Putting Vince Marshall in His Place

 

Chapter 3

“I called you an a*s. It’s common courtesy to at least pretend you’re sorry when you bump into someone,” I sneered, feeling my stance become rigid. I cheered mentally when I realized my voice wasn’t shaking even though the black-haired, barrel-chested guy in front of me looked ready to kill.

He became apoplectic. He turned to his goons, practically spitting, “Did you see that? That m**********r’s mocking me!”

I smirked coldly, glancing sideways at an astonished Matt. “Oh, don’t get ahead of yourself�"I’m only warming up,” I said, raising an eyebrow and crossing my arms for effect.

Everyone around us had stopped, nudging each other and pointing in our direction, obviously hoping for a fight. I knew that in a physical fight I’d probably get thrashed, seeing this guy’s bulging muscles and becoming painfully aware of my… lack of huge ones. I cursed myself for skipping out on the weight training my friends were doing last semester.

The guy in front of me paced in the small area between two rows of lockers, his eyes locked on mine. “You think you’re so bad, don’t you, kid? Maybe you’re new, maybe you’re just stupid�"don’t f**k with me; I won’t hesitate mess up that pretty face,” he threatened, his friends jeering behind him. “You look like a f*****g f*g with that long hair�"were you going for a chick look?”

His friends laughed a lot louder than necessary as the crowd around us pressed in tighter, hungry for action. I merely rolled my eyes.

“Wow, that was original. Did your mommy help you come up with that one? I find it hilarious that you called me a f*g, yet you’re the one saying I have a pretty face. And, speaking of possible homosexual tendencies, don’t football players routinely smack each others’ asses?” I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm as I glared meaningfully at the team jerseys he and his friends were wearing. I put a finger to my lips, pretending to think as the crowd “ohh”ed in appreciation of my remark. “You might want to rethink your own orientation,” I said as a parting shot.

I turned to leave, pulling Matt with me through the crowd. I shot a look over my shoulder and smugly saw that the idiot was still standing there, frozen, looking like someone had taken the last vestiges of brains he’d possessed.

Matt walked slightly in front silently, guiding me up a flight of stairs and into a classroom. “That… That was awesome!” he breathed as we sank into nearby desks, his face flushed with excitement.

I took the syllabus the teacher had just lain on my desk and pretended to fan myself with it nonchalantly. “Oh, it was nothing,” I said dismissively. “Honestly, there are a lot of his type in Fort Worth�"you just have to stump them long enough to make a grand exit, and they’ll usually leave you alone,” I said, putting the sheet of paper down. “There’s nothing a pompous a*s hates more than to be put in their place.”

Matt just shook his head, still slightly in awe. “But that guy could have snapped you like a twig!”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Some friend you’re turning out to be. No wonder Jess called you a dipshit,” I hissed as the teacher started talking about her subject and expectations.

Matt put a hand over his heart melodramatically. “I’m hurt,” he said, feigning a pained expression. “I’m a narcissistic b*****d, not a dipshit!”

I shook my head and turned to face the front, catching the teacher’s momentary glare as she paced in front of the class, still talking. I winced�"Mom hated getting notes sent home about my talking in class to friends. I figured Brandon wouldn’t like it much either, so I waved off Matt’s attempts at conversation and played the part of a good little school boy, paying attention to the boring first-day speech like it was going to be on an upcoming test. I snorted softly to myself�"being good was something I hardly ever exclusively did.

The day dragged on until lunch, where I snagged a table with Matt and Jess and two of their friends. I was glad I’d listened to Brandon and brought my own lunch�"the lumpy mass on the girl’s tray looked disgusting.

The girl herself, however, was hot.

Normally, I don’t go for blonde-haired chicks, but I was more than willing to make an exception in her case.

I must have been staring�"she gave me a bright smile and flipped her honey-colored hair over her shoulder. “Hi; you must be new,” she said, crossing her legs sinuously. Me, being the total pig I am, glanced quickly to see if she was wearing a skirt. No such luck�"jeans.

Jess hurriedly swallowed the bite of pizza she’d taken, fanning her mouth from the burning food. “Damn, that’s hot... Sam, this is Aiden; he just moved here from Fort Worth. Aiden, this is Samantha Dawson,” she said, wiping her mouth hurriedly on a cheap napkin. She balled it up when it came apart, looking at it disgustedly before tossing It onto her tray.

