I stare at Leo in barely concealed horror.

"He's... Leo is your... Boyfriend?" I stammer. Yeah, I'm pretty sure the supportive act isn't going too well.

"Ye-" Jess starts to say, before Leo cuts her off.

"Well, we've not had that discussion yet, have we sweetheart?" I resist the urge to vomit as he kisses Jess on the nose. She smiles adoringly up at him, shaking her head happily.

"E-excuse me, I have to go do... A thing..." Having got out that brilliant excuse, I turn and walk as quickly as I can away from the pair of them. I really need to clear my head.

Jess and Leo. Jess. And Leo. Jess. And. Leo.

As you may have noticed, I'm struggling somewhat to come to terms with this.

Let me tell you a few things about Leo Dalton. Firstly, his appearance. Leo is what you might call 'classically attractive'. He's tall and muscular, with green eyes, dark brown hair, and one of the most ridiculous hair cuts on the planet. One of the ones that sort of sweep up and to the left, managing to defy both gravity and the basic rules of style. He also has a very good smile, and an even better smirk. The kind that could, given enough time and space, make a girl's underwear just disintegrate and fall off completely.

Which leads me on to point two. Leo Dalton is quite possibly the biggest playboy of all time. He's slept with every reasonably attractive girl who will have him; and trust me, everyone will have him. He also has frequent, and short lived, 'girlfriends', which is why I'm finding the whole Jeo thing so hard to deal with. Because every one of Leo Dalton's relationships has ended in exactly the same way: broken off abruptly by Leo, and leaving the girl completely broken hearted. That boy has broken more hearts than 'The Deathly Hallows' did. Trust me, his relationships always end in disaster.

Something tells me that Jess isn't going to be any different.

Lost in my worries, I crash right into someone's chest.

"Shit!" I almost yell, which of course makes everyone stare at me even more. "Sorry..." I look up at the person who I've walked into, already blushing furiously.

Okay. He's cute.

The guy standing in front of me is around four inches taller than me, with sandy blonde hair and a slightly confused look on his face. I recognise him immediately; Noah Lynch. He was new this year, but already he's one of the cool kids, with his good looks and sporting ability. He's almost the worst person I could've walked into; the worst person would have been the one who I'm currently running away from.

Noah smiles down at me, taking in my appearance. I hitch my backpack up higher, feeling a little self conscious. "No worries," he says cooly.

Oh god. Social interaction.

I do a weird mixture of a nod and a shrug, and end up doing a sort of chicken movement with my head. I bite my lip hard, trying to hold back the awkwardness I can feel rising up in myself.

"I like your hair," Noah says, gesturing in its general direction. My hair is turning out to be something of a talking point today.

I shrug, looking at the floor. "Thanks. I like your..." My brain searches desperately for something normal and non-flirtatious to compliment. "...Socks?"

On the plus side, that's definitely not flirtatious.

Noah raises his eyebrow, and I hear a few titters from the small crowd of onlookers. "Right... See you around," he says, grinning at me before walking past me with his friends.

Wait - did he just wink at me?

I lean back against the lockers, trying to calm down and forget my own social awkwardness.

"So, you bite your lip?"

Wonderful. Leo is exactly what I need right now. Thanks, universe.

I look to my right, seeing him leaning against the wall two lockers down from me. He has a slightly amused expression, which makes me want to punch him. I shrug, "I'm trying not to."

"Because it's a bad habit?"

"Because it's a sign of weakness."

Leo laughs, looking at the ceiling. "Well aren't you a joy to be around."

"As much as you are," I mutter. "Shouldn't you be with Jess?"

"She had to go to class."

I look over at him, trying to gauge his expression. "You better be good to her, Dalton."

Leo rolls his eyes. "I will, I will."

I shoot him a death glare. "I mean it. This can't end badly."

The bell rings, and Leo starts to walk off to class. "It won't end badly, I promise."

***A/N: Can you guess what happens next? Comments and votes are always appreciated 😊

Thea x***