Chapter 1 Chapter One

"For the love of God! Stop screaming!" I groaned out loud with my eyes still shut. I stretched out my hand, trying to reach for my stupid phone to shut it off but it ended up falling on the ground with a loud thud. "Perfect." I threw my sheets away from my body in anger and picked up my phone from the floor to see a small crack on the top left corner and the name of my best friend blinking on the screen. "Lucy! It's Sunday!" I almost yelled at her as soon as I attended her call. I hate it when someone interrupts my sleep, especially on Sunday. "Good morning to you too, sunshine!" She replied in a sarcastic tone and I rolled my eyes. "You better have a good reason for calling me," I yawned, falling back on my bed, pushing away my chestnut brown hair from my face. "School is starting tomorrow and we are officially seniors now. We need to go shopping, Ri.""You mean, you need to go shopping," I replied lazily, trying to get under the covers. "Riley Adams, you better get out of your bed. I'm going to be there in like 15 minutes and drag your lazy ass to the mall." She cut the call without waiting for my reply. I love that girl to bits but she drives me insane sometimes. After a lot of struggle, I got out of my tiny bed and took a quick shower. I wore my ripped jeans and my favorite Gryffindor hoodie and threw up my hair in a bun before heading downstairs to see my dad reading a newspaper on the couch. "Wow, you are up early. It is Sunday right?" he asked in a doubtful tone and adjusted his specs to check the day on the paper just to be sure. "Lucy is making me go shopping with her again," I whined, grabbing a bowl from the kitchen and a box of cereal from the shelves. "Oops! But that's great right? It is about time you bought some new clothes for yourself." He stated and reached out for his wallet to give me some money. "I am not going to buy anything for myself, dad. And what is wrong with my clothes?" I pouted, looking down at my cute hoodie. "It's cool, sweetheart but if at all you feel like buying new clothes, I want you to ask me for money. Please don't hesitate," he smiled at me warmly and I sighed, walking towards him with my bowl of cereal. "I know, dad but I'm fine.""Alright, then. I'm going to head out to the store to pick up a few things for dinner. Lock the door before you leave, okay." He kissed my forehead and got up to leave. "Okay." It was just me and my dad. My mom was not in the picture. She and my dad got divorced when I was five years old. She left him for another guy and we weren't in touch with her and neither did she try to stay in touch with us. My dad was a carpenter. Even though he was paid decently, it was not enough so I took a part-time job at a library near my school. He tried so hard to talk me out of it as he didn't like me juggling between work and studies at the same time but obviously I won in the end. I could be stubborn as hell sometimes. For now, we were able to pay the bills but I was worried about college. I was just an average student and getting a scholarship was totally out of the question. My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Coming," I shouted, placing the half-eaten bowl of cereal on the coffee table in front of me and rushed to get the door. I came face to face with my best friend and only friend in the whole wide world. Lucy Wilson ! She was the exact opposite of me. Beautiful. Smart. Rich. Literally, every guy in our school has a huge crush on her. Sometimes, I wonder why she was hanging out with a loser like me. She never showed off her wealth or acted like a bitch, unlike other rich girls. That's one of the reasons I liked her a lot. We have been friends since grade one. "Shall we?" she chirped, enthusiastically, dangling her car keys in front of my face as I shut the door behind me. "Yeah and give me one good reason why I should not kill you right now?""Because you love me, babe." She winked, getting inside her car and I climbed inside the front seat, buckling up my seatbelt. "I hate you, Wilson. You owe me." I mumbled, sinking back in the seat, and soon we were on the road. "Stop whining, Ri. It's going to be fun.""Fun for you. Boring for me.""Let's get you new clothes too. Something more hot and sexy. It's senior year, Ri and you are still a virgin." She whispered the last part, making me scowl. "Do I look like I care?" I asked with a shrug but she paid me no mind. "But I do care and as your best friend, it's my duty to make sure you get a boyfriend this year. You are so getting laid before we head off to college." She stated firmly. Easy for her to say, she was dating Andrew Simmons from the swim team and he was the perfect