The Flirting Games (The Flirting Series - Young Adult) Read online

  Her mom had remarried a year later to Travis, who owned the land bordering their own. Flora had been glad; Travis adored her mother. But then he had offered to take her mother on a year-long tour of the vineyards of Europe as a sort of honeymoon.

  There was no question of Flora missing a year of school to go with them, so they had decided that a boarding school would be best if she didn’t want to stay with her dad.

  They had chosen Compass Court as it was in a part of the world that spoke English, but also very close to where her mom was going in Europe so she could regularly fly over and visit.

  Her mom and Travis were starting their tour in Bordeaux, France, just over the Channel and it was good to know they were literally only an hour away.

  So here she was, an American girl in an English boarding school. It was just like she imagined, but with less ghosts.

  The girls she shared the room with all seemed nice, but Miranda and Jessica were kind of high achievers. Always off on some activity or studying in the library. Flora was a little intimidated by them. But Ellie was open and friendly and had made no secret of the fact that she sucked at Math and History, making her seem more approachable.

  Flora felt that with Ellie as her friend it might not be so bad at Compass Court after all.

  ***

  Ellie began working on her strategy to get the attention of Nate Naverly carefully. She would have liked to spend longer on the details of the plan, but time was of the essence. She had to get him away from Rose before Rose got emotionally involved.

  The first point of action was to get noticed. Noticed indirectly. She chose her location and her outfit with care. The location was the Games Room. The school provided a large room with sofa’s and pool tables and table tennis and other games, and a lot of people hung out there in the evenings. You didn’t have to wear uniform and you didn’t only mix with your own year. Ellie remembered that Nate and his friends often went there after prep for a few games of pool. Her outfit was deliberately provocative yet understated. A firm believer in the tenet that ‘less is more’, she hadn’t gone for a low cut top or a short skirt. Instead she had chosen a white floaty full covering shirt, but it was very slightly see-through and she had gone for a full-on cleavage black bra underneath, teamed it with a waist-cinching belt and then just normal jeans and trainers so she looked sexy, but not like she was trying too hard. She was slightly shocked by her own breasts. Sophie, one of the girls who shared a dorm-room with Rose, had lent her the push up bra and she couldn’t help looking down once or twice to make sure she stayed in it!

  She decided she couldn’t go alone without looking a bit obvious so she invited Flora to go with her. As they walked into the games room, she was relieved to find Nate and his three usual friends there. Firstly she and Flora chatted with some boys from their year who were playing cards in one corner then she suggested to Flora that they play pool.

  “I’m rubbish at pool.” Flora said candidly, “but I’ll come and watch”. Ellie was pleased; Flora was looking great too and was clearly an asset as a wingman.

  As Ellie chalked her name up for a game, she chose her first combat partner with care. She went for one of Nate’s more stupid friends. An over muscled oaf by the name of Jerry Doury. As she leaned over the table to break, she deliberately let her shirt pull tight against her chest, gave him a bit of a pouty smile and slammed the white ball as hard as she could with the cue.

  She didn’t know how good any of them were at pool, but as Jack had a table in the garage at home she had spent a lot of time playing and was feeling fairly confident.

  The game definitely suited her purpose: there was a lot of bending over and plenty of chances for a bit of bum wiggling for good measure as she lined up her shots. She watched Nate covertly, he was leaning against the wall with Gabriel Brenner. They didn’t really seem to be paying much attention to the game, they were just chatting quietly between themselves. On the other hand, Jerry Doury and Owen Lang were definitely engrossed with eyeing up her and Flora. In fact, Jerry wasn’t much competition and she cleared the table pretty quickly. She put a hand on his chest and batted her eyelashes at him.

  “Sorry Jerry, better luck next time.”

  As the winner she stayed on the table and this time it was Gabriel who stepped up. She discreetly undid the top button on her shirt to add a little cleavage to the mix. Okay, so it was a bit trashy and she didn’t like to stoop to that kind of flirting, but these were 17-year-old boys. If she had learned anything from having older brothers, it was the main weaknesses of 17-year-old boys.

