Opposites Attract (On-Hold) - Chloe Knox (novels for students txt) 📗

/> “You think I don’t know what you’re friends say about me? What you think about me?”

“I…I…”

“I know way too much, Ashley James Sinclair! And you know what, I don’t care. You can think what you want, say what you want, because another thing you’re right about is you don’t know me! I know me! So the one and only thing you may not do, is boss me around like your own personal slave! Got it?!”

I looked into Zane’s brown eyes, and for a moment I felt like crying. He was clearly angry, but behind his anger I could also see how much he hurt, and how weak he felt…I felt bad-horrible even!

Had I done that to him? Had I made him feel that way and not even realized it?

Shocked by his outburst and by my concerned feelings, I nodded not sure I’d be able to speak without squeaking.

Zane’s hard and angry eyes immediately went soft and for a moment it was like staring into a different person, a different soul…“Okay…good…”

Zane mumbled as he picked up his tray and cleared before storming out of the cafeteria.

I ignored the curious stares from all my peers around the lunch room and stared aimlessly at my food until the bell rang.


“What’s a’ matter?” Josh asked knocking me out of a trance, which I hadn’t even been aware I was in.

“What? Oh, um, nothing…just thinking.” I mumbled as I threw my remaining few books into my locker and slammed it shut.

Josh put his arms around me pulling me toward him and sighing, “Are you sure? Cause if you’re upset about that freak, Zane, bothering you, me and the football team will take care of him.”

I pulled back from his embrace to stare at him with disappointment, “I’m not upset about him, and even if I was I wouldn’t want you and the football team to ‘take care of him’…and he’s not a freak…he’s just…troubled I guess.”

“He’s a dick.”

I giggled, “Yeah, but you are too whenever the Steelers loose a football game.”

Josh rolled his eyes teasingly and leaned down to give me a quick peck on the lips, “Now c’mon…if I drop you off late to your house again, your father will have my hind.”

I giggled as I let Josh direct me to his car by my waist, a warm and gentle touch that did nothing more than make me want to sleep, “He’d probably hang it above our fireplace, too.”

Josh chuckled, “What a pretty sight.”

I hoped into the back of Josh’s fancy convertible next to Lucy who was giggling incessantly trying to tell me about how Nathan, Lucy’s boyfriend and Josh’s best friend, slapped her butt with a ruler during wood shop. Nathan was sitting shotgun, and turned up the radio blasting the latest techno songs that my generation seemed obsessed with. You know, the songs that are played over and over every day for a year till you can’t change the radio station without hearing the same exact song…yeah; the one’s I hate!

I rolled my eyes, sighed, and then spotted Zane.

He was, just now, walking out of the high school.

A strange erg pulled at my gut to talk to him, and I never ignore my gut…“Hey, I’ll be back. I’ll be just a sec.” I told Josh as I hoped out the back of his car and jogged over to Zane.

When Zane noticed me running toward him he stopped walking to wait for me, ‘Zane! Hey!”

Zane slowly spoke as if he thought I was trying to trick him, “Hi….what do you want?”

“I want to apologize,” I gasped in between breaths, “You’re completely right about me judging you and I didn’t even give you a chance. I’m sorry.”

Zane shrugged, “Okay. Thanks.” And then he continued to walk in the direction he had before I stopped him, yanking on a leather jacket.

I sighed, feeling a weird twist of guilt. I truly felt bad, and it didn’t seem to me like he was excepting my apology…I mean, hello! Isn’t that what he wants! I was rude, he deserves an apology!
I ran towards Zane once more, only by the time I made it to him he was straddling a rather big, loud, and dangerous looking black motorcycle that made me want to run away and hide in fear.

“Well, um, maybe if you want you could come with me and my friends over to my house! We could start on our project!” I blurted out before giving myself a chance to reject the idea of inviting him.

Zane looked shocked at first, and then hid his feelings as he peered over my shoulder at the car across the parking lot honking its horn and blasting ‘We Found Love’ by Rhianna.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea.” He mumbled, and I couldn’t hold back the frown. I could feel my stomach flip as an emptiness within it grew, and then it quickly disappeared as I quickly and in my head scolded myself…no way was I going to feel bad or disappointed by Zane’s rejection. If he didn’t want to hang out with the populars, and be the freak that everyone thought he was, fine! Whatever! I don’t care!

“If you really want to work on the project, though, I could give you a ride.” Zane offered holding up a motorcycle helmet to me.

