Chapter Four: Thinking ‘Bout You

＊ Thinking ‘Bout You by Dua Lipa

Autumn POV

Damn him! Damn that nerd! Since the Math class in the second period, I kept listing down reasons on why the hell he was there in the alley that night, looking like a junkie. Now it was the seventh period and no matter how many hours I wasted thinking about him, I couldn’t come up with a proper answer. He was the top student in this school, so why would he do such a thing that could ruin his scholarship and possibly get him kicked out if his secret got out.

The most unimportant question that somehow still bugged me, though I tried to ignore, was, “Why did he kiss me?” My body shuddered as I remembered that kiss, it wasn’t a sloppy kiss, it actually felt nice. Despite the roughness of his lips moving on mine, there was something sweet, even tender about the kiss.

Stop thinking about the kiss, Autumn! It’s not important!

I knew I should’ve slapped him when he kissed me but instead I was too indulged in the kiss, totally consumed by it, which made me a total moron, who allowed him to touch me. I groaned at the realization.

“Hey, you okay, Autumn?” Mey, who was sitting beside me, leaned closer and whispered. It was an English test, and I’d finished it about ten minutes earlier then spent the rest of the time thinking about the nerd.

“Yeah, don’t worry. It’s nothing.” I nodded and gave her a small smile.

A familiar, annoying voice interrupted us. “Mr. Rodriguez, aren’t we supposed to do the test on our own?” It wasn’t Ellie Bitch Lawson if she didn’t use every opportunity to mess with me and my friends.

Joe raised one brow. “Yes, Ms. Lawson. That’s why it’s called a test.”

Speaking in her sweetest tone that made me want to puke, she gave him puppy eyes and pouted. “Then why are you letting Autumn and May do the test together?”

I was going to smack her lip-smacker, caked face onto her table, when her minion, Rosie—aka bitch number two—who was always in the same classes as Ellie, raised her hand and said, “I totally saw them talking, Mr. Rodriguez.”

Typical sidekick.

Ellie flipped her hair and smiled. “I thought there was no special treatment for anyone here in Carlton High.”

I glanced at Joe, who watched me with a look of pain on his handsome face. We both knew I didn’t cheat or anything, but Ellie putting him in the spotlight didn’t help. He closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them, I knew the decision was made.

“Ms. Summers, Ms. Wang, I’ll see you later after school to retake the test with a different set of questions. You have time until school’s over to prepare.” With that, he took my paper and Mey’s. I looked at my best friend and I could see she looked like she wanted to cry. Like I’d said, she was an innocent one, the sweetest soul I’d ever met. Things like this shook her though she did nothing wrong. It was the bitch’s fault.

I grabbed my bag from the floor and signaled Mey to follow me.

“Goodbye, cheater.” Ellie gave me an innocent smile and waved her long-nailed hands.

Turning around, I gave her a lopsided smile. “You know, Ellie, jealousy is a disease. Get well soon, bitch!”

“Ms. Summers, no swearing in class.” Joe’s tone warned me that he could not always let this kind of thing slide.

I shifted my gaze to him and shrugged. “Sorry, Mr. Rodriguez, I’ll see you later.”

“Are you really okay?” Mey asked me once we were outside. We had fifteen minutes left before the next lesson, so we decided to go to our lockers. “You’re not acting like your normal self.”

I put one arm over her shoulders and hugged her. “Yeah, just cramps.” I stopped and looked down at her. “I’m sorry though for dragging you into this.”

“Nah,” Mey shook her head, smiling, “Ellie’s a bitch. Everyone knows that.”

I widened my eyes and burst into laughter. “Wow!” Mey blushed. “Mey Wang just used a curse word, everyone!” We both laughed.

We were in front of Mey’s locker, which was only three lockers away from mine when I saw a movement and glanced up. The nerd was walking toward us. Behind his thick glasses, his eyes watched me like a predator watches its prey on National Geographic. He looked like his normal, boring self with a buttoned-up shirt topped up with sweater and brown pants. When he walked past us, he gave me a meaningful look and there was something in his eyes that sent shivers through my body.

I gulped and thanked God Mey was too busy talking about the upcoming Chemistry test, so she didn't realize I froze like a statue right there in the middle of the hallway.

* * *

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT BOYFRIEND, and you can’t expect someone to be perfect when you yourself aren’t. That was what I concluded after waiting for an hour and a half for Ashton to show up and pick me up from school.

My phone blinked. I glanced at the screen to realize it was from the group chat of the four of us: Jess, Mey, Norma, and me.

