Lainey

When we get to school Trey parks in his usual spot in front of the drama building. Like I said earlier, Trey plays the trumpet in the marching band and practically lives in this building.

After I shut his truck door Maise takes my hand and waves to Trey with her other. "See you later, fruit Trey."

Trey simply gives her the finger. Maize giggles and drags me towards our building.

"You have an odd way of flirting," I say as we weave through the halls.

Maise snorts as we round a corner. "He looked cute today with his messy hair." She says with a sly smile.

Another Maize translation: I guess his hair normally looks fixed and today it's not.

To me, it never looks fixed but she claims he styles it messy.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "Sure he did Maize, sure he did."

She laughs as I stop in front of my locker.
I let out a small gasp as my eyes roam over my locker that's covered in birthday decorations.

"Awe Maze, you didn't have to do this," I squeal.

She simply smiles. "Trey and I did it yesterday after school."

I pull her in a tight hug. "You're the best."

She pulls back, "I know."

In the middle of my locker, they left a space blank. Maize takes a Post-it note out of the magnetic basket I have on the front of my locker and writes something on it.

It says, Happy Birthday to the most beautiful human on God's lustrous, green, earth!
-Your hot and supper single friend, Maize.

I laugh as she sticks it to my locker. "I'll see you at lunch, Lainey," Maize sings as she jogs down the hall.

"Love you," I yell after her.

She turns and makes a heart gesture with her hands.

Once she's gone I open my locker to pull out my books. I try to keep as many books as I can in my locker so I don't have to carry them around all day.

As I shove my last book in my bag I shut my locker and find a stupid grin on the person standing beside me.

"Happy birthday Lainey-Lee," Caleb Harris sings with a stupid grin.

I roll my eyes and rest my shoulder against the locker beside mine. "Hi, Caleb."

His grin spreads, "Did you see the message I left you?"

Knowing Caleb it's most likely a crude joke on my locker.

His is stuck right beside Maises.

The number 18 never knew how sexy it could be till it was paired up with you.
-Caleb freaking Harris

Despite myself, I laugh. "I guess now that I'm an adult you can legally flirt with me since you're an old man and all."

Caleb laughs and the sounds take me back a few years when we used to be best friends.

Before I moved Caleb was my neighbor and obviously became my best friend. As children, you normally befriend convenient people.

Then when I moved away (by away, I mean to another neighborhood fifteen minutes away) we kind of drifted apart. Not because of a falling out just because we both grew apart and made other friends. And it wasn't convenient for us to hang out.

But unlike a lot of stories about best friends growing apart, Caleb and I still talk and tease each other.

And not in the way you're probably thinking.

It's more like we wish each other happy birthday and I cheer him on at football games.

Okay, we're closer than that, but you get the point.

"Are you calling me what I think you're trying to call me?" Caleb asks with a smile dancing on his lips.

I shrug. "Maybe. Maybe not."

Caleb rolls his green/gold eyes. "Lainey-lee you know I'm a shameless flirt."

I push away from my locker and point to a strawberry blonde walking towards us. "Yeah, you're lucky Lena puts up with you."

At the mention of his girlfriend Caleb's smile changes from teasing to adoration.

"Yeah, I'm one lucky son of a-"

"If you finish that sentence, Caleb, I will tell your grandmother what dirty language you use," Lena growls from behind him.

I laugh as Caleb smiles at her. "Hey, beautiful."

She rolls her eyes and smiles at me. " Happy birthday Lainey."

"Thank you," I chirp.

I tap my locker. "Did you see the message your boyfriend left for me?"

Lena sighs as she reads her boyfriend's message.

You probably think I'm setting them up for a fight, but she doesn't mind.

The entirety of our junior year everyone in the whole school knew he had a major crush on Lena.

So, finally, with five days left in our junior year, she walked up to Caleb in the middle of a crowded lunch room and said, "I'm making the first move because you don't have the balls to ask me out."

And ever since they've been together. You would think Caleb being the quarterback for our football team he would have a little more game with the woman.

Lena is a 5/3 strawberry blond who has the biggest personality known to mankind. She is the sweetest but is also hella scary.

One time she caught a senior picking on one of our classmates in our freshman year and she kneaded him right in the groin.

Needless to say, she made quite a reputation for herself. I didn't get to know her better till she started dating Caleb. Even if the only time I see her is at school.

"You would flirt with a lamppost if it so much as looked at you," Lena teases.

And everyone knows it. He flirts with teachers, classmates and even his friend's moms. So, Lena knows it's harmless.

Caleb's brown skin turns the slightest shade of pink as Lena grins at him.

As much as Caleb flirts and he still didn't have the guts to actually ask Lena out still blows my mind.

I give them both a soft smile. "As much as I would love to chat with y'all I have to get to class."

