Aaron's POV:

All day I dealt with the stares and whispers around me. I hate the attention, but I know that by now, word has spread of me kissing Kayla – or rather, of Kayla kissing me. I cringe as I think about it.

Kayla and I have known each other since we were five, right from the moment she put earthworms in my pencil case. From then, I hated her and kept my distance from earthworms. And whenever I think of she-devils, her face is the first to come to mind. She is nothing like any of the people I'm used to, or like some girls who are just naturally amazing

Girls like Alicia.

I allowed myself a split second to reflect on my ex-girlfriend before dragging my mind back to the current headache for today. Kayla and that kiss. She was aware of my hatred towards slackers and rule breakers like herself.

So of course, it was shocking that she kissed me, especially when she was dating Jason, the number one trouble maker in the whole school and someone with whom I shared a mutual affection of hate.

I hear more whispers around me, and a grimace crosses my usually expressionless face before I can hide it.

As a middle child, I am unused to getting so much attention, and even though at school I am one the smartest and also the best football player, I am rarely in the spotlight - by choice. I am unsurprised to find out how much I hate it. I am tempted to yell out that I had no idea about Kayla's mad plan to kiss me.

Then something happens which changes my mind.

At that moment, Keon, my closest friend walks up to me, pushing his glasses firmly on his nose. "Aaron, I heard that you and Kayla Barnes are a... thing?", he half accuses, half asks.

I don't say anything, but I give a small secret smile.

🏈🏈🏈

It seems forever until the period before lunch, chemistry, which is one of the few periods that Kayla and I have together. I arrive early, going to the back of the class. I don't usually sit here, but I have to have a conversation with Kayla, and it has to be private. I keep my eyes on the door as students shuffle in, waiting for Kayla to enter, but she doesn't. Finally, the teacher, Mr Krebs enters, shutting the door behind him, and I deflate. Why did I expect a trouble maker like her to actually show up for...

The door swings open, and I crane my neck just to be able to make out Kayla waltzing into the class looking totally unbothered.

"Hey Crabby", she smiles at the teacher, who looks at her over his glasses. Mr Krebs is old and practically ignores a lot of students including Kayla.

"Late as usual", he mutters as Kayla scans the classroom. Her eyes pick me out, and she saunters over to where I am seated, plopping down on the seat next to me.

"I thought you always sat at the front rulebook", she says, raising her eyebrows questioningly. "Don't tell me that I've changed you with just one kiss."

I ignore her comment. "We need to talk", I start, but she interrupts me.

"About the kiss?", she gives a short laugh as Mr Krebs turns off the light to play a video. "I needed to show Jason that I've moved on from him – we just broke up you know 'cause it turns out that he is a cheating liar. You happened to be the only person around so I did what I had to do." She shrugs nonchalantly.

I did not know that she and Jason had broken up, though it doesn't surprise me that Jason is a cheater. He is a douchebag anyhow. "I don't care about your love life. That isn't why I wanted to talk." I take a deep breath. "Alicia texted me"

She looks at me questioningly, as if she does not understand the gravity of the situation. I struggle to keep my emotions void of any emotion.

"Who is Alicia, and why should we be happy that she texted you."

Is this girl clueless?

"Alicia Gray my... ex-girlfriend."

"Hold up", she says, making a time out sign. "You had a girlfriend? I thought you used your spare time to translate textbooks from English to Greek."

"Firstly", I say, shushing her to reduce her voice, "I translate textbooks from English to Mandarin, and I only do that on weekends. Secondly, Alicia and I had been dating since middle school. How do you not know this?"

"I don't keep tabs on your love life rule book.". she opened a pack of gum and popped one into her mouth. "Now that I think about it, I do know an Alicia Gray. Brown curly hair and chocolate eyes. And she has megabucks. So what did she text you?"

Finally, we're getting back on track. I fish out my phone, then go to my messages, tapping Alicia's name before showing the message to Kayla.

The text reads, "Are you dating Kayla Barnes?"

Kayla looks at it for a moment, before handing me back my phone.

"Well, reply and tell her that we aren't dating", Kayla smirks while making a large bubble. She popped it loudly, and I glare at her. She ignores, making another bubble, interrupting me before I can finally speak

"Why don't we date?"

For a moment, there is a heavy silence surrounding the question. Then she bursts out laughing.

"So is that a no?", I ask, folding her arms over my chest.

She stops laughing and stares at me pointedly. "You weren't joking", she half questions, and now it is my turn to roll my eyes.

Duh genius. Jokes are meant to be funny, and the proposal of dating isn't remotely amusing.

"Why are you asking me to date you?", she asks, placing emphasis on the words 'me' and 'you'.

Again, she rolls her eyes. I am getting quite annoyed by her eye rolling.

"Look, Alicia broke up with me because her friends pressured her to. But she's still interested in me; this text proves it. If I date you, she'll see that and..."

"As much as I would love to get involved in your petty love scheme, I'm afraid that I must refuse. I'm not looking for a rebound."

She starts to get up, but I grab her hand, cringing at the skin contact. She turns her eyes to me angrily.

"Come on. I'm giving you a way to get back on your ex", I whisper-yell. "If you date me, it'll get him very angry. Don't you want that?"

"Not if it comes with the burden of having to date you. In case you didn't realize, you aren't exactly my type.", she responds calmly. "I'm flattered but it's not me, it's you"

I know she is about to walk away, without agreeing, so I bring out my secret weapon which I use to get my way. I tease her.

