Chapter Two

After the school day was mostly over, I met up with Tori again. "Hey, hottie," she greeted me, and I returned the hello. "Katy and I are going to the mall, so whenever you finish with detention then feel free to join us." 

"I totally would, but I just remembered I have that photo shoot," I said, shoving my books into my locker.

This detention was only making this day even harder.

I looked at the slip I’d been given and frowned. "Shoot! It starts at the exact time detention lets out," I said, looking at Tori, feeling slightly nervous. If I showed up late to work because of detention, Mary would kill me. 

"It's okay. Usually, the teacher, Mr. Ollie, falls asleep or forgets about detention duty, so you can easily sneak out, but don't forget to sign your name on the sheet in the front of the room or else you'll get another detention," Tori warned, giving me a reassuring smile.

"I'm not even going to ask how you know that." I shook my head in amusement.

"Forget your homework like I do all the time. Trust me, that's where you'll spend your day." She quietly squealed, as though she just remembered something. "I can't believe it, Clover Thompson is going to do something exciting in school, something bad." She bounced on her heels, the movement causing me to roll my eyes.

"It's leaving detention five minutes early. It's really not that big of a deal," I said, waving her off as she slammed my locker shut.

"Please, you won't even want to leave once you see the guys in there. They're all incredibly hot," she gushed. 

I lightly pushed her shoulder while laughing. "Okay, well, I have to go before I'm late for those hot guys."

She stuck her tongue out at me before pulling her bag higher on her shoulder.

I shook my head at her, a small smile playing on my lips. "I'll text you later, after the photoshoot," I told her and she gave me a side hug.

"Okay, bye, girl!" Tori said, waving, as I headed off to detention. I checked the slip: Room 218. I quickly rushed off to the room, with only three minutes to get there. Once I walked in, I frowned, seeing only one group of guys in the back corner.

These must be the guys she was talking about. I signed my name before taking a seat on the opposite side of the room.

I glanced over at them again, and recognition finally set in. Andrew Carter. Now, I didn't know much about him, but from what Katy had told me, him and Stacey were constantly on and off. Plus, he was apparently the one who threw all the school parties. And I won't lie, I have heard a rumor that he was the one who went to juvie his whole freshman year of high school. I'm not even sure how he made it to senior year. We’ve only had one or two classes together in the past, but never any to really force us to talk. I’d be surprised if he even knew my name.

Andrew seemed to notice my attention and smirked, turning his chair around, so the back was facing me. He sat on it and rested his arms on the top of the chair. "Heya, boys. Look what we have here, Stacey described her new conquest of the week to me earlier and it looks like this one fits her description perfectly. You're the so-called freak who messed with her this morning, right?"

I gulped. Okay, so I really didn't want to be beaten to a pulp by this so-called delinquent, Andrew Carter. 

"Awe, babes, did Stace cut off your tongue?" he asked, standing up and moving directly beside me.

I couldn't help but smell the cologne coming off him, giving him the scent of citrus and cigarettes and something else I couldn't put my finger on. 

"Can you please just leave me alone?" I asked. 

He ran his hand down the side of my face before stumbling slightly, almost falling over the side of my desk. "Ah, does the freak have a name?" he asked curiously, reaching to grab my glasses off my face. I quick turned my head to the side and pushed his hand out of my face.

I stood up and moved to the next seat over. 

"Baby, no need to get all mad. I mean I'm on your side," Andrew said and I scrunched up my nose in disgust as he stumbled over to the seat near his friends. "Stacey's a slut."

"It's like you two are made for each other then," I said before quickly covering my mouth.

Okay, that was definitely the wrong thing to say.

I quickly changed the subject before he could process anything I just said, "So, how did you make it all day without the cops picking you up? I mean you reek of booze." 

His friends all chuckled.

"Carter here is a big boy. He knows how to convince the big lady here to just keep him in detention for the day," his friend, Zach, said. 

I sent him a look of disgust. Who talks about the principal like that?

"Wait, they got it in on? I mean, she's like dinosaur," Jack said. 

Andrew stood up on the desk in the front of the room, almost falling over as he tried to balance on one foot. "She's not that bad. She's like forty." He let out a disgusting burp, almost falling over. I watched as he leaned against the chalkboard, looking completely ridiculous. His hair was messy, with pieces falling onto his forehead.

"You do realize how incredibly stupid you're being right now, right? I mean, you're completely drunk and trying to balance on a desk at school when any minute the teacher could come in," I said without thinking, once again drawing their attention to me.

"Oh, should I be doing something else? Something down and dirty with a certain brunette in here?" Andrew asked. "I do have a thing for you brown-haired girls. Although, your face kind of ruins the whole thing."

How priceless. This guy seriously thinks I would ever be into him.

"Sorry to disappoint," I said sarcastically. 

Andrew lifted his shoulders up into a shrug. "Oh, well. I mean I've seen worse." 

How does this guy even get girls?

"Yeah, remember that one redhead? I mean, if she got that double chin, braces, and glasses taken away then she'd probably be hot," said the third one in his group, Michael.

"You're a pig, you know that?" I said with clenched teeth.

"I prefer the name donkey or jackass, but whatever works for you, Princess," Michael responded.

Andrew stumbled over to me, placing his hand on my shoulder. "So, conquest of the week, what your name, babe?" he whispered in my ear, in what I'm guessing was supposed to be a seductive tone.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I said with a wry smile.

"I'd love to." He tucked a piece of my hair back, or rather a piece of my fake hair back. I pushed him away. "Fine, you want to know my name first?"

Michael chuckled loudly, blowing on one of those vapor things. "She probably already knows your name," he said, which was true, but I didn't say anything since Andrew was too drunk to care.

