"Sure I can force her on a date but I can't force her to like me, Manny." growled Sean, leaning on a staircase in school with her the next week.

Manny sighed, shaking her head, "I don't get you...you have the looks, the charms.."

"She's not fallin for it." muttered Sean, watching students pass them as he spoke and then back up to her.

"No, she did agree you seemed perfect." Manny protested.

Sean lit up, "Really?" wow, Emma said that? He smirked a bit, wondering what else she really thought of him.

"She just needs to be shown you're more than just looks." Manny said, "You need to stop raging out when she bugs you."

"But she's gets so under my damn skin." Sean shot back madly, "I never," Sean gave Manny a serious look, "had this much trouble with a girl before. I've dated other feminists too and it was easy as pie."

"Em's hard as a rock." teased Manny back.

His shoulders dropped and he leaned more back against the wall. Yea, she is. She made him feel like a small bug. Maybe he deserved it? "Maybe this is how the other girls I've used in my past felt like." he said out loud, feeling a bit guilty.

"Go to the editing office." Manny told him, writing something on her binder when she opened it and ripped out the paper for him, "It's in building 2. She'll be there."

"What do I say?"

"Just say you're stopping by." Manny rolled her eyes, "I don't know, you're supposed to be the charmer." she taunted then she blushed, "I gotta go meet Jay now."

Sean rolled his eyes but nodded, Jay didn't shut up about it all last night.. Manny was letting him bring her to dinner. Sean huffed as she walked away, but nodded and looked back down at the paper in his hands with a determined look in his eyes before charging over to building 2

((((((((****)))))))

Emma sat at her office desk, gazing at her computer screen and kinda...not paying attention to work. Something was on her mind..

"Hey." Jesse said, coming in and she jumped a bit.

"God Jesse." she laughed a little, catching her breath.

From outside her office, Ellie sat at the front desk in the main office room, and glared back into the room they were in. Her and Jesse were over, and she wasn't stupid or blind to his thing for Emma.

"What'd you need?" Emma asked Jesse.

From outside her office, Sean walked into the main office, and he noticed some redhead at the front and went over.

"Hey." he greeted.

The redhead, Ellie, looked up and just stared, her mouth dropping. Holy hunk of man..

"H-hi." she stuttered a little and looked around oddly, she'd never seen him before. Was he part of the newspaper crew?

"Looking for Emma Nelson?" he asked politely.

Ellies eyes grew larger and he tried not to smirk. Yea, she knew who Emma really was too then huh? And she must be thinking that Sean was Emma's new column interest... but damn, he couldn't even get a date out of her.

Plus, Ellie couldn't find one single flaw on this guy. What could Emma possibly find and write about?

"Just over there." Ellie said, smiling sweetly and couldn't help it, he was so gorgeous... she followed him from behind to Emma's office.

She had to See if this was some new love interest. If not, maybe she'd try? She'd gladly give up Jesse for mystery man here with the biceps.

Inside Emma's work space...

Jesse had smirked and came over, leaning on the side of the desk she sat on and she shifted a little, rolling her chair back and crossed her legs.

She couldn't help but notice his smirk was a little slimey, not much like a smirk she knew on someone else that wore it well and with pride.

"What can I help you with?" she asked.

"Nothing.. how was your weekend?" he asked, and gazed down her body slowly as she began to talk. Tight black mini skirt, white blazer and sheer light grey tank top under that that gave a good view of her breasts..specially from up top. Her blonde hair straight, tossed to the side-

The door knocked, snapping Jesse out of staring hungrily at Emma and turned to some guy he didn't know. .. but he didn't happy and had his eyes right on him. Caught.

"Sean?" Emma looked at him and then glanced at Ellie with a glare to of let him in here. He'd wonder what she was doing in here!

"Manny said you'd be here." Sean shrugged and Jesse got off Emma's desk and Ellie gave her boss a 'not surprised' look that he was trying to hit on Emma, again.

"What do you do here?" Sean asked , leaning on the door frame and waiting to see what kind of story she'd give to him. Even Ellie and Jesse looked back at Emma, interested.

"Um." Emma completely zoned out while looking at him and then snapped out of it. Jesus, he was such a friggen distraction.

What did she tell everyone who asked this question?

OH RIGHT!

"I edit." she lied, and coughed slightly hearing her voice crack a bit. Why'd it feel so weird to lie to him?

"Like spell checker?" he asked, smirking a bit. She was a little liar, no good at it either.

Emma nervously played with her hands as she nodded, "Yup, human form spell checker." she lightly joked but noticed him walking over and 'Dear heart breaker' letters were on the computer.

