Both Kayla and Jackson snap, “We’re not dating!” at the same time.
“Jinx,” Tracy chirps behind them.
“Whatever,” Jude says with a sigh. “Good luck; she’ll make your life miserable.”
Kayla jumps at Jude and tries to kick him. Jackson picks her up before she succeeds. “No,” she protests. “Let me down, I will kick his ass!”
“Let me teach you how to fight first, so you can really make it count,” Jackson says in her ear. She feels him chuckle against her. It makes her want to giggle, but she keeps a straight face…barely.
Jude glares at her. “Losers.” He turns and walks away.
“You should have let me kick him,” Kayla states as Jackson sets her down. “That would have made my day.”
“I will get him later, trust me,” Jackson says.
Turning around, Kayla looks at him. “Why did you interfere anyway? Are you out to torture me as well?”
“I will be the only one torturing you. Not him. Anyway, if I’m going to win the bet, I need you to bring your A game. Can’t have you distracted by that idiot.”
Kayla snorts. “Touché.”
“Je ne savais pas que vous parlait francais,” Jackson says.
Furrowing her eyebrows, Kayla asks, “What?”
Tracy chimes in, “Non, elle ne parle pas francais.”
“Stop speaking French!” Kayla snaps.
“You don’t speak it,” Jackson states.
Putting her hand on her friend’s shoulder, Tracy whispers, “He was just asking if you spoke French.”
“No,” Kayla mumbles. “Foreign languages are the one thing I suck at.”
“You don’t speak any?” Jackson asks, surprised.
Kayla stares at him for a moment before looking away. “I took a little bit of Spanish, but I was horrible at it.”
“What are you going to do when you get to college?” Jackson inquires.
“Hire a really good tutor,” Kayla says with a sigh. “Please, don’t remind me. I took enough Spanish to keep me in the running for top GPA, but I only did two years.”
The warning bell rings and Tracy yelps. “I have to get to class. Bye! Don’t kill him, okay?” She waves and darts down the hallway.
“Should we get to class?” Jackson asks, gesturing down the hallway.
“Sure,” Kayla murmurs.
Jackson falls into step next to her as they walk down the hall. “How are you going to be valedictorian if you don’t speak a foreign language?”
“Shut up, Jackson. It’s the only major academic weakness I have.”
“The only one?”
Clenching her hands into fists, Kayla says, “You know what I meant.”
They enter their classroom in silence and take their seats. Jackson turns to her. “I’m absolutely floored.”
“I don’t care what you think,” Kayla growls. A minute goes by before she mumbles, “So you speak French, fluently?”
“Among other languages, yes.”
With a dead stare, Kayla says, “Do I even want to know how many languages you speak?”
“Six fluently, plus broken Japanese.”
“What?” Kayla yells. The rest of the students turn and look at her. She takes a deep breath and then leans in. “How in the world do you know six different languages?”
“I've been taught since I was three. I did live in five different countries, well, six if you count the United States.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
“I know,” Jackson quips with a devious smile.
Her wonder turns into anger and Kayla says, “At least you’re good at one thing.”
“I thought I was a pretty good kisser too,” he whispers, leaning closer to her.
Heat pours into her face as she blushes. “Shut up.” He laughs in response as the bell rings.
“All right, class, let’s get started,” her teacher says.
Class drags for Kayla as she continues to think about the kiss she shared with Jackson. Part of her can’t wait for a second kiss, but the other part makes her want to scream because Jackson annoys her so much. Halfway through class, Jackson throws a folded note onto her desk.
She opens it and then rolls her eyes. It says:
Если вам нужна помощь с иностранных языков, я помогу вам. 你只需要选择一门语言。Prometto di non fare gioco di te. Todo lo que tienes que hacer es preguntar.
Tearing out a piece of her own paper, she writes back:
Funny, funny, I am laughing sooo hard……
Kayla folds it up and, when the teacher isn’t looking, tosses it over to Jackson. He snatches it and holds it under his desk. She glares at him as he reads it. His shoulders shake from laughing. Jackson winks at her. She really wants to flip him off but decides against it.
At the end of class, she quickly stands up and follows Jackson out the door. “What in the world did that note say?” she asks.
“Get a translator,” Jackson replies smugly.
“It’s in four different languages!”
He shrugs. “Not my problem.”
“I think you are the only one in school who could even possibly translate this!”
Jackson turns to her. “It’s called the Internet.”
“Fine, I’ll be late to class. I’m going to the library.”
With a snort, Jackson just looks at her. “Do whatever you feel the need to do.”
“Ugh, you’re infuriating!”
“Then I haven’t lost my touch. For someone who thinks she is so smart, you really lack in some areas.”
“You jerk!” Kayla yells, punching him in the arm.
Jackson stops and looks down at her. “Did a breeze just pass us or was that your attempt at violence?”
“I should kick you.”
Jackson laughs. “I need to teach you how to fight effectively.”
“What are you, like, a black belt or something?”
“There isn’t a belt system in Kung Fu.”
Kayla’s eyebrows go up. “That is kind of cool.”
“Don’t be fooled; I’m going to own your valedictorian position by the end of the school year.”
