White Liar Read online

  Carefully, he placed his clean clothes and towel down on the bench, turned around and followed Coach off to his office which was just outside of the locker room. Stepping into the cracker box of a room that he liked to call his personal sanctuary, Coach rounded the desk, pulled out his chair and scraped it against the linoleum floor before finally taking a seat. Justin closed the door behind him and walked to the front of his desk.

  "You needed to see me for a minute, Sir?"

  "Yes, I did," he started and rested his chin on his hand as he studied Justin, "I just wanted to remind you about Friday night’s game and make sure that you understood how important it is. Other than Cummings being our long-time rival, I have two scouts coming from Alabama and Penn State to watch you throw the football, son. I expect to see an award-winning performance and nothing less."

  Swallowing past the knot in his throat, Justin nodded his head. He knew all of this already. Coach and his father and been friends all throughout high school and they have been grooming him for this moment since the time that he could walk and hold a football at the same time.

  "I know, Coach." he told him honestly, "I promise I won't disappoint you or Dad."

  "Good, so long as we are clear then that's all that matters,” he stated and leaned back in his chair with his dark eyes still trained on the young man in front of him.

  Justin felt a little uncomfortable with that question. He understood the expectations and that was a lot of pressure on him. He stood his ground though and nodded in agreement.

  "Crystal clear, Sir."

  "Fine,” Coach replied this time with an awkward smile, "Go shower and get ready for your next class. See you at practice this afternoon."

  Justin quickly returned his smile and simply replied, "Yes Sir," before turning around and heading out of his office. Friday night was still a few days away and he felt certain that he already had that scholarship in the bag. With all of his state records, he pretty much had the choice of any school that he wanted to go to. His heart was set on Alabama.

  But the scholarships weren’t what were bothering him right now. No. What bothered Justin was the new chick and why she seemed to have such a hard on for him. She didn't even know who he was and because of that, her reactions to him didn't make a damn lick of sense.

  By the time he made it to the showers, most of the guys had already finished with theirs and had left. Justin actually felt a little relieved because he still wasn't up to talking about his earlier confrontation with the new girl. He draped his towel over the bar outside the shower and left his clothes on the counter. Stepping into the shower, he turned the water on as hot as he could possibly stand it. For several long minutes he just stood there under the spray, letting the steam that engulfed the stall relax his tight muscles.

  But yet again, his thoughts flitted to the new chick and he couldn't help but remember how hot she was. Her hair was raven black and the waves landed just below her shoulders, begging for him to run his fingers through it. And then there were her eyes. Her dark mocha eyes had one of the deepest hues of brown that he had ever seen. They were richer than the thickened molasses and Justin could easily see himself getting lost for days in those beautiful bedroom eyes. Then there was her smile, it was...

  "What the-" Justin screamed aloud when from up above, a torrential downpour of ice cold water was ceremoniously dropped on his head. Looking up, he narrowed his eyes on the new chick that he had just been daydreaming of, standing over the shower stall and smiling down at him. He did the best he could to cover himself and scowled at her.

  "Oh, you are so going to pay for that!" he spat out bitterly.

  She shook her head back and forth and in her fits of giggles sweetly told him, "I don't think so." She then ducked her head and Justin heard her yell out to someone else, "Grab them and go!" As she was supposedly leaving, all he heard were more giggles and eventually retreating footsteps.

  Grab them and go. What could she possibly mean by that? He wondered and it only took about half of a second for it to hit him.

  "Oh, hell no," he muttered, wrenching the shower curtain open and looking at the empty space where his towel once hung. Seeing nothing there, he glanced towards the counter and noticed that his clean clothes were missing too.

  "Mother fu-" Justin started and darted off out of the shower before he could finish the statement, dripping water everywhere and all to go after this chick who had stepped way over the line this time. He crashed through the locker room door, breathing heavily and came to a grinding halt in the hallway where the new girl stood just a few feet away holding both his clothes and towel in her hands.

  "Give. It. Back!" He demanded between gritted teeth, while cupping himself and shivering to beat the band.

  The girl just gave him that same sugary sweet smile and stepped to the side, "Smile player, you’re on candid camera."

  Another girl, one that he had seen several times in the halls, stepped forward holding up her phone and snapped a picture before he could move or even turn his head away from the flash.

  "This is going to be perfect," she spoke again and then dropped his clothes in a heap to the floor, "Point one for Chloe," she added and then wiggled her fingers at him before adding, "Ta ta for now my friend. Until we meet again."

  Justin dumbly watched her and the other girl leave before running forward and grabbing his clothes off of the floor. He tried to vaguely remember who the other girl was but for the life of him, no name came to mind. Probably because, at the current moment, he was beyond incensed. Actually he was more than incensed, he was down right pissed off.

  So, Chloe was her name and this is how she wants to play it, he silently pondered while pulling on his pants. He had to give her some credit though. For a chick, she has some monster-sized cojones, but this wasn't the end of it. Not by a long shot. Nobody messes with Justin Pinnix and gets away with it. Not even a chick with a body that most guys would die to touch and a face that looked almost as good as his own. The key word in that phrase being almost.

