"**What do you want?"

I stood there gawking like an idiot for a minute at the guy who stood in front of me and immediately regretted my decision to welcome my new neighbor. 

I stood on the front of my new neighbor's porch while he filled the doorway with his arms crossed over a very muscular chest that did not have a shirt on. He looked to be around my age which meant he would probably be starting school on Monday even though it was halfway through the school year already. Maybe I could show him around this weekend so he would feel more comfortable.

His jet black hair was cut in a short mohawk that was longer in the front, causing it to hang in front of one of his eyes. My gaze traveled lower to where I stared at a six pack above a pair of dark jeans that rested low on his hips. The black studded belt didn't do much to hold up his pants.

"Well?" He said, huffing a breath of annoyance.

My eyes shot up to his green ones that were already glaring at me. He so had just caught me checking him out. My cheeks flamed a deep shade of red and I tried to hide behind my hair.

Damn. It's not my fault that I was a girl and a shirtless boy was standing in front of me. Who wouldn't take advantage of this opportunity to check him out?

I ran my fingers through my shoulder length blonde hair and began, "Uh, I'm Veronica Fray, your neighbor-"

"Great, I live next to an ugly girl," he muttered.

Slam.

The front door to his house flew shut with such force that my short hair was blown back. My mouth dropped open and all I could do was stare.

The jerk had called me ugly and then slammed the door on me while I was trying to welcome him! I clenched my fists and was about to smack the front door when I heard voices arguing inside. I stopped and because I knew no boundaries when it came to privacy, I put my ear against the door so I could hear what was going on.

"-go apologize, right now!"

"No."

"Elijah-"

"I don't like ugly girls. I thought you said our neighbor was hot."

Suddenly, the door was yanked open while I was still leaning against it. I stumbled and crashed to the floor inside my neighbor's house. I whipped my head up and tried to see through the strands of hair that were strewn across my face.

"And she's a stalker."

My face flushed red again as I stared up at the two guys standing in front of me. The one on the left was the one who had slammed the door on my face. The one on the right was slightly taller, but skinnier, with lighter hair and warm, brown eyes, so unlike the cold green ones of the boy standing next to him.

The one with brown eyes reached a hand down to me and I slid my small hand in his much larger one. He helped me stand up until I was eye level with his chest. He placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Sorry about that. My name is Uriah," he hooked a thumb at the guy next to him, "and this is my younger brother, Elijah."

"By a year," Elijah grumbled, looking anywhere but at me.

Oh, so they were brothers. Uriah was a million times nicer than Elijah. And he was cute.

"Uh, my name is Veronica. I came over to welcome you guys, but..." I trailed off awkwardly.

Elijah's eyes shot to mine with intense dislike and I took a step back, crossing my arms over my chest. I matched his glare and he raised an eyebrow. Uriah looked between the two of us with amusement.

"I think you guys will make great friends," he commented with a huge smile. Dimples surfaced on his cheeks and I just about melted. I turned my gaze to him and forced a smile, "We'll see about that."

"No we won't. Don't come over here again, Victoria," Elijah growled.

Uriah smacked his brother on the arm and whispered, "Her name is Veronica. Why are you being such an asshole to her?"

I waved my hand in their faces, standing on my tippy toes and said, "Hello? I'm right here. I can hear everything you're saying."

Elijah gave me a nasty look and took a step towards me. I couldn't help but notice as his muscles rippled over his stomach while he moved. I stood still until the tips of his boots hit the tips of my converse.

"That's the problem," he said so low I could barley hear him.

"Elijah," Uriah warned.

I didn't get the chance to move out of the way as Elijah plucked me off the ground and flung me over his shoulder. The blood immediately rushed to my face as I pounded on his back. Elijah ignored his brother's protests as he continued outside.

He took one step onto the white porch and shut the door behind him. I kept banging on his back and yelling profanities at him as he kept walking.

Elijah stopped once he got to my house. He dropped me like a sack of potatoes onto the seat swing in my front yard. The swing swung back and forth from my impact. 

With that, Elijah strutted back to his house.

I clenched my fists so hard that my nails dug into my palms. Elijah had just humiliated me and kicked me out of his house.

This wasn't over.

This meant war.

