This time Jezebel sat at the bleachers, staring across the football field instead of waiting by the gym. Her legs might get tired of standing if he was a no-show again. She had a little bit in her stomach, a sandwich and apple juice since she wasn't risking her hunger.

She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling the puff sleeve of her knit black sweater top. Her lips pouted out in dissatisfaction. She wasn't giving up; she'll get her way, even if it was with a reckless boy whom she didn't know that much about.

She had a plan all figured out in her head. Gathering some info around others with their gossip came in handy in case she needed to throw it out there for him.

Then, casually a sound of steps on the bleacher made her look as Mackinley threw a hand up with a wave and a friendly smirk that crossed his face. "Jezebel," Mackinley said, beginning to walk up the aluminum metal.

Jezebel's eyes looked at him with a grimace when he got closer. "I had to look around a little since I didn't know where you were."

"Yeah, I wasn't going to stand around again the second time."

"I'm here now. Joss told me that you need me. I'm shocked, really." He chuckled and stopped in front of her.

"Because you weren't here yesterday. Where were you?" Jezebel questioned.

"I don't like to tell my business if there's no compensation." He tipped his head to the side, looking at her expectantly.

She sent him an impatient would you tell me look. He shook his head ridiculously. "I'll tell you only because it wasn't that serious. I just felt like going out to eat somewhere else."

"That's it? You want to go out to eat?"

"I like to bring my own lunch, but eating out somewhere is just better sometimes. I don't like to be confined."

Jezebel blinked confusedly at him. "Did you take your own car?"

"Nah, that'd be obvious. I grabbed a ride with a senior," Mackinley said.

"You went to a senior?" she wondered. It had to be the only other choice as seniors had the free will to leave for campus if they had a pass. 

He smiled knowingly.

He really finds a way to twist the rules to his benefit.

This was the time now. He was still the only boy feasible to her working plan. Jezebel beamed a smile at him. "I'd like to talk to you about something. Please, don't just stand there."

Mackinley sat down in the bleachers. With it one row below Jezebel's his eyes were looking up at hers with his brown eyes and possibly a trace of reddish in them. He faced her with his legs apart widely and his hands in a lower steepled position.

Remarkably she liked this. With her head tilting down at him, she pictured this scenario where she was a queen in power with her sitting on the throne, but except with him sitting, he was kneeling down on one knee and giving her respect. All boys looked like they were peasants in this way. She thought she could do whatever she wanted with them if she continued to hold onto her great eminence.

Now, to begin with, her considerate speech. "You intrigued me, Mackinley," Jezebel said with her subtle voice. "I've been feeling different things recently."

The perplexed look was evident on his face. "Did you get hit in the head?"

She visibly forced her smile a tad bigger but not too much. "Of course not. This is me speaking out. As much as uncanny as it is to admit this, I want to speak out my feelings. You know already how I can't find compatibility with many guys I go out with, I always leave them because they weren't good enough, but you... you seemed very challenging."

A foolish yet unsure smile appeared, questioning things. "Are you seriously okay?"

Jezebel feigned shock and offended at once. "Would you doubt me?"

"You seemed more annoyed at me than intrigued. After all, I can be very... spontaneous."

"That's just what pulls me in. I need something of a new change, new conversation, new exhilaration, and you just fit the bill." She pointed to him clearly with her eyes lit up in appeal. "I think I like you."

Mackinley paused. "Where is this conversation going?"

Confused, indeed he was. Jezebel knew where she was going with this. Despite an act of rashness, she knew how to dictate this conversation into the palm of her hands.

Step one was to divulge her "hidden feelings" and how she needed someone new to be around. She was tired of the previous guys and was looking at Mackinley because he was a new step in a direction.

Step two.

"Hear me out a little. When you were at the party, I didn't need your help. I thought I could execute things myself since I'm a good talker, but you stepped in. Though I didn't see it at first, I see now that you were a big help. I started thinking and thinking. You were kind of awesome for pulling something like that."

Remind him how the feelings began, mention it was something he did and that she reflected on his actions. It's explainable that a girl could be impressed with what a boy has done.

