Chapter 2: That Stupid Kiss (Again)
Me and my sisters were sitting at the cafeteria, finally enjoying lunch in peace. Or at least trying to—until someone flopped down beside me, way too close, and casually slung his arm over my shoulders like he owned me. Without warning, he yanked me closer.
"Hello, kitten," he purred, voice dipped in seduction.
My eyes widened in horror. My sisters froze. And then—of course—they smirked.
I elbowed him. Hard.
He let out a groan and clutched his side dramatically. "Feisty as ever, I see, kitten."
"Kitten?" I scowled. "Stop calling me that."
"What? It suits you. Cute, moody, always ready to claw someone." He chuckled, eyes twinkling with mischief.
I rolled my eyes so hard they might've left orbit. "What do you want?" I said, not even sparing him a glance as I sipped my juice.
He hesitated. Scratched the back of his neck. Looked down. Why did he have to look that good while doing it?
"I need a favor," he muttered.
I deadpanned, straw still in my mouth. "You embarrass me in front of my sisters and now you want a favor?"
"Come on, kitten. I'm serious this time," he pleaded.
He wasn't going to give up, that much was obvious. So I sighed and gave in. "Fine. What is it?"
"I'll tell you later," he grinned. And before I could blink, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to my forehead.
"That's payback for the stolen kiss this morning," he whispered close enough for only me to hear, then winked and strolled away like he hadn't just destroyed my soul in front of an audience.
My hand went limp. The juice box fell, splashing mango juice all over the table—and my skirt.
"Reese!" Yasha called, snapping me out of my daze.
I blinked at the mess, then groaned. "Shit," I muttered, jumping up. "I need to clean this up. I'll be back."
I rushed out of the cafeteria, straight to the girls' restroom. I dabbed my skirt with a damp handkerchief, scrubbing the yellow stain until it faded. Once satisfied, I stepped back into the hallway—only to be ambushed again.
"Didn't think I had that much of an effect on you, kitten," a familiar voice teased. "Spilling juice on yourself? I'm honored."
I didn't even bother answering. I just walked.
But of course, Raiden Whitlock doesn't understand personal space. He caught up as I reached the lockers.
"What now?" I asked, stopping in my tracks, arms crossed. "Here to piss me off again?"
"No," he said casually. "Now's the right time for that favor."
I blinked. "What favor—"
"Just play along," he interrupted, eyes flicking to the side.
I followed his gaze—three girls had just exited the cafeteria, one of them glaring daggers in our direction. Before I could register what was happening, Raiden took both of my wrists in one hand, pinned me lightly against the lockers—and kissed me.
My brain short-circuited.
His lips were soft and annoyingly warm. My hands were pinned. My life was ruined.
Then, a voice shrieked.
"What are you doing?! He's mine!"
The girl in the middle stormed over and yanked him back.
I blinked, gasping for air.
Oh hell no.
I straightened my uniform and smirked, already slipping into boss mode. "He was never yours in the first place, cheap girl," I said, giving her tacky handbag a pointed look.
She gasped—actual tears forming—and fled the hallway crying.
I turned to Raiden, shoved him back with full force. "What. The. Hell."
"Good job, kitten," he said, still laughing. "Didn't know you had that in you."
I stared daggers at him. "Who was she?"
"Some girl Kaiden set me up with," he said, shrugging. "We went on one date. She's been stalking me ever since. I figured… fake PDA would drive her off."
"And this was your genius solution?" I snapped. "Why not get a restraining order?!"
"Oh, I did." He grinned. "But she's determined. I had to go nuclear."
I groaned, massaging my temples. "You're the worst."
"And yet," he added with a smirk, "you kissed me again."
"I'm literally going to kill you."
"I'll die happy, kitten."
And then—he left. Just like that.
Leaving me breathless, furious, and dangerously close to throwing myself into a dumpster to escape this humiliation.
I'm going to kill this guy. With my bare hands.
I stormed after him. He was so irritating, but I couldn't just let him get away with it. I wanted to yell at him, but instead, I forced myself to walk at a steady pace, fuming as I closed the distance. Raiden, of course, noticed me trailing behind him.
He turned his head, smirked. "Not done with me yet, kitten?"
"I'm so done with you," I snapped. "But if you're going to keep pulling stunts like this, you're not getting off easy."
"Oh, I love it when you get feisty." His voice was casual, like he didn't care that he had just ruined my whole day. "But honestly, you're fun. The last girl I tried to push away didn't come close to your level of sass."
"I swear to God, I'm going to end you. Slowly." I ground my teeth, but my heart was racing for a completely different reason. He had kissed me. Again. And it had felt... dangerous in the best and worst way possible.
"You're going to kill me, huh?" He raised an eyebrow, a challenge dancing in his eyes. "Good luck with that, kitten. I might just let you."
I rolled my eyes, cursing my life. "I swear, one of these days I'm going to push you off a cliff."
He just laughed, throwing a teasing glance over his shoulder. "As much as I'd love to see that, I think you'll be too distracted by me to get the job done."
I narrowed my eyes. "You're insufferable."
"Thanks. That's the nicest thing you've said to me all day."
I growled under my breath, resisting the urge to shove him in the back. I should've just let him walk away and ignored him, but instead, I had to play this stupid game.
...
Then, just as we rounded the corner near the hallway leading to the main building, I heard a voice from behind us.
"Reese, isn't Paicey with you?" Ophira asked, her tone curious. I turned, hoping my annoyance wasn't showing too clearly on my face.
Raiden shot me a knowing look, his lips twitching as if he was enjoying the discomfort that was bubbling up inside me. I felt my cheeks betray me, tinging red. Damn it.
"What? No," I replied quickly, almost too quickly. I cleared my throat, trying to maintain my composure. "Why do you ask? Isn't she with you?"
I could see Ophira glance at Valerie, and I swore they both caught the subtle shift in my expression.
"But isn't Paicey supposed to—" Valerie started to ask, but Ophira interrupted her before I could hear the rest of the sentence.
"Nothing," Ophira cut in smoothly, as if she knew exactly what was going on. "She left earlier. We thought she was with you, anyway. We'll go now. Enjoy your day, you two."
I let out a breath of relief as they began to walk away, but then I froze when I heard my name.
"Gaia, can we go to the library?" I called out to my sister, trying to shift the attention away from me as quickly as possible.
"What?" Gaia blinked, clearly surprised by my sudden request. She looked over at Ophira, who was still walking away with Valerie.
"Yeah, sure," Gaia answered after glancing at Ophira for a moment.
"Bailey, you coming too?" I asked, looking at Bailey, who was still standing with her mouth slightly open, probably unsure of what just happened.
"Huh?" Bailey blinked, obviously confused, but she caught the warning glare I shot her. She gulped before nodding hesitantly. "Uh, yeah, sure."
"Great. You guys can go now," I said, a little too cheerfully, hoping they'd leave before they realized what a mess I had just made. "Have fun!"
As they continued down the hallway, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Raiden was still standing there, grinning like an idiot. "You really know how to get out of tight situations, don't you?" he teased.
"Shut up," I muttered under my breath, glaring at him. "Just... don't pull anything like that again."
He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, kitten, I'll try to behave. But I can't make any promises."
I shoved him lightly, but inside, I knew he wasn't going to let me off the hook that easily.