Chapter 2
I was determined to avoid Miles today since I was still mad at him from yesterday.
"Can we talk?" Miles asked from behind me as I got my stuff out of my locker for first period.
"Sure," I responded turning around and closing my locker. I didn't really want to talk to him but I knew I should at least give him a little bit of time, "What do you want to talk about?"
"I wanted to apologize for how I responded yesterday," Miles replied holding my hands in his and looking straight into my eyes, "I just don't like the idea of your ex living with you."
"He's not my ex," I argued ripping my hands out of his. I was going to accept his apology but now I was just angrier than I was before, "and you should be able to trust me even if he was. I better go or I'm going to be late for the rubber room." I made my way to the rubber room and sat down in huff next to Grace.
"What's the matter Blondie?" Grace chuckled glancing back at me and looking me up and down.
"My boyfriend is an idiot." I sighed leaning my head against the back of the chair. Why can't Miles just trust me when it comes to Zig. He doesn't know Zig like I do.
"You're dating Zig?" Grace asked with a hint of shock in her voice.
"No!" I exclaimed snapping my head up to look at her, "I'm dating Miles, not Zig."
"You could have fooled me." Grace laughed as Zig walked into the room surprisingly not late today.
"I'm not going to be home at regular time." Zig stated as he sat down in the seat next to me.
"Did you get detention again?" I questioned with a stern voice. He hadn't gotten detention since moving into my house but this is Zig we're talking about.
"No, Grace and I were going to go to the Ravine after school," he replied laughing at the fact I just assumed he got in trouble, "do you want to come?"
"The Ravine?" I repeated the word a little more scared than I wanted to, "isn't that place kinda sketchy?"
"Is Princess Maya too afraid of the Ravine?" Zig teased knowing that I hated that nickname that he had placed on me since the first day I walked into the rubber room.
"No," I defended trying to prove to him for some reason that I wasn't a princess, "I'm in."
"Really?" Zig asked shocked that I actually wanted to go with them, "okay well we'll meet at the benches after last period."
"Can't wait." I mumbled now fully realizing what I just agreed to do. I don't understand why I let Zig get under my skin so easily. All he had to do was call me "Princess Maya" and I was willing to go to a place I vowed that I would never step foot near.
I had already gotten my stuff my locker and was heading out to meet Zig and Grace at the benches when Miles stopped me at the entrance.
"I'm sorry." He stated grabbing my shoulder forcing me to turn and face him.
"Didn't we already kinda do this?" I asked annoyed that he didn't take me avoiding him as a hint.
"I mean it this time," Miles sighed looking at the ground and taking hold of my hand, "If you say that you don't have feelings for him than I believe. I'm sorry I overreacted and I hope you can forgive me."
"Of course I forgive you." I replied giving him a peck on the lips. I understood his side of the argument and he seemed genuinely sorry for not trusting me.
"Do you want to hang out now?" Miles asked smiling widely, "I don't have to be home for another hour or so."
"I actually already have plans." I muttered just loud enough for him to hear. We just ended one argument and I really didn't want another one to start.
"With who?"
"Are you coming Blondie or you just going to stand their making googily eyes with your boyfriend?" Grace screamed across the road looking annoyed that I was taking so long.
"You're hanging out with them?" Miles questioned almost like he was looking down upon them.
"They asked if I wanted to hang out so I said yes," I replied growing a little more confident, "you said that you trusted me."
"Fine, I text you later tonight." Miles grumbled kissing me before walking towards his house. I walked across the road to meet Zig and Grace hoping that this wasn't going to start another fight with Miles.
"So that's Miles?" Grace asked looking in the direction that Miles had just walked, "he seems pretentious."
"He is." Zig commented as we made our way to the path that led to the Ravine.
"He is not!" I argued back trying to defend my boyfriend.
"It was just a joke Maya," Zig declared laughing, "calm down."
"Well it just wasn't a funny joke." I mumbled crossing my arms across my chest. I don't know why I was reacting that way. I knew it was a joke but I guess I thought if I didn't defend Miles than I would be agreeing with Zig and I didn't really want to face what that could mean.
"Okay quit bickering lovebirds." Grace interjected as we finally reached the Ravine.
"We're not lovebirds!" both Zig and I exclaimed at the same time. But you want to be. I shook my head trying to shake that thought out of my head. I love Miles, not Zig.