Uriah stood on the porch, waving to me and yelled, "Sorry for my dumbass brother's attitude!"

I was about to reply when Elijah shoved past his brother to get into the house. He shut the door behind him and Uriah shrugged before deciding to come over to my yard. He plopped down beside me on the seat swing and his long legs stretched out in front of us, stopping the swing from moving.

Uriah ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"Elijah really doesn't mean any of what he said," Uriah tried to explain.

I lifted a hand. "I don't care," I turned to face him, "Just know, I will not let him get away with this."

Uriah gave me a shocked look for a second before he burst out laughing. Clutching his stomach, he said, "Not many people have the guts to stand up to my brother. He's very, uh-"

"Cold?" I supplied.

Uriah smiled knowingly and said, "Standoffish."

I smiled in reply and sat there swinging my legs.

"You're different, Veronica, I like you," Uriah said, catching me off guard. My cheeks turned pink and I shrugged.

"A lot of people don't like my attitude which is why I don't have many friends..."

Uriah stood up quickly. I looked up at him as he spoke.

"How about you show me around the school? I'll be a senior and Elijah will be a junior when we start on Monday," he said.

I groaned. Elijah was in my grade.

"Let me guess, you're a junior, too?" He asked based on my reaction. I nodded in regret and he laughed again.

"Well," I said, getting up to stand next to him, "When do you want to go tour the school?"

"Now?"

I agreed and let him drive us there since my car was kind of pathetic. He had a nice, white BMW with leather seats. I was in love.

I pointed the directions how to get to the school while he drove. I swept my arm out in an arc when we arrived and announced, "Welcome to Hall's High School, also known as Hell's High."

Uriah got out of the car to join me and snickered at my joke.

"You don't really mean that do you?" He asked.

I put my finger on my chin as if I was deep in thought. I thought about the bitchy cheerleaders, the stinky jocks, the weird nerds, and the fact that I had no friends even though I've been going to school with these people for most of my life.

I nodded. "Yep, I do mean that."

Then, without giving him a chance to respond, I tugged on his arm and led him inside. Hall's High wasn't a magnificent school by any means. It was only two floors with a gym and a cafeteria and that was about it. We lived in a small town so everyone knew each other really well.

I just chose not to get close with anyone. Or they chose not to get close to me.

I brought Uriah all around the school, showed him where my locker was and where his locker was since he had received his schedule in the mail. When we were ready to leave, Uriah thanked me.

I may have just made my first friend. I beamed and told him it was no problem.

We left the school to go to the parking lot so we could go home. The previously vacant parking lot wasn't empty anymore.

Next to Uriah's BMW was a sleek, black sports car. Hard core rock music blasted through the speakers and made the ground rumble.

"Elijah," Uriah muttered.

Uriah walked up to the sports car with me trailing behind and knocked on the window. It slowly slid down to reveal a very pissed off Elijah. His green eyes narrowed on me, completely ignoring his brother who was opening the passenger side door.

"What are you doing with Victoria?" He growled, still only looking at me.

"My name isn't-"

Uriah shoved his head through the passenger side door and turned down the music before stepping back out.

"You better go home right now, Elijah," Uriah demanded.

Elijah rolled his eyes and focused on his brother.

"Why are you with her?" He spat as if I was some nasty creature that he couldn't stand.

"She was kindly showing me around school so I would know where to go on Monday."

Elijah leaned across the passenger seat and rested on his hand so he could easily see out the open window. He squinted at me.

"Usually you go for more sexy girls, Uriah," he said.

I gasped. That was the second time he made a comment about my looks.

Hey, I knew I was nothing special, but I also knew I wasn't ugly. Faint freckles dotted around my nose and my eyes were a light blue. I looked just like my mom with our shoulder length blonde hair, but I wasn't as attractive as her.

I've had enough with this jerk. I stepped forward, plunged my arm through the open window, and grasped the top of Elijah's black t-shirt that he hadn't had on before.

I pulled him right up to my face and his eyes widened.

"Listen-"

He cut me off by pressing his lips to mine. His eyes were open the whole time, daring me to break away.

Which I did.

"Elijah!" I yelled, slapping a hand over my lips and furiously wiped them.

He shrugged and sat back in the driver's seat.

That was my first kiss.

And he had stolen it.

