Playing His Game

Essel's Pov

Once more, I blinked. The boy remained in place, but his smile had been replaced by an expression of impatience. It dawned on me that he was waiting for me to speak. My mouth opened and then closed again. I struggled to find the right words.

What was I meant to say?

Certainly, he was expected to initiate the conversation. After all, he approached me. But being Michael, he expected others to engage with him. I held back from rolling my eyes and cautiously looked at him, meeting his gaze directly. The color of his eyes slightly caught me off guard. From afar, they appeared to be a deep ocean blue, but up close, they were a striking pale blue with a hint of grey around his iris.

I stood up stiffly, quickly averting my gaze when I realized I had been staring for too long, and to my disappointment, he had a amused look on his face, smirking at me. He clearly thought I was 'checking' him out.

I coughed to break the awkward silence and exhaled sharply through my nose, causing it to flare slightly. He observed my every move with great interest.

"May I assist you?" I stated sharply, with a touch of annoyance creeping into my tone. He appeared oblivious and began to speak, then hesitated and glanced around. A crowd had gathered around us, and I despised it.

Michael glared sharply at the crowd, clearly annoyed. Slowly, the crowd began to thin until only Comfort was left. She gazed at me with intense hostility in her eyes. I returned her stare, mirroring her level of animosity.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"he said.

I felt like I was losing my mind. My feelings were in turmoil - I was experiencing shock, anxiety, confusion, fear, and many other emotions that my mind couldn't even process what was happening anymore.

Was this some kind of prank? It was hard to believe that he was being serious, especially with something like this. He was known as the golden boy, the player, the bad boy, and any other cliché name you could come up with for the 'IT guy' at school. So for him to suddenly ask me this question, I reacted in the way any normal person would in that situation.

"What?!" I exclaimed loudly, drawing the attention of a few people nearby. He must be out of his mind if he expected me to agree to that.

"He chuckled at my response. "No need to worry, it won't be genuine. We'll just pretend to be dating."

"Why?" I inquire with curiosity, returning to speaking at a normal volume. I wonder, who would come up with such an idea?

"Don't you think that if we act like we're dating, your ex boyfriend will see that you've moved on and hopefully leave you alone? Isn't that what you're hoping for?"

I fell silent for a moment. He had a point - I did want Latif to stop trying to win me back, but that didn't mean I was willing to do something as crazy as dating Michael Andoh. "What's your motivation for wanting to help me? What do you get out of it?" I inquired.

"My mom keeps nagging me to find a stable girlfriend instead of jumping from one girl to the next. If I make her believe I have a girlfriend, maybe she'll finally stop trying to set me up and pressuring me to settle down." He said with a sly grin on his face.

I can't help but roll my eyes. It figures that it would be something like that. He's always had a reputation for being a player, and he's not about to give that up so easily. Mr. Player wouldn't want to put a stop to his conquest of girls by settling down. "What made you pick me?" I inquire, attempting to understand the situation.

"I thought of the idea because you were the only person I knew who would benefit from this plan," he replied.

"We can start dating, and I guarantee that within a few months, you'll find yourself falling for me. If you do fall in love with me during that time, then I win. But if by any chance you win, I'll give up drinking, smoking, and my player lifestyle," he declares with a strong sense of determination in his eyes, speaking quickly and loudly in one breath.

I blink, surprised to still be looking at him with a clear expression of shock on my face.

It's amusing that he believes I would agree to pretend to be in a relationship with him and fall for the most infamous boy in school.

"I understand your intentions," he murmurs softly, so only I can hear.

"What's that, handsome?" I inquire softly.

He leans in closer, his lips almost touching mine. It's a bit too close for my liking, definitely encroaching on my personal space.

"Revenge," he murmurs.

"You're quite the comedian, Michael," I chuckle, taking a step back from him.

I expect him to join in the laughter, but he remains serious and looks at me with the same intensity.

"Latif betrayed you, Latif betrayed me," he says with little emotion on his face, "We pretended to date in public just to spite him, and then I added a twist. If either of us happens to fall in love with the other in the next few months, then they lose. Wouldn't you like to be the one who possibly turns the bad boy into a softie?"

"Do you fear that you might lose and end up falling for me?" he teases with a fake pout.

I burst into a hearty laugh and shoot him a glare.

"Come on, it would take the end of the world for me to fall in love with you," I chuckle.

Taking a pen from my blouse pocket, he writes his phone number on my arm. I roll my eyes as he does it, not bothering to stop him. After finishing, he tosses the pen back at me and grabs his jacket before walking straight out of the Hallway.

"Call me," he yells, disappearing in a matter of seconds. "Call me when you're ready for the challenge."