'Did you find the finance office in the end?' I ask Dan when I catch up with him after school in the parking lot.

'Yeah. No thanks to you though'.

'Glad to be of service'. I rummage in my bag to find my YSL lipgloss but I can't find it. 'Dammit' I mumble.

'What have you lost?'

'My lipgloss'.

'Rich girl problems' he mutters as I get into my car.

'How are you getting home anyway?' I ask. 'You don't have a car'.

'I'm going to ignore that snide comment but my mum's picking me up' his phone beeps and he pulls it out to check it. 'Or not'.

'How come?'

'She says she's stuck at work but if I don't mind waiting an hour, then she'll be here'.

I sigh. Looks like I'm going to have to be generous again. 'I'll take you home'.

'You don't have to'.

'You're right, I don't. But I might as well. I'd be pissed if I had to stay at school for another hour'.

'No, you'd phone your chauffer or something'.

'I'm trying to be nice here. Either get in or leave'.

Dan walks around my car, slides into the passenger seat and we leave the parking lot in silence.

'Christ, are you trying to kill yourself?' Dan asks; his knuckles white as I overtake a crappy Toyota.

'Howell, if I was trying to kill myself, I'd make sure you weren't here'. But I reluctantly slow down.

'Thank you' he says, his grip now relaxed.

I pull up outside of his house and we sit there.

'Do you want to come in?' Dan asks and I find myself agreeing.

'Is that an invitation?'

'I'm trying to be polite here'.

'Right'.

'So, do you want to come in or not?'

'Okay'

'Does that 'okay' mean: 'yes, I'll come in' or, 'no, I won't?'

'I don't know'

'Are you always so indecisive?'

'Are you always so nosey?'

'Are you coming in or not?' Dan asks as he gets out of my car.

'Looks like it' I say as I go against my better judgement and exit my car. 'Will my car get stolen?' I ask as I leave it parked on the road.

'It might do' Dan shrugs. 'Or knifed'.

'I'm beginning to regret my decision already'.

Dan leads me into his house and I'm surprised. For a house so small, it's decorated nicely.

'Do you want something to eat?' He asks me.

'I'm alright' I reply. 'Thanks'.

'Do you want to go upstairs to my room?'

'I don't really care'.

Dan leads me upstairs anyway and we come to a brown painted room with clothes strewn all over the floor.

'Are your parents not home?'

'Mum's at work. Dad left'.

'Oh yeah, sorry'.

'It's alright'.

We sit down on his unmade bed and sit in an awkward silence.

'Why did you even agree to come inside?' Dan questions me.

I shrug. 'I've got nothing else to do' I answer honestly.

'Why are you like this Sophia?' He asks, almost to himself. I don't answer him. 'Why are you so rude, blunt and apathetic?'

'There's nothing wrong with me' I say finally, avoiding his penetrating gaze. 'You're just over analysing every aspect of my personality. Just because our personalities differ, doesn't mean that I'm messed up'.

'I miss my dad' Dan says randomly. 'Before my mum fucked around on him he wasn't as bitter and crazy as he is now'.

'Who would've thought' I say.

Dan laughs.

'My dad honestly thought I was going to stay with him'.

'He's your dad, he'll forgive you'.

'It could be years from now'.

'So you lose a little bit of time, big deal'.

We're sitting so close that all I would have to do is turn my neck and we'll be kissing. I suddenly get up off the bed and start pacing. Dan looks at me in surprise.

'Your room's really messy' I say, hoping to diffuse the tension.

'We don't all have maids' Dan replied, looking hard at me.

I shrug and start to snap my fingers.

'That's really annoying' Dan says after a while. I carry on to irritate him more.

'Are you honestly happy, Sophia?' Dan asks me.

'Why wouldn't I be?'

'You don't seem it. Not really. On the outside, yeah, you do. But on the inside, I get the feeling that you're not as happy as you make out to be'.

'I'm fine'.

'Money can't buy everything'.

'It can buy a lot though'.

'Can it buy the stuff that's really worthwhile? It can't buy love, that's for sure'.

'Who needs love?' I say.

'Everyone'.

'Love's overrated'.

'It also can't buy a life. It can prolong a life but it won't stop death'.

'I don't care'.

'So if I died, you wouldn't care?'

'Nope'.

Seeing Dan's hurt face makes me realise I took it too far. But sometimes, you have to.

'You know, I can't decide whether I like you or hate you'.

'That's not my problem'.

'It partly is. If you weren't such a bitch to everyone, then you'd be liked. Instead, people pretend to like you because they're scared of you'.

Perhaps it was a bad idea coming inside. 'I'm going to go now' I say.

'Truth hurts, huh?'

'It only hurts if it is indeed the truth' I retort.

'Ignorance is such a shitty characteristic'.

'That would explain your shitty personality'.

'If I could figure out your personality, then maybe I'd be able to figure out why I actually like you'.

'Why do you like me?'

'I'm still trying to work that out, Sophia'.

'Oh'.

We let a couple of minutes pass in silence before Dan speaks up.

'I thought you were going to go'.

'I am' but I make no effort to move.

'Sure you are' Dan laughs and I see that he has dimples.

'I am' I repeat.

'Do you want to watch a movie or something?'

'I'm leaving'.

'If you were leaving you'd have left by now' Dan points out. 'Do you want to go to the cinema or something?'

'Are you asking me out?'

Dan blinks. 'Am I?

'I don't know'.

'Do you know anything?'

'Do you?'

'I know enough that I want to kiss you right now'.

'Oh'.

'You're so unhelpful'.

'Thanks for pointing that out, I would have been completely unaware otherwise'.

'That's my Good Samaritan act done for today'.

'Is that the first time you've done something nice then?'

'It's still one more nice thing I've done than you'.

'I am nice'.

Dan looks at me and raises an eyebrow but doesn't say anything. 'So, do you want to go to the cinema?'

'Are you asking me out?'

'There are some really good films on at the moment' Dan rushes. 'Apparently there's once, can't remember what it's called, but it's rated really highly. Plus, the cinema is within walking distance from here and I haven't been to the cinema in ages'.

I could have a good time if I went out with Dan. But that doesn't mean I should.

'Are you asking me out?'

'Yeah' he finally says.