CHAPTER 8
The Nerd and The Player

Blake's POV

Call her.

No, don't call her.

Be a man and just call her.

No, don't call her. What am I supposed to tell her if she asks me how I got her number? I don't think she'll appreciate that sweet story on how I stole Cole's phone just to get it. Gladly, the idiot does not have a password.

The week following Lynne's plan, Terra stopped sitting with us during lunch and hung out with the other scholarship students.

I thought that it was to avoid Jack, but then, I noticed that she sat away from me during Algebra too. Every time I tried to talk to her, she pretended not to see me walked away.

It had been bother me all week why she had been acting that way. I needed to know the reason. So, at last, I called her. The phone wrung four times before she finally picked up.

"Hello." I heard her soft voice from the other side of the line.

"Hey, it's Blake."

"Umm, h-hey. W-What's up?" she stuttered making me smile at how cute she was.

"I was wondering if you were free," I said, scratching the back of my head.

"Why?"

"I wanted to hang out. The weather's great outside," I said, immediately cringing at my comment on the weather.

"I-I don't know if it's a good idea."

"Why not? If this is about the rumors those scholarship students spread, it's not true. I've heard them say that I've raped a few girls, but I swear I'm not like that."

I heard her chuckle, "Yeah, I heard that too. But I know that you're not that kind of a guy. You didn't take advantage of me that night. I trust you more than those rumors," she replied and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Then, why are you avoiding me?"

"Addelyn told me to stay away from you", she replied and I frowned.

A part of me was happy that Terra wasn't mad at me. But the other part of me was upset that Lynne would say that to her.

"I'll talk to Addelyn about it. Don't worry."

"No, no. I can't get into her bad side again. I don't know what she's capable of."

"She'll listen to me," I promised.

"I-I don't know Blake."

"Tell me this: do you or do you not want to hang out with me? Forget about Addelyn or Cole or anybody else who would not approve of this."

"I-I guess I don't m-mind." She stammered and I smiled.

"Great, consider this our first date." I smirked. "I'll pick you up from Cole's house."

I hung up and dialed Lynne's number

"Hey Blake!" her cheery voice rung into my ears.

"Lynne, we need to talk," I said.

She groaned into the phone "What is it about this time?"

"Did you tell Terra to stay away from me?"

"Maybe, maybe not. But probably," she replied with mock innocence.

"Oh my god Lynne. Why do you keep doing this? What's your problem with her?"

"She's not one of us, Blake," she replied coldly.

"I don't care Addelyn! I don't want her to stay away from me," I shouted, surprising myself when I rose my voice against her.

She was silent for a second.

"Do you like her?" she whispered barely breaking the silence.

"I-I don't know," I replied honestly. "Maybe."

There was something about this girl that was drawing me towards her. She was different and I liked different.

The line went completely silent and I was waiting for her to speak but she didn't.

"Lynne, say something." I whispered.

"I—", she sighed, "I'll leave her alone." Her voice sounded upset and that hurt me for some reason.

"Lyn—"

"I have to go." She said.

"Wait", I stopped her, "Are we cool?"

"Yeah, we're great." She said but her tone didn't feel so great. She immediately hung up before I could say anything else.

I drove to Cole's house and called Terra, letting her know that I was outside. While waiting for her, I tried calling Lynne one more time, but she didn't pick up.

I looked up from my phone when the door to my passenger seat opened.

"Hey" Terra greeted giving me a smile as she sat down and I returned it.

"I talked to Addelyn." I informed.

"Oh god. What is she going to do now? Photoshop my face into nude picture", she asked looking genuinely worried and I chuckled, shaking my head.

"No. She said she'll leave you alone."

"So, she does not mind us hanging out?"

"I don't know whether she minds it or not. But she did say that she'll leave you alone and I'll make sure she won't cause any problems", I assured, "Okay?"

She smiled, "Yeah okay."

We drove for twenty minutes before we reached the destination, which was a long bridge spread across the middle of the sea. The breeze, which was especially strong in this area, blew making Terra's hair fly all over her face. I laughed as she struggled to hold her hair in place.

