Chapter 20 — Freaking Out

** COURTNEY's POV **

"Seriously, Courtney Cordelia Collins. What is wrong with you? Don't you have any self-control? Hug him? Seriously? A hug? A handshake or a wave could have been enough, but no! You hugged him! What is the matter with you." I scolded myself as I drove away from Chad's neighborhood.

I kept on thinking of the reasons why I did that. What had gotten into me to initiate a hug? To make things worse, I hugged him tighter than a friendly hug.

But it's just a hug. Stop being such a drama queen!

You wouldn't understand you stupid insensitive me! A hug is a hug. We're not exactly in a friendly term. So what's my excuse for hugging him, huh? And it's not that Courtney Collins just give everyone a hug! I do not do such thing. I could count the people that I hugged using my fingers, and yeah, it's not that much.

I pulled over to the side and tried to calm my breathing. I turned to look at myself in the rearview mirror of my car, and there I saw that I was still flustered!

I'm freakin' blushing!

Oh, crap. I'm in deep trouble. I could still hear my heart beating furiously. And I could still remember the way he hugged me back. How his body fits perfectly to my small one. How his strong arms wrapped me. I could still remember his smell. And he smells so damn good. It's intoxicating!

Oh damn it Courtney! What the hell are you doing? Can't you see that this is one of his schemes to make you fall for him? Don't tell me you fell for that so easily? Seriously? You're there to make him fall for you, not the other way around.

Focus!

"Yeah. Focus. Focus, Courtney. You're over reacting. Gosh, what's gotten into you? You never gush over someone. They should be the one gushing over you. So stop this madness. You're The Courtney Collins, remember?" And that's what I said to my reflection. Well more of how I convinced myself.

But let's face it, I know that that's not the case anymore. I know that somehow, that Courtney Collins was nowhere to be found. She's kind of out of the picture.

Was I losing myself?

Should I still continue playing with this game?

* * * * * *

Weekend rolled out so fast that I didn't even realize that it's Monday already.

I was having mixed feelings about coming to school. I wasn't sure if I was excited or nervous. I'd never been this uneasy before.

I went to meet my friends at the locker area. They're busy talking and gossiping, as usual. That's their daily routine, so what's new? And surprisingly I wasn't in the mood to hear the nonsense gossip of the day.

"Hey Courtney." Terry said with a grin. Fiona and the others greeted me with the same enthusiasm as Terry.

Okay, that's weird.

"Want to hear the latest scoop?" Jenny asked in glee and excitement.

I raised my brow in question. But their grin just got wider.

Okay, now I'm curious. "Is this scoop has something to do with me?"

Instead of answering, Terry shrieked and hooked her left arm to my right. "Say, Court. Just curious. What's your plan after you get the papers from Chad?"

My left brow raised higher, if that was even possible. "Chad?" I couldn't help but notice that she used his name all of a sudden.

"Oh you know. Chad Treyson, the student assistant." Lucy said in a different tone.

Then something inside me twitched.

That tone somehow hit some nerves in me, making my mood worse than the usual.

"Chad Treyson?" I repeated. They all nodded with a wide grin on their faces. "Since when he's Chad Treyson to you? Last time I checked, he's the geek of the century, right?"

I wasn't sure why, but I could feel irritation in my tone.

What was that all about?

"Well..." Jenny lingered.

"Well what?" I snapped. Now it's obvious that I was so pissed.

"Chill, Court." Terry said with a laugh. "No need to be grumpy."

"I woke up at the wrong side of the bed today, so, I don't think this kind of conversation is what I'm looking for now. Okay? Stop beating around the bush and tell me what is happening here." I said impatiently in a commanding tone.

I didn't want to be such a meanie so early in the morning, especially to them; they're my friends. But I couldn't help this annoyance building up in me the moment they mentioned Chad's name. I wasn't sure why, but there's something about their smiles that made me very anxious.

Anxious or jealous?

I don't have time for you, stupid inner me. Shut it. I'm starting to lose my temper here.

"Well. Let's just say that we think that geek doesn't suite him anymore." Fiona said in a matter-of-factly.

My brows furrowed at what she'd said. Okay, I wasn't sure where this conversation was going. "Okay, I don't think I'm following this." I said in full honesty.

Terry unhooked her arm and turned to face me. "What we're trying to say is that, Chad Treyson is now a total hottie."

"Yeah. You should have seen him, Court! Who would have thought that he's damn good looking." Lucy said in a dreamy tone.

"Good looking? Just good looking? I'll go for gorgeous! He is like a celebrity cut out from a magazine!" Jenny supplied.

They continued their debate and gushing over how hot Chad is and I was here, watching them like a freakin' gold fish! Gawking! My mouth hanging open and I was clueless!

I feel like an idiot!

What the hell was happening?

"Enough!" I shouted. They all turned to me and gave me a questioning look. "Chad Treyson? We're talking about Chad Treyson? As in the Chad Treyson?" I asked, wanting to hear a confirmation from them.

