Chapter 6 Reputation

• ~ Zoie’s POV ~
• The audacity! Just who the hell that guy thinks he is?!
• Watching the guy leave her space, Zoie was bewildered. She couldn’t believe what just happened. This random guy in the bar who she thought was gonna hit on her, ended up calling her bluff and stealing her drink. She couldn’t have seen that one coming.
• “Did I see that right? Or did that guy just walk away with your drink?” Brianna squeaked.
• “That was totally uncalled for,” Emma huffed. Zoie’s two friends now came back into her periphery once the guy was gone.
• “I know, right!” Zoie crossed her arms in annoyance. “What a weirdo,”
• Zoie kept watching as the guy disappeared amongst the sea of crowds. Sure, she was new to the club and dating scene, but surely this wasn’t supposed to happen. At least, that’s not what she saw in the movies.
• “What was his deal anyway? What did he say to you?” Emma asked
• “I dunno,” she shrugged. “Some bullshit about my ID…”
• “Hey, there you girls are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you three!”
• Suddenly, a voice was heard and the girls quickly turned around. Standing before them was Lucas James Sterling, one of the most, if not the most popular guy in Vanderbilt High School. Lucas had gorgeous blonde eyes, crystal blue eyes, and a smile to match the brightness of the sun. He was in the same grade as Zoie and she’s had a crush on him since forever, but of course, Lucas was out of her reach. He always dated models and actresses. Last she heard, he was dating Millie Bobby Brown.
• “Lucas! Hey!” Brianna exclaimed and threw her arms open, pulling him into a hug.
• “I was wondering if you’re ever gonna show up!” Emma added, hugging him next.
• “This is our grad party, of course I’m gonna show up!” Lucas beamed. He then zeroed in on Zoie, who was trying her hardest not to blush. “Hey, Z,”
• Zoie swallowed hard. Lucas freaking Sterling was noticing her!
• “Hey,” she replied. Acting all cool and making sure she wasn’t gonna faint.
• Emma and Brianna were hugging Lucas in a friendly way. Those three had been friends for a long time, always running around in the same circle. Zoie, however, was new to the scene. Up until a few weeks ago, she didn’t even think this group of people would wanna hang out with her. Feeling rather awkward to hug Lucas, Zoie opted to stand in her spot. Meanwhile, Lucas was eyeing her up and down, finding her rather intriguing.
• “So, can I get you girls anything?” he asked.
• “Drinks, please!” Brianna squealed.
• “Sure thing. Peach Martinis?”
• “You know it!” Emma nodded eagerly.
• “Be right back,” Lucas gave them one last smile before turning for the bartender.
• As if on cue, Emma and Brianna quickly pulled Zoie to the side and stared at her with wide eyes.
• “Okay, did you see that?” Emma asked.
• “See what?” Zoie looked at the girls in confusion.
• “Lucas was totally checking you out!” Brianna hissed as if it was obvious.
• “No, he wasn’t,” Zoie scoffed.
• “Oh, come on, don’t be so naïve!” Emma groaned.
• “Didn’t you have a crush on him freshman year?” Brianna asked.
• “Freshman, sophomore, and junior year?” Emma corrected.
• “Well, okay, sort of, but—"
• “But what?” Brianna cut her off. Then she leaned closer and said, “This is it, Zoe! This is your chance to get with Lucas Sterling! I heard he’s recently single and from the looks of it, he’s totally into you,”
• “…Really?” Zoie looked uncertain.
• “Yeah! I think you should totally go for it!” Emma reassured her.
• “But.. I… I dunno…” Zoie croaked. She glanced up at Lucas who was now smirking at her from the bar.
• “What’s not to know?” Brianna pressed. “Lucas is filthy rich and drop-dead gorgeous. Every girl in our school wanted to get with him at some point. Including Emma,”
• “That was a long time ago,” Emma rolled her eyes dramatically. “And you totally did too!”
• “Whatever, the point is, Lucas is a catch!” Brianna said as she whipped her hair back. “And if you’re serious about getting some experience before college starts, I think you can learn a lot from him,”
• Zoie looked at her two friends before turning her eyes to Lucas again. Maybe it was the alcohol in her system or the loud music pumping in her ears, but a part of her was thinking that her friends were right. If she wanted to take risks and experience new things, now was the perfect time to start.
• But then again…
• Another part of her was scared. Yes, she didn’t like to admit that, but she was. Zoie heard a lot of things about Lucas, especially about how he got with almost half the underclassmen girls in their school. There was a rumor that went around that Lucas had a thing for virgins. Zoie had no intentions of keeping her V-card until college, but was she ready to lose it this way? With this guy?
• “I don’t know,” Zoie sighed after a while of silence. “I mean, he’s got quite the reputation, doesn’t he?”
• Emma and Brianna exchanged a knowing look.
• “Don’t listen to high school gossip, Zoe. People are just jealous because they wanna be in our circle and they can’t,” Emma said.
• “Exactly,” Brianna agreed. “Just do whatever makes you happy. We’re behind you one hundred percent,”
• The two girls were sending Zoie such positive and supportive vibes. Zoie never knew how much fun it was to have friends like this, especially girl-friends. Growing up, she was always surrounded by her older brothers or male friends. All of them were overprotective like crazy. It felt nice to be reckless every once in a while.
• “Aw, thanks, you guys,” Zoie gushed as she pulled Emma and Brianna into a hug.
• “Just don’t forget to hit us with all the deets,” Brianna winked.
• “Oh, he’s coming back!” Emma said as she quickly turned Zoie around.
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• - - - - - To be continued - - - - -