"Not funny." She playfully glared at me causing me to laugh even more.

She fished out a hairband from her purse and tied her hair together to hold it in place.

"This place is beautiful." She exclaimed looking at the seas.

"I know. Lynne and I always come here whenever we're bored", I said smiling at the memories of the times we spent joking about all the funny shapes made by the clouds.

She huffed, "Why are you even friends with her? She's so selfish and manipulative."

I frowned at her words as I felt a pang in my chest hearing her say those things about my best friend.

"She isn't that bad. You just need to get to know her and you'd realize that she's a great person." I told her.

"Blake, she tricked me into attending a party, drugged me and tried to get me raped."

"Rape is a strong word...." I trailed off.

"That's not the point. What she did was so wrong and just plain mean."

I sighed closing my eyes for a second, "Look, parties, ecstasy pills, making out with a guy, all of these are just everyday things to her. She probably didn't take this situation as seriously as you did." I tried to reason.

"Are you hearing yourself, Blake? You just proved that she's nothing but self-centered. She does not think about anyone but herself."

"Well, she did live majority of her childhood all alone with absolutely no friends or family. So, there could be times when she thinks more about herself than others. But I swear, she does care about the people around her. She isn't as self-centered as you think she is."

"I guess I could understand that. But that does not change what she did and it most definitely does not mean that I have to tolerate her behavior", she said.

"You don't have to. I'll make sure of that."

"Okay" She mumbled.

"Let's talk about something else", I said desperate to change the subject, "Tell me about yourself"

"What about me?"

I thought for a second, "Tell me about your family. They're friends with Cole's family, right?"

She stiffened at what I said but quickly recovered, "Not really. He even surprised me with that lie."

I frowned, "What? Why did he lie?"

"My mom is a maid in their house. She's my only family and I don't really have a house to go to, so I live with her and the other maids at Cole's house. He probably lied so that your friends won't harass me even more", she finished sadly.

"I'm sorry for what my friends did." I said feeling responsible for their behavior.

"I'm used to it. That's just how a maid's daughter is treated. Cole's family can be very harsh on me every time they see me with him. They don't care about my mom and me or respect us. Just like everybody at this school." She clenched her jaw. "Cole's the only one who cares."

"Not everyone is like that at this school, Terra."

"Your friends prove otherwise," she said with an eye roll.

"I'm not going to treat you like that." I whispered softly.

She gave me a genuine smile, "I know. That's why I'm telling you all this."

I didn't realize that we had stopped walking until I felt the heat radiating from her as I stood just a few inches away from her face. Slowly, I found myself leaning in towards her.

She closed her eyes waiting for my lips to touch hers but before it could, her phone rang snapping us both out of our trance.

"It's Cole", she said looking at the caller ID.

"Take it." I gave her a smile assuring it was okay.

She walked away as she answered the phone and I decided to call Lynne. We hadn't left things in a great place and I didn't like the idea of her being upset.

I called her and waited for a few seconds before she picked up.

"Lynne" I quickly called into the phone.

"Hello?" a voice said but it was a guy's voice.

"Wait, isn't this Addelyn's phone?"

"Yes, it is. She's in the shower." He told me.

"Yeah, okay. Tell her I called her", I said through my clenched teeth and hung up the phone.

She was with someone else and just the thought of it always made my blood boil. Why do I still feel like that? I've seen her with many guys over the years, but I never seem to get used to this feeling.

And I have no rights to think like this. She isn't my girlfriend, so she can be with anybody she wants. But I just can't help how I feel when I think of another guy touching her the way I do.

Lynne and I are just friends and that's how it's always going to be. So, I should just stop feeling like this already.

Besides, I'm on a date with Terra and I really like her. I should be focusing on her and not Lynne.

I heard footsteps behind me and turned around to see Terra walking towards me.

"He just wanted to know where I was." she said.

I looked at my watch and realized it was almost time for dinner.

"Do you want to grab something to eat?" I asked and she nodded with a smile.

She asked me to take her to one of her favorite diners. It wasn't expensive or fancy. It was just simple and perfect; like her.

