by Raathi Chota
“Good, I guess, and you two?”
“Fine,” Dad mumbled.
“Everyone okay at work, Dad?”
“These stupid punks who are doing drugs and all that…we can’t seem to get them, and it’s a real pain in the neck.”
“Well, you should be glad I’m not like that, Dad.”
“I know my girl wouldn’t do anything like that.”
After breakfast, I walked to the bus stop. In the morning, I’d take the bus, and in the afternoon, Miranda dropped me off. Hope she came today, I wouldn’t survive another lunch in the bathrooms. I got off the bus and adjusted my beanie. It was going to be a long day. As I headed toward the main building, something caught my eye. I turned my head and saw them. They sat on Carter’s classic GMC truck. Carter was making out with a girl, and Ethan and Aidan were talking; then there’s the one who was staring at me. I looked at him, and he immediately looked away to his friends. Blake had his headphones on and acted as if he was in the conversation. I rolled my eyes and walked into the building. I got my things from my locker as the bell rang. I jogged to English class because I didn’t want to make way for them, especially after what happened yesterday. I entered the classroom and frowned when I saw Benny Nielson, not the teacher.
“Hey GG, ready for the speech?” Benny asked. The teacher moved us around, so Benny sat in front while Carter sat beside me.
“Yes, unlike you, who didn’t even start.”
“Let’s see,” Benny said, grabbing my cards.
“Benny, give it back!” I demanded as I tried to reach for it.
“Come on, put more effort into it!”
“Blah…blah…big words…blah…blah,” Benny said as he went through my cards. I was annoyed. I leaned back to sit in my chair, but I fell, and my butt hit the ground. As I got up, everyone laughed, and when I straightened up, Carter Halls towered over me with a grin. “Here you go, loser,” Benny said, then threw the cards over his shoulder. I bent down and picked them up.
“All right, class, settle down,” Miss Rosa exclaimed as she walked into class. I sat in my seat and stared at the cards. “Ready for those speeches?”
Miss Rosa was one of the friendly teachers, she was caring and helpful, but if anyone misbehaved, they’d be sure to see her bad side, and nobody wanted to see a nice person’s bad side. She wore a formal black skirt and jacket, black heels, and had a tight bun. She was young, in her mid-twenties, which annoyed me and was the reason why there were so many guys in her classes. I gave my speech, which was about bullying; I hoped I’d given a clear message to everyone who did. I walked back to my seat with a satisfied look. The rest of the speeches were good, yet Benny came up, winging it. Carter, on the other hand, was classic Carter Halls. He talked about animal abuse and how he saved a stray dog and took it to the pound, which made all the girls clap and wipe away their tears. The bell rang, and I got up for Physics. I looked over my shoulder and noticed Carter was still in his seat. I squinted my eyes at him as I pushed up my glasses. As I walked out of the classroom, I was hooked by two arms. I looked at Ethan and Aidan, who were on either side of me.
“What do you want?” I asked as their arms flexed against me. They didn’t say anything as they walked past everyone. I was pushed as people came toward me, but Ethan quickly shoved them away. I saw my Calculus class, but I didn’t think we’d stop. “Mr. Bronx! Uncle Griff! Sir…help me!” I shouted as we walked past the class. Aidan quickly put his hand over my mouth, and Ethan shook me. They opened the doors at the back building and quickly walked out. I finally realized where we were going—the empty part of Jefferson High. It was still used for the local ditches, smokers, make-out sessions, and not to mention…beating. “No! Please, I’ll do anything. I’ll do your homework for the rest of the year. I…I’ll do anything!”
“Would you shut up?” Ethan growled as his grip tightened on my arm.
“Well, I’m sorry, it isn’t every day you get kidnapped by…Them.” I muttered the last part in Ethan’s ear. Nobody said anything after that until Aidan took out his phone and I saw his reflection in it, which made my eyes widen. “Please tell me you’re not going to take a picture?”
“No…I’m taking a video for Snapchat.”
I rolled my eyes and looked forward. A tall figure leaned against a wall as we got closer. The person sat on the broken bench, which usually fit at least eight people, but now it fit three.
