《I know The Devil》


 Chapter 001|The Reason why the word monster was created

    Dear Diary, I don¡¯t know what the devil looks like¡­ To be honest I think nobody does.


    One time, my Sunday school teacher had shown us pictures and tantly told us the grotesque figure with sharp teeth, ws, and hideous pitch eyes were the devil.


    It¡¯d made sense to me andter that day in school, (that is the public school I attended before I got a schrship to Evans high school, a private school for the elites and a hell for the not so lucky) I¡¯d called Bethany, the weird brte who had been myb partner for two years and have an endless supply of mucus on her nose, a devil. She¡¯d cried and cried, so much so that guilt had clenched my soul in a vicelike grip even as I notice the hate for me that dug deep into hers.


    Well, let¡¯s just say that was thest year she was myb partner. That had prompted my earlier rooted belief that okay maybe the devil was indeed hideous if just the mere mention of his name had invoked such strong emotions.


    Another lesson I learned about the devil was a total discrepancy. I can¡¯t remember where I havee across this particr slice of knowledge.


    Maybe it was Belle¡¯s uncle who wears a white robe that made the ¡°satan¡± in me get thrilled at the thought of dipping my hand into scarlet paint and ruining his white.


    Of course, that was a thought I never shared but I was eager to see if his tainted garment would make his so very high shoulders normal like the rest of us.


    He was a priest, I think that was what I¡¯ve heard few of the women call him, so it made a great deal of sense if he was the one that told us the devil was Angel Lucifer, the morning star and so beautiful with a glorious voice that made Heaven swell.


    Another lesson had taught that the devil was anything that tempts, I guess Brittany the blonde with fake extensions, well, was one since she had posted that unttering picture of me in the sixth grade on Instagram and had tagged me in it!


    The devil was not all that when he met me, He was Law Tyler, the sullen-looking boy with stormy grey eyes that always kept to himself but somehow was at the popr¡¯s table. Everybody wanted to figure him out, the girls too and so they¡¯de in their numbers, clinging and falling but he¡¯d not even spared them a nce.


    He was the Devil and I don¡¯t mean figuratively, I mean Satan, Lucius, Morning Star.


    Whatever you call him is in Senior year with me, Row 5, Seat 17.


    Two seats away from me sat the devil with grey eyes that turn pitch ck when no one was looking.


    Chapter 001| The reason why the word monster was created


    ~Need a ce to hide, but I can¡¯t find one near.


    ~Wanna feel alive, outside I can¡¯t face my fear.


    Billie Eilish ¨C Lovely


    I remember the day I had been given a schrship to Evans high school, almost like it was yesterday. How ted mom had been and how overjoyed everyone in my public school had felt.


    Rob my older brother, who is now in jail, had ruffled my hair and for once had given me a little smile. He didn¡¯t get into an argument with Mom that night and the night after that, Because he avoided the pub.


    I knew why he had done it, it was the same reason why mom had used up a huge chunk of her saving to buy me a beautiful backpack and a new pair of sandals. We had chicken wings for dinner,ter that day too and Mom hadn¡¯t said a word even when Rob had opened a bottle of beer, it was to mark my sess.


    I was lucky, everyone had muttered and I had believed them. It was hard not to when you see the envious, wistful look on their faces.


    Going to Evans high school: A school for the rich, powerful and famous was a big deal. It was not every day, that a child from a ghetto-like neighbourhood like mine gets offered that kind of an opportunity.


    s, how wrong we had all been. Because what everyone thought was the best thing that had happened to me brought a trail of other horrid happenings that became normalcy in my fucked up life until I met Him¡­


    I woke up with a start and even without peering at the rm clock that I had forgotten to change its battery the following day, I knew why it had not rung.


    Consequently, I waste. Damnte.


    My room was one in three ces of our ssroom at Evans high school, which had high ceilings and you could hear giggling behind while girls talked about their weekend escapades which involved Paris and an insanely amount of money used to buy something as petty as a purse or lipstick while I spend my time mentally calcting just how much problem that money spent on such trivial nuisances would have solved a problem or two at home.


    If I was being honest, the room wasn¡¯t even mine. It was Rob¡¯s. I¡¯d shared a room with Mom until Rob had gone to prison like we all knew he would someday. All the kids in our area spent vacations in prison. It was almost unavoidable.


    But somehow I¡¯d managed to leave as much as possible the same way he had. His worn-out poster picture of Drake was still on the wall and his headphones were at the same spot where he had kept the damn thing, for the past 3 years. I only lift it asionally when cleaning and ce the damn thing back there.


    It might not even be working but it reminded me of Rob when he was just my passionate brother who wanted to be a rockstar and take me out to the big city as he had vehemently promised. He had harboured such a big bag of dreams and I never had the heart to tell him how horrible his voice was and how he couldn¡¯t y any instrument to save his life, despite his fumbling with the guitar, because it was the thought that mattered, right?


    But then the ¡°phase¡± hade. The drugs, the friends, drinking, and the women. And my highly spirited brother became a shadow of himself in just a blink of an eye.


    He became a drunk and a bully. He didn¡¯t care about taking us out of the poverty-ridden neighbourhood we lived in that reeked of every crime vices possible but rather he wanted to be a King of the ghetto-like trashcan we call home.


    He had seeded and that was why he was attending his coronation in prison and had been awaiting trial for the past two years.


    Worn out rug and dirty torn curtains that had certainly not been changed because of sentimental attachment but because of inability to avoid such mindless luxury.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    The only thing that hinted at my personality in the little cramped space was my long pile of books stacked neatly at the side of my poster bed.


    My clothes were still in mom¡¯s room because I never had the heart to take down Rob¡¯s and put mine up on the rack. It seemed so final, almost like we had moved on and had given up on him.


    I stifled a yawn even as I stood up. I knew that I didn¡¯t have time to make breakfast, so I would be going without, again. Mom should be out already, that is if she even came backst night.


    She was taking more shifts than necessary recently and though I didn¡¯t know why I knew better than asking. All I could do was sigh and think all night if she told me about the recent bills stacked on the counter she now took to bed every night.


    I grabbed my Evans high school identification card which was totally essential if I needed to get past the high walls and gate because although I abhorred it and would have found a way to get rid of the emblem on it with a motto that was all a lie, I couldn¡¯t. Striving for excellence.


    Excellence, my foot I thought with a sigh as I put my ck hair into a bun so it is out of the way while I brush my teeth.


    The only thing Evans high school was good at, was striving to make monsters. Monsters who took trips to Mn and Dubai wore clothes with price tags that makes me go to the washroom and shed tears at how unfair the world was and weep at how much was splurged into nothingness.


    I sshed my face with water gazing at the almost empty toothpaste pack on top of the enamel sink.


    Great, just another thing that needed to be bought, another stuff that needed recement.


    ¡°Hello,¡± I muttered drily believing I was addressing the man inside the thick clouds above my head. A man which when I was little, I liked to imagine eating from a ss of medium cooked grilled steak and sipping from a champagne flute, a snarl on his face at our petty problems we disturb him with again and again.


    At least then I had believed something but now, there was this hollow ache in my heart where that thought had stemmed from. Mama had said if you didn¡¯t have money, religion was Good. Faith helps.


    But as always I just had to be the one who didn¡¯t have money and also didn¡¯t believe in God.


    Sometimes I wonder if I¡¯d be in prison too just like Rob, if not for I was book smart. Because most of our ideologies were identical and he was one of the rare people who get me.


    ¡°It is a beautiful day,¡± I whispered aloud sarcastically, hoping that just maybe if I say it loud enough I might just start believing it.


    I offed the shower immediately after thest drop of foam was washed out of my body, thest thing I wanted to be doing was wasting water unnecessarily even though I couldn¡¯t help but fascinate about having a dip in a bathtub with bubbly warm water and not a care in the world in your pretty privileged head like my other school mate.


    I fisted my hand remembering mom¡¯s warning about knowing my ce and sticking to it. People from my neighbourhood don¡¯t dream about bathtubs and long baths, they thought of how to pay off piling bills like the one mom had in her room and how to stay out of jail.


    My head was down and covered in my grey hoodie, and my earplugs yed Billie Eilish¡¯s lovely, while I mumbled the lyrics even though I knew I was getting it all wrong since I hated the music and Rob had oncemented on how it seemed like it gave inspiration for suicidal people to act on their gut feelings but maybe I did needed some inspiration, any kind of inspiration I thought to myself, as I tried to stay as unnoticed as possible. One of the first rules and most important rules of being a bottom feeder especially if you wish to stick around longer in Evans high school is to make sure you don¡¯t attract attention. It was an insult on its own to remind the highly ced beings that animals like myself still exist among them and there was nothing they could do about that. It was a silent taunt, a dare and it was equivalent to the corner of your lips being raised and showing them your middle finger. The consequences of not knowing this particr rule were shiver-worthy because the dirty terrible pranks that woulde your way and the Jabs, bullies, and snickers would teach you that these smug privileged asses were the reasons why the word monsters were invented.


    All my clothes were ck or grey for a purpose, to stay hidden like an image in a hoodie and it was a game I was currently acing because apart from the intentional shove at me once in a while and increased sharpie written words in my locker with tags like charity case, smelling pig, scum and other interesting choices of words I¡¯ve gotten used to after crying in the bathroom when I¡¯d first got here for a whole year, now I looked forward to seeing what new words they managed to have stumble upon even though atimes I had to do corrections to the spelling which was getting on my nerves like If you must taunt me, at least know how to spell the damn words.


    So, like I was saying, acing the invisible game hade with lots of benefits, my body had not been pushed against the wall for starters and I¡¯ve not ¡°incidentally¡¯ created a dent on my locker with my head. Maybe this month would be one of my lucky ones, just maybe I thought not knowing that soon I¡¯d realise how wrong I had been.

 Chapter 002|A Law Tyler kind of bad

    Chapter 002| A Law Tyler kind of bad


    ~ My whole life has been pledged to this meeting with you.


    Whenever I got too excited about a job that had a little over the average bucks I made in waiting tables at Morning Bli (My boss isn¡¯t creative and for full discretion we are always working, morning, afternoon, and night. Used to be morning bliss but the two s had fallen from the sign even before I started working at the diner, so that¡¯s how the infamous second name that reeked of poverty and tossed whatever ingredients worked into the pot was found) per hour, mum would always remind me never to count my chicks until they were hatched but it did sound really stupid, because who had time to count chicks when we were busy counting debts. I was one of the most practical people I know, I didn¡¯t dwell on thoughts, sayings or pieces of advice if it doesn¡¯t rte to real-life happenings and I hated theories. Rob said it was a survival instinct, I didn¡¯t really care what it was but now, as I stared at the smoothie seeping into my grey hoodie, slowly and surely like gas, it trickled in unsuspectingly and I blinked back hot tears noting from my peripheral vision that people were staring, I was forced to realize that I had counted my chicks way too early. This was bad, this was a Law Tyler kind of bad, this was a my life is over bad.


    Before all the bads had gone off in my life, the bell rang just in time as I slipped my Calculus textbook from my locker into my backpack. Hurriedly closing it while with my head still down I quickened my steps to the C railway where my Calculus ss took ce every Friday and Thursday. Gloria, nicknamed it 45 minutes of fuckastic hell where everybody spoke English yet it sounded like Greek and codes.


    I mumbled a hi at her, even as I noticed she was already making a mindless doodle on her notebook. She sat at the desk next to me so I could steal a peek, and we were both the only upant of the whole row which seemed almost empty but it wasn¡¯t our fault that nobody wanted to sit next to us because they thought poverty was contagious.


    Gloria¡¯s family was okay, though religious like mom¡¯s but though they were not Evans high standard of rich and Gloria was on half schrship, I think they were Tyler Perry¡¯s rich to me. That dude makes tons of money, from his movies that make me snore. Just saying.


    Gloria¡¯s neighbourhood was a patch of picket fence and flurry dogs, with the perfect families, definitely not a single parent and if in rare cases a single parent, an educated one with children whoined about the smallest of things. Like not getting thetest edition of the coolest video game all the kids in his school owned already.


    Gloria¡¯s mom was a teacher in themunity middle school and her dad was a struggling journalist. I hated how much she had but yet wasn¡¯t aware of and how much I envied her home yet she sighed discontentedly at every little inadequacy when we first became friends but now I was understanding that insatiability was Man¡¯s curse and burden.


    Her mousy brown hair was in an stic band, she wore a floral patterned gown and had bruises on her hand. She still hasn¡¯t gotten used to the wagon of being invisible and this is not in any way the teacher¡¯s fault, because I¡¯d tried my best but the girl is damn slow. She wore Chapsticks and a pair of pretty watercoloured sandals. She was making an effort. She was pretty. I was an Antichrist to the first, which helped me stay out of trouble and the next, I never considered myself attractive or pretty, not because I thought I was hideous.


    No, I was too busy going through life and snagging on whatever hand me downs Rob had to spare to have time for the huge job called consideration that didn¡¯t offer a dime.


    Grey hoodie, one of Rob¡¯s baggy joggers, a ck Chucks that Gloria had gifted me on myst birthday, which looked worn out now because literally it was worn out-side every day, my ck hair was in a messy ponytail and my appearance I bet reeked of the antonym of Gloria¡¯s.


    I leaned against the desk even as Mr rkson, a man in histe fifties who had this using nce in his eyes like he could sniff that something bad was cooking all the time and he was right, because if our wannabe bimbos with their fake extensions took as much time and creativity they did plotting socially disced students like me and Gloria¡¯s downfall in their books maybe they could get a D.


    Hezily asked us to open a page in our textbook and that was when I zoned out wishing that I wasn¡¯t so bright then I could listen as hard as Gloria did, her brow knitted, her eyes hardened and I know soon her grey pools would be clouded with frustration but no, somehow my intelligence was also a curse because it gave me a free wide berth since I could solve all the problems of that particr subject while discussing Chanel bags I¡¯ll only be able to dream of, to think of how unfair the world was and how it was okay, to be a bitch, dumb, a slut, a bully yet being poor, a crime you didn¡¯tmit yourself into, was a sin. Treason.


    The bell rang and I found myself exhaling in relief amongst other students though my own relief wasn¡¯t borne out of frustration and freedom from the irritable knowledge of knowing you had no idea what our middle-aged tutor with peppery hair and kind eyes was talking about. It didn¡¯t help that he also had a thick Russian ent. But I understood fully all he talked about so much that I had to dart my eyes away from the board to stop myself from correcting one of his examples.


    It wasn¡¯t like it was incorrect but he must have forgotten to round it up and it had been torturous keeping my ideas to myself hence the relief when the ss came to an end.


    Thest thing I needed was pointing out his errors which would result in getting yet another teacher to hate my ¡°sass¡± and my ssmates¡¯ snarkyments and reactions that would earn me the one thing that I absolutely want to avoid with my being ~ Attention.


    Gloria was calling my name and instead of reminding her yet again that I didn¡¯t like my name audible on her lips since it would only make a few people crane their necks to see who answered such a peculiar name like mine. Mind you the peculiar in this context doesn¡¯t in any way tilt towards special but just pure strange and was one of the things amongst others I hated about myself, I kept on walking.


    Not wanting more people to shorten my name Prudence into their cliche bore of mockery that reeked of how creatively incapacitated they were, I adjusted my hood over my head and with my eyes down, I quickly walked out of sight.


    I had been so quick, that I had almost missed one of the most popr girl in school, Jessica Trent, with her lips curled in disdain like the world was under her Gi sandals, which was against the school dressing code and her shoulders squared like she owned the school¡­ Wait she did.


    Her father was the CEO of ¡°Tech hub¡± an automobilepany which in other words tranted that Jessica have never met face to face with the word called unavability in any of her wants and also a vice-president of the school board members.


    Her pixie haircut, pastel-coloured nails and her short gown which stopped midthigh weren¡¯t at all the reason why my breath had hitched and my eyes had widened, but it was the gleam of evil in her eyes and the evil tilt at both sides of her lips.


    I didn¡¯t register the smoothie that she had dumped on my head until the stic disposable cup hit the ground and I heard theughter from her minions behind her.


