[Adam]

I wonder if majority of what we learn in school really applies to real life.

In science, there are different kinds of poles, astronomical as in Celestial poles though I never understood what that meant. And there's geographical, like the North and South pole.

In geometry, we learn that parallel lines are lines in a plane which do not meet; that is, two lines in a plane that do not intersect or touch at any point are said to be parallel.

Personally, I don't see myself using this in my everyday life or whatever career I decide to go for. Unless I become Nishan's lab assistant, maybe.

My brain's a mess, we had too much pop quizzes for Nishan to throw an afterschool celebration party, and parties are more Payton's thing.

Well, it's the end of the day, so I'm just dropping some books in my locker and heading home, or...

Something dropped from between my notebooks. I bent down to pick it up to see that it's the colorful invitation to Mia's pool party.

"Oh, yeah. Almost forgot about that..."

... Maybe the mall. With Mia throwing a party tomorrow, I better get something new to wear. Because while she's a good friend, it doesn't stop her from criticizing and nagging me if I wear the same outfit to a party twice even if it were new swim shorts, so I might as well see if they have a sale going.

When I straightened, I noticed someone leaning on the locker next to mine.

"Max?! What are you doing here-!" I gawked.

The blond holds up a finger, asking for a moment, and keeps talking loudly to his phone.

Max Warren! What the hell is the resident bully of Hearst Academy doing here at my Pixelberry High with his finger telling me to shut up?!

I was too stunned to speak.

"Look, Lacey, we've had a nice run. But I need to move on to bigger and better things."

I blinked, Max was breaking up with Lacey?

...

And letting me sort of play witness? What the hell?

Max scowled suddenly. "No way, it's not me, it's you, bitch." I narrowed my eyes, not knowing if I should be more unimpressed with his choice of words or the fact that he's twisting up the break up spiel. "How many different ways do I have to say it? We're done!" He hungs up the phone, and smirks at me.

"Uh..." I looked around, wondering where all my peeps are and why am I alone in this hallway with a guy who doesn't even go to this school? I shake my head, like I'm trying to snap out of some bizarre daydream. "Am I being punk'd? What's going on?"

Max laughed. "Since your ears aren't workin' babe, let me lay it out for you."

Babe?!

"Lacey and I are over. I know you've been waiting for this chance, Adam."

I raised a brow, jutting my hip out and placing one closed fist to it while the other holds up my books. "Uh-huh, okay. I'll bite. What chance is that exactly?"

"To go out with me," Max shrugged. "Obviously."

I stared at the blond with eyes wide and mouth agape, like a fish out of water. "Whoa, whoa, hold up! Did you just... you broke up with someone in front of me as your 'asking out' gimmick?"

"Pretty clever huh?"

If I was being punk'd, the cameras better come out now. "You've gotta be kidding me." I bristled.

"Nope. Anyway, with you being pan and all, it's not like it's an issue."

I flushed at how blunt he put it. It's not like I hid it or anything, with Pixelberry High so accepting, the way I made it out to be, people can be who they are without animosity. And honestly, I think I dated anyone I was interested in, gender aside. Although I think I dated more guys than girls.

But I digress.

If Max knew this, I'm pretty sure the whole Hearst does too.

I glared at Max. "Just what are you pulling here, Warren?"

"Woah, angry bird much?" Max cackled. "Nah babe, nothing like that."

I shook my head, absolutely indignant. "Why would I ever go out with you?"

"Because I'm hot, and rich, and charming," Max winked at me and I grimaced. Then, he tipped my head by the chin. "And you know you want some o' this."

I slapped his hand away. "I'm asking for reasons that actually matter, creep. You can't expect those reasons to make me forget all that crap I had to deal with because of you."

Honestly, did he forget all the aggravation he put me and my friends through?

This guy punched me the first day I got here, and he was basically trespassing.

This guy stole Julian's football team's Homecoming trophy just after they won it.

This guy got both me and his sister with a prank that time I had to meet up with Wes back when he was still in Hearst.

And this is the guy who I always thought basically hated my guts, especially when we broke in Hearst to reveal their suspicious dealings.

Now, he broke up with the girl who supposedly help get his father out of suspension by taking the fall... To go out with me?

"That doesn't matter now. Come on," Max snickered, continuing. "I'm the King at Hearst, and we both know everyone here follows your lead like a pack to its Alpha. It just makes sense, and that's reason enough."

I shook my head. "I don't know what's gotten into you, Max, but you are officially crazy." I start to walk away but Max jogs to catch up. He's persistent, if nothing more.

