Chapter Five: Planned Coincidence
Author's Note: This chapter is brought to you by eavesdropping, because it's so useful! Thanks to all my reviewers, especially Karita and Black Tangled Heart, a totally awesome reviewer. Jeez, it's really hard to remember to write 'Tina' instead of 'Satine'... I have to keep going back and correcting myself, LoL.
* * *
Chris lay in bed that night, unable to sleep. All he could think about was her. He could still almost feel her kissing him. It had felt almost genuine... but she didn't care about him. The truth seemed to slap him back to reality.
Why would she date such a jerk? He treated her bad. No one should have to deal with that. "Well," he muttered to himself, "I'll have to do something about it." But what?
* * *
The next day at school, Tina seemed to avoid him. Mike didn't, however. He and his gang of idiots went out of their way to make life miserable for both Henry and Chris, the 'Geek-in-Training.' It was his official title now.
Not that he truly cared. They could call him whatever they wanted. The only thing that broke his heart was when Mike wrapped his arms around Tina and kissed her. Then, he could have died. For wanting something you can't have is the worst torture known to man, as Chris soon found out.
Just when Chris thought his day couldn't get any worse, it got better. While fishing through his locker after school for a Calculus worksheet, he overheard some of Tina's cheerleader friends talking.
"Are you coming with us after school?" A shapely blonde leaned against her locker, playing with a lock of hair.
Another shrugged, smoothing the pleats of her skirt. "I dunno. Who else is going?"
"Well... me, Sarah, Kate, Hannah, Nicole... oh, and Tina. We managed to steal her away from Mike for a few minutes, heaven forbid."
Chris froze, halfway bent inside his locker. Tina? Without Mike? His mind raced. He had to see her again, to talk to her. Maybe somehow he could change her mind. The girls were still talking. A brunette cracked her gum. "I know what you mean. It's like she's hardly ever without him, lucky bitch."
The first blonde folded her arms across her chest. "I wonder if he knows what it's like to be with a real woman."
The others laughed. "Oh, and you could show him, Nina?"
"You bet I could. I'm a better fuck than Tina ever will be, from what I've heard." They all giggled. Chris flushed with anger. How dare they talk about Tina that way?
As always happen when talking about a person behind their back, Satine chose that moment to enter the conversation. "I will be what?"
Nina smiled sweetly. "Meeting us at Robert's for ice cream. Or did I hear wrong?"
"No, you're right. Mike's playing football with the guys tonight."
"Great!" The other blonde smiled fakely. "We'll see you there around five, okay?"
"Sounds good." Satine smiled once, as if unsure of herself, then turned away and hurried off. Chris might have stared longingly after her, but he had an idea.
* * *
It was four-thirty. Christian parked his convertible bug outside Robert's Ice Cream shop, waiting. His blue-gray eyes scanned the parking lot for any sign of a flash of gorgeous red hair that would signal Tina's arrival. He needed to talk to her.
The radio was playing Elton John, and he absentmindedly sang along. "My gift is my song... and this one's for you." He sighed wistfully. How he wished he could sing to Tina, like in those old musicals, to make her fall in love with him. If only it was that easy.
He slumped back in his seat, ready to pull away and leave. It was hopeless. But then, a flash of red hair caught his eye. It was like a long awaited sunrise after a stormy starless night. She was wearing a simple T-shirt and shorts, but to Chris she was a vision, a goddess. His mouth went dry and he slumped further down in his seat, not wanting to be seen.
But, as luck would have it, Tina did see him. She hesitated a brief moment before glancing around and heading in his direction. She leaned against the side of the car. "Hey, Chris."
"Hey."
There was a long silence. "What's up?"
He shrugged. "Not much... just hanging out."
"Nice car."
He laughed. Ladybug, as he called his car, was the furthest thing from nice. "Thanks... liar."
Tina pursed her lips in mock haughtiness and put her hands on her hips. "Why, Christian McDeere, how rude!"
