That one's got attitude

"That one's got attitude."

Tehama had said that once, with a tone to her voice which said she just could not deny the charm of arrogance. Thinking about it, Ingrid had to agree. There was something about him, something confident, something so self-assured, that many girls found themselves near him before they even realised what they were doing. It was not that they chased him exactly; there was just something, which drew them in. And to top it all off, he knew it.

At seventeen, Cornelius Fillmore knew exactly what affect he had on the opposite sex. He wasn't Anza, completely oblivious to his own good looks and charms, and all the more adorable for it; he was aware of the attention given him. But at the same time, Ingrid knew that he did not play fast and lose. He was too much of a gentleman for that. Sure, he would flash a girl a smile that would make her go weak at the knees, but he would never lead anyone on just because he could. It was one of the things she admired most about him. He had most of the female student body in the palm of his hand, and yet he only ever pursued the ones he was interested in.

Leaning against her locker, Ingrid tried to decide really, what it was that made Fillmore so irresistible to the females of the species. Sure, he had looks, and charms, and of course, confidence was sexy, but there was more to it than that. Tehama had once called it a je ne sais quoi – that which cannot be defined – but Ingrid was sure it was something concrete. Maybe it was the fact that he bridged both worlds. He was simultaneously, a Safety Patroller and a Thief – a bad boy and the knight in shining armour of many girls' dreams. In other words, he was Fillmore.

She had tried explaining this to his mother once. One time when she was eating dinner at their house, and he and his dad were busy burning meat in the back yard. His mother had simply laughed and said that his dad was just the same, before giving her a knowing look and moving off into the kitchen. Ingrid had worked very hard at ignoring what that look might mean.

She watched him now, as he walked down the hall towards her, an easy smile on his face, eyes subtly taking in the gaze of the girls passing him. Their eyes met and his smile widened as she pointedly looked over at the girl who had stopped to stare. He stopped a foot in front of her, staring down into her face. She idly wondered why he had to be so tall. She had to crane her neck to look at him. They stood that way, him still with an easy smile on his face, waiting for her to return the grin. Eventually she did, smothering laughter as her cool exterior broke and she looked away. He laughed out right then, triumphant that he had won their game – this time. There were days when he would lose, when she would be the one to smile at him, and he would not be able to help smiling back – but today he'd won, and he took pleasure in the victory.

"Rather sure of yourself, aren't you?" she asked, looking back up into his face.

He laughed, but did not say anything, waving an ironic salute in her direction as he followed the bell to his next class. She watched him disappear into a classroom before heading off to her own studies.

Yes, she thought, That one had attitude.