    With my head down I was supposed to swiftly walk past them and swallow at their jeer and taunt, then I¡¯ll hate myself as tears would burn against my eyes threatening to be revealed which would eventually lead me to the washroom.


    But I didn¡¯t because something unusual happened. Something that shouldn¡¯t have urred.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Why are you troubling her, Stacey?¡±


    Jessica¡¯s blue eyes narrowed into slits and I could tell she was more insulted that anyone didn¡¯t know her name and worst had gotten it wrong, than the obnoxious cocky question. We turned simultaneously and that¡¯s when all the bads in my life were ticked off.


    The smoothie that found its way from my head, dripped down my cheeks, melted at my shoulders and seeped into my clothes, yet didn¡¯t even register in my mind because there stood the most popr yet mysterious, good-looking though the also strangely quiet boy in school, hands tucked in his pocket like he didn¡¯t understand why our eyes were wide open in shock and why students who were loitered idly on our hallways were now videoing the drama in front of them excitedly. His grey irises were nk with no emotion and didn¡¯t revel in the attention and effect he drew like the other boys, if anything he looked bored.


    Bottomless grey pools that draw, allure and lure you and promise to entrap you, Grecian nose, sharp jaw and red lips that tempt, at that point Law Tyler, was figuratively a devil to me.


    Luring check


    Tempts double check


    A body and face that I wouldn¡¯t be shocked if he made a deal with the devil in exchange for triple check.


    ¡°Prudence, what is happening here and why were you about to let Stacey get away with what she did to you?¡±


    I almost choked on my spit. How in God¡¯s name was he even aware of my existence not to even mention that he somehow knew my name. He sees me. This was bad. Because what could go wrong if the most desired male in a school who doesn¡¯t indulge in conversations, dropped infamous oneliners when it was essential and kept to himself, happened to get your name right and not the Queen bee¡¯s? I know the answer. It was a Law Tyler kind of bad now that¡¯s exactly the spot I was in almost hyperventting, tongue-tied and hopelessly scared.

 Chapter 003| Wants and needs

    Chapter 003| Wants and needs


    ~ Don¡¯t you ever say, I just walked away, I will always want you.


    Miley Cyrus ¨C Wrecking ball


    To say I was shocked when Jessica smiled cheerily instead of wing at a smug-looking Law Tyler who seemed so oblivious to how delicious and good-looking he looked at the moment, would be the biggest understatement of the year. I was bummed and beyond surprised.


    Jessica was a royal entitled bitch who would fuck anyone up, popr quarterback or handsome Ceo¡¯s heir but I had to be honest with myself and agree that there was something more about Law. Something that appealed greatly than his good looks, it was far more than the forbidden desire that curled one¡¯s toes when he pinned you with those grey eyes of his, or how hyper-alert you couldn¡¯t help but be when he was in the next room with you, it was more than the thrilling chills that ran down my spine¡­ There was something more about Law Tyler thatmanded your attention, respect and your admiration.


    It wasn¡¯t a damn request, it was a frickin order to acknowledge his presence, to gulp at his unbelievable good looks, avert your gaze and find yourself sneaking a peek again.


    Jessica had moved closer to him, putting on her best flirtatious smile and I wouldn¡¯t even be shocked if they walked out of the hallway, hand in hand, forgetting about me and realizing just how picture-perfect they looked, standing by each other.


    ¡°Prudence, why do you let them get away with screwing you over and bullying you?¡± I blinked in utter shock that he still hasn¡¯te off whatever drug he was high on and was still talking to me, worst with how rxed he sounded, he waspletely clueless about the thousands of cameras now on his face; either that or he didn¡¯t care.


    I did. I could tell this was some sick prank that Jessica herself must havee up with. Totally refreshing and badass, I¡¯d have been impressed if I wasn¡¯t the damn target and the disbelief and shock of rejection stered on her face were rtively the only thing that looked real on her Botox body, which I knew was sadly fake after all, was really good.


    She should try acting if school didn¡¯t work out for her. What am I saying? I knew the only things in-between her brain was a handbook on how to use money extravagantly and another guide that taught her to spread her legs to get what her money couldn¡¯t buy her which was rare if I must add.


    I pinned my stare to the floor, believing that if I didn¡¯t entertain the both of them, if I didn¡¯t talk to them they would get bored eventually and let me go with a few taunts and snarkyments.


    ¡°Nothing to see here,¡± Law spelt out to the crowd that was now loitering in the school hallway, which made me raise my brow, didn¡¯t he need an audience to make my embarrassment more profound?


    His voice was clipped, his tone gravelly low yet I didn¡¯t need to look up to know that everyone slowly walked back to their sses as I could hear the sound of their footwear echoing on the expensive marble and hardwood flooring of the hallways.


    My gaze stubbornly lingered on the floor, watching the two pairs of shoes that remained. A Gi pair of sandals and an expensive-looking, maybe a limited edition pair of sneakers.


    ¡°You too, Ashley,¡± his tone was taunting and yet when I sneaked a peek at him, his face remained nk. So nk, it was scary.


    ¡°It is Jessica,¡± she mumbled through gritted teeth and I could tell my life was over as of that minute. I could feel her re burning through my skull, I also didn¡¯t have to look up to know this.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡°Whatever you say,¡± his words were curt and he sounded as disinterested as his sluggish stance. I remained in my humble position hoping that Jessica would go easy on me especially if she remembered that I didn¡¯t once foolishly enjoy her humiliation although I knew too well that to the students of Evans high school, mercy was a myth.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you attend thest party I hosted, Law? I was expecting you.¡± Her voice was raised, a squeaky poor attempt to flirtatiously gain back her bearing in the unexpected turn of events.


    ¡°I had told you I won¡¯t being. I have a phobia for dumb bimbos,¡± I couldn¡¯t hide my shock anymore and curiosity on how he was effortlessly able to insult Jessica without thinking of repercussions. Slowly, I lifted my gaze and looked at them and I wished I didn¡¯t, because the almost frightful hurting pain in the eyes of Jessica who I could swear some hours ago was made of Ice, would forever be burned in my memory.


    ¡°Now, leave.¡± She slowly walked out and my mouth dropped, as I stared at Jessica¡¯s retreating figure in utter shock and awe. Something didn¡¯t feel right, the way people impulsively obeyed him without a word of objection felt off.


    ¡°Have anyone told you that hanging your mouth open is an unattractive feature in ady?¡± I turned to meet his gaze snapping back into reality, consequently.


    I held my backpack and made to resume my walk down the hall like nothing had happened even though I could tell that nothing would ever be the same. Law Tyler had destroyed my temporary invisibility with his unneeded attention.


    I didn¡¯t know why he suddenly care or now saw me, maybe this was some charity assignment he was carrying out; What do I know? rich kids have disturbing weird hobbies so I didn¡¯t bother to reply to him as I fixed my gaze on the floor and resumed walking slowly away from him. I gritted my teeth, as I saw his shadow following after me.


    His looming towering figure behind me distracted me and I hated it. I hated him.


    ¡°Look you have been doing well, climbing up the socialdder over the years though not by any ounce of effort from you, I can tell,¡± I stopped, looking straight ahead, ¡± Don¡¯t ruin it for some piece of ass,¡± I wanted to yell at him, ask him to go and apologize to Jessica, walk away from me and tell the school it was just a joke he was experimenting than ruin his high school experience because of me.


    ¡°Are you always like this to your Prince charming?¡±


    I snorted. Okay, I was indeed right. This was just about tapping my ass, maybe he had weird fantasies of screwing the school¡¯s outcast and now for interrupting a routine that had done more harm to me than good, he wanted something In return. I felt ttered honestly that he had gone through all that trouble just for some girl when he had all the popr rich girls of Evans high wrapped around his elegant, trimmed pinkie which was more reason to doubt his mental stability.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for a saviour and how am I in your context?¡± I snapped, then resumed walking though faster as I wondered what he wanted from me because his strides doubled to match mine.


    ¡°Rude, frightened, annoyed, exasperated. Weird but an intriguingbination. Who would have thought in Prudent had it in her to talk back?¡± I could hear the mocking snarl in his voice and was d he was finally showing his true colours. Familiarity I could handle. ¡°And for being a saviour? that is a direct irony to what I represent.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know why you are still talking to me when it is evident that it is forbidden,¡± I swivelled to look at him, now done with his games.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°You beneath me, writhing, sweaty, painfully in need of me.¡± I scoffed. I stared at his eyes for split seconds and although they were normal, I couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility that he was on something, I hope it was pot and not meth because that would just fuck him over royally and it would be a pity if he turned out to be a crack addict especially since there have been rumours going around that he was in fact brainy.


    ¡°But my want woulde right after my need.¡±


    I smirked, wishing I could record this moment and show him the dangers of drugster on when he was off the high. That would surely keep him off popping pills or whatever he took for a while. I fascinated about the horror in his eyes when he see that he had been hitting on a in ole Jane like me and to sweeten the deal I spelt my you as ¡®you and not ¡®u¡¯  and had never been given a million dors to spend on shopping shoes but I knew that would never happen. Once he was back to his senses just my mere presence could make him throw up as the thought of him having his hands around me would assault his senses.


    ¡°Now, I need you to be enamoured with mepletely. Just like every other millennium when we meet,¡± he hugged me from behind and my eyes widen almost bugging out in sheer confusion as I wondered what he was rambling about and most importantly if anyone was seeing us right now, ¡± I need you to fall in love with me, Amelia.¡±


    Okay, I¡¯ve been frickin wrong. He wasn¡¯t into anything, he needed help. Like mental help as soon as possible. An asylum, put under some fancy mental institute because he was out of itpletely.

 Chapter 004|Secret prayers

    Chapter 004| Secret prayers


    ~ Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn¡¯tmit.


    I stared at the board even as Mr Brighton seems immersed in his make-believe world where students give a damn about where a dinosaur¡¯s bone was first found in history, pretending to be listening to his endless ramble just like everyone else.


    He was talking about some kind ofet that hit the earth in 3000 BC and Tory, a history obsessed proud geek indulged him in his conversation and although I knew I should be taking notes, mentally thinking of how to ess my neighbourhood¡¯s only library that was out of shape and dpidated to browse through some of the avable history books to have more knowledge about this, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Law Tyler.Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    It was impossible to, especially since if I sniffed hard enough on my clothes, I could still perceive his unapologetic manly Cinnamon musky scent that reminded me weirdly of fresh rain.


    It was stupid of me to even still remember the strange words he had told me and the fact he had called me Amelia should convince me that he wasn¡¯t in his right senses when he made those bold derations, but I couldn¡¯t help it, nobody has ever looked at me that way like I was wanted, cherished, loved¡­


    I scoffed at my pitiable self inwardly, this is what happens when you attend a school and no male has even spared you a second nce except to pick on you, bully you and pass snide remarks.


    Back when I was a middle school student in the state public school, I wasn¡¯t the most popr girl in school or the Queen bee but I¡¯d felt average, knowing I could be beautiful if I got rid of the braces I had on back then and always wear my big goofy grin. Rob would always tell me that I was the most beautiful girl he knew and back then though I do shrug and flush brilliantly, turning the shade of his favourite crimson-coloured boots, a part of me knew he was just being a good brother and was being too kind in hispliments and then a little part of me that struck poses in front of the mirror and flipped my hair like I was in some kind ofmercial while alone had believed him.


    That part of me had died the day he went to jail, it was cremated on my first day at Evans high school, when I had stepped in here with my worn out yet favourite leather jacket enthusiastic about making new friends but have been met with outright scorn and mocking snickers and at the end of the day when I finally removed my braces and my boobs were finally in need of the Brassiere mom had bought for me when I had clocked 12, I could tell that I was unappealing, unattractive and my brother was a criminal hence the biggest liar on Earth.


    Later that day as Iy in bed hearing momined about us running out of almost everything like we ever had them stocked, I stood up and walked straight to the long sized mirror next to my stack of books that was now dusty because ofck of use hence I hardly remembered to clean it and because I was a big fool and women were creatures influenced by words, I went to pick a foamy duster and spent minutes cleaning every inch of the mirror.


    I stared at my reflection in the mirror when I was done. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.


    I cringed and looked away, dropping the mirror hurriedly and then lying back on my bed with a thud. Liar liar Law Tyler, I thought tears pooling in my eyes even though I knew he was no liar.


    He had called me Amelia, maybe the name of the woman that had broken his heart and had made every woman undesirable in his sight. The reason why he never kept a girlfriend despite therge number of Evans high school female students who would give up a pair of both legs and hands to do him.


    I choked back a tear, at the thought that Amelia might even be Dead and the loss was something that he couldn¡¯t ept and was responsible for his almost loss of sanity, even as I slowly was lulled into a dream state.


    Later that night, I woke up and brazenlyughed, my croaky whimper if it could pass asughter echoed in the room as I wonder if I also didn¡¯t need a mental institute. Nothing fancy, like Tyler¡¯s maybe something public that smelt like death and with an ufortable looking bed where we are offered stale food once a day since we can¡¯t tell the difference. Because what else could possibly exin my deranged bizarre thought that had lingered for the briefest of second that the most popr and wanted boy in Senior year wanted anything to do with me.


    I woke up the next morning to a yellow note stuck to the refrigerator. I knew what they meant. I didn¡¯t even bother to read the excuse mom had penned down with her poorly written calligraphy and heavily ridden with errors. It was yet another excuse why we didn¡¯t have anything to eat and a promise to make sure that never happened again.


    The problem was that I didn¡¯t know why she bothered because it¡¯d happened so many times to the extent the grumbling worms in my stomach didn¡¯t have any impact on me or felt nearly as ufortable as the way it had when I was a child and had hung on my mom¡¯s every word and badly written promise on her stick it notes.


    I wore a ck pair of ripped shorts. I¡¯d made it out of Rob¡¯s pair of jeans that had torn once when he had fallen down. Back then he had told me that it was an ident gotten from ying too hard with his friend Jimmy, I¡¯ve believed him just like I¡¯d believed Mom. Naive stupid Prudence who couldn¡¯t tell that her brother couldn¡¯t look her in the eyes and was always so fixated on his legs when he told her made-up story of how he was working in a bakery and was able to bring back home therge amount of money she had seen him counting more than once.


    If only she had known the cut he had gotten from his knee was when he had scraped his knees while trying to escape from a barbed fence, if only she knew that no bakery paid such a huge amount of money just because you stood at a counter and made records and such an amount of money could only be made from going on risky assignments of procuring and distributing drugs for the big Lords of the neighbourhood like Louis and Roman.


    Maybe if she¡¯d known she would have saved her brother, stopped him from being used as a pawn that had discovered way toote he was all alone the moment he had been caught with arge amount of cocaine and handcuffs had been sped on his wrist.


    The naive Prudence who was forced to grow up immediately to notice that the other two boys who were caught with Rob had gone home the next day because their parents were able to afford huge lumps of money to bribe the higher-ups. Nobody had cared for the child of the single parent, not Louis whost I heard about him was in London or Roman who still ruled the street and recruited more boys that always meet the same fate as Rob eventually finding out toote that all his promises to make them as rich as he, was a tant lie and when he told them he cared about them since they reminded him of his younger self ridden by absolute poverty he only cared about how much they made him rich as each day passes.


    Naive Prudence was dead anyway and in her ce was me, the girl who couldn¡¯t look at herself in the mirror longer than three seconds without flinching.


    Grateful that I was able to create something decent from his torn jeans, I wore mom¡¯s hoodie jacket she had have since forever. It was worn out like most of my clothes but at least it was neat.


    Tying my hair with an stic band, I grabbed my backpack, shrugged it on andpletely ignoring my grumbling tummy while looking forward to the cafeteria food disliked by the privileged Evan¡¯s high school gods, I made my way to school.


    I resisted the urge to yell at a few of the children who gawked at the crest on my chest with a hunger to be just like me, to escape our squalor neighbourhood and scream at the parents who looked at me jealously, wishing that their children were in my ce knowing that I would have also gawked and be hot in envy if I was in their shoes but if only they knew, then they would be careful of what they wished for with their obvious stares and be mindful of their secret prayers because although poverty was punishment enough for a crime we didn¡¯tmit, the students of Evans high school would make you pay.