"What the hell, Elijah?" Uriah growled.

"You need to watch your back because I swear, I will get you back for this," I said with my hands on my hips.

"Don't tell me that was your first kiss, Vic," he said.

I blushed hard and stuttered, "N-No, of course not."

"Liar."

I spun around before I could further embarrass myself and jumped in Uriah's car. He shot a look at Elijah that promised he would deal with him later and I was grateful.

Uriah got in the car and turned to me as Elijah sped out of the parking lot.

"Was that really your first kiss?" He asked, not starting the car.

I focused out the window without looking at him and gave a small nod.

"Shit, I don't know how many times I'm going to have to apologize about Elijah. I'll get him back, don't worry."

I turned to him and said, "I will, too."

*************

Hey guys! Let me know what you think so far about this story by leaving a comment. Thanks** :)

The weekend ended without any word from my new neighbors and I couldn't complain. If I never had to see Elijah again, it would be too soon. Just thinking about him put me in a sour mood. Like right now.

It was Monday morning and my mom had already called from downstairs for me to get ready for school. I'd groaned in response and sleepily got out of bed to take a quick shower. Once I had put on a blue sweater that made my eyes pop with a pair of ripped jeans, I headed downstairs.

My mom, with looks similar to mine, stood at the stove with a frying pan in hand and an apron around her waist. My dad was sitting at the small table in the middle of the room, sipping coffee and reading the newspaper. He set the newspaper down as I sat in the seat across from him.

"Hey sweetie," my mom said as she set a glass of orange juice in front of me. I took a huge gulp, wiping my upper lip afterward, before I spoke.

"Hi mom," I said while yawning. My mom laughed and continued cooking. My dad rolled his eyes knowing that I hated mornings.

"Have you met our neighbors, yet?" He asked. My dad had brown hair and blue eyes that seemed larger than they were underneath his thick glasses. They grew larger when he asked me that question. I sighed.

"Two brothers, my age," I clipped.

My mom spun toward me with mischief in her eyes. "Are they cute?"

I groaned and dropped my head in my hands. "Mom," I complained.

"They are!" She said, excited. "Why don't you invite their whole family over for dinner?"

I shook my head. "Absolutely not. And I haven't met their parents yet."

Before she had the chance to force me into inviting them, I ran out the door and locked myself in my car to drive to school. It was pouring rain outside and in my haste to get out of the house, I hadn't even brought an umbrella. I put the windshield wipers on and drove to school.

The parking lot was pretty empty for the most part since I had left so early. I picked a parking spot close to the school so I wouldn't have to be out in the rain for too long. I parked and turned off my car, pulling my hood up to prepare to make a mad dash across the parking lot into the school.

As I was pulling up my hood, something caught my eye. I squinted out the windshield, but couldn't make out what was leaning against the building in the rain. I slowly got out of my car and once the first drops hit me, I sprinted for the cover of the building.

The pavement was slippery and my feet glided right over the ground. I was so close to the school building when my feet lost purchase and my arms pinwheeled behind me. I was going to fall right in a puddle.

Suddenly, my plunge to the ground stopped and I was suspended in the air. I was huddled against a broad chest with my legs dangling over strong arms. My hood fell off and my eyes met glaring green ones.

"Elijah!" I yelled, "Put me down!"

He narrowed his eyes and tightened his hold on me. I smacked his chest as water droplets fell off his wet hair. With one hand holding me up, he used the other to run a hand through his hair.

I felt him shrug. His eyes had a strange glint in them and I realized why too late.

The next thing I knew, I was sitting in a deep puddle. My jeans were immediately soaked all the way up to the bottom of my sweatshirt. I slammed my hands in the water and threw Elijah the nastiest glare I could muster.

"Did you just drop me in the puddle!"

He looked at me, then at the puddle, then back at me as an answer. He was mocking me. I leaped up and threw myself at Elijah. I hated him.

My wet clothes made a smacking sound as our bodies connected. He wasn't ready for me and tripped backwards. His back slammed against the brick wall of the school. I clenched his leather jacket in my hand, pulling his face down to mine.

"You should have just told me you wanted me to kiss you again," he said raising an eyebrow at my hand on his collar. My cheeks flamed, remembering how I had done this to him yesterday and how he had responded by kissing me. I jerked him closer to me.