"You could have fooled me." Grace repeated her statement from earlier today laughing. We walked to an abandoned van and Zig opened the door letting Grace and I in first claiming "ladies first" before getting in himself and closing the door behind him. I surveyed my surroundings and found empty and half-full bottles of alcohol and random drug paraphernalia scattered across the floor of the van.
"What do you think?" Zig asked with a smirk on his face as he opened a half bottle of whiskey and took a swig.
"My mom said no alcohol." I reminded Zig of one of my mother's rules for letting him stay with us.
"We're not in the house and I'm not going to go back drunk." Zig stated taking another sip of his bottle.
"She didn't just mean in the house." I argued not wanting him to get in trouble with my mom and possibly get kicked out of my house.
"If you want to go home and stay out of trouble, go ahead Princess." Zig suggested with a smirk almost as if he was challenging me.
"I'm not a Princess." I argued annoyed that he was still calling me that.
"Prove it." He challenged pointing the bottle at me hinting that I should take it. I knew I shouldn't but the combination of him calling me a Princess and the challenge clouded my better judgment and I ripped the bottle from his hand. I'll show you who's a princess. I put the bottle to my lips and took a huge sip of it. It was like liquid fire was going down my throat but I was determined not to show my disgusted or Zig would win.
"Who's the Princess now?" I argued my own smirk etched across my face as I took in the look on Zig's. It was a mixture of shock, admiration, and something I couldn't figure out but it caused a shiver to go down my spine.
"Didn't think you had it in you Blondie." Grace commented taking a swig of her own bottle.
"I'm impressed," Zig remarked looking me up and down causing another chill to go up my spine, "maybe Princess Maya isn't as stuck up as I thought."
"Is this all you do here?" I inquired ignoring the stuck up comment.
"Well we can always do other things." Zig suggested giving me a wink making sure I knew exactly what he meant by "other things."
"Ew, shut up!" I exclaimed slapping his arm causing him to flinch against the slap, "if this all you guys are doing I'm going to head home." I opened the door of the van and hopped out making sure to close the door behind me completely. It wasn't the fact that I was bored that made me decide to leave but the fact that when Zig suggested "other things" I wasn't as repulsed as I knew I should've been considering I have a boyfriend. I entered my house and ran up to my room slamming the door behind me. I love Miles, not Zig! I love Miles, not Zig! No matter how many times I repeated those words they never seemed to be completely true. I hoped a nap would help me avoid these stupid emotions that I've been feeling. I changed into my sleep shorts and a sports bra before climbing in to bed and slowly falling asleep.
I woke up and my stomach grumbled noisily. I threw my covers off and made my way down to the kitchen to get something to eat. I opened the fridge and bent over examining the contents seeing if anything looked appetizing. I grabbed an apple and started looking for something to drink.
"Nice outfit." A voice behind me commented. I quickly turned around closing the fridge in the process and came face to face with Zig.
"When did you get home?" I asked nervously suddenly realizing how little clothing I was actually wearing.
"About ten minutes ago." He answered leaning against the opening to the kitchen and looking me up and down. His stare was intense like a predator examining his prey before pouncing and it made me suddenly insecure.
"Stop looking at me like that!" I exclaimed trying to sound way more intimating than I actually felt.
"Like what?" Zig asked feigning innocence still looking at me intensely.
"Like I'm a piece of meat!" I argued back pissed that he was acting like he wasn't leering at me.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Zig responded before pushing himself off the wall and walking upstairs to his room. I was in shock that he could just act so aloof about staring at me like he wanted to jump me in the kitchen. I wasn't done arguing with him so I followed him upstairs ready to continue fighting.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" I screamed barging into his room without knocking but quickly wishing that I had knocked. Zig was standing in the middle of his room only in a pair of jeans. I tried my hardest to look away but I couldn't take my eyes off of his upper body. I scaled my eyes from his broad shoulders, down his muscular but not too muscular arms and finally rested my eyes on his well-developed six-pack. When did Zig get so fit? And why can't I look away?
"Like what you see?" Zig asked smirking. His question snapped me back to reality and I realized that he had moved and was now standing right in front of me.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I sputtered feigning the same innocence Zig had before but much less coolly.
"Now we're even." Zig smugly stated before closing his bedroom door in my face. I quickly walked back to my room and sat down on the edge of my bed. I love Miles, not Zig. I love Miles, not Zig. I love Miles, not Zig. I like Miles, not Zig. I like Miles, not Zig. I should like Miles, not Zig. I should like Miles, not Zig. I think I like Zig. Shit!