  Unfortunately, Gabriel was a much tougher nut than Jerry. He showed very little interest in her at all and she only got two shots in before he cleanly potted the black and gave her a cold smirk.

  Time to retreat and regroup, Ellie decided. She smiled in a carefree way and she and Flora immediately left the games room.

  Had he even noticed her? She was sure at least two of his friends had. This was definitely a case of softly softly catchee monkey.

  ***

  Flora was completely awestruck by Gabriel Brenner. She chatted to Ellie about him all the way back to their room.

  “Oh my goodness, did you see his cheekbones? And do you think his hair is naturally that blond? I mean, I can’t imagine him dyeing it, but it’s unnaturally fair, I’d kill for my hair to be that color. And his eyes, such a deep shade of blue, sorta like the sea, don’t you think?”

  Ellie smiled at Flora. “If you say so. I didn’t really notice.”

  “How could you not notice? I mean it’s like all the air gets sucked out of a room when he enters. The clocks stop ticking. He has such presence.”

  “Well he’s clearly made an impact on you. Maybe you should try talking to him next time?” Ellie laughed at the look on Flora’s face.

  “Talking to him? No way, never in a million. He’s terrifyingly perfect. What on earth would I say? He’s never ever going to notice someone like me. He’s two years older than me for a start and so incredibly handsome.” She paused for breath. “Do you think he has a girlfriend?”

  “I think he does actually. Sorry.” Ellie looked at Flora’s crestfallen expression and racked her brains for what else she knew. “I think I heard a rumor that he’s dating a model and that she’s much older than him.”

  Flora sighed. “Yeah, I can believe that. Not that it makes any difference. He didn’t even notice I existed.”

  Ellie couldn’t disagree. “I don’t think he even noticed I existed and I was the one playing him at pool. I think I was just some girl who needed swatting like a bug.”

  “Oh I wouldn’t be so sure. I can guarantee the other boys noticed you anyway. Nice moves by the way.” She jabbed Ellie in the ribs.

  Ellie grinned back at her. “I know I came across like a dreadful flirt, but there was a good reason.”

  “Yeah? I could see four good reasons. I love being at a school with boys!”

  That night Flora sat at the desk by her bed and filled three pages of her journal describing Gabriel Brenner. His tall lean frame, his almost white blond hair, his chiseled cheekbones. She had been so homesick, but now she felt she never wanted to leave Compass Court. Now she felt lovesick. Gabriel-sick.

  Chapter 4

  Nate sat in the North Tower Common Room with his friends. Gabriel was teasing Jerry about being beaten by a girl.

  “Not just a girl, but a lowly fourth year!” Gabriel laughed.

  Jerry’s eyes took on a dreamy look. “Yeah, but mature for her age. Did you notice her rack?” This last comment was made to much elbow nudging and more laughter.

  “Definitely a fox” agreed Owen. “She can play me whenever she likes, especially if she’s going to bend over in that shirt.”

  Nate privately agreed with them. The shirt, or what it hinted at, was certainly memorable.

  He was a little perplexed by Ellie; he had been positive she had come there to see him. He had sensed her watching him. But then she had totally ignored him and in
stead played with two of his friends, but not him. She could have put her name back up and then she would have been playing him next. But instead she had left.

  He got the feeling she didn’t like him. Did it bother him? Maybe it did a little. He changed the subject.

  Gabriel tuned out as his friends talked about girls. He wished Vanessa would call him. He hated it when she was on a modeling shoot in some part of the world that didn’t have mobile reception. It made him insecure that she was going off him. It was a novel feeling for him – girls had always liked him – but he had a tendency to treat them badly if they were too nice. It wasn’t that he meant to, they were just always so keen it became irritating. But it wasn’t like that with Vanessa. He felt lucky to be with her. She was so glamorous.