"I just did what felt right at the moment, but you think so?" he asked. 

"Of course, you spoke to that guy audaciously. He needs that hearing anyway," Jezebel commented.

As though he took it as an achievement, Mackinley acknowledged, "Glad that my service provided."

She carefully looked at him and his face. "Mackinley, what do you think of me?"

The crease of his brows shifted, and he leaned forward, putting his elbow on top of his knee. "You're seriously asking me that? Do you want to know what I think of you?"

Jezebel put her hands under her chin as her fingers touched her cheeks and made a cute face at him. "I asked, so I'd like to get a response genuinely."

"You're an interesting case, aren't you?" Mackinley gazed at her funny. "Never really expect the day Jezebel Cho would come forward and ask that to me." He looked at her from head to toe meticulously. "Obviously, you're pleasant looking, so I can see why you're the center of attention and have the guys fawned over you. Especially, the face is what they pay attention to. With the history you have from what I hear with dating guy after guy, are you boy obsessed, or do you have an issue?"

Mackinley surely was a suspicious one. How rather refreshing that he wasn't filling her eardrums with words she was used to hearing to be pleased, yet at the same time, he wasn't making it easy on her case to fool him. She needed to sink with him in more of his element in which she could provide that shouldn't be quite too difficult. She was getting there.

"Is it a crime to have a desire to find the one? Even though I went out with them, we're not just seeing eye to eye, but maybe I could...," she paused for a while, purposefully delaying to make her appear more thoughtful while giving him a cute stare, "if I get to spend some time with you. I'm curious of what you're like, and I'm drawn into your..., particularly odd nature."

"I'm wondering if I have the right pair of ears sewed on or if you're actually saying those words. But listen, I'm flattered that you seemed to mistake my interest in teaming up with you and helping you out as an act of a romantic pursuit; however, I don't feel anything for you, so maybe don't waste your time with me."

Now she could bite into him. Step three, make a game for him to play. He would like odd challenges and games.

"Ohh, I see what it is." Jezebel nodded, and he became confused.

"See what?" 

"You don't think you can handle me," she said, testing him. "You think I'm only a pretty face, but you know basically almost nothing. I'm ashamed... I'm starting to like you, but you don't think that way. I thought you were the kind of person to look out for excitement. So why not... try me?"

Baffled, he released out a laugh. "Okay, that was funny. You're trying to say that you want us to spend more time together?"

"Precisely. You can take a challenge, can't you?" She reached for the side of his face, delicately resting her palm there. "I want you." She gradually lowered her voice as she faced him.

"What are you up to?" he challenged.

"I need to know if I'm right or wrong about you." That should be good enough that Eric would be convinced to give up on me. "And, you can cash in that catch for me too." Jezebel smiled. "What do you say?" 

Mackinley peered at her profile inquisitively, soon removing her hand that was on his face into his. "It's a crazy idea, but I'll take up that challenge. So then we're agreeing to this?" He shook her hand firmly.

Sinker. Just what she wanted. Jezebel squeezed his hand right back. "You're giving me a chance."

"Only because now you're giving me something to look forward to."

Excellent. That's all she needed to hear.

"What could a popular girl want with me? That's what I want to know. Surely, messing with someone like me will leave a bad impression. And you know that, right?"

"I do, but should it matter? I'm looking forward to knowing if you're really what you're all about with your reputation."

"Who knows," he said, vaguely.

"Why don't we lay out something? Like, let's pretend we're just normal people. "

He scoffed. "What do you even call normal? Saying we're normal is like saying we are boxed together with the same face as we live in a nonjudgmental society. That's categorically false."

She tapped him on the forehead, mentally scolding him. "Don't take it that seriously." Smiling to keep up well with her act, she added, "We wouldn't want any trouble."

"Between you and me?" He looked at her thoughtfully. "Looks like it already is. And why do you have to do that?" He felt up his forehead.

Jezebel ignored his foolishness. "First, we need each other's phone numbers, so could I have yours?" She put her palm out.