“No, you won’t,” Kayla snaps, starting to walk again.
She can hear Jackson laughing behind her, but she keeps going. When Kayla gets to class, she approaches her teacher. “Mr. Finley, what are we doing in class today?”
“Giving you time to work on your papers since they’re due in two days.”
“Would you mind if I did some research in the library? I wanted to look more into the religions of the country,” Kayla asks sweetly.
Mr. Finley nods. “Of course, that’s fine. I’ll write you a pass.” He walks over to his desk and pulls out a pad of paper. Out of the corner of her eye, Kayla sees Jackson walk in. He sits in his seat and stares at her. She turns her gaze away from him. Mr. Finley finally stands and hands her the slip. “Here you go, Kayla.”
“Thanks,” she chirps, spinning on her heel. She walks out of the class without even glancing at Jackson.
When she gets to the library, she goes straight for the computers and logs onto the Internet to locate a translator. Kayla sighs at the thought of translating Jackson’s note line by line. She sits and stares at the paper for a few minutes. “How in the world am I supposed to even type these characters on the computer?”
She starts with the last two lines since the English language includes the same characters as the foreign language on the page. The third line of the note says: I promise to not to make fun of you. “Okay, that’s Italian,” she mumbles. “One language down.”
Next, she types in the fourth sentence. Translating from Spanish to English, it reads: All you have to do is ask. “Ask what?” she mumbles, irritated. Putting her head into her palm, Kayla sighs. “Okay, that’s Russian and what I can only assume is Chinese. How am I supposed to translate that?” She literally stares at the paper for ten minutes. “This is impossib
le. I need to scan it or something.”
“Having any luck yet?” she hears from behind her.
Startled, Kayla jumps in her seat. Spinning around, she fumes at Jackson. “Stalking isn’t an attractive quality.”
“Only when it isn’t wanted,” Jackson snips, sitting down next to her. “So how much have you figured out?”
“That you aren’t going to make fun of me and that all I have to do is ask. Ask what?”
He points to the paper. “What the first two lines say.”
“Why are you even in here?” Kayla snaps.
“To make sure you’re working on your paper.”
“How did you even get out of class?”
“I handed in my essay and said I wanted to come and check out the library.”
Narrowing her eyes, Kayla inquires, “He looked at your paper and accepted it?”
“Yup, he even read part of it and said…gosh…what were his words…‘I am very impressed.’”
“Are you going to torment me for the rest of my life?”
With a serious expression, Jackson replies, “Not that I want to, but probably.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” Jackson mutters. “How much more research do you have to do for your paper?”
Kayla turns to the computer. “Not a whole lot. I came in here to figure out what this says.”
Picking up the piece of paper, Jackson reads, “If you want help with foreign languages, I can help you. All you need to do is select a language. I promise to not make fun of you. All you have to do is ask.”
“Oh,” Kayla whispers. “Thanks.”
Jackson hands her the note back but doesn’t say anything.
“That’s nice of you,” she says.
“If we’re going to go toe-to-toe academically, I can’t have such an advantage over you. It’s not fair.”
Kayla groans. “Way to take a nice moment and make a snarky comment.”
“I love that word…snarky. I wasn’t trying to have a nice moment. I was just being honest,” Jackson states matter-of-factly. Kayla starts to say something but then stops. Jackson leans forward. “What were you going to say?”
“I wasn’t going to say anything. I was going to ask you a question.”
With a wave of his hand, Jackson says, “Ask away.”
“Are you like this with everyone?”
“What? A jackass?”
“Yeah, I figured that you would be more interested in making friends instead of enemies.”
“Are we enemies? Taking this bet a little too far, aren’t you?”
Kayla exhales dramatically. “You and I are like oil and water.”
“No, Kayla, my dear. We are oil and the rest of the world is water.” He stands up and points to the computer. “Finish your paper. I want it to be your best so when I win, it will make my victory all the better.”
“Go jump off a cliff,” Kayla snaps.
Jackson leans over and braces himself on her chair and the table. He comes breathlessly close to her and whispers, “That comes later and one of these days, I bet you’ll join me.”
“What?” Kayla breathes out against him. He gives her one last, long look and then turns and walks away. Kayla watches him leave and then says, “Weirdo.”
She takes the piece of paper and puts it in her pocket, debating on using it for a spell to curse him. During the remaining hour, Kayla finishes researching for her paper. When the bell rings, she gets up and heads to her next class.
During lunch, she stops at her locker. When she opens it, there is a note inside. Curious, Kayla takes it out and reads it: Sorry, babe, got sick and went home. You’ll have to catch a ride with someone else.
“Grrreeeeaaaat,” Kayla draws out. She shoves her books in her locker and groans. Having Tracy go home early puts her in a bad mood, because now she has to ask someone else to give her a ride. Kayla lives on the outskirts of town by the woods, and no one likes going out that far.
When she arrives at creative writing, Jackson is already in his seat. Kayla walks past him and flops down in her chair. Crossing her arms she glares down at her desk. She is so annoyed, she won’t even look at Jackson when he turns around in his seat and stares at her. Two minutes of silence pass before Jackson says, “Who or what in the world pissed you off so much?”