He smiled at her. "Not only are you a liar, but you're a terrible actress."
That amazing smile spread across her face. "Can I join you?"
His former suaveness came back to him as he swung himself out of the car and ran over to her side, opening the door with a chauffeur-like bow. "Of course, my lady."
She pretended to lift her skirts as if she were some stuck-up actress, waving importantly to all her friends. Chris tried hard not to laugh as he marched over to the driver's side and got back into the car, pretending to drive away. Tina giggled cutely. "You're silly."
"Look at you!"
Her smile flashed again. "It's okay for me, I'm just a ditzy cheerleader."
He shook his head. "No you're not. You're not one of them."
She looked at him quizzically. "How would you know?"
"Just by talking with you, Tina. You're better than they are."
A hush fell over the car again as they listened to Frank Sinatra serenade them. "I wanted to apologize..." Her voice trailed off.
"For what?"
"... you know, for leading you on like I did, at The Rhythm."
"Don't worry about it."
"I don't know what came over me. I don't normally do stuff like that. There was just something about you..."
"Well, I am charmingly handsome."
She laughed. "Of course."
Chris glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "So... you didn't feel anything, when we were dancing?"
She paused. "No, Chris. I have a boyfriend. I'm sorry." He was about to respond, but just then a carload of cheerleaders pulled into the parking lot. "God, they're here."
"You don't want to go with them." It was an observation, not a question.
"To tell the truth, I don't."
"Then stay here and talk."
"But Chris..."
He held up a hand. "No one will see, you don't need to worry. Here, I'll put up the hood." Slowly, the black hood concealed their identities. "Now, where would the fair lady like to go?"
"Well..." she smiled slowly. "I know this place I can take you to... it's very private, and no one will bother us."
He raised an eyebrow. "I'm intrigued."
"You should be." As Chris drove away from Robert's, neither noticed Nina watching them, a plan forming behind her dark eyes.
END CHAPTER FIVE
Author's Note: This chapter is brought to you by eavesdropping, because it's so useful! Thanks to all my reviewers, especially Karita and Black Tangled Heart, a totally awesome reviewer. Jeez, it's really hard to remember to write 'Tina' instead of 'Satine'... I have to keep going back and correcting myself, LoL.
* * *
Chris lay in bed that night, unable to sleep. All he could think about was her. He could still almost feel her kissing him. It had felt almost genuine... but she didn't care about him. The truth seemed to slap him back to reality.
Why would she date such a jerk? He treated her bad. No one should have to deal with that. "Well," he muttered to himself, "I'll have to do something about it." But what?
* * *
The next day at school, Tina seemed to avoid him. Mike didn't, however. He and his gang of idiots went out of their way to make life miserable for both Henry and Chris, the 'Geek-in-Training.' It was his official title now.
Not that he truly cared. They could call him whatever they wanted. The only thing that broke his heart was when Mike wrapped his arms around Tina and kissed her. Then, he could have died. For wanting something you can't have is the worst torture known to man, as Chris soon found out.
Just when Chris thought his day couldn't get any worse, it got better. While fishing through his locker after school for a Calculus worksheet, he overheard some of Tina's cheerleader friends talking.
"Are you coming with us after school?" A shapely blonde leaned against her locker, playing with a lock of hair.
Another shrugged, smoothing the pleats of her skirt. "I dunno. Who else is going?"
"Well... me, Sarah, Kate, Hannah, Nicole... oh, and Tina. We managed to steal her away from Mike for a few minutes, heaven forbid."
Chris froze, halfway bent inside his locker. Tina? Without Mike? His mind raced. He had to see her again, to talk to her. Maybe somehow he could change her mind. The girls were still talking. A brunette cracked her gum. "I know what you mean. It's like she's hardly ever without him, lucky bitch."
The first blonde folded her arms across her chest. "I wonder if he knows what it's like to be with a real woman."
