyway?

Getting in the lunch line, I waited for my turn. The line started moving and soon, I paid for my lunch and walked over to my table. I dropped my tray before taking my seat in the middle of Aria and Saph. They were both in a deep discussion about things we should do after graduation which was months away. I mean, it was still early, we just got into senior year like two months ago.

Ignoring the loud chattering from the students in the cafeteria, Sapphire was yelling eagerly over the noise. “So I was thinking…we should take a road trip to Venice for a few days and then, we move to L.A.”

Sapphire became one of my best friends some weeks into the freshman year. She didn’t understand why her parents named her after gems but it really suited her.

“Love it! I think Matt would be in town then,” Aria said, her face turning a slight shade of pink. Matt was Aria’s boyfriend. He got into college last year and they have been together for two years. When they started dating at first, Lucas, spray painted his house for making a move on his ‘sister’.

“Noelle, are you listening?” Sapphire asked, turning her attention to me while munching on her apple. She was the foodie of our little group, chewing on almost every food she laid her hands on.

“Yeah, sure, great plan guys! Maybe we could also drive to California?” I said, twisting my orange juice cap and took a sip.

“Hey, guys, what’s up?” Aaron, a friend of ours said as he sat next to Aria.

“Hey Aaron,” we all chorused.

“And there is Noelle, looking beautiful as ever." Throwing a curt nod in his direction, I dig into my taco. We ate in silence till Aaron spoke up, “hey. Elle, what were you fuming about when you came out of the bathroom?” he asked.

I almost choked cause of his statement. Don’t get me wrong, I love Aaron...as a friend but sometimes he creeps into my private business like a stalker.

Gulping down the rest of my juice, Aria smacked him playfully on the back. “Stop with the questions. Do you want to kill her?”She said. Aaron opened his mouth to reply but shut it anyway, leaving our table in silence again. With the student's chatter as the only sound hovering around us.

Aaron Cross was a senior football player on our school football team, one of the co-captains. He had dark short brown hair, high cheekbones and light brown eyes with a normal muscular body. He was a player, or should I say, former player—through his freshman and sophomore year; he was wild, he partied hard, threw parties, did drugs and slept with have of the girls in the school population.

He went into rehab a few months before junior year when he almost died of drug overdose in his 'parents-free' home.

Coming back to school for the junior year, he admitted changing his ways and apologized to me for trying to get in my pants after meeting me for the first time at one of the last parties he threw before been rushed to the hospital and then a rehab. We became friends and the rest is history.

But rumors still went around about his sudden change. Somewhere had to do with; he got a girl pregnant or he had seen the light—which was what Aaron said. And the most common was he found the girl of his dreams and didn’t want to make a bad impression, which would make her run for the hills.

Still transfixed about the fact that Reese Anderson kissed me about twenty minutes ago. I turned my head to their table. I was still confused, we never had a direct conversation, and we were always in the group with Lucas, Aria, and Sapphire.

Maybe he thought of me as a day fling or something, a voice at the back of my head said.

Shaking off the voice, I frowned immediately Reese took a guy's lunch. Of course, the poor guy couldn’t complain. Reese was the king of the school and popularly known bad boy.

The students chattered quietly among themselves about how he was involved in street fights and numerous community services as an alternative to prison time.

He, Lucas and Lewis was the famous trio in our school. They had looks, charm and were all on the swim team. Lucas was the funny one, Lewis was the gentle one with a killer smile on his cute face for everyone and dark red hair, an on and off player. While Reese, was another story.

Staring at Reese who was smiling wildly, his white teeth glistened. He was cute—who am I kidding! He was hot no doubt; I wasn't blind not to notice. His hair was tanned brown with light brown eyes and a chiseled jaw. His muscular body screamed model. His parents were loaded; he was the heir to the R.A international cooperations. He was a player, playing girls like tennis balls. He lived in Malibu, far away from his parents residing in Cherwood.

I quickly bowed my head to my food as he turned his head towards my table, I felt his gaze through my skull.

Aaron’s hand made its way to my food and I immediately swat away, growling “mine." Giving a toothy grin, Aaron threw his hands up in surrender and leaned more into his seat as the other girls laughed at him.

“Aaron, she could break your arms for you,” Aria said, chewing her on taco and Saph nodded in amusement due to her mouth been overloaded with souvenir junk.

Every day, I wondered where the food went.

“I don’t mind, besides its feisty and I like it?"

'Wait what,' a voice at the back of my head said, processing his words.

‘What’s to like about me eating?’