Status: Ongoing
The Four
Chapter 10
- Travis's POV -
"She kicked me! I can't believe that crazy girl actually kicked me!" I paced the living room of the penthouse in a rage.
Right in front of the whole school, too.
"I prefer the phrase "nut-punched," Noah pondered. "What do you think, Seb?"
Sebastian, sitting across from him on my couch, shook his head dramatically and smirked. "It was a real ballbuster, my friend."
"Oh, I like that one," Noah agreed. "Also, I don't know about you guys, but I would pay a very shiny penny to see her throw a solid right hook to his face."
"Shut up, you two," I snapped. I stalked to the room's floor-to-ceiling windows and rubbed my chin in frustration.
"It really was a sight to behold, Travis," Noah continued, leaning back in my plush leather chair. "That sophomore really is something."
"Analeigh," Alex piped in. He sat in a chair against the bookcase, facing us but flipping through the pages of a book.
"She's mental, that's what," I hissed. "First she attacks Dr. Newman, then she throws her coffee on me, then she pulls this stunt? She's a liability to all of Columbia!" I exclaimed.
"It's true, she's made it quite an interesting first week. I haven't been this entertained at school in a long time," Sebastian chuckled.
"I think I speak for the rest of us when I say we've awaited this day for a long time," Noah said. "Some may even say years."
I whipped around to face my three best friends. "What are you idiots talking about? What did I do to deserve this?" I exclaimed.
"Travis, did you know Analeigh was attacked by two guys outside Barnard Library yesterday?" Alex asked flatly.
Sebastian and Noah joined me in staring at him in surprise.
Alex was there?
"Attacked? You saw her?" Sebastian asked him, concern edging his voice.
Alex nodded, not breaking eye contact with me. He was always the least-involved one of the group, preferring not to ruffle feathers as the rest of us were prone to do.
So why did he look annoyed with me?
"Wait, didn't you say Analeigh was an English major, Trav?" Noah asked, narrowing his eyes at me. "What was she doing in the business school library?"
"Travis," Sebastian started in an accusatory tone, "what did you do?"
"Nothing," I snapped. "I'm innocent here."
Noah rolled his eyes obnoxiously. "So you're guilty."
Sebastian punched me hard in the shoulder. "No wonder she was pissed today. You officially deserved that knee."
"I did not! And I'm going to get her back."
"'Get her back?' What is this, the fourth grade?" Noah asked.
I ignored this, turning away from them and sitting on my couch, legs crossed in front of me. I fidgeted with my tie, thinking back to yesterday. I had gone through a lot of trouble to track down her schedule, and I wasn't one to use my administrative perks liberally. Most girls would swoon to be excused from class just to see me. And alone? All to themselves? There was no higher form of flattery.
And yet, as was frequently the case with her, my wholesome attempt at having a discussion immediately took a turn. She had barraged me with complaints and insults like it was her job, and it drove me mad the rest of the day. No girl, save for my own sister, had ever spoken to me like she did.
She was impossible.
That being said, and true as it was that yesterday hadn't gone to plan, it wasn't like I'd hired a bunch of thugs to attack her. I frowned at the image of some lowlifes touching her. If I'd been there, that wouldn't have happened.
I straightened uncomfortably in my seat. Why was I thinking about that?
Sebastian spoke up and snapped me out of it. "Visualizing your grand plan to show her who's boss?"
"Obviously," I murmured, pausing. "What if we... filled her backpack with shaving cream?" I clapped.
I was met with blinks.
"Dude, seriously?" Noah asked.
"Okay, fine, we could... swap out all her textbooks for magazines! She'll have no idea where they went!"
"This," Noah said with a sigh, "is why you've never had a girlfriend. You're a 22-year-old child."
"I am not!" I protested.
They collectively rolled their eyes and huffed. Alex and Noah stood up, and Sebastian moved behind me to clap my shoulder with the hand that sported his new gold Rolex. "We'll leave you to it, Trav."