guy. They have been dating for almost a year now. "I have more important things on my plate, Lu," I spoke silently and she sighed heavily beside me. "I told you that my parents are more than willing to pay for your college, babe and you can pay them back whenever you can." She pouted but I shook my head firmly. "No way! I told you a million times, I'm not okay with it. I should just find a way to earn some extra bucks and save up for college," I explained, looking outside the window. "It's really hard to convince your stubborn ass sometimes." She muttered under her breath but I was already lost in my thoughts. "What about this one?" she asked, coming out of the dressing room in a purple skirt. "Eww! No way." I grimaced and she gave me a dirty look. We were at this for more than three hours and finally, she ended up buying the dress that she and I picked first. "Who are you texting?" I asked as we kept walking towards McDonald's. I was starving. "Andrew. He just got back from his vacation and I can't wait to see him." She sounded excited and I smiled at her. They both were so cute together. The thought of having a boyfriend did excite me sometimes. I mean, I wasn't completely boring. I have been on a date or two but obviously, it didn't end well. I wasn't the type that guys usually go for. I was this nerdy girl who wore hoodies and baggy clothes and honestly I was more comfortable being this way. I wanted a guy to like me for who I was and I didn't want to change myself just to get a boyfriend. "Yo, Adams! Still can't afford to buy some decent clothes at the mall?" I heard a familiar yet irritating voice call out from behind me and turned around to see the most annoyingly perfect face that I absolutely loathed. Tristan fucking Harris ! Captain of the football team. Popular. Handsome. Annoying. Cocky. Arrogant as hell. I hated him to the core. It all started in seventh grade when he started picking up on me for no reason at all and it just kept getting worse from then. All these popular guys always need targets to show off their coolness in front of others and I guess I was Tristan's prey. "Fuck off, Tristan. Leave her alone." Lucy spat at him but he just laughed along with his friends as they kept walking towards us. "Always a pleasure, Adams. Can't wait to make fun of you at school tomorrow." He smirked and I flipped him off with my finger while he walked past me along with his stupid friends. "God, I hate that stupid jerk face," I grumbled while Lucy placed an arm around my shoulders. "Don't mind him, babe. Just one more year.""Yeah, let's go home. I've completely lost my appetite." I sulked, pulling her towards the exit.

Chapter 2 Chapter Two

"Fuck! I hate it, Ri. It's only been a week and we are already swamped with homework and assignments," Lucy groaned in frustration. We were in the study hall, working on our math assignment since we had a free period. "What else would you prefer doing?""Anything besides this. Also, Andrew is annoying me to the core. He hasn't texted me since morning." She pouted and kept checking her phone every five minutes. "Here, let me help you." I grabbed her note and started to teach her. Not to brag or anything but I was pretty good at math and probably the only thing I was good at. "Damn! You are good, girl." She whistled when I solved a complex problem but I simply shrugged, trying not to make a big deal out of it. "You just need to use your brain." I teased, earning a smack on my arm from her. "Shut up.""You know what? You could probably do this for money," she added after a while, making me scrunch my eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?""I don't think anyone is as good as you at math in our grade. You could put up an advertisement on the school notice board or newspaper for tutoring." She explained, making me think about it for a while. It was actually a pretty good idea to earn some money for college. I would be learning and teaching at the same time. Dad would also understand if I explain it to him. "Do you think anyone would notice?" I asked in a doubtful tone. "Of course, just post it anonymously with your contact details, and let's wait and see. No harm in trying right?""You know, I think you finally put that brain of yours to use," I grinned widely, making her roll her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Let's go, babe. I'm craving some ice cream." She stood up without waiting for my reply and I copied her actions, collecting my things from the table. "Psst! Why is Tristan staring at you?" Lucy hissed, making me frown in response. We were inside a small ice cream booth that was close to Woodcreek Highschool. We could see almost