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

“Sorry. I never thought about how awkward this would be afterward for you. Sometimes I can be so impulsive,” Luce tried to apologize with a whine.
I sighed as I entered drawing class, “Oh relax, Luce, it’s not your fault. It’s my fault. I usually don’t let you talk me into your stupid ideas.”
Lucy giggled nervously, offered one last smile, and then took her seat next to her drawing partner.
I looked around the classroom nervously for Zane, but didn’t see him…what could that mean? Was he just sick? Was he hurt? Was he testing me? Trying to figure out how I’d truly react if he weren’t here? Was he ditching school for the heck of it? Or was he ditching because he too was nervous to see me? Or did her just not want to see me at all?
Before I even had time to process what I was doing, I turned around to run back into the hall and away from class. Only when I turned, a soft black t-shirt stretched across a muscular chest banged against me blocking my one and only escape route.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Zane asked, with a faint smirk, making me become even more nervous then I was when I thought he had pretty much rejected me. Rejection, I’d get over, but at the same time I didn’t want his acceptance…at least, I don’t think…
“Um…I…I was, um…”
“Are you okay?” Zane asked with one brow cocked, and I felt my body radiate—not in want, but in anger, frustration. How could he stand in front of me, and pretend like last night didn’t happen? The kiss was all I could think about, and he apparently didn’t have a care in the world. But isn’t that what I wanted; for last night to not mean anything? That would just cause unnecessary drama, “Um…no, um…we need to—“
“Talk?”
“Yeah!”
“Yeah,” an awkward moment of me staring at Zane waiting for him to say something else, I took charge, “Okay, um…wait here?”
I talked to Mrs. Bowman and she without haggle agreed to let us borrow her camera so that me and Zane could each take a few pictures of the other and use them as the basis of our portrait. It was the perfect excuse to get out of the classroom and talk.
Only minutes later Zane and I were sitting on the floor in the hallway, backs against the cold lockers. For the longest time I just sat there with my eyes closed, waiting for Zane to talk. I wanted him to tell me what he was thinking, feeling, so I could work around it, but he didn’t. He only sat next to me staying quite and immobile, so I did the same and focused on the sound of him breathing. It was the only thing I could hear clearly.
For once the silence wasn’t awkward. I didn’t feel on edge or uncomfortable.
“It was a bet.” I finally said…this way I wouldn’t have to face rejection, and I wouldn’t be lying.
“Hmmm?” Zane asked, and when I turned to look at him I saw he too was just sitting still with his eyes shut and head leaning back against the wall.
“The kiss, it was a bet.”
Zane laughed and opened his eyes to look at me. The biggest smile was on his face. It was his famous smirk; the one that showed how immature and devilish he was and usually made me want to wipe it off for him…but now, it was nice. Cute, even…
“How much did you get for it?” he asked, and in his bright brown eyes, I could see how amused he was and the slightest bit of what I found myself wanting to believe was disappointment.
“Twenty.”
Zane laughed again, but this time it didn’t sound forced or fake like it usually did. For the first time it seemed like a real laugh, one that echoed from the back of his throat, making his grin bigger, “Well, I’m worth much more than that,” Zane said turning his gaze back to the set of the lockers across the hall from us.
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t hold back my own giggle, “Yeah, I’m sure you are.”
“Did you like it?” Zane asked, cocking his head to one side and turning to look at me. He didn’t waver, or even glance away once. The smirk was still on his face, but his eyes were serious and never strayed from mine.
I immediately cursed under my breath when I felt my cheeks turning warm. I couldn’t let him get the wrong idea, “It was fake.”
“What was?”
“The kiss! It was fake.” I said with a faint giggle trying to hide how naked and embarrassed I felt to even be talking about this with Zane, of all the guys.
“That doesn’t answer my question, though.”
“What? Yes, it does.”
“No it doesn’t.” he said with another genuine chuckle, “I asked if your reaction to the kiss was real. Not if the reason for the kiss was…”
I stuttered for a moment, as the warmth in my cheeks began to spread throughout my body, “Um…I…does it really matter.”
He shrugged, “No! I just wanted to know. I’ll admit that I enjoyed it.”
My heart flipped and I had to hold in a gasp. I felt extremely relieved that he had enjoyed it, because lord knows I did…but crap! No! Don’t smile! You don’t need him to know that!
“I’m guessing by the redness that the feelings mutual?” Zane said with another chuckle as he continued to watch me.
“What? What redness?”
“You’re blushing!”
“I am not!” I yelped way too quickly, loudly, and defensively. I had wanted to sound convincing, but my answer was far from it.
Zane’s smile grew, touching his eyes, “Whatever you say, Miss. Sinclair.” It was obvious he didn’t believe my denial. Frankly, I wasn’t convinced myself.
“It was just a bet. It wasn’t real,” I mumbled to myself, exhaling through my nose, and turning on the camera Mrs. Bowman had lent me. I might have used the camera as an excuse, but both me and Zane still had to have a picture by the end of the class period, or else she’d know we were up to something.
“The next one will be.” Zane said, and I froze.

