Part 1

Word count: 3.1k

Genre/tropes: whump + enemies to lovers

‘’Dodge!’’ I yell. The rain is pouring and I see him walking across the street without an umbrella. What is he doing?

He turns to look at me but doesn’t stop walking.

‘’Hey! What are you doing out here?’’ I’m standing in the doorway of my house watching him. When he doesn’t react I yell again.

‘’Dodge, get over here!’’ At this point I feel my voice crack before I say ‘’Come on, please!’’

He turns his head again and I can see him hesitate before jogging over to me.

Once he’s at the door I rush him inside.

‘’Are you crazy? Oh god, you’re soaked.’’ I scold him, closing the door behind us.

Once he’s inside I look at him and his face turns away from me. His hair and clothes are completely soaked.

‘’I’m fine.’’ He mutters.

I examine him closer but he hides his face from me.

‘’Dodge, what happened?’’ I ask slowly.

‘’Nothing, okay? Thank you for inviting me in but i really don’t need your help.’’

I stiffen at his words but shake it off because he’s obviously upset.

I step closer to him and manage to get a look at his face. I take my hand and cup his cheek, lifting his head up, revealing a bruise on his eye a cut on his brow. His nose is bleeding too and I let out a deep sigh.

‘’It’s nothing.’’ He says, turning his head away from my hand.

‘’Dodge, who did this to you?’’ I ask softly.

He finally meets my eyes and gives me an empty stare.

‘’Who do you think it was?’’ He almost snaps at me.

I think for a second before realizing. ‘’Oh, I knew it.’’ I say, shaking my head, feeling the frustration boil up inside of me.

‘’That’s it, I’m calling Ray. Things can’t go on like this.’’ I go to get my phone but he stops me by grabbing my arm.

‘’No, stop it.’’ He says sternly. ‘’This is exactly why I didn’t want to come in here or tell you anything. Listen, I  know you think your boyfriend is a nice guy or whatever but he’s an asshole. And you choose to act like you don’t see it.’’ He says it like he’s been wanting to say it for a long time. ‘’You calling him is the last thing i need.’’

I frown as he lets go of my arm. ‘’Don’t talk about him that way.’’ I say slowly. ‘’I know what you think about me, okay? You think I’m just some privileged princess who peaked in high school or whatever cliche bullshit you’ve reduced me to and I know you think you’re better than all of us,’’ I say keeping my voice steady, ‘’but you don’t know anything about me. And this little angsty loner act isn’t a good look on you, so I’d think about checking your superiority complex before you judge anyone else because I was nice enough to invite you inside so you wouldn’t freeze to death out in the rain, so would it kill you to be nice back just for a minute?’ I wasn’t expecting to go off like that but I had to say something.

He looks at me for a minute before letting out a laugh.

I raise my brows at him in further annoyance.

‘’Wow.’’ He says looking at me, an almost amused look on his face.

‘’Angsty loner?’’ He repeats my description of him. ‘’Superiority complex? I mean you really got me all figured out, don’t you?’’

‘’Listen, I don’t dislike you, Dodge.’’ I tell him. ‘’I don’t know what happened tonight with you and Ray, but I’m sorry it did. It’s not okay. Let me help you.’’ I say in a calm tone. ‘’Now, why don’t you get out of those clothes, you must be freezing.’’

He scoffs but doesn’t object.

‘’You know, you are such a hypocrite.’’ He says, pulling his sweater off over his head.

‘’Excuse me?’’ I say.

‘’You snap at me for stereotyping you but then you just do the same thing to me.’’

‘’I was doing it to prove a point. I don’t know you and you don’t know me. We work together, we went to school together, that’s it. What do i know about you other than your last name?’’

‘’You know why I was in that fight tonight.’’

‘’What are you talking about?’’

‘’Oh, please.’’ he says, rolling his eyes. ‘’Ray’s convinced there’s something going on between us. You and me, as if that would ever happen.’’

I look at him stunned. ‘’What?‘’ I ask, confused.

‘’Yeah. He told me he doesn’t like ‘how much time we’re spending together’ and the way I was ‘looking at his girl’.’’

‘’We work together!’’ I yell in disbelief.

‘’Well I know that but your insecure boyfriend doesn’t seem to.’’

‘’Are you kidding me right now?’’ I narrow my eyes at him and shake my head.

He shrugs, tossing his sweater on the floor. I look away, trying not to stare at him. I reach into the little cupboard by the bathroom and hand him a towel.