 Chapter 005|What is love?

    Chapter 005| What is Love?


    ~Love isposed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.¡±


    Remember how I smuglymented on how I hardly feel hunger at all? Maybe there was a tiny teeny bit of lie in my theory because as my tummy rumbled and the worms in my stomach loudly protest I could tell just how annoyed they had been by my audacious statement as they rebelled at my Literature ss so brazenly.


    ¡°Prudence Bet, you seem to be in a world of your own which is totally uneptable, especially during such a wonderful conversation we are having here.¡± I blinked in confusion, surprised Ms Anne was referring to me.


    Ms Anne was the youngest teacher in Evans high school, hence almost everyone¡¯s favourite. For the guys, it was because she was hot and probably starred in one too many of their wet dreams and for the girls, she was not a bad sight to behold since she was always on par with thetest fashion of the season, unlike the other female teachers which was no surprise since Evans high school was her Alma matter.


    At first, I thought she would be a grown-up version bitch just like the little devils I had to go to school with, but she had proven to be different which made mee to only two conclusions, it was either adulthood had dealt her a great deal and she had let go of her devilishness or few of the rich ones still have a bit of goodness in them.


    Either way, it was hard not to fall in love with her, especially with those kind brown eyes of hers and wait, no definitely not in that way, even though I¡¯m not so sure about dinner when I get back from school. I¡¯m sure I was as straight as my straight A¡¯s. My sexuality was one of the few things I was certain about that won¡¯t change. Many things weren¡¯t guaranteed and it was fine. I¡¯ve gotten used to saying goodbye.


    Ms Anne was a sweetheart but today she was on my list of people to murder with my re as I stood on my feet ignoring the mumbling and taunts going on behind me.


    I hated her enthusiastic smile at the moment, knowing it had everything to do with our new text we¡¯d just begun reading: Romeo and Juliet.


    Like has the world lost it for their obsession with that particr Shakespeare ssic where two people had died for something as trivial as love, not to stop a world war or put an end to hunger. But Love. What was that?


    ¡°So what is your opinion, Ms Bet?¡± Ms Anne expectantly asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡± My brows were furrowed in absolute confusion since thest thing I remembered hearing was an instruction for us to bring out the Romeo and Juliet textbook.


    She gave me a concerned stare briefly, ¡°Love. Many people over time have had diversifying opinions about this concept for centuries and I thought it would be nice to hear a few of yours.¡±


    I snickered inwardly, tell me about love when you have given me food, but knowing I couldn¡¯t say that aloud, especially since it would only increase theughter and taunts behind me, I settled for a popr quote I¡¯ve once read in a book.


    ¡°I think,¡± I paused, noticing with irritation how light grew more on Ms Anne¡¯s face and I couldn¡¯t help but anticipate for whoever had put that light in there toe put it off.


    Love was what had made my sperm donor of a father, knock my mom up the first time, ghosted everyone and went to only God knows where until Rob was 5, then he had returned with sugary promises and foolish exnations.


    Mom had weed him again with open arms, a decision that had made me want to hate her so hard because it¡¯d brought me into this world. A hatred that Rob had no difficulty having for her nevertheless. He would tell me that he remembered when he had left the second time and mom had wailed and cried.


    He was a woman beater. Would beat mom for the slightest of errors.


    He was a womanizer. Rob couldn¡¯t forget all the time he had walked in on him with a woman that wasn¡¯t mom repeatedly.


    He was jobless and a drunk yet mom had wailed when he had left.


    But I couldn¡¯t fault her the way Rob had, because although Once Rob had made me promise that I won¡¯t be like Mom who had begged for a not good enough man¡¯s love and I had but I knew what it feels like to be lonely, to want to be held and desired. To be lusted after and for someone to know that you ain¡¯t home and worry for you.


    It was stupid. A foolish need but we ain¡¯t expected to be perfect right as humans? Or were mistakes like that without consequences exclusively meant for the rich?


    I knew the answer to that question.


    My eyes hardened and I held onto anger because it made me numb to other feelings like the stabbing pain in my stomach and how ringly unfair the world was.


    ¡°Love isposed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies,¡± I made to sit down d that I was done but I heard a long audacious throatyughter.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    I raised my brow at the same time Ms Anne narrowed her gaze at someone behind me. ¡°Lawson Tyler, what seems so funny to you?¡±


    Something else stopped me from sitting down and it was the same foolish something that had made me take a peek at the owner of the grey eyes I¡¯d dreamt about twicest night.


    I always had nightmares, well every one of my dreams I have regarded as one though because even the few good ones where I finally go to college and secure a good job always end the moment I open my eyes and realize that it was just a dream and I was still a high school student living out a torment sentence every weekday exempting holidays. But, I didn¡¯t know what category to fit in Law Tyler¡¯s grey eyes. It was certainly not a nightmare because they were not the gory image of Rob being shot and watching the crimson blood spread on his favourite grey shirt and having to look at how limp he bes when he falls to the dust. It was the opposite actually, it was a beautiful pair of eyes.


    And it wasn¡¯t a nice dream. I didn¡¯t even know what those were like. They were just a pair of eyes for crying out loud so why in God¡¯s name couldn¡¯t I stop thinking of them?


    ¡°You can sit down Ms Bt¡± Ms Anne gave me one of her infamous kind smiles but it didn¡¯t invoke the normal reaction that it does as I couldn¡¯t help but feel a dizzying throb of my heart even as I sat right back.


    I heard Law Tyler¡¯s audible snort knowing that he must be standing now, ¡°It is funny because it seems like she had just spewed the word from her lips even though it is obvious she doesn¡¯t even believe it herself.¡±


    Ms Anne pursed her lips thoughtfully for a while even as my tummy did flip-flops at his British ent not even minding that he had called me out on my lie as I wondered why I was not able to recognize his ent the other day in the lobby. Oh maybe because I was too enthusiastic about leaving him before anyone spotted him with me although I still waited for my punishment from Jessica for being so greatly insulted just because the golden boy of the school seems to be mentally unstable and had picked interest in me to go right down with him.


    I wasn¡¯t the only one in the room who had their eyes on Law, well I didn¡¯t technically have my eyes on him since I didn¡¯t have the guts to crane my neck and gawk at him like the others. I feel like I didn¡¯t have the right to that privilege so I just sat on alert while straining my ears making sure I could hear his every syble till thest pause.


    ¡°That seems really rich and insightful,¡± Ms Anne mumbled and I could tell she was trying to be sarcastic but from the little sigh of lust from the corner of the room, I knew the females in the room were too caught up in their fantasy with him to recognize sarcasm even though it hits them on the face.


    ¡°So can you tell us your own opinion that I hope you believe in?¡±


    I could imagine a cocky cheeky smile on his face even though I knew if I turn, there would only be that damn boring look like everybody was a bore that he had to put up with.


    ¡°No.¡± I couldn¡¯t restrain myself from looking at him wondering what audacity was this and who lends him his boldness? ¡°But I could spare some minutes to further exin the theory of love, Aristotle had described that Prudence had only mumbled without meaning.¡±


    I quickly turned not able to hide how arrogant I think he was being.


    I narrowed my eyes at him, scoffing and he held my eyes, his lips curving oh so slightly.

 Chapter 006|A broken lyrics

    Chapter 006| A broken lyrics


    ~ The sad part is, that I will probably end up loving you without you for much longer than I loved you when I knew you.


    Some people might find that strange.


    But the truth of it is that the amount of love you feel for someone and the impact they have on you as a person is in no way rtive to the amount of time you have known them.


    Brusque yet sonorous, curt andced with smug confidence but so enthralling. All these were adjectives used to qualify Law Tyler¡¯s voice as he held all our attention and made our eyes fixated on him, his British ent not helping in any way and that was the moment I should have known he was different, I should have been able to tell the ethereal features he possesses and exhibited so naturally.


    ¡°Love is immortal,sting for centuries and millennials. A soul in two bodies, one alive but hardly feeling without the other. Just like how useless a  bes without its pair that¡¯s how you feel the moment a part of your soul is gone under ashes, sand and mud not hearing your voice, not knowing your name, not feeling __¡± his eyes held mine captive and my breath was hitched, my hands holding on to my books tightly each of his words making me shudder and sounding familiar to my ears.


    Nobody dared say a word. His words didn¡¯t make any sense and just like my mom¡¯s quote they weren¡¯t practical but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to look away from his eyes. It lulls, it attracts, it glints. God, it calls to me.


    It was insane, but it felt as though the whole ss listened to his nonsensical jargon, it felt like his words were only for my ears, like hushed whispers a lover would share with his beloved under the heat of passion.


    His lips rose oh so slightly and he was back to assaulting me with words that didn¡¯t even make the least sense to me. His eyes seemed sad which was ridiculous because just a few seconds ago they were empty, dead even, like an empty shell that have forgotten what it is like to harbour breath or life.


    ¡°The sad part is, that I will probably end up loving you without you for much longer than I loved you when I knew you,¡± he started, and I felt the absurd strange feeling that he was only talking to me, that he was desperate for me to understand and with each minute that passed as he searched for only God knows what in my eyes he only got sad and sadder, ¡°Some people might find that strange.¡± He continued averting his gaze from mine like watching me was hurting him in some way, he turned towards Ms Anne, ¡°But the truth of it is that the amount of love you feel for someone and the impact they have on you as a person, is in no way rtive to the amount of time you have known them.¡±


    There was chilling silence in the ss which only heightened the goosebumps on my body as I wondered how literature ss got so intense.


    ¡°Ronata Suzuk,¡± he mumbled and then saying incoherent words under his breath that seemed like permission to leave, he was running out of the ss not waiting for Ms Anne¡¯s response.


    The bell rang simultaneously and I blinked as everybody stood up and activities began like nothing had happened. I now knew that though the ss was quiet, it wasn¡¯t for the same reason as I was. Maybe it was just the British ent that gave them the chills or how authoritative his words were but for me, I could tell, I could feel it, his words had meant more, they¡¯d spoken to me.


    My tummy rumbled angrily and I rolled my eyes realizing how stupid I looked deliberating over words that were from a quote. I must also have been engulfed in the spell of his voice too. That must have been it, I concluded as I jogged to the cafeteria knowing that Gloria must be waiting for me already.


    I waited in the line patiently for my food, already anticipating the spaghetti and meatballs on my empty tray since its aroma assaulted me from every corner.


    Someone was suddenly beside me. He¡¯d cut the line I could tell because the chick with too big a front row set of teeth couldn¡¯t invoke the toe-curling sensations, in me the way he did. I fought the urge to turn and confirm with my eyes what my heart already knew not wanting him to know that I could tell it was him behind me, even though I could tell that he might not even notice.


    Lawson Tyler was like a piece of a jigsaw in a puzzle that have nothing to do with me. A broken lyrics locked in the mind of a secluded songwriter who though he screams nobody hears. He was in his little world, always has been and so you all would understand the confusion that came with his newfound interest in talking to me.


    I won¡¯t call it an interest though, I thought as I pressed my lips together. Maybe just a passing ir, an amusing game to him perhaps and the demented theory still held water in my head too.


    The line moved and I took a step forward pressing my lips together.


    ¡°What do you have with wearing ck and grey clothes and what¡¯s with the hideous capes you use in hiding your face?¡±


    It was one thing to corner me in the school hallway, it was another to talk to me in the school cafeteria. Clearly, Lawson also had no fear of social death but I did. Well, I didn¡¯t have a social life to start with, but I also didn¡¯t want to make enemies out of the popr girls in Evans high school who had eyes on him already. No thanks, I already have a long line of trouble supplies tost me my whole lifetime. I didn¡¯t want another. So Ipletely ignored him, pretending that he wasn¡¯t at all talking to me and dropped my head lower praying that I¡¯d had some mystic powers which would havee in handy right now to just go invisible.


    ¡°Or is this thetest trend in some sort of secret society,¡± he sounded amused and I resisted the urge to turn and find out if my ears were not deceiving me and Law Tyler had the capability of feeling any other thing that wasn¡¯t indifference, ¡°Are you in some secret biker society? I think that¡¯ll be so cool anyway,¡± he teased and I gritted my teeth in vain knowing that I couldn¡¯t hold myself back.


    ¡°You should know those biking societies are so old school, Tyler,¡± my voice was a harsh whisper as I burned res into the floor not liking that he was talking to me, wanting him to leave me the hell alone and forget my existence just like he had remembered it.


    ¡°Wow,¡± he sounded genuinely shocked and I could tell he was good at acting, ¡°Seems like I¡¯m cking in the league of cool kids and I would have to crave your enlightenment.¡±


    I rolled my eyes biting back a retort of explicitly telling him to fuck off with his strange choice of words and his crazy obsession with wanting to engage me in a conversation.Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°I heard that the Illuminati is the new it and what more it is led by the Devil himself.¡± He snorted and I grinned at my own crazy story then caught myself a secondter, my eyes widened as I wondered what I was thinking getting carried away, forgetting we weren¡¯t friends, he wasn¡¯t in my social circle and I would always be a bottom feeder regardless of his crazy reason for wanting to engage with me all the time.


    ¡°I believe the Devil is smarter than that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about the Devil,¡± I curtly replied, not knowing when I ditch my whispers and stood up straighter, ¡°But I think you disagree mostly with whateveres out of my mind and in ss today? What was that all about and your stupid exnation?¡± I huffed in derision, ¡°Where had that illusion evene from?¡±


    ¡°If only you could talk back at the people who talk down at you this way,¡± he wistfully whispered and I could feel his hot whisper against my ear making my eyes widen and my hand holding even more tightly to the tray in front of me.


    The girl in front of my line left and I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that I was the next after the boy who wore flipflops to school and wasn¡¯t sanctioned for breaching the strict shoe policy that seems to only apply to the poor because they were produced by his parents and yet was nowhere up the socialdder but at least he wasn¡¯t a bottom feeder like me.


    I didn¡¯t reply to him, I¡¯d spoken too much as it were and we were already attracting stares. If not that I stared straight ahead and nobody would ever think that Law Tyler who was oddly so quiet would be so chatty and with me no less, I¡¯d have been in trouble.


    Relieved that it was finally my turn, I smiled at Margret the lunch chef even as I made a mental note to ask her if sheter made it to her grandson¡¯s basketball game, she wasining of being sote to she feared she had missed the whole thing. Side note: I¡¯d have been very popr if I had the same smooth rtionship I had with the staff in Evans high school, with my peers. I knew about the librarian¡¯s arthritis, the Janitor¡¯s atheist son and the head cleaner daughter who was in Britain on a schrship.


    I smiled at the sight of the delicious delicacy now on my te and on top of my te, my tummy growling in approval and clutching my hand discreetly over it to quieten it, I turned about going back to my seat.

 Chapter 007| Even the devil would be shocked

    Chapter 007| Even the devil would be shocked


    ~ It¡¯s painful, loving someone from afar.


    Watching them ¨C from the outside.


    The once familiar elements of their life reduced to nothing more than asional mentions in conversations and faces changing in photographs¡­..


    They exist to you now as nothing more than living proof that something can still hurt you ¡­ with no contact at all.


    Strong hands wound around my waist, lifting me effortlessly and dropping me at the other side of my rack, so fast it was almost like I imagined it.


    But the bucket of cheese and chocte that rained down from the ceiling of the particr spot I was standing a few minutes ago was certainly not just a figment of my imagination as what had almost happened dawned on me.


    The cafeteria was quiet. That was unusual I thought, they always had a ¡°freak ident¡± tough about, all the time. My eyes widened as I realized that I was supposed to be their freak show and that was not the only reason why the whole poption of Evans high school was gobsmacked.


    I turned to meet Law¡¯s face and he seemed angry. No, he didn¡¯t just seem angry, he was seething and boiling in pure rage I was terrified especially since his dreamy grey eyes were a shade darker, dangerous.