Andrew sent me a drunken smile. "The name is Andrew Carter and yes, if you were wondering…" He paused, putting his hand to his chest, probably trying to stop the throw up from leaving his mouth. "I sure as hell throw some badass parties. You're welcome to come to the next one, but if you do, which I know you will, wear something a little hotter." He pulled at the sleeve of my hoodie.

"Twelve more minutes of this misery and then I'm free," I muttered to myself after checking the time on my phone.

Who was stupid enough to show up at school completely drunk off their ass? I mean, he's throwing away his whole life and for what? A pack of cigarettes and a twelve pack of beer? It's repulsive. I don't know how Stacey even puts up with this if he's like this on a daily basis.

Jack seemed to hear me because he responded to the comment, "You know, you don't have to stay here. I mean, Mr.Ollie only shows up on Wednesdays. You're safe since it's Monday. "

"No, no, no," Andrew said, jumping down from the teacher's desk and almost tripping into another desk. “The nerd can't leave. I mean, she's too good for all of that. Stacey would be pissed as hell if she found out that you didn't even get a real punishment."

I narrowed my eyes. Was he really threatening me with Stacey?

"I spilled coffee on her shirt; big deal. I can pay for a new one if it's seriously that much of a problem,” I snapped, getting fed up with everyone in this room.

"No, it's okay. If you have some place to be then I'll just let her know. She shouldn't mind too much," he said giving me a pathetic taste of sarcasm.

I tapped my nails against the desk irritably, I wasn’t in the mood for all of this. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing I’m not leaving yet.” I said making myself more comfortable in my seat before I pulled out my phone, scrolling through my timeline on Instagram that was mostly filled with celebrities I knew and only a few people from school. 

“Huh, I guess so.” He said staring at me longer than necessary before he turned to his friends again. 

I felt myself slouch slightly as I sighed in relief, happy to have him off my back. It only stayed like that for another fifteen minutes, him and his friends talking and laughing obnoxiously before I knew I had to get going if I wanted to make it in time for my photo shoot. 

I doubled checked the time on my phone before I stood up.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Andrew asked, noticing my standing figure.

“I need to leave.” I said slipping my book bag on my shoulders.

“And what did I say about leaving? Unless you have some type of memory loss and suddenly forgot in this short time?” 

I scowled, “Fine, what do you want?”

"I don't know yet." Andrew lightly tapped his stubbled chin with his index finger. “But I'll make sure to let you know when I think of something."

I sighed. "Okay, whatever."

I left it at that and headed out of the room just as my phone rang loudly throughout the hallway. I pulled the device from my back pocket and frowned at the name that appeared on the screen.

"Mary," I said with fake happiness.

"Clover Ann Thompson! Where the hell are you? The photo shoot starts in less than ten minutes! You should be here by now!" Mary yelled through the phone, causing me to cringe, slightly pulling it from my ear.

"I know, I know. I totally forgot, I'm at Tori's house, and I'll leave right now and meet you there," I lied. 

I could picture her shaking her head in disappointment. "You should know how important this shoot is. I mean, it's being done by Mandy Francisco," she said with a sigh. "If you want to go to that fashion show this year then you need her to approve everything from this shoot."

I used fake sweetness as I responded to the lecture I've only heard a million times, "Yes, Mary, I know. I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Good, because that's all you've got," she snapped before disconnecting the phone call. 

I glanced at my phone and shoved it inside my pocket. "Sure, Mary, my day was fine. Thanks for asking," I said in a posh tone, sarcastically making little faces.

"Do you always talk to yourself or only on special occasions?" a man asked and I gasped, rushing over and throwing my arms around him.

"West Thompson," I said with a wide smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in town. I'm supposed to be staying at your place for a night,” he told me and I squealed, giving him another hug.

West Thompson is my cousin from my father's side. He didn't come around much, but he's always that one cousin you want to do everything with. He's the one who goes to the parties and the one who will sneak you out of the house if you needed him to. He's that older cousin that you can't help but completely adore.

"You know, you're looking hot right now," he commented, his eyes skimming my nonexistent figure in these clothes.

"Oh, please shush," I said before scanning the parking lot cars, stopping on the familiar scalade from my garage. The car wasn't 100% mine, but I kept it in my garage for an old boyfriend of mine or, well, current boyfriend of mine. Things were a bit confusing with him since he was a few years older than me and left a while back to join the military. We never really ended things, so I can't exactly say we're together, but it's been about a year if not longer since he left for boot camp and wherever else they shipped him off to. 

I took off my glasses and pouted, blinking a few times for the effect. "West, my amazing cousin, want to give me a ride to the shoot?" 

"Why else do you think I'm here? Your agent showed up while I was at your house and got all pissed when you she found out you weren't home," he explained. "She sent me to come and pick you."

"How'd you even get in?" I asked accusingly. 

He smirked, lightly patting his chest. "I'm West Thompson. How do you think I got in?" 

I sent him a flat look. He wasn't amusing.

"You guys still leave the spare key under that rock under the second step out front," West said. 

I frowned. "Something told me I should move that."  

He waved me off. "Only me and your parents know. It's not a big deal." 

I bit my lip, still thinking about it. I mean, they weren't the only ones who knew that since I’d told Tori and Damien, but they were trustworthy, so I wasn't worried. I was just worried about the paparazzi snooping around and one of them seeing it.

"Hey, you alive in there?" West asked, tapping my forehead with his fist, lightly. "C'mon, you've been staring out into space. We gotta go if you want to get there on time, so we don't get killed by Mary."

I nodded. "Right, let's go."