I Refuse To Like You

I sit in class tapping my fingers against the desk as I wait for Kieran. The room is chaotic-laughter, chatter, chairs scraping-but none of it holds my attention. It never does when I know Kieran hasn't walked in yet. Mostly because arriving before Kieran usually means he's up to something, getting a quickie somewhere, or sick.

My bet's on the second.

I sit beside Robert. Lydia and Rihanna claim the seats directly behind us. Nina bounces into her seat to my right, notebook out before the bell. Beside her, Bianca settles into her seat, frowning at her nail polish.

I look around the classroom and spot the rest of the cheer squad. Charlotte is the most noticeable, already mid-conversation about some Filipino drama. She looks excited.

The door opens, and Kieran strides in, surrounded by his usual group of blockhead friends, all of them talking over one another. They're always loud and disorganized... oh, wait. That's me and my friends.

I push back my chair and cross the room, a sweet smile settling on my face. I make my way toward Kieran's designated desk, where, just like at mine, my closest friends are gathered.

"Kieran and his lapdogs-minus Hudson-I command you all to kneel!" I shout, startling a few students with the sudden outburst, including them.

Kieran recovers first, pursing his lips and glaring at me. His eyes practically scream: What does this crazy bitch want now?

I beam and gesture to the floor. "Go on. Woof woof," I say with a smirk, deliberately looking down on them.

Neither Kieran nor his morons move at first. Hudson does, though. When they fail to figure it out, just as I planned, Kieran sits first, folding his arms in defiance. His friends follow.

Perfect.

I perch myself on the edge of Kieran's desk, then lean forward slightly. Kieran watches me with wary confusion, his body tense and ready for any unexpected attack.

He flinches when I raise my hand, but doesn't move. I tap his head with my fingers, grinning from ear to ear. "You do realize I'm getting you back for this morning, don't you?"

He pulls his head back, away from my fingers. "I'll be waiting," he replies without hesitation.

I smile, leaning in closer, deliberately invading his space until he's forced to lean back, a flicker of confusion crossing his face before he smooths it over. "What is your problem?" he asks, smacking my hand away.

"You're cute when you're confused," okay, I did not mean to say that.

Internally, I facepalm. That was unnecessary. Foolish, even. I want to bury myself.

"Kara, did you get high yesterday?" Shade, Kieran's best friend and Robert's stepbrother-yes, that Robert-asks from somewhere behind him, his tone calm, almost curious.

I avert my eyes in his direction and attempt to offer him a smile, but the sight of his face makes my lips twitch. He looks like he hasn't slept in weeks. Robert did mention that Shade has been having difficulty sleeping, but I didn't think it'd be this... Wait a minute. Why should I care?

I tear my gaze away and shrug, fixing my eyes on Kieran again. He's looking at me like I'm growing a second head before his very eyes.

Time to sow the seed of catastrophe.

I lean in with one smooth motion and press a quick kiss to his lips.

Silence hits first.

Then the reaction follows-gasps, sharp intakes of breath, and exclamations. I hear Lydia shout "What the fuck!" too.

Kieran freezes or loses his soul, don't care.

And then the door opens and the teacher walks in.

Sweet!

I pull back, sliding off the desk like nothing happened. "Later." I mouth. I give a flirty wink, then break into laughter from looking at the flabbergasted expression on his face. I turn and return to my seat, laughing.

That was disgusting but the final result will be worth it.

"This is going to be fun," Rihanna whispers from behind me, her voice amused, already entertained.

Robert lets out a quiet chuckle in agreement.

"Good morning, Mr. Donald," the class greets in uneven unison as the teacher steps behind his desk, glancing around with the look of someone already tired of us.

"Do you remember the last assignment I gave before the end of last semester?" he asks briskly, setting his things down.

A scattered chorus of "yes" follows-some enthusiastic, most not. I fall firmly into the latter. There is nothing exciting about schoolwork, and I refuse to pretend otherwise.

"Robert," he continues, "come show everyone what you worked on during the break."

Robert is on his feet immediately, easy, confident smile already in place as he makes his way to the front. He thrives in situations like this.

"I worked on this," he says, holding up a pen with unnecessary pride. "A flash camera pen. If I press this button, it emits a bright light strong enough to temporarily blind everyone."

He pauses, looking around. "Should I demonstrate?"

"No!" the class shouts in near-perfect unity.

Mr. Donald nods approvingly. "Always prepared, Robert. That's why you're class president."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I know for a fact that pen has nothing to do with science, but there are rules to friendship, and one of them is simple-never expose your best friend in public.

"Clever," Lydia mutters.

It's not, Lydia. Our dearest Robert is a fraudster.

I lean back slightly, letting my gaze drift around the classroom. I'm bored.

"Kieran," Mr. Donald calls next, his tone already laced with disapproval, "what did you work on during the break?"

Kieran doesn't move. He leans back, legs stretched, hands behind his head. "I worked on managing multiple commitments," he says casually.

Of course he did.

Mr. Donald exhales slowly. "That's an F. No extra credit."

"I don't need it," Kieran replies with a grin. "Not everyone has the brain of a dodo." He glances at me as he speaks. That's clearly a jab at me.

My fists clench against my thighs, and I grit my teeth. Just because he's always at the top of the class doesn't mean he's all that. Just you wait, Kieran.

"And yet," Mr. Donald says dryly, "you use that genius mind for nothing but petty pranks and girls."

Kieran clicks his tongue, amused by his own existence, and the teacher moves on before the situation gets any more ridiculous.

"Lydia."

She's already halfway out of her seat before her name leaves his mouth. At the front, she clears her throat, grins, and launches into a cheer routine, finishing with a split.

The class erupts into laughter.

Mr. Donald does not.

"Lydia, is that what you learned over the break?" he asks, clearly unimpressed.

"Absolutely," she replies without shame.

"F."

"Not my first," she says lightly, pushing herself up and returning to her seat like nothing happened.

Robert laughs harder than anyone else, which is telling.

"Nina," Mr. Donald calls.

She rises quietly, moving to the front with none of Lydia's theatrics. "I worked on generating energy using citric acid," she explains, already setting up a small demonstration. She connects wires to a lime, plugs it into her phone, and within seconds, the screen lights up-charging.

The reaction is immediate-genuine this time.

"Very good, Nina," Mr. Donald says, clearly pleased. "You'll receive extra credit."

She nods softly, returning to her seat without drawing any more attention to herself.

"Miss Queen," he says next, turning his attention to me. He looks like he expects absolutely nothing from me. The nickname is pure sarcasm.

I smile as I stand, already holding the can in my hand as I make my way to the front, aware of Kieran's gaze without needing to look at him.

"Let me guess," Mr. Donald says, eyeing it with mild irritation, "another cosmetic experiment?"

I don't answer him.

Instead, I turn my head slightly and meet Kieran's eyes, offering him a slow, deliberate wink.

Payback time.