Chapter Three

I was waiting in the restaurant, sitting at a table, alone.

My mother hadn't showed up yet. So typical of her.

I felt pretty bad just waiting there with a good proportion of the male clientele giving me furtive glances now and then. I looked totally out of place.

Maybe Alex and I had over done it.

My brown hair was all messily curly and we had put some kind cream in it that made it glitter and I had mascara and eyeliner and silvery eye shadow and red lipstick.

I really didn't look like myself, did I?

I kept staring at everything on the table and not at the people around me, fidgeting with anything my hands could get on. My head snapped up though when I heard someone wolf whistle.

Damn!

Drake.

"Well, well if it isn't Miss Library looking all sexed-up," he greeted and sat in the chair in front of me grinning.

Damn, I really didn't need this right now...

"Well, well if it isn't Mister I-Do-It-In-Public-Place looking cocky as usual," I answered dryly.

Just leave, I thought. What was he doing here? He had no reason to be here, especially, here, at my table. Was this just God's crude way to mock me because I had decided to dress like a whore and he was a manwhore?

"So who's the lucky bastard who'll have the honour of stripping you out of this lovely dress," Drake inquired, looking at me like I was meat.

"Would you just leave, we can always continue this oh so entertaining little chat... well never," I tried not to snap at him when answering, guessing that could only please him and looked around desperately wanting to see my mom right now.

He smirked. "How about you come with me and we continue it in the bathroom?"

Really? Did he really just say that?

"What makes you think your wash-up pick up line will work with me Drake?" I snorted, annoyed.

For the first time, his smirk suddenly vanished off his face. He was actually... frowning. "My name's Blake."

I snorted again. "Yeah, right!"

"I think I know my name," he stated in a leveled tone, the frown still plastered on his face.

Hmm... well what did you know? Why had I always thought it was Drake?

"That sure shows how much I don't give a crap about you, now if you could just leave, I would be really grateful," I answered him with a fake smile.

"I don't think so. I want to meet your boyfriend," he beamed and the evil grin was back on his face in full mode.

Great. That's what it was all about? I had made fun of him and now he wanted to get back?

I so didn't need this right now. I was already stressed out with the whole "I haven't seen my mom in like forever and I don't know what I'll say to her". I really didn't need this!

This boy was seriously annoying me. "Tell me something! How does someone as annoying and cocky and arrogant as you get so many girls? Do you only pick the ones with an I.Q. lower than 90?"

"You want to know my trick," he asked, grinning.

As if...

"No I was just insulting you in a ladylike way," I told him, smirking.

"What you wear sure isn't ladylike..." Dra—Blake trailed and stared at everything but my face.

I snapped my fingers in front of his face. "Hey! My eyes are up here!"

"I'm sorry, it's like gravity, my eyes are attracted to the biggest object in the room," Blake chuckled and smiled, his cocky smile.

"You're an ass!" If I had had a napkin on my legs this would have been the time where I would have taken it and threw it on his face, leaving the table fuming.

"Well I want to see your ass..."

I slapped my hand on the table, but didn't make him jump in the slightest or even erase the smirk off his face for a millisecond. "Enough with the pick up lines! They aren't getting you anywhere!"

And that's the moment when I saw my mom. I was only briefly relief when I realized what I was really looking at. My mom and a man. A man that wasn't my dad.

I gasped.

Blake turned around and followed my eyes. "Is that your date? Well isn't he the gentleman, bringing his other girlfriend along with him," he snorted, looking really pleased with himself.

I would have answered, I would have insulted him but I couldn't. My eyes were filling up with tears. Of course. I should have known she would do something like that...

"Hey don't worry. The girl isn't even as half pretty as you are," Blake added and his voice was almost kind.

"That's not my date. That's my mom..." I whispered.

Blake looked at me with wide eyes and looked back at the two of them, holding hands and murmuring something to each other.

"And that's clearly not your dad... Jeez, what is he? Fifteen?"

"I don't know...I don't want to know... I have to get out of here," I answered in a rush and got up trying to find a way to get as far away from here as possible.

Of course, my mom saw me, waved and walked towards me.

Oh God no! I don't want to do this.

My eyes brimmed with tears.

Of course my mother didn't notice that. No, her eyes automatically fixed on my dress and I heard her gasp. "Lexi?" she almost groaned and her voice was filled with anger.

Again, I couldn't say anything. I didn't want to say anything to her and her stupid boyfriend who had taken her away from us, from me.

Blake's voice was what got me out of my almost trance state. "Hi, you must be Lexi's mom. I'm really, really, deeply sorry but we have to go," he informed my mother, his voice strained and almost sad.

I honestly didn't understand what he was doing. I probably looked as confused as my mother.

"And you are," my mother asked him rudely.

"Blake Eaton. I'm sorry we just got back from the exhibition at the new art gallery and then I got a call from my mom and my brother got in a car accident and I really have to go and I don't think I can drive there..." and his voice broke. Jeez he was good. "...so Lexi offered to drive me but she said we had to stop by and tell you. I'm really sorry about this..."

This guy should consider an acting career. Plus, with the way he looked, anyone would want him in their movie.

"But we were supposed to talk," my mother pressed, her eyes narrowing.

Hmm... I think this is where I should be talking. Talk Lexi. "Sorry, but this is really an emergency..." I managed to choke.

This obviously didn't please my mother. "Now you listen to me. You sit down and talk with us. Your boyfriend can drive himself on his own." she ordered me. The look she gave Blake when she said "boyfriend" was priceless—just the perfect amount of disgust. If I hadn't been so in shock and mad at her I could have enjoyed it.