“Here she is,” Ethan mumbled, then put me down. I had to focus my eyes to see who the figure was. Blake Gunner.
“What am I doing here? I’m gonna be late for class, and I don’t want to—”
“We get it, Lana. Now sit down,” Carter said, and I turned around to see him walk toward us. I glanced down to see my beanie in his hands. “This fell off when they were carrying you.” He threw it at me. I caught it with ease and put it back on, then sat down. The bench felt as if it was going to collapse under Blake’s butt and mine. It shook, and I grabbed the first thing I got my hands on. Blake’s thigh. My eyes widened as I realized what I did. I slowly looked at him and gave a fake smile. He, on the other hand, looked as if he’d kill me.
“Ugh, please, it’s not the first time a girl touched you,” I said, then let go of his thigh dramatically, like he had a disease. The rest of the guys laughed, but Blake glared, which quieted them. “So what am I doing here?”
“What’s your deal, huh? We always play loud music, and chicks always look at us like we’re crazy, so they tell us to turn it off or put on the radio for mainstream music…but you?”
“You’re a nerd, for crying out loud,” Aidan said as he took a seat next to me. The bench shook again, but I managed to keep my balance.
“So…why is it such a big deal to you guys that I like rock music? Is it such a crime?”
“It just doesn’t make any sense. Is this all an act? Do you hack into the school system to change your grades?” Blake asked as he raised a brow at me.
“Are those glasses even real?” Aidan asked. I looked at him as he took off my glasses. He put them on but immediately removed them. “Okay…they’re real.”
“Or do you do it because you’re scared?” Ethan asked, then folded his arms. He grinned at me. I raised a brow.
“Scared of what?”
“Not what, who.”
“Your dad,” they said in unison. I scoffed.
“You guys really think I’m doing this because I’m scared of my dad? I’m doing this because I want a healthy future. I don’t want to waste it, unlike some people,” I said, then got up. I walked toward the building with clenched fists because I was already late for class.
“Yeah, you guys were right. She’s too much of a good girl,” Carter said. I quickly turned around, but none of them looked at me.
“Yeah, bet you she was boiling inside at how much she was missing since she never ditched before.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re such a good girl. We thought good girls are bad, but you’re just an ugly old GG,” Blake said, then stood up. He walked toward me as I folded my arms.
“Ha, you don’t even know me,” I said, then pushed up my glasses. “You don’t know what I’m capable of, Blake Gunner.”
“Okay…then let’s have a bet.” He smirked and looked down at me; I couldn’t take it anymore, so I stood on my tippy toes. “You have to be the bad girl of the school for two weeks. If you break and go back to being a nerd, then you have to be our little puppet for the rest of senior year.”
“And if I win?” I asked as I kept a grin, because I knew if I did it, then it’d result in old habits that were bound to come back.
“If you win…we’ll make sure you won’t get picked on anymore,” Carter said. I looked over Blake’s shoulder at the blond. “I’m sure you don’t want to end your senior year with the nickname Geeky Lana.”
“What do you think, GG?” Ethan asked as he rested his arm on Blake’s shoulder.
“That’s ridiculous. You expect me to
be a bad girl for two weeks, and if I lose, I have to be your puppet for a year? That’s so unfair!”
“So what you’re saying is you’re gonna lose?” Aidan tilted his head.
“What? No! This is ridiculous. I’m going back to class!” I said, then spun around.
“You have three days to think about it, Lana!” Carter shouted.
“See you, GG!” they said, and I walked faster, yet I heard their laughter behind me. I could be bad. It shouldn’t be hard, thanks to him.
***
It’s been two days. Two long days, and in those two days, the guys called me GG whenever we had classes together. It annoyed me. At lunch, I’d stare at them as they were noticed by everyone.
“Yeah, so my mom had to go to the store and look for pads, then go to the pharmacy and get my medication…”
“Uh-huh.”
“Lana, are you even listening?” Miranda scowled as she banged her hands on the table, which got us a few looks.
“Yes! You were sick from the ball, because when the ball hit you, your tummy was sore, and then you had to go home.”
“Yeah, and—” Miranda said as I looked at her, but she immediately stopped and moved her gaze to something else.