We made this group chat ages ago and it changed its name multiple times if not dozens. It went from The Chamber of Secrets to The Game of Phones, but currently, it was A Gaggle of Giggles, courtesy of Norma. Despite being popular and all, we are still girls and human beings so all of us were a part of at least one fandom. Looking at our username, you could probably guess which fandom.

Speaking of Norma, she was the one texting just now.

CupBTargaryen (Norma): Is he there yet?

17yearsOfSummers (me): Nope 😕

1DNarry4ever (Jess): Imma smack his fucking head and shove it into the nearest toilet 😡

AsianPotterhead (Mey): Did you give him a call?

17yearsOfSummers: I did 10 mins ago. He said he was on his way. Don't worry, baes 😚

1DNarry4ever: He better be 😒

CupBTargaryen: Ditch him! Come with us, we just bought tickets!

17yearsOfSummers: Tempting 🤔

They were going to watch the new Kingsman movie, and I was very tempted to ditch Ashton for Taron Egerton, but I’ve promised him to stay, and he texted me ten minutes ago that he was already on his way and “almost getting here”.

CupBTargaryen: Then get your pretty ass here, girl! 😂

17yearsOfSummers: Naw, bae. It’s ok. Y’all enjoy tho! XO 😘

1DNARRY4EVER: If u say so. Just holler if u change ur mind n I’ll be there asap 😉

I glanced at the clock on my screen before putting my phone back in my front pocket. Ten more minutes passed and still no Ashton. Totally annoyed, I went back inside the school and walked into the hallway. To cool me down, I took out my earphone and played my favorite song at the moment: Strip that Down by Liam Payne. I wasn’t a fan of One Direction or Liam Payne, that was Jess’ thing, but that song stuck in my head longer than I would’ve imagined could be possible.

I passed several empty classes and when it hit the chorus, my body swayed into the beat. I was totally zoned out until a voice disrupted my inner peace. “Enjoying yourself, huh?” I was not the type to be easily affected by something or someone, but the way he carried his question caused a stir in my heart and a shiver from the top of my head to the tip of my toes.

I knew that voice so well. Not because “I’ve known him my entire life” like those clichés movies, but because that’s the voice of a certain someone, who turned me into a total klutz a few nights ago in a certain alley behind a club.

When I turned around, his eyes held a hint of humor as they penetrated me with such intensity. It made me feel like I was busted for doing something wrong when I was clearly innocent. Well, I was not that innocent; I think that fact was well established. But for this matter alone, I was.

“Why? You like what you see?” I knew people usually blurted this line accompanied by raising their eyebrows or forming a sexy smile to challenge their opponent. Not in this case. The words rolled off my tongue followed by an eye roll. Unlike those other occasions, he wasn’t someone I wanted to impress. If anything, I was not only vexed about the stolen kiss. I was fuming.

“What if I say I do?” He licked his lower lip and the sight of his tongue reminded me of that damn kiss again. “What happens then?” When I didn’t answer, he let out a deep chuckle and smiled. “Don’t worry, you’re not my type. I prefer blondes. Not a crazy redhead.”

He deserved another eye roll. “Praise the Lord, the nerd said I’m not his type! Finally, my life won’t be a teenage drama movie bullshit.” I turned around and plugged my earphones again. He made me miss Liam’s amazingly sexy voice. Geez.

I turned to the right and entered a random empty class. I went to the back row and dragged a chair away from the table. As I sat, I put my legs up on the table and leaned against the back of the chair, finally able to build my inner peace once more.

Shawn Mendes’s beautiful voice was able to make me relax. I closed my eyes and let myself be seduced by the words he sang about begging for mercy. If only there was such a guy. Not even Ashton is that romantic. We’ve been dating for two years now, but the only romantic thing he had done was buy a bucket of roses on our anniversary.

What did I expect? Perfect boyfriends only existed in Nicholas Sparks’ books and Titanic.

Such a shame cos I have a romantic soul.

The song ended and another one about treating her better because she deserved a gentleman, followed. I smiled and wished Shawn didn’t live all the way in Canada. Chances are small, but it would surely be refreshing to know he lived in the same country as I do.

I blamed myself for being too engrossed thinking about how Shawn Mendes would be a perfect boyfriend that I didn’t notice I was no longer alone in the room. A figure stood right behind me, and by the time I realized the presence of another being, a hand covered my mouth.

“Ssshh. It’s gonna be okay, Baby.” That was the last thing I heard.