"That is utter bullshit," Lucas Kinsella shouts at me from the other side of the classroom. I roll my eyes at his comment but I don't try to defend myself. Instead, I turn to face him and glare, waiting for him to continue. "Do you actually believe anything that's coming out of your mouth? You seriously can't be that- that- stupid."

This is how all our Religious Education classes went; Lucas and I would shout at each other for an hour while everyone else sat bemused at our altercations. The teacher, Mrs Morgans, sat at her desk and monitored our debate, only stepping in when things got out of hand. Luckily, Lucas and I knew where the line was drawn and we rarely overstepped it, but I could feel that today would be the day we really let rip at each other.

Lucas Kinsella and I are too similar, and that's our biggest problem. We were both opinionated and could never agree on anything. We butted heads constantly and it didn't matter whether we were in R.E or English, Lucas and I would stubbornly argue. The only way to break up one of our feuds was... actually, there is no way to end them. At the end of the lesson the bell would ring and the teachers would send us on our way, but our debates would spill out into the corridor and continue into the Sixth Form common room. No one even batted an eye anymore when we shouted at each other; this was how it had been since Year 10 and now we were in Year 13 we were a little bit older, but by no means wiser. If anything, with age our opinions had strengthened and our tactics had sharpened.

"Firstly," I yawn, tired of constantly having to tell Lucas that just because he disagreed with me, it did not make me any less intelligent. "I am not stupid. If having a belief, an opinion makes a person stupid then I guess we're all idiots, including you." Lucas opens his mouth to protest but I hold up a hand to stop him. "I'm not finished. What I am saying is not, and I will quote, 'bullshit.' In fact, many people would agree with what I'm saying. Before you start with your anti-religion tirade, sex before marriage is not just a religious belief. It's a moral issue too. Like I said earlier, people should be in love before they have sex."

Lucas groans, bangs his head against the table dramatically and mimics a strangling motion with his hands.

"Look," he says through gritted teeth as he lifts his head so his brown eyes bore into mine. "It's probably hard for a good Catholic girl like you to understand but sex is a biological need. People need to have sex. Sex is good, or if it's with me, it's amazing." A few girls in the class nod in agreement, obviously knowing first hand just how accurate his last statement was. I internally gag. "Life is too short, so I say we all go out, have loads of amazing sex and die with no regrets. When the only other option is to die a frigid virgin like you, Elle, I know which option I would take."

Mrs Morgans stands to calm the situation, but I cut her off. "Right," I say slowly while nodding my head sarcastically. "Because whoring it around is a much better option than finding someone you could love for the rest of your life!"

"Elodie Courtland and Lucas Kinsella," Mrs Morgans shouts at us, clearly at the end of her tether. By now, the whole class has gone quiet and is watching us carefully to see which of us is stupid enough to go against Mrs Morgans. It wouldn't be me; that woman terrifies me. She once gave me detention for sneezing when she was teaching. "You two are getting too personal. Again. Plus, you're going off track. How about we give someone else a chance to-"

The loud shrill of the lunch bell cuts off the teacher's words.

"Oh, thank God," Mrs Morgans sighs heavily. It didn't escape me that the Religious Education teacher just blasphemed. She smiles brightly and motions for everyone but Lucas and me to leave. When it's just the three of us left, she narrows her green gaze on us. "Next time, keep on topic. Right, pack up your things and then you can leave."

The teacher gathered her belongings and ran for the door. It was lunch time on Thursday and I was the only one of my friends who was in R.E for fourth lesson. Due to our A-Level options and our registration classes, we all had lessons scheduled at different times. I threw my file into my bag and headed for the door. An arm shot out across my chest, accidentally brushing against my boobs, and blocked my exit. I looked down to see Lucas' intricate tribal forearm tattoo stretched across the doorway.

"Do you honestly believe in no sex before marriage?" Lucas whispers in my ear, his closeness sending unwanted shivers down my spine. He was deliberately trying to tease me with his words and actions but that didn't bother me. I knew what he was like and I was not going to end up like all those other girls that had fallen into bed with him before. I have standards, after all.

"I believe people should be in love before they sleep together," I tell him, repeating myself for possibly the hundredth time in an hour. Honestly, debating Lucas was exhausting and with the knowledge that it was now dinner hour, I wanted nothing more than to escape and feed my howling stomach. "Now, if you would kindly move your arm, I have somewhere else to be."

"You should give it a try, you know," Lucas' husky voice tickled against the skin of my neck.