  Justin pulled his shirt over his head, and continued to seethe over what had just happened. His seething was fast becoming a regular occurrence.

  She wants to play it like this, he said to himself.

  Then fine, he'll play it her way. He would even go as far as to tell her to bring it baby, because the game is now most definitely on.

  Chapter 3

  "That was epic,” Chloe managed to say between erratic bouts of laughter after they both finally hit the downstairs bathroom. It was way too late for either of them to return to class without getting a tardy, so the two girls decided to hide out in the bathroom until the next class.

  "Did you see his face?" She asked with a goofy grin stretching from one corner to the other, "Classic. It was absolutely classic and that picture is so going up on Facebook."

  Erica proudly beamed. Chloe could see that she loved every minute of embarrassment that Justin was suffering and was looking forward to more stunts like the one that they had just performed. In time, they would eventually lead to his ultimate downfall. This revenge paled in comparison to the embarrassment that Erica had been forced to endure after that horrible night at the party. The arrogant, pompous jerk had the nerve to ruthlessly deflower her and then forget her without a second glance. At least she could find a little bit of satisfaction in watching the local player being out-played at his own game.

  "That was hilarious," Erica grinned, glancing back up at her cousin with a look of hero worship brandishing her face, "He deserved everything that he got and then some for what he did to me."

  Chloe's attention was solely focused on her phone. She finished putting up the post of Justin's nude self on Facebook then turned back to Erica, "He deserves so much more than just this, Erica. We are only getting started. By the time that I get through with him, he's not going to have a clue as to what the hell hit him."

  Chloe spun around and looked back at her reflection in the mirror. A mischievous smile curled up on her
lips, "I plan on hitting him where it hurts the most. By the time that we get through with him, he will be begging you for forgiveness and me for mercy."

  Erica joined her at the sink in front of the mirror and turned on the spigot. She took her time washing her hands. She was so happy. She didn't think anything at this point could bring her down. She reached over and cut off the water. Chloe handed her a paper towel to dry her hands. She lifted her head and with a serious expression on her face she said to her cousin, "I am so glad that you are here Chloe. I'm sorry about what happened back at your home but I'm not sorry that you're here. Hopefully, your mom can find a good job here and you guys will stay."

  Chloe returned her smile and felt a tremendous amount of sisterly affection. Erica had been there for her and she was glad that she now had the opportunity to return the favor. She didn't leave much behind back at her old home other than a lot of bad memories that she would be more than happy to forget. She hadn't been very well-liked, which is the exact reason she learned to not give a damn about anything but herself and her family. Erica was family and the way that Chloe looked at it, if you mess with Erica, then you mess with her. At that point, all bets are off and there will be hell to pay. Justin won’t be the first to learn the true extent of Chloe Miller's wrath.

  Chloe rested her hand on her shoulder and squeezed, "I'm glad that I'm here too." And she meant that. Erica threw herself at her, taking her by complete surprise, and wrapped her up in a bone crushing hug. Her weight knocked Chloe off balance and they both stumbled backwards in a heap of arms and legs until the two girls found themselves lying on their butts in the middle of the floor.

  For a second, they both just stayed there, shell shocked. It only took a moment before they both simultaneously burst out laughing.

  "Are you okay?" Chloe finally asked after their rowdy laughter started to quiet down somewhat.

  With a grin as big as the state of Texas, Erica leaned over and rubbed her rear.

  "My ass is sore but other than that I'm okay. What about you?" She asked, pushing herself up from the dingy tiled floor.

  Another giggle spilled from Chloe's lips as she thought about the hilarity of it all.

  "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that I'll live," she told her and took the hand that Erica had offered to pull her back up. They both teetered and were seconds away from ending up back on the floor when Erica steadied herself and reached for the wall, steadying both of them. Once again, they were finally standing upright.

  "Thank you," Erica said again while they both dusted off the backs of their pants.

  Chloe made her way back over to the sink. She checked her reflection again and straightened out her hair a little bit after the tumbling episode. She looked up and noticed that Erica was watching her expectantly. Dropping her hands by her sides, she met her gaze through the mirror glass, "For what?"

  "For being you," she smiled, "And helping me." Her voice was soft and sincere. When Chloe turned around to face her, Erica quickly looked away and continued. "No one has ever really stood up for me the way that you are doing now. And I want you to know that what you are doing, it means the world to me."

  This time it was Chloe that reached out to her and engulfed her in a hug, "You’re my family and I will always be here for you." Her lips quirked and then she added, "Don't you worry that pretty little head of yours, I've got your back. I've always had your back cuz and I always will," she said with utmost confidence.

  The shrill sound of the bell for the next class rang breaking up their small family bonding moment.

  "Time to get to class," she told her cheerily before adding, "Also, time to see what damage we have caused so far."

  Erica bent down and grabbed both of their book bags. She held Chloe's out to her and for just a minute she looked like a little kid who had just been given that one Christmas present that they really, really wanted more than anything in the world. For the first time since she arrived, Chloe could tell that she genuinely looked happy. That within itself gave her a small sense of pride. She knew then, that what she had planned for Justin Pinnix was going to be well worth all the effort.

