Chapter 9: Ensnared - Part 2
The moment our teacher dismissed us, Scarlet grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me outside.
I barely had any time to collect my belongings before I was towed away by that hurricane of a woman.
"H-hey, wait! Slow down!"
"Shut up and walk!"
As usual, Scarlet Sterling has nothing but stern rebukes lined up for me.
Interpreting my silence as consent, she continues tugging me through the hallway until we finally arrive at our destination: the school's gymnasium.
It's pretty much what you'd expect of a school gym. Basketball hoops on each end of the court, shined wooden flooring, rows of spectator benches lined up on the sides…
I mean, it's okay, I guess.
Once we arrive, she thrusts my hand away rather violently as if she were holding onto something dirty all this time.
She stands facing to the side, arms folded, as if she were only here to take in the scenery.
"Why'd you drag me all the way here?"
"Well, you guys have P.E third period, right? That means the court won't be in use until then. It's the perfect place for us to talk in private."
She walks along the side of the court and takes a seat on the bench that's laid out right in front.
Talk in private, huh? I wonder what this could be about. She did sound serious before class began so maybe it has to do with the whole fake relationship thing?
Wait a minute, could she be thinking of making it… Real?
Nonono, there's no way I'd score like that in the first month. Not with such a beauty. Well, it may not be impossible with the way things are going, tehehe.
"Haaaa… What's this pervert daydreaming about now? Hurry up and come sit already."
Nevermind. I wouldn't date this girl even if she begged me to.
"Yeah, yeah."
I walk the same path she did seconds ago and carefully take a seat next to her.
"…"
"…"
Damn this is awkward.
I guess I should say something to her.
But what the hell do guys and girls our age talk about anyway? I've been stuck with Nick and Sig for so long that I forgot how these things normally go.
I clear my throat.
"S-so, the gym court, huh? Do you play any sports Scarlet?"
"Uh, no? Why would I waste my time on something as worthless as that? I'm gonna be a cheerleader when spring try-outs begin next year."
"Spring? But, isn't Jennifer a cheerleader?"
A gloomy smile creeps up on Scarlet's face.
"Well, she's… special."
She looks down and begins twiddling her thumbs.
"Momo told me about this but, the truth is…"
"The truth is?"
"The moment she knew she'd be coming to this school, she kept e-mailing the coach of the cheerleading squad to give her a chance on the team. After weeks of e-mails, he caved to the pressure and gave her a chance once cheer camp began, and, well... For someone who had no idea about Sunchester High's version of team spirit, she somehow managed to convince him with her performance."
Seriously…? She went that far?
"Well, that's why normal freshman girls can't compete with Jen's popularity. She always seems to go the extra mile to have the leg up on everyone else. She's already both a cheerleader and friends with the most popular girls at this school."
Yeah, no kidding. Between her charisma and her looks, the fact that she's the only freshman on the cheerleading squad just makes the popularity race unfair for the other girls in our year. I find it hard to believe that any other girl would even stand a fighting chance against her.
"That explains why you latched onto her so quickly."
"T-t-that's not true! At least… Not entirely. I kinda was just gonna ride her popularity at first, but… I think I really do respect her now. I've only known her for two weeks, but… She's always one step ahead of everything trendy, and I think that's amazing."
"Hmmm..."
"Besides, Cancers and Pisces have got to stick together, right?"
Zodiac signs…?
"Um well, yeah, sure."
I sigh.
Well, I guess it isn't as superficial as I thought, but… is obsessing over status like this really that fun?
Scarlet clears her throat in order to bring us both back to reality.
"Chase, the truth is… I need you to do something else for me. It's really important that you help me with this."
Her face tells me that this isn't the same Scarlet who loves teasing me so much. Right now, she looks like the girl who looked down dejectedly after Jennifer berated her like she meant so little.
In short, I don't think she's lying about it being important so I should take it seriously.
"Um, okay. What is it?"
I can only look away. As much as I am a bit more familiar with her, when she acts all serious like this it only makes me more conscious of how intimidatingly beautiful she is.
Deep down inside, there's still a small part of me that believes myself to be inferior to her. It's as if I'm subconsciously acknowledging the hierarchy of popularity at this school.
She looks down at her thumbs as she prepares to ask her favor.
"Well, the thing is… I may need you to break up with me in front of someone today."
"Sure, but… in front of someone? Like, Jennifer?"
"Well…"
She fidgets nervously for a bit.
"I kinda forgot about it in the heat of the moment yesterday, but… There's this guy I've been texting for the past two weeks. He's really cute and I think he's interested in me but it hasn't been going too well since, you know…"
But she's bad at talking to guys.
"So I kinda realized later that I probably shouldn't have asked you to fake-date me in the first place. It might have hurt my chances with him more than I can fix. But last night I was thinking that, maybe if you break up with me when he's nearby, then…"
"Then..?"
"He'll feel sorry for me and try to… cheer me up? Hahaha, silly right? I dunnooo, it was just an idea I had, so…"
Hmm… If he's one of those insufferably outgoing types then I can't deny the possibility, but…
"Do you think you'll be able to have a normal conversation with him if he does try talking to you afterwards?"
"I… I have to try. If Jen is willing to change for the better then I should too."
I see. She wants to confront her fears thanks to what happened yesterday. Well, if it means I won't have to deal with this headache for much longer, then I guess I'm okay with it.
"I see. Sure, I'll do it."
"Oh? Are you sure about that? I mean, this is the closest a geek like you is ever going to get to dating a girl as cute as me, you know."
"Don't make me change my mind."
"Ahaha. We'll carry it out at lunch again, okay?"
She stands up and stretches her arms out into the air.
"Yeah yeah, we're probably both late for second period now so we should hurry on our way."
"What do you mean? I'm completely free right now."
"Wha-"
"Hahaha! Did this loser really skip class just to get dumped? That's hilarious! Ahahahaha"
Scarlet walks off towards the exit while laughing her heart out.
"Hey! You basically kidnapped me!"
I sigh out loud while placing my hand on my forehead.
Of course I'm not sure about this, idiot. I mean, if we lose this charade...
Doesn't that mean we'll stop hanging out like this?
Weekly Power Status
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