    But I wasn¡¯t scared of him, I was scared more of the poption of the whole school who just saw their Prince touch the troll. I was done, finish. Closed. My life was literally over.


    My tray of spaghetti which was surprisingly in one piece fell from my hands and ttered to the ground and that was ironic because that¡¯s the sound I think my heart made when it realized I was going from being just a bottom feeder to a specially hated one.


    I didn¡¯t move, I couldn¡¯t even muster the courage to drop my gaze on the floor so I watched. Watched my world fall apart, I watch as Law held my hand, his long elegant fingers sping my arms possessively and stayed there even as he faced the cafeteria which had gone gravelly quiet and I knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to throw me into the cruel arms of visibility.


    Yes, he just might be my bane of existence with his very bold yet silent statement he was making at the moment and I¡¯d probably end up as the weirdo or charity case Law was suddenly shockingly interested in but I¡¯d be seen, acknowledged, and not just be some faceless girl with a hideous hoodie.


    He was throwing me into a world I resented, loathed even and for some reason despite the paralyzing fear of it. I was letting him.


    Everybody was watching.


    It wasn¡¯t a figure of speech. Literally, every single person stared.


    I spared a nce at Law Tyler. His expression was pissed yet bored, abination that dared anyone to snicker orment ruefully about me.


    I had a feeling that he wanted to make an example out of someone, but no one took the bait. No one coughed out the word charity case or scum briefcase.


    I felt my face so hot with embarrassment, I thought I¡¯d ignite but yet at the same time, it felt so good. Watching someone standing up for me was a foreign feeling that warmed my chest in an uneasy cheesy way.


    ¡°The next time someone pulls such a stunt like this ever again with her, I¡¯ll scour the entire school, I¡¯d search you out painstakingly and with such great effort and when I do __¡± he didn¡¯t finish his sentence. He didn¡¯t need to.


    His expression said it all. His scowl and smouldering grey eyes expressed every anger that reverberated and enunciated each of his words which was quite a lot and the thought that someone was that angry because of me, pulled such a stunt for me was confusing and crazy but it was more than obvious everyone had gotten the message loud and clear.


    Stares burned at me and it felt like I was the new girl in school and for the first time, I was being seen. Like now they could see that my eyes were coffee brown and I wore shoes!


    He bent down and picked up the tray I¡¯d thrown on the floor, I gaped at him while everyone else stared at him like he were the Messiah, zing into town on his donkey wearing a glittery thong, an awestruck expression mirroring in each of their faces.


    He handed my tray with the broken shards casually to one of the students to dispose of, then he turned and barked, ¡°Next person to gawk gets to be an example. Would you like my food?¡±


    I nearlyughed. Nearly.


    But I didn¡¯t. I also didn¡¯t take him up on his offer of taking his food even though my tummy was very much in love with the offer. The old Prudence would have smirked, probably wouldn¡¯t have minded the attention and would consider him a Prince charming of sorts. But the new Prudence didn¡¯t make friends and sure as hell knew when things were too good to be true and certainly was not going to be breaking bread with Law Tyler, the most infamous bad boy in Evans high, just because he was showing a shockingly yet mild interest in her.


    The new Prudence couldn¡¯t understand why she was still standing as the implication of what had happened slowly dawned on her and soon her legs were breaking into a sprint, her body desperate to hide again under the cloak of invisibility even though she knew it was impossible.


    I heard footsteps resounding behind me and I didn¡¯t need to turn to know who had followed me and was hot in pursuit of me. It was Law Tyler and that only pushed me to run more.


    He has been my ssmate for a while and so you¡¯d understand my surprise that so very suddenly he was now invested in me, now noticing me and that was not going well for me at all.


    I wasn¡¯t the most athletic person so soon I was breathing hard, unable to move forward, my hands on my knees, as I gasped like I was submerged in water for a while.Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Leave me alone,¡± I screamed angrily as I spotted him annoyingly jogging towards me with confident strides like he could tell that I wouldn¡¯t be able to hold out on running for so long.


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    I scoffed, ¡°Why can¡¯t you so suddenly? You¡¯ve been around for a while and you know how the school system works so why the sudden turn of events? Why do you seem to care about me now?¡± I was out of breath but I couldn¡¯t stop myself from replying to him even though I stumbled upon my words, out of control, confused and angry.


    His grey eyes had the same damn soulful sorrow and sadness that I couldn¡¯t fathom yet shook me terribly.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand me, Il mio fiore di loto.¡±


    I red hard at him even though I didn¡¯t understand what he had called me.


    ¡°We are definitely not on nicknaming basis!¡± I gritted my teeth and stood up straighter.


    His eyes were hard on mine and I looked away unable to hold his gaze, or even hold on to the confusion with lots of questions brewing in me and the waning of my anger that slowly burned out with the adrenaline.


    ¡°If this is some kind of sick bet then this is the part where you just produce your secret cameras and burst into a fit ofughter and it¡¯dpletely be understandable. You were bored and wanted to have some fun with little ole me which I should consider an honour. Sweet, precise __¡±


    His tone was clipped and bare but his eyes showed different shades of intensity that shook at me greatly, ¡°Safe, easy. You¡¯d rather want to believe that someone is just being mean to you than try to figure out why they are not.¡± His right hand reached out to grab one of mine and I licked at my lips nervously darting my eyes behind him believing every second from now to hearughter, sneers and how good of an actor Law Tyler was and how foolish and gullible I was to even imagine that he had fought the whole school because of a lowlife like myself.


    My voice shook even as he cradled my face, his looking pained, ¡°You know if this is a prank this is when you go from just being a scumbag to just bring in devilish.¡±


    He chuckled, deep and long. A throaty beautiful sound that warned my heart at how perfect that sounded. Like a piece of sweet music with the rightbination of everything, it was like ecstasy. It was warm, and I felt high, almost like I could float in how nice he sounded and how familiar it was?


    No, I shook my head internally, deeply convinced that was the first time I was hearing Law Tyler produceughter and had allowed his eyes shine with mirth rather than the dull sluggish indifference like he was bidding his time for what exactly? Senior year? College?


    ¡°It is funny how you all attribute the worst cases to the devil. Even the devil would be shocked that you can even courageously sin so greatly by trying to hide such ethereal beauty, he would be greatly shaken at how breathtaking you look,¡± his hand touched my hair caressingly and that¡¯s when I realized that somehow my hoodie hade off maybe in the course of my running.


    My breath hitched as he traced my lips almost in reverence yet his hands felt familiar like that of a lover that touches you in the dark and without rm you curl into his arms, soaking yourself in the blissful warmness of his embrace.


    His voice that muttered words into my ear that I was too blown away to listen to, felt like he had done this a thousand times before, his hot breath against my ear prompting me to melt into his touch seems like a repetition of what had urred before and his hands that were wound around my waist felt like he knew his way around my body. Like he had studied every dip, every curve, every imperfection and__


    My eyes widened, as I wondered what I was allowing, letting him do right in the frickin hallways where anyone could watch.


    I took a step backwards and rolled my eyes now at his sorrowful expression, he should try acting most definitely.


    ¡°I now know what this is all about and even though I feel honoured knowing that you could go such a mile just to tap a freak¡¯s ass. With all due respect, Fuck off.¡± I rightened my hoodie and keeping my gaze fixated on the ground, I promptly walked out.

 Chapter 008|Safe haven

    Chapter 008| Safe haven


    ~ When he had first told me hello


    I should have heard the hell in it.


    Everyone has a haven, a shade. Most times, for the lucky ones it was a person or group of people. For the luckiest, it was family or a best friend.


    Once upon a time, I wasn¡¯t aware of it but I¡¯d been lucky. I¡¯d Rob. He was my haven. We never had enough when he was around, neither did his presence disappear the ugly reality of sleeping hungry most nights, but he was there to hold my hands through the unbearable prodding of the worms in my tummy which most times, I like to entertain the thought of them restlessly wondering what I was thinking not remembering to eat, hence they act as a reminder, acted up.


    Biting here and prodding there.


    But I didn¡¯t have such a haven anymore, but I did have a safe ce. The under-construction Janitor¡¯s closet. I wasn¡¯t sure, if I¡¯ll be able to face anyone now, not sure I have the guts to walk back to the cafeteria like nothing had happened though I knew, I¡¯d have to wear my hoodie soon and act invincible, act tough and unbothered like nothing got to me while anticipating the huge strike at me that was unavoidable now after Law Tyler¡¯s drama.


    ¡°Here.¡± I almost fell off the table which on it was kept cleaning supplies not knowing when he had slipped through the door. It didn¡¯t even make any sound or was I so deep in thought, that I¡¯d missed it?


    Before I could yell at him, already aware of who was behind me. I couldn¡¯t mistake that chilling aura even if he was amid a multitude, the smell of something enticing and juicy called out to me and it didn¡¯t help that I was most vulnerable since I was in dire need of food.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have any food to eat because of what had happened at the cafeteria, so take this.¡±


    I turned to look at him, keeping my eyes on his not wanting to be drawn to the ptable dish held in his hand, which I very much want to devour, recklessly abandoning my ego which was smothered at this point but I stubbornly still held onto fervently protecting it even though, ego had no home with a hungry man and what dignity is in poverty?


    But Rob had taught me at a very young age to be able to glisten my lips with oil if need be so that my peers would think I was well-fed while I yed with a hungry stomach. He would always say, we didn¡¯t have much but of what value did we be when we give up our pride even though it is just the rattle of extreme folly?


    ¡°I had a huge breakfast so I was not even that hungry.¡± I lied looking away from his eyes realizing how wrong of a tactic that was.


    ¡°Trust me, I do want something from you but taking this from me doesn¡¯t in any way means that you are obliged to do anything you don¡¯t want to do,¡± he brings the tray in front of me but I held my breath not wanting to perceive the delicious wafting aroma of the sauce not sure I¡¯ll be able to hold on much longer if I did as I pushed the tray back into his arms which were still outstretched.


    ¡°I told you I¡¯m not hungry.¡±


    ¡°I do believe you but I¡¯m allergic to gluten which is highly contained in spaghetti so all this would go to waste if I don¡¯t give it to anyone.¡±


    He would have fooled me, I thought knowing that rich people had no problem wasting food or any other thing since they had a surplus of all they could desire. I¡¯ve seen how overflown our waste baskets were after lunch and the wasted untouched food left behind at the cafeteria which I have more than once benefited from was evidence of just how easily he would not have been fined if he wasted his portion of food.


    ¡°You can dump it in a waste bucket.¡± There was a pause but still, I didn¡¯t turn to spare him a nce even as I expectantly awaited the creaking of the door that would confirm he was gone already and I was doomed to hunger.


    But although there was a creak, it wasn¡¯t from the door but from the mahogany table, I sat on top of. The sturdy wood felt the pressure of his weight as he smoothly sat down beside me like that was a verymon thing to do.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I met his amused eyes and knew he had not in any way bought my story the same way I didn¡¯t buy his.


    ¡°I had never loved the chatter that went on at the cafeteria so I decided toe and keep youpany here. I love solitude and peace, so here I am.¡±


    I fought the urge to chuckle, at that obvious lie. Who wouldn¡¯t like the popr¡¯s table he sat on. A seat every student of Evans high school dreamt to be in, which he had easily been invited to the first week he hade to school.


    I could never forget how much dust he had raised in school, because of his admission though there had been rumours that he had turned down sitting down at the popr¡¯s table more than thrice, I¡¯d refused to believe it chalking it down to people trying to make him seem way cooler since he was thetest eye candy of Evans high school and soon would lose his vour.


    I¡¯d been so wrong despite his indifference and how he didn¡¯t indulge in their endless chatter, didn¡¯t sign into basketball despite how many times the captain himself had hinted to him to try out because ording to his transfer records he was in the basketball team, didn¡¯t keep a girlfriend and didn¡¯t keep friends, his value had only increased as more people had bent backwards to amodate him over the years. The girls wanted him and the guys wanted to be him.


    So how could he say he didn¡¯t want to be at the popr¡¯s table? How could he act like he wasn¡¯t thankful for how smooth his high school journey had been and why keep on with the pretence that he wasn¡¯t like the other people who sat beside him. Smug and rich, acting like the world was underneath their designer footwear.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want from me, but you are pretty desperate and that just scares the hell out of me,¡± I admitted.


    He eyed me briefly, ¡°What makes you think I¡¯ll want anything from you? You aren¡¯t an heiress hence my interest in acquiring daddy¡¯s money or having any material possession that is of interest to me.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I¡¯m more scared. Why else do you hang around me and would rather stay in this damn building with me rather than be in the cafeteria with the others?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t believe me if I tell you I enjoy yourpany, would you?¡±


    I chuckled mockingly, ¡°I gave you so much credit if that¡¯s the excuse you¡¯d rather be going with.¡±


    He shrugged, ¡°So I¡¯d rather seal my lips than spew loads of crap then or insult the creativity of sorts you expect from me.¡±


    I rolled my eyes in absolute frustration, ¡°You know this is outrightly desperate even in the history of absolute desperation and honestly, I wish I have the luxury of time to indulge you but I¡¯m sorry I am not of your type and have real issues that have nothing to do with getting invited to the most popr parties or getting thetest model of a sport¡¯s car.¡±


    ¡°My type?¡± He spat out like that was a joke, ¡°Do not judge a book by its cover.¡±


    I eyed his expensive Rolex watch, Italian shiny ck shoes, and his customized leather jacket and scoffed.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll stick to judging a book by its cover figuratively and literally, it saves me the stress of flipping through and finding the same cliche, boring words.¡± I jumped down from the table finally epting that he won¡¯t be giving up anytime soon and I needed to find another ce to be in.


    He jumped down too.


    I wasn¡¯t the type to curse, it made me feel like I was no different from the other children in my ghetto surrounding but I found myself muttering curses underneath my breath gloriously being pushed to the wall.


    ¡°What the fuck do you want from me, you too good to be true Prince charming?¡±


    ¡°I want to be your friend.¡± He had the guts to smile at me and then push the damn tray to my side.


    I grabbed the tray intending to throw the damn thing on the floor agitated.


    ¡°If you eat the food, I¡¯ll calmly leave you to your solitude right now, but if not then I¡¯ll have no choice but toe back with more trays of food.¡±


    My mouth dropped open at the thought that he was threatening me to eat!Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You¡¯re sick.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been called worst besides I¡¯m a rich kid who like you rightly assessed has lots of time to spare so please indulge me.¡± He patted the spot beside him even as he took a seat on top of the table intending to watch me while I eat.


    My hands were curled into fists on both sides.

 Chapter 009|I was an eyewitness

    Chapter 009| I was an eyewitness


    ~ This is my confession.


    As dark as I am,


    I¡¯ll always find enough light


    To adore you to pieces,


    With all of my pieces.


    I red at him,pletely angered which was out of character for me. I never raise my voice to the gods who attended Evans high school but there was something about the ck-haired demon in front of me, staring me down with a smirk like my anger and difort was a sport that was made to amuse him that rubbed off on me badly and pushed all my buttons.


    ¡°Who do you think you are, you privileged, trust fund dependent wuss?!¡± His eyes narrowed as he took a step towards me, forcing me to take one backward as my brain warned me of being cornered to the table if he kept taking steps towards me, while I in turn took steps backwards like this was some cliche chick flick where the bad unbelievably hot guy falls for a Demi Lovato who is supposed to pass as some nd-looking nerd but this was my reality.


    And in this reality, I was no Demi Lovato oblivious to how beautiful I looked, didn¡¯t have any group of friends desperate to give me some lousy makeover which would make me shine and make every hot-blooded male in the vicinity widen their eyes in pure disbelief at how frickin hot I turned overnight and in my reality, Law didn¡¯t take any other step forward but brought out histest iPhone model waving it at me like he was a godmother here to grant my secret wish which was ironic because at that moment I wished he tripped and hit his head, so hard he had a memory loss over me.


    He yed a recording of me badmouthing him and blood drained from my face knowing I had yed right into that trap, and just thinking of how dreadful the remaining days of senior year would be if that clip got out made my insides quiver and I would be throwing up everything I had in my fictional huge breakfast if not that, it didn¡¯t happen. It was a big lie. Surprise. Who was fooled? Not the stupid yet insanely attractive boy looking at me with a cheeky grin aware he had the upper hand.