half of the school's population inside that small place and it wasn't a big surprise that Tristan was here. He and his mates used to hang out there almost every day. "I think it's time for us to leave," I whispered back, brushing her question aside. "Hmmm, if you look closely, he does look good. Do you think he secretly likes you or something and that's why he annoys you?""Eww! Gross! Lucy, stop looking over at his table. I don't need any drama today and I need to get to the library. I'm late for my shift," I stood up, hiding my face with my hoodie, and walked towards the counter. She immediately followed me, almost running to catch up with my speed. "Alright, relax. I was just kidding." She sighed beside me near the counter while I paid for our orders. She was right though. I could feel his eyes boring into my back and I couldn't understand why. Was he planning on something big ? I had no freaking idea . We rushed out of the booth immediately and I let out a huge sigh of relief. We said our goodbyes and she went home while I walked back to the school to submit the advertisement in the school newspaper and around 5 pm, I left the school premises and made my way towards the small library that was around 20 feet away from my school. "Hey, Judy!" I called out to the girl behind the reception and she turned around to face me with a bright smile. She was around my age with short blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. She goes to a different school so I didn't know much about her. "Right on time as always. Have fun, Riley." She smiled and started to collect her things to leave. The library was almost empty except for a few kids, doing their homework or reading some book. I got bored and started to work on my own school stuff and halfway through it, I felt a huge shadow looming over my head. I lifted my gaze to see who it was and my eyes went wide, mouth hanging open with my pencil dangling between my lips. I was met with a pair of ocean green eyes with thick eyelashes followed by a pair of plump lips. I could notice his chiseled jawline that was sharp enough to cut through anything and my eyes roamed freely all over his light brown hair that was disheveled. He was wearing a white polo t-shirt underneath his black jacket that looked really hot on his arrogant self. I came out of my trance immediately, feeling ashamed to be checking out my enemy. Fuck ! Lucy was right . Did he always look this good ? "Are you done checking me out?" he smirked, leaning against the desk and I caught a whiff of his strong musky cologne that sent tingles down my spine. Ew ! Ew ! Ew ! Dear God ! Please don't do this . "Could you please take a step back? I'm feeling nauseous." I coughed a bit, trying to get myself together. "More like breathless, Adams. I tend to have that effect on people. Girls especially," he winked, making me roll my eyes at his cockiness, "I didn't know you work here." He added, throwing a book at me which I caught swiftly between my hands. I looked down at the title of the book and raised my eyebrow. It was a Trigonometry textbook. "And I didn't know you study instead of fooling around," I replied almost immediately, making him sigh heavily. "Desperate times call for desperate measures." He uttered, surprising me with his decent response, making me more confused than ever. "You have seven days to return the book without any damage," I spoke, typing away on the computer in front of me, and looked up to find him staring at me. He snatched the book from my hand with such force, making me scowl. Spoke too soon ! "Whatever." He cleared his throat and rushed outside immediately, leaving me puzzled. "Asshole," I muttered loud enough for him to hear. Thankfully, he didn't turn around to give me any snide comments and kept walking towards his fancy-ass car. My shift ended at 7 pm. After grabbing my stuff, I started walking towards the direction of my house, wearing my headset. By the time, I reached home, I noticed that my dad's car was not in the driveway so I made dinner for myself and him. After finishing my dinner, I went back to my room and turned on Netflix to watch ' The Vow '. Not even Lucy knows that I watch romance movies. I act all tough outside saying that I hated romance and all that cringe stuff but deep down, I secretly wanted a Love story of my own as corny as it may sound. I was a girl after all and I wanted to experience all the cute and sexy stuff that high school girls gush about. I thought about Lucy's words from the other day. Get a boyfriend ? But who would even talk to a girl as boring as me ? I sighed and drifted off to sleep to the soothing sound of Channing Tatum's voice in the movie.