---
I saw her next the following Monday morning. Sebastian, Alex, Noah and I were walking through the quad together, as per usual, when I spotted her turn onto our path a few hundred yards ahead. She was flanked on either side by the only two friends I ever saw her with: a tall blonde with a nose ring and some bread-and-butter-looking guy in a t-shirt. They were walking right towards us.
I squared my shoulders, confident in The Four's look today. I was wearing my signature white button-up, maroon blazer and black leather sneakers. Sebastian looked dapper in an expensive black tee and gold chain; Noah turned heads in a brown suede jacket and fitted jeans; and Alex sported a chambray shirt under a white bomber jacket. We looked as The Four always did - untouchable.
I took a moment to survey Analeigh as she neared - for purposes of comparison, of course. Her long hair, the color of desert sand, was worn in an unkempt braid over her shoulder, left slightly exposed by her oversized lilac top. I had yet to see her without jeans. She was the shortest of her group, maybe ten inches shorter than myself, based on our previous encounters. Not like that was saying much, given my height. Plus, she was petite, which made our size difference all the more noticeable.
She finally glanced up at me as we crossed paths, with a few feet to spare - her blue eyes held firm onto mine, if not a little smug. Her friend with the nose ring looped her arm in Analeigh's protectively, as if we were wild animals prone to attack. Who she was protecting from who, however, wasn't so obvious.
It was over in an instant: we had passed without a word, without incident. We continued walking our separate ways.
I smirked and addressed my group. "Did you guys know Analeigh is infatuated with me?"
Noah chuckled. "Oh yeah? What do you think it was, breaking her phone or the knee to your crotch?"
"What, you don't believe me? You saw her looking just now."
"I believe you," Sebastian said.
"Thank you, Seb," I said, emphasizing his name as a jab at Noah. "When has any girl resisted my charm?"
"That's true," I heard Alex say from behind me. "Even I struggle to hold myself back from Travis's magnetic pull."
"So, what's the next move, Trav?" Sebastian asked.
"I've got a plan," I said with a huff.
My friends exchanged glances.
"Please tell me it's not some dumb prank," said Noah.
"Or any prank at all, really," Alex added.
"No," I replied, fingers curling in my pockets. Truthfully, I didn't have a plan. Yet.
"You know Travis, it isn't that hard to hit on a girl," said Sebastian, throwing an arm playfully over my shoulder as we walked. "I know you lack the experience, but it's nothing that can't be taught."
I shrugged him off, annoyed. "Who said I was hitting on her?"
"What, you aren't?"
"No!" I objected. "I don't like her."
Noah scoffed. "Sure, and neither do we."
---
At 10:15am on the dot, I rounded the corner into the English hall. Thanks to my administrative connections, I had Analeigh's schedule, and knew she'd be out and headed for a lunch break.
Like clockwork, I spotted her at her locker. Only one problem - that guy friend of hers was chatting her up, making her laugh at one of his dumb jokes.
How irritating.
"Analeigh!" My voice rang down the hall. Her head whipped towards me, braid flipping and eyebrows knitted in surprise. Now that I had her attention, I continued. "Come here, I want to talk to you."
To my relief, she shut her locker door and started in my direction. She didn't look thrilled to see me, but she was obeying, at least. Still, I stiffened: her friend was tailing her like a dog.
She stomped up to me. "What do you want?" She asked up at me.
I peered down at her, amused. "Come with me." I said, my voice dripping in the kind of charm that had won the hearts of many in my day.
"Who said I was free? I'm busy right now."
"With what?"
"Evan and I are going to lunch," she said, shooting me a wide smile.
I narrowed my eyes at her. "Who?"
She gestured to her dog-friend, who was all but cowering behind her. He didn't make eye contact with me, but focused on the back of Analeigh's head. I gave him a once-over, then returned to her. "You didn't answer my question."
"Evan is my friend, who I'm hanging out with. Does that answer it?"
She took a hold of his forearm and moved past me swiftly, causing him to stumble and mutter an apology under his breath at me. He recovered and resumed his position at her side down the hall, and didn't look back as they picked their conversation back up.
My hands tightened onto the straps of my backpack, where I'd stowed away her new iPhone. So this was how she returned my kindness?