I dumbly looked at the helmet, then at Zane, and then to his shiny black bike which was now growling…I was too frightened to even realize that it was just the sound of Zane starting up his bike.

Then another honk of the horn from Josh’s car made it’s way throughout the student parking lot and I jumped…I actually winced! Aren’t I smooth?

“Rain check?” Zane asked, but he didn’t wait for my reply.

He put on the helmet, and then without any warning drove off leaving me behind to listen to the scary echo of his groaning bike’s engine.


Chapter Four

The next morning, I was too tired to even change out of my nighttime get-up. I literally came to school—for the first time ever, mind you!—in a tank top, a zip up sweatshirt—to cover my shoulder’s since bare shoulders are, says the school board, distracting…I don’t know about you, but I’ve never not been focused on school because a guy or girl was wearing a sleeveless shirt on the other side of the room! I mean seriously! I might be a teenager, but I’m not a teenage boy. The slightest bit of bare flesh doesn’t engross my attention—and baggy sweatpants with the small but bejeweled word Pink across my butt cheeks.

I quickly brushed my teeth, and hair only to pull it up into a sloppy side ponytail within five minutes of messing with the frizzy tendrils of strawberry blonde hair.

Physically, for no apparent reason, I felt exhausted. All day I’ve been dragging my feet, trying my best to hide the fact that I’m actually dozing off while Lucy’s talking to me, as we walk down the hall.


Even now with my music blasting through my headphones, and my mind determined to at least finish the sketch for my abstract portrait, I can feel my eye lids growing heavier and heavier. I can feel the calm and relaxing feel of sleep overcoming me when I feel someone nudge me in the arm. If I had been fully awake, it probably wouldn’t have felt any different than a soft flick to the shoulder, but because I was just about to fall asleep I literally stumbled over the side of my seat, almost falling on my butt in front of everyone…well, I’m awake now.

I turn to glare at the person who just felt the need he just had to be a pain, and push me.

Zane.

What a surprise?

I see his lips move, but I can’t hear anything. All I hear is the loud thud of a bass, drums, and a guitar echoing in my eardrum. I sigh, very VERY annoyed, and take out my ear bud, “What?”

“I said, what are you humming? It sounds familiar, but I can’t pin-point it.” Zane says with an amused smirk, the same one he plants on his face every day. Trying to start small talk I presume…

I roll my eyes and look at my IPod, so tired that I can’t even think of the songs name, “Ummm, Next Contestant by Nickelback,” I mumble before putting one of my ear buds back in, and leaving the other one dangle just in case someone—ah-hum! Zane!—would try to talk to me…I might be tired, and extremely pissy, just because, but I’m not a complete rude and bossy neat-freak that’s going to flat out ignore people.

I turned away from Zane, to look at my wonderful master piece…a blank and bright white sheet of paper…it kept beckoning, calling to me to draw, paint, scribble, do something! But I couldn’t! I was blank! And that just angered and frustrated me even more!

It’s like writer’s block, but for artists…the blank sketch paper is begging me to work, but at the same time it’s growling at me! It’s laughing at my vacant imagination, unable to even pick up a pencil…

How was I supposed to draw an abstract and meaningful drawing of someone I barely know? Obviously I can’t base my drawing off my observations of Zane. No matter how horribly I think of him, Mrs. Bowman keeps telling me and assuring me that when I get to know him, Zane…? He can be a very cool kid!

…how would she know anyway? Oh my god! I bet she has a thing for him! Maybe a Student Teacher love affair! Oh my gosh, how could I even think of something like that?

“You listen to Nickelback?” Zane asked, sounding either surprised or impressed…probably a bit of both. Just because of my background everybody pinpoints me as the type of girl that listens to Bach and Opera. Don’t get me wrong, I love Phantom of the Opera, but pretty much any girl that’s seen it does!

“Yes.” I groaned as I rubbed my temples, a loud ringing suddenly in my left ear making it twice as hard to think.

“Hu! Never would have thought you as the type to listen to that kinda stuff…figured you listened to Bach and Beethoven and what’s that other guy? Starts with an M?”

“Mozart,” just figured I’d take a wild guess, seemed like a pretty good candidate…

“Yeah, that guy.”

…I told you…

“Well maybe you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover,” I said feeling even more irritated by the fact that he kept making assumptions! He ALWAYS made assumptions! Everyone ALWAYS makes assumptions!