"C'mon babe-"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Adam Look, let me prove that you should go out with me." Max persuades. Is it just me or does he almost sound desperate? No. It couldn't be. "We can go to the mall, go bowling..."

He paused and I notice he was looking down to my chest. Not that there was anything to look at but... Then, I remembered Mia's invitation. Oh no, please don't go there.

"Hey, I can even be your date to my sister's pool party tomorrow," And he went there. "I'll rub lotion on you, give you a backrub, the whole shebang." Max grinned once more. "C'mon, admit it, your curious."

I snorted. "I'm curious who you swapped brains with this morning. Or did you just hit your head? I can show you to the nurse's office." I snarked

"You're all about second chances," Max pressed, ignoring the dig I got on his expense. "Like, that's your thing. All I'm asking for is a chance."

Great. He just had to play that card, didn't he? I'm nothing if not impartial.

"One date, that's it." He asked once more. Oh god, are those puppy-dog eyes? People like Max don't have puppy-dog eyes. "What do you say?"

I sighed, rubbing my creased forehead. Oh well, it can't kill me... I hope. "Fine. One date, why not?"

Just like that, the puppy-dog eyes disappeared, replaced with a cocky smirk. "Heh. I knew you'd say yes."

"Don't push your luck, Max, you haven't won me over and I can still change my mind." I snapped, flicking a finger towards him. "This should be an interesting experiment, at least."

Max grins, "I hope you're ready for the best date of your life, Adam. Those other losers you've dated are nothing compared to me."

"Those losers are also my friends. Which is actually more than you are, so I wouldn't be cocky." I retorted. Now, I'm not about to back out when I already gave a yes, but that doesn't mean I'm letting him get away with dissing my friends.

A mischievous glint passed Max's eye, he reaches behind me and pinched my butt.

I yelped. "You pervert!" I grumbled, inching away from him. "Hands off the goods."

Max cackled, as he turned and struts away down the hallway. "I quote Nemo 'I touched the butt' which I bet is more than your loser friends did."

"Nemo didn't even say that! It was his fish friend!" Flustered, that's all I managed to get out.

Max wave a hand carelessly. "Pick you up tomorrow, then!" I hear him say before disappearing from sight.

I huffed, blowing some strands of hair from my eyes. "Great, what did I get myself into this time?"

o~o~o~o~o~o

[Max]

I did it. I actually did it. I got Adam to agree to go out with me! I pumped my fist to the air as I got into my ride and drove off.

As expected, he was a tough nut to crack. Even when I asked out the hard ones, they usually cave with matching blushes and gets flustered like crazy. I only managed to get him flustered with that last minute thought of stunt. Besides, I never had to beg for a yes before. Girls were easy to manipulate.

Except Lacey. Now that chick was hardcore in her own right. And the scary kind, too.

Now, I never really bother with guys, they didn't appeal to me as much as boobs had. And even though I was trying out this whole gay thing, I had enough testosterone in me to feel secured of my supreme masculinity.

But with Adam... Just god... It seemed like a long time ago, but I still remembered that night when I was trying to stop him from escaping with the inside information he got on Hearst, and how he struggled underneath me before launching up to distract me... by kissing me.

It only lasted for a second, because it was just a distraction. And it worked, of course. Thinking back, I wished it lasted longer.

Ever since, even when I continued messing with him, I kept having dreams of his warm brown eyes, those chocolate locks, that damn smile of his...

I sighed. I still can't believe I'm actually getting worked up over someone this bad, and to a guy too. Not just a guy either, Adam Sanchez of all people.

We were both different, after all. I'll admit, I only get most people on my side either by being arrogant, applying my influence because of who my dad is, or by pushing them around. I know what people think of me, I'm not stupid. But I get use to it. Adam, on the other hand, tries to reason out with people and those people actually listen to him, or at the very least, considers whatever he says. When I peeked into Mia's diary, my eyes to what Adam does because let's be honest, I bet half of Pixelberry High likes him and baby sister is crushing on him by the way she writes about him. Just a little one, thank goodness, because while she annoys me to death, I care about Mia and don't want to steal her man.

Not like I'd be vocal about that, of course.

I said earlier that Adam and I were a perfect match. That's what I wanted to believe in. But who am I kidding? We both dominate our schools, sure, but we do it on our own terms, our own different ways.

And I always thought I hated him, too. And maybe, for awhile, I did. He suspended dad, after all. Not to mention, I hated it when people try to act above me which Adam kept trying to prove, that no one was beneath me with his preach on fairness and all that crap. But like they say about polar opposites, you can't have one without the other.

And love is the opposite of hate.