I smiled looking at the grin on her face as she entered the diner. As soon as I stepped in, I was immediately hit with the mouthwatering aroma of burgers and fries making me hungry.

The waiter approached us as soon as we took a seat. I let Terra order for the both of us as she knew the menu here better than I did.

I looked around the place, taking it in. The different posters and banners stuck on the wall were pleasant to look at, unlike the splatter of paint considered "meaningful art" hung in restaurants that I usually go to. This place was clearly not decorated by a well-known interior designer, but it was still neatly arranged giving a homelier look than my own house.

"Is this your first time coming to a diner?" Terra asked making me look back at her.

"What makes you think that?"

"The way you're looking at everything like seeing a unicorn in real life." She pointed out with an amused look.

"Okay, this may be my first time." I said sheepishly. I didn't want her to think that I was too snobbish to come to place like this.

"I'm not judging you." She assured as if reading my thoughts.

I smiled and grabbed her hand which was resting on the table. I intertwined our fingers and looked at her face to see her smile at me.

I couldn't enjoy the moment for long as the waiter arrived with our food thus interrupting us. She quickly pulled her hand away and made place on the table for the food.

"Sorry if it isn't caviar, but you might enjoy it." She said as soon as the waiter left.

I smiled at her, "I know I will. Besides, I don't like caviar."

Half way through the meal, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I picked it up and groaned reading the reminder on it.

"What's wrong?" Terra asked.

I sighed, "Nothing, it's just a reminder to pick up a suit tomorrow. There's a charity event this Saturday which my parents are forcing me to go."

"Oh, the charity to support those who are transitioning from military to civilian life?" she asked.

"Yeah, you know about it?" I asked and she nodded.

"Cole's family throws it every year to honor his grandfather who was in the military. He asked me to be his date this year, but obviously, his parents disapproved. So, I'm not going and he has no date", she said with disappointment seeping through her voice.

"Did you want to go?" I asked.

"I guess." She shrugged and played with her food.

"Then be my date", I offered.

She tilted her head sideways, "I'm kind of surprised that the great Blake Vanderbilt didn't already have a date."

A chuckle escaped my lip, "Addelyn's supposed to go with me but I had to force her into this. Her parents are going to be there and she hates attending any event with them."

She looked hesitant, "Are you sure she won't mind it?"

"Nah, you'd be doing her a favor."

"Sure. I'd love to be your date." She smiled.

After dinner, I dropped her off at Cole's place and went back home. As I walked towards the main door, I heard the sound of glass breaking. I slowly opened the door and walked in. As I entered the living room, I was surprised at the sight of my mom holding a vase that my dad gave her for their wedding anniversary.

"I don't need anything your money bought." She yelled at my dad who was standing at the other end of the room and smashed the vase to the floor.

I looked around and saw multiple broken pieces of glass and porcelain scattered all over the floor.

She removed a painting my dad once gifted her from the wall and was about to smash that too when she noticed me standing there.

Her face softened and her eyes looked guilty. 

"Blake" She whispered and started walking towards me.

My dad turned towards me with shock.

"Son, what you saw......" he trailed of not knowing what to say.

Without any words, I walked out of the house ignoring my mom's calls.

I got in my car and drove away.

Author's Note

Okay, tell me honestly, did you like this chapter, or hate it? I have no idea how people are gonna react to this chapter.

I mean, it focuses on the two most hated people in this book. So, that's bad. But, you get to know more about them. About Terra's life and Blake's confused feelings for Addy. And both were a big mystery till now.

I'm gonna be writing a few chapters from Blake's POV from now on as Blake's and Terra's relationship is just starting and it's easier to show those moments from his POV than Addelyn's. But obviously, the story is mainly gonna be in Addelyn's POV.

And yes, I know, no one cares about the "Blake and Terra" ship. Neither do I. But if it weren't for their relationship, this book wouldn't even be here. So, I have to write their story.

So, if you liked what you read, vote.

If you want to keep reading, add this to your library so you'll know when I update.

If you have absolutely anything to say, good or bad, feel free to comment and let me know.

And if you made it till the end, thank you for reading and I love you so much!

Okay, have fun, enjoy life.

Signed,
Me