“What? Is something on my face? Are my glasses dirty?”
“Lana Willson,” someone said. I didn’t have to turn around to see who it was. By the voice, I immediately knew it was Blake Gunner. He came and stood on our table. Miranda’s eyes widened as he towered over us. “Can I have your attention, Jefferson High students?” he asked as loudly as he could. He caught everyone’s attention easily since he was scary and tough.
“Blake, get down!” I yelled. Apparently, he didn’t listen.
“Does everyone know this girl here?” Blake asked as he pointed at me. I froze and looked for help, but there were no teachers, and the lunch ladies couldn’t care less. “Do you guys know her name?”
“Yeah, her name is Geeky Lana.”
“I like Loser Lana.”
“But we all know her as…drum roll, please,” Blake said as he pointed to Aidan, who drummed in the air, then pointed at Blake.
“GG!” everyone exclaimed. I was irritated…no, I was angry. How dare he embarrass me? I’ve been humiliated enough in my life, and out of nowhere, he wanted to ruin my life even more. I quickly stood on the table and cut off Blake.
“Hi, you must know me. I’m Lana Willson,” I said, then glared up at Blake. “You must know Blake Gunner here, typical bad boy, if you ask me.” I rolled my eyes. Everyone went silent and waited for Blake’s response, but I beat him to it. “Think he’s all tough with that look…what’s his name?” I dramatically put my finger to my chin. “Man-whore…narcissistic…son of a—”
“Enough! You two! Get down!” Mr. Bronx appeared out of nowhere and yelled at us. Blake and I got down and followed him. “I’m gone for two minutes and come back to this.”
“Mr. Bronx, he started it. He came out of nowhere.”
“She called me—”
“I don’t have time to take you two to the principal because he’s all the way on the other campus, so I’ll let you two go, since it’s also your first time getting into trouble.” Mr. Bronx sighed, then ran a hand through his hair. He disappeared down the hallways. I sighed in relief and walked back to the cafeteria. It wasn’t normal for me to get shouted by Mr. Bronx, but when I did, I wanted to cry. Considering he’s my godfather, it’d be a disappointment if Dad ever brought me up in their conversation and said I’d been disruptive.
“Typical…” a familiar voice said behind me.
“What, Blake?” I groaned, then spun around to see him leaning against a locker. He looked at the ceiling. Blake was dressed in a black crew neck with pushed-up sleeves that showed the tattoos on his arms, black jeans, and Converse. I looked back at his face, and he smirked at me. I immediately looked away and felt my cheeks warm up. The only reason they warmed up was because of how similar he looked to someone else I once knew, also with the tattoos and a nose ring. Footsteps neared me, but I made sure not to look at him. I felt heavy breathing on my neck and looked down to see his Converse right next to me.
“Teacher’s pet,” he whispered in my ear, and I instantly pushed him away.
“Fine!”
“Fine, what?”
“Fine, I’ll do the bet,” I mumbled. He clapped his hands, and out came Ethan, Aidan, and Carter. “What is this?”
“I told you that she would!” Aidan said, then swung his arm around me. “Ready, GG?” He pinched my cheeks. I removed his arm from my shoulder, and he immediately backed away.
“So, for the next two weeks, starting on Monday, you’ll be a bad girl. You’ll ditch, disrespect teachers, do drugs, sex—” Ethan said.
“What?” I cut him off.
“He’s joking…but surprise me, Willson. Let’s see who can be more of a badass here,” Blake said as he looked down at me with that cruel smirk.
***
“Lana!”
“What, Mom?” I groaned, my eyes still shut as I covered my face with the duvet. My bed shook, and I groaned again. “If it’s you, Miranda…please stop.” I groaned as I threw a pillow over my shoulder. She sometimes slept over, especially Friday nights.
“Ouch.” I heard a deep voice, and I knew it wasn’t my dad, because he’d gone to the station. My eyes shot open as I turned around.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked as I got out of bed. I looked like a dinosaur in the morning, and the four hottest guys in school were in my room.
“Your mom let us in,” Aidan said as he rubbed his head and nudged his head to the side, where my mother leaned against the doorframe and cautiously took in Blake Gunner’s appearance.