    ¡°What do you want from me?¡± I heard myself saying aloud which was quiteical because what would a guy like Law want from scum like me but he only stretched the food tray towards me.


    ¡°Eat.¡±


    I sat down making sure to stay far away from him even as he released a grin which now he had gottenfortable showing, I could tell why it was a long timeing. His smile showed off pearly white teeth and dimples that deepenedpletely making him look so young, so boyish, so damn beautiful¡­ I dare say and it was obvious Law Tyler wouldn¡¯t want such features to be made visible since that would ruin the brooding hot mess appearances he had going on well for him.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Why he was not so hesitant to show this side of himself to me, was what I couldn¡¯t wrap my head around and honestly, now I thought of it, I didn¡¯t want to figure it out.


    I swallowed down thest spoon of the spaghetti, staring down embarrassingly at how I had polished the te forgetting in between mouthfuls that I had a cheeky teenager in front of me, who had his parents on their toes if he needed as much as a limited edition of sneakers and had retailers searching for his favourite leather jacket like it was a means to sustain world peace.


    If he noticed the clean ceramics with no leftovers in them, he didn¡¯t show.


    I climbed down from the table, honestly surprised that would be all and even more, if I was being honest I owed it to him for making me eat which was impossible as a result of my foolish stubborn pride.


    I opened the door and before walking past it, I decided to take onest peek at Law Tyler. He was staring right at me like he had expected me to turn. And in his eyes which were like the ocean before a storm; Grey-green te was the same familiar sadness etched in them as he looked at me like he wanted to say something.


    Seconds passed. It could be longer or shorter because time seemed to pause at our lingering gaze and then reality intruded, the minute I heard the bell ring.


    I blinked and then exited the room hastily. I ran not because I might bete if I didn¡¯t, but I ran for my dear life and my heart which ached just seeing him looking like he was in pain.


    Law Tyler was a kind of boy who was easy to fall in love with. Troubled, full of issues, devilishly intriguing and with a face that beguiles and entraps. I¡¯d lots of problems in my life, I never thought I had the luxury to entertain boy problems and thest thing I needed as a start was a pitiable unrequited love interest formed with a person reverenced as much as a god in a school that thrives on terrorizing my existence.


    That would make a good chick flick plot.


    It¡¯d be a page-turner too in a book and make some teenagers sob as they read through heartbreaking scenes and spell bounding characters.


    My life was no book and certainly not a movie with Hollywood A-list actresses acting out their scripts and though there was plenty of sniffing and crying, that would be all there is.


    A silent hush fell in my English ss which I had tried to lie to myself to be imagining as I walked towards my seat which was always vacant and next to Gloria who looked up, her eyeballs bulging like she couldn¡¯t believe I was right here, showing up despite everything that had happened.


    Yes, I knew. I had quite the nerves.


    But what good would it do me to run away? Ruin my perfect attendance record which was a helluva shock owing to how badly the school¡¯s reception was. I couldn¡¯t just sink into my bed in pure despair and bounce out now wearing someone else¡¯s life. I needed to face this, dodge whatever curve ball this was right now and today. So hell no! To hiding in some corner fidgeting.


    If I ever once fidgeted then I would have long dropped out of school and have my mother who sees me as a crescent of moonlight illuminating her face once again, shattered. Have people in my neighbourhood who look up to me and admire me, shake their heads in pure despair thinking I was an ingrate who had dabbled with a once in a lifetime opportunity to leave our hellhole of a neighbourhood.


    A ball of paper was thrown at me. Gloria¡¯s eyes widen from my peripheral vision and I didn¡¯t dare look up as my eyes glisten with tears but not of anger but relief.


    Silence was golden as a concept but in Evans high school, silence means a stretched out period of time where strategies are mapped out against you and pranks discussed.


    The second ballnded on my cheeks and then another. I looked up tears blurring my vision and was taken aback seeing Law Tyler at the doorway whose existence was unnoticed by Mr Immacte who was having a one-sided conversation, mumbling to himself. I bet yet again about how greedy his ex-wife was getting with her increasing demand for more money needed for his only child¡¯s financial support.


    I ignored himpletely noticing that Gloria had picked three of the notes and had stretched out the crumpled pieces of paper cing them on my desk.


    He narrowed his eyes at the paper, obviously wanting me to read them.


    I opened the first one, my curiosity getting the best of me: ¡°You owe me,¡±


    Confusion marred my face as I read through the second one, stopping to appreciate his elegant, beautiful cursive calligraphy which I had no objections to being used as a font: ¡°Remember I still have the recording.¡±


    I sat up, swallowing hard even though my mouth felt like someone had rolled a big ball of cotton inside of it.


    I grabbed the third paper now desperate to see what the scumbag had to say yet again as I wondered why on Earth I¡¯d been naive enough to think he would let me off the hook if I ate.


    ¡°My second request is a date. Go out once with me Prudence.¡±


    Hell no I thought to myself even as I red hard at him while he conveniently strutted inside the ss, apparently he had been waiting for me to read his stupid notes before he did that or just wanted the female poption attention which he had now as he made his way towards me.


    No. No. No. I closed my eyes half expecting him toe in front of me and whisper aloud asking me what I thought of his notes and if I was interested in going out with him but that never came and I found myself sighing in relief grateful that he knew that the one-time at the cafeteria was just some huge luck because of the incredible unbelievablerge portion of the Evans high poption he had bought with his cold-ass behaviour and icy demeanour but expressing his interest in me would be in stupid and a social death but what he did next made me realize I¡¯d concluded so soon.


    The chair next to me scrape backwards which was a surprising sound and did I mention that I hate surprises?


    The chair next to me never moves.


    Doesn¡¯t make a damn sound because it is always empty.


    Social death ismunicable in Evans high school and with the bored look on Law Tyler¡¯s face as he settled down on the seat ignoring the curious pair of eyes now on him including that of Mr Immacte which showed that the middle-aged man who was always caught up in his world which he considered brutally unfair and everyone wanted to take advantage of him, was aware of his bold sign up to bing a social outcast.


    I was an eyewitness.

 Chapter 010|Fangs and Claws

    Chapter 010| Fangs and ws


    ~ The hardest things to let go of are the things you never really had.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I whisper yelled after Mr Immacte turned back to the board with great effort but not before I glimpsed at his beet-red embarrassed face, that his curiosity has got the best of him and he had spared us a nce.


    Law smirked, his dimples deepening as he brought his pen in front of my line of view and then with a smug grin, penned down English on his hardcover note.


    ¡°Learning, smart pants,¡± he gave me a cheeky smile, ¡°And I thought you were the brainy one.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare act coy with me,¡± I warned between gritted teeth?


    ¡°Or else what?¡± he muttered, loud enough for the first two rows to hear us and from the few heads that turn they did.


    I ignored the amused look on his face like I was some kind of sport and sighed in exasperation while wondering why I cared about the douchebag who was damn stubborn and was trying to prove a point no one gave a fuck about.


    I stared hard at my book, I bet burning a hole through it as I tried hard to push fucking Law Tyler out of the back of my head but it was frickin impossible when the damn object of my falling apart world was good at being conspicuous. He drummed his fingers against the side of his desk, hit his sneakers rhythmically, stole my pen and wrote our names together in his notebook passing it to me more than once even though I red hard at him and threw the book back at him.


    But more than his tantrums and antics to get on my nerves, there were also the little things that were more responsible for my palpitation and jitters.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    I sniffed him again without meaning to and it was that damn cinnamon scent and the scent of something hot and different. Not a bad, scrunching the nose kind of difference but a delicious unapologetically manly musky scent that made me slightly dizzy and it didn¡¯t help that he had his legs stretched and our legs were knocking against each other now and then.


    ¡°This is social death,¡± I made one attempt to warn him for thest time maybe he could stand up and perhaps the more than eager students of my ss ready to spread the news that their Prince had kissed a frog and so openly this time, might reconsider their quest to destroy him.


    ¡°When you mean social death, do you mean total avoidance by the whole members of this school?¡±


    I nod my head but way too eagerly than intended.


    ¡°Fine. I never wanted the attention anyway and truly, it would be a 100 percent win for me if I could get these whiny creatures off my back.¡± He frowned and for a second I wanted to believe, that what he was saying was genuine, wanted to close my eyes to ring realities that have taught me that nothing in this life was real and even the most things we consider great weren¡¯t. ¡°I¡¯m just here for you anyway and the clingy energy isn¡¯t helping.¡±


    I focused on my notebook, not paying heed to what the teacher was saying, because who was? Everyone was doing a horrible job of cing their head inside their textbooks while just trying to take a sneak peek of us when they think we aren¡¯t looking.


    The row in Infront of us was without a doubt listening in on our discussion. One of the girls¡¯ books was turned upside down and she didn¡¯t realize it and her partner who was pretty in a busty senorita way lingered on a page of her book throughout the lecture.


    It was strange having all that attention on me, noting people were going out of their way just to take a sneak peek at me and I could tell it was him. He was the limelight illuminating me so I could be seen and honestly, I didn¡¯t like the glowering idea of being noticed, realized, discovered.


    The bell rang and I sprang to my feet like I¡¯d been sitting on hot coal for the longest of time, grabbed my backpack and ignored Gloria who still haven¡¯t recovered from the shock of having the golden boy sitting in our fricking row and even next to me, I hastened my pace just exhausted.


    Way too much had happened.


    Way too much had been changed.


    Changes meant surprises.


    And remember who doesn¡¯t like surprises? Yup! Me.


    ***


    It¡¯s been four days and I¡¯ve learnt just a thing. I didn¡¯t know anything about Evans¡¯s high school socialdder. Nothing at all!


    Because guess who got even more popr? Who got more sharpie-written numbers on his desk? Who got invited to the best parties in the coolest cribs? Yes, damn fucking Law who should be banned from even using whatever mouthwash, the cool kids use.


    Because, not only has he been acting as bored as usual, he was going out of his way to make sure he was being seen with me as often as possible and I watch horrifyingly sure this was some sick setup as the poprs tried to act civil with me at the very least.


    It felt weird expecting the familiar jabs but not getting any, waiting for the underhandedments and suggestive insensitive jokes but none was forting and even more having the shy girls in the school sparing time to shower on me fake love.


    Fake love was between two ex-head cheerleaders who had to form an alliance. Like a sort of an arranged marriage for a short time to take care of the impediment threat which was the shiny, beautiful proud ruling leader.


    No, I wasn¡¯t the one in any alliance, I was the one considered threat enough for such an alliance.


    I tugged Gloria¡¯s hand feeling bad for her since she seems to be totally lost in what was going on with us, with me. Why suddenly we were invited to the popr¡¯s table twice which I¡¯d politely turned down by running out of the cafeteria sure that there was an underlying prank hiding underneath the most wanted to be sat on table. She was still also, trying to figure out how Law also ended up in any space I happened to be in, pestering me about the date he thinks I owe him like he was lost to the ruckus his attention had created and was still creating.


    ¡°Hey Prudeee,¡± I cringed at the shrill familiar voice before I tried to put on a big enough wince that I was hoping to look like a smile.


    If Julie Berger and Titiana Richmond, the most popr contenders for Law Tyler from the very first day he had stepped his foot into Evans high school had noticed myck of enthusiasm to engage in a conversation with them or how I had widened my eyes at the appalling pink and sparkle spree going on with their desssing, they didn¡¯t show. But seriously dark pink leggings paired with sparkling re skirts and what was it with the matching ribbons?


    They were what Gloria called a stereotyped ticked box. Blonde hair that came from bottles and extensions, Julie Berger¡¯s C cup-sized boobs were her 14th-year birthday gift from her parents and Titiana¡¯s behind was as fake as Julie¡¯s rack. Both prom queens in different years. Both social bees. Both sworn enemies since they had always seemed to want the same thing and the both of them right now were nked beside me like we were besties discussing stiletto heels while sessfully making an already petrified Gloria mumble incoherent words that were supposed to pass as excuses for her betrayal before scurrying away. So much so, for besties huh?


    I could tell just one thing. An alliance has been made by the two butterflies to damage the bug and this bug has no interest to be squashed by bright pink heels.


    ¡°So we were wondering now that we¡¯re getting to know each other,¡± Julie gave me one of her award-winning sugary smiles that made my tummy flop but not in a good way as I wondered when we entered the get to know you stage in whatever was going on here.


    ¡°We would be organizing a little get-together in my crib next week and we were hoping you¡¯d be willing toe and just hang.¡± Titiana continued even as she stared at the spot where Gloria had disappeared from with a little flicker of disdain before adding with an unwilling smile that got me bothered as I was curious to know if her cheeks didn¡¯t hurt, ¡°You can bring your friend with if you wish.¡±


    Now, flipping through the Evans high school Jocks and bimbo¡¯s dictionary, a little get-together means inviting literally everyone who had a minimum of fifteen properties in their name already, and if I was being honest that was a lot and by crib, they simply mean a ce bigger than the white house and with security tighter than that of a bank¡¯s safe. Which meant one thing, a recipe for disaster if I should as much as step a foot into that building stupidly as amb led to ughter.


    ¡°So you¡¯ll be there?¡± Julie ditched her goody-two-shoes act as her newly shiny pedicure dug slightly into my neck making my eyes water and with a malicious smirk tugging her lips she repeated, ¡°So you¡¯ll be there?¡±


    I nodded enthusiastically and she beamed releasing me with a wink and both of them strutted out almost as quickly as they hade making me wonder if all that had happened a few minutes ago was a result of my overactive imagination but the stinging pain where she had dug her ws into me literally, was evident enough that this was no joke.


    The students of Evans high school had fangs and they weren¡¯t scared of using them.

 Chapter 011|Please don鈥檛 kiss

    Chapter 011| Please don¡¯t kiss me


    ~ I know, I¡¯ve heard that to let your feelings go is the only way to make friendships grow


    ~ But I¡¯m too afraid now.


    Unstoppable ¨C Sia


    ¡°Il Mio Fiore di loto¡­¡±


    I turned startled and then narrowed my eyes, holding on to my backpack and turning away.


    I heard his hurried footstep behind me but didn¡¯t walk faster. It was no use exerting myself in such futile exercise, he always catches up to me. Always.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    He held my shoulder and I turned to look at him, ¡°Leave me alone.¡±


    I didn¡¯t recognize the icy tremor of my own voice.


    ¡°Ask of me something I can grant you. Something that is a possibility.¡±


    ¡°Come to a party with me.¡± His fingers stilled on my backpack which he had casually been stroking.


    I didn¡¯t know how that escaped my lips, how I mustered the courage to demand anything of him but if I needed to school here in peace without lots of bruises then not honouring Titiana¡¯s and Julie¡¯s invitation is not an option but I¡¯ll be eaten alive if I did that alone so handing over why they seemed so fixated on my existence was my only chance of stepping out of whatever this was bing.


    ¡°Has anyone been bothering you?¡± I shivered at the tone of his voice, trying to mask the scare in my eyes at how angry he sounded while I turned to face him.


    ¡°No. Do you still want to be my friend? Then you need to hang out with me first.¡±


    His eyes were fixated on mine but what he did next, I didn¡¯t anticipate as his fingers remained on my shoulder one minute and the next my hair was flying in the air.


    My eyes snapped to his face with murderous intent but his gaze pierced into mine like he was reaching out to my soul, while his finger held on to the band I¡¯d used in tying my hair and I didn¡¯t need an expert sightseer to tell me my hood was down.