"The last thing I want to do is kiss you," I spat.

"Don't act like you're doing me any favors. Believe me, I don't want to be seen kissing a drowned rat."

My blood boiled in rage. I didn't think. I just acted.

The back of my hand collided with his cheek in such force I didn't know I was capable of using. His neck snapped to the side and his wet hair fell in his face. He slowly brought his head back around to face me and I seriously feared for my life. I've never seen a guy more pissed off than him.

He slapped my hands off his jacket and was about to get revenge on me when two arms wrapped underneath his armpits and held him back. I looked up to see a very angry Uriah trying to restrain his brother.

With clenched teeth, Uriah bit out, "What is going on?"

I pointed an accusing finger at Elijah. "He dropped me in a puddle and insulted me."

Uriah rolled his eyes. "Are you guys two?"

"Yeah, two seconds away from beating your *** up," Elijah growled.

"Usually when a guy and girl argue like this, it means they like-"

I cut Uriah off real fast.

"I do not like Elijah. He's arrogant, an asshole, mean-"

"And?" Elijah said, daring me to go on, as he struggled in his brother's arms.

"And...and I hate you."

Elijah raised a hand to his chest in mock hurt. "Ouch," he said.

My gaze was drawn to his lips as he pouted. His full lower lip quivered and I couldn't take my eyes away.

His lips turned up in a smirk when he caught me staring again. Damn, I had to stop checking out my enemy like this. I narrowed my eyes on his green ones and was about to say something when the warning bell rang.

"I'll see you around, Veronica?" Uriah said, hopefully.

By now, more students were piling into the parking lot and gave us weird looks. I nodded at him and completely ignored Elijah as I went inside.

I headed right for the nurse's office for a change of clothes. She gave me a normal pair of jeans with a new sweatshirt that said Pink. Ew, I hated that store. I thanked her anyway and headed to my first period class.

I took my seat in the second to last row, next to the window, in math class and dropped my backpack next to my chair. I hadn't felt like going to my locker to be in the hall with all those people I didn't associate with. Instead, I came straight here and dumped my folders and notebook onto my desk.

I started doodling in my notebook to wait for class to begin which would be in about three minutes. One minute later, a chair scraped across the ground behind me. I ignored it, figuring it was Chase Collins. He sat behind me everyday in every class we shared. He was kind of nerdish with his huge glasses and messy hair, but I didn't mind him. We were always partners and I had the feeling that he had a crush on me which was weird since no one liked me. Everyone thought I was strange. I didn't care.

A pen poked me in the back. I picked my head up from my drawing and without turning around, I asked, "What's up Chase?"

"Did you get your clothes at Goodwill?" A voice responded.

That wasn't Chase.

I swirled around in my chair to see Elijah smirking at me. By now, the class was almost full. The students closest to us snickered and sat down so they could be close to the new kid who just went up on the social ladder in a matter of seconds when I couldn't move up it in years. I grasped the pencil so tightly in my hand that it snapped.

"Did you get your clothes at Hot Topic?" I replied drily. "Goth wannabe."

Elijah's eyebrows drew upwards and the students who had laughed before at his comment gave me stunned looks. Guess they hadn't expected me to say anything.

Elijah leaned forward so his desk balanced on the front two legs. I didn't want to seem intimidated by him, so I didn't move.

Then, I had the best idea. I brought my hands down on the front of his desk and shoved. Elijah's desk fell forward and he toppled right to the ground. The class erupted in surprised laughter as Elijah sat at my feet.

"Is that Veronica?"

"What's gotten into her?"

"She's badass."

"Who's the new kid?"

I ignored the excited whispers of my classmates. I could only see Elijah as he stared up at me. The bell rang and everyone took their seats, including him. I spun around to face the front of the class as my math teacher walked in. Mrs. Humphrey was in her mid twenties and had her long, auburn hair styled in perfect waves down her back. She looked around the class and once she spotted Elijah, she beamed.

"Oh, looks like we have a new student. Why don't you introduce yourself to the class?" She requested.

I didn't bother to look at him as he stood up.

"I'm Elijah Reed."

All the girls sighed dreamily and repeated his name. I rolled my eyes.

"Is there something wrong, Veronica?"

