Bad Girl. - E Z (reading well .TXT) 📗

show Johnson that he can't break you down that easily? You can do this. Show him that he can push you down, but you'll only rise stronger, and better." Damon said.

Libia had to admit. She liked the idea. But what would her brother think? Her mother? Would they approve of this? Of course, she didn't exactly have to tell them.

Yeah. She thought. This could be like my dance class. I could keep this a secret.

But what would her brother say if he knew? Would he approve? Would he think her foolish?

Somehow, Libia couldn't find it in herself to care. She was angry as Johnson, but also hurt. Those emotions were clouding her usually clear thinking process. She wanted him to see that what he did to her didn't affect her like he wanted it to. She wanted everyone to see the confident girl she could become.

So she pulled away from Damon once again, but this time she looked him straight in the eyes. "Alright. What do I do first?" She asked.

He grinned down at her. Mission accomplished.

"A wardrobe change. We start early tomorrow. Make sure you set your alarm for eight and you're ready by nine." He ordered, beginning to drag her across the parking lot.

"Where are we going?" She asked him.

"I'm taking you home." Damon said, as if it were obvious.

Libia opened her mouth to protest, but nothing came out, as they came upon a shiny, poison green sports motorcycle.

"What...is this?" She asked him.

"This is my baby, Babe." He answered, and then he threw his leg over. 

"You weren't driving that earlier today." Libia pointed out.

"I don't normally drive my bike to school, Babe." He answered, using his hold on her hand to pull her closer.

"Um...I'm not getting on that thing." Libia said, taking a step back.

"Oh yes you are. This is the first step in showing Johnson what a badass you can be." He grinned up at her, pulling her back again.

When Libia made no move to get on the bike, Damon sighed. He swung his leg back over, stood up, and swept her legs out from under her. She let out a shriek, and caught her just before she hit the ground.

"Let me go!" She cried, wriggling in his arms.

Damon only laughed, and then he settled her on the bike, taking her hands and wrapping them around his waist.

"You might want to hold onto me, Babe." And then the bike roared to life beneath them.

Libia yelped in fright, as she pulled herself closer to Damon, wrapping her arms around his waist. She could feel him laughing at her, so she lifted her head and cried in his ear, "Quit laughing!"

This only made him laugh harder, as they pulled out of the lot. Libia was glad that her hous was just a few blocks away. She didn't want to be on this death trap any longer than she had to be.

As he picked up speed, Libia began to feel the wind in her hair, and although it was cold, it brought a feeling of exhileration to life that she didn't know was in her. Her stomach dropped when he turned, making a nervous giggle escape. 

She was almost dissapointed when he came to a stop at a stop sign.

"Where is your house?" He called back to her.

"364 Dale Street!" She replied over the noise.

He nodded to himself, and started driving again. Not a minute later, he cruised past her house.

"You passed it!"

"Shit, hang on!" He yelled back.

He slowed to a stop two houses from his original target, and the night was silent once again as he turned the bike off. Libia got off first, and was surprised as Damon got off behind her.

"I'll walk you to the door." He said.

She raised an eyebrow at his innocent expression. Had he...? No. It was an honest mistake that he was just trying to make up for...right?

He unexpectedly tucked her hand in the crook of his arm, pulling her into his side.

She felt her cheeks go red, but brushed the feeling off.

They walked in silence, but it was comfortable. She felt safe at his side, for some odd reason. 

They paused at her doorstep, and he took a look around for a moment. "Your driveway's empty." He pointed out.

Libia nodded. "Yeah. Mom works as the night nurse at the hospital, and my brother is usually out with his friends." She explained as she pulled out her key.

"Ah, Babe, your hair is a little crazy." Damon pointed out.

"Hmm? Oh!" Her cheeks turned bright red, as she ran her fingers through her hair. "Is that better?"

Damon shook his head, and boldly pulled her closer. He threaded his fingers through her hair, carefully dragging them down to smooth the tangles. Her eyes were wide, and doe-like, as they stared up at him.

He never took his eyes from hers, seeming to lose control of himself for a moment. He had no idea what got into him. He just took an opportunity to hold her.

"There. That's better." He whispered, his breath fanning Libia's face.

He took a step back, gave her a blinding smile, and left.

Libia stood still, watching him walk down the sidewalk. He got on his bike, turned to her, and she could have sworn he winked, but she couldn't be sure from this distance.

He sped down the road, and her heart's erratic pumping slowly began to relax. She turned, and a giddy giggle escaped without her consent.

Her mind wasn't even on Johnson anymore.

Her smiled dropped when her brother's angered voice traveled throughout the house.

"What the hell was that?"

"Ben? I thought-"

"You thought what? That I wouldn't see you come speeding down the road on a motorcycle with no helmet on? With some guy?" He growled.

Libia should have known he would wait for her. He always waited for her to return after her dates. 

"No Ben. Where's your car?" She asked.