"I'm not surprised that you don't want to date me anyway. You're probably just too scared you'll end up falling for me.", I say mockingly, leaning back and letting go of her hand. It is a calculated move meant to challenge her.

And it works.

She freezes in her tracks and turns to face me. "I am not afraid of falling for you", she snaps. I grin to myself. I have her attention now.

"Maybe you're afraid that you'll end up becoming a good girl, wearing your uniform properly and caring about exams.", I continue my taunting.

"More likely that I'll end up making you into a bad boy.", she sneers.

"Fine, let's make a bet. We date for two months. Whoever ends up changing the other person or wins. If you fall in love with me, you lose. Looser has to call the other person 'Master' for the rest of the school year and do all their biddings and wishes. Do you agree to these terms, or are you too chicken to go through with it?"

A look of determination comes over her face and she sticks out her hand. "Deal"

I smile as I grab her hand and shake it firmly.

The bell rings that moment

She grabs my hand and pulled me up. "Let's go to lunch and plot our next move."

🏈🏈🏈

"Whoa, this is a lot to take in", Steph, the redhead who was Kayla's best friend said.

Like most schools, the cafeteria of Meadowbrook High was segregated into different sections for different groups of people – the jocks, the nerds, the elite, and of course, the rule breakers. When I first started school, I had sat with the nerds until Coach Hernandez discovered my talent and made me sit with the football team. Although I felt more at home with the nerds, as captain of the football team, so I usually sat with the jocks. When I was dating Alicia, I sat with the elite. However, right now I sat at the table for the rule breakers. It felt... odd. Everyone was staring at me, silently pointing out how obvious it was that I didn't belong here – these were people who went to detention every day; I had never gotten detention in my life.

As I scanned the hall, my eyes fell to the elite table, to Alicia. She must have felt my gaze because she turned her soft brown eyes to mine. I allowed myself to drown in her chocolatey gaze for a second before I turned my gaze back to my 'girlfriend'

"Why are we telling her about all this?", I asked Kayla. It was bad enough that I was fake dating her. I didn't want anyone else to know about it or why. However, Kayla was very quick in giving her BFF all the details of our 'relationship', which I consider a bit unfair. You don't see me bringing my closest friend to hear all the details of my arrangement.

"She's my best friend rulebook. She has to know."

"Besides", Steph cuts in, "no scumbag cheats on my bestie without getting some 'Do Revenge' type punishment. And I want this to be fair. Don't use your smart brain to cheat her out of getting revenge or else your glasses will come off your face in pieces." She cracks her knuckles.

I groan. "Look, we've already agreed to do this. What we need though are some rules."

I flick out a pen and get a sheet of paper from my binder, ignoring Kayla who mutters "Rules... what fun"

"No kissing", I say as I write it down firmly.

"Won't work", Steph says, as she makes a bubble. Seriously, what is it with these girls and gum. "I've never seen a couple that doesn't kiss. You want the relationship to be believable don't you? And it's already pretty unbelievable as it is."

Kayla nods, before grabbing the paper and pen from me. "No extreme making out.", she edits. "Do you have a safeword?", she asks.

I inhale sharply and she laughs.

"We won't be doing anything like that", she laughs, and I blush crimson at the direction of my thoughts. "I just need to know when the make out sessions are getting too heavy for you."

I glare at her, adjusting my glasses, as I try to think of a word. "Venom", I say, and she raises her eyebrows.

"Like the movie?", she asks, and now it is my turn to look surprised.

"What movie?", I question, keeping my face blank. She stares at me as if I have dropped from another planet.

"You haven't watched Venom? What planet are you from? Wait have you watched any marvel movie."

"Don't you mean marvelous movie?", I ask, correcting her grammar, but I guess I said something wrong. Steph is looking at me with pity, the same way you would look at a dying bird, while Kayla scrutinizes me with narrowed eyes.

"We have to rectify that". She pens down 'Watch all the marvel movies', on our contract paper.

"Fine, as long as you do all your homework, and attend classes. There will be no slacking off if we're dating", I say, snatching the pen from her and writing it down. She cringes a bit, but to her credit, she doesn't back down.

"What else?", I ask.

"You have to go to parties with me.", she says, and I frown. My parents will never allow me to go out so late to party. She seems to notice the look in my eyes because she says, "Just tell your parents that you are tutoring me for extra credit. I promise to get you home before midnight Cinderella."

"Fine", I say, writing it down. "Any more?"

"Well", she says a bit hesitatingly, "I could come to your football matches and watch you play."

I stare at her in shock. I've never had anyone come to watch me play at my football games. My brothers are too busy, my parents hate football, and Alicia never had the time or energy.

"You would do that?", I ask softly.

"Of course", she replies, twisting a skull shaped ring round her finger. "Jason always tried to get me to go to his, so he'll be totally pissed if I go to yours."

Oh. Of course.

I decide on the last rule: No falling in love.

I pen it down, then sign at the bottom and push the paper to her. She signs as well, then I push the paper to Steph.

"She's a witness.", I explain as Steph also signs, then pushes the paper back to me. I place it neatly in a binder.

Then Steph says, "I now pronounce you boyfriend and girlfriend. You may kiss the boyfriend."

Kayla and I both look at each other and gag.