“Twentieth….” Amanda mumbled, with her breath stalled in her chest. Carl's gaze intensified, and she could feel her palms become sweaty as she stared at him, with goosebumps appearing on her skin.

“Yes, Barbie doll. Have you been able to come up with anything?” He inquired with raised eyebrows, and she understood from his look that he was indirectly mocking her because he was fully aware of her predicament.

He heard the news about her being dismissed from her job, and he realized she wouldn't be able to cover the expense of his phone repair.

“No. I haven't and….” She said and breathed heavily, pausing mid sentence.

“And, what?” Carl asked, placing his hand on the locker..

“I’ll try to get the money before this month ends, trust me.” Amanda said while Carl heaved a deep sigh, his face was coated with disappointment.

He was expecting her to accept defeat or admit that she would not be able to acquire the money, but here she was, determined to pay up even though time was against her.

This is the f**g twentieth of the month. She just has ten days to obtain the money, and everything seems impossible, but she's trying to pretend, claiming everything is fine, but he knew she was more than troubled on the inside.

"So which day specifically are you going to make the payment?" Carl inquired, tousling his hair, which dangled in front of his forehead, making him appear even more attractive.

Amanda bit her lip and responded, "On the 26th of this month."

Carl smirked, his lips forming a narrow line.

“You sure?”

“Yes.” She answered, the words heavy as it rolled off her tongue.

Carl leaned off the wall before crossing his arms, his eyes searching her face as he weighed the truth in her eyes.

He was aware she had been sacked from her job since he had been keeping an eye on her, but he chose not to discuss it at the moment.

"Agreed. I'll be expecting it then." He concluded with a small smile on his lips and dimples on either side of his cheek.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Amanda felt a flush rise across her cheeks as his hot gaze made her uneasy.

"I'll be leaving now." She mumbled, grabbed a book, and turned around to leave.

Biting the sides of her cheeks, she felt even more unease because she could still feel Carl's heated gaze on her back as she left.

When she got to the lecture hall, she smacked her palm softly on her forehead, lines of worry forming on her forehead.

"How can I get the money when I've been fired from practically all of my workplaces? How and where do I even start?” She asked herself, a gloomy countenance on her face. Her thoughts were trapped in an endless loop of anger, rage, guilt and sadness.

Different emotions swirled within her and she had no clue when lectures began.

"Hey! Aren't you writing?" Jerry, her best friend and fellow nerd, murmured to her, hoping to catch her attention.

When she saw that she was lost in her thought zone, he nudged her a bit, snatching her out of her thoughts.

With wide eyes, she faced him and asked, “Wh- what is it?”

“Lectures have just begun. We have classes on Anatomy and don't forget, we have to submit our science projects today.” Jerry reminded her and her eyes sprang wide like saucers with shock etching her features.

She looked forward and was shocked to see their professor, old Mr Gilbert, dressed in a laboratory coat and boots…

With a crackly voice, he announced, "For today's lesson, we'll be using the New Laboratory Class at Texas Lutheran Hospital. Following the class, you will submit your projects and deliver a presentation on prior sessions. I would like to see how far we have come."

Amanda's lips parted slightly, as she struggled to process everything. She's quite intelligent when it comes to presentation so she has no reason to bother about that but what made her bothered was the fact that she forgot to work on the project they were asked to work on.

Her busy schedules at the restaurants made her forget all about it.

Clenching her fists, she heaved a deep sigh before tousling her hair in rage.

“All thanks to you, Carl!” She mumbled sarcastically, her brows furrowing with her face coated with rage and disappointment. She pouted her lips, blowing away the strand of hair that dangled in front of her forehead.

“Are you sure you're alright?” Jerry asked, noticing her discomfort.

“Yeah, just that I ….”

“You what?” He asked, adjusting his glasses.

“I forgot about the project. Damn! I didn't know it was gonna be today.” She expressed, smacking her forehead with her palm.

Jerry's eyes went wide; He was quite surprised because she wasn't a type to forget things like this.

