“If I pay you, will you please pretend to be my friend, just this week?”

Caleb blinks twice, confused of what the girl he barely knew just asked him. Was her name Sarah? Sari? Oh yes, Serafina.

“This is ridiculous” Caleb mutters mostly to himself, swinging his book bag over his shoulder.

He swiftly turns to leave, before she grabs onto his wrist.

“Caleb Grant, right? I know you need the money. Your on scholarship.”

“For now” Caleb interrupts. If they choose to kick him out for his ongoing…conflicts, then there’s nothing he can do.

“Yes anyways” Serafina continues. “You need the money, and I’ve got more than I need. What I need is a friend. A friend that will make sure, well in short, will make sure nobody messes with me.” She gulps, trying not to look Caleb in the eye.

“This is very embarrassing and a little degrading so please just tell me if you’ll do me the favor?” Serafina puts her hands together, practically begging Caleb.

“And why may I ask, do you need nobody to ‘mess with you’. And what part do I play in this plan?” Caleb asks, squinting his eyes. He can’t seem to figure her out. What possibly can she gain from being friends with the misfit that has one too many rumors blown out of proportion circulating the school.

Serafina nervously takes a step forward, and in the least offensive way she can, she explains, “people think things of you…NOT that’s they are true. I’m not one to make assumptions. But anyway, if I get the guy that was ‘rumored’ to run an underground poker ring as my friend, the kids in this school would maybe leave me alone.” Her voice cracks at the end, and Caleb stares at the bruise on her wrists.

She notices his gaze, and places them in front of his face. “This is what happens for calling the hockey jerks Fairy baby’s” she says matter of factly.

That gets a laugh from Caleb, replacing the pitying look he had before.

“I’m not agreeing for you” he says.

Serafina grins, jumping in her place.

“But your agreeing?”

He rolls his eyes, and says “it’s only a week. I need whatever money I can get. And having a scary poker ring mobster or whatever other rumor there is about me person on your side, I think it would do us both some good.”

Serafina grins ear to ear, trying to contain her excitement.

“How much do you want?”

He raises his brows, but quickly scrambles his brain for an amount.

“A hundred” he says.

That causes Serafina to looked shocked but she follow it up by remarking, “A hundred thousand is a lot for your friendship. Any chances we can bargain a little lower?”

She thought I meant a hundred thousand he thinks to himself. What is wrong with her?

“No, no, no.” He exclaims. “Like a hundred bucks, that’s all I really need-“

She cuts him of by slamming an envelope to his chest.

“This is my family’s guilt money for not showing up for my birthday. 5 grand in there, and no debating it. I feel icky with that money anyway. Like they could by me there love…”

The bright Serafina full of energy now looks dull and sad. Her lips from a frown, and her shoulders hunch forward.

“This is too-“

“Much?” she interrupts. “I could just go to an actual criminal and offer them double.”

Caleb grins a little, and whispers “what makes you think I’m not an actual criminal.”

He quirks his eyebrows, but she leans toward and whispers back, “I know a criminal when I see one. And you, Caleb Grant, are nothing more than a petty hooligan.”

Who is this girl he wonders? One second she’s a shy girl kids mess with, the next she’s reading him like a magazine.

“Fine” he says stuffing the money into his pocket.

“So do we have a deal?“ Serafina asks, extending his hand.

Caleb smiles, firmly shaking her hand.

“Yes we do Serafina D’lear. Official count me as your best friend body guard for the week.”

That earns a chuckle from Serafina, and she gains a little bit of hope she’ll enjoy the last year of high school without the bully’s and petty comments. At home though, was a separate issue she had to fix.

And though Caleb tried denying it to himself, he was exited to have a friend to.