by Zara Rivas
"You guys talk as if I'm not around," he voiced down the hall. "If you intend on shooting any goals at all, then I guess you'll have to first get the ball off me!" He stated, able to hear both Creston's and Essa's footsteps chasing after him just as he opened the large wooden doors leading out of his house.
For the next two hours, three figures were busy running up and down the soccer field, dribbling the ball and aiming for the goals. It had been a real struggle keeping the ball from both Creston and Essa, however Tynan managed to hold them off briefly and he was surprised by the teamwork between the two. They had invented some ploy and managed to steal the ball from him within a matter of moments. Once the ball was in their possession, Chris found himself playing against the two on his lonesome.
Now that they were sweaty and exhausted, the three of them lay side-by-side on the green grass, staring blankly up into the blue sky. Although they weren't speaking, the peace between them was comfortable.
"You two make a good team," Chris stated, breaking the tranquillity.
Essa scoffed, "Yeah, simply because the idiot plays like a moron," she remarked. "I had to practically scream my lungs out at him and yell profanities before the arrogant prick passed me the ball."
Chris laughed aloud, eyes staring down at the motionless but smirking figure of Creston who had his arms behind his head. It had been amusing to watch his best mate be a ball-hog seeing as the guy never played in such a fashion in actual soccer matches or even during practice.
"Mind you, I only gave you the ball since I was scared that the vein near your temple might burst from all the yelling. So I did it all for your well being," Creston replied, sensing the death glare Essa was throwing at him. He had to admit, the girl did play quite well and her leg work was definitely top notch.
Getting to her feet, Essa was just about to retort when she felt her stomach grumble. She was hungry and by the look of things it was dinner time.
"Maybe we should get going, I'm starved." She informed, forgetting about the words of hate that she had conjured a few seconds ago. Breathing in, she watched as Tynan got to his feet, before her eyes wandered over to the stretched out form of Creston. Watching as he slowly got to his feet, she wasn't surprised when he lifted his arms for a nice long stretch.
Essa found herself openly gawking at Creston and the way his shirt lifted a little to reveal that flat stomach of his. The skin there was a nice honey colour that was most likely obtained from years of running shirtless on the soccer field. Only just realising she'd been gaping, her face flushed as she blinked profusely before marching off into the direction of Chris' house.
She did not want to see or think of anything else but what a monster Creston Montgomery Spencer was.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dinner at the Welling's residence was a warm and joyous one as Essa discovered how close Creston was with Chris' family. She had originally thought everybody would act civil and polite seeing as that's how her family usually acted in front of people whom they hadn't met before, but with the Welling's it was totally different. Essa hadn't expected Chris' father to talk to the ball hog in such a warm manner, but then again she realised she was seeing a whole different side to the usual Creston.
For once, she was witnessing the 'charmer' that girl's at school squealed over and although it disturbed her to no end to agree with those foolish girls, she had to admit, even she was falling for the spunk that Creston possessed. Throughout dinner he had complimented Mrs. Welling as well as share jokes with Chris' dad as if Mr. Welling was his father too.
Never in her life had Essa seen Mrs. Welling smile with such joy in her eyes… Even Chris was laughing along. There was something about the Welling household tonight that made her feel warm and giddy inside.
"How's the steak Ess?" Elaine Welling queried, smiling softly.
Essa found herself grinning in reply at her mother's best friend. Elaine Welling was like an aunt to her, and sometimes Essa had wished that her mother was as cool as Chris'. "It's excellent and like usual I can't wait for dessert."
Chuckling softly, Elaine nodded her head. "No wonder why you and Creston get along, you have the same taste as him – a love of eating dessert."
At Mrs. Welling's words, Essa found herself locking eyes with grey-blue ones.
Time flew as the five of them chatted and laughed. And when dessert was finally served – their plates and bowls all empty – Essa found herself feeling a little sad that the night was drawing to an end. As she assisted in the cleaning up process, she noticed the way Chris stared at Creston as well as the bond the two shared.
Finished with helping Elaine with washing up, Essa knew it was time to leave. She found herself bidding Chris and his parents' goodbye, and wasn't surprised to find Creston leave with her.
Hugging Chris tightly, she bid him a final goodnight before trudging down the driveway, only able to watch in silence as Chris and Spencer shared a 'boys' hug. It was odd… After tonight's events, she realised her view of Creston altered a little. Instead of seeing him as the cold hearted jerk that he presented himself to be, Essa actually saw him for what he really was and it shocked her to find that just like everyone else, Creston Spencer was human.
Trekking down the driveway together, Creston felt as if he needed to break the peace between them.
"You're not stalking me are you?" He found himself asking, watching as the jet-black haired figure fell out of her reverie. "Are you secretly plotting to murder me for what Elaine said?"
Noticing that her tolerance for the devil was improving, Essa smiled nonchalantly. Placing her hands in her jean pockets, she paced quietly down the concrete path, before pausing in step, staring up at Creston.