“How did you forget something as important as that?” Jerry asked with wide eyes and all Amanda could do was sigh.

*****

Carl returned to his motorcycle club following the day's activities. His mind raced, stitching together snippets of discussions and half-formed ideas that had been lingering since he spoke with Amanda.

He smirked and caressed his jaw with his fingertips.

"Amanda," he muttered, her face flashing in his mind. He was impressed by her commitment to repay him without having to work at his motorcycle club.

He was perplexed as to why she continued to reject working at his clubhouse despite receiving a generous offer.

He wondered if she detest the place or perhaps, she hated the lousy environment where bad boys like him reside.

"What's up, dude!" Mason, Carl's best friend in the club, said as he approached him.

"I'm good and you?" Carl responded as he received his handshake.

“I'm rocking as always. You look like you're thinking, man. Hope you're alright?” Mason said, his curious eyes hovering over Carl's features..

“Yah. I'm good.” Carl replied as he watched him puff out the smoke from his tobacco.

A cloud of smoke lingered in the air and it dissipated after a few seconds.

“Here. Any news about your phone?.” Mason asked, sitting beside him and grabbing a bottle of alcohol.

The rest of the club members were grooving to a rock song as usual.

Jade was dressed in a crop top that displayed her flat stomach and baggy jeans, with hoop earrings in her ears. She danced with Taylor, and they watched Kate give Roger a lap dance.

When she saw Carl, she left her spot and approached him with a smile.

"Hey! Carl!" She called, her teeth visible in her smile.

Carl nodded curtly, acknowledging her presence, before returning his attention to Mason. When she realized she wasn't getting the attention she craved from Carl, she pouted angrily before putting her arms around him.

“Didn't you miss me today?” She asked, nuzzling him and basking in the warmth of his scent.

“I did.” Carl answered, his eyes still on Mason.

“If you do, you'd have made a move to hug me but you didn't.” She said with puckered lips.

“Come on. I'm in the middle of a conversation with Mason. Was hoping to see you afterwards.”

“Okay,” She said, running her fingers down his broad chest.

She pestered his forehead with kisses and for some reason, Carl didn't feel quite comfortable around her.

“Kiss me, baby.” She mumbled in his ears before grasping his jaw so he could turn to face her.

Her gaze settled on Carl's lips and without wasting much time, she captured his lips in a fiery and intense embrace. Carl also reciprocated, indulging in a passionate kiss, a torrid one with her, imagining that she was Amanda in front of him.

Mason watches them with a smirk on his face

He knew full well that Carl was only using her to satisfy his sexual urges and nothing more.

But to Jade, she wanted him all to herself.

Carl grasped her neck and deepened the kiss, as Amanda's face continued flashing in his mind.

Before Jade could slid her tongue in, he broke the kiss, his eyes growing wide.

“Carl—” Jade called, getting confused.

“I want to have a word with Mason.” Carl said.

“But we - we were still kissing.” She countered.

“Leave, Jade!” He growled, and she rolled her eyes before spinning around to leave.

When he locked eyes with her, she winked at him and licked her lips, a telltale sign that she enjoyed every bit of his kisses.

Carl smacked his head, while Mason took his hands away from his forehead.

“Is there something you want to tell me?” He asked.

“It's - it's Amanda. I can't stop thinking about her.. while I was kissing Jade, I actually imagined that it was Amanda. F**k!”

Carl spat, opening the bottle of whiskey and pouring himself some drink.

“Are you having feelings for her?” Mason asked with raised brows.

Before Carl could reply, Henry, their other friend, hurried towards them with his phone in his hands.

“Come look at this.” He said to Mason and Carl and they all directed their gazes at the phone's screen, their eyes flashing with curiosity.

Carl's eyes sprang wide when he watched the video that was played on the phone

It was a video of Adrian carrying Amanda in a bridal style at the hostel. So many ladies were around, drooling over him while Amanda had her arms wrapped around his neck.