    ¡°No friend of mine walks in the school hallway looking like she is trying to seduce death with an unhurried pace and an I¡¯d rather be anywhere but alive expression on their face.¡± His minty breath and a mix of vodka were so close to my face as he leaned into me while I stopped myself from standing on tiptoe to be as close to him as possible.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have friends.¡±


    ¡°Exactly my point. So I don¡¯t want my first to look so gloomy. Like who would want to hang with me and be my friend if they think I¡¯m just a bringer of mncholy?¡±


    I heaved, acting unaffected by our proximity was bing so hard. I harshly exhaled ¡°You won¡¯t have any troubles making friends. You are the Law Tyler.¡±


    He gave me a little grin but it was enough for me to peek at his pearly whites, ¡°I want to be your Law Tyler.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re delusional.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been called worst.¡± His hot callused breath responsible for my heart palpitation made me dizzy even as he studied the length of my hair, ¡°You¡¯re breathtaking.¡±


    His other hand were wrapped around my waist, the second I tried to take a step back frightened, tugging me to him and I closed my eyes the minute, his grey eyesnded on my lips.


    My heartbeat was so frightening and for a second, I feared it might just jump out of my body and nobody would care but would only reprimand my dead body for ruining the Pristine hallways with my bloody heart.


    We were in the hallways.


    Anyone could see us.


    Law Tyler was going to kiss me!


    ¡°Please don¡¯t kiss me,¡± I muttered, the second I felt his forehead against mine.


    ¡°Why?¡± I heard the amusement in his voice and would have rolled my eyes if not that my senses were dulled and I was only aware of him, how wonderful his arms on my waist felt and how I wanted it to go downward, grip my ass or worst find its way in-between myps.


    Why? He had asked. Because if he continues like this, he might hurt me and he doesn¡¯t even need to raise his hand, unlike the others.


    I opened my eyes, horrified that I¡¯d closed them in the first ce, ¡°Because friends don¡¯t kiss each other.¡±


    ¡°One date.¡± His husky breath elicited an audible sigh from me and my body shivered even though I saw his lips curved into a cocky smirk. Of course, the bastard was aware of the attraction I felt for him. Attraction half of the school¡¯s poption had on him. Was aware that he starred in so many girl¡¯s wet dreams and perhaps knew thatst night in the shower, I touched myself while thinking of him. Something I have never done before and though I had left the bathroom horrified at my own actions after a few strokes the point was that Law Tyler was a problem, a distraction.


    I couldn¡¯t afford a distraction even though ites in form of a teenager with grey eyes who could give an orgasm just whispering into your ears with his damn British ent.


    ¡°I can¡¯t date you.¡±


    ¡°You sound so sure.¡± His hand on my waist tug me, even more, closer to him and I gasped the moment I felt his huge bulge against my lower abdomen more out of surprise that I could provoke such a reaction from him. That his sick self really wanted me and considered me attractive enough.


    ¡°God,¡± I exhaled, my mouth cking.


    ¡°Just me.¡± He winked at me and then released me from his grasp which made me take two steps backward intent on putting distance between us even though I felt boneless and it was ridiculous because seconds ago I was melting against him.


    He shook his head, then smiling at me, he turned, walking away.


    I blinked, remembering why we had even started discussing, more like why I¡¯d initiated a conversation with him.


    ¡°Would you go to the party with me?¡±


    ¡°Il Mio Fiore di loto,¡± he didn¡¯t turn to look at me, I didn¡¯t mind because his grey eyes might just make me do something even more stupid than I have already done.


    ¡°I¡¯d go to heaven with you, even though I know we ain¡¯t weed there and Rudolph has not given up on his longing for you.¡±


    I snorted, ¡°Would have convinced me if you had called hell instead. You know that¡¯s where people don¡¯t wanna go!¡± I hollered because of our distance although ignoring the other strange things he had said that made my opinion of him being mentally unstable seem valid.


    He chuckled lowly and turned to look at me, mirth in his eyes and I wonder what was so funny.


    The bell rang just at that time and I knew soon the hallways would be flooded with students but that didn¡¯t deter me from holding his gaze, even as his boyish dimples sucked my breath away from me.


    ¡°I own that ce.¡±


    He was long gone the minute students were scattered on the hallways and it took me minutes to walk away from the spot I stood telling myself I misconstrued Law¡¯s smugment besides, there was no need to take him seriously when he said strange words all the time.


    He owned hell? How ridiculous. The devil would surely have a field day digging into his eyes with his ws if he heard his audacious ims.


    ¡°What is going on, Prudence?¡±


    I rolled my eyes. Look who came seeking me out to make sure I was still alive when the coast was clear I thought even as I tried to walk away from Gloria aware that I wasn¡¯t in the least angry with her. If anything, I was d she knew better than to associate with me when it seems I was heading for a whirlwind.


    ¡°Stay away from him.¡± She warned and I hastened my pace, like I didn¡¯t know that.


    ¡°Are you angry with me?¡±


    ¡°No. But just avoid me.¡±


    She gulped audibly and I could tell that tears must be pooling in her eyes, ¡°I only know you.¡±


    ¡°Avoiding me would put an end to that and you know it.¡±


    ¡°What is going to happen now, Prudence,¡± she grabbed my arm and I stopped.


    I turned to meet her eyes, a bit irritated that just as I suspected she was on the verge of bursting into tears. She was too petty, too weak.


    They¡¯d break her into pieces so easily and she would be one of therge numbers of students who didn¡¯t belong in Evans high school pushing through a transfer letter soonest.


    ¡°You¡¯d forget about me and try to live your life. Make few friends andugh at people like myself so loud and tell whoever cares to listen that you regret associating yourself with a scum like me for so long.¡±


    ¡°That bad?¡± She sniffed.


    I didn¡¯t reply.


    ¡°You¡¯re my best friend!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the worst mistake you made and it was selfish for me to hold on to you even though I knew that would blur and darken your own life here.¡± A little smile tugs my lips, ¡°I won¡¯t do that anymore. I¡¯ve seen the way you look at them with a wistful sigh whenever they discuss parties you¡¯ll never be invited to because of me. You deserve to go to those parties, lie about imaginary properties, drink liquor till your lips quiver and one day with a lot of luck and lies sit at the popr¡¯s table.¡±


    I turned to leave.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to sit at any table if you won¡¯t be there.¡±


    ¡°Too bad I already made that decision for you since you are too stupid to do that.¡± I hastened my steps.


    ¡°What does Law Tyler wants from you?¡± She stammered.


    I paused, ¡°I n to find out.¡±


    One date, it was.

 Chapter 012|Ain鈥檛 PG-13 contents

    Chapter 012| Ain¡¯t PG-13 contents


    ~ In deep dark nights


    When you feel broken inside


    I¡¯ll sing you a song when everything feels like poison


    When killing your own self looks like solution


    Come to me¡­


    I¡¯ll sing you a song.


    My first tear betraying how weak I really was had slid down my cheeks in the evening.


    Aftering back home and having my eyes almost gleaming in disbelief at the leftover pizza in the fridge. The pin it note on the refrigerator has been changed. It was pink now and I didn¡¯t bother going through it.


    She would be taking the night shift at a local pub in the neighbourhood and probably would be returning home until I¡¯m long asleep like a log. I didn¡¯t want to think of how dangerous it was for her to be returning sote or express my concern to her because I knew we had bills to pay regardless of my disapproval. Ranting on and on in my head about how unfair the world was to us too wasn¡¯t an option. Been there, done that. Doesn¡¯t change a thing.


    So instead I had chosen to do something about my hunger because I could so I¡¯d eaten the pizza, realising what toppings they were after I was done.


    I had done a few of my assignments and even group projects alone and for once not feeling bad that my partners were sofortable tossing it to me, made no effort to help out and were so cross with me that anything less than an A+ means I was screwed.


    But if there was anything I was confident about, it was my brain. She was the only thing I had left anyways. The body was just forced to survive: Emotions has long been suppressed, the heart was void, and hormones were dead.


    I had performed a horrible version of perfect by Ed Sheeran in the bathroom and had shouted till I was sure, my neighbours would have been covering their ears with their pillows if they had one.


    And in the dead of the night, when the wind forced open the window and I sat back not able to do anything since the bolt was bad, all of my suppressed thoughts came rushing back. It hurts that even though my life was going bad already and at a point I thought it couldn¡¯t get worst, It was and I couldn¡¯t do anything about it just like the window.


    I didn¡¯t realize I was crying until I noticed my damp cheek and how shaken I was as the hurricane of emotions I had long hidden under the mask of invincibility came rushing out without restraint.


    The door was locked, I was the only one at home, and my cover was still not blown. I could cry my heart out and still wear my mask tomorrow. Still tie my hair and cover it with a hoodie and it won¡¯t matter that I¡¯d like the way Law Tyler had stared at me when he had removed the hood from my hair.


    He didn¡¯t look at me like most guys did. The familiar quick nce and appraisal, then I could see the scoff, the disapproval, the disgust. It had never mattered until his eyes had stared at every inch of my body like I was something more. His eyes held more than just lust, more than that there was a terrifying hint of more than desire, something borderline crazy but seemed like worship.


    Adoration. Like he could go down on his knees and¡­


    More tears slide down my cheeks as I realized how crazy I sounded. I was screwed beyond doubt and I don¡¯t even have the right to cry. Law Tyler was doing something to me, yet I the victim was in the full re of vicious antagonizing and all I had to do was be strong.


    My phone screen came on and I was startled.


    Nobody called me. Nobody in this context means someone who wasn¡¯t in jail, another who might be considering taking the advice I gave her and cutting all ties with me and a woman waiting tables right now too busy to remember she has a daughter but can only think of the growing bills that demanded her attention.


    It wasn¡¯t a phone call. It was a message as confusing and scary as the thought that it was from an unknown number.


    Unknown


    You know I won¡¯t mind if you asked me for tissues to clean your tears.


    I looked around startled even as I violently cleaned my tears with the back of my palm and hurriedly my fingers were flying on the keypad.


    ¡°Who is this and how do you know that I¡¯m crying?


    I waited for a reply, biting my finger nervously as a chill ran down my spine at the thought that I just might be a victim of a serial killer who has been watching me for a while now. Why he wants to kill me or how? Was lost on me, but did those mentally screwed people ever need a reason to kill?


    I could almost see the headlines: Evans high school loser murdered in cold blood. I paused, maybe I was being melodramatic to think my death announcement would be that concise. Of course, they must talk about the fact that I¡¯m a charity case, so schrship student in Evans high school is more usible. Nobody woulde for my burial ceremony except Mom that is if she could afford a ck gown, nobody knew me so there would be no tribute or anything ceremonious. My eyes bulge, as I pped my hand over my mouth to stifle my horrified gasp. I might not even be buried! My mauled dead body might be left to decay on the road.


    UnknownContent ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    A guess but seems it was a lucky one. Today was pretty rough, saw your best friend crying at a corner so figured you¡¯ll be doing the same now.


    I sat up, gingerly a bit relieved that I just might not be dying.. tonight and though it was a spot-on observation, it just might be all it was, a lucky guess.


    ¡°Onest chance to prove that you aren¡¯t a stalker, a serial killer, a rapist, vampire or the frickin devil! Who is this?¡±


    I rolled my eyes, the minute my phone lit up with a message and I felt my body rxing. Of course, it just had to be him who would bother.


    Unknown


    ¡°Law Tyler. The boy you were so scared was going to kiss you today.¡±


    I rolled my eyes, right. I might be off the dating floor or all kinds of floors with the opposite gender but such proximity calls for worry even though I¡¯m the least desirable and that was a huge understatement.


    ¡°Then be careful not to get so close to me or disregard personal space like you did today else, it¡¯ll be unavoidable to have a misconception.¡±


    There was a long pause and I twiddle my fingers, waiting for his reply.


    Unknown


    ¡°Who said it was a misconception? Don¡¯t mistake my patience Il Mio Fiore di loto, for hesitance. I very much desire to have you naked, underneath me and do stuffs to you that ain¡¯t PG13 contents.¡±


    My heart beat elerated and even though I snorted, knowing better than to hang on to a teenage boy¡¯s harmless flirting sponsored by hormones and though it didn¡¯t add up to me, while he was texting me of all people, the warm feeling at the side of my chest at his nickname which was beginning to grow on me was foolish.


    ¡°Do I even want to know how you got my number?¡±


    Unknown


    ¡°Perhaps. Have a lot to do with going through the principal¡¯s database report on Senior year students.¡±


    ¡°Do you just have a death wish or as I suspect, you are a ma for trouble?¡±


    I saved his number. My back was propped against the wall as I made myselffortable, not believing how nice it felt talking to someone.


    Mr. Insufferable


    ¡°Is that concern I hear in your voice for me, Ms Prudence?¡±


    ¡°Just so you know, I read that with your impossibly sexy as hell ent.¡±


    My mouth was hanging open in disbelief as I stared at what I¡¯d just sent and ring at my hand usingly, I covered myself with the covers as the minute ticked by with no reply from Law. Of course, I just had to scare away the first person that had messaged me in years with, such inappropriate input. What was I even thinking? Typing something like that out of the blue.


    I heard the soft ping from my drawer where I had kept my phone out of mortification and before I could talk myself out of it, I was sitting up and peeking at the lit screen.


    ¡°I¡¯d have said that I love how flush you look when I¡¯m so close to you, or how unbelievably weak your legs be when my hands are on you and although you torture me more than you can ever imagine because I can¡¯t concentrate on anything more than wanting to be in between your thighs giving you pleasure, because your taste is all I can think about, I¡¯d rather ask you never to cry again and if you must, then you are free to lean on me. (You can totally hear this with the British ent)¡±


    I didn¡¯t reply. His erotic message mixed with concern rubbed me off in a way that reminded me of who I was and why it was stupid to continue with this back-and-forth texting. I needed to keep my distance for crying out loud! Because although I¡¯m finding it hard to believe and even I find his taste in women questionable, no offence intended to my self-esteem by the way, but even if he wants me now, somehow desired me, What happens when this strange want is extinguished? When he finally peels off theyers and finds out there is nothing special in there like he hoped? What if he sees that my soul is as faded as my Jean Chucks? Then what bes of me?


    Some things don¡¯t just break, Rob would say, because atimes when things break if the pieces arerge enough they can be assembled¡­ But when they shatter into tiny little shards? There is no fixing, no bigeback, no healing from that kind of break. Good boys might turn out to be assholes and break your heart without intending to but the bad ones, avoid them, Prudence, they shatter it and still asks you what you think of his current girlfriend.


    Law Tyler was a bad boy, the type that won¡¯t even bother asking you silly questions and would just go back into pretending like you never existed. I needed to stay the hell away from him.


    That was thest thing I thought of before I sumbed to the dominant right-handed grip of nature.

 Chapter 013|Awe and Fear

    Chapter 013| Awe and FearContent property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    ~ I¡¯m so powerful


    I don¡¯t need batteries to y


    I¡¯m so confident


    Yeah, I¡¯m unstoppable today.


    Sia ¨C Unstoppable


    I wore one of my infamous hoodies. It was a grey hoodie with a white hood and on its back was a picture of a skull wearing both a cap and a wink.


    For the record, it wasn¡¯t a hand-me-down from Rob. Drumrolls, but from his best friend, Chucks. So I graduated from wearing my brother¡¯s clothes to his best friend¡¯s. Still, a hand-me-down technically. Okay, you all are free to hiss now.


    My ck Chucks which were ufortably tight made me walk a kind of way I want to believe was badass. So in my head with my faded ck jeans trouser, ck hoodie, and ck Chucks, I was doing the legendary walk where I was the lead female star in an action movie that was about nning heists. And for the first time, I didn¡¯t curse under my breath that Evans high school was the only private school that didn¡¯t wear uniforms because some over-grown babies had cried to their parents who were on the board and poof! We all can dress like Hollywood wannabes. I was grateful that they did actually because although I was trying hard to oversell the baddie picture, it¡¯d have been almost impossible in a white shirt tucked into grey impossibly short skirts and fiss.


    The day was beautiful, perfect in my head until I arrived in ss and tried to pretend like the hush I needed to start getting used to whenever I entered a ss, didn¡¯t bother me.


    Formerly, nobody noticed whenever I entered a ss and when a person acknowledges my presence it was to drop a spitefulment or give me a disdainful re. But now? I could see something in their eyes other than indifference. Few were in awe, which was ridiculous but Law Tyler could do that to anyone, most were in scared and although the disdain remained, they were trying hard to downy it. Nobody wanted to get into Law Tyler¡¯s bad books. Good choice and not a surprise too.


