I mean seriously.

Pink. Jax was wearing nothing but pink. In a candy shop. Jax was selling candy. Jax the Snake was selling candy in a pink costume.

I could not stop myself from laughing every time the image of him standing in front of me with his eyes wide popped in my head. It was way too hilarious. Just the thought of the worst person in our entire school was selling candy… Candy, for crying out loud!

And he looked so freaking adorable too!

Now I knew where he worked. I was going to keep my promise and not tell anyone about it, of course. I needed to gain his trust, after all. I’d wasted ten days already, and I still wasn’t making any real progress. He still hated my guts, and I was starting to feel like the fifty days I still had left weren’t nearly enough.

At least everyone at school believed I was gay now. I’d been afraid I needed to prove that somehow, but no one had questioned it. I could only hope it was just as easy to convince everyone that it was just a joke. I didn’t even want to think about what Jessica had said about ruining my reputation.

I was fine. People pulled stupid pranks all the time. Some people would probably be mad at me for a moment, but they just had to live with it. Why would they care, anyway? Hell, I was doing the gay people a favor here. I’d just proved to all of them that it was just fine to come out as gay. No one would bat an eye. I probably was their hero now.

They’ll burn me on a stake for this…

I just had to bear the consequences once this whole thing was over. I just needed to win this stupid bet and everything would go back to normal. I’d deal with whatever was coming my way after I wiped that stupid smirk off Caleb’s face.

But coming out as gay still wasn’t enough. Jax was vigorously avoiding me at school, even though I’d hoped he’d finally start warming up to me now. I mean, he had heard the rumors that I liked him. That was why my stomach was still a mush.

That cute little costume popped in my head again. A pink costume. My god, was there actually someone who was able to convince Jax to wear something like that? How did they get away with it without losing their heads?

I laughed as I drove, trying to stay focused on the road. He was selling candy… My god. And he didn’t even beat the shit out of me this time. Maybe he was too afraid of getting fired to lay a finger on me? He just stood there, boiling in his fury.

I could definitely use that for my advantage…

That was quite an intimate moment we had there…

I shook my head. I had to get used to being so close to him if I wanted him to fall for me. It was quite obvious I couldn’t make him fall for me with just my words and looks.

He didn’t do anything when I kissed his cheek… I was still amazed he didn’t even push me away when I did that. Was it just because he was scared of getting fired, or was he actually fine with it? Or had he just been too shocked to do anything? Either or, I hoped this was a good sign.

He sure looked cute though…

I pushed that thought somewhere deep in my mind. 

I had no classes with Jax the next day, so I knew I’d be chasing him around the entire day again in hopes of seeing a glimpse of him. I mean, if he showed up at school. I was growing increasingly anxious over how I was using my time. I had to start making actual progress.

But I was in luck. I saw a glimpse of his black-and-red hair when I was heading to my first class with Jessica. Thank God the guy wasn’t skipping school this time.

“So, what’s your plan for today?” Jessica asked when she noticed me staring after him.

“I know he likes to hang out on the roof. I’ll go see if he’s there and try to talk with him again,” I told her.

“And then what?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I’ll just have to see if he’ll talk to me or send me flying to the nearest hospital,” I said, hoping it was just a joke, but knowing Jax…

She rolled her eyes at me, and I could tell she was betting the hospital.

When I sat down next to her in the classroom I noticed Alan and Cecilia holding hands in front of us. Cecilia was talking – no surprise there – and Alan seemed to be listening to every word she said. And he was smiling the whole time.

I smiled at them. Alan was the quiet type anyway. They were perfect for each other.

I did feel bad for lying to everyone. I hoped everything would get back to normal once this whole thing was finally over. I knew I had some serious explaining to do once it was over, and I could only hope my friends would forgive me.

I’m walking on thin ice, and for what?

It wasn’t about the money since I didn’t need the money. If I lost to Caleb, I’d still had plenty left in my bank account, thanks to my very generous parents. I didn’t really care about proving I could make anyone fall for me, either. I could easily make any girl fall for me, and everyone knew that. I could pick and choose whoever I wanted.

I’m starting to sound like a jerk again.

But it was true. My whole life was running smoothly towards its destination. Everything was perfect. I didn’t need anything, and I definitely didn’t need to prove anything. I already had everything anyone could possibly want. My life was everything anyone could possibly want. Everything was so fucking perfect already. All I needed was to get into college, and quite honestly, I would get in. Dad would pay anything to get me in if my perfect grades weren’t good enough.

I was starting to feel reckless again.

When the lunch break started, I told Jessica to wish me luck – she didn’t – and headed up to the roof. I readied myself to face the Snake, but when I got there, it was still empty. I let out a disappointed sigh.

I walked to the railing surrounding the edge of the roof and leaned against it to stare at the horizon. I let my mind wander while I enjoyed the quietness. It sure was peaceful up here.

