Living With the Bad Boy

by Sharlay

  “As you all know, a video has been going around the school today, starring the new kid; Caleb. I’m sure that many of you have seen it by now, and I just wanted to take the time to apologize to Caleb for being the one who sent the first copy of the video,” I said as I watched the confusion finally take over Caleb’s face. Perfect!

  “So, I’m sorry Caleb, it was wrong of me to do that. I hope that people can see beyond the video and just get to know you for who you truly are,” I said as I smiled at him. I was amazed that I had managed to keep everybody’s attention so far and that a teacher hadn’t come in and ‘removed’ me yet. “You see, what I didn’t know when I sent that video out, was that Caleb was struggling with his identity. I’m grateful that things turned out ok but after what Caleb told me earlier, it just seems so unfair to allow people to have a false impression of him. The truth is, he should really have the right to be exactly who he wants to be. You see, ladies and gentlemen, this morning, Caleb admitted that he is in fact Crazy in Love with his best friend,” I continued as I looked at Caleb, who was no longer smiling, but looking at me as though I had gone crazy.

  I took a slight pause as I heard a few of the girls begin to say a load of ‘awws’, and ‘ohhs’ as they processed the new information.

  “Yes, it is true, that video was made to declare his love for his best friend, and I should never have shown it to anyone else before he had been given the chance to show it to Johnny, himself,” I ended as I watched Caleb’s mouth fall open. I struggled to keep a straight face as I heard a lot of people question who Johnny was, and was Johnny a boy or did they hear me wrong. I guess that it was only fair that I confirmed their suspicions, so I did....

  “Yes, you all heard right, Caleb is in love with his best friend, Johnny, so please, let’s not get in the way of true love by allowing Johnny to see this video before Caleb, himself gets the chance to tell him the truth. So, if you have a copy of it then please, delete it. To Johnny and Caleb, everybody,” I said as I began clapping my hands like a seal, and smiling to myself as I watched Caleb staring at me in complete and utter shock. As I watched everyone begin to disperse and go back to their own private conversations - which were probably about Johnny and Caleb - I quickly jumped down from the chair. As my feet touched the ground, I looked straight into Caleb’s eyes as I made my way over to where he was sat. He was still in shock, and believe it or not...speechless but there was also a look of anger behind that shock. Yep, that was definitely the reaction I was going for. As I stood right next to him, I slowly bent down so that my mouth was right next to his ear.

  “Next time that you even think about going head to head with me, remember that moment, this will always be my territory, and you are trespassing. Oh, and say hi to Johnny for me,” I said before walking out of the cafeteria with a shocked Courtney trailing behind me.

  “Erm, did I miss something, who is Johnny?” She said as we started to walk past a few lockers.

  “I don’t know, I was thinking about how hot Johnny Depp was when I was making my speech, and so I went with Johnny,” I said as I began smiling again.

  “So, there is no Johnny?” She asked in a confused state.

  “No, Caleb likes girls but think about it, he is just like your brother and all of the other Buffet Kings. The most important thing to guys like them, is how many girls they can get, but if you make a girl believe that a guys not into girls, she stops trying. For a guy like Caleb, I just crushed his whole world in a matter of minutes,” I said as I began smiling, proudly to myself.

  “Oh, you really are devious,” she said as stared at me in shock.

  “I know, but he had it coming. James thinks that I’m a lying, two faced, cheater because of him, and now he can see what it feels like when people judge you based on a lie-”

  “Cheating? You and James were not together, you said that after you went to the movies, you weren’t even sure if you were going on another date with him because he was ‘too nice’, remember?” Courtney said as she raised her eyebrows at me.

  “So, it’s the principle. Caleb had it coming,” I defended as I finally reached my locker.

  “Well, from the look on his face when we left, I think that you just started a war, a big one.”

  “I can handle Caleb, believe me,” I replied in frustration. I couldn’t believe that she even thought that Caleb could beat me. The fact that the thought even crossed her mind was pretty insulting.