Two can play at this game.
"She kicked me! I can't believe that crazy girl actually kicked me!" I paced the living room of the penthouse in a rage.
Right in front of the whole school, too.
"I prefer the phrase "nut-punched," Noah pondered. "What do you think, Seb?"
Sebastian, sitting across from him on my couch, shook his head dramatically and smirked. "It was a real ballbuster, my friend."
"Oh, I like that one," Noah agreed. "Also, I don't know about you guys, but I would pay a very shiny penny to see her throw a solid right hook to his face."
"Shut up, you two," I snapped. I stalked to the room's floor-to-ceiling windows and rubbed my chin in frustration.
"It really was a sight to behold, Travis," Noah continued, leaning back in my plush leather chair. "That sophomore really is something."
"Analeigh," Alex piped in. He sat in a chair against the bookcase, facing us but flipping through the pages of a book.
"She's mental, that's what," I hissed. "First she attacks Dr. Newman, then she throws her coffee on me, then she pulls this stunt? She's a liability to all of Columbia!" I exclaimed.
"It's true, she's made it quite an interesting first week. I haven't been this entertained at school in a long time," Sebastian chuckled.
"I think I speak for the rest of us when I say we've awaited this day for a long time," Noah said. "Some may even say years."
I whipped around to face my three best friends. "What are you idiots talking about? What did I do to deserve this?" I exclaimed.
"Travis, did you know Analeigh was attacked by two guys outside Barnard Library yesterday?" Alex asked flatly.
Sebastian and Noah joined me in staring at him in surprise.
Alex was there?
"Attacked? You saw her?" Sebastian asked him, concern edging his voice.
Alex nodded, not breaking eye contact with me. He was always the least-involved one of the group, preferring not to ruffle feathers as the rest of us were prone to do.
So why did he look annoyed with me?
"Wait, didn't you say Analeigh was an English major, Trav?" Noah asked, narrowing his eyes at me. "What was she doing in the business school library?"
"Travis," Sebastian started in an accusatory tone, "what did you do?"
"Nothing," I snapped. "I'm innocent here."
Noah rolled his eyes obnoxiously. "So you're guilty."
Sebastian punched me hard in the shoulder. "No wonder she was pissed today. You officially deserved that knee."
"I did not! And I'm going to get her back."
"'Get her back?' What is this, the fourth grade?" Noah asked.
I ignored this, turning away from them and sitting on my couch, legs crossed in front of me. I fidgeted with my tie, thinking back to yesterday. I had gone through a lot of trouble to track down her schedule, and I wasn't one to use my administrative perks liberally. Most girls would swoon to be excused from class just to see me. And alone? All to themselves? There was no higher form of flattery.
And yet, as was frequently the case with her, my wholesome attempt at having a discussion immediately took a turn. She had barraged me with complaints and insults like it was her job, and it drove me mad the rest of the day. No girl, save for my own sister, had ever spoken to me like she did.
She was impossible.
That being said, and true as it was that yesterday hadn't gone to plan, it wasn't like I'd hired a bunch of thugs to attack her. I frowned at the image of some lowlifes touching her. If I'd been there, that wouldn't have happened.
I straightened uncomfortably in my seat. Why was I thinking about that?
Sebastian spoke up and snapped me out of it. "Visualizing your grand plan to show her who's boss?"
"Obviously," I murmured, pausing. "What if we... filled her backpack with shaving cream?" I clapped.
I was met with blinks.
"Dude, seriously?" Noah asked.
"Okay, fine, we could... swap out all her textbooks for magazines! She'll have no idea where they went!"
"This," Noah said with a sigh, "is why you've never had a girlfriend. You're a 22-year-old child."
"I am not!" I protested.
They collectively rolled their eyes and huffed. Alex and Noah stood up, and Sebastian moved behind me to clap my shoulder with the hand that sported his new gold Rolex. "We'll leave you to it, Trav."