My eyes snapped up to Mrs. Humphrey's. My ears turned pink and I heard Elijah sit back down behind me.

"No," I said.

She began the lecture and I began my plotting.

Instead of taking notes, I mentally tried to figure out how I could get Elijah back. And get him back good.

A picture of my mom flashed through my mind. That was it, I had the perfect idea.

I had hated my mom's idea at first, but now I loved it.

Elijah would lose his mind if I invited him over my house for dinner. He would hate it. I would too, but it would be worth it. Plus, Uriah would be there and I liked him.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class and I took my time getting out, making sure that Elijah left before me. I caught up to him in the hallway and grabbed his arm. His head whipped down to me and he yanked his arm free.

"You're going to ruin my reputation if I'm seen with you," he said.

"What reputation? Because I already know that you're a jerk-"

"Is that why you stopped me in the middle of the hallway? To tell me that I'm a jerk?" He dragged me to the side of the hall and leaned against the maroon lockers. Students stopped to stare at the new kid talking with me.

"Come over to eat dinner with your family tomorrow," I said.

"Is that a request?"

"No, it's a demand. From my mom," I said, crossing my arms.

"I'm sure Uriah would love to come."

"What about you?"

"I'm busy tomorrow."

"Doing what?" I scoffed, "You just moved here."

"I've got better things to do than to hang out with an annoying girl."

"I don't want to hang out with you either! My parents want to meet our new neighbors, but I couldn't care less if you didn't come. In fact, please don't come," now I really didn't want him to come. I'd figure out my revenge some other way.

Elijah thought about it for a minute before he decided.

"In that case, I'll be there."

Then he swaggered down the hallway of Hell's High and left me fuming behind him.

The bell rang, beginning the next class, and I still hadn't moved from where he had left me.

"Veronica?"

I turned around to see Uriah heading down the hallway towards me. He smiled and I could see his dimples. When he reached me, he said, "I got lost."

I laughed and brought him to his next class. Outside the classroom door, he shyly rubbed the back of his neck. His cheeks had a faint pink tint to them when he asked, "What are you doing after school today?"

"Uh, nothing," I admitted.

His smile widened and he said, "Wanna grab something to eat later?"

Oh my gosh. A hot guy just asked me out on a date and I could do nothing but gawk at him. He chuckled at my face and I said, "Sure."

"Great."

Uriah gave me one last look that I couldn't decipher and went inside his class. I stood there with my heart beating a million times a minute.

I think I may have just developed my first crush.

All day long, I thought about my date with Uriah. I had a stupid smile on my face and people gave me strange looks, but I didn't care. I was happy.

When the bell rang, dismissing school for the day, I sped out of the school. I didn't bother grabbing my backpack or textbooks because I wasn't gonna do the homework anyway. I was waiting outside by my pathetic car, tapping my finger on the hood as I listened to music. I had my headphones in, blasting rock songs so I couldn't hear the world around me. I was focused on the school building, looking out for when Uriah would exit, so I didn't see or hear the person come up behind me.

They tapped me lightly on the shoulder so I turned around to see who it was. I instantly got pissed off when I saw who it was. Bianca Johnson, the captain of the cheerleading team. She had long, blonde hair and blue eyes like every other typical cheerleader captain. Her boobs looked ready to overflow her low cut top and her yoga pants looked a few sizes too tight. I wanted to puke. She was saying something, but I couldn't hear her. I took out one headphone and twirled it around my finger.

"What'd you say?"

She sighed dramatically and put her hands on her hips.

"I heard that your neighbors are Uriah and Elijah. I've seen you with them at school. You guys are close," she said.

I raised my eyebrows at her choice of words.

"I wouldn't say we're close, exactly. Elijah is kind of a jackass-"

She gasped and raised a hand to her lips before yelling, "How dare you! Elijah is hot and-"

"So all you care about is the fact that he's hot and not about the fact that he's a freaking asshole?" I asked, daring her to argue.

She sputtered and opened her mouth to counter me. She didn't get the chance.

"Did I just hear you call me hot?" A deep voice rumbled in my ear.

Bianca's jaw dropped, but she quickly replaced it. She put on a fake smile and stuck her butt out. I spun around, my back now to Bianca, to see Elijah's face just inches from mine.