Chapter 3 Chapter Three

I jerked in my seat when I felt my phone vibrate in my jean pocket. I pulled it out to see a text from Lucy. I was currently in the middle of my English class which was really boring since I had already read all of Shakespeare's and Jane Austen's novels. Lucy and I had one or two different classes every day ' I'm so bored.'--Lucy ' Same here .' I hit send and tried to focus on the board in front of me. The day was dragging by and I just wanted to get out of school as soon as possible. It was Friday, for god's sake. My phone buzzed again on my desk, earning a few stares from my classmates. 'Andrew invited us to a party this weekend.' --Lucy ' There is no 'us'. I really don't want to go, Lu.' After a few seconds, my phone buzzed again, a little bit louder this time and everyone turned around to look at me. Suddenly I was the center of attention and I cringed, sinking lower in my seat and immediately put my phone on silent and kept it inside my pocket, knowing very well that it was Lucy, trying to convince me to go to the party. I wasn't against partying or anything but at the same time, I wasn't the type to doll up. So, showing up in a regular uncool attire would only make me gain unwanted attention which I never wanted in the first place. Once the class got over, I rushed outside to meet Lucy at our regular table in the cafeteria. On my way, I pulled out my phone to see a few texts from her and an unknown number. ' Saw your ad in the school newspaper. Interested.' -- Unknown number My eyes went wide in shock and excitement. I had completely forgotten about that sudden impulsive decision I took almost a week ago. I was looking down at my phone, trying to figure out who this person might be and I didn't see where I was going. I bumped into a rock-hard chest which made me drop my already broken phone. Fuck! I cursed under my breath and pulled back. I lifted my gaze to see the person responsible for my now broken phone. My expression immediately turned into a scowl when I saw none other than Tristan fucking Harris. I bent down to pick up my phone and thankfully, it was still working but the screen was completed cracked. "Oops, sorry!" He tsked, flashing that stupid sexy smirk that only made me want to punch his face. I didn't know why I was so angry. He purposely bumped into me. I was sure of that. Asshole. I was also angered by the fact that I hated him but at the same time found him attractive. "Sorry?" I scoffed and took a deep breath to calm my nerves. My eyes fell on his pant pocket and I could see his mobile slightly popping out, easy enough for anyone to snatch it. I surprised myself by taking a step forward towards him and he stumbled back, taken off guard. He must have not expected me to do anything in return. I reached for his phone from his pocket and stepped back immediately. He kept blinking rapidly, trying to figure out what just happened and after a few seconds, he rolled his eyes as realization dawned upon him. "Nice try, Adams. Give it back now before you do something you regret later." He glared, licking his lips, and rubbed his chin, feeling annoyed. Damn! That was hot. Eww! Here we go again! "Here! You can have it," I held out his phone and dropped it. It fell to the ground with a loud thud and I heard collective gasps all over the hallway. That's when I realized that we were having an audience. I could see his nose flaring up in anger and he looked like he wanted to hit something. To be honest, I was shit scared. I had no idea why I did that. I could see the people around me, staring at me like I just murdered someone. Shit! What was wrong with me? I was poking the bear. I immediately tried to walk past him to maintain my cool but he stepped in front of me, anger evident in his eyes. "You better watch your back, Adams." he hissed at me and walked away furiously before picking up his phone and I finally let out a huge breath that I didn't know I was holding. Oh, my fucking goodness! So much for trying to avoid drama. "What the hell was that?" Lucy laughed as I walked towards her. She was waiting for me at the end of the hallway. "Please don't ask. I don't know what came over me. He just makes me so angry all the time. Why can't he annoy anyone else?""First of all, that was pretty hot, babe. Second of all, only because you are ignorant, he is tormenting you. Give a taste of his own medicine and watch him run for the hills," she replied as we walked towards the cafeteria. "I hope he leaves me alone. Ugh! He makes me sick. I can't believe, girls find that arrogance attractive and hot. "I grimaced, sitting down at our table while I felt my inner self judging me for being a hypocrite. "You got to admit. Bad boys are sexy as hell," she winked, giving me a knowing smirk while I just shook my head with a loud sigh. "Enough about that. I got a response for that Ad that I posted in the school newspaper," I stated, trying to change the subject and her eyes went wide in surprise and excitement. "Damn, girl! Way to go! Who is it?" she asked, more curious and eager than me, making me chuckle. "I have no idea. I'm yet to reply. What if this is some kind of a joke?""Just ask the name, babe." ' May I know your name?' ' I prefer not to say right now for privacy reasons. Can we meet in person?'