"Dude, he's got a car, a sidekick, and a signal. He is so better!" Rory argues back.
"Uhm, guys?" Ethan looks around and ducks his head down. "Can we please do this in a girl-free zone?"
Rory and Benny narrow their eyes at Ethan, while Pandora cocks an eyebrow. "You know, Ethan," she says. "You really shouldn't care what people think of you."
In the past six months since she moved here from Greece, Pandora Argyros had become hotter than ever. Her curly hair was now dyed a midnight black — or, as Benny called it, "Batman Black" — which made her look weird and gothic in comparison to her pale skin and emerald green eyes. But she made the look work.
Her clothes went from jeans and t-shirts to camis and sundresses, making her look petite and girlish, and this is something Benny enjoyed. During their many, many make-out sessions, he liked picking her up and throwing his girlfriend on her bed, bringing himself to her lips once more as she giggled.
Now, Pandora wears a pale yellow sundress that hangs around her knees and a white cardigan, complete with cowboy boots.
Ethan looks at Pandora. "Not everyone can be as perfect as YOU," he says, looking rather pissed off.
Pandora gets offended by this. "I am not perfect!" she says, but not before adding: "But I really am darn close."
Benny, Ethan, and Rory stare at her for a few minutes before she bursts out laughing. "I was kidding!" she says between laughs.
Benny smiles and brings his lips to hers briefly.
Pandora smiles, then fake-frowns. "No more kisses for you until you help me hang up these posters!" She reaches into her messenger bag and pulls out a stack of posters. In the past six months, Pandora became the one everyone went to for advice and whatnot. She's quite popular, which is why she's running for the position of the school's newspaper editor.
Benny sighs. "More?" he whines.
Pandora merely laughs. "Yes, more. Don't worry, though," she says with a flirty smile. "I'll pay you after school."
Though no one else knew exactly what she meant, Benny knew. Which is why he stands up, grabs the tape, and spends the rest of the lunch period helping her hang up posters.
Sure, it's boring work. But Benny knows what's coming. He can honestly say he loves the smaller, upbeat girl that is Pandora Olyles Argyros.