"You're going on a date with my brother?" Elijah asked, but it didn't seem like much of a question.

Bianca gasped. "She's going on a date with your brother!"

I flipper her off behind my back and stood up straight.

"Yes. You have a problem with that?" I asked.

"Is it your first date ever?" He asked, getting closer. His lips were separated from mine by just a breath. I couldn't concentrate. I stared at his full lips as I said, "Your point?"

Bianca made a snide comment about how I'm a loner and never had a boyfriend before or something like that. It was clear she hated the fact that Elijah was talking to me and not her. Bianca has bullied me since junior high, but I never really cared. She could try to bully me all she wanted, but I was never affected by it. That's why she hated me still.

"My point," he drawled, my gaze still focused on his lips, "is that I'll take all your first times."

I didn't know what he meant at first, but then I remembered how he had stolen my first kiss. Did he seriously want to ruin my first date?

I put my hands on his shoulders and shoved hard. He only stumbled back one step, but that was enough for me. I dodged his arm that shot out to grab me and ran over to Uriah's BMW. I reached the car, out of breath, just as he got there.

"Woah, what's up?" He asked me, laughing.

Bent over with my hands on my knees, I forced out, "Your brother is a jerk."

He nodded knowingly and said, "I know."

We turned around to look for Elijah and what I saw made me gasp. His lips were locked on Bianca's and he had her shoved against my car. I balled my hands into fists. How dare they make out on my car! Elijah's hand went underneath her shirt and she gasped. He took that as the opportunity to deepen the kiss.

And the whole time, his eyes were on me. The green in his eyes flared in desire and I turned away.

"Let's get out of here," I said to Uriah and he agreed.

We got in his car and he started the ignition.

"Where do you want to go?"

I thought about what was around here to eat and said, "Oooh, let's go to Mexican Grill."

He laughed and said, "I didn't know you liked Mexican food. I love spicy food."

"No way, me too!" I lied. I didn't know why I suggested a Mexican restaurant in the first place if I didn't like spicy food.

Yeah, I've fallen hard for him. I just wish his brother wasn't Elijah.

We arrived at the Mexican Grill and could smell the spicy aroma in the air. Uriah held the door open for me, making me blush. He was so polite. He smiled and ordered a table for two. We were immediately sat down in a booth to the far right, in front of the door. I sat across from Uriah so I faced the door and his back was faced toward it.

Sombreros and bright paintings decorated the walls, creating a Mexican vibe. The waitress came over, handing each of us a small sombrero.

"Can I get you guys something to drink?" She asked while she took out a notepad from her apron.

Uriah looked at me so I ordered first.

"Lemonade please."

The waitress jotted it down and turned to Uriah. Her cheeks turned pink when she saw him and she tucked her red hair behind her ear unconsciously. Her green eyes sparkled as she gave him a brilliant smile.

"Hey, Uriah. You liking this town so far?"

A pang of jealousy flared through me at the fact that she already knew him. Oh, she must be a senior at my school that I've never seen before.

"Hi, Sarah. I'm having a great time here and I'll have a lemonade as well," then he winked at me and all feelings of jealousy completely fled from me.

Sarah looked at me, giving me a once up and down. She mumbled something under her breath that sounded like, "Why her?"

I glared at her back while she went to put our orders at the kitchen. Uriah obviously hadn't heard what she had said. I took a deep breath to see him giving me a questioning look. I shook my head and he shrugged.

"I saw a poster in the school about how Homecoming is just around the corner," he said as he flipped through the menu.

I flattened the menu and nodded. "Yeah, I've never been."

He picked his head up and I got lost in his brown eyes. "Why not?"

"Oh, uh, well, no one ever asked me. And I never had friends to go with. But don't worry," I hurried on, "I don't really mind."

"Hm. You should go," he said, focusing back on the menu.

"I don't know..." I trailed off.

The bell to the restaurant rang as the door opened. And none other than Elijah and Bianca walked through. The hostess lead them to a booth.

Right next to ours.

"Hey, Vicky and Uriah," he drawled.

I slammed my menu down on the table and faced him.

"Her name is Veronica," Uriah said.

"Are you stalking me?" I asked incredulously.