Carl clenched his fist, his eyes glinting with jealousy.

“There are rumors that these two are dating. Woah! I'm surprised because I find it unbelievable! Adrian and the nerd?” Henry exclaimed, a smile plastered on his face.

Carl wasn't smiling, his mind was filled with various thoughts.

He wouldn't deny that he felt jealous seeing Amanda in Adrian's arms.

What if she develops feelings for Adrian who was his rival?

Mason looked up at Carl's Stony face and he could tell that he was jealous.

“Do you have feelings for Amanda?” Mason asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Amanda thought that the motorcycles would crash into themselves almost every second as they turned in circles with the other bikes. Massive flags fluttered from the bikes, and each rider’s face was hidden behind their helmet. The roar of the bike’s engine haunted the large building as the headlights flashed right into Amanda’s teary face, blinding her and causing her to squint.

The engine gave out a magnetic roar and the ugly screech of the tyres against the asphalt left behind bold tyre marks on the floor.

The three huge bikes trapping decelerated and the rev of their engines rattled Amanda to her bones.

Three cool guys got off their bikes before removing their helmet and swaying their neck so their ruffled hair could fall freely. Amanda’s gaze fell on one in the middle with strikingly cool features, like a model. His chiseled jawline was carefully sculpted, and his deep brown spiky hair spread across his face, dancing in the wind and slightly hiding his emerald eyes.

Each of them wore similar clothing;. Typical characteristics of bikers. They were in jeans, boots, and a vest that displayed their club color. [WILD HOGS].

They also wore a red neckerchief, the ends clasped with a sliding knot ornament. Gold chains hung on their necks, with earrings attached to their ears. In total, they were the word Perfect itself.

Amanda could recognize the one in the middle as one of the famous bikers in college from their motorcycle club– Wild Hogs Motorcycle club. He often drives around town with his team and she couldn’t deny the fact that she feels an unexplainable pull whenever she’s around him. She knew in her heart that she was crushing on him, even though she would constantly say otherwise.

They exuded a unique aura, and their presence alone was commanding, grabbing the attention of every single person in the club. Most girls drooled at the sight of their muscular tattooed bodies and perfect shape, but all Amanda did was roll her eyes since she wasn’t in a good mood. She had just received a devastating heartbreak from her supposed boyfriend so she couldn’t see herself drooling over some cool bike guy with deep green eyes and tattoos the entire length of his arm.

She wasn’t the type to get smitten or easily Infatuated with bad boys like them. Perhaps: It’s possible that she has a crush on one of them, but admitting it out loud is something she would never do. She’d rather bury those feelings in her because she knows full well that she can never have him. They weren’t of the same class. She also wasn’t his type of girl.

What was she even thinking? Ordinary guys like Ryan couldn’t even make her his girlfriend. Why would a famous handsome biker ever think of having anything to do with a nerd like her? What were those bikers even doing here since it wasn’t a motorcycle club?

“I’m leaving.. There’s no point staying here any longer,” Amanda turned to face Melanie and Charlotte, her face etched with determination. Her face had turned crimson from crying and she had tried hard to hold back those tears, but she couldn’t. What prompted those tears was because she remembered how she was downcast by her crush during her high school days. She remembered how he had informed her, straight to her face, how strange and nerdy she was. Her tormentors made fun of her, teased her, and said she was a boring, nerdy kind of person who would never be good enough to have a lover.

She had always felt bad those times, but her mom had always encouraged her to ignore them. Maybe they were right after all. Ryan just ditched her today for the same reason that her high school bullies frequently made fun of her: being a nerd.

“Look. I know you’re sad, offended and probably furious at the moment, but wouldn’t it be better if you showed Ryan that you didn’t give a damn about what he did to you?” Melanie spoke while attempting to calm Amanda. Amanda’s eyebrows furrow as she looks at Melanie, a look of bewilderment on her face.

“What do you mean?”