Samantha smirked slightly at me. “Charmed,” she drawled, her brilliantly blue eyes sliding from me to gaze around the cafeteria. I followed her gaze, seeing what Jess meant by a segregated lunchroom�"every clique had its own section in the room, further separated into circles of friends by the round tables littering the room.

I felt bold, suddenly. I met her gaze and smiled slowly. “Likewise,” I answered in what I hoped came across as a mature and sexy voice. Samantha raised her perfectly-arched eyebrows, her full lips twisting into another smirk.

Damn, she was sexy. I swear she knew what she was doing to me�"still smirking, she raised an eyebrow and cupped her chin in her hands, slightly narrowing her eyes as she turned those bright eyes on me. Absent-mindedly I brushed my hair out of my eyes and raised an eyebrow, tilting my head slightly�"one of my ex-chicks told me she loved that; maybe Samantha would too.

“You’re cute,” she said, chuckling and turning her attention back to her food.

I fought really hard to keep from blushing, but I felt a slight heat on my cheeks despite my efforts. “Thanks; so are you,” I answered, taking a bite of my ham sandwich. Is there a sexy way to eat? I was certainly trying.

The other guy sitting at the table snorted, drawing my attention for the first time. Judging just on the way he dressed, this guy belonged across the room with the Goths and punks in their predictably shadowy corner�"they have to protect their ultra-pale skin, after all.

“Careful with Sam, dude. She will chew you up and spit you out,” he warned, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Samantha�"Sam�"snorted and threw a greasy fry at the guy.

“Watch it, James, else you’ll be next,” she teased, her smoky eyes narrowing dangerously at the guy. He pulled the hood of his jacket over his head, rolling his eyes. James put his head down, acting bored.

The bell rang, and Jess showed me the way to our social studies class. After about ten minutes of talking, the teacher warned the class to stay quiet and let us talk.

Jess turned to me, biting her lip slightly. “Aiden… I really think you should be careful with Sam,” she said, glancing at me as though she expected me to get mad.

I leaned forward, a frown on my face. “What do you mean? Is she… loose?”

Jess looked extremely uncomfortable�"probably wasn’t used to talking about people behind their backs. “It’s not that, exactly… She’s a hardcore sort of person. She used to be really nice and sweet to everyone, but she’s been hitting the party scene pretty hard. I don’t even really know her anymore�"James wasn’t too far off the mark with his comment about her chewing guys up, dude. If you’re not what she wants, she’ll drop you so fast you’re left wondering what happened. She’s broken a fair amount of hearts, Aiden�"I don’t want you to be next, you know? It’s only your first day, and all.”

I dismissed the latter part�"I saw the look in Sam’s eyes; I’ve dealt with chicks like that back in Fort Worth. I even dated a chick just like that back at my old school, and got out before she did any sort of damage to me. I could definitely handle myself.

“So sweet of you to care, Jess. Don’t worry about me; I’ve handled her type of girl before,” I answered flippantly. “But you said she likes to party? I could throw one,” I mused. “It’d be a good way to meet people,” I added as I saw Jess’ face darken slightly.

Brandon would probably allow the party�"hell, knowing him, he’d have to restrain himself from going to Commerce or Neylandville and getting a keg. Brandon’s house did have that convenient shed out back that I could clean up and we could hang out in that, so Brandon could get some sleep in case he had to work the next day. I made a mental note to ask Brandon’s… permission… and snapped out of my momentary daze to smile at Jess.

She looked at me warily. “What?”

I fiddled wth the ball chain around my neck, looking carefully blank. “You free this weekend?”

She blushed slightly. “Uh… Aiden, I have a boyfriend. Sorry,” she said, looking away.

Great… I reddened a little in response. “That’s not what I meant! I was thinking of throwing a party this weekend. Besides, Matt said something about an Ethan�"I figured that was your boyfriend.”

“Oh! Well, sure, then. Want me to invite some people?”

I nodded. “Sure, but keep it small�"I still have to make sure Brandon’s okay with it.”

“No problem, Aiden,” Jess answered, flashing me a quick smile.