  He remembered how beautiful she’d looked when they first met. Laughing with her friends in a bar on the mountain. She was dressed in a bright red ski suit with matching hat. Her skin was flawless and the cold had made her blue eyes sparkle, and her lips were full and the same red as her outfit. She was the very image of perfection.

  Vanessa had spotted him and come over. She’d assumed he was a model as well and been stunned to learn he was still at school. It was a bit of a contentious issue between them. After all, he was old enough to leave school if he wanted. She hadn’t wanted to be seen dating a schoolboy, but he’d persuaded her to meet him again.

  That night he had taken her to dinner and pulled out all the stops to charm her. They stayed out drinking and talking till 2 am and then she invited him back to her chalet. It was a night he would never forget. They opened a bottle of red wine and lay on a sheepskin rug in front of a roaring log fire. He explored every inch of her amazing body and felt he could die happy right there.

  It was six in the morning when he had rolled back into his family chalet, only to find his dad still up and furiously pacing. He’d been sorely tempted to leave school right then and there and forget about the education his father thought was so important. But the truth was it was important to him as well.

  Vanessa kept trying to persuade him to leave school and become a model.

  “Just think about how much money you could be making right now instead of wasting your time doing silly lessons.” She would argue.

  But he didn’t just want to be a pretty face. He had a plan. He didn’t want to leave school with no qualifications for a career that was a few years at best. She thought he could use modeling as a platform into acting. That was his real dream, but he didn’t want to bypass the training, he wanted to prove himself and get a place at a decent stage school. He wished she understood, but she didn’t.

  Jerry kicked his foot, dragging him back to the present. He was talking about the new girl Flora.

  “She’s pretty. I like that wholesome look. How old do you think she is?” Jerry clearly had a bit of a crush.

  “Jail-bait, that’s how old she is.” Nate said.

  “Yeah, I suppose.” Jerry shrugged. “If only we could all have older girlfriends like Gabriel, then at least we could get laid regularly.”

  Gabe smiled, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. He hadn’t heard from her in days. He hoped he still had a girlfriend.

  After his friends went to bed, Nate pulled out the mobile phone he’d swiped earlier. Alex had left it on the table at dinner and Nate had seen the opportunity and stuffed it into his own back pocket. He would return it to Alex at breakfast in the morning. He couldn’t think of any other way to get Rose’s phone number. It was hard to get her alone and sending her a few cheeky texts or emails would be a good way to get some one on one banter going. Even the most shy of girls felt more relaxed being flirtatious when it wasn’t face to face. Scrolling through the contacts he made a note of Rose’s number and her email address which he also found there, and then for some reason he copied Ellie’s too.

  ***

  Ellie took her breakfast tray over the West Tower table and sat down between Flora and Rose. Flora was doing some last minute homework and dropping marmalade on her text book and Rose was sketching. This was nothing unusual. Rose was passionate about art and always carried round a pad for doodling.

  As she finished her cereal Ellie looked over to see what Rose was drawing.

  “Oh for goodness sake!” She huffed when she saw the picture. It was a sketch of the North Tower table. Though it was incredibly good Ellie was not pleased by what she saw. Rose had captured the features and personalities of about 8 people all sitting in a row. Ellie could clearly distinguish the thin face of Owen Lang, thrown into relief by the large frame of Jerry Doury. Gabriel Brenner’s haughty expression was conveyed perfectly and there right in the middle, like Christ at the last supper, was Nate. Rose had been shading in his golden hair and had made him, if anything, even more handsome than real life.

  Ellie resisted the urge to get cross. Her temper was shorter than ever first thing in the morning. But it wouldn’t help to tell Rose off, she was probably completely unaware that she was sat there drawing Nate with a dreamy expression on her face. Clearly he had gotten to Rose too much already.

  “Can I have that?” Ellie took the page when Rose nodded.

  “Good. Sorry Rose but he’s just not that angelic.” Ellie grabbed a black pencil and gave Nate evil eyebrows and a twirling black moustache, then for good measure she drew a pair of devils horns on top of his head.

