Chapter 2 : The Deal

Deborah’s POV

I don't know what I was hoping for. Maybe I was hoping for the ground to open up and swallow me whole. Or maybe I was hoping I had confirmed that Caleb was alone before I baring my heart to him and telling him my secret. Or maybe I was hoping for Caleb to stand up for me and stop Olivia. 

But as I looked at Caleb, then at Olivia, then at all the students that had gathered around me, pointing fingers at me and laughing at me, I felt my face wet. I touched my face and realised I was really shedding some tears and that gave Olivia all the satisfaction she needed. 

Unable to stand there anymore, I ran out of Caleb's dorm, absolutely embarrassed. As I pass through the hallway, several of the students laugh loudly at me. “What's going on, Debby? You're trending on Olivia's i***a,” Charlotte, my best friend, mouthed to me as she saw me with an apologetic look on her face.

I couldn't answer her nor could I return to my room to cry in peace as Olivia had said. Everywhere I turned, it seemed people were waiting for me there, waiting to criticise me or to laugh at me for still being a virgin. It also seemed they were running after me as well–because why did it seem like footsteps were following me?

I turned back briefly and truly some of the students were running after me, with their phones clutched in their hands like they were still videoing my run of shame. 

As I got to the end of the hallway, only two escape options remained—the gym and the male locker bathroom. I couldn't go to the gym because there was no place to hide in there as all the work out machines were in one open hall. And the male locker room was out of bounds for females for obvious reasons. 

“Deborah, the borer, come take a selfie with us,” I hear Olivia's voice. 

“We want your autograph, borer,” one of her minions called far behind me. 

Left with no choice, I ran into the male locker bathroom hoping that it was completely empty as practice ended more than two hours ago. 

As soon as I enter, I lock the door behind me and rush to hide in one of the bathroom stalls with my head facing the floor because I had no inclination to know what the boys bathroom looked like. 

As I took a few hurried steps, my body suddenly collided with something hard, making me jump in shock. With my heart racing, I lost my balance for a moment, my hands instinctively reaching out to steady myself as strong arms reach out to hold me steady at the same time.

 I freeze, holding my breath as standing in front of me is Liam Reynods, with his chest bare and wet and a towel wrapped around his waist, it was obvious he had just finished taking a shower. 

Before either of us could say anything, Liam's towel drops on the floor. “Huh!” I gasp, keeping my head at his eye level, “did your towel just fall?” I ask. 

“Why? Do you wanna sneak a peak?” Liam asked in a cocky voice, looking down at his body.

Unable to hold it in any longer, I burst out in tears as this wasn't how I had pictured my day or my confession to go. 

“Oh, come on. It's not that bad,” Liam said, his hands still around me. But I don't realise that as my tears pour out more. 

“I just told Caleb that I was in love with him, but then Olivia was there and now the whole school is gonna know that I'm a…” before I could complete my statement through my tears. 

“Virgin,” I hear Olivia call from the other side of the door, her hands hitting against the door like she knew for sure that I was in here. “Are you in there trying to slip on some guy in the shower?” she asked as I heard her minions chuckling excitedly beside her. “Come on, I know you're in there, Virgin. I can smell library dust and eyeglass cleaner,” she added as she rattled the door knob. 

Without realising it, I shrunk further into Liam's body hoping that I would just disappear and totally avoid the disaster that was about to happen if Olivia caught me in there.

In one swift move, Liam moved me to one of the bathroom stalls. Then quickly moving back, I hear Liam bend to pick up his towel, securing it tightly around his waist before opening the door.

“Oh Liam,” I hear Olivia say, disappointment clearly dripping from her tone.

“There are no virgins here, but you already knew that right?” Liam says with a playful smile on his face. 

“Goodbye, ex-boyfriend,” Olivia said with a roll of her eyes, then she turned and walked away, but not before both her minions sneak a peek into the room. 

As soon as I heard the door lock back, I breathed a sigh of relief, “thank you,” I said to Liam as soon as I came out of the bathroom stalls. 

Wiping my tears with my palm, I decided to go to my room since the coast was clear, but as I walked past Liam, his hand held on to my arm, stopping me. “Oh not so fast, Deborah the ignorer,” he said, turning me to face him. 

“I saved you and now you owe me, big time,” He continued. 

“No way. Guys like you only want one thing,” I replied. The fact that Liam helped hide me from Olivia can never change the way I see him. 

“Such as?” He asked, leaning his back against one of the bathroom stalls, with what looked like a smug smile on his lips. 

“Help passing maths,” I replied with a roll of my eyes. Liam was a player who was used to using whomever to get whatever he wanted. 

“Listen, I've got a really weird tech situation, and I know you're good with that kind of stuff. But it's gotta be kept a secret,” Liam replied, pressing his fingers together like he was nervous. 

Was I reading that wrong? Why would the captain of our college basketball team be nervous about asking a tech nerd for help? My eyes widened slightly as the answer occurred to me. 

“If you got a virus from a p**n site, that's your own problem,” I replied.

“What? No, no. That's not it. Some stranger has been putting money into my account and I'm worried they're setting me up to make it look like I'm throwing games,” he replied. 

My brows furrowed in confusion, “Match fixing? That also sounds super dodgy, I'm not touching it,” I replied then turned to leave. 

“Wait,” Liam said, stopping me with his hand on my arm again. “What if we made a deal?”