‘’Listen, Dodge, I’m sorry.’’ I say, ‘’I’ll talk to him.’’

‘’I just told you not to do that.’’ He says, drying his hair.

‘’Well what am I supposed to do?’’ I ask, frustrated. ‘’He should know there’s nothing going on.’’

‘’Why? It’s more exciting this way.’’ He says as another amused smile grazes his expression.

I roll my eyes and stand up to go get him some fresh clothes.

I grab a sweatshirt and some pajama pants for him to change into.

When I come back into the room, Dodge is only in his boxers. I refrain from looking at him while passing him the clothes, before retreating to the kitchen and putting on some hot water.

‘’These Ray’s?’’ He teases while pulling the sweatshirt on.

‘’No,’’ I respond, ‘’they’re my brother’s.’’

Once he’s dressed he joins me in the kitchen, taking a seat at the counter.

I turn up the heat on the stove.

‘’Hm, I assumed you’d have people for that.’’ He teases.

‘’Just because my family is well off doesn’t mean I’m some sort of spoiled kid. And besides, I like doing it myself.’’

‘’Must be nice.’’ He mutters.

‘’So, where is this ‘well off family’ of yours anyway?’’ He asks, resting his elbows on the counter.

‘’My parents are away on business.’’ I respond shortly.

‘’What about your brother?’’ He asks and I stiffen.

‘’He’s not really around anymore.’’ I say slowly.

‘’Is it true that he won Panic a few years back?’’

I find myself thinking of a way to avoid the subject.

‘’Um, yeah. He did. He kind of disappeared right after that, though. No goodbye or anything. I don’t really like to talk about it.’’

I think about my brother. I think about the call I received from him two months ago that made me suddenly decide to play Panic. That left me with no choice but to win…

He notices my discomfort and changes the subject. ’’Your dad’s that real estate guy, right?’’

‘’Yeah.’’

‘’You know it’s funny, I think your boyfriend was beating the shit out of me right next to a bench with your dad’s face on it tonight.’’

‘’God, you’re an idiot.’’ I say with a small laugh. ‘’Let’s get you cleaned up.’’ I reach for the first aid kit from the drawer and walk over to his side of the counter.

‘’You don’t need to do that.’’ He says.

‘’Seriously, can’t you relax for once? Would it kill you to accept my help?’’ He’s not much less stubborn at the diner, keeping his distance and trying to get everything done by himself, as if we’re not supposed to be coworkers.

He stiffens up a bit but doesn’t protest anymore.

I wet a cloth with some alcohol. ‘’Since I’m sure this isn’t your first rodeo, I don’t have to warn you this’ll sting a little.’’ I say, dabbing it over the cut above his eye.

It surprises me when he flinches and grabs my wrist. I give him a look and he lets go slowly, allowing me to continue.

‘’Not so tough now, are you?’’ I tease.

‘’Hey, I’m not the type of guy who goes out looking for trouble every night.’’ He says. ‘’So, not your type of guy.’’

I roll my eyes once again as a smile tugs at his lips.

‘’Well you’re sure not opposed to it, though, are you? I saw what happened at the last challenge. Thank god the cops came because you weren’t about to go easy on Ray.’’ I say, recalling the events of last weekend. There’s already been two challenges of Panic and the last one was cut short so no one has been eliminated yet. I eye Dodge closely. Right now, he’s one of the people who are in the lead.

‘’He fucking asked for it. I almost died up there.’’ He says, referring to the incident of Ray’s sabotage when it was Dodge’s turn to do the challenge.

‘’What do you think is gonna happen?’’ I ask in a more serious tone, referring to Panic.

‘’Don’t know.’’ he responds. ‘’You worried?’’

‘’Well…’’ I hesitate. ‘’I mean, I didn’t get to do the challenge before the cops came, which means I didn’t get any points. And I don’t wanna get eliminated or whatever, I just really…need to win.’’ I say slowly, cleaning his cut carefully.

I can see him suppressing an eye roll.

‘’You need to win, huh? What, did daddy cut you off?’’ He mocks.

I shake my head. ‘’I don’t want to talk about it.’’

‘’Some of us actually need the money.’’ He mutters.

‘’Hey, you know what? I need that money just as much as you do. Why do you think I’m working a summer job? And for someone who just moved here and is barely eligible to play the game, you’ve got a lot of nerve passing judgement.’’ I say, annoyed, throwing the cloth away.

