The bell rang. Raine was running down the hallway while the other students were already in their classrooms. As she sprinted, the floor suddenly became slippery, she skidded and fell hard on her butt.
"Fuck. I hate being so clumsy," she muttered, standing up and reaching back to check if she'd bruised anything.
"Late?" Raine heard a voice from behind her. She turned around and saw Nick leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, smirking at her.
"You know, I could have even given you a ride here... in my car, of course."
"Why would I? You're just flexing your damn car anyway." Raine stood up straight and brushed off her clothes. She crossed her arms as she approached him. "You know how I could shut that arrogant mouth of yours with my bare hands?"
Nick grinned. "Oh yeah? How? Tell me, I'm curious about your little threats."
"Fucking arrogant," Raine muttered. "By punching that pretty face of yours and dragging it to the bathroom."
Nick's grin widened. "Try it, then."
Raine's eyes widened, and she let out a sigh. "Whatever. I feel so cringe right now," she said, still feeling awkward but annoyed by his presence. Nick chuckled at her calling herself "cringe." He didn't think she was cringe at all, he found it cute.
"Damn attitude." He muttered .
"And by the way, do you know what time it is?" Raine checked the time on her phone. Shit. She was officially late for her first period.
"You're fucking distracting me!" Raine glared at him and stormed away. Nick stayed there, smiling. He shook his head, his thoughts filled with how feisty she was and how much he loved her "bitchy" attitude whenever he was around. He chuckled humorless and follow her.
"Alright class, this is going to be—"
Raine burst throughthe door, catching her breath as if she had been running away from Death itself. "Present!" she managed to gasp. Nick stood behind her, looking perfectly calm, in stark contrast to Raine's frantic state.
"You are late! Both of you, stay outside!" the teacher barked, slamming the door shut.
Raine sighed disappointedly. She glanced at Nick to see if he was as worried as she was, but his face remained serene. "Why do you seem so calm about this? That teacher literally locked us out."
"Why wouldn't I be? I'm not like you, stressing out all the time," Nick said, his expression unchanging.
"What? At least I'm not like you, flexing all your damn stuff at me. In short, I'm not arrogant like you."
Nick grinned. "Fair enough. Keep that feisty attitude; I like it."
Raine's eyes widened, stunned by the compliment. "Excuse me?"
Nick's grin widened. He raised his arms as if in surrender. "I'm just telling the truth. And you seem to be... blushing, aren't you?"
"No! Shut the fuck up, or I'll tie your lips together to silence you!"
Nick chuckled and crossed his arms, studying her face intently. Twenty minutes later, they were still standing and leaning against the wall outside the room.
"This is so messed up," Nick muttered. "Let's go grab some snacks before you die of boredom."
"Yeah, I'll come with you," Raine agreed, pushing herself off the wall and following him toward the cafeteria.
As they reached the cafeteria, Raine sat down and opened her wallet to buy something.
"Stop. My treat," Nick said, putting a hand out to stop her.
"Oh? So you're feeling guilty for being arrogant?" Raine teased, making Nick chuckle.
"No, of course not. I just figured you'd rather spend your money on something other than snacks," he replied.
Raine's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
Nick chuckled again. "Nah, I'm just joking with you."
Raine rolled her eyes as Nick went to the counter to buy them both some snacks. When he returned, he sat across from her and handed her a bag of Blue Heat Takis. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. Seeing her reaction, Nick grinned.
"So you actually remembered my favorite snack? Haha, that's sweet," Raine said, opening the bag and starting to eat.
"Of course. I'm not forgetful like you," Nick countered.
Raine rolled her eyes again but kept eating. "Thanks, by the way. I'll treat you someday."
"Nah, it's okay. I just wanted to see you happy," Nick said, which made her chuckle.
"You're really fucking sarcastic, you know that?" she said between bites. An awkward silence fell over them. Nick cleared his throat before speaking.
"And by the way, about what you said earlier... you mentioned you'd tie my lips together to silence me. Do you still want to do that?"
Raine raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? You're acting like you actually want me to do it."
"What if I said I did?" Nick asked.
The bluntness of his words caught Raine off guard, and she accidentally choked on a chip in shock. "What? Bro, you're insane and weird at the same time."
Nick smirked. "I'm just challenging you. I was wondering if you're all talk, or if you're actually going to do what you say."
Raine's eyes widened. She struggled to find the right words, too stunned to speak. Nick watched her as she drifted off, clearly lost in thought as she processed what he had just said.
"Just kidding," he added with a grin. "I just wanted to see your 'loading' face, because you looked dumb."