---
I saw her next the following Monday morning. Sebastian, Alex, Noah and I were walking through the quad together, as per usual, when I spotted her turn onto our path a few hundred yards ahead. She was flanked on either side by the only two friends I ever saw her with: a tall blonde with a nose ring and some bread-and-butter-looking guy in a t-shirt. They were walking right towards us.
I squared my shoulders, confident in The Four's look today. I was wearing my signature white button-up, maroon blazer and black leather sneakers. Sebastian looked dapper in an expensive black tee and gold chain; Noah turned heads in a brown suede jacket and fitted jeans; and Alex sported a chambray shirt under a white bomber jacket. We looked as The Four always did - untouchable.
I took a moment to survey Analeigh as she neared - for purposes of comparison, of course. Her long hair, the color of desert sand, was worn in an unkempt braid over her shoulder, left slightly exposed by her oversized lilac top. I had yet to see her without jeans. She was the shortest of her group, maybe ten inches shorter than myself, based on our previous encounters. Not like that was saying much, given my height. Plus, she was petite, which made our size difference all the more noticeable.
She finally glanced up at me as we crossed paths, with a few feet to spare - her blue eyes held firm onto mine, if not a little smug. Her friend with the nose ring looped her arm in Analeigh's protectively, as if we were wild animals prone to attack. Who she was protecting from who, however, wasn't so obvious.
It was over in an instant: we had passed without a word, without incident. We continued walking our separate ways.
I smirked and addressed my group. "Did you guys know Analeigh is infatuated with me?"
Noah chuckled. "Oh yeah? What do you think it was, breaking her phone or the knee to your crotch?"
"What, you don't believe me? You saw her looking just now."
"I believe you," Sebastian said.
"Thank you, Seb," I said, emphasizing his name as a jab at Noah. "When has any girl resisted my charm?"
"That's true," I heard Alex say from behind me. "Even I struggle to hold myself back from Travis's magnetic pull."
"So, what's the next move, Trav?" Sebastian asked.
"I've got a plan," I said with a huff.
My friends exchanged glances.
"Please tell me it's not some dumb prank," said Noah.
"Or any prank at all, really," Alex added.
"No," I replied, fingers curling in my pockets. Truthfully, I didn't have a plan. Yet.
"You know Travis, it isn't that hard to hit on a girl," said Sebastian, throwing an arm playfully over my shoulder as we walked. "I know you lack the experience, but it's nothing that can't be taught."
I shrugged him off, annoyed. "Who said I was hitting on her?"
"What, you aren't?"
"No!" I objected. "I don't like her."
Noah scoffed. "Sure, and neither do we."
---
At 10:15am on the dot, I rounded the corner into the English hall. Thanks to my administrative connections, I had Analeigh's schedule, and knew she'd be out and headed for a lunch break.
Like clockwork, I spotted her at her locker. Only one problem - that guy friend of hers was chatting her up, making her laugh at one of his dumb jokes.
How irritating.
"Analeigh!" My voice rang down the hall. Her head whipped towards me, braid flipping and eyebrows knitted in surprise. Now that I had her attention, I continued. "Come here, I want to talk to you."
To my relief, she shut her locker door and started in my direction. She didn't look thrilled to see me, but she was obeying, at least. Still, I stiffened: her friend was tailing her like a dog.
She stomped up to me. "What do you want?" She asked up at me.
I peered down at her, amused. "Come with me." I said, my voice dripping in the kind of charm that had won the hearts of many in my day.
"Who said I was free? I'm busy right now."
"With what?"
"Evan and I are going to lunch," she said, shooting me a wide smile.
I narrowed my eyes at her. "Who?"
She gestured to her dog-friend, who was all but cowering behind her. He didn't make eye contact with me, but focused on the back of Analeigh's head. I gave him a once-over, then returned to her. "You didn't answer my question."
"Evan is my friend, who I'm hanging out with. Does that answer it?"
She took a hold of his forearm and moved past me swiftly, causing him to stumble and mutter an apology under his breath at me. He recovered and resumed his position at her side down the hall, and didn't look back as they picked their conversation back up.
My hands tightened onto the straps of my backpack, where I'd stowed away her new iPhone. So this was how she returned my kindness?
Two can play at this game.