And of course, the thought of my future stole my attention. A year from now, I’d be in college. I’d be well on my way to becoming a lawyer. It had always been the only future I’d seen for myself. I had never even considered something else. There was nothing else I wanted to do.

If only I didn’t feel like this… My brothers had it easy. They were free from my dad’s expectations. Dad was never as strict with them as he was with me. I wasn’t sure if he ever really paid attention to their studies. Of course he was glad to hear Kenneth had chosen to become a doctor – it was a respectful occupation unlike Daniel’s – but he was disappointed when he heard they didn’t want to follow in his footsteps.

And my God, he had pretty big boots to fill. Both my father and his father were legends. How could I ever live up to their expectations? Besides, I would always be living in their shadows. I’d always be compared to them.

I was spared from more self-pity when the door behind me opened. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Jax standing by the door, his expression annoyed.

“I won’t bite,” I told him and turned to look at the city.

“Why do you keep harassing me?” Jax asked, and I was surprised to hear he was walking toward me.

“I told you: I like you,” I said as he leaned against the railing close by.

Jax lit his cigarette and looked at me. “I’m sorry, but I’m not into you,” he said without sounding apologetic at all.

Neither am I to you…

I was too far down the road to turn back now.

“Maybe I can change your mind?” I asked, looking at him.

He let out a humorless laugh. “You’re all kinds of fucked up, you know that?”

Like I said, I was feeling reckless.

I leaned in to kiss him without even thinking about it. Jax froze still, just like he had the day before. When my lips brushed over his, he didn’t even blink. I wasn’t sure if he was even breathing. He just stared at me with wide eyes.

His lips felt soft and sweet against mine. I found myself grabbing him gently by his waist and I pulled him closer, not really thinking about what I was doing. I just followed my instincts. But when I pressed my tongue against his lips, trying to deepen the kiss, he suddenly yanked himself off my grip, looking pissed.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” he hissed before storming back inside.

I just stood there, staring after him. I opened my mouth, then closed it. I just… I kissed him. I just kissed him.

Maybe there really was something wrong with me.

What the fuck? What the fuck?! What the fuck was he thinking? He just kissed me! What the actual fuck was he thinking? Did he honestly think it was all right to kiss me like that, without my permission?! After I’d done everything I could to make him understand I wanted nothing to do with him!

I should’ve strangled him on the spot. I was in such a hurry to get the fuck away from him I forgot to strangle him…

Oh my God, he just kissed me…

I didn’t watch where I was going. I was not heading to my next class, that was for sure. I needed to be left alone. I couldn’t stand the idea of having people around me. A moment later, I found myself at the back of the school, close to the faculty parking lot. I hid behind a corner where I knew I had a good chance of being left alone and sat down.

I leaned my head against the wall and lit up another cigarette.

Nicholas Gabriel kissed me…

Why was he still messing with me? There could be no fucking way he was actually interested in me, right? He was just messing with me, and he was taking his little prank too far. 

Was it a prank, though? If it was, he’d gotten the entire fucking school in it, too. A bit excessive in my opinion. So… Was it a prank? I mean… if it wasn’t…? Did Nicholas Gabriel actually like me?

I let out a laugh. There was no fucking way. He was just messing with me. He had to be.

I filled my lungs with the smoke, trying to calm down. I really should’ve strangled the guy, but that hadn’t even crossed my mind. What had crossed my mind was Kenneth, Nic’s brother. They were so much alike…

And no matter how much I hated it, I had to admit, Nic had gained my attention. Now I just had to figure out what to do with this situation. How many times would I have to kick his ass before he’d finally leave me alone?

Did I want him to…? No! What the fuck?! Of course I wanted him to leave me alone!

But he had balls… No?! What the actual fuck?!

“Fuck’s sake…” I groaned and rubbed my temples.

Fucking Gabriel.

I glanced at my sleeves, making sure they covered my arms. I brought the cigarette back to my lips. Why couldn’t he just leave me alone? I already knew what would happen. He’d take one look at my ugly bits and the hell would start all over. Nic had nothing to do with it last time, but only because he wasn’t there. Would he be the same? Like his brother?

I mean… He did look… But why the fuck did he have to be Gabriel? That was just my goddamn luck.

Did he actually like me…? It had to be a prank. A very elaborate one at that.

Fuck what am I doing…?

Nic had taken three hits already, and he was still persistent. It could very well be just him messing with my head, but fuck, I was curious. I couldn’t stop thinking about him, either, no matter how much that pissed me off. I had the feeling he wasn’t going to stop harassing me yet.

How big of a mistake would it be if I let this situation continue and see where it would go? I mean… I really hated to admit it, but I was impressed by the size of his balls. He could’ve gotten me in trouble after I hit his head on his desk, but he sucked it up. He probably had broken ribs now, too, and yet…

He kissed me.

Nicholas Fucking Gabriel took a hit to the stomach and still kissed me.

I’m going to regret this, aren’t I…?