[04]

~Marina's Pov~

"You should totally run for student body president," Jason suggested as he eyed me with his classic lopsided smirk.

I shook my head and gave a chortle, "Yeah, no."

"Seriously think about it, vote Marina Hunter for president!" He said dreamily that it almost made my heart flutter.

I found it crazy how I was popular and still invisible at the same time.

"No, Jason." I replied killing his enthusiasm.

It had been a regular high school week, consisting of notes, classes, jubilant students, assignments, having to make the dreadful journey from home to school daily, the divine power of being able of get off your bed every morning and all of that.

It was Friday afternoon, Jason and I were hanging out at my place, I'd barely even changed out of my school outfit, I had only taken off my off white jacket, leaving me in my brown crop top and off white skirt that was below my knee.

We were sitting at the kitchen counter enjoying our makeshift lunch, Jason basically lived in my house, some of his clothes were in my room, actually his hoodies, because I stole them...

Well I was savoring every bite of my ham and lettuce sandwich while Jason entreated himself with waffle cut potatoes fries.

We've barely been able to spend quality time together this week since he was in the senior's block now, it was so hard to think that in another eight months he'd be off to college and miles away from me, my world basically revolved around him, I'm pretty sure I'd cry on his graduation day.

Let's not dwell on that though.

"What?" He blurted out through a mouthful of crispy potato fries.

I had been staring at his handsome facial features with a wry smile.

"Nothing," I shrugged and kept eating, "How's Florence?" I asked suddenly.

"Who's that?" He quizzed me back looking like a confused puppy.

"Like the girl you told me you were dating at basketball summer camp?"

Yeah my only friends were away from me throughout the entire summer, I was alone boring myself to death, drowning in music and more fantasy novels. Dad suggested I get a part-time job, but we were rich so that was absurd.

While my Dad always came back home late from work, I barely even saw my mom, she'd return home after my bed time and leave before my alarm sounded, She was really into her profession, maybe one day I'll be like her or not. I didn't see myself as the loving house wife type or even the totally into her profession type either, it was complicated.

He sniggered, "She's good, I guess..."

"Don't tell me..." I muttered staring at him blankly.

"Yeah I dunno, I forgot to take her number on the last day of camp, and besides it was just summer romance, no strings attached." He said like it meant nothing.

"So who's the new girl?" My lips curved in a girly smirk.

"I think her name is Daneley, she's new."

"You think?"

"Yeah, it's more like she's the one trying to hit on me."

"Ohh..." I cooed knowingly, then I raised my sippy cup to my lips.

What? Yes I use a sippy cup, Jakey boy gave it to me for my Sixteenth birthday in June.

Like I said earlier, with Jason, there was always a new girl. Literally almost every girl at SLake was hypnotized by his gracious aura and beauty, at the end of his junior year he was basically tagged the cutest boy at SLake, to make matters worse he wasn't really the dating type and the girls knew but they still kept hitting on him, with Jace it was mostly fun and games so he was mostly single, and it didn't seem like there was any serious relationships in sight for him.

It was definitely something to be proud about that my best friend was being drooled over though.

"What the hell is OTG?" Jason looked disgusted as he stared at his phone's screen then at me.

"My new playlist, ouu you checked it out," I smiled and cheered sheepishly.

"Really, Tate McRae, you broke me first? Who broke you?" He stared at me while vibrating with laughter.

I slapped his muscular arm, even if I knew I felt the pain more than he, it was still satisfying so I did it again.

"It's just a song, and besides no one did anything."

"You're loosing your mind." He shook his head in disbelief, "At this juncture, I come to the conclusion that you need a boyfriend urgently."

"Okay... That's a enough." I shot him a sardonic expression as I cleared our plates.

"Jeez, can't you take a joke?"

"Nope!" I said grimly before dashing him my perfect smile.

"Shawty be catching mood swings." He murmured but I heard him and my smile grew wider.

"You see, the playlist is catching unto you as well." I teased him and he shoved me away but caught me before I staggered into the breakables.

"Classic Kuyper!" I shoved him back and went into the sitting room.

While he followed me, his iPhone rang and he took it out to answer a quick call.

"Right... I'll be there." I heard him mutter to his caller.

I casted him a solicited expression.

"Basketball call, coach called for an impromptu meeting," Jason told me as he shrugged his school bag on.

"Bye playlist hater."

Jason then came around to hug me lightly and peck my blushing cheek before leaving.

Well, one of the unwritten laws in our friendship, was hugging each other whenever we meet and before leaving each others presence. It was like a thing now, our thing. 

Yeah we are cute I know.

Now that he was gone, I was alone at home as usual, I was used to loneliness by now, my companion.

So about my OTG playlist... OTG stands for Off The Grid.

Well for every age, I always made a new playlist, with my age as the number of songs it consisted of, touché huh? 

Let's explore...

I was a sucker for soul music honestly. This present playlist had sixteen r&b based songs which include;

Dusk till Dawn by Zayn ft Sia.

You broke me first by Tate McRae.

Good Days by SZA.

Playing games by Summer Walker.

Honeymoon Fades by Sabrina Carpenter.

Mood Swings by Pop smoke ft Lil Tjay.

Ain't no sunshine by Micheal Jackson.

Yeah I do old school music too, and that song reminds me of my Mom, she's barely around but whenever she's around, her presence is unmatched. So next up;

Teenager In Love by Madison Beer.

Better by Khalid.

Line by Line by Jp saxe ft Maren Morris.

Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles.

To be So Lonely by Harry Styles.

Stuck On You by Giveon.

Not Another Love Song by Ella Mai.

Off the Grid by Alina Baraz ft Khalid.

And lastly;

Calling My Phone by Lil Tjay ft 6LACK.

There you go!

*  *  *

I've successfully watched the last episode of Ginny and Georgia, I was tired, and my butt felt sore from sitting on the cushion for so long.

I looked outside and it was still bright, I checked the time seeing it was few minutes past six, my dad would be home in another one hour thirty minutes hopefully.

We had a makeshift basketball court where Jakob and I had our usual shootout battles, he was taller so he had more advantage, yeah I'm just trying to say he always wins me.

I strolled out the front door of our large house, a duplex, basically like the one opposite ours.

That reminds me, I haven't even gotten the slightest glimpse of mystery boy since Monday evening.

Why am I calling him mystery boy?

Eww that's disgusting Marie.

The small basketball court was beside the garage out in the open, it was only surrounded by a white double convex fence, which to me was more of decoration than for protection.

I grabbed my yellow basketball which had my name printed on it in italics from the floor and I tried to do a few shoots and a slam dunk.

I was approximately five foot seven inches but the net seemed higher today, at it's usually ten feet, I honestly felt so short but I kept trying to dunk.

After eight trials and six terrible falls I gave up, Jakob and Jason would have been able to slam dunk in at least three trials, they were taller so obviously.

I wiped the beads of perspiration forming on my brows off as I squinted up at the basketball net evaluating different gravitational theories in my head.

"You'll need to grow at least three inches taller to be able to dunk at that height." A deep voice that reeked of virile masculinity sounded past me caressing my ear drums as it went away with the wind.

I froze and slowly turned in the direction the unfamiliar voice had come from.

My eyes landed on a figure that seemed like he came straight out of the last romantic fantasy novel I read.

I have never set my eyes on any guy this beautiful looking.

It was mystery boy.

And then the treacherous butterflies in my stomach came alive and I forgot how to speak.

*  *  *

A/N: *plays dramatic music*

Pls vote if you want a shootout battle and comment because your comment is the best part of my day. Love you!

See you in chapter five!

TheShadyButterfly🦋.