Looking back, I wish that I had ignored that text. None of this would've happened if I simply ended it there. But I was intrigued.
So, I went to meet him.
I took my phone, put on my shoes, locked the door and made my way to the park a few blocks near my house. I had no idea how Nixon had got my number or address, but I honestly wasn't surprised. It was Nixon de Costa; everybody listened to him.
If he wanted something, all he had to do was ask.
I had reached the entrance of the park, and I could see him sitting on a bench inside, his back to me. I paused for a moment, hesitation crawling inside me. Did I want to go in there and meet him?
Should I?
It was late evening, and the sun had just set a few minutes ago. It wasn't dark, but it was still hard to see since the streetlights hadn't been turned on yet.
I took a deep breath in. It was too late to turn around now. Gripping my phone tightly in my hands, I stepped inside.
I saw him immediately. Nixon de Costa was just that type of person, the one that you could never miss even in a room full of people.
He was sitting on a bench next to the slides, facing the opposite direction from where I had come from.
I walked up to the bench he was sitting on, but he didn't hear me approach. I cleared my throat to get his attention, and he suddenly jerked upwards. The next thing I knew, he was standing.
"Oh, Amara, it's you. You almost scared me," he breathed out, now facing me. The bench was the only thing between us. His face looked sharper than usual, the trees nearby creating harsh shadows on his facade.
"How did you get my number? How did you come to know where I lived?" I demanded.
"Straight to the point, huh?" he chuckled nervously.
Why was he nervous?
"I'm waiting," I quipped.
"Uh, I asked around. It's not a secret where you live, considering your parents…" he trailed off, looking uneasy.
What was up with him? This was not the cocky, confident Nixon I was used to.
"Right," I said, not even bothering to ask further. I knew that everyone knew who my parents were. It wasn't hard to figure out where they lived. And numbers weren't hard to find if you asked the right people.
"Yeah," he said, "so… yeah! Your book!" He reached toward the bench and picked up the textbook.
"So you weren't lying," I mused.
He frowned, "you thought I was lying."
I didn't respond. I grabbed my book from his outstretched hands and turned around to walk back home.
"Wait! Amara!" he called out.
I turned around again.
"What do you want?" I demanded.
"I-" he rubbed the back of his neck with his palm, "well, I… uh,"
I started tapping my foot against the ground. I normally wasn't this impatient, but there was something wrong with this boy. He was acting weird, and I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
"Will you, maybe, be my girlfriend?" he blurted out.
I was shocked for a second. Nixon had barely had a proper conversation with me up until two days ago, and now he wanted me to be his girlfriend? He didn't even ask for a date, he simply jumped two steps ahead and asked me to be his girlfriend.
But then the image of Nadija flashed in my mind, and I understood.
"What do you really want?"
He gaped at me as if he couldn't believe I just asked that. The nerve of this guy.
He chuckled nervously, "uh, what are you-"
I raised an eyebrow. He sighed.
"It's… about Nadija," he mumbled out, in a voice barely audible.
I pursed my lips. "Of course it is."
He gave me a guilty look, then ran his fingers through his hair as if he was agitated.
"You want to make her jealous?"
He nodded.
"You're really out of your mind," I scoffed and started to walk away from him.
"Wait! Amara, just listen-" he called out after me, but I didn't listen. I picked up the pace.
He didn't follow me.
The entire way home, his voice kept repeating in my head.
Will you, maybe, be my girlfriend?
Why would he even ask me that? If he wanted to use someone else to make Nadija feel jealous, then there were much better options than me. There were girls way more beautiful and confident than me. Why would he choose me?
I was nothing.
With the thoughts running in my head, I made my way back home.
•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•
"How was your date yesterday?" I asked Jenna as we both walked into the school building the next morning.
"It was fun!" she beamed. "He's really sweet and I think we may even go on a second date soon."
"That's really amazing, Jen," I let out, "I think you two would be really good for each other."
"Really? You think so?"
I was about to answer but just then I noticed someone in the hallway right in front of me. He was surrounded by people as usual, but he was looking directly at me.
Nixon de Costa.
I lowered my head and kept walking.
"Uh, Amara? Are you okay?"
"Yeah," I replied without looking at her.
Just then, someone appeared right in front of me, forcing me to stop abruptly.
I knew it was him before I even looked up.
"Amara," he said, his voice raspy like this was the first time he'd spoken this morning.
I looked up at his face. He had a tiny frown and a look of confusion. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Jenna looking back and forth between me and him.
I let out a small breath and said, "please don't bother me, Nixon."
Then I took Jenna's hand and walked past him.
"What was that back there? What is happening?"
"I'll tell you later, okay? Don't worry about it." I told her, but I had no idea how I'd explain everything to her.
She narrowed her eyes but agreed nevertheless.
"Alright, but you will tell me."
I nodded, and we made our way to the lockers.
•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•
It was lunchtime, and up until then, my day had been pretty uneventful. Nixon kept his distance, even though he kept glancing at me from time to time in class.
But it was lunch now, and I would have to face Jenna. I was standing outside the doors of the cafeteria and I was seriously dreading going in there. I didn't know what I'd tell her. I wasn't one to talk about myself much, and this whole situation seemed sort of… personal. To me, at least. Still, I'd have to give her something or she won't back down.
She got up from her chair when she saw me approaching, and walked toward me.
"Let's take a walk," she said.
Wordlessly, I followed her.
When we had been walking for about 5 minutes, that's when she finally asked, "so, it's later now. What's going on?"
I took a deep breath. It was better to just get it done with, like ripping off a bandaid.
"Nixon asked me out," I blurted.
For a few minutes, she simply stared at me with her eyes bulging and her mouth agape. It was almost comical.
Then she spoke.
"You? Are you-" she sputtered, "are you sure?"
My thoughts exactly.
"Yeah," I mumbled.
"Well, then, what are you waiting for?" she exclaimed.
I looked at her quizically, not understanding what she meant.
"Go and say yes, Amara! It's Nixon de Costa, people would kill to be in your place! Give it a try, what's the worst that could happen?"
I didn't know how to reply to that, so I didn't.
But I couldn't stop thinking about her words. She was right, too.
Now, Jenna and I both knew that Nixon was a player. But I was not looking for anything serious either. That, plus the fact that I had been in all kinds of relationships before, and I knew how to end them when things needed to be ended. I knew how to take care of myself and my emotions.
And Jenna knew this.
And this wasn't even a real relationship. He was practically asking me to pretend to date him, just so he could get the attention of the girl he liked. But I didn't tell Jenna this. Not yet. It still felt a little weird to say it out loud.
Still, she wouldn't have told me to say yes if she thought I'd end up hurt in any way. And I probably wouldn't have considered saying yes if Jenna hadn't agreed.
I just didn't know that what would happen in the future would be much worse than I could've ever imagined.
•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•
That night, I texted Nixon.
I thought about it, I said.
Less than thirty seconds later, he called me.
I stared at my ringing phone for a second, wondering if I should do this or not.
Then I picked up the call and said, "Yes, I'll help you out."