  “There.” She smiled “Much more accurate.”

  She groaned inside when a shadow crossed the paper. She knew exactly who it was without looking up. Beside her Rose turned bright red and stared at the tablecloth.

  Ellie looked up defiantly, but Nate had turned away to Alex.

  “Hey Al, is this your phone?” Nate sounded relaxed.

  “Oh brilliant, cheers mate, I thought I must have lost it.” Alex was totally unaware of her and Rose’s embarrassment.

  Ellie slid out of her seat. She pushed the picture under her books, mumbled to Flora about seeing her in class and made a quick exit. She could feel Nate’s mocking gaze all the way down the room.

  Chapter 5

  On Sunday afternoon Rose went down to the river with her with her sketchpad. She sat on a wooden bench and watched the school rowing team out on the water.

  Nate followed her at a distance. He had seen her leaving the school and had been keen not to miss an opportunity to catch her alone. He leaned back against a nearby oak tree and watched her with an indulgent smile. Now he knew who had drawn the picture of him. She was so absorbed that she jumped when she noticed him.

  “Hi.” She said shyly. “I didn’t know you were interested in rowing?”

  “I’m not.” He said it laced with meaning.

  “Oh, then–” She stopped suddenly as Ellie came towards them walking swiftly.

  “Rose, I think Ben is looking for you.” Ellie pulled Rose up and gave her a shove. “In the courtyard.”

  “Really?” Rose looked delighted and hurried away. Ellie felt bad about lying to her, but needs must.

  “I think they will finally get it together this year.” Ellie told Nate who was looking at her with barely-disguised annoyance. “They’ve liked each other for ages, but they are both too useless to do much about it.”

  Nate raised one eyebrow. “Is that so? We’ll see.”

  Ellie clenched her fists, stepped right up to Nate and snapped, “Yes, it is so! Why the hell don’t you pick on someone your own size?”

  Damn. She hadn’t meant to lose her temper and give the game away. Her short fuse was a curse indeed. So much for playing games with him.

  Nate looked down at the angry little fourth year squaring up to him and smiled nastily. He slowly looked her up and down.

  “Someone my own size you say? And that would be you?”

  Nate folded his arms and leaned back against the tree and laughed at her.

  Ellie wanted to punch him, but she had to be smarter. She got her temper under control and stepped up so close they were almost nose to nose.

&nb
sp; “You have no idea who you’re dealing with.” Her voice dropped to a low and sultry level. She pressed her thigh gently and deliberately into his groin.

  “Come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough.” She murmured. She let her eyes trail down to where her thigh rested then turning on her heel and walking away.

  Nate couldn’t move. Hard enough? He was quite suddenly hard enough to be pretty embarrassed if anyone looked too closely.

  Who the hell did she think she was? No one had ever, ever challenged him in that way. In a way where he felt he might very well lose. She was a fourth year for goodness’ sake! Hardly worth his time. Extremely pretty, yes. Very popular, yes, but still surely she should be a bit more in awe of him?

  He went to bed that night thinking about Ellie Parkhurst.

  ***

  Ellie lay in bed thinking about Nate. It had been a few days since she had attempted flirting with him by the river and she hadn’t properly seen him since.

  She was putting extra attention into her appearance each day, but wondering if it was a wasted effort. She saw him at meal times, sat at the North Tower table, and sometimes from the corner of her eye she was sure he was looking at her, but when she turned round he wasn’t.

  Ellie had plenty to keep her occupied: her homework for a start and actually a rather good social life. She was enjoying getting to know Flora. Flora had quite a cheerful personality; she found the funny side in most situations and Ellie liked that a lot. It occurred to her that having had Jack as her best friend had perhaps prevented her from developing a close friendship with another girl she could discuss this stuff with. She had a feeling that Flora might turn out to be the best friend she had hadn’t realized she needed.