He wasn’t smiling, and his eyes weren’t pleased. He was solemn; not in the sad way, or the bored or bad way, he was serious.
I swear he just wants to see how red I’ll turn before my head implodes, “What?” I asked even thought I knew exactly what he had said, heard it clearly. I just wanted him to say it flat out, so I wasn’t taking what he said the wrong way.
Zane’s brown eyes suddenly grew soft, and his smile shrank, but it was just as breath taking. It was a little half-smile that revealed one dimple on his left cheek! Only one! How freakin cute is that!
Zane leaned toward me, and took the camera from my hands, “Our next kiss, won’t be because you were given money, and it won’t be fake. It’ll keep you up all night. You’ll like it.”
If only he knew how much last night’s kiss had affected me…

“You’re tongue’s hanging out.” Lucy said, and I was so lost in my own little reverie that I actually fell for it. Frantically I shut my agape mouth and wiped my cheeks to get rid of non-existent drool
Lucy giggled and threw one of the school’s nasty raw fry’s, hitting my nose, “So, what happened while you two were ‘taking pictures’?”
“He pretty much said that he was going to kiss me again.”
Lucy squealed, “Oh my gosh! Did he!?”
“No,” I said as I plopped the fry into my mouth, only to spit it out into a napkin afterwards.
“Well why didn’t he?”
I shrugged, “I don’t know! Why don’t you ask him?”
“Maybe you mis-understood something he said, what happened? Exact words?”
“I said I only kissed him because of a bet, and that the kiss wasn’t real. And then he said that our next kiss would be real and I’d like it.”
“And you didn’t jump him right then and there?” She asked eyes wide and expectant. I shook my head as I giggled, “Godammit, Ashley! Grow some lady balls!”
“I’m not going to just jump the guy during school in the middle of the hallway.”
“Um, duh! That’s what the Janitor Closet’s for!”
I laughed nearly choking to death on the raw fry and my own saliva.

“Hey babe.” Josh said as he leaned in to give me a kiss.
I easily tilted my head from out of reach of his lips and sighed. I was completely over him, and it didn’t really surprise me how quickly I had…but I still felt betrayed a bit, and so when I talked it was nothing more than a whisper, “Josh, leave me alone.”
“Why? What’s wrong, babe?”
“We’re done, Josh? Just stop calling me babe, and leave me alone.” I whispered, trying the best not to cause a scene as I stepped around him to get to the parking lot. Josh quickly caught up to me the slightest bit of anger on his face, “Done? What do you mean done?”
“Josh, I don’t want to be with you anymore!” I yelped suddenly feeling overwhelmed. I just wanted to get away, and Josh was holding me back.
“I don’t understand, Ashley-“
“I saw you with Rebecca yesterday, Josh!” I blurted out and finally gave up trying to walk by him. Instead I stood as straight as I could, with the weight of my backpack over my shoulders. I looked into his eyes, and tried my best not to falter or even blink.
Josh immediately began fidgeting and stuttering, “Babe, I can explain-“
“Okay! Explain!”
There was a long pause before he spoke, “I-I just-it was a onetime thing!”
“No it wasn’t, so don’t even try to lie.”
“Fine it was only twice.”
“Once, twice, a hundred times, Josh, I don’t care. I could care less if you where cheating on my every since freshman year! The point is I don’t