Bianca scoffed, "As if." She reached across the table and tangled her fingers in his. His huge hands enveloped hers and she looked ready to melt in his hands.

"Bianca was in the mood for something hot," he winked, making her giggle.

"You're disgusting," I said, wrinkling my nose.

He smirked. Sarah came back with our drinks and I turned around so my back was to Elijah and Bianca.

Uriah rolled his eyes and I sighed.

"Just ignore him," Uriah said.

"Kinda hard not to," I mumbled.

Uriah's cellphone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and cursed when he saw who it was.

"I'm really sorry, but I need to take this. Please excuse me," he said politely.

"No problem," I said as he got up to go outside.

Sarah came over to take our order so I told her we needed a few more minutes. She looked disappointed to see Uriah's seat empty, but she agreed to come back.

A hand landed on the table next to me. I lifted my head to see it belonged to Elijah. Ugh, he was really annoying me.

"He's not coming back."

"Who?"

"My brother, idiot."

I squinted at him. "He'll be back after his phone call."

Elijah leaned back, giving Bianca a smile that showed a row of straight, white teeth. She beamed. "Lets go, Bianca."

Bianca's jaw dropped and she whined, "Why?"

"I have things to do."

Then Elijah stood up. Bianca followed suit, frowning the entire way to the door. When they were outside, Elijah stopped in front of his brother and said something. Uriah hung up and looked pissed. Then he came into the restaurant, stopping beside me.

"I'm really sorry, Veronica, but I have to go. Something...came up."

"Oh, okay."

Damn.

Uriah bent down and pressed his lips to my forehead before leaving. I hesitantly raised my hand to where he had kissed me and glanced up to see Elijah glaring at me through the door.

He brusquely turned away and lead Bianca to Uriah's car. I furrowed my brow as he had her get in beside Uriah. Why would she take Uriah's car? What was going on?

Next thing I knew, Elijah was coming back into the restaurant. He took the seat directly in front of mine and leaned forward on his elbows. Sarah came over and he waved her away.

"What the hell is going on?" I demanded.

Elijah flipped the dark hair out of his eyes. He didn't answer me.

"Well?" I said, getting aggravated.

"I thought I told you. I'm taking all your first times and I'm pretty sure this is your first date."

He tilted his head to the side as I threw my arms in the air, not caring if I was making a scene. I was pretty sure my blue eyes made me look insane as they grew larger.

"What did you say to Uriah?"

He shrugged.

"Did you plan the phone call he got?"

He shrugged again. I clenched the glass of lemonade in my hand, seconds away from chucking it at him.

"I'll ask one more time, nicely, or-"

"Or you'll what, Valerie?"

"My name is," I shook my head, "Forget it. Are we done here?"

"No."

Elijah lifted his hand, signaling Sarah over. She dashed over, gave him a once over, and smiled approvingly. She didn't even think twice about the fact that I was sitting with a different guy. I rolled my eyes.

"What can I get you two?"

Elijah didn't look at the menu when he requested some Mexican dish that I never heard of. He turned to me.

"Your turn."

I stood up. "No, I'm leaving."

As I walked past Elijah, he grabbed my wrist. I paused, throwing my head over my shoulder and raised my eyebrows. I glanced down at Elijah's hand on my wrist and back into his eyes. He released me.

"Thanks for ruining my date," I spat.

I knew he was the one who planned to get Uriah to leave. I don't know how he did it, but it pissed me off.

He held up a finger, "Your first date."

"You know what I've never done before?" I countered, fully facing him now. He spread his legs out in front of him as if he was completely relaxed.

"Had se-"

"This." I grabbed my lemonade that I had restrained myself from throwing at him earlier. I flung the entire contents of my drink in his face. He squeezed his eyes shut right before the lemonade splashed over him.

I crossed my arms over my chest as he raised his shirt to wipe his face. I tried to look away when his abs peeked through underneath his shirt. When he wiped the lemonade off he said, "What the hell, Vanessa!"

"That was the first time I threw my drink in someone's face."

Sarah had rushed to get a towel for Elijah when she had seen what I did. She was fussing all over him and I could tell he hated it. I smirked. Then I dropped a few dollar bills on the table to pay for my drink and walked out of the restaurant.

Elijah Reed was not going to ruin any of my other first times if I could help it.