Worth The Risk — Chapter Three
Are you willing to lose it all?
It took less than forty-eight hours for Amber to claim Ricky as hers. It was the end of our first week at school, and she had her claws dug in deep. They were cute together; too bad she was only using him to mark this quest off her list.
He was quite charming with her and made sure he walked her to and from class, even if it meant he would be late for his. Our lunch tables still hadn’t merged, but Ricky spent more time at ours than with his own group.
Gabby still had some hate for me. Even though Amber was the one who penetrated the inner circle of their group, I was still the one at the forefront of all her nasty comments.
I hadn’t talked to Marcus much the past couple of days. Come to think of it, nothing at all had been said between us.
He seemed reserved compared to the rest of the transfers. They were always joking around with one another, while he would smile and get in on it sometimes but the majority he sat back and watched…sort of like I did.
“You know what I think?” Amber met me as I parked the Jag in my usual spot.
I grabbed the new bag my mom had so graciously set outside my bedroom door last night.
Amber let out a loud squeal when she saw what I was carrying. “You got the new one. Why didn’t you tell me you were going shopping?”
“Mommy dearest left it outside my door. I didn’t go shopping. I’ve been spending every available minute I got over at the dance studio.” I locked the car and turned back around when Amber shrieked once again.
Ricky was behind her tickling her ribs and she was ultra-sensitive. He stopped after she begged him three times and said her sides were aching. He took her bag so she wouldn’t have anything to carry and held her hand with his.
He was so different from the other guys she dated. He acted like he genuinely liked her and not just for sex, money, or some business collaboration.
Marcus called out to Ricky and told him to hold up a minute. I glanced away and pretended to be searching for something in my bag when he caught up with us.
“Dude, you forgot this.” He handed Ricky a bunch of papers he apparently had lost on the bus.
“Thanks, bro.” The two guys did some weird handshake then turned to look at Amber and me.
“Isn’t this like the total bomb?” Amber ran her fingers down the side of my bag.
Both guys looked at her like they had no clue what she was talking about.
“This is like the newest Prada bag. They cost like three K, and there isn’t any left in the city. This bag is the hugest thing to have right now.”
“Holy shit, girl. You spent three k on a bag.” Ricky lightly touched the bag that had captured everyone’s attention.
“My mom did, I didn’t.” If I knew this backpack would cause so much attention, I would’ve never brought it to school. Leave it up to Amber to make a spectacle out of something so irrelevant.
“Shit. I got mine at the Goodwill store. Cost me two bucks.” Ricky stroked his dark blue backpack that had a few tears on the top. It was one everyone else at this school, except for the transfers, wouldn’t be caught dead carrying.
Marcus followed along with us up the main steps of the school. I hadn’t seen Gabby with him today, or yesterday, maybe they had a fight and weren’t together anymore.
Not that it mattered to me since I’d sworn off anything or anyone that would take my attention away from my studies and dance, but I liked the fact she didn’t hold claim to him.
“Did you ask, baby?” Ricky kissed Amber on the cheek, and she blushed.
“Not yet. I’m sure she will.” Amber’s eyes slid over to me.
“What?”
“Nothing.” Amber’s attitude didn’t convince me they weren’t somehow referencing me in their conversation.
I waved my hand in a rolling motion for her to spill what they were talking about. “What did you get me into now, Am.”
“Ricky and everyone else,” she motioned to Marcus, “are going to this hot club tomorrow night. I said it sounded cool and we’d probably show up.”
“I can’t.” Money wasn’t a factor, it always talked when the girls and I went clubbing to bars that were over twenty-one, but I didn’t want to be tempted by the effects of alcohol and my better judgment.
“Yes, you can. We’ll be there.” Amber leaned over and gave Ricky a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll talk to you later, Chels.” She gave me a quick side hug and then went with Ricky as he walked her to her first class.
The first warning bell rang as I stomped up the steps.
Amber never listened to me when it came to going out on the weekends. I was the one who usually said where and when we all would do something, except for our nighttime adventures. It was then the other girls followed her since she was the one who could always find the best places to go.
Believe me, we’d been to some of the top clubbing locations in the city.
“Just fake being sick.”
I had totally forgotten about Marcus being behind me as I threw my temper tantrum up the stairs.
“Oh, she’ll know if I’m sick or not. I could be laying on my deathbed and she would still pull me up to make me go with her.”
“It’s not too bad of a place. Nothing like you’re probably used to, but it’s cool.”
We’d made it to the second level and turned in the direction of the first-period class we had together. Marcus looked outstanding today in his tight worn-out jeans and a white t-shirt which highlighted the tan coloring of his skin. The t-shirt fit snugly and emphasized his muscular biceps.
“Yeah, most likely I’ll give in.” With him going, it was almost a guarantee that I would too.
“Cool.” Marcus smiled and winked at me.
Okay, that was the deal breaker. I wanted to forget about his existence and go on with the way things had been for the past three years, but he set my body into a new motion.
His smile, that wink, not to mention he was handsome and sexy as hell. He made me weak in the knees and feel like a lovestruck tween. I needed someone to shake the shit out of me and tell me to get my head on straight again.
Marcus opened the door to the classroom and waved me on to go through before him.
Someone like Bradley or one of his crew would’ve let the door slam in my face. It wasn’t that they were a rude group, but they only thought of themselves most of the time.
I smiled, said thank you, then took my seat.
I ended up skipping lunch and went outside to the side courtyard. I told Amber I had some studying to do for the upcoming class and I needed some quiet.
I could see her and Ricky flirting around back and forth between the two tables, and for once she was having fun with a guy. I mean she always had a guy, there was never a lack of that for any of us, but it always felt like it was some sort of business deal. Like what would your company be able to do for my business if we were to stay together?
Now, she was all laughter and enjoying herself.
“No lunch today, Chels.” Bradley and two of his wrestling friends stopped at the table I was seated at.
I waved the notebook I was supposedly studying from. “Test in Mr. Hoover’s class next period.”
All three boys grimaced as soon as I told them the last name. He was the strictest teacher the school had. His tests were killer, and there was never any grading curve.
“Yeah, good luck on that one.” Brad patted me on the back, and they continued on their way. I breathed a sigh of relief. He must’ve had somewhere important to be and didn’t have time to harass me.
My eyes traveled over to the food court area where Marcus and Gabby were talking, like really close together. She laughed at whatever he said and leaned her head on his shoulder.
There went that hint of jealousy I shouldn’t feel. They were a cute couple and fit for each other. I don’t know why I had to torture myself by overreacting every time she was around him.
I went back to my notebook and tried to concentrate on the first big test of the semester.
The bell rang twenty minutes later and I knew I was doomed on this test. I couldn’t concentrate for the life of me. I begged and pleaded for eyes and brain not to focus on Marcus, but every ten seconds my eyes would look to see what he was doing, or my mind would remember the sultry smile and a playful wink from earlier today.