“Nothing…my parents…my friends…people,” Kayla mumbles.
“PMSing?” Jackson asks.
Her jaw drops. “What? NO! My friend Tracy went home sick, and I can’t find anyone to take me home, which means I have to wait for one of my parents to get off work. I love school and all, but I don’t want to wait around here that long.”
“So you’re mad because you don’t have a car and have no way to get home.”
“Would you be happy if you were going to be stuck at school for another two hours?”
Jackson looks off to the side. “Probably not, but I don’t have to worry about that. I have a car. Since my parents are both well-established scientists, we have money. Never needed to worry about finding a ride home since I learned how to drive.”
“I know how to drive. My parents just won’t get me a car. I’m an honor student, but they still want me to wait until I graduate. I’m surprised they’re okay with me dating and don’t try to lock me in my room at night.”
“Ooh, now I’m intrigued. Who do you date?”
Without thinking, Kayla replies, “No one.”
“Awww, poor Kayla.” Jackson laughs. “So tell me, why aren’t you dating anyone?”
“Have you seen the guys around here? Would you date any of them?”
With a thoughtful look, Jackson says, “No, I like the female body too much, so I can’t really see how any guy would sway me from that.”
Kayla bursts out laughing. “We have a wide variety of female bodies around here. You could probably pick anyone.”
“Mmm, I’m pretty particular about who I date. She has to have certain…assets.”
“Wow, could you be any more shallow?”
Jackson chuckles. “No, no, not those assets. I may be a jackass, but I’m not petty. No, rest assured, Kayla, I love women in many different forms—many different forms.”
“You could have earned brownie points with that, but you also made yourself sound like a slut, so you lose points instead.”
“Hmmm, and where do I rank on your scoreboard?”
Kayla returns with a thoughtful look. “I’m not sure yet.”
“Will I win more points if I give you a ride home?”
Sitting up in her chair, she asks, “Will you?”
“No, I was just asking.”
“I wish you would just go back to where you came from.”
Jackson grins. “I was joking. If you can deal with me for an entire car ride home, I’ll give you a ride.”
“Thank you!”
Jackson sighs. “I have nothing better to do.”
Kayla rolls her eyes.
The bell rings and Jackson smiles as he turns around. The teacher walks to the front of the room and says, “Okay, today we are going to start a new assignment. It’s going to be a group project and you will need to pick a partner. You need to write a fifteen-page short story. I want notes from both you and your partner so I know it was a joint effort. Brainstorm; come up with an idea and then a plot. Give your characters life! This will be fun. Okay, go. Pick your partners.”
Kayla smirks as Jackson turns around. “You know you’re going to be my partner, right?” he asks.
“Oh, really?” she quips sarcastically. “Why in the hell would I do that?”
“Because I have a lot to offer. You and I are on the same playing field. Our two sexy, amazingly gifted selves can do this project and do it to perfection.”
“Sexy? You find yourself sexy?”
Acting surprised, Jackson says, “I see the way you look at me. Don’t deny it.”
“What?” she shrieks. “I do not look at you in any sort of wa
y! Arrogant much?”
Jackson looks at her thoughtfully. “You sure kissed me with some real passion.”
“I was putting on a show,” Kayla grumbles, having to look away.
“Mmhmm, that’s it. So what are we going to write about?”
With a threatening stare, Kayla says, “Who said we were going to be partners?”
“Who said she needed a ride home?”
“Fine, I’m horrible at creative writing. My imagination is way too out there.”
Jackson looks at her, confused. “Doesn’t that mean you’re good at creative writing?”
“No, I—” Kayla starts and then stops. “I always have the same ideas. It’s not like I come up with tons of different story lines.”
“Then we’ll write about your idea. I bet it isn’t bad.”
Nervously twiddling with her pen, Kayla whispers, “I’ve never really talked about it. When I was a kid, I would always draw pictures of this strange world that existed only in my head. My parents loved my pictures and put them all over the house. Dad always said it looked like a beautiful place to live.”
“Tell me about it.” For the first time he appears sincere.
“You’re going to laugh at me.”
Shaking his head, Jackson replies, “No, I won’t. I promise.”
Kayla takes a deep breath before continuing. “It was a world I always saw in my dreams. It was very mountainous, and everywhere I looked, I saw peaks and valleys. The sky was purple and the sun was almost maroon. The plants were similar to what you see on Earth, but they were all different colors. It was always so beautiful when I dreamt about it. You probably think I’m nuts, huh?”
Jackson stares at her for a second and then responds, “No, not at all. Were there creatures on this planet?”
“Not that I ever saw. You know, I never even thought about that. I never drew animals…or people.” Kayla laughs to herself. “Like people would actually live there. I mean, I’m talking like this world is real. But no, there were no animals.”
“Mmm, well, let’s write about this world then. What kind of animals do you think could live on this planet?”
Kayla looks at him curiously. “Why do you say planet? I always thought it was like a parallel universe.”
Jackson snorts. “Planet is much cooler.”
“Whatever.” Suddenly, Jackson grimaces and clenches his stomach. Kayla sits up, alarmed. “What’s wrong?”