---Unknown number I g ot the reply almost immediately. Privacy reasons? "What do I say?" I pouted as I showed my phone to her. "Hmmm...Ask that person to meet you at the library. That way it is safe and it is your place of work too, so you wouldn't be embarrassed if you are stood up," she rushed out and I frowned at the last part. "This isn't a date, Lu.""Yeah, right but still do as I say, babe." She brushed my point aside. I decided to take her advice and unlocked my phone. ' Meet me at the library near our school at 6.' I hit send and looked at her. "And now we wait. Do you want me to be there? Just in case he or she ends up being a weirdo," she asked in a serious tone, making me laugh hard. "I think the only weirdo in this entire school is you. I'll be fine, Lu." I teased her and continued to eat my tuna sandwich. "Fine." She snuck out her tongue in a playful manner and we both continued to eat, talking about random stuff. I kept staring at my phone every five minutes hoping to get a text from that person as it was already 6 pm. I continued to work on my shift and tried not to think too much. It must be one of my classmates and I just had to teach them math. Should be a piece of cake. I took deep breaths to mentally prepare myself and at around 6.15 pm, I saw Tristan entering the library with the book that he borrowed earlier in his hand. I thought he was going to return it and continued to fix my gaze on the computer but he kept walking straight and gave me a sideways glare before sitting on one of the empty seats. I was surprised that he didn't say a word to me given what happened earlier today. The library was fairly crowded and I could see some students giving him weird stares because Tristan wasn't the kind of guy to visit a library, let alone sit inside one. I kept stealing glances at him from my computer and noticed that he was busy on his phone. I almost jumped from my seat when my phone vibrated indicating a notification. ' Waiting inside the library.' --Unknown number I immediately looked up from my phone and my eyes swept all across the room. I couldn't find anyone who looked like they were waiting for someone except--- Oh god! No, it can't be. ' What are you wearing?' I hit send and immediately saw Tristan looking down at his phone. He smirked and started to type something. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Please don't be him. ' Black t-shirt and blue dark wash jeans. Are you a guy or a girl?' -- Unknown number I kept staring at the text which had the exact description of clothes that Tristan was wearing and at that very moment our eyes met. Fuck my life!

Chapter 4 Chapter Four

I immediately dropped my phone on the desk and turned around. Fuck! Of all the people, why the fuck should it be him? I mentally groaned in frustration and squeezed my eyes shut. After a few seconds, I fluttered my eyes open as I realized that he doesn't know it is me yet. I picked up my phone and started to type him a message. 'This won't work out. Sorry.' I lifted my gaze to see his expression and his lips twitched into a smile as he looked down at his phone and then he started to type. ' Drop the act and come over here, Adams.' - Unknown number Fuck! Was I that obvious? I took a deep breath and walked over to his table while he kept staring at me with a sly look on his face. I just wanted to run for the hills rather than face him. God! This was so humiliating. "How did you find out it was me?" I hissed in anger and he raised his eyebrows. "Well, this isn't rocket science, Adams. You were on your phone since the moment I stepped inside. I noticed your face go pale when I texted back what I was wearing and our eyes connected automatically," he smirked and continued, "Also, our entire class, including me know how good you are at math. I put two and two together," he shrugged casually and I let out a defeated sigh. I never thought he would know that about me. "Man, this is going to be fucking lit." He stated, leaning back against his seat and I noticed his shirt roll up a bit, showing a hint of his abs. I quickly diverted my eyes no matter how tempting he looked. "What makes you think I would agree to tutor you? You make me sick, Tristan. This is not going to