He stepped closer to me, his six foot two presence looming over me. Lucas Kinsella was handsome, I'll admit. His dark hair was overgrown and hung in his eyes, hiding the chocolate colour of his irises. His face was angular and his jaw was strong, defined, almost like you could crack coconuts off it. There was a slight scar running under his left eye while a freckle was dotted on the skin of his neck. Last year, he rocked up at school with a tattoo on his arm, a souvenir of his time in Spain, he said. Not that there was anything remotely Hispanic about the design- it was more Maori than anything. He had broad shoulders, too, I notice, honed from years of rugby. All in all, he wasn't the worst specimen to set your eyes on; it's just a shame about the personality that comes with this body.

"You don't know what you're missing out on," he concluded. I snapped my eyes away from his lips when he stopped talking.

"The chance of getting STD?" I raise an eyebrow in challenge. I can barely contain the smirk on my face when Lucas frowns down at me. I was getting better at sassing him. With him trying to catch up, I continue with my flow of words. "Seriously, is casual sex really all it's cracked up to be? Can you stand there and tell me that you feel happier after shagging some random girl? Hell, do you even remember their names after you're done with them?"

Lucas Kinsella is known as Oak High's most notorious womaniser. He has a different girl on his arm every week. Each one is deluded enough to believe that she's the one who can finally change Lucas Kinsella. But here's the thing- Lucas will never be tamed.

"That's none of your business," Lucas says through gritted teeth as he stares down at me. He was rather intimidating, jaw was clenching and unclenching, the muscle twitching uncontrollably. "You know, I could show you a good time, Elle."

I didn't doubt that.

"Could you?" I find myself smiling at his remark. That's it, I thought. Lure him into a sense of false security and cut him down when he least expects it. "That sounds great but I'm going to have to pass. Now, shift."

Lucas' expression goes blank, obviously not used to having girls turn him down. This must have been a humbling moment for him because Lucas steps aside and allows me to brush past him. I squeeze through the tight space between Lucas' body and the door frame, my chest pressing up against his so that I can feel every ripple of his abs. God, his chest was solid.

Just as I think I'm home free, Lucas steps closer and traps me. One hand goes to grip the door frame behind me, while the other brushes down the side of my face and tickles its way across my collarbone. Tingles run up and down my spine and I shiver at his touch. His breathing becomes as uneven as mine, tickling my neck. He leans his face closer to mine, his lips skimming my earlobe.

"The offer is always there for you, Daffodil," Lucas breathes sexily. "Just say the word."

By now, his hand has trailed down to my hip bone, his thumb circling over my stomach. I know what he's trying to do, and while he's trying to toy with me, I can feel my body betraying me. My hips thrust into his and I hear him gasp, his eyes flying to mine with a hint of surprise. I hold his perfect green stare and bite down on my lip seductively. Time to put on the best act of my life.

"Wh-what are you do-doing?" Lucas' stutter comes out low as he snakes an arm around my waist.

"What does it look like?" I ask seductively. I hear someone clear their throat and turn to see my best friend, Olivia Jameson, staring at me like I'd gone insane. I break out of my act and stand up straighter, trying to shove a bewildered Lucas Kinsella away from me. He stumbles backwards, his back hitting the door frame opposite me. I smile and wave at my friend. "Hi, Liv."

Olivia Jameson has been my best friend since primary school and knew me better than my own family, which was why she was letting her gaze shift from me to Lucas and back again, all the while trying to make sense of what she's seeing. There was a glint in her eye that hoped the scene in front of her was genuine because she could gossip over that for days, but at the same time, Olivia knows me and she knows I can't stand Lucas. This was perplexing, to say the least.

"What's going on?" Olivia asks with a hint of humour in her voice. "Elle?"

"We were debating sex before marriage?" I say more as a question than a fact. I look at Lucas to back me up but his eyes are still misted over and his eyes don't move from my lips. How strange.

"Debating it?" Olivia's perfectly shaped eyebrow hitches upwards, her blue eyes darting from me to Lucas. She smirks at seeing his face. "Or doing it?"

I blush uncontrollably. "Liv!"

"I have to go," Lucas said, snapping out of his reverie. He practically runs down the hall towards the Sixth Form common room. In the distance, I hear the door slam shut.

