The Four

After class, I turned to Sam sitting next to me. "Go on ahead of me, I gotta talk to the professor."

She nodded, but waited for me to walk down a few steps with her. "Are you okay? You look tired."

"Oh, yeah. Maybe a little," I said, embarrassed. "I just have some questions about the group project."

Sam shrugged and headed out the classroom door. I blew a strand of hair from my face. Truthfully, it had taken me hours to fall asleep after Travis dropped me off - I tossed and turned, visited the fridge half a dozen times and finally nodded off to an audiobook. As a result, I slept straight through three alarms and had to run out the door, and it showed. I didn't even have time to put in my contacts.

After discussing source materials with my professor for a few minutes, I finally headed out of the classroom. I swung open the door, but it suddenly stopped short and rebounded, smacking me in the face and shoulder. Startled, I readjusted my glasses and touched my throbbing forehead, hissing. I looked up at Sam, the apparent obstruction in the doorway, standing still and rigid. She gave no signs of being struck by the door, like some sort of statue.

"Sam?"

Her eyes flicked to me. They looked panicky. "I was... going to your locker," she started.

"And? Was there a spider on it or something?"

She bit her lip and peeked around the corner of the doorway. "A visitor."

I stepped around her to have a look for myself, and my eyes fell upon Travis, standing with his back against my locker, one foot propped up. He wore a fitted black shirt, light wash jeans, stark white Nikes and, weirdly, a pair of dark aviator sunglasses, as if they offered some sort of disguise. Who wouldn't immediately recognize Travis Vanderbilt at this school was beyond me.

I sighed. "It's too early for this."

"What are you gonna do?" Sam asked in a low voice.

"He's not known for giving me choices." I ran a hand through my hair and glanced at her. "What about you?"

"Are you kidding? I didn't put on eyeliner today." She took a deep, dramatic breath and scampered down the hall, a textbook covering her face as she flew past Travis, who didn't appear to take notice.

He didn't move a muscle when I reached him, stopping a few feet to his side. Annoyed, I punched him in the arm, to which he simply turned his head and peered down at me like I was some sort of pest. An eyebrow raised itself over his sunglasses.

"Do you mind?" I asked up at him. I came face to face with my own reflection in his sunglasses, and self-consciously ran my fingers through the loose strands hanging around my braid.

He pivoted his body so his shoulder was against my locker, arms crossed over his chest. He fully faced me now. Travis lowered his head toward me, making me jerk back.

"Are you blind?" He asked to my face. He raised a finger and flicked the rim of my glasses.

I scoffed and smacked his hand, which he casually folded back into position. "I think I'm the only girl at this school who isn't."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

I cleared my throat and nodded behind him. He turned his head, and the crowd of girls who had formed down the hall squealed and scattered like mice. I took the opportunity to shove his chest while he was distracted - he fell back a step and grunted, and I quickly slid into the vacant space in front of my locker. I smiled at my small victory as I entered my code, even as Travis hovered over me at my side.

"You lost, Vanderbilt?" Before he could reply, I opened my locker directly in front of his face, blocking him completely. I snickered and started putting my books away.

I heard him curse, and his fingers wrapped around the edge of the metal door and jerked it backward, flush against the wall so it was out of his way. I shot a warning look through his shades, but continued my business.

"Who said I was lost?"

"I don't see the rest of your posse."

"What, I'm not good enough all by my lonesome?" He grinned, clearly pleased with himself.

I shut my locker and faced him. "Four is better than one."

The grin melted away as quickly as it had appeared. "You're so irritating," he said through gritted teeth.

I shrugged. "Guess you can't fix irritating, either."

He clicked his tongue and exhaled, as if trying to remain calm. "Aren't you going to ask me why I'm here?"

"It better not be about our bet."

The corners of his mouth rose into a smile. "There's hope for you yet, stupid girl."

"No!" I stomped my foot and scowled. "I did my part! Last night was it. I'm out."

"I don't think so. One lousy dinner won't cut it. Besides," he said, cocking his head slightly, "I don't believe we specified how long you had to do what I say."

"Whose fault is that?"

He ignored my question and nodded. "I'm deciding now. Three months."

"NO!"

"One month."

Before I could raise my voice even higher in protest, a tall figure slid into me, colliding with my shoulder. I was knocked off balance, but caught myself with a hand against my locker before I could be flattened.

"Analeigh," a smooth, girly voice hummed, "long time no see."

Adjusting my glasses and my stance, I blinked at Victoria, the beautiful, dark-haired girl from my class. She stood at my side and gazed up at Travis, who was unmoved before us. His lips were in a tight line.

"Oh, uh," I stuttered, caught off guard. "Hi, Victoria. Didn't we... we just have class?"

She smiled widely, flashing a set of pearly white teeth. They were striking against her caramel skin. "That's why I'm here, of course." She flipped her long hair and touched my shoulder with a manicured hand. "Our group project, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Right," I said distractedly, peering down uneasily at her hand and then back up at her face. Her eyes were absolutely glued on Travis.

"Hi Travis," Victoria crooned, gazing at him.

Travis nodded once. "Hi."

I could practically feel Victoria's heart rate skyrocket. "Am I interrupting?" She asked sweetly.

Without missing a beat, he replied, "Yes."

My eyes flicked from Travis to Victoria, then back to Travis again. The difference in his voice was like night and day.

"Oh." Although clearly startled, Victoria miraculously recovered in an instant. "Well, silly me. I'll get going then." She squeezed my shoulder and smiled at me. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ana." She turned on a heel and, with one last lingering glance at Travis, strutted away.

Ana?

Racking my brain, I chewed my lower lip and Travis finally unfold his arms. He buried one hand in a pocket and let the other hang by his side. I felt him looking at me.

"Who was that?"

"A... friend?" I said uncertainly.

"Sure she was."

I shifted my feet. "I think we both know she's one of your adoring fans." I blew a strand of hair from my face and sulked. "She's going to talk about this for at least a month."

"Which reminds me," he started. His voice had reverted back to its pre-interruption level. "One month."

What an obnoxiously smooth transition.

My eyes narrowed at him. "No."

"Yes."

"This isn't fair."

"Is it physically possibly for you not to complain?" His free hand reached out and ruffled my hair roughly. "I take back what I said. You really are stupid."

"Hey!" I squirmed out from under his hand, which retreated before I could smack it. I grunted and laid a hand atop my disheveled head as his shoulder parted from the lockers. He stood up straight over me.

"First order of business is lunch on Wednesday." He gave me a very obvious, agonizingly slow once-over. "Don't look homeless."