Package Deals I Hate

"Good morning darling."

I groaned weakly and my dad raised an eyebrow at my reaction as I plopped down onto the chair with a murderous expression on my face.

"Don't say that word," I muttered.

"Wh-"

"Don't ask." 

Now it was my dad's turn to grumble at me, frowning, "What can I do?"

I hated to be rude to my dad but I was still peeved about the events of yesterday. And as much as I resented him inside for the divorce being the reason of our moving here, I decided not to take out the brunt of my frustration on the one man in my life who didn't annoy me as much.

"Well, for starters, you can tell me how work was," I said with a forced smile, fetching myself a quick bowl of warm milk and cereal. 

My dad's frown deepened as inklings of doubt appeared on his face. "Are you actually interested in knowing?"

"No," I said in a perfectly honest voice. "Your borrowing financial adventures don't interest me one bit but it's polite to ask, yes?"

Rolling his eyes at me, my father murmured something to himself under his breath and walked out of the kitchen with a mug of coffee in hand. Oh well, if he didn't want to share, that was quite alright. He can suit himself. 

After finishing my breakfast (and making sure I took my time with it), I yelled goodbye to my father who replied from his in-home office room and left the house. Today, I took my phone with me because I just might be going to dad's office after school instead of back home. 

Dad had mentioned something about us hanging out and having a 'fatherly-daughterly' date after he finished working. And if we were still following the same schedule he'd set out a few days back, that would be today. 

Nevertheless, I'd rather take my phone to school anyways. Listening to some music while doing work in class might help calm my mind, and also avoid chances of talking to Damien. If he knew I was occupied, he might not bother me (though the chances are quite slim).

The walk to school was prolonged. I took very slow and measured steps as I didn't quite look forward to starting school this Thursday. I didn't know what to expect from 'stable boy'. Sometimes, he didn't seem so bad. Like yesterday, just for a split second there I'd seen a different side to him and I considered the possibility that maybe he was just putting up an act.

But then he starts acting all "Johnny-Bravo" like and it's just so frustrating. Who should I believe he is? 

The sun beat down on my back, beads of sweat clenching uncomfortably against the back of my tee. Its' rays didn't hide as the heat of the day conveniently blared down on me, causing me to squint against the sudden sunny climate that had appeared.

Maybe I should reconsider walking to school everyday if the weather turned out be like this on a regular routine.  I was only a few minutes away from the school yet it felt like I'd die by the time I got there.

Forcing myself to power-walk, I strutted into the campus within a few minutes. I was late. Glancing at my watch, I knew better than to start out my second day of school like this. First days are alright. If a new student shows up late on the first day, all the teachers would say is 'ah, poor girl, must have gotten lost on her way to class'. But by the second day, they'd expect me to know my way around.

And additionally, this morning I had Literature first period. And we hadn't had that class yesterday, so yet again, I was the lost (and late) girl for the second day in a row. 

Fumbling with the pockets in my bag, I opened the zips and retrieved the crunched up map. Flipping through the page to the 'right one' that Damien had showed me (snottily I might mention), I stared at the lines. 

They still seemed like Greek to me. 

But yet again, at the perfect moment and with perfect timing, he came to my rescue.

"Stranded again are you?"

"Lookie here mister," I hissed, turning around with my finger raised to jab Damien on the chest. But when I looked up, it wasn't Damien. Surprised, I squeaked, "Leo?"

Chuckling lowly to himself, he took a step forward and crouched down lightly to level with my height. . "Who were you expecting, the sparkle toofus?"

"The...what?" I asked, confused. 

Grinning, he stepped back and nudged me forward. "If you want to get to class on time, follow me." 

And so I did. Once again, I was being led through unfamiliar twists and turns of the hallways, climbing up unknown staircases and so much more I could not keep up with. All I tried to do was figure out what Leo had just called Damien, I believe. I could use it for future reference.

But as quick as the moment had passed, so had my memory.  

"So how come you're the one leading me today?" I asked, trying to make conversation with Leo as we went up the stairs. Looking over his shoulder, he gave me a mock smile and asked, "Why? D'you miss your stable boy?"

Puffing out my cheeks in anger, I muttered defensively, "He's not my stable boy."

"Then why did you ask about him?" 

I groaned. Leo was coming back to the topic I'd been trying to avoid for so long. Why did he think I was interested in Damien? Because, really, out of all the guys in the whole wide world, Damien would be the last one I'd ever form feelings for. 