    But these two categories didn¡¯t bother me. What bothered me were those who stared at me in both awe, fear, jealousy and smug grins. The awe was simply because they were trying to decipher what made a hot mess like me (Hot in this context doesn¡¯t mean baddie. Like a hot hot girl but hot Asin she is a sore sight for the eyes. Weird dressing, looks and even name check!), manage to get Law Tyler¡¯s attention. Something they have been trying to do for years and honestly when they find that out I needed to know too. Fear sprouts out with the same reason as the rest of the others and jealousy because, Law Tyler had been seen with me more times than all of them put together and if I do say so myself, it was a wide berth. But now, my concern was the smug grin, something smart was cooking. Not really genius-smart because whatever was in-between these girls¡¯ ears were certainly not brains, probably cheesecake but they had money. Lots of it were avable to be spent on nonsensical squandering. So the big question was? What could money not afford?


    I gulped. Yes, I did the maths too. I was fucked.


    ¡°Can you help me with your pen?¡± A deep unfamiliar masculine voice asked. Unfamiliar because well I had only one friend. Had being the key word.


    Now, this rarely happens. It only happened once with Gloria; who in her defence was oblivious (and then why she talked to me a day after that and more dayster till yesterday was simply because she was crazy) and new students who were not yet shown the rope of who to talk to.


    So imagine my surprise when I looked up to warn the new kid that if he didn¡¯t stopmunicating with me, he¡¯d need more than just a pen but a pack of Kleenex and a transfer letter, and my breath was sucked away when I met cobalt blue eyes and a kind smile.


    Firstly Tristan didn¡¯t need a fucking pen. He could buy a frickin Biropany if that was what he was into now and why was he looking and smiling at me kindly? Sure he had never bullied me but he had watched his friends go at it.


    Deciding that he just might be one of those guys who have bad eyesight but wear contact lenses because it was cooler, I turned to the board wondering why our Physics teacher wasn¡¯t here yet.


    He tapped me and I looked around to make sure nobody was seeing that yet another hot guy was trying to talk to me. There was only so much trouble, a girl could ask for in barely a week and nobody in this ssroom looked like they would be considering the contact theory.


    Some people are believed to be immune to some things example bad eyesight. Tristan was ¡°some people¡±. The only child of a hotel conglomerate heiress who bore him out of wedlock and was now married to the senator, who was childless. Rumours had it that he was impotent, else why would he marry such a standoffish woman like Mrs Greene who already had a son she adored?


    Now one thing about rumours is that though they weren¡¯t all true, they had some elements of truth in them and the only information I was able to sieve out that was concrete from the hush theories is that Tristan is heir to one of the biggest hotels in the country and all the dirty lumps of money that came from whatever politicians do. So here we have it. A student council President and a debate president so his brains were not grains, blue eyes, red lips, a nose that Rob would call straight, scoff and tell me a real man¡¯s nose needed to be crooked. Hard pass anyway especially when the crookse from street fights. He kept a blonde bun, spoke 18nguages and didn¡¯t have a girlfriend so interested eyes were on him. I didn¡¯t want them on me too just because nobody believed he lost his contacts!


    ¡°Prudence, you know I¡¯m still waiting for that pen.¡± He looked amused as my head whipped so quickly to his side. Okay, the lens story only applied to vision. Why the heck was he calling my name? How did he even know my name? My life is falling apart!


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you really want a pen or just trouble but trust me. I¡¯m a good girl and the skull hoodie? It is a sham,¡± I whisper yelled then added, ¡°It isn¡¯t even mine.¡±


    His lips were curved into an unbelievable smile even as I watch him with wide eyes as he stood up and casually made his way towards my row.


    Okay maybe he wanted to use the toilet, I reasoned since it was just behind me but he turned towards my corner and was now walking towards me.


    Okay calm down Prudence, maybe he really needs a pen and for some reason couldn¡¯t ask his friends or perhaps he knew it was only you in this ss who just might be interested in the concept of education and not pretending like you understand your teachers. But he didn¡¯t take any of the five pens on my desk. What! The librarian gives pens freely and in case you didn¡¯t notice, I love free stuff. A lot!


    But I didn¡¯t love when another A-list student was sitting next to me. Recipe for disaster.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Why are you whispering?¡± He widened his eyes, smirking even as he also hush whispered.


    Oh.. why was I whispering? He really asked that? My head whipped to his side even as I narrow my gaze at him, ¡°Did anybody put you up to this? Paid you? Now I know this is the part where I promise to pay you double but let¡¯s cut to the chase. You and I know that is a dollop of lies so please.. just let me off the hook this once and you¡¯ll never see me here again. Wait you¡¯ll because I school here and really need to go to college, to get a degree and you know to be cool. Just ditch whoever paid you money, tell them I¡¯d a contagious disease and you couldn¡¯t afford to get close to me.¡± I didn¡¯t bother to think of how hard Tristan was trying hard not tough, no I didn¡¯t. This might be some joke to him and if he considered this funny in any way that¡¯s a plus right?


    ¡°I don¡¯t want money.¡±


    ¡°I thought as much because you are filthy wealthy and I don¡¯t have money.¡±


    ¡°The pen was just an excuse.¡±


    ¡°Also correct but you are too modest to add that you could afford to give everyone in this town pens if you wanted but I doubt anyone in Todos Santos would have a need for a pen since it is one of the richest towns in California.¡± Even those in my neighbourhood wouldn¡¯t love the offer but they won¡¯t verbally tell you this like the cultured, way too rich old-money nurtured people over here. They would show you.


    He shed me his dimples, ¡°God you are better than all the freaks mom hires asedians altogether.¡±


    I chuckled so loudly. The sound hurt my ears.


    He shook his head at me and then looked at me like he was just seeing me for the first time. Okay, wrong¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re so cool.¡±


    ¡°You have never been more incorrect in your assumptions.¡±


    The door mmed shut and I squealed almost jumping out of my seat wondering if someone wasing to get me and considered it necessary to pull the door off its hinges. It was Law Tyler and he didn¡¯t look delightful and what more he was walking towards my row and I didn¡¯t even bother with the baseless assumptions of thinking he was going to use the washroom.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Okay, so I¡¯m going to be doing something I haven¡¯t done before. Rmend a song. I totally yed Sia¡¯s unstoppable in my head when I wrote the first few paragraphs of Prudence¡¯s imaginary powerwalk. Hearing the song might just help you connect.


    Love and light

 Chapter 014|The mute

    Chapter 014| The mute


    ~ You were always mine I just had to find you


    All my life I have never been agitated and on my toes like this moment where I shook on my seat like I was guilty of homicide and Law¡¯s impossibly long strides felt like he was moonwalking and ages went by with the way my heart drummed against my chest making me wonder why on Earth I was trembling when I have done nothing wrong.


    ¡°Stand up.¡± His tone was curt, clipped even.


    ¡°What crawled up your ass and died there?¡± I asked as casually as possible, trying to hide my mmy palms, my elerated heartbeat, and my shaky wobbly legs as I stood up.


    He ignored my snarkyment, grabbing my backpack instead and dragging my ankle which I quickly withdrew from his grasp like they were coal. Yes, he was a god in the four walls of this school, perhaps I like him way too much than was advisable and I might be foolish to acknowledge the flutters his words and gestures had erupted in my tummy but I was no pushover and I refused to just give up on all the walls I have spent years building. I was independent, I was the school weirdo and was fine with that because then I was my own person and I was not ready to give that up for anyone. Not even for frickin Law Tyler with his navy blue V-neck tee-shirt and ck cks that made him ooze sensuality and obliterated every sense of sensibility in every hormone-driven female teenager.


    ¡°Where are you taking me to?¡±


    His eyes shed with surprise then anger and I could tell that he wasn¡¯t used to being disobeyed. I¡¯ve seen the way people scurry around to follow through with his orders and I needed to make it clear to him that I wouldn¡¯t be one to bend backwards for him.


    ¡°Third row. My seat.¡±


    I nced at the row which was filled with students except for his seat and wasn¡¯t at all surprised. The third row was one of the most famous seats so far in all the sses. Law Tyler sat there next to ire, our gymnast president known to have a body that could bend into whatever position to soothe man¡¯s need, then there was Tiana, Le, Charlie, Tom, the Huggins twins, Sophie, Noah, and Elliot.


    Yes, there was a ss system even in seats though it was inconspicuous. But in every ss, the third row was significant for poprity and although with each ss the people changed, since not everyone attended all sses, one thing was dominant, the most popr sat in the third row.


    The mouse yed when the cat was out hence some students in the second chain of the ss system in the row but one thing was certain, I didn¡¯t have a ss. Damn a week ago, most of my chemistry ssmates didn¡¯t know my name so with my chin upward and tilted, I made to move back to my seat. He held me by the waist, bringing me close to him.


    I heard an audible gasp, the same gasp I made but not expressing the same thought. Mine was that of disbelief and surprise, theirs was utter need to be in my shoes which was getting more diforting as time goes by, this however isn¡¯t a figurative expression.


    He grinned at me, his eyes frighteningly nk and saying itcked in mirth would be a freaking understatement even as he leaned into me. His lips were dangerously close to my ear and his arms hang loosely around my waist but I knew better than to try to pull away from his grasp.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone else to talk to you, hear your voice, hold your hands or make you smile. That is only my ce, Prudence. You belong to me.¡± A delicious shiver moved down my spine and I was tempted to lean my head against his hard chest and trust him. Believe that this delicious feeling of being wanted and needed by him wasn¡¯t a lie or worst, a passing itch, a sport.


    I elevated my head to meet his gaze and grinned. I was a product of dirt, dried up gasoline in coverall where men sweat blood just for their next bread, a ce where only the fittest could survive and the weak were swallowed whole and forgotten. I¡¯ve slept many nights in total hunger he has only seen in movies and wallow in abject poverty that would horrify his way too soft skin that hasn¡¯t seen a day of hardbour or harsh sun rays. I¡¯ve walked the path of most thieves and con artists, made friends amongst violent men and most intimidating lowlifes. He didn¡¯t scare me at all, at least not physically.


    ¡°Nobody owns me, Law. I say when, how and if this truce called my life runs.


    He took a step back away from me, an amused smile on his face, ¡°Look who is fighting back?¡± He yelled.


    I rolled my eyes, heading back to my seat and sitting right while pretending that my erratic heartbeat wasn¡¯t roaring into my eardrums.


    ¡°And somebody was saying she wasn¡¯t cool?¡± I turned just remembering Tristan, ¡°You just went against the mute. He is like the coolest thing that has happened to the female poption of this school apart from makeup.¡± He scoffed at thest part.


    I rose my brow, ¡°The mute?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He never speaks. Hardly except when mandatory but seems like with you is a whole new ball game. He has a lot to say.¡±


    I chuckled, shaking my head at the nickname. ¡°The mute,¡± I whispered to myself.


    ¡°Though I must warn you to avoid guys like him. He would do you no good.¡±


    I didn¡¯t reply. Yet another warning like I didn¡¯t know that already. I knew what guys like Law Tyler were capable of. I was rational enough to understand this, my brainprehended how dangerous and skilful he might be with words, knew that he was bad news and the type who knew how to y a woman¡¯s body like a harp, with his words, that unsettled, his presence that disrupts and his eyes, those eyes that show yet hides a gazillion of mysteries but the only thing that was seeming to be a problem was hormones. Hormones wanted to jump him, remove his tee-shirt and lick his abs, be under him with no clothes on. God, I was screwed.


    The chair beside me on my right-hand side, scraped backwards and even if I didn¡¯t know what he smelt like (which I did because I was a wreck) and didn¡¯t notice Tristan¡¯s brief re of disapproval, I could tell he was the one. His air, his presence, gave him away.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    Everybody was damn wrong. He wasn¡¯t the mute because even his silence was a thousand words crashing over the other and his nk expression was a statement. I was listening hard but I wasn¡¯t hearing a word. Just the echoes.


    Mr Followhills arrived five minutester, five minutes of unsettling silence as the whole ss was so scared of breathing a word and the tension in my row with Law and Tristan nked at my side could be cut with a knife. Five minutes more of watching Law seethe like someone broke the neck of his Fresno doll while Tristan had on his face a frown that proved both guys weren¡¯t ¡°Bros¡±. I¡¯d have hit my head on the table till I had a lump as gigantic as the Irish potatoes I had for breakfast this morning if he had been a secondte.


    He didn¡¯t even apologize for beingte and although I knew his rueful behaviour must have been caused as a result of unavoidable crises because Evans high school regardless of its cruel upants was an ivy league high school not only because it was located in the richest town in California and had spoilt brats who were metaphors of the all saints town but because it had a high standard of an educational system.


    Yet, I regarded him with spite knowing that he didn¡¯t think we were worthy of his apology and thought we all sighed with relief when the clock ticked and he was still absent, angry that he regarded us as the same. Here to while away time, didn¡¯t care about grades and have daddy¡¯spany to run. He couldn¡¯t possibly think about people like me who have to strive to be here, wake up early so I¡¯ll get on an early morning bus just to be here on time. Yes, most times I pretended to hear him and it might be hypocritical to judge since I might have wished he didn¡¯te at all on most of my horrible days which consisted of a rumbling tummy and a blurred vision because of toe-curling hunger.


    But I¡¯d a dream. To stop living from minuscule paycheck to paycheck, eating expired canned meals and wearing gummed soles of sneakers and I believe the me that woke up every morning regardless of every odd deserved an apology. That was the least anyone could offer her.


    I¡¯ve had many things that didn¡¯t sit out right with me here at Evans high school. How loudly Stacey, who wore hardly there skirts blew her chewing gum which was just pure displeasing and caked up Melinda with her choking I bet expensive Italian perfumes which she decided to soak herself in mistaking it for one of the luxurious dips she had in her bathtub just didn¡¯t sit out right with my nostril but I never said a word. I never had the courage. The guts.

 Chapter 015|Thank you for being stupid

    Chapter 015| Thank you for being stupid


    ~ Though she be but little,


    She be fierce.


    I felt the air conditioner st at me like it was warning me to calm the fuck down.


    Mr Followhills was saying something but I could tell it included our textbooks because everyone was producing theirs from their backpack and I didn¡¯t know what did it. Maybe I was pissed with everyone. How easily Tristan had sat beside me like we were BFFs and Law had called me his which though sent a secret thrill down my spine that my feminist self would take to her grave, it was still downright annoying. He didn¡¯t know anything about me and if he thought picking just a week of confusing interest in me could change that fact then he was more mentally unstable than I had thought.


    Maybe it was damn Zara whose eyes were rolled to her back while her hands clenched the edge of the desk making it obvious that Jax her boyfriend who sat next to her had his hands in between her thighs and soon they¡¯ll both be leaving the ssroom to finish off this session in a secluded closet. I clenched my fist and shot a hand on the air before I could talk myself out of whatever it is that I was about doing.


    ¡°Yes, Ms Prudence?¡± He raised his brow.


    I was one of his best students, which was a recurring positions in most if not all the sses I took so he¡¯ll forgive me if I told him I was just stretching. Probably he¡¯llugh it off, right? The Huggins twins made a show like this all day and the ssughed right?


    It wasn¡¯t toote I reasoned, gulping but when I looked around I noticed that everyone¡¯s attention was fixated on me and they weren¡¯t expecting a joke.


    I stood up, I won¡¯t be giving one I thought clearing my throat.


    ¡°Mr Followhills, I believe you owe us an apology for arriving 20 minuteste to a ss and it is highly uneptable that you carry on with tutoring as if nothing happened.¡±


    There was absolute quietness in the ss but just to be fair it wasn¡¯t like anyone has been feeling chatty ever since Law¡¯s deliberate ruckus but this time it was different. The look of pure shock had been on their faces too in the morning but because of Law, but now, their piercing wide stare, the shock stered on Mr Followhills wrinkly face since I opened my mouth to produce words, it was all me.


    The old man must have considered me dumb since I never say a word in ss or to anybody and never replied to him when hemented on my brilliance too.