As I turn to walk away the warning bell rings and I hurry to class.

~~~~

"Just give me five more minutes," I tell my growling stomach as I weave through students.

It's as if my stomach has a clock and it knows exactly what time it's supposed to receive food.

Maybe it's in cahoots with my cat and they're teaming up against me.

I shake that thought away as I open my locker which is currently decorated with post-it notes.

The one that catches my eye is Treys.

Happy Birthday, Lainey. May your day be filled with sunshine and rainbows.
P.S. I told Lainey happy birthday first, so suck it, Maze!
-Yours Truly, Trey

The second my lunch bag enters my field of vision my stomach growls again. The thought of the chocolate muffin that's sitting in my bag, makes my mouth water.

Unfortunately, the excitement is short-lived as I feel a tap on my shoulder.

Complete and udder dread fills my stomach as I know exactly who is behind me.

His cologne gave him away.

Owen Huntley.

My arch nemesis.

I turn to face him with the most dead look I can muster. "What do you want, Huntley."

He crosses his arms and taps his chin with his finger. "Give me a second I can't remember."

I glare not only at him but his entire existence.

Way back when I used to have a huge crush on him. Like I was totally in love and Owen didn't even know I existed.

Looking at him now I have no idea why I liked him. He has dark, thick, fluffy, hair, (like who likes the 90s Tom Cruise/ Timothée Chalamet fluffy hair?) his eyes are a bright blue and he's at least six feet tall.

I mean I guess he could be attractive if you're into the mysterious rugged look, but his attitude overshadows it.

The first day of our freshman year I accidentally dumped juice all over the front of his shirt which just so happened to be white.

And that one little accident catapulted us into a lifetime of hatred, pranks, and snarky jabs.

And after I spilled juice on him he called me a 'blind dummy.'

At fourteen and only seeing Owen through rose-colored glasses I took it to heart.

And definitely didn't cry in the bathroom.

Anyway, the next day he poured water all over the front of my pants and everyone thought I peed my pants.

And from that moment forward I no longer had a crush on him.

Maybe at fourteen, I took him calling me a blind dummy a little too hard, but over the years he's proven my feelings.

With countless pranks and embarrassing situations, I've grown to loathe him.

And I'm sure the feeling is mutual as I've pranked and embarrassed him just as much.

But the worst part is everyone else in this entire school loves him. Even my brothers and they know every prank he's pulled.

To them, he's a king or a mentor.

I mean so what he's the reason our school won the state playoffs two seasons in a row. Okay, so he's really good at catching a ball.

Big deal.

Just because he's the football team's captain and, 'The star tight end' doesn't mean he should get the royal treatment.

But, unfortunately, he's charmed everyone around him.

"Ah, now I remember. I wanted you to see the note I left on your locker." Owen says with a smirk.

I turn around a find a new Post-it note on my locker.

Even though you're 18 you are still the same girl that peed her pants on the second day of high school.
-sexy and anonymous

I rip the note off my locker grab a blank post-it and furiously scribble across it.

I turn around and slap it onto his chest.

"I lick butts," Owen reads aloud.

He gives me a blank look. "Real mature."

His eyes run along my body and a wicked grin spreads across his face. "Nice shirt, I'm pretty sure my grandma has the same one."

I give him a fake smile and shove past him.
As I'm walking by he grabs my bag. "Wait I haven't given you your present."

"Go to hell," I bite out as I face him.

"Sort of already am standing here with you," Owen mumbles as he digs in his bag.

After what seems like an eternity he says, "Ah, found it."

He slowly pulls his hand out and flashes me the middle finger. "Happy Birthday." He says dryly.

"Have a nice life, jackass," I growl as I walk away.

"Oh sweetie, it already is," Owen yells over the other students filling the hall.

I turn around and show him both of my middle fingers and he gives me a go to hell smile in return.

~~~~

As I make my way to Trey's truck where we always eat lunch (if it's nice outside) I realize my appetite is gone.

I plop down onto his truck bed beside Maize. "What's wrong?" Trey asks with bits of chicken salad in his teeth.

"Owen fucking Huntley," I reply.

Maize snorts and I shoot her a glare. "Oh come on Lainey, everyone knows deep down you and Owen secretly love each other."

My glare deepens and Masie sighs. "Okay so maybe like supper deep down, but I know some part of you still has feelings for him."

I take a bite of my muffin. "No Masie, I had feelings for a made-up person."

"Hey, so do I, " Trey teases, trying to lighten my mood, but Maise and I both shoot him a glare.

"Sorry, just trying to soften the mood," Trey mumbles.

I sigh. "I would rather die than be stuck with him."

Maise and Trey both scoff and we continue eating in silence.

Okay, writing enemies and not fake dating is a total different ball game lol.

But it is fun.