There was just something completely off about him; and not in that pitiable way that one might imagine. His desperation to have a girl might work like a charm on others but to me, it was just flat out annoying. 

And now Leo started up this whole 'stable-boy' business again. If he didn't shut up, I'd have to do something about him. I didn't want Damien around to hear all that.

"You better not mention that when he's around us," I whispered, feeling the need to be secretive.

He grinned. "You won't have to worry about that. He hasn't come to school today."

What did I feel when I heard those words? It's hard to think with the way my heart raced within my chest. Damien was absent today? Not only did just hearing that automatically brighten my mood but I felt like dancing in happiness. No continuous pestering from the 'thing' that Leo had called him earlier! I was in heaven.

Leo's grin widened, taking note of the expression on my face. "You really hate him, don't you?"

I shook my head, the smile still on my lips. "Hate is too strong of a word. I don't hate Damien. He's just a little too much for me to handle."

Leo muttered something I couldn't quite catch as we arrived on the third floor of the building. He took quick strides ahead of me, causing me to jog forward to keep up.

"What did you say?" I asked, curious.

Slowing down slightly so that we were both walking side by side, he said with laughter evident in his tone, "It's just that I don't think any girl has ever rejected Damien the way you have."

"I'm not that bad," I whispered, contemplating the possibility.

"You bite his head off Makayla," Leo said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Besides, you may as well lay off of him for a while. The poor guy's probably heartbroken over the fact that you hung up on him yesterday."

I glared up at Leo, his blue eyes sparkled down at me teasingly. "Why in the world did you give him my number in the first place?"

"I adopted a particular philosophy from the Bible: "Ask and you shall receive". I'm a very generous guy." 

I snorted. Leo just liked switching sides in this game. If at all, he was the joker in this war. And so far, my side was losing. 

We came to a slow stop in front of another room. I could hear a voice drone on from the inside and I assumed it belonged to the teacher. Our class didn't seem to be listening though, a lot of students talking at the same time but the teacher didn't seem to care.

"You ready then?" Leo asked, going back to 'bored mode' as he composed his face to an expression of complete monotony. I shrugged. Would I ever be?

Leo opened the door and pushed me in before taking his step forward. Throwing a quick glare over my shoulder, I turned forward once more and smiled at the teacher who watched me like a hawk from behind her thick spectacles.

"And you are?" she asked dryly.

"Makayla Summers," I answered. 

The teacher turned her back to me once more and towards the white board, going on about Macbeth or some literary piece that I could not quite get. Leo lightly tugged at my sleeve and headed towards the back of the class where there were a few unoccupied desks. 

Some of the others greeted me as I walked down the aisle in between the organization of desks. They looked at me curiously as I plopped down on the desk between Leo and Nick (who smiled at me and greeted good morning). I really was going to have to watch out for the attention I get when I hang out with these two. If I was going to stick with these guys, I'd have to be aware of the dangers involved. 

"Sorry on behalf of Mrs. Hammond. She's a boring old crow," Nick said cheerfully.

I couldn't help but grin at his choice of words and leaned back against my desk. Maybe this school year won't be so bad - if I counted just Damien's absent days.

"So what exactly did Damien say to you yesterday before you hung up on him?" Nick asked. 

My friendly gaze turned venomous. "You know too?"

"Well we all come together as a full package deal Makayla," Leo added coolly. I glared at him. I should really get new friends if I was going to have to deal with this kind of group every day. 

One thing I say to Damien will be known by the others as quick as I'd said it. And it applied to Leo and Nick as well. Just because Damien had the 'hots' for me doesn't mean they should spread word around like wildfire.

"Maybe I should get a different package from you three," I murmured, setting my arms down on the desk and leaning forward to hide my face. 

"Oh, don't you say that," Nick said comfortingly, patting my head. "We're pretty awesome once you get to know us."

"Oh you're my favorite," I said, looking up and giving Nick the smallest smile who brightened up at the comment.

"Really?"

"It's the other two I despise."

I didn't have to turn around to know that Leo was very amused by this. Other than Damien, he was just the next doofus on the planet who I could not get. He seemed so talkative and flirty at times, and the next, back to 'boring and laid back robot' mode. 

Both of them confused me. And I hated being confused. Especially by guys. 

--------------------CHAPTER END---------------------

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