“I know you’re not used to receiving heartbreaks like me. I have had multiple heartbreaks in my past relationships before I finally got to meet Frank,” Melanie disclosed, placing her hand on Amanda’s shoulders as she tried to comfort her.

She caressed her cheeks and suggested, “Why don’t we play some games? Why don’t we do a lot of crazy stuff so you wouldn’t have to think about that idiot,”

Amanda steadied her breathing before glancing in Ryan’s direction. She saw him drinking some bottles of alcohol with his new girlfriend. While they were busy having a fun time together, she realized she had been the stupid one, wanting to go home and sulk over a fool that didn't deserve her.

She could recall how, while they were still close, she would frequently assist him with his schoolwork, give him money, and do everything in her power to make him happy. She had been a good girl for him all along, waiting patiently for the day to come when he would declare her his girlfriend, but she had recently come to the conclusion that she had been a fool.

“You’re right, Melanie. That fool isn’t worth crying over..” Wiping her tears, she said to Melanie, who nodded impressively.

“That’s the spirit, baby. Let’s play some beer pongs, and some other games as well. I want you to stare at every other face in this bar except Ryan’s ugly face. Do you get that?”

Amanda nodded while Melanie smiled as she held her shoulders and stared into her deep blue eyes.

“Why don’t we start with the beer Pong?” Melanie suggested, shifting her gaze at the multiple people surrounding a long table. Amanda rolled her eyes. She wasn’t a fan of crowded areas. She hadn’t played the game before and had always been curious about playing it but at this moment, she felt all her anticipation had dried up.

“Come on, it’s just a few rounds of the game. I bet you need some alcohol to brighten your mood. You look so dull. Luckily you had your first heartbreak. In a club, there are a lot of things you can do to make you feel better rather than cry over some crazy guy who doesn’t deserve you..”

Melanie said, grabbing her by the wrist. Amanda glanced around and when her eyes locked with Ryan’s, she averted it immediately. She could tell that he had been watching her the entire time. Melanie was right, after all; she needed to engage in some fun activities so she could forget about him. That way, it would hurt him to see that she didn’t even care about what he did to her.

“Okay. Let’s go..” Amanda finally agreed, and they both headed in the direction where the ping-pong table was.

On their way, Amanda bumped into Carl, one of the cool bikers who rode in with his bike earlier. He wasn’t just any of them, but he was their vice president - Carl Salvatore.

She almost fell because of the impact of colliding with his strong muscles, but he was fast enough to grab her. They stared into each other’s eyes for a long time and Amanda could feel the intense pounding and throbbing of her heart. Despite how noisy the club was, she could still hear it reverberating in her ears.

She kept staring at him, engrossed in his cool features that she wasn’t able to move. She was supposed to get back properly to her feet since he had stopped her from falling by holding her waist with his hands. It was as if she was trapped in his looks that she couldn’t even bring herself together.

Carl creased his brows and released her from his hold, making her fall to the ground. Chortles erupted from the hall, and Amanda’s cheeks heated up in rage and embarrassment.

So mean of him to let go of her in that manner.

She dusted her dress and pouted her lips angrily as she stared at Carl, whose face was cold and void of emotions.

He didn’t even say a word to her; instead, he moved with his other bikers to a particular spot in the club to have some drinks.

“So sorry, he’s always like that..” Melanie mumbled as she dusted her dress for her.

Amanda’s brows furrowed as she traced Carl’s movement. Her heart shattered completely when she thought back to how he made her fall purposely. He had just prevented her from falling and she didn’t expect that he’d let go of her so he could see her fall.

She never knew he was this cold and mean.

She witnessed him putting his arms around a woman and planting a passionate kiss on her. Unknown to her, the jealousy she felt was even greater than when she witnessed Ryan kissing another girl. Why was she feeling this jealous? Was it because she had become so smitten with him?

“All boys are the same…” she whispered under her breath while Melanie pulled her to the place where the beer Pong game was played.

“I want you to have fun, okay?”

“But how do I play this?” Amanda asked, raising her brows.