She was curious, and the question was eating at her. Opening her mouth, she allowed the words to escape her lips. "How long have you known Chris and his family?"
Startled by her query, Creston gave a carefree shrug. He had been expecting her to verbally abuse him like she always did, only to find that she was attempting to strike up a normal conversation. "A while," he drifted. "But not as long as you've known him," he added. "Why? Not liking the fact that Chris is hanging around me?"
Shaking her head, Essa stopped at her driveway – the walk had been short seeing as she only lived a house away from Chris. "You actually caught me off guard today Spencer," she confessed and smiled when she spotted him arch a brow before his ever-prevalent smirk made its way to his face.
"I tend to have that effect on people,"
"Ha-ha," Essa mocked, rolling her eyes.
Grinning, Creston released a short sigh. He had enjoyed himself today and felt that he knew Essa a little better. The major miracle today, was that he had managed to receive normal stares from her compared to the usual glares full of animosity. She actually looked at him as if he was human and he quite enjoyed that.
Contemplating briefly, Creston decided to come clean and offer her a bit of a compliment. "I'll have to admit, you're soccer skills are quite plausible," he said and watched as her eyes widened.
Recovering from her initial shock, Essa arched a brow. "You're not bad yourself," she responded and chuckled for no particular reason.
Inwardly cringing, the dark haired figure noticed she was sounding more and more like the brainless bimbos at school. She had no idea what possessed her to laugh – heck! What she'd said wasn't even funny.
Watching silently, Creston noticed the slight frown across Essa's face and he knew their light conversation had reached an end. Clearing his throat, he smiled when he noticed her gaze lifting back up to meet his. It was dark, the sun had already set and the night crickets were echoing.
"Well," He began, hands digging into his jean pockets. It was a nice balmy night. "I guess I should go."
Nodding her head, Essa shifted. "I guess I'll see you around." She heard herself saying, watching as Creston turned to leave. Approximately two meters separated them as she bit her lower lip in wonder.
Be
fore she could stop herself, she called after him. "And Creston," she breathed, observing as he paused in step, grey eyes meeting her blue-green ones. "Goodnight,"
"Goodnight Ess," he bid and he disappeared into the dark.
Chapter Eight
Essa Evans sighed out of frustration, not knowing which books to choose out of the mini collection she had accumulated within a matter of minutes. It had been easy to pick books and other hard cover novels from shelves, but when it came to choosing six, Essa pretty much wanted to pull out her hair.
Lugging an additional armful of novels, she seated herself at a coffee table. A cup of hot chocolate was waiting for her as she tied her long, wavy jet-black hair back into a ponytail. Releasing a sigh, Ess stared at the mountain of hardbacks and paperbacks before commencing to tackle the hard choices she was to make. By eleven she planned on having Sophia's birthday shopping done.
Lifting a thick leather bound covered novel that was filled with old poems, Essa moved it to the right, knowing full well she had to purchase it. It was something she had seen Sophia eye for the past week. As she reached over for another book, she noticed from the corner of her eyes a tall figure taking the seat across from her.
Trying to act unperturbed, Essa lifted her head, taking in the profile of the form before her in an inconspicuous fashion. With her eyes studying the clothes the individual was wearing, she decided that the person was male and was young. They were clad in a pair of loose fitting blue jeans and a white shirt that wasn't fully buttoned. Essa also didn't fail to notice the familiar shade of honey coloured skin of the person's bare chest, immediately knowing who it was.
Mystery solved, she returned her attention back to the pile of books, not in the least surprised when the recognizable, masculine voice of Creston greeted her.
"And good morning to you too,"
Blowing her fringe from her eyes, Essa lifted her gaze in acknowledgement whilst placing another book in her 'to keep' pile before being rudely interrupted again by a certain six foot tall soccer-captain.
"You might as well buy the entire library," she heard him say.
Frowning slightly, she glanced up and met grey-blue eyes. "Spencer," she said with great patience. "I don't know why you are here, but you're presence isn't helping at all seeing as I have so many important decisions to make. So…" She drifted and lifted a finger to her lips, signalling for the devil to be quiet.
Never one to take a hint, Creston could only smirk in return. Leaning forward, he grabbed a book from the large pile Essa had collected. He had to admit he'd been astonished to find her at Borders so early in the morning and now that he had approached her, he decided to make it his goal to find out why she was here.
Scanning the many titles spread over the coffee table, he found himself grinning wider. "Let me guess," he voiced. "You're finding a present for your sister,"
It took a while for the dark head to respond. Shaking her head Essa continued sorting through books. "Nope, try Chris," she lied, attempting to suppress the quirk of the corner of her lips.
It was obvious the books she had picked off the shelves were for a female companion - if not herself. Her collection ranged from poems to astrology, all the way to 'dating' tips. None of her choices would have suited Chris seeing as the only thing the blonde liked to read were magazines about cars or novels written by Dan Brown. And Essa hardly thought Chris needed any dating tips seeing as he was already so popular with the ladies.