Even Ellie's eyes widened, swinging her hands behind Sean's back, trying to signal her to shut it of.

Emma raised her hand to try to shut it off, but the button wouldn't go. Oh shit! She panicked and before he walked around the desk and saw, she had to think quick and stood up, blocking him and now face to face rather closely.

He raised his eyebrows impressed, she really wanted it kept a secret. And she really, really smelt good today. Was that vanilla?

Damn. She was good. Consider him distracted.

Ellie smirked, seeing the tension between the two and peaked at Jesse, hoping he did too. He sneered at the scene.

She smiled so softly, pink lips and white pearls. She looked up at him through her long pretty eyelashes, "wanna go get lunch? I'm starving." she gave him the biggest puppy eyes he couldn't resist but stare at.

Wow. Little liar, and little flirt when she wanted to be too, Sean noticed. Must be to try to get him to go. Maybe he could use this to his advantage. If she wanted him to go so bad? She could agree to one more thing.

"What about going to the NBA game tonight?" Sean asked.

Emma actually perked up a bit. Basketball? She loved the Rapters. She almost groaned though. Sean was being too damn perfect, and was having things in common with her. "No."

"No?" he raised his eyebrows, blown away.

Ellie even snorted, "I'll go."

They all even turned to look at her.

"Ya I have tickets too." Jesse muttered under his breath.

Emma tried to explain, "I said no.. dating. ." but even as she said the words, even a sting of pain met her own eyes.

Go out with him you idiot! She thought to herself.

Sean was staring at her. He didn't get it. He didn't get what she hated about him so much. Why did she tell Manny he seemed perfect, yet when he was with her, she acted like she hated him?

"Go rapters." Ellie said, butting in again with a shy laugh, her eyes still glued to Sean. She had heard Emma say 'no dating'. So, he was up for grabs right?

Sean caught Ellie eyeing him up and down, and he turned back to Emma, narrowing his eyes at her for a moment before turning back to Ellie

Fine.

No more Mr Nice Guy. If Emma was going to just play him, he was going to mess with her too. Or at least hope this hurt.

"Alright," Sean nodded at Ellie, reaching into his pockets and gave one ticket to her, "It's a date."

Ellie's eyes almost widened, but she tried to act cool, taking it slowly out of his hands and then catching his smirk at her. Her knees went weak.

From behind, Emma felt her hands clenching tightly into fists, her eyes narrowing between Ellie and Sean before clenching her jaw and baring a tight smile when he turned back to her.

"Have fun." was all she said, leaning on her desk. He bit the end of his tounge and just shrugged with a nod. "I intend to."

Sean swallowed down his anger. "Here's my number." Ellie said to him but his eyes stayed on Emma until ripping them off her when Ellie handed him a peice of paper. She giggled a bit and promised Emma, "I'm sure we'll have tons of fun."

Emma felt a jealous sting.

"Not all fun." Jesse informed, reaching into his coat pocket and showed off his two tickets. "I'll be going to." he nodded at Emma, "Why don't you just come?" he raised his hands in defense when Emma narrowed her eyes sharply at him.

She told him no to dates ALL the time, what didn't he get?

Even Sean glared at him.

"As friends." he turned to Sean and Ellie, "We can all go together," he nodded towards them as he looked back to Emma.

Ellie squealed before Emma could say no, "Oh my god, tonight is going to be killer! I have to go tell my friend that I'm going, she'll be so jealous, she loves the Rapters" she told Sean and then smiled sweetly, pointing a little at the paper in his hands."Call me."

With that, she left. You know what her friend also liked? Hot guys with biceps too.

Meanwhile, Sean was now stuck in a room with Emma and Jesse.

"So? You comin?" Jesse asked Emma.

Emma was now holding a 'I'm glaring at you but I'm not cause I don't really care about your date but I do' stare on Sean. She decided to snicker and shrug. "Sure."

If Sean wanted to try and make her jealous, she'd do the same.

Sean's glare hardened on her and she smiled happily at him, hoping it bugged him and by god it did, she was crawling under his skin again. She was going to be the death of him.

Why say yes to womanizing Jesse but not Sean? Emma thought even to herself. Because you actually like Sean and aren't threatened by Jesse.. We hate Jesse, he has no chance in wiggling his way to your heart.

"Ellie's an awesome girl, man." Jesse told Sean before he left, tapping the tickets in his hand on Sean's chest, "You'll love her."

Emma wanted to punch Jesse. And so did Sean, hard, and almost did. The guys almost stood nose to nose, almost silently telling another they both knew the other really wanted Emma and it was war now.

Tonight was going to be interesting.

Author notE: I kind of changed up the story! If you want to see more, start reviewing! Review motivate me