"You're not touching my phone," Mackinley said defensively.

He was a piece of work, she thought, restraining herself and giving him her phone instead. "Fine, put your number in." 

He put in his number. She glanced at her phone screen and saw an added emoji with a face that winked with one eye while it stuck out its tongue next to his name. Looking back at him unbelievably, she pursed her lips. "Really?" she asked.

"It's impressive, don't you think?" Mackinley tilted his head innocently. "I have to look remarkable in your contact list. Don't you dare erase that."

"Of course not. You'll be the only one with a goofy face."

"Hmm, I would hope so. So, what is that something you want to lay out?"

The power of constructing a foundation gave Jezebel the power and more props to her. She always devised a strategic plan to see a means to an end. But since Mackinley was a different case, she would need to make it sound crisp but flexible so he wouldn't look for another way to clash.

"For starters, I'd like to get to know you a little bit better. See what you're all about up close first," Jezebel said, lifting her eyes bright at him, smiling at him with the "hope you know what I mean."   

"Are you testing me?" he asked.

He set on a curious gaze, and that made it all more fun for Jezebel because this was going to be something new for her. With a boy who wasn't trying to woo her over.

"Let's called it secret meetings for a while." 

"Okay?"

"Yes, once we have a couple days for ourselves just to get a feel for each other, then I'd like to take you into the spotlight of all the other pairs of eyes in the wandering hallways."

"Secret meetings sounds like a little old school."

"That is my pre-requisite. The only thing I want is for you to follow my lead."

Mackinley pressed his lips together and had an interesting glint in his eyes. "So you're a girl who wants to take charge."

Jezebel neither confirmed nor denied his claim, and he continued, "I feel like there's something more to this than you liking me on pure attraction, but I'll go with what you say and that you're interested in the curiosity of me and want to test out the waterworks."

"How about this? For our first hangout, I'll let you pick what you want to do. Name it," Jezebel offered. 

"You're sure you can entrust that to me?"

"I want you to believe in me. It might not seem that right now, but I do like something new to happen. It could be with you, and maybe it couldn't." She trained her expression to soften as she looked at him, throwing a subtle smile as she slowly shrugged one shoulder and looked down at her lap.

That might not be a lie. For something new was unknown, but maybe she'd like to get over Eric because truly deep down she couldn't fake how she felt about him. She still cared about him more than she would like to admit. Her smile faded thinking about him. She hated to be a weak person again.

But just as quick as that smile faded, that smile made its appearance again.

Mackinley nodded. "Alright, this should be fun. I already made up my mind what we'll do."

Jezebel raised her eyes in shock. "Already?"

He smiled at her as though the thought would be fun for him more than for her. "Oh yeah, I'm eager. Tell me, Jezebel. Are you good with early mornings?"

What is he going on about? His beaming smile should concern her. "Where is this going?"

"That part, you're going to have to wait."

Mackinley Rineer the misfit was going to be full of surprise, and they hadn't even started yet. Jezebel was just going to have to stick through it and stick with her scheme.

"Something tells me I might not like this one bit, am I right?" she said.

"You tell me." He stood up. "As much interesting as I like to stick and chat, I like to roam around, but I'll see you tomorrow morning."

It seemed to her she reeled in a slippery fish in her hands.

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Hello, Happy Friday. 23rd of September and we're close to October. Does that mean Halloween or just more of the fall season? Hehe.

How are we feeling in this chapter? So it seems that Mackinley isn't buying her act but is interested enough to go along in the ride with Jezebel as she expressed her "feelings" toward him. It is interesting. Kind of like playing a reversed role if a guy tells a girl he likes her, but she doesn't fall for it. And here we are with this being played out. Are you wondering how this will go between them?

What do you think they're going to do tomorrow? The next chapter is going to be funny :P I'm sure you'll find it entertaining. Be on the lookout for that. 

I have my babies' cd. Maggie Lindemann with her Suckerpunch album and 5SOS with their 5SOS5 album. I'm so proud of them :') 

Please vote and comment as it means the world to me.