“See you later,” I replied, watching her walk away for a moment. She sure was a pretty girl, and I liked her. I wondered how she had ever ended up with a guy like Matt Wilson. She seemed too good for the likes of him.
I sighed and turned my attention back to my current conquest. Nikki walked up to her locker and noticed the sticky note I left for her right away, pulling it off to read it.
“Roses are red. Violets are blue. What will it take to go out with you?”
Her sigh was visible as she crumpled the note up in her hand and opened her locker. She gasped, and I laughed when the roses and violets fell out in front of her, showering her with flowers. She had no idea I’d been memorizing her combination when I stood behind her yesterday.
Perfect. I ducked away before she could see me and hurried to my first class of the day, hoping I scored with this gesture. She made it clear she thought I was a player, and well, I really was. I’d had girlfriends in the past, but no one I was really committed to. I tended to notice all the girls in the general vicinity, looking for the next one who might be ready to replace the last.
I actually kind of found it funny I was trying so hard to get Nikki. True, I loved a good challenge thanks to my naturally competitive nature, but never had I put this kind of effort into getting date.
The bell rang right as I slid into my seat beside Brett in our chemistry lab.
“So, how’d it go?” he asked.
“Caught her completely off guard.”
“Did she like them?”
“I don’t know. Didn’t stick around long enough to find out.”
“She better like them. Especially after I had to drive around to three different garden centers with you last night trying to find those stupid violet plants.”
“Quit being a crybaby.” I grinned as he rolled his eyes. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.
“What are you doing this weekend?” he asked.
“I start my mandated community service. It’s part of my sentence from the judge. I had to go to a weekend class on substance abuse before I moved up here and pay a five hundred dollar fine. Now I have one hundred hours I have to complete.”
“Hmmm. So I guess you don’t want to go out partying with some of the guys from the team then, huh?”
I slouched in my chair. “I’d give anything to go. I told my mom I wasn’t addicted to anything, but I have to admit the cravings have been pretty bad lately. I swear there are times I feel down right jittery.”
“Man, that must suck.”
“Big time. But with my family watching me like a hawk, I don’t think it would be a wise choice right now. Maybe some other time.”
“Well, here’s a little something in case you need it.” He reached into his jacket and flashed a joint.
I automatically took it and discretely slipped it into my pocket, a natural reflex I’d done a thousand times. Ironically, the action caused me to have a difficult time concentrating through the rest of class. All I could think about was lighting up and spending a little time relaxing.
I hurried into the hall after the bell rang and almost collided with Nikki as she left her classroom.
“Hey.” I smiled.
She glared, and suddenly I was worried.
“Did you enjoy the flowers?”
“I sure did. They fell all over the place, and I had to stop to clean them up. That made me late for class, and I got a detention for being tardy. Thank you so much for that, but please keep your gifts to yourself from now on.”
She stormed off down the hall, leaving me gaping after her.
“Well, you really botched things up this time,” Brett’s voice came from over my shoulder. “Isn’t that strike three now? I think you’re out.”
I ignored him and strode away in the opposite direction.
“How’d the spying go, Rockstar?” Brittney’s voice interrupted as she fell into step beside me.
“Not the way I’d hoped,” I replied. “My little prank got Nikki in trouble.” I stopped and glanced down the two hallways in front of me. “Where’s the principal’s office? I keep getting all turned around in this confusing school.”
She pointed me in the right direction. “Good luck. I can talk to her at cheer practice if you need to me too.”
“Thanks for the offer. I’ll let you know.”
I headed down the long hall until I found the office marked, Justin Woodside, Principal. “Hey. Can I serve detention for someone else if I’m the reason they got one?” I asked the secretary when I burst inside.
“Um, let me check,” she replied with a fluster and picked up the phone.
A few minutes later, I was seated before Mr. Woodside. I explained what had happened with Nikki and that in my own haste to get to class, neglected to realize my actions would make her tardy also. I asked if I could please serve her detention. He looked at me like I was a little crazy.