‘’The rules say all graduating seniors get to play.’’ He states.

‘’Yeah but not all deserve to.’’ I snap.

‘’Oh and you think, what? Huh? That Ray Hall deserves to win that money? I bet he promised to split it with you, be your partner. Well, I hate to tell you this but he doesn’t care about you. Him and Tyler have got it all worked out and they’re playing dirty. Might wanna change your strategy.’’

‘’How would you know that?’’ I ask, not knowing how to react.

‘’Because tonight wasn’t just because of you, it was about panic.’’ He says.

I raise my eyebrows at him.

‘’With Tyler in the lead, he’s got a better chance at winning than most of us do right now. They’re splitting the money. Ray’s taking his best bet. They tried to get me to join their alliance because they know I’m the one to beat. When I refused they thought their only other option was to mess me up so bad I couldn’t play.’’ He explains.

I’m not sure how to respond. Would Ray really do that to me? It makes sense and why would Dodge be lying? I don’t know what to believe, but either way, should I really be taking that chance?

I give Dodge a look as an idea comes to my mind.

‘’Dodge, you’re going to be my partner.’’ I say.

He chuckles. ‘’In your dreams.’’

‘’Face it.’’ I say. ‘’with Tyler and Ray together, your chances of winning are slim. But not if you have me telling you their strategies. He’s stringing me along so I’ll know what moves he’s going to make.’’

Sure, Ray is my boyfriend. But I’m not about to sit around and let him go behind my back to win. I’ve got to play the game.

He gives me an uncertain look.

I stick out my hand. ‘’And we’ll split the money 60-40%.’’

He smiles at the corner or his mouth, his dimples showing.

‘’Deal.’’ he says, taking my hand.

‘’So what do you need the money for?’’ He asks after a pause. I walk back over to the stove and take the kettle off.

‘’What do you need the money for?’’ I return the question.

He doesn’t say anything.

‘’I mean, we work together, Dodge, and yet, I think this might be the longest conversation we’ve ever had.’’ I say, pouring hot water into two ceramic mugs. ‘’Tell me something about yourself.’’

‘’I want to get out of here.’’ He says.

‘’Don’t we all?’’ I let the teabags soak in the water and turn around to look at him.

‘’You’re telling me you wanna leave all this behind? Your perfect life here in Carp? With your perfect boyfriend and your perfect friends?’’

I fight the urge to roll my eyes at his shallow description of my life.

‘’High school is over.’’ I say with a shrug. ‘’Sure, I’m happy, but I can’t stay here forever.’’

‘’What about Ray?’’

‘’Ray’s far from perfect.’’ I say with a small smile.

‘’Oh, really?’’ He raises his eyebrows in amusement.

‘’Yes, really. But I care about him. And he cares about me.’’

‘’You sound so sure.’’ He mutters.

‘’And what makes you think he doesn’t?’’

‘’I just don’t think he deserves a girl like you.’’

He catches me by surprise. ‘’Oh and what kind of a girl am I, exactly?’’

‘’I don’t know, you’re just a better person than him.’’

‘’I’m flattered.’’ I say, sarcastically, but there’s a hint of something in his voice I can’t quite figure out.

‘’I just don’t think a guy like that knows how to treat a girl like you.’’

‘’You know nothing about my relationship. Ray treats me well.’’

‘’What about Panic?’’

‘’It’s just a stupid game. Everyone’s trying to win and if I expected anyone to play dirty, it was Ray.’’

‘’Do you love him?’’ He asks, all of a sudden.

‘’I...’’ I pause, not knowing how to respond. ‘’That is none of your business.’’

‘’Yeah, but do you?’’ His eyes fixate on me.

‘’Why do you care?’’ I ask.

‘’I don’t know. The kitchen light is making you look awfully beautiful. I was just wondering.’’ He says, seemingly out of it.

‘’Are you joking?’’

‘’It’s probably just the concussion talking. You don’t usually look like that, do you? I mean not that I’ve ever seen you outside of your uniform. This is the first time. You got an icepack?’’ His rambling catches me off guard.

I nod slowly and grab some ice from the freezer, handing it to him.

‘’How come you never talk to anyone?’’ I ask.

‘’Got nothing to say.’’ He puts the icepack over his eye.

I place his mug in front of him, the teabag sinking inside it.

‘’Thanks,’’ He says, going to pick it up.