I ignore Olivia's quizzical stare and walk down the hallway, throwing my school bag down in the cloak room before heading towards the canteen. Being in the Sixth Form, we could jump the queue and soon enough Olivia and I were filling our trays with the unhealthiest dinner the school provided. I scanned the dining hall and found a table near the back that was currently vacant. I sat at one of the chairs and pulled the other out for Olivia.

I took a mouthful of the lasagne and chewed slowly while pretending to be very focused on something ahead of me. I knew Olivia wasn't buying my avoidance tactic because she kept an eye on me while eating her ham and cheese toastie, waiting until I caved in. I took another bite of my lunch and turned to face her, silently trying to communicate that I didn't want to talk about the situation with Lucas. Her perceptive skills are lacking, it seems.

"So, what was that?" Olivia asks. The smile on her face in unbearable. "It was both strange and yet erotic to watch. You looked like you were about to attack him with your body. Is there something you want to admit to, Elle?"

"Yes," I smile widely, the muscles in my cheeks burning from the force of keeping the smile there. "Lucas and I are madly in love and we're shagging like those Energizer bunnies from the battery advert."

"Energizer bunnies?" Olivia looked confused momentarily but then swatted the air with her hand and shook her head. "Seriously, Elle. What's going on?"

"Nothing," I groan, dropping my fork against the plate. I rub my eyes wearily and sigh. "Lucas was baiting me and I almost fell for it, that's all. You know what he's like."

Olivia took my explanation at face value and went back to eating her lunch while simultaneously watching the lunchtime crowd enter the dining hall. From our table, we had a pretty decent view of everyone, including that of Lucas Kinsella and his friends headed towards our table.

"Hey, Liv," Joseph Hardy smiled at my best friend as he set his tray on the table opposite where I sat.

"Hi, Joss," Olivia blushed in response. It was cute how she used that nickname with him. No one else dared to call him that, not even his friends. "Are you joining us?"

Joss nods and plops down in his chair. Next to him was Aidan Eller, and next to Aidan was Lucas. He avoided looking up at me and instead muttered something to Aidan who laughed raucously in response. The paranoid side of me wondered if they were talking about me and if Lucas had mentioned anything to the guys about our moment earlier.

I was just about to ask Aidan what was so funny when I spotted my sister making her way over to the table. I watched her carefully, wondering why she was approaching me, but when she headed to Lucas, I was quick to understand. Nathalie wasn't here to see me; she was here to flirt with Lucas.

Typical.

I couldn't exactly hear Nathalie but I caught every one of her flirtatious hair flicks and pouty smiles. This was my fifteen-year-old sister in flirt mode and most boys were instantly taken with Nathalie and her Lolita ways, but Lucas didn't seem all that interested.

Instead, he stood up from his chair, walked around the table and took the empty seat next to me. Nathalie stares in disbelief at what just happened but her confusion soon morphed into a heated glare sent in my direction. I'm not sure how this all involved me but Nathalie didn't care. I just became Public Enemy Number One in her eyes. Too bad for her that I didn't care what she thought. We could barely stand each other. With an exasperated sigh, my sister leaves the table, her large group of friends following hot on her heels.

"I've been thinking," Lucas says loud enough that I'm the only one that can hear. I knit my eyebrows together in confusion. "About what you said earlier? So, I have a proposition to make. Make me fall in love with you."

I bark out a laugh. "Were you dropped as a baby, Lucas?"

"Not that my mother ever admitted to," he smiles at me. A genuine smile. I think I almost died. "You think that sex is only reserved for when you're in love and you think it is better that way. Well, prove it to me. Make me fall in love with you."

He's gone crazy. There's no way the words coming out of his mouth are those of a rational human being. Anyway, is he forgetting the huge problem here?

"You want me to make you fall in love with me just so you can sleep with me, don't you?" I ask. When he nods, I sigh and roll my eyes. "That's not how it works, Lucas. I have to love you back before I sleep with you. That's not going to happen."

"I've thought about that," he tells me. From the maniacal look on his face, I don't doubt that he has. "You'll fall in love with me."

"Will I?" I scoffed. "How?"

"Because to your surprise, I'm sure, I am actually a half decent, likeable person," he asserts. His perfect face becomes serious as he looks into my eyes, a sincerity I've never seen before held within them. "I bet you anything that you'll fall in love with me. I'll stake my life on it."

He holds out his hand for me to shake in agreement. Despite everything in my body screaming at me not to get involved with Lucas' deluded plan, I find my hand stretching out to grasp his and shake. "Deal. But I don't want your life, Lucas. I want your heart."

He grins in delight. "Then take it."