“Aiden? Are you Aiden Cross, the new kid from Fort Worth?” a guy asked, turning around in his seat to face me.

“Yeah, why?” I answered warily.

The kid looked excited and reached forward to shake his friend’s shoulder. “Eric, this is the guy I told you about! The one that went up against Vince Marshall and totally put him to shame!” he said. The guys both turned to look at me almost reverently.

“Dude, I saw that and that was awesome! I would never have had the courage to do that,” the second guy, Eric, said.

“Yeah man�"not only is Vince a senior, he’s a huge linebacker! Aiden�"that’s your name, right?�"you are brave,” added the first guy. “No offense, but I really thought you were about to get your a*s kicked.”

I raised an eyebrow sardonically. “Glad to see you thought so highly of me,” I said dryly. “But, I suppose I understand�"I was worried myself, for a moment,” I admitted.

One of the guys turned and talked to his friends, who in turn talked to theirs, and by the end of the class period I was a celebrity in my own right. I was the Junior Who Put Vince Marshall in His Place. I had to admit it was kind of cool to be looked up to for something considered brave, rather than for something as stupid as boning the entire cheerleading squad like the douchebags back home. As if risking getting STDs needed a special award…

The rest of the day flew by with random people coming up and congratulating me, and every once in a while I’d see a football player throw a glare in my direction, but none of them, thankfully, approached me.

Sam was in my last-period art class, which was interesting until I saw her artwork bought into the traditional manga style. How boring�"I really thought someone like Sam would have at least put her own spin on the Japanese style, but maybe she was still trying to perfect it. I sat and doodled mindlessly at my desk while the teacher talked, covering the margins of my paper in loops and jagged lines.

Finally, I was free. I didn’t see either Jess or Matt on my way out, but I didn’t mind it too much�"I’d already seen the pitiful excuses for entertainment Meadow Grove offered, so it wasn’t like I expected to hang out with them doing anything particularly fun. Besides, I needed to see if Brandon would mind the party that weekend.

I realized with a jolt that meant the party would be in three days, if I held it on Friday night, since the school year started on a Tuesday. I threw my bag into the trunk of the old Taurus, glaring back at yet another football player who was glaring at me, and drove home with the phone to my ear.

“Aiden? What’s up, kid?”

“Brandon, would you mind if I threw a little party Friday night? I can clean out that shed and keep it there so we don’t disturb you, if you work on Saturday,” I offered.

“Yeah, do that, so there’s less space for trash to end up. You go ahead and throw that party, Aiden; I’m glad you’re getting so many friends already!” Brandon answered, enthused. “I promise I won’t try to bring a keg to this one.”

I laughed�"Mom was horrified when Brandon showed up to our house the day of my seventeenth birthday with a keg of Bud Light in the back of his truck. “Too bad,” I teased. “You can’t get drunk with the kiddies, but I could drive you back from the nursing home if you want me to!”

Brandon chuckled. “You’re such a brat. I gotta get back to work, but listen�"I left twenty bucks for spending money on the kitchen counter. Go ahead and start buying food and some drinks, and then clean up that shed. I never use it; you can convert it into a game room or something if you want. Remind me later to give you some more cash for snacks. ”

“Sweet! Thanks, Brandon. I’ll talk to you later.” I hung up the phone with a snap as I pulled into the driveway.

Things were looking up�"on my first day, I made a few friends, put down a jock, and met a hot chick. You couldn’t really ask for a better first day.

I put my things away and snatched up the sixty dollars Brandon had left out. I couldn’t help but smile as I walked back out the door, intending to go to Walmart�"I had a party to plan, and a girl to impress. I had to be at the top of my game.

Good thing party planning came almost naturally to me.

 

Reviews

[---]

I liked the transition and contrast between the last two chapters. The comebacks were great and the characters are awesome! I like how Jess and Aiden are remaining just friends, since many times the guy and girl pals become an item right away.

[Damon Ross Cottrell]

So far so good. You've made a excellent transition between chapters. I found your story to be interesting and the characters compelling. Everything about your writing held my interest the entire way through. The characters seemed quite distinct and I loved Aiden's comebacks. You are writing his humor very well. I however feel that he'll still end up being beaten to a pulp. It will be interesting to see how he handles himself in the future.