happen." I sneered and was about to walk away. "Look, just sit down, and let's talk like adults." He stopped me and I turned around to look at him in confusion but pulled the seat opposite to him to sit down instead of creating a scene at the library. "I don't understand. I thought you hated me. We broke each other's phone. Why do you want me to tutor you? We both know this is going to be a disaster." I whisper yelled almost jumping from my seat in annoyance. "Aren't you a feisty little thing?" He smirked, while I maintained a straight face, "Look, I need to score well in math to graduate and I'm failing miserably. Football can only get you so far. I really need this, Adams and it needs to be a fucking secret. No one can know about this. It's embarrassing enough for me already." He gestured between us as if we were trying to have a secret relationship or something and for some reason, it stung. Was I that embarrassing to be seen with? "What makes you think I'll keep this a secret if at all I'm willing to do this?" I asked, trying to act as if I wasn't offended. "What if I say I won't annoy you anymore if you do this?" he asked almost immediately and I kept staring at him, trying to figure out if he really meant it or not, "I will not get back at you for breaking my phone." He added in a serious tone since I was eyeing him suspiciously. "Pfft, Tutoring you is going to be so much worse than that," I muttered under my breath. "Look, I didn't expect you here, okay. I'm surprised too but I think you are what I need, Adams." He spoke, looking straight into my eyes and I almost stopped breathing for a second, "For teaching me." He cleared his throat and added, slowly. I was lost in that beautiful ocean green eyes and unconsciously, chewed on my bottom lip, his gaze flicked down to my lips and I immediately looked away. I know I'll be playing with fire if I agree to do this. I can find someone else other than him, right? "I don't know, Tristan. I'm sorry." I stood up from my seat immediately and started to walk away, feeling breathless and I could sense my heart racing wildly against my chest. "What if I pay you double?" He yelled, making everyone stare at us. My eyes went wide in shock. Wow! Double? Was he that desperate for good grades? It was a pretty good offer but my only problem was him. I was in mental turmoil. Finally, I took a deep breath and walked back to him. "Shut up. It's not going to happen." I whispered and rushed to my desk, without looking back. I wanted to talk all about this with Lucy. ' Need to talk to you. ASAP!' ' Shit! I'm coming over right now to pick you up from the library, babe. Okay?'- Lucy. ' Yeah, okay :(' I texted her back and covered my face with my hands. My peace was interrupted by a loud thud on my desk and I already knew it was Tristan. "What now?" I asked without looking at his face. "I'm returning this book. Don't need it anymore because I have a tutor now." I jerked my head at his response to look at him, adorning a sexy smirk and he was about to walk away. "I didn't agree to it, asshole," I called out but he paid me no mind. Just then, my phone buzzed with a notification sound. It was a message from him. ' Yet ;) ' - Unknown number. Well, not an unknown number anymore. Oh dear God! What the fuck do I do? "Are you fucking serious?" she asked with wide eyes as soon as I told her about the whole Tristan encounter. "Yes, Lu and he said he would pay me double. I don't know what to do. I really need the money but I don't think I can teach that arrogant asshole," I kept whining, sitting inside her car. We were parked in the McDonald's driveway and kept munching on our burgers and fries. "I mean, it's not like he is paying you for free right and he should pay you double for tormenting you all these years and he did say he would stop annoying you, right?" I nodded, taking a huge bite from my burger. "I think this is a win-win situation for both of you. Why don't you give it a try for a week or so?" she suggested and I kept chewing on my bottom lip, pondering over that thought. "I could give it a try but I'm scared, Lu." I stated honestly and she just smiled at me. "He needs you to teach him, Ri. You have the upper hand now. Do not let him see that you scared and show him how strong you are." She tried to motivate me and I kept listening to her patiently. "Fine. I'll text him and probably set some ground rules.""Now, that's my girl." She hugged me sideways and after hanging out for a while, we drove back home. At around 10 pm, I kept typing and erasing back the text, contemplating what to reply to. ' I'm willing to do this under certain conditions. Let me know when we can discuss them. ' Seems decent and professional. I hit send and threw my phone. God, why was I acting all flustered now? What if this was all a prank? I started thinking of all negative scenarios and made a note to sort it out clearly with him. ' About time, Adams. This is great tho, let's discuss it now.' - Asshole. Yup, I saved his number as Asshole in my phone and it seemed appropriate. I started to type my rules and conditions one by one. ' 1. You should stop bugging me at school and this includes your friends too. 2. You should pay me double. 