“Do you know what time it is?” Carter asked as he motioned to my clock. I looked at it, and my eyes widened because it was noon.
“I thought I’m only going to be a bad girl on Monday,” I whispered as I felt my mother’s eyes on me. The bet was stupid. I didn’t have to prove myself to anyone. I put on my glasses and glanced around the room. Aidan sat on my desk chair, Ethan looked at my bookshelf, and Blake leaned against my bathroom door.
“We’re going shopping,” Blake mumbled, then turned to my mother, who nodded with a small smile.
“I’ll be just down the hall, and I expect you boys are staying for breakfast?” They nodded eagerly, and she clasped her heads together. “Breakfast will be ready soon then. Don’t be up here too long.”
“What’s wrong with my clothes?” I frowned once my mother left the room, then glanced at my wardrobe. I wore basically anything if it looked good on me.
“N-Nothing’s just…” Blake stuttered then looked away.
“Okay, let’s see what you got,” Ethan said, then walked to my wardrobe. I bit the inside of my cheek as he looked at my clothing. “Nice band shirts. Why don’t you wear them at school?” he asked, referring to the Green Day and Led Zeppelin shirts, along with a few others, which caught Blake’s attention as he walked toward Ethan.
“Well, considering I’m known as the good girl in school, people would think I’m looking for attention if I came to school dressed all rock chic and stuff,” I mumbled, then looked down at my pajamas.
“We’ll just tell people you’re one of us, and if they want to start shit, they have to go through me,” Blake said as he took out clothes and shoved them into my arms. “Go shower. We’re going to turn you into a badass chick.” He ruffled my hair. I rolled my eyes and walked to the bathroom. I showered, brushed my teeth and hair, and headed back to my room. I looked down to what I wore because I didn’t have time to look at what Blake threw at me. I liked it. It was some black jeans and a maroon jersey. I slipped on my ankle boots and walked downstairs to the kitchen, where the guys were eating pancakes.
“These are divine, Mrs. Willson!” Aidan moaned as he stuffed his face with pancakes.
“Why, thank you, Aidan.”
“Coffee…hun?” Mom asked as she he
ld the coffeepot. I nodded, and she poured some into my cup while I sat next to Ethan. “So what are your guys’ plans for the day? Just shopping?” she asked as she cleaned up. Mom was okay with me having a boy over; I never really had more than two over, so I guess she was excited there were four in her house.
“We’re just going to the mall…I guess,” I said, then glanced at the guys. They were too engrossed in the food, but Carter’s eyes met mine as he shrugged.
“Well, you guys have fun. I have to be at the hospital soon, so I’ll just go and get ready.”
***
After breakfast, we cleaned up and walked to Ethan’s car. We sat in silence, Blake and Aidan on either side of me.
“Turn on the radio, Ethan,” Blake said. Ethan turned it on, and we got a fright as the loud music began to play.
“Softer!” Aidan yelled. Carter seemed too engaged in his phone, so I leaned forward to turn down the music. I heard snickers behind me as I leaned forward. I forgot that my butt was up in the air, so I immediately sat back down with two smirking idiots.
“What?” I snapped my head toward them. They shook their heads but didn’t stop smirking. I elbowed them in the stomach, they groaned, and this time they looked out their windows. We passed the mall, and my eyebrows knitted in confusion. “Aren’t we going to the mall?”
“No…unless you want to get those cliché Ramone and AC/DC shirts that everyone gets at Target.” Carter rolled his eyes as we passed the mall.
“So where are we going?” I asked as I took out my phone.
“Rodney,” Blake answered.
“Rodney?”
“Rodney…if you want the best and rare band tees, go to Rodney. If you want any records, go to Rodney,” Aidan said as if he memorized it.
“Cool…I’ve been looking for vinyl for a while,” I said.
“Really? Who?” Ethan asked as he looked at me in the mirror.
“Alt-j.” I smiled up at him. His eyes flickered to the road, then at me with a smile. I looked at my phone and noticed I got a message from Miranda, then I remembered she stayed over, but I didn’t remember when she left.