he  comes  out  of  nowhere,  and  terri  nearly  jumps  from  where  she’s  stood  between  hazel  and  paige. “  um,  what  ?  “   brown  brows  raise  and  after  a  brief  look  at  her  friends,  she  can’t  help  the  laugh  that  comes  out.  “  wow  -  um,  yeah..  i  think  we’ll  all  pass  on  that  one,  jt.  “  

kc:need any help with this? i won't even charge u.

– PAIGE’S EXPRESSION IS INCREDULOUS WHEN SHE LOOKS AT HIM. ‘ the point of a fake date is for it to be believable, jt. it’s not making anyone jealous if they KNOW that it’s for show, ’ paige adds. because, come on, her and jt ? it’s a RIDICULOUS idea. anyway, jt is the only one that knows that the date with him that she was bribed into ? she actually had fun. that’s a secret she’ll take to the grave. ‘ listen, it’s not personal. i don’t date younger guys. ’

head shakes and she buries her smile into her locker, fingers pushing books out of the way in search of her favorite lip gloss. “total full package,” manny agrees, sounds a little too sarcastic even for her own taste so she turns, looks him over, appraises. “looks, yeah,” she decides, finger tapping on her chin, “your style... well, it works for you, y’know?” brows raise, manipulates to be convincing. and raw animal magnetism? she stifles a laugh. “jt, i know puppies with more bite than you.” and maybe that’s what’s missing. one shoulder raises in a shrug. “maybe, if you want to win over this crush, be a little more aloof. like, hard to get.”

– ‘ OH, DON’T BE SO DRAMATIC, ’ paige admonishes, which is real rich coming from her. still, she studies his face with concern ; she can remember a time when she used to say ‘ get lost ’ and mean it, and now she doesn’t mean it at all. there was always a shift in the way she looked at jt after he defended her against dean, and she can’t help the way she really cares about him. even if she’d be loathe to admit it – he’s still got a propensity for turning up when she needs him. ‘ it’s nothing a little concealer can’t fix, anyway. can’t have you walking around looking like you LOST a fight in my honor, that’d just be embarrassing for the both of us, ’ she says with a trademark smile ( it’s in place of the ‘thank you’ that her pride hasn’t let her utter just yet ) , reaching for his arm. ‘ now stop squirming, jt. ’ 

disheveled  features  tighten  as  eyes  flicker  to  the  other  before  they  roll.  “  yeah,  thanks  but  you  aren’t  really  my  type.  “  then  he  pauses,  zac  glancing  at  jt  up  and  down  before  his  authoritative  finger  raises.  “  touch  me  and  i’ll  break  your  safe  twig  arms.  “

"    i’m    with    you    on    that.    “    she    nods    in    agreement,    swiping    her    tongue    over    glossy    mouth    in    order    to    savior    the    liquor    left    over.    brown    eyes    flicker    over    to    the    boy    beside    her,    and    she    lets    out    a    dramatic    sigh    as    she    nearly    slams    her    red    cup    on    the    counter    beside    him.    “   alright,    no    more    kiddy    drinks.    i    think    it’s    time    for    a    shot...    or    three.    you    in?   ”    a    pause,    her    head    cocks    to    the    side    and    her    lips    tighten    to    a    subtle    smirk.    “   maybe    a    little    body    shot    action?   ”    she’s    only    joking.    half,    at    least.