“It’s simple,” Charlotte intervened. “Let me explain the rules of the game to you.”

Amanda nodded all through as they explained everything about the game to her. Amanda was excited to join, although she was a bit nervous, she wouldn’t want them to think that she couldn’t handle drinking yet.

It would be her first time drinking alcohol and she didn’t want to act like a newbie or a novice. She was ready to play the game and also drink as much as she could so she could forget all about her worries and pain.

“I’ll go first,” Charlotte said and Amanda watched with shock as the brunette haired girl stood up from the settee and took a ping-pong ball. She trusted her to never waste time in having the best time of her life when the opportunity came knocking. Melanie was very free spirited and carefree. Maybe it was because she was the oldest in the group, though.

As the game proceeds and everyone is busy having fun, the girls are getting a little tipsy and Amanda’s the only one who is excessively drunk by now.

Amanda was so awful with drinking.

Melanie was a little disappointed at her. She couldn’t even hold out much longer and had gotten intoxicated already when it hadn’t even clocked twelve. She felt tempted to burst into laughter, seeing how wobbly Amanda was. Drunk Amanda had to hold on to Charlotte for support. Maybe she drank way too much already.

Just then, Frank came around and Melanie got distracted as she engaged in a passionate kiss with him. Charlotte, on the other hand, was having a tipsy conversation with a cute guy and they all left drunk Amanda alone on the settee.

Amanda got up and tried taking slow steps forward, staggering and wobbling as she loved the feeling of freedom and power that thrummed through her veins. She wasn’t in her right mind and was completely intoxicated from the whole drink.

Once more, she ran into Carl, causing his phone to fall from his grasp and land on the hard floor. Amanda couldn’t help but chortle, since she wasn’t in her right mind; she had no idea that the impact of her crashing into him caused his phone to drop on the floor.

Her cheeks flushed from embarrassment as she looked up at a shocked Carl.

“Can’t you watch where you’re going for once?!” He snapped coldly as he grabbed her by the arm.

She smiled and wobbled in his hold.

Chortling, she ran her fingers over his jaw, and suddenly burped unexpectedly.

“Sorry..” she mumbled, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Carl got a little more mad and tightened his hold on her.

Silence ensued as they locked eyes for a moment.

“You’re handsome, but you’re just too cold. I know you have plans to make me fall like you did the other time.” Amanda snapped at him before rolling her eyes and bursting into giggles.

Carl’s eyes went wide when he heard her statement. He couldn’t understand how drunk she got, that she didn’t realize what she did to his phone.

After staring at his lips for a considerable amount of time, she stood on her toes and softly pressed her lips against his without getting his permission. The sight of a nerdy lady kissing one of the hottest college bikers made everyone’s eyes bulge. Gasps ensued, and even Carl was taken aback to discover that the girl he had run into earlier was here, planting a kiss on him.

‘F**k! Who does she think she is?’ He growled angrily in his mind.

“Wake up, sleepyhead! Knowing the scene I made at a party yesterday while intoxicated would keep me up much beyond midnight if I were you.” Melanie said, opening the curtains and the rays from the morning sun seeped through the room, causing Amanda to squint. She sat up on the bed, yawning, with her mouth wide open. She stretched in satisfaction as her consciousness cleared.

Disoriented, she looked around, her eyes adjusting to the bright light.

she ruffled her messy hair and plopped down on the bed.

“What do you mean? And how did I end up in your room?” She asked drowsily, her brows raising in bewilderment as she tried to recollect the events that had happened the night before.

Melanie stopped whatever she was doing to sit beside her on the bed. She crossed her arm and shook her head with pity as she stared at Amanda, who was trying so hard to recollect everything that had happened.

“Wait.. I remembered we were at the party last night. I got drunk and…” Amanda said and paused with a dropped jaw.

“Kissed a guy.” Melanie completed Amanda's statement before getting on her feet and releasing her crossed arms. Amanda's eyes grew wide, and she touched her lips slightly before taking a look at herself in the mirror.