  “Look, usually I would agree with you but he is like the male version of you. The world struggles enough with one of you but throw in two, and we’re talking serious damage. Not to mention that one of you will eventually lose, and it won’t be pretty.”

  “And it won’t be me either. Look, number one, I am nothing like Caleb, and number two, what is the big deal?” I asked as became more annoyed by the fact that she was lecturing me, rather than congratulating me.

  “My point is, this is not going to end well,” she said in a worried voice.

  “Yeah, well we’ll just cross that bridge when we get to it, until then, I’m pretty sure that I’m winning,” I said as I took a couple of books out of my locker and headed towards math. I didn’t mind that I never got the chance to eat, humiliating Caleb was way better than any food that I could have ever had.

  Maybe I was going to enjoy this day after all, I thought to myself as I skipped my way to math.

  * * *

  I was right; the day had turned out to be great. It seemed like the hours were moving so fast after my little ‘show’ in the cafeteria. The bell had finally gone, signalling my freedom.

  “Right, before you all go, can I just remind you that you have a test tomorrow morning. I will not be accepting any excuses, if you are late then you will not take it, and since it counts for more than fifteen percent of your final grade, I would employ you not to make that mistake. Now, you can all go,” Mrs Connerlay said as we all waited eagerly to escape the room. Don’t get me wrong, Mrs Connerlay was actually a really nice teacher, and I loved her lessons but when the bell goes, the only thing on my mind, is getting out of here.

  “Addison, may I have a quick word with you, before you go?” Mrs Connerlay asked, much to my dismay.

  “Erm, sure,” I said as I turned around to face Courtney. “I’ve got to talk to Mrs Connerlay,” I said.

  “Oh, it’s ok. Remember I said that I’m going to Keeley’s house, tonight? I’m getting a ride from her,” she said as she smiled at me.

  “Oh yeah, I totally forgot.”

  “So, do you think that you’re in trouble?” She whispered when Mrs Connerlay had her back to us.

  “Who knows, I’ll fill you in later,” I said as she nodded her head and left the room.

  “Sorry to keep you back, Addison, I know how you kids like to disappear as soon as that bell goes. I wanted to talk to you about your last essay,” she said as she leaned gently on the front of her desk. She took off her small, square framed glasses, placed them onto the wooden desk, that she was leaning on before turning to look at me. I had never actually noticed that she had such nice colored eyes until this very moment, since they were always hidden behind her glasses. They were a mix of green and grey, but more of a grey color than green, and next to her beautifully smooth, brown skin, they honestly looked great. She was a very well presented woman, she always had her jet black hair back in a neat bun, and I don’t think that I had ever seen her in anything but a black pencil skirt, and white shirt. You could be fooled into thinking that she wears the same clothes everyday but she is far too ‘put together’ to even assume that. I think that it would be safer to say, that there are many replicas of the exact same outfit that she is wearing, sitting in her closet, right now. Her patent, black heels were also polished to perfection, and had it not have been kind of weird to stare at her feet then I may have checked to see if I could see my reflection in them. I can’t imagine what her high school life must have been like, I mean, she has the figure of a cheerleader but a personality that comes
across as someone who prefers to be alone. Maybe she was one of the ugly ducklings in high school, then one day; she just became a beautiful swan. In fact, staring at her now, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that she was Nicole Scherzinger’s long lost, older sister. After dissecting her whole look and personality, I finally realized what she had said.

  “My essay?” I asked, unsure of where this conversation was going.

  “Yes, I know that I haven’t given out the grades yet but I felt that it was necessary to discuss yours, privately, before I gave it to you,” she said as she walked behind her desk and began searching for something, inside one of the drawers.

  “Oh, right,” I said, not really knowing how to respond. If this was a bad grade then my dad was not going to be happy. Education was very important to him, and he did not take it lightly. I was quite surprised though, since I had always done ok in English, or at least I thought I did. I guess I wouldn’t be having this conversation, if there wasn’t something wrong though.