3. When you said, this should be private that doesn't include my best friend, Lucy. 4. How do I know this is not a prank? 5. We keep it completely professional. 6. You do as I say when we are together. 7. I can tutor you after my working hours at the library and that is after 8 pm on weekdays.' I hit send and smirked internally, knowing he will definitely be taken off guard. I didn't receive any reply for a long time and wondered if he didn't want to do this anymore. I let out a huge sigh and decided to call it a night. Just when I was about to sleep, my phone buzzed with a response from him. '1. Agreed, Ma'am. 2. Yes, of course. 3. I hope your friend can keep her mouth shut or you will be in deep trouble, Adams. 4. Trust me, this isn't a prank no matter how much I love to prank you. I can show you my test grades if you wish. 5.What else did you expect Adams? ;) 6. Fuck, why does this sound dirty? 7. I'm okay with weekdays. We will discuss weekends tomorrow.' -- Asshole. My jaw was hanging open at his reply yet I couldn't wipe the stupid smile off my face. Ew! No, I can't be smiling at his dirty replies. I felt my insides tingling as I kept reading his text over and over again. Fuck, he was cocky as hell. 'Stop being a pervert and meet me at the library with your test grades tomorrow.' I put my phone to charge and kept twisting and turning in my bed, trying to sleep but I was distracted by a certain arrogant jerk and his pretty green eyes. Man, little did I know that my entire life was about to change by a simple decision that I took that day.

Chapter 5 Chapter Five

"So what did he say?" Lucy asked again right in the middle of our class. I tried to ignore her question as I didn't know how to explain it to her. "He agreed to meet me at the library." I tried to keep it short and crisp but she knew me better than that. "Come on, there is more. I can see your face. You are blushing," She whispered, making my eyes go wide. "What? No!" I immediately touched my cheeks and she tried so hard not to laugh out loud. "You should have seen your face." She sniffled in laughter beside me, earning us both glares from our professor. "You better tell me now before I snatch your phone," she whispered again. "Oh my God! You are so annoying, Lu." I handed over my phone to her before the professor could throw us both out. "That's much better." She grinned and started looking over at my texts. I tried to observe her expressions from the corner of my eye and noticed her jaw-dropping to the floor. We soon heard the bell go off and we started to collect our things to leave for the day. "What is going on between you two?" She yelled, giving back my phone as soon as we were outside the classroom. "Nothing. He is being an ass and I'm just being professional." I rushed out, not meeting her eyes. "Are you really that naive? Tristan Harris is trying to flirt with you." She stated, making me stop dead in my tracks. "Yeah, sure. As if he is desperate for a girl's attention. We all know that he is a man whore, Lu." I said in an annoyed tone and she shook her head. "Whatever, maybe this is his way of texting girls but you really need to get laid, Ri. Too much stress is not good for your health," she winked at me in a suggestive manner, making me scowl. "I'm fine, thank you.""Hi, ladies." I heard Andrew's deep voice from behind as he wrapped his arm around Lucy's shoulders, placing a small kiss on her cheek. "Hi, Andrew." I greeted him as we all kept walking towards the exit. "So I heard that you are not coming to the party this weekend," he started, making me glare at Lucy immediately. "He asked me, babe." She pouted and I groaned in frustration. "I don't wanna come, Andrew. Parties aren't my scene. You know me well right?" I whined and tried to use my puppy dog eyes, hoping he would show me some mercy. He just laughed, making his crystal blue eyes twinkle. He was a good-looking guy with dirty blonde hair and he was pretty decent also which is a rare combination. I was glad that Lucy found a guy like him. "How can I have a party without my girlfriend's best friend? She would be alone, Riley." He reasoned and I let out a huge sigh. "Fine. I'll think about it." I mumbled and Lucy jumped in excitement. "Yay! Thank you so much, babe." She wrapped her arms around my neck and I hugged her back, rolling my eyes at Andrews who threw up his hands in defeat. "You guys owe me big time." I pointed my finger at them causing them to chuckle as we walked outside. "Have fun, babe." She waved me goodbye with a wink and walked towards the parking lot with Andrew while I made my way towards the library. At around 7.45 pm, I checked my phone to see if I had any messages from Tristan. I hardly saw him at school today and wondered if all this was one big joke. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail as it was falling all over the place. People were leaving the library slowly as it was almost 8 pm. I kept waiting patiently and the clock struck 8.15 pm. The owner had strictly told us to keep the library open beyond 8 pm only if people were still reading inside. The library was empty now and I had no other choice than to lock it up. I started collecting my things and walked outside in a sour mood. After locking up the place, I started walking down the streets slowly all the while wondering why he stood up on me. Did he change his mind? Was this some kind of game to him? I tried to stay strong and reached home quickly to find my dad in the kitchen, making us dinner. "You are home early, sweetheart. What happened to the tutoring?" he asked with a puzzled look on his face and I sat behind the counter, watching him stir the sauce in the pan. "He didn't show up. I should call him and ask later tonight." I replied, picking up a piece of carrot from the bowl. "So it's a 'he'?" he asked with raised eyebrows and I rolled my eyes. "He is an asshole, dad. I'm doing this only for money as shallow as it may sound.""Alright, whatever you say." He laughed and continued, "Dinner will be ready in five. Go freshen up and come," I nodded and ran upstairs to change. After dinner, I kept wondering if I should send him a text or ask him why he didn't show up but I didn't want to seem desperate. At the same time, I was pissed off and wanted to punch his stupid face. My thoughts were interrupted by my phone going off and I picked it up from my bedside table. Asshole calling! Shit! When did we go from texting to calling? I attended the call with shaky hands and placed the phone against my ears. The line was completely silent and neither of us spoke a word. "I know you are there. I can hear you breathing, Adams." His deep voice resonates through the phone and I took a deep breath, mouthing the words ' oh my God!' Fuck, he sounded so sexy. "What do you want?" I cleared my throat and tried to sound calm. "I know you are mad but I had a family emergency and," he paused for a few seconds, "I'm sorry for not texting. I was caught up," he apologized for the first time to me and I went in complete shock. "Did you just say you are sorry?" I asked again just to be sure and heard him chuckle, making me almost melt into a puddle. "Yes, Adams. This won't happen again. Can you come over to my house from tomorrow to teach me after your shift? I'm not comfortable at the library." He asked, taking me by surprise. His house? I had no idea about his house or his family. I knew he was rich but I've never seen his house. I kept nibbling on my bottom lip, not knowing how to respond. "I can pick you up and drop you at your home every day," he added and I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. "Why are you doing all this? I mean, why go through so much trouble? You could hire a professional tutor considering how rich you are," I blurted out and there was complete silence on the other end. "First of all, my dad is rich, not me and second of all, I don't like to waste money. Paying you double is actually a good choice for me and I prefer my house because it's more private. Anyone can see me at the library." He explained in one go and I was surprised and hurt at the same time. Well, he wasn't a complete rich Asshole. "Are you that much concerned about your reputation?" I scoffed, feeling irritated and I had no idea why it bothered me so much. "Yup, so do you agree?" he asked again. "Fine, I need my pay for today also," I stated in a serious tone, making him laugh. "Of course. God, you are cute, Adams. See you tomorrow and don't worry, I'll be completely 'professional'." He replied in a husky tone, stressing on the last word, making me squeeze my thighs automatically and I licked my dry lips. Holy fuck! Did he call me cute? Tristan fucking Harris called me cute? "Bye." I squealed in a high pitch tone and cut the call immediately, not before hearing his rumble of laughter. Talk about embarrassment! I fell back on my pillow and groaned in frustration. Why am I affected by him? Dear God! Please get him out of my mind. I kept mentally chanting in my head over and over again that he is the enemy until I fell asleep.