“Oh no. My first kiss.. Who did I give it to?”

She asked, and her breath hinged in her throat as a million thoughts ran through her mind. She nibbled her lower lips before clenching her jaw.

Melanie sighed and said, “So you don't remember who you kissed last night?”

Amanda slipped her fingers into her hair, and she felt a slight ache in her head as she tried to remember.

Her eyes widened when she finally figured everything she did.

Melanie nodded, confirming her thoughts.

“Not just any guy, Amanda. But Carl, the famous Biker from Wild Hogs motorcycle club.. Damn girl. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw you kiss him. It's all over the news and I'm sure Carl is more than furious with you at the moment. How I wished that was the only thing you did…” Melanie disclosed, biting her lips as she paced the room.

Amanda could feel her heart ripping apart. Curiosity clouded her vision, and she sprang up from the bed with wide eyes.

“What do you mean? Wasn't that the only thing I did? Did - did I do something else?” She asked all at once, after closing the distance between them.

“It's sad to see that you still can't remember everything that happened..”

“Then tell me!” Amanda screamed, ruffling her messy blonde hair.

Melanie sighed before reaching for her phone in a corner. She unplugged it and scrolled through the screen, sighing at every interval.

Amanda could hear her heartbeat in her ear. Anxiety greeted her, and she snatched the phone from Melanie to see what it was.

Her eyes went wide and her brows shot to the roof when she read the news on the phone.

Her lips quivered as her eyes read between the lines. The headline says; When a drunk, nerdy girl kissed the hot biker.

“Oh, no…” Amanda mumbled, lost for words.

“That's not all, girl. You sure shook the news yesterday. You have been all over the news ever since you got drunk and kissed that biker.”

“What else did I do?”

“Babe. You bumped into him and broke his iPhone. You even went as far as giving him a kiss after that. It's my fault, anyway. I should have kept a close watch on you since I know how drunk you were last night. If I had, then all of this mess wouldn't have happened.”

Melanie disclosed, feeling rather disappointed with her face etched with regret .

It was then that everything dawned on Amanda. Her scattered thoughts returned, arranging themselves like a damned puzzle, and her eyes widened like saucers when she realized everything she did.

Not only did she bump into him and caused his phone to drop to the ground, but she also stupidly kissed him. She read all the comments of the post with teary eyes. Every cuss, every insult and ranting, especially from Carl's girlfriend, made her broken beyond repair. She was famous for being a nerd and now, she just made things worse after getting drunk last night and creating that mess.

Now everyone hates her for kissing the hottest biker in college

“This is not so good, Amanda. That phone costs thousands of dollars. How on earth are you going to pay for it? Heard it got broken.”

“What! This is so messed up. f**k you, Amanda. How could you be so foolish?!” Amanda cussed herself, ruffling her hair angrily as disappointment coated her face.

“I doubt you will be able to pay for his phone, even if you work for a month.”

“How do I see him? I mean.. I want to apologize for everything I did. I wasn't in my right mind, you know..”

“Tttch! Right mind? Do you think he's gonna listen to any of your stories? An apology alone won't do, girl.”

“So…. What should I do? Please tell me…”

“I seriously don't know. I really don't know. But I guess it's best you see him and just maybe discuss everything with him. Don't just apologize, do let him know how sorry you feel and probably tell him how you're going to pay back for the damaged phone.”

Melanie revealed and her words pierced Amanda's soft heart, making it shatter completely.

Pay for the phone?

She knew it would get to this, but she's never imagined herself having anything to do with a biker, especially not with a cold one like Carl.

Though she had always had a huge crush on him since day one of college, she only preferred to fantasize about being with him than getting to have anything to do with him physically. .

She knows how weird she can be. She's not good and is social around men. She can never be in his world since they're different and have nothing in common.

She still can't believe something finally brought them together, and it's all because of her foolishness.. Now she has to see him, not just that, but explain how stupid she was to kiss him at a party.