  “I don’t know if you’re aware of this, Addison but you are ahead of everyone in this class. Your essay was graded A plus,” she said as I stood in shock.

  “It was?” I asked as my eyes scanned the paper that she had just handed me. I had to take a couple of minutes to make sure that it was definitely mine, and to my surprise, it was. “Wow,” I mumbled as I stared at the grade, on the top of the sheet of paper.

  “Yes, wow. This is pretty impressive, Addison, you should be very happy. What do you intend to do when you go to college?” She asked in a more serious tone.

  “Erm, honestly, I’m just not sure. I feel like I’m still trying to figure it out,” I replied, a little embarrassed that I still didn’t know. My dad was always saying that I should know but it was easier said than done.

  “Look, I never like to tell a student what they should do but I can tell you this, you have a real gift when it comes to writing. If you were to take this seriously then I really believe that you could have a future in writing, or even teaching it,” she said as I took in the information. I hadn’t really thought about whether or not I was good at writing, I just did it. The same way that I got lost in a book when I was reading, was exactly how I felt when I was writing. Whenever I’m writing, I never even think about the world around me, it’s like it doesn’t even exist.

  “Thank you,” I said as I finally looked up at Mrs Connerlay.

  “It is the truth. Look, a very close friend of mine is an author, and the publishing company that she is currently working with is holding a writing competition. It’s not something that they usually do, and it’s just a trial but they are scouting for new talent, and I did mention your name to her. I don’t want you to feel pressured, and you don’t have to do it but I have put some details on this paper, and if you have a little spare time then take a look, ok?” She said as a warm smile filled her face. She then handed me a neatly folded piece of paper before walking towards the classroom door.

  “Thanks, I will,” I said as I returned her smile.

  “Ok, well I had better let you go but be sure to let me know how it goes,” She said as I began walking out of the room.

  “I will. Bye, Mrs Connerlay.”

  “Bye, Addison.”

  That was strange. I had never even considered being a writer or thought about whether or not I even liked it. I always did it for school or a hobby but that was it really. I unfolded the piece of paper in my hand and suddenly froze as I read the words before me.

  Company: www.aandopublishing.com

  Contact: Jane Beaver

  Contest Details: Write a 1000 word extract, something imaginative, creative and fresh.

  Deadline: March 31st 2013

  Submission: Online

  As I stood there staring at the publishing company’s name, my heart almost failed, right there and then. A and O Publishing were the biggest in the publishing world, right now, I knew that much. Not to mention how many of their books had recently been turned into films. Suddenly, I felt slightly intimidated, if I was to even consider doing this contest then it had to be something so amazing, and unique that it completely blew their minds. Also, the deadline was only a month away, and I had no idea if I could create something that good, in that amount of time. I’m glad that Mrs Connerlay thought of me but maybe she got it wrong.

  As I stepped out into the parking lot, I almost threw up as I watched Caleb suffocating the face of some girl, who I was pretty sure, was in the grade below us. I couldn’t believe it, I made that whole speech and still he managed to get a girl by the end of the day! I folded up the piece of paper that Mrs Connerlay had given me and put it into my jeans pocket. I could hear the girl telling Caleb that she would see him tomorrow, yeah right, he won’t even remember your name tomorrow, I thought as I opened up the trunk of my car. I placed my books, and bag into the trunk and headed towards my car door. I caught a glimpse of Caleb, typing away on his phone as he leaned up against his dumb truck. No doubt he would be planning the next girl for the night. What annoyed me even more was that Caleb was actually, extremely hot. It seemed crazy that someone so revolting, could reside inside of a body like that; what a waste.