‘’Careful,’’ I warn, ‘’it’s hot.’’

‘’I can handle it.’’ He says, proceeding to burn his tongue on the warm beverage.

‘’You sure are stubborn.’’ I say, setting my own mug on the counter.

‘’I should go. After this. After this, I should go.’’ He says, hastily.

‘’Okay.’’ I say. ‘’It’s still raining.’’

‘’Shit.’’

‘’You can stay if you need to.’’ I offer.

He looks at me and there’s a distracted expression on his face. ’’No.’’

‘’You sure?’’

‘’Yeah.’’

‘’Finish your tea.’’ I say, nodding towards the mug.

‘’I prefer coffee.’’ He blurts.

‘’What?’’

‘’You said you wanted me to tell you something about myself. Well, there it is. I like coffee.’’

‘’Do you want me to make you some coffee?’’ I ask, noticing he’s more relaxed now.

‘’No, don’t.’’ He quickly declines.

‘’It’s really not a problem, I mean if I had known I would’ve-‘’

‘’No, I don’t want you to make coffee.’’ He cuts me off.

‘’Why?’’ I raise my eyebrows at him.

‘’Because I’ve never met anyone who knows how to make good coffee. I can’t drink it when other people make it. Like, not even at cafes and stuff. It’s terrible.’’

‘’You are so weird.’’ I say. ‘’Here, why don’t you make it, then?’’

‘’We’re drinking tea.’’ He says.

‘’Okay, so we’ll have coffee too. The night is young.’’

‘’You’re the only person I know who drinks tea.’’ He tells me and I scoff.

‘’Seriously?’’

‘’Yeah. Does Ray drink tea?’’

‘’Will you leave Ray alone? No, he doesn’t drink tea.’’ I shake my head.

‘’So tell me something about you, now.’’ He leans on the counter, staring at me.

‘’Like what?’’

‘’I don’t know, how do you take your coffee?’’

‘’With cream and sugar.’’ I answer.

‘’No.’’ He says.

I give him a confused look. ’’What do you mean ‘no’?’’

‘’Listen to me, if you don’t drink your coffee black, you don’t drink coffee. I’m making you a black coffee.’’ He says, getting up from his chair.

‘’I don’t want a black coffee. I like it just fine with my three spoons of sugar.’’

‘’Three? You’re disgusting.’’ He shakes his head.

‘’You’re such a snob.’’ I say with a laugh.

He looks almost offended but laughs. ’’Oh, I’m a snob?’’

‘’Yeah, getting so worked up about something as simple as coffee. There’s like a million ways to drink it, what’s the big deal?’’

‘’Yeah and half of those ways should be illegal. Just try it. Trust me.’’ He says, putting the water on.

‘’So, is coffee like your thing?’’ I ask, taking a seat at the counter.

‘’Why do you think we have so many customers at the diner? Best coffee in town.’’ He says smugly.

‘’Huh, impressive. You know, even Ray likes your coffee.’’ I say.

‘’Yeah, just wait until I spike it with something one day.’’ He says with a grin.

‘’Not funny.’’

‘’A little funny.’’

‘’Why do you hate Ray so much?’’ I ask, leaning against the counter, watching him make the coffee.

‘’Is that really what you’re asking me? He’s rude, he’s self-centered, narcissistic, egotistical-‘’

‘’I’m pretty sure those are synonyms.’’ I interrupt.

‘’Yeah, well, they’re all true.’’ He says. ’’Plus, he’s so insecure he thinks I’m trying to take you from him or something.’’

‘’Well, is he really so wrong?’’ I raise my eyebrows.

‘’What?’’ He turns to look at me.

‘’I’m just saying, if my girlfriend was working with a tall, mysterious new guy, I’d be worried too.’’ I tease.

‘’Tall and mysterious? What happened to angsty loner?’’ He asks with a laugh.

‘’That still stands.’’ I assure him.

He walks over to the counter, leaning against it and looking at me, without saying anything. A small smirk on his face.

My eyes wander over his face and I notice the cut on his lip.

‘’Oh, you’re bleeding.’’ I say, breaking the silence.

I pull another cloth from the drawer under the counter and lean over to press it against his lips.

Our eyes meet and I pause for a minute, captured under his gaze.

‘’Maybe you’re right.’’ He says slowly, as I pull the cloth away.

‘’Maybe Ray should be worried.’’

I look at him for a minute before brushing it off as the concussion talking.

*