Smirking and not believing her words, Creston placed the novel he was holding back into the large pile. "Well, if you wanted to get Chris books, I think he'd prefer porn." He stated in a matter-of-fact tone, waiting for his words to register.
As Essa comprehended his sentence, the expression on her face altered from nonchalant to one that screamed 'I'm-not-impressed'.
Pursing her lips, she lifted angry eyes at Creston. "And why did I expect anything different from the biggest man-whore at school?" She shot at him, accentuating the word that would hurt the most – at least she hoped it would ruin some of the ego Creston was filled with.
Cringing, Creston placed a hand over his heart. "Ouch," he groaned in a wounded fashion, "That really hurt."
Satisfied with his response, Essa went back to the task at hand, attempting to ignore the fool. However try as she might, the idiot couldn't seem to take a hint. She was done with him and in a way she was sick of him and his usual ways of being a pure prick. Today's Creston Spencer wasn't the one she had spent an entire evening with just two days ago.
The Spencer that she actually liked was the one that didn't make disgusting remarks about porn. She preferred the Creston that didn't constantly have an arrogant smirk spread across this lips. The guy she saw at her best friend's house was the guy that appeared to be genuine and defy all that she despised about the Creston Spencer at school.
Unconsciously grasping another book, her thoughts were interrupted.
"I'd keep that," she heard and her eyes took in the title.
It was a Stephen King book, one that she had picked out for herself seeing as she finished her last novel.
Breathing in, Essa placed the cover in her lap. "And what do you know about books Montgomery?" She asked and narrowed her eyes when she saw a smirk dance across his features. "And I mean books that don't have pictures," she accentuated, just in case the moron started breaking out into graphic details of skimpy nude women found in those horrible magazines.
Observing as he chuckled under his breath, Essa found herself feeling slightly irritated by that smirk that was making its way to his features. She guessed that her tolerance for Creston had only increased a little and today she had reached her limit.
"So it's Montgomery now?" Creston inquired, "And I'm guessing you got my middle name from Tynan?"
Spencer watched as she nodded briefly. Settling back into his chair, his grey eyes studied her momentarily. She had on a pair of black skinny leg jeans, a simple white t-shirt and a grey cardigan. He found that he liked it better when she had her dark locks pulled back for it showed off her beauty. Able to see that she had closed herself up and was back to the usual Essa Evans he had met from day one, Creston decided to drop his usual act of arrogance and cockiness. He wanted nothing more than for her to just open up to him and look at him like a normal person as she did on Friday.
Crossing his arms over his chest, his eyes fixed onto her now stoic features. "Does Chris not tell you anything?" He found himself asking, only to realise she was going to answer.
There was silence for a moment before he decided to make a witty remark. "A book from my understanding…" He voiced aloud, sensing her eyes transfixed onto him. "Is something with letters that makes words which make sentences or statements and eventually make up paragraphs, which then turn into essays and then finally many pages which is bound into something that looks like this." He huffed, holding up a thick novel in his right hand as the corners of his lips quirked up at the expression across Essa's face.
She was staring at him with a brow cocked, an odd glimmer to her eyes as her expression screamed 'you're an idiot'. But as his eyes trailed down to her lips, he noticed her pearly white teeth were clamped down on her lower lip as if to refrain from laughing.
"Tell me you did not just say that," she demanded and received a casual shrug. "That is the most idiotic description of a book..." She informed. "But," she breathed, spotting the way Spencer arched a brow. "It was quite entertaining."
Blinking for a moment, it took a few seconds for Creston to realise that the girl had complimented him. As a smile replaced the obvious smirk on his features, he sat up in his chair bending forward.
"So I've finished playing the clown, and now it's your turn to amuse me."
Grey eyes locked with blue-green ones, her head shaking in reply. "Not until you help me pick out six books from this pile that will make a potentially great present for my dearest friend Soph," Essa responded, attention falling back to her current choices. "By the way, why are you here?
" She added.
Not knowing what to say, Creston decided to play it cool. "This is my usual hang out area," he informed, "And you've invaded my usual table."
Essa scoffed at his words. "I don't see your name here,"
"Mmmmm-Hmmmm…" Creston drifted, "And how old are you? I haven't heard that comeback since 7th grade."
Plodding the urge to strike up another mini-argument, Essa pursed her lips. Taking a gulp of her now cold chocolate, she inwardly cringed at the taste - hot chocolate wasn't enjoyable when it was cold.
Sighing aloud as if he was getting impatient, Creston grabbed the remaining books off the coffee table, earning a protest from the figure seated across from him. He had seen the way she fought an internal war within herself at making simple choices and had decided to speed up the process. Within a matter of minutes, he had selected six books, handing them to Essa.
There was silence for a moment as she took in the various headings of the novels Creston had chosen. She had expected different, but was completely satisfied with his selection. Lifting her head, Essa smiled…