Chapter 7

"Dallas has been awfully clingy considering you two are just dates to a ball." Dom raised an eyebrow. We sat in front of the fireplace in my lounge room on the couch, mugs with hot chocolate in our hands. I sipped on the hot chocolate before placing the cup down in my lap and adjusting the blanket around our shoulders. "Beats me. If I knew a way to get him to leave me alone then I could probably also find a cure for Influenza." "It doesn't annoy you?" Dom and I had been close since we were kids. He was like a brother to me-so it wasn't weird having him ask me about these things, nor was it weird talking to him about it. It was easier than it was talking to Ocean and Preslie because with Dom, I could be more open and honest and his perspective was different than theirs. "Of course it does, Dom." I laughed lightly because that was a stupid question. "The more I try to get him to back off me, the more it seems like he pesters me." "So he's doing it to-I don't know, tease you?" Dom asked, looking over at me. I stared at the fire that was sparking in front of us, tilting my head. "Sure-he just likes to be a pain." Dom nodded, sipping on his drink. "Do you-like Dallas?" I asked him after a minute. "What do you mean by like?" He narrowed his eyes, trying not to read further into my words. "I don't know." I pursed my lips. "Just in general-as a person." "He's not... a bad guy." Dom exhaled, licking his lips. "He's funny, laid-back and can handle a joke but I don't know him well enough to judge if he's boyfriend material." "Woah, woah, woah-" I looked at Dom with wide eyes, placing my mug down on the coffee table. "I never said anything about going into the boyfriend territory." A sudden wave of this weird giddy and kooky feeling washed over me at the thought of dating Dallas. It just seemed wrong-and odd because I couldn't picture Dallas as a very "boyfriend material" person. He had tons of girls all over him. All he cared about was his reputation and what people were saying about him. He was cocky and annoying. He liked to get reactions from other people. Nothing about that was boyfriend material. "Okay, okay-my bad." Dom also placed his mug down on the table and raised his hands up in defence, laughing at my abrupt defensiveness. "I just thought that's what you meant." "And what in the world could possibly make you think that?" Dom squinted his eyes as he looked at me in disbelief. "You're asking your best friend their opinion on a guy who's your date." "And?" "And-that's what you do when you like someone." He answered as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. "It's like a second opinion slash b-f-f approval-sort of thing." I nodded my head slowly, taking my time to comprehend his words. "Kind of like-when I want to buy a pair of shoes and I need your opinion on whether they're okay or not?" Dom gave me a confused look before slowly nodding. "Yeah-I guess so." "Okay-but shoes are more important." I confirmed, nodding because my thought was factual. Dom tilted his head, thinking about it. "So, you would much rather get my approval on a pair of shoes over a partner?" I feigned pondering. "Yes." "Oh, Eliza." Dallas spoke in a sing-song voice. "What must your plans be for tonight?" He came over to me halfway through class and sat in the empty seat beside mine. "Anything that includes being on opposite ends of the country from you, Dallas." I turned around to face him so I could smile right in his face. "Oh-come on. Why do you make this so complicated?" He whined, feigning an expression of hurt as if he were a little child. "No reason-your presence is just not very convivial." I presumed back to copying the notes from the board to my notebook. "Hm-I should be hurt but it's not the worst thing I've heard from you." He shrugged, brushing off my comment. "So, what are you doing tonight?" After a minute, Dallas leaned up on my shoulder because I hadn't replied to his question. "What do you want?" I snapped, whisper-yelling as we were in class. I pushed him off of me and gave him an annoyed look. Why couldn't the kid just leave me alone, give me some space, anything? It was like he constantly felt the need to annoy me for the sake of simply being a pain in the ass. "What are you doing tonight?" He repeated again. "I can ask in a few different languages, if you'd like." He wiggled his eyebrows at me. "I am not hanging out with you, Dallas." "Why is that?" He frowned, nudging me with his elbow. "Buzz off." "Why?" He continued to whine like a little baby who was in desperate need of a milk bottle. I was growing more and more annoyed. My patience was running thin and I wasn't sure how to find more of it. "Because-I don't like you." I spoke very slowly to exaggerate my point. "Then-why did you say yes?" He narrowed his eyes. I couldn't tell if he was trying to get me to hang out with him, trying to get under my skin or if he was solely just aggravating. "I thought we went over the reasons I agreed to go to the ball with you." "Oh yeah-you're my tampon, right?" Dallas bit back a laugh. "You humour me." I smiled for a split second before opening my textbook and starting to read over an article that was assigned. I was barely a full two sentences in when Dallas started nudging me once again. "Let's get coffee." He suggested. I was about to revolt but he just continued to speak. "Or we can catch a movie-pizza, maybe ice cream but it's cold so hot chocolate is okay too." "Maybe we can pull a Mark Dobson too." I chirped innocently. Dallas didn't understand the reference- which I was thankful for because he shut up for a good minute. I could continue writing my notes. "What is with you and these weird metaphors?" He mumbled in thought. "What is with you not leaving me alone?" "I'm just trying-" I shut him up when I stood up in the middle of class, catching everyone's attention. "My brother and I have a quick emergency we must attend to." I then grabbed Dallas's arm and pulled him up, dragging him out of the classroom, closing the door behind us. "Woah-a quickie in the hallway? I've done supply closets but never the middle of the hallway." He smirked as he stood up, finding his footing properly on the ground. "What do you want from me?" I asked bluntly, cutting to the chase because I was fed up. I was- Baffled, abashed-I'm not even sure anymore. All my wit was fading away from me. Dallas got under my skin, in a way that I didn't know was possible. I couldn't understand him. I didn't know what he wanted from me. "What do you mean, sweets?" He asked innocently. "I thought we were friends." "Cut the annoying bullshit act you've got going on and either tell me what it is you need from me or walk back into class." I don't think I entirely knew where all my annoyance was rotted from. "Fine." He groaned, moving to lean against a locker. "Only because I don't want to go back into class." "What do you want from me?" I asked again, sighing softly. I felt-tired. "I don't want anything from you. Is it a crime to ask you to hang out with me?" He slid his back down against the locker until he was sitting on the ground, leaning against the locker with his legs stretched out straight in front of him. Hesitating for a moment, I walked over and sat down on the ground beside him. "We went over this, didn't we? You got your buzz and you'll get more people talking on the day of the ball-so why do you keep trying to get more?" "It's not about-" Dallas cut himself off, exhaling deeply. He shook his head, clearing his previous train of thought. "I just-I thought it would be a good idea to get to know my date." "It's a ball, Dallas." I mumbled quietly. "One night-no reason for you to get to know me." "Sorry for trying to be friendly." He muttered bitterly. He almost-almost sounded slightly offended. We both sat in silence for a few minutes until I finally sighed and broke it, saying something that I wasn't sure if I would regret. "So-how does coffee sound?"