"A friend of mine had to borrow it for a couple of hours. That's beside the point, Libia." He snapped, taking a step closer. "Who the hell was that guy? Where's this Johnson kid? And why was he touching you like that?" He fired off questions, making Libia grimace.

"That was Damon. Johnson...had an emergency and he had to leave. He didn't have time to take me home, so Damon offered." She lied through her teeth. "Damon's a friend-"

"That move he pulled out there didn't look very friendly! And what the hell do you think you were doing on that bike?" Ben fired off again.

Libia sighed, keeping her voice calm in hopes that he'd lower his. "I would have walked but he insisted. Would you rather I walked this late at night? And as for what he did out there...I have no idea what it means." Libia held back the reflexive smile that wanted to burst forth, keeping her face smooth.

"I have an idea." Ben muttered, finally lowering his voice. "And no, as much as I don't like the vehicle arrangment, I wouldn't prefer you walking."

"Can you do me a favor and don't tell Mom about this? I'd be dead before you could finish the sentence." Libia pleaded.

"Fine. But I don't want to see that kind of thing again. I was this close to opening that door and shoving his face into the concrete." He said, leaning against the wall in a resigned manner.

Libia winced. She wasn't sure, but she had a feeling that she was going to be on that bike again. She knew that wasn't the only thing he was talking about, too. Libia wasn't too sure about that, either.

Never the less, Ben wasn't going to see it again. She gave him a nod in reply. "You got it."

Without another word, Libia sprinted down the hall, entering her room with mixed emotions. Part of her wanted to crawl into a hole and wither into nothing. Another part of her wanted to rise above it all and show everyone just how strong she could be. The part that wanted to crawl into a hole won over for the night. Of course there were no holes nearby, so she chose the next best thing, she crawled underneath the covers and snuggled into her bed, feeling anything but comforted. 

She let tears fall from her eyes and the feelings of humiliation and hurt take hold. She saved her anger and her grudging feelings for tomorrow, where they could fuel her. When she woke up this morning, Libia had no idea that she would be spending a Saturday with a boy who caused her heart to do strange things in her chest. She refused to believe the reaction was anything more than physical attraction. It was an easy explanation - Who wouldn't be attracted to him?

Libia knew that he wasn't attracted to her. It wasn't possible. He was probably just teasing her. Or maybe his actions were innocent. Maybe this was friendly for him.

Libia drifted to sleep in the middle of her wandering thoughts, and the next morning she awoke to her regular alarm. She hadn't turned it off for the weekend because Damon wanted her up early.

Groaning, Libia dragged herself out of bed, stumbling like every morning into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth like a zombie before jumping in the shower.

The scalding hot water managed to get her awake and focused. She stepped out of the shower, lifting her eyes to the window behind her desk. Hers was the last house on the block, and her room faced the street corner. She loved to people watch after studying. Right now she was watching for any signs of the motorcycle.

Libia walked into her closet, languidly picking out her clothing for the day. Her thoughts went back to Damon's words before.

A wardrobe change? Libia thought her wardrobe suited her just fine. She had T-shirts of all kinds, lots of sweaters, jeans, and only a few pairs of ripped shorts that reached a few inches above the knee. She didn't like showing a lot of skin. And she didn't have a lot of dressy, or girly shirts.

Maybe that's what he means. She needs to dress girlier? Libia had no idea what was wrong with her wardrobe.

Maybe she'd call Vivi and ask her what she thought. 

Shaking her thoughts, she grabbed a white knit sweater, throwing on a tank top underneath. She slipped on some dark blue jeans to go with it, along with some white flats.

She swiped on some makeup, just some mascara and eyeliner, and checked the time. It was ten minutes to eight. 

Libia thought this was a good time to check and see if her brother was home. She knew her mother was, but her mother would be sleeping off the night shift. That woman could sleep through an earth quake. Libia made her way through the house, checking in the kitchen. She noticed a note on the fridge.

Had to leave for job interview at Cane's Workshop, be back at 11:00.

- B.

 Libia could tell by how clumsily he'd written it that he'd woken up later than planned and had to leave in a rush. Libia shook her head, smiling. 

She put the note back on the fridge as someone knocked on the door.

Strange. She thought. I didn't hear the motorcycle.

She opened the door, and Damon smiled in at her. "Hey, Babe. Ready?" He asked.

"Hang on, let me write a note for Ben and Mom." She left the door open for him, jogging back to the kitchen and ripping a note from the pad.

Went to the mall with a friend. Should be back sometime tonight.

- L.

Libia stuck the note on the fridge beside her brother's, doubting her mom would be up, but just wanting to make sure. 

"Let's go." Libia said, a little reluctantly.

Damon followed Libia out, and noticed her looking for the bike.

"No bike today, Babe. We're taking the 911." Damon said smugly.

Libia turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow, and he gestured down the road, one house down.

She looked, and her eyes popped. It was a sleek black Porsche 911 Turbo.

"Where do you get all these cars?" She asked him as he pressed