  "Shall we?" Erica asked excitedly.

  Chloe took her bag and hefted it over her shoulder. She then looped her arm through Erica's and answered, "We shall."

  They both made their way out of the bathroom and into the hall where students were already swarming around like little bees. Many of them had their heads down and were staring at their phones. Laughter of all sorts rang out in the air and Chloe was pretty sure that the laughter was coming from her recently posted picture on Facebook of a certain, very revealing, Mr. Player. It was currently being viewed by the many students of Northeast High.

  Erica and Chloe both turned to each other at the same time and with knowing looks. They high-fived each other, "He is so going down," Erica stated, clearly pleased with their handiwork.

  "Hell yeah he is," Chloe replied, right about the same time you-know-who came flying around the corner with a vengeance. For the briefest of seconds, their eyes locked and the air between Justin and Chloe crackled with an electricity of epic proportions.

  But as fast as the moment came, it disappeared. Justin's face distorted into an angry mask of fury. Any normal person may have felt rebuffed, but Chloe considered herself anything but normal. She just smiled sweetly and waved her fingers at him.

  He snarled and pointed his finger directly at her, mouthing the words this is not over.

  Chloe's smile never once wavered as she grabbed Erica's arm, and mouthed back to him, bring it, big boy. The two girls haughtily walked right on past him as if they didn't have a care in the world.

  "Believe me baby, I will," Justin announced out loud and before she could say anything, he spun on his heels and exited the hallway.

  When she turned around to retort, he was gone. She simply shrugged her shoulders. After all, all is fair in love and war.

  Erica headed off for her English class and Chloe made her way to Spanish. After this class, the two would meet up again for lunch. Chloe's stomach growled, reminding her that she missed breakfast and she could hardly wait for this class to end because she was starved. Evidently, playing a player had worked up quite an appetite.

  Halfway through her Spanish class, she notice that a piece of folded up paper landed on her desk. Chloe lifted her head and glanced around to see where it came from. To her left, there was a guy with rich auburn hair and the greenest eyes that she had ever seen who was smiling back at her. Her first inclination was to hand the note back without reading it because everything about the guy screamed Player Central. But then her curiosity got the best of her and after a second thought, she decided to open the note anyway.

  Great job with Pinnix. I really like your style. It was about time that someone gave him a dose of his own medicine.

  Troy

  She quickly folded the paper back up and stuffed it in her back pocket. She looked up at Troy and smiled at him. She tilted her head in acknowledgment. His smile widened into a full-fledged grin and he winked back at Chloe. She dropped her head and shook it in disdain. It took everything in her to not roll her eyes at him. He was definitely another player.

  The bell then rang and Chloe jumped up from her desk. Finally, it was lunch time. She grabbed her bag and stuffed her notebook in it. All of her thoughts were centered on food. In her haste to get out of the class room, she didn't realize that Troy was right behind her. When she spun around, she smacked her nose into his extremely hard chest.

  "Ow," she mumbled and rubbed at her now sore nose. She felt his sturdy hands grip her lightly by the shoulders in an effort to steady her.

  "Are you okay?" He asked and for a moment Chloe had a weird sensation of déjà vu.

  "I'm fine," she answered him with a little bit of bite in her tone. She didn't want to deal with this guy right now. She had other things of importance on her mind. Namely, pizza with lots of cheese and ranch dressing. As far as she was concerned, he was impeding her pro
gress to satisfy her stomach.

  Troy held his hands up in surrender, "Sorry," he said. And that damnable grin of his lit up his face, "I just wanted to get your name if that's okay with you."

  Chloe huffed out a breath of irritation. Staring back at him, she silently weighed her options. The easiest thing she could do, would be to give him her name so that she could leave as planned. But would that be the smartest thing to do? Her stomach growled, this time loud enough for Troy to hear and he chuckled which only fed her irk.

  "Chloe," she found herself breathing out her name, "My name is Chloe." And not wanting to take the chance that he would delay her any longer; she turned away from him and quickly walked away.

  As she was leaving she heard him repeat her name.

  "Chloe, it suits you," he said while she continued to walk out of the room. She couldn't do anything but shake her head. She didn't think that she would ever be able to figure guys out. They were the most peculiar of species. One minute hot, the next cold. It only reaffirmed her belief that the best way to deal with them, was to stay away from them.

  Going down the hall, Chloe began to notice a lot of people were staring in her direction and snickering. She slowed her walk as she headed for the cafeteria and tried to figure out what it was that everyone found so funny. At first she wondered if she may have started early and maybe she had something on her pants and then instantly she mentally calculated the days and knew that just wasn't possible. Then she wondered if maybe she had something on her face. Chloe suddenly decided to make a little detour to the restroom to double-check and make sure nothing was out of place.

  When she reached the bathroom there was another group of people huddled in front of the door. None of them noticed Chloe standing there; they all seemed fascinated with whatever it was that was tacked on the door. Losing all of her patience because she was beyond starving now, she yelled out, "Excuse me, do you guys mind? A girl's got to go when a girl's got to go, you know!"