They all nodded eagerly at the same time.

"Yes, Court. The guy you made a bet with. And I'm sorry to tell you that... there's an itsy bitsy possibility that you might lose that deal."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I was feeling a bit edgy to what Terry was saying.

"He kind of transformed from geek-of-the-century to the boy-next-door-of-the-millennium. In other words, Chad is hot. Case closed." Fiona explained.

My heart was beating irregularly, and I could feel my stomach churning. I couldn't explain what I was feeling. I was still in the state of wonder and confusion. "Wha—, Wh—-, how?" I stuttered.

Terry might have sensed something different in me. I could see that she was worried at me, so with that, she pulled me aside, away from the others. "It's kind of hard to explain. I think you should see him so that you'll know what we're talking about."

I turned to her and gave her a perplexed look.

"Look at them." Terry gestured to Fiona, Jenny and Lucy who're busy talking that they didn't even notice that I was having my own conversation with Terry at the side. "They're fighting over Chad since they saw him. At first, I couldn't believe that it was actually him. He looks different, Court. And you're in deep trouble."

"No way! I'll have him. I was the one who saw him first." Jenny argued.

"Oh I don't think so, Jen. I called for it first!" Lucy bit back.

What's wrong with them? They're all fighting over Chad. Maybe they're just messing with me? What the hell is happening! I was almost afraid to see him, I feared that I might act the same with them. But my curiosity was killing me! I wanted to see him, now!

What does he looks like to make my friends go gaga over him?

"Cut this out. He's mine okay?" I couldn't help but intervene.

"Oh. Someone's a little possessive." Terry commented with a knowing grin.

I know that I shouldn't have said that because it sounds like I was in love with him or something, which I don't. But I couldn't help but feel very greedy over him.

"I should be possessive. I mean, if you girls start flirting with him, he might lose his focus, and my attempts to make him fall for me will be put into waste. You know how these geeks are with pretty girls. So, no. You might ruin my plan and I might not graduate. It's safe that no one comes near him. Okay?" I said in a firm tone.

But why do I feel like some of it was a lie and it's more like I was marking Chad as mine, and only mine?

You're definitely losing it, Courtney Collins.

They all looked convince to what I just said, well except for one, Terry. It was as if she was reading what was in my head.

"Whatever you say, Court." She was sensing something in me. I could feel that. "But after the deal, I'll have him, okay?" She said and finished with a wink.

Oh now she's provoking me?

It was as if she wanted me to confess or admit something.

Terry hated it when I lie to her. She was completely honest and open with me, and she was expecting that I should do the same. We're super close. We're like the best of friends. She could easily tell if I was lying or hiding something, and I was like that to her too. We're kind of connected to one another.

"No way! He'll be mine." Jenny protested.

"Hah! May the best girl win." Lucy challenged.

"Yeah, you'll have him at the end of the deal. Whatever." I said. But why was it that it didn't feel right after the words rolled out of my mouth?

Why do I feel like I couldn't give him up that easily?

No way, Courtney. This is a game. A deal. This is not the real deal. Everything is fake. He's just an accomplice. Nothing more. Nothing less.

But I do I feel like I want something more?

More of what?

"Hey Court." Terry called me out, making me pulled out of my train of thoughts.

"Yeah?" I said, trying to mask my surprise.

"You sure are spacing out, huh." She told me. "You haven't heard the first bell, right? Fiona and the others went to their class already."

"I-I know that." I fibbed.

Terry laughed at my attempt to lie at her. "Oh, Court. You cannot and will not keep that to yourself. Sooner or later, you'll tell me everything about it. I'll just wait for that glorious day to come." I was about to protest but she was too quick to cut out my upcoming retort. "Well, speaking of the hottie. Two o'clock, by the locker." She was grinning when she nodded her head to my right, urging me to look at that direction.

I turned my head to where she was pointing and there I saw someone that made my jaw drop on the floor and made my heart jump out of my chest.

You know like in the movies, when everything was in slow motion and there's this song in the background and suddenly the person you're looking at is glowing? Yeah, that kind of impact. It was too surreal and I was freaking out why this was happening!

There he was, standing by the locker.

He was wearing black long sleeves, black jeans, and his hair was slightly ruffled in an extremely hot way. On top of that, he's not wearing his damn glasses!

Now, I kinda have the idea why my friends had been acting that way.

Chad Treyson is freakin'... freakin'...

Oh god where did my vocabularies go?

He closed his locker, and when he turned to his side, his eyes caught mine. He smiled at me and waved his hand before he walked away opposite to where I was standing.

For a moment there, I forgot what's the meaning of air. It was as if I forgot how to breathe. He simply took my breath away and it was definitely a first for me to feel that way! To be awestruck and speechless!

No freakin' way!

Un-freakin'-believable.

Oh god. Dear God.

What did you do to Chad Treyson?

Now, I guess it's safe to say that...

Courtney Collins is in deep deep deep trouble.

—- END OF CHAPTER 20 —-

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