When had she become so bitter? And what right did she have, ordering me around like this?

My eyes narrowed. Enough. "No, you listen to me," I pretty much shouted, pointing at her. "You can't tell me what to do anymore! You lost that right when you walked away from us," I yelled, making a scene.

Good, now I probably looked like Regina George losing it in Mean Girls...

I would have stayed right on my spot, shooting daggers at her with my eyes if it hadn't been for Blake's hand pressing on my back, leading me towards the exit. I was too worked up to argue.

"They didn't follow," Blake informed me when we were out the door and out of hearing range.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"You're welcome. I always love being dragged in the middle of a family feud," Blake countered sarcastically and rolled his eyes.

We kept walking towards the parking lot. I was still too mad to not follow him.

"Where's your car," Blake asked and looked around like he actually knew what it looked like.

"Not here. A friend drove me here. He's supposed to pick me up" I said and took my cell phone out of my purse.

"Ah put that back inside, I'll drive you," Blake said in discouraged voice.

"You don't need to do that." I laughed humourlessly.

Nothing was humorous about any of this.

"Of course I do. What if your mom saw you waiting outside alone for your ride? I would have done all of this for nothing? No thanks," he said in a fake offended tone while walking towards a car.

I shrugged. He had a point. And I didn't feel like waiting for Alex to arrive and pick me up, it would suck. And it would only reiterate the whole "looking like a prostitute waiting for her client" thing.

So I kept following him, but I stopped dead on my tracks when I saw which car he was heading to.

"Is that your car," I gasped.

In front of us there was a gorgeous black Lamborghini Murciélago. I could tell because that was the car I always picked to drive when playing Need For Speed Underground on PS3 with my brother. It was safe to say I liked that car a lot.

"No, I just decided to steal it," Blake answered in condescending tone and rolled his eyes.

He got on the right side of the car and opened the door for me.

Oh god, kill me, I want those doors!

"Come on, just get in. I'll try to keep my inappropriate comments to a minimum on the way," Blake informed me, smirking as always.

As much as this boy annoyed me I really, really wanted to get in this car!

"Fine," I answered, a bit reluctantly—sure the car was fraking awesome but the driver, not so much—and slid on the seat.

Blake closed the door for me, walked around the car and sat beside me.

"If this is your car how come I've never seen it at school," I inquired, while he fastened his seatbelt.

"If I recall you thought my name was Drake," he chuckled and started the engine.

Oh my god! I want that car! That was like the nicest sound ever!

Keep it cool Lexi, I thought, you don't want him to think you actually enjoy being in his car.

"I would have seen that car," I retorted.

"Do you think I would be stupid enough to drive it to school with hysterical girls like you that would just go and scratch its nice paint with theirs keys or heels?" Blake scoffed and patted the dashboard like the car was his baby.

And then he put it in reverse and spun the car in the parking.

Frak! That dude knows how to drive!

"So you mind telling me why you were wearing that dress to meet your mom?" Blake inquired with an amused smile.

"You mind telling me what you were doing in that restaurant," I countered, dodging the question.

"Waiting to pick up a random girl and giving her the night of her life. So far it's going great," he smirked.

"Keep on dreaming," I replied dryly, narrowing my eyes.

"I sure will babe," he sang and wiggled his eyebrows

"You know you're a perverted freak," I sneered.

Blake sped up the car the engine making a nice purring noise. "Ouch! That's harsh considering I just saved your nice little ass out there."

I ignored the crude remark and asked the obvious question. "Well speaking of which, why did you do that? It was nice of you, but I don't get why you would do something nice to begin with."

I really did wonder. What could he possibly gain from helping me?

"Again, ouch! Can't a guy be nice without any ulterior motives," he asked but his voice was playful.

Oh god, what does he want!?

"Sure... anyway... thank you," I trailed trying to not sound as worried as I was.

Maybe if I let the matter alone he wouldn't bring it up "ulterior motives" thing.

We were both silent after that and I was scared he was planning something bad.

I should say something, not let him think too much. Nothing that boy thinks about can be good. "So, we went to the exhibition at the new art gallery," I trailed.

"We sure did babe and you were all over me," Blake informed me happily and of course he still had that smug smirk plastered on his face. Couldn't he smile like a normal person? Or maybe just not make dirty comments every seconds.

I rolled my eyes at him and hit his arm with my purse.

I snorted. "Didn't figure you as the type of guy who would go to exhibitions," I said in a sarcastic voice.

"I'm going to go again with the you thought my name was Drake argument," he reiterated and turned on the street were I lived.

Huh?

I looked at him puzzled.

"How'd you know where I lived?" I frowned in confusion.

"If I recall your sister used to throw wild parties when your parents left," Blake explained with a tone and they way he was looking at me just meant I was very dumb for even asking.

Oh yeah, right.

Annabelle and her wild parties... Every time she would throw one I would go crash at Alex's house, or my friend Vanessa, or at Daphnee's, not wanting to witness the demolition.

But that was before my mom left, and Anna decided she couldn't live in this house anymore and moved to the other side of the country.

I should have known some one like Blake would have been there.

"Well, again thank you," I stated, opened the door and stepped out.

"You're welcome! Now you owe me," Blake informed me.

I gasped and turned around to face him.

A huge grin covered his face.

"What?!"

"You heard me! You owe me now. Don't worry I'll come up with a nice payment for you to give me soon," he explained, obviously proud of himself and closed the door for me in one sharp movement leaving me breathless in front of my house.

Oh my god!

What had I put myself into?!