Chapter Text
1️⃣
“Dean. I think I already told you I am not interested in dating you.” She told him that many times actually, more than ten times during this month, but he seems way too stubborn to accept her refusal. And now here they are, in the school library where he stalked her, because Dean Boland hardly ever set foot into the school library. And he looks at her slightly smugly while her look is annoyed.
Why can’t he just leave her alone?
“Bethy, why don't you want to date me?” Dean asks with raised eyebrows, arms crossed over his chest. “Of all the guys in our school, I'm the best option for you.” He is way too smug to say that.
But it makes her roll her eyes at that as she finds it's even funny. She will never say Dean Boland is the best option. Not for her, not for mostly any other girl if she is honest. He may be an heir to Boland Dealership but with how stupid he is, it will sink in a few years under his reign.
“I'm already dating someone,” Beth says confidently, crossing her arms over her chest coping his pose. She hopes this information will stop him, because he ignored all the previously mentioned reasons.
“And who are you dating?” he narrows his blue eyes and she can see from the look on his face that he doesn’t believe her at all.
“Our relationship is still completely new to both of us, so we decided not to tell anyone about this for now, keeping it a secret.” But she already understands that even after this he won’t leave her so easily. Shit.
“Come on, Bethy,” he looks intrigued by that kind of information. After all, everyone knows that she didn’t date anyone.
‘I asked you not to call me like that, Dean.” Beth is annoyed, as she really doesn’t like to be called like that. “And like I said, I'm not interested in a relationship with you, so leave me alone.”
They are deep enough inside the building in the library room that Mrs. Smith certainly cannot hear them to reprimand them for being too loud in the library and to make Dean leave her alone.
‘So who are you dating then? Who did you consider a worthy candidate?” Dean presses.
“I said it's a secret.” She sighs in annoyance, making no attempt to hide the irritation in her voice and gaze. This already seems absurd, to be honest.
“Maybe it’s better to admit you're not dating anyone. Ah. Just driving up the price, aren’t you? Hah?” Dean has an awfully gloating smirk on his face, and Beth really thinks to hit him with any book, but only voice behind her stops her:
“She's dating me.”
And she turns around sharply, but she knows who is talking — she would already recognize this voice from a thousand others, and she finds herself dumbfounded by it, watching with her mouth slightly open as Rio Fernández approaches them, stopping next to her, standing slightly between Boland and her, like protecting her from him.
“Fernández.” Dean spits, not very friendly indeed.
“Boland.” Rio also doesn’t hide his dislike for him.
Beth doesn’t know what Rio is doing with this, but she decides just to watch how it unfolds.
“So you're saying that you're dating?” Dean questions that.
“Would I say this if we weren't dating?” Rio chuckles, darkly. “So I advise you not to bother Elizabeth anymore with your stupid proposals. You know it's better not to mess with me.”
Oh, everyone in school knows Rio is from a Mexican gang, making him really dangerous if anyone messes up with him or to people he is close to, like his sister and friends. Well, his male friends mostly are from a gang too.
“Ah. So that is the “good girl falls in love with a bad guy” trope or what?” Dean doesn’t look very convinced in Rio’s words. “It’s strange it happened to you, Bethy.”
Fucking unbearable Dean Boland.
“I like Rio, and he likes me.” She comes to Rio and takes his hand in hers, pressing her body into Rio, like a girl in love will. “There is nothing strange about this.” And she turns to look at Rio with loving eyes. Rio also copes well with this role, looking at her as if he is in love with her, and also grins with that signature grin of his that drives many girls crazy.
It seems to work as Dean stumbles with words:
“But... You...Can’t… It’s …” unable to formulate what he wants to say. And it’s fun.
Rio looks away from her to growl:
“Just fucking get out of here, Boland.”
And, what surprises her just a little bit? Boland really leaves. As it’s silence that dominates the library, his cumbersome, quick steps can be heard until they fade away. They listen to them silently, looking at each other as Rio turned to her as soon as Boland hided over the bookshelves.
“And why did you do this?” She asks in a hushed vicious tone, being not happy with that kind of interference in her life when she didn’t ask for his help.
“It seemed to me that you needed help.” Rio shrugs, smirking at her, as he leans on the bookshelves with his shoulder.
“I managed just fine myself.” Beth snorts. “But now everyone at school will know that you and I are dating.” Boland is a notorious tattler after all.
“Is it bad?” He pouts for a second before stating with confidence: “Because I don’t think anyone will bother you after knowing whose girl you are.”
There is a heat inside her belly and cheeks, as she finds herself flushed because he implies she is his girl. Hell, she knows her cheeks grow hot. But okay, she can’t deny how attractive he is, with that face, deep brown eyes and full lips she wants to kiss badly.
“I’m not anyone’s girl,” she rumbles, hoping he will believe she doesn’t like that “and I can’t say a lot of people bother me.” And that’s totally a lie.
“Really?” He raises an eyebrow, not believing her. Of course he probably caught a show “ask Beth Boland out” a few times.
“Anyway, “ she grumbles, “I can manage all their bothering on my own,” even at the end of the day she just wants to be invisible to almost everyone. It’s really tiresome to be the center of attention of a lot of people, being one of the most popular girls in school.
“Or you can date me.” Rio offers with a smirk. “Besides, everyone will already think that you and I are dating.
“I'm not going to date you.” She bristles, looking at him like it offended her.
And that’s a lie because she likes Rio, finding him the most attractive guy in their school, and just in general he is the most attractive of all the guys she's ever seen. Sometimes she indulged herself into thought she wouldn't mind dating him if he asked her. And here she is, with him telling Dean they are dating, and she doesn’t feel really satisfied by that. There is something that troubles her with his attitude right now.
“This will be fake, Elizabeth.” He tells her with a strange glint in his eyes she doesn’t know how hot to define.
“And what are your reasons to do that?” There must be a reason of course. Rio isn’t the one to do things for other people without his own gain.
He shrugs:
“I need help with chemistry. And I know that you have excellent grades in it.”
Chemistry? She raises her eyebrows slightly at that, finding it’s really strange. She knows Rio, he is smart and has good grades, not that she ever heard him having troubles with any school subjects. Probably he is the smartest in their school.
“And it's still strange.” She tells him, biting her lip.
Rio stares at her intently:
“Don’t you want it? To be left alone?” It’s like he looks straight into her soul. And he really sounds like a devil who wants her to sell her soul, all low and sensual, as Rio steps closer to her, almost in her personal space: “I will give you that and you will help me with chemistry.” He licks his lips slowly.
How many times did she fantasize about kissing him? Too much for her liking.
And what escape plans does she have? In fact, Dean is probably already talking about this to his friends or just anyone who meets him on the way. So in a couple of hours the whole school will know that Rio and her are dating. Maybe this is for the better? She'll be safe for at least a month or two, without all these stupid attacks on her. True, she will have to answer the question of how they got together and how it all happened, and she will have to play a couple in love, but perhaps she needs to have a little fun somehow.
“Okay. Deal.” She nods at him. “Swear to protect me with all it takes?” Beth asks him a little bit teasingly.
“With all it takes, Elizabeth.” And he says it way too seriously for that kind of a situation they got stuck into.
She can’t help her giggling with his serious face as he looks back at her. And when he raises his impressive eyebrow, she moves past him, patting his shoulder slightly:
“See you tomorrow, boyfriend.” And she hardly hides her giggling as she goes away.
Well, no, today, after that, she is definitely in no mood to do her research in the library.