The others laughed. "Oh, and you could show him, Nina?"
"You bet I could. I'm a better fuck than Tina ever will be, from what I've heard." They all giggled. Chris flushed with anger. How dare they talk about Tina that way?
As always happen when talking about a person behind their back, Satine chose that moment to enter the conversation. "I will be what?"
Nina smiled sweetly. "Meeting us at Robert's for ice cream. Or did I hear wrong?"
"No, you're right. Mike's playing football with the guys tonight."
"Great!" The other blonde smiled fakely. "We'll see you there around five, okay?"
"Sounds good." Satine smiled once, as if unsure of herself, then turned away and hurried off. Chris might have stared longingly after her, but he had an idea.
* * *
It was four-thirty. Christian parked his convertible bug outside Robert's Ice Cream shop, waiting. His blue-gray eyes scanned the parking lot for any sign of a flash of gorgeous red hair that would signal Tina's arrival. He needed to talk to her.
The radio was playing Elton John, and he absentmindedly sang along. "My gift is my song... and this one's for you." He sighed wistfully. How he wished he could sing to Tina, like in those old musicals, to make her fall in love with him. If only it was that easy.
He slumped back in his seat, ready to pull away and leave. It was hopeless. But then, a flash of red hair caught his eye. It was like a long awaited sunrise after a stormy starless night. She was wearing a simple T-shirt and shorts, but to Chris she was a vision, a goddess. His mouth went dry and he slumped further down in his seat, not wanting to be seen.
But, as luck would have it, Tina did see him. She hesitated a brief moment before glancing around and heading in his direction. She leaned against the side of the car. "Hey, Chris."
"Hey."
There was a long silence. "What's up?"
He shrugged. "Not much... just hanging out."
"Nice car."
He laughed. Ladybug, as he called his car, was the furthest thing from nice. "Thanks... liar."
Tina pursed her lips in mock haughtiness and put her hands on her hips. "Why, Christian McDeere, how rude!"
He smiled at her. "Not only are you a liar, but you're a terrible actress."
That amazing smile spread across her face. "Can I join you?"
His former suaveness came back to him as he swung himself out of the car and ran over to her side, opening the door with a chauffeur-like bow. "Of course, my lady."
She pretended to lift her skirts as if she were some stuck-up actress, waving importantly to all her friends. Chris tried hard not to laugh as he marched over to the driver's side and got back into the car, pretending to drive away. Tina giggled cutely. "You're silly."
"Look at you!"
Her smile flashed again. "It's okay for me, I'm just a ditzy cheerleader."
He shook his head. "No you're not. You're not one of them."
She looked at him quizzically. "How would you know?"
"Just by talking with you, Tina. You're better than they are."
A hush fell over the car again as they listened to Frank Sinatra serenade them. "I wanted to apologize..." Her voice trailed off.
"For what?"
"... you know, for leading you on like I did, at The Rhythm."
"Don't worry about it."
"I don't know what came over me. I don't normally do stuff like that. There was just something about you..."
"Well, I am charmingly handsome."
She laughed. "Of course."
Chris glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "So... you didn't feel anything, when we were dancing?"
She paused. "No, Chris. I have a boyfriend. I'm sorry." He was about to respond, but just then a carload of cheerleaders pulled into the parking lot. "God, they're here."
"You don't want to go with them." It was an observation, not a question.
"To tell the truth, I don't."
"Then stay here and talk."
"But Chris..."
He held up a hand. "No one will see, you don't need to worry. Here, I'll put up the hood." Slowly, the black hood concealed their identities. "Now, where would the fair lady like to go?"
"Well..." she smiled slowly. "I know this place I can take you to... it's very private, and no one will bother us."
He raised an eyebrow. "I'm intrigued."
"You should be." As Chris drove away from Robert's, neither noticed Nina watching them, a plan forming behind her dark eyes.
END CHAPTER FIVE
