All students were already in the classrooms when they walked along the corridors. Marlon was walking two steps behind Hazel, hands in his jeans pockets, indifferent to his surroundings.
She talked him through the basics as they were walking but he didn’t seem to pay much attention. His appearance alone created a lot of distractions, many students recognized him just by passing the classroom windows. He saw them waving at him briefly as he pass, no smiles just a cold gaze before he turned his cheek to a different direction.
“Do you need me to explain to you again?” Hazel made sure when they arrived at the end of the corridor.
He didn’t answer straight away, his mind was clearly somewhere else. He shrugged, “No … go on.”
Hazel opened the double door going to the back yard where the running tracks and soccer field was and continued her duty. She told him about the credits he can get for attending special classes for extra curriculum activities, how they can make up for certain subjects that he may not be good at and so on. He barely said anything, he may not even been listening.
They stopped by the soccer field. Marlon leaned on the wall by the bleacher and took out a pack of cigarette from his pocket. Hazel was lost for words when he lit it up without a care in the world.
She sighed deeply, “You can’t smoke here, you know? It’s a school … I’m pretty sure that’s obvious.”
And for the first time, he smiled, mockingly, with the cigarette between his perfect white teeth, “So sue me.”
That’s when Hazel noticed that his eyes were glassy, he was stoned.
“Look … Marlon … can I call you Marlon? I’m just here to help you because I was asked, okay? And helping you will get me a recommendation for college which I desperately need … I need your cooperation, or else I will have to decline.”
He lifted one shoulder, “So decline … whatever … I don’t care,” he puffed a smoke. “Yeah … you can call me Marlon … unless if you prefer to call me something else?” he chuckled. “Baby?” his smile was teasing her.
She grimaced, this is going to be harder than she thought. He got on her nerves very quickly, and she wasn’t in a particularly good place that day. She let out a long exhale, “Do I even need to go on with this introduction? Are you even going to try to be a real student here? It doesn’t look like you even wanna be here?”
He laughed lightly, “Baby … consider this your lucky day … you’ll get that recommendation … I’ll tell them how good you are to me, how much you’re helping me … I can tell them anything you want as long as you cooperate with me, that is if you’re still willing to be my student guide.”
“Cooperate? What is that even mean?”
“It means … we’ll do exactly what the Principal asked, but we’ll do it on my terms … as far as I’m concerned, we’re pretty much stuck together now … this is my parents’ way of punishing me and you need to do this because you need to look good on your portfolio and probably a few extra credit for being an excellent student … right?” he winked at her.
She pursed her lips, this can’t be happening, not on the day she needs to contemplate on her love life. “You’re saying you’re not going to follow the rules and do the ground work?”
He smiled, “That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? You can do all that for me and make the progress report … and all I have to do is tell them how great you are … it’s a win-win situation.”
She rolled her eyes, “Great.”
“They just have to see us hang out every day, look at the results … which you’ll do for me, we’ll report every end of the week, all good … and party at my place every other weekend,” he said lightly.
She thought about it for a moment, the work load she will have to carry just for this guy to look good on paper and her own responsibility to be student council and preparing for college. Shit. But he’s got leverage, that’s for sure. Whether Mr. Edgerton likes to admit it or not, this guy is already getting special treatment from the school … which was providing her to be his assistant rather than a student guide. Shit.
“Fine … but I want college entrance guarantee,” she challenged him.
He pursed his lips with a bemused look on his face, “Now we’re talking … I admire a girl who can negotiate,” he extended his hand, “Let’s shake on it, baby.”
The way he said it made her cringe, “Why do you keep calling me baby?”
He laughed, “To be honest …” he winced, “I forgot your name.”
God, this guy is such a jerk, she thought. “It’s Hazel Williams,” she said rather loudly.
He could see he was getting on her nerves, and he loved it. His hand was still waiting for her to welcome it. “Right … Hazel … like your eyes,” he curved his lips. “Well? Is that a deal, Hazel?”
She reluctantly shook his hand, she wasn’t sure if he was trustworthy enough to follow through on the deal. But she had to take that chance.
“Now …” he stood up, flicked his cigarette to the ground without even putting it out, “Do you want to hang out in my car and get high?” he puffed the smoke out in a straight line.
She furrowed her brow, “Aren’t you going to attend your classes?”
He tucked his hands in his pockets, “Not today.”
Wow … was the only comment she could give to this guy, but she didn’t let it out of her mouth. “Well … I’m going back inside, I can’t afford to miss a single class this year.” She didn’t know much about him but in that first impression, she knew he was trouble.
He shrugged, “If you say so … last chance on a freshly delivered prime quality weed,” he said cheekily.
She stared at him for a moment trying to find an answer, she was somewhat stunned by how good looking he was that she adverted her gaze from his face, “Not today.” Hazel had never tasted weed before in her life but she felt like it was a ‘cool’ respond to a ‘cool’ guy like him, and she didn’t want to appear like a small town nerdy chick.
He tilted his head to one side, “Suit yourself … more for me then,” he turned to walk toward the exit gate to the carpark. “See you tomorrow, baby,” he chuckled with his back on her.
Hazel stood there and watched him go, still trying to fathom what she just experienced. Marlon Dean Reynolds just asked her to hang out and smoked weed in his car. Most of the Pinehurst High students would be so jealous if they knew. Her eyes followed him all the way to his white Lamborghini, her heart beat faster. She had never been in the presence of a real celebrity before, if she could count Marlon as an actual celebrity.
The car door opened upward, and closed back down after he was seated inside. The side windows were opaque, she could still see a glimpse of his face through the front window. He put on his shades, started the car and lit a lighter onto his thinly rolled joint. The Lamborghini screeched loudly as it passed the school’s front gate. All she could hear in her head was, ‘trouble, trouble, trouble.’