  As I tried to start up my car, I could have screamed as I heard the sound that alerted me that I wasn’t going anywhere, anytime soon. I tried a few more times before finally giving up and taking my anger out on the steering wheel, with my fist. This was all that I needed. I pulled out my cell and scrolled down to my dad’s number. I waited patiently until I heard the sound of his recorded voice and hung up. I tried a few more times before realising that he would have already gone to work, and so I tried Rick. If there was anyone that I could depend on, it would be Rick. I waited a few seconds before I heard the best sound in the world; his voice.

  “Rick, thank God, I thought that you weren’t going to pick up,” I said as a smile formed on my face.

  “Is everything ok?” He asked.

  “No, not really, I’m outside of school and my car won’t start. I sort of need you to come and get me, please?” I asked as I closed my eyes and let my head rest against the seat.

  “Oh gosh, Addy, you know that I would but my brother has my car, and I have no idea where he is,” he said in a guilty voice.

  Just as I went to reply to what Rick had said, I heard a loud bang on my window and screamed in fear.

  “Addy, are you ok?” Rick said in a panicked voice.

  Once I got over my initial shock, and allowed my eyes to focus, I saw a very smug looking Caleb, staring at me through the window, great.

  “Yeah, sorry, I’m going to call Court and see if her mom or brother can come and get me,” I said as I tried to avoid looking at Caleb.

  “Ok, well, just call me later then,” he replied.

  “Ok, bye.”

  “Bye.”

  Once I hung up, I scrolled through my phone to find Courtney’s number.

  “Are you going to roll down the window?” I heard Caleb say as his smile increased.

  I turned my body, so that he couldn’t see my face and held the phone to my ear. I waited as I heard the first ring fill my ear, then the second, third, fourth and then the sound of an answer machine. Well, I’m glad that she’s having such a great time at Keeley’s house that answering the phone to her best friend, is such a hard task, I thought as I growled to myself. As I turned around, I almost jumped as I realized that Caleb was still stood there, smirking at me.

  “What do you want?” I mouthed as I stared at him.

  “Just open up the car door,” he said as he folded his arms across his chest, and stared at me.

  “Why?”

  “Obviously, you need help, so stop being stubborn and just open the door,” he said as he raised an eyebrow at me.

  “I don’t need your help,” I growled as I looked at his smiling face.

  “Really? So, who’s coming to help you then?” He said as he raised his eyebrows at me, again. As much as it pained me to admit it, he was right, nobody wa
s coming. The last thing that I wanted to do, was to get help from Caleb but my options were looking seriously limited. I could have gone back in and asked Mrs Connerlay for help but that would have just been weird. My other options were to wait and keep trying to call my dad, and Courtney or walk, and neither option sounded very appealing.

  “Fine,” I grumbled as I turned back to face a smirking Caleb. What have I let myself in for?

  “Great, you chose the sensible option. You are smarter than you lo-,” he was suddenly cut off when I let my car door ‘accidently’ hit his stomach.

  “Whoopsy,” I said in a girly voice before jumping out of the car.

  “As if telling the entire school that I was in love with my best friend wasn’t bad enough, now you want to damage my vital organs too?” He said with a slight smile on his face.

  “Do you want my honest answer to that question?” I said as I stood, grinning at him.

  “No, I don’t think that I do.”

  “Why are you helping me?” I asked, suspiciously.

  “A guy can’t help a damsel in distress?”

  “Number one, I am not a damsel in distress and number two, you are not exactly the helping kind,” I sniggered as I folded my arms across my chest.

  “True, and true, however, I’m in a good mood today,” He said as he slipped into the driver’s seat of my car.

  “You better be careful with her, and why are you in a good mood?” I asked in a confused voice.

  “Seriously? Aren’t chick cars usually male?” He asked in an amused tone.

  “I am not a chick, and no my car is an independent female, actually,” I said as I rolled my eyes at him.

  “Interesting.”

  “Anyway, why are you in such a good mood?” I asked as curiosity got the better of me.

  “Well, after your little speech earlier, I thought that I was going to have to defend myself but it turns out that everybody thinks that you only said all of those things, because you were jealous.”