    This moment was mine so I soaked it up knowing that I¡¯ll forever remember this minute of Fame, this profound silence. Everybody was wondering what did it, what made the weirdo sing? I was too.


    It should have not been more than weighty seconds but it felt like days when Mr Followhills smiled as politely as one could swallow a snarkyment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry ss for arriving 20 minuteste to ss. I just never knew anyone was counting and I had a t tire.¡±


    I perch my ass on my seat, still shaky and I bet flushed from the adrenaline rush of how scary that had felt and been but yet the exciting thrill that followed was worth it.


    ¡°How did that feel?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t tell if it was Law or Tristan. I didn¡¯t care really, this was about me. My moment inspired by my badass hoodie and fucking pain on the sole


    I smirked, ¡°Like I¡¯m visible and not just a ghost waltzing in the hallways.¡±


    ¡°Good. Because you are very much visible to me. Always has been.¡±


    I held my tray to myself even as I briefly nced at everyone sitting with somebody and sharing a joke or just enjoying thepanion of another with a wistful stare. Of course, not everybody sat at a table that many would not mind standing at if they could ce their trays on top of it just once.


    ¡°Hey Prude,¡± someone shouted and I turned, more scared for the unfortunate person than being displeased. My eyes widened as I saw Gloria at our seat, giving me a toothy grin.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ditch me now,¡± she hollered, ¡°Even though I leave now many people who didn¡¯t acknowledge that I was friends with you are watching us right now. Who would take me now when I¡¯ve wined and dined with the school outcast literally?¡±


    I smiled, shook my head, jogged and stopped a few feets from her. I was nowughing, so hard my cheeks hurt and I didn¡¯t even mind that we had spectators. Students who nced at us probably wondering if there was an insanity outbreak in thend of the poor.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t take my advice.¡± She left her tray on top of the table and walked toward me.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Who is the intelligent one amongst the both of us?¡±


    ¡°Me, of course,¡± I whispered smugly.


    ¡°So why do you look surprised?¡±


    Tears welled in my eyes even as she lunged at me, wrapping her arms around me.


    ¡°Thank you for being stupid.¡±


    She chuckled.


    So I said it again and again till we both were sobbing,ughing and holding each other aware of how diforting it would be not to. We are all we had anyways.


    Gloria lived in Cabo San Lucas, unlike I whose town, La Paz was a northern neighbour to Todos Santos, so I hugged my arm staring at her retreating figure for a while as she headed for the bus station.


    ¡°If I wanted to know what it looked like if I kidnapped your puppy as a kid, I think I know now.¡± I turned startled to see Law Tyler leaning against the plush leather of his Ashton Martin one-77.


    That was another thing that surprised me about Law Tyler. He was intentional about not being lost in the crowd of the rich in their exotic cars which were almost alike. Dozens of pink range rovers, red, grey, ck, and cream. A harem of different models of Ferraris in different colours and other sporty cliche cars. His Ashton Martin one-77 which was a wet dream to Rob and his friends who lounged in one of the pubs in the neighbourhood; those with the smell of cheap beer and spirit that seems to cling to your body for days, was a sharp contrast in the driveway.


    I can still remember myughter as they¡¯ll seat in a pub all day and imagine riding in a car which was worth three years of a middle-ss working man¡¯s earnings.


    It¡¯d felt like a fable and a funny fairytale when Rob would wake me up in the dead of the night to tell me that he saw himself riding it but now, it felt so unfair watching a boy, my age behind that wheel yet wearing a dang bored look on his face as if he¡¯d rather be anywhere in the world than hanging out with us mere mortals.


    I ignored him, holding on to my backpack and resumed walking.


    I heard the door m shut and knew he was following me.


    He tapped me and I turned.


    ¡°Il Mio Fiore di loto__¡±


    I wanted to ask him what that even meant and if he had dreamed hard for the car he was now riding since he was twelve.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know when to give up?¡± I asked him instead, staring at him, ¡°You know the moment when you say with all certainty, run now, run,¡± I gritted my teeth even as I added in an ent that waspletely whack ¡°Il Mio Fiore di loto¡±


    He smirked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t expect me to pursue you. Then I¡¯ll y a piece of ssical music from a piano mentally to go with the touching backing down after a heroic attempt.¡±


    ¡°Tempting,¡± he nodded his head as if considering it for a while, ¡°But no thank you. I want to drop you home.¡±


    I shook my head, believing I must have heard wrongly. It was his sexy ent that made me wonder how they would sound when he harshly exhales my name in the throes of passion, with my hair fisted in his hand and the other holding onto my neck to m me against his cock, fucking me just as hard and dirty I knew bad boys were capable of.


    He held my hand not allowing me to take a step.


    ¡°Let me take you home.¡±


    Iughed. Hard and long.


    Then stared at him with his Greek-like Face, his car that would make the entire neighbourhood have a field day discussing, his pieces of clothing that although might not ooze wealth, but his aura, his gait, God, his skin¡­ His damn Italian shoes. He didn¡¯t even need the car. Anyone and everyone with a nose could smell the dor sign on his body from miles away.


    Bringing him to my neighbourhood would be like delivering amb to a pack of wolves. A very stupidmb if you ask me who nodded when I asked him yet again if he was damn sure and gave him the heads up that I live in a shitty neighbourhood, a ghetto even yet he just nodded again.


    I smiled as he opened the door for me, all gentlemanly and I sat down knowing that was thest time he would want to see me. This was myst trick as a magician, the epic reveal that leaves Everyone gobsmacked and this should do the trick, after he was mugged and stripped of everything he had on then he would stay the hell away from me that is if he would withstand the pungent odour of dirt, dust and hard drugs from afar.


    If he wouldn¡¯t be scared he¡¯ll catch germs when he saw naked children, representing abject poverty. Their skinny underfed frail body looked like its ambassador and dressed as one ying around the neighbourhood  would be interrupted by the presence of such a shy car which would look out of ce in their eyes and then they would pursue it trying to touch it with their hands. It was like a droplet of water in the desert, a patch of green leaves in a barrennd, it was hope that there was a reason to live, that a pauper could one day be King and work their way up to Beverly hills. I had that dream and still did.


    ¡°Where are you headed?¡±


    ¡°La Paz.¡± I watched him wait expectantly after he inputted the information I¡¯ve already provided on his Google map.


    ¡°I doubt Google is aware of my neighbourhood. I¡¯d direct you.¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡± He shrugged.


    I smirked, You¡¯ll be anything but cool after this I thought.

 Chapter 016|A home to my home

    Chapter 016| A home to my home


    ~ So I wait for you like a lonely house


    Till you would see me again and live in me


    Till then my windows ache.


    I sighed, closing my eyes as he turned the corner I¡¯d told him to. He was just about to see a ce he thought abstract and unreal before today. A cepletely ridden with a pungent odour, abandoned trailers that now serve as a home for few and how normal it is for air to bepletely contaminated with weed. Creekside, my home.


    I ced my hand on top of his before I could stop myself knowing he didn¡¯t deserve any bit of this. Yes, he was being persistent, fucking stubborn and might have ulterior motives for sticking around my body like a leech but I¡¯m not that type of girl. The type that would intentionally get someone hurt.


    ¡°Look,¡± I swallowed after I have made him stop his car as he noted how serious I looked, ¡°I know that when I said here was not your typical neighbourhood, you thought I meant average, perhapscking in too trimmedwns, way shiny Marts or women dressed from head to toe in designers. My neighbourhood is something else. It is dangerous, full of hoodlums,¡± he watched with earnest attention even as I met his eyes, licking my lips at my next admission, ¡°God, I¡¯m worried for you.¡±


    I expected him to do what any sensible guy would do, what I¡¯d do if I was just told I was walking into and that barbarians lie in wait, men who would see him and his car as a shiny chest to exploit from, but he ignited his engine and I widen my eyes.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I could tell we had just crossed a pothole despite how good the shock absorbers of the car were. There was one right before youpletely entered Creekside. I regarded it as a boundary of sorts.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking you home?¡±


    I widen my eyes, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m worth sacrificing a Martin one-77 which production is limited to only 77,st I heard about it? This has a V12 engine that is the most powerful naturally aspirated engine in any production car in the world.¡± He gave me a momentary look, the corner of his lips curved and almost hinting at a smile. Of course, he¡¯d find it funny that the poor girl knew more about his car than he, himself.


    ¡°You grew up here?¡±


    I rolled my eyes, turning to see my neighbourhood through his eyes at least, flies were attracted to something at the side of the untarred road and I knew if not that the ss was up, I would be hearing theughter of children, giggling and ying. From the corner of my eyes, Mrs Robinson one of the few privileged people who live in our neighbourhood that was well respected since she was way off than most of us gawked at the shiny car probably wondering who had lost his way and why the upant of the car wasn¡¯t turning back at the sight of the potholes in front of him or deserted upleted buildings which served as a special spot for criminals. That¡¯s where they smoked, discussed hits, got patronized, and split monies. That was their tavern but that didn¡¯t mean they only remained there. God, Law was certainly crazy.


    Graffiti paintings adorned walls and on top of block bs, I could see spray cans that were just recently used. Whoever had used them was not far away. Whoever owned them could be a criminal, or not but might just want to take advantage of the huge chunk of meat, nature gracefully passed to him. Besides, here crime was instinctual. It came naturally just like a sense of smell, of feeling, that¡¯s how eventually one who grew around these walls is forced to align himself with it. The pickpocketing was brewed by hunger and soon gradually, they were picking rifles, many would be killed off, imprisoned and few would escape and wax stronger. Turn out to be feared, respected and avoided. They be monsters like the ones responsible for my brother being in jail. They are the monsters hunger created.


    ¡°Yes I grew up here and I can confidently tell you, you won¡¯t be leaving here unscathed after crossing this line,¡± I massaged my forehead, wondering what I was doing, what I was letting Law Tyler do. Nobody would realize that he wanted toe here willingly, and even though they did one way or the other there is no way I won¡¯t suffer for a long time if a hair in his body falls to the ground.


    ¡°Il Mio Fiore di loto, are you scared for me?¡± I raised my brow at him even as he stared straight ahead on the road, not even batting his eyes at the underfed children at the side of the road, not minding the trailers gged at both our sides, the uneven fences, crooked, short buildings with dirt littered in front of the house. He drove so much at ease like this was Beverly hills.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know just how much you are worth, Il Mio Fiore di loto.¡± He chuckled amused even as he harshly exhaled, ¡°You have no freaking idea.¡±


    I didn¡¯t mutter a word knowing that it was useless trying to make someone so set on getting hurt to see reasons why this moment was all shades of wrong.


    He looked around him, ¡°If you grew here then don¡¯t you think I deserve to see the ce that my home had called home all her life.¡± He smiled at me, ¡°My daisies that grew among thorns and rock.¡±


    I massaged my aching temple wondering if I¡¯d been under a spell to indulge in his recklessness. He had the right to do foolish things like this, to be irresponsible and to feel the need to be stubborn and rebellious. I didn¡¯t. I should have been more aware of how much of a crappy situation, it¡¯d be if something happens to him. He was a 6ft something giant of court cases and us being sued for an amount of money I¡¯m sure Mom has nevere across all her life.


    His dimples deepened even as I told him to stop the car, my eyes wide open in pure shock that we made it to the house without being stopped by some thugs but I knew we just got lucky. The more time, he spent here, the faster words could travel to ferocious thugs that a shiny new expensive-looking car was in their crib so I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt.


    He held my hand.


    ¡°One date,¡± he cajoled.


    I gape at him not believing that was the reason for him attempting something this dangerous.


    ¡°One date it is.¡± I caved, wiping a sheen of static heat off my forehead with the back of my hand regardless of how air-conditioned the car was.


    ¡°Just get back to Todo Santos unscathed,¡± I mumbled, scared to death, ¡°I won¡¯t just go on one date with you but Two.¡± Then I was opening his car door, alighting and waving him goodbye like we are best friends till his car was out of my sight.


    Now it was either all the prayers Mom whined all the time were going to pay off or the Devil was chaperoning this particr event personally.


    I dropped my backpack surprised at how I felt more tired than when I¡¯d taken a bus back home from school to using a sleeky car and having a drop-dead gorgeous man as my own personal chauffeur. I knew that the nerves and fear, agitation too had everything to do with how drained and tired I was.


    I heard sounds and jumped frightened. It was a mouse. I scrubbed my face with both my hands realizing how worried I was for Law. I was so screwed if something bad happen to him because of his obstinacy.


    She was at home. I heard the sound of her machine. One which had featured so very well in our childhood. Her beautiful voice echoes even in the little room where myself and Rob will y, then she would stop momentarily to warn us to reduce the noise while Rob¡¯s eyes and mine would shine bright in the dark, cheeky smiles and muffled giggle for a while then we areughing loudly again.


    Mom always says time ruined it all and I¡¯ve never believed her more because with each passing year, as our understanding broadened and our innocence tainted there was less and lessughter until there was nothing. Just silence. I faced my books with absolute silence knowing that is my only way out of this trashy hood and although I made great memories here with Rob: sneaking out of the house at midnight wearing matching ck hoodies and tying a bandana to look badass, and with the almost finished spray cans we have seen loitering around a day before. We imprinted our names on any avable surface that our limited cans could cover, him setting an rm for me to read for my exams and staying up with me, telling me ridiculous stories that he makes up, that cracks me up and keeps me from sleeping, yet I didn¡¯t belong in this trashy ce. Never had. Mom had given up her dream of making dresses because although it was bringing in money, we needed more and had taken in more jobs, scrubbed, washed, and waited tables. Rob had wanted to help.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    I wanted to believe that was what had happened and in between finding out how to, he had gotten engulfed with drugs. Tried hiding his addiction problems and got into big problems trying to foot the bills of his newest high-maintenance habit and that had delivered him to the wrong gang, people and friends.


    One thing was certain there has not been muchughing in this house and the wheels of that machine have not been turned since¡­  Thest time I met my mom at home when I got back from school which is Forever. I rushed towards her room.

 Chapter 017|A Time when everything was perfect

    Chapter 017| A Time when everything was perfect


    ~ There¡¯s a time that I remember, when I did not know no pain


    ~ When I believed in forever, and everything would stay the same


    Maroon 5 ¨C Memories


    You Know how you wake up one morning and it feels like you have been living with aplete stranger when youe face to face with the reality of the idea you have of a person.


    Christiania Angelique Bet.


    I feel it is unfair if we all had changed and for some reason, we didn¡¯t expect mom to but¡­ I didn¡¯t know if it was because I saw my brother who was at the state jail more than her even though we lived together, but one morning I woke up and couldn¡¯t see a glimpse of the woman that raised me.


    She would always tell me to hit back harder when life hits at me but it felt like Life dealt with her way too hard. Loving a man who didn¡¯t feel the same way and was horrified at the thought of being a father, he had left the job to her all alone, just walking away so easily. Like she was nothing. Like what they shared was nothing.


    She¡¯d practised her constant teaching and had hit harder. Being a superb mother and although we went hungry some nights that wasn¡¯t a result of ack of trying from her. She had been resilient in trying to make sensible adults out of her two children and I think that was what had broken her more.


    She hadn¡¯t, couldn¡¯te to terms with Rob being in prison and regardless of how many times I told her she couldn¡¯t be faulted, it was almost like she couldn¡¯t hear me. It all had been about the men in her life. My father and Rob.


    One day I woke up and guess who looked so tired, old and burnt by life? Mom


    I watched her bony hands grip the edges of a folded material, trembling slightly and I could tell she knew she had an audience even though her back was against me. She loved looking out of the window when she worked. No, it wasn¡¯t a beautiful view. I think she needed a reminder of our stagnation and poverty every second of the day, and regardless of how sad that sounded, I could understand her.


    She worked in silence for a while, while I closed my eyes, leaning against the threshold of the door liking the way the sound of the machine transported me to a time when everything was perfect.


    ¡°I heard the sound of a car.¡± Her voice was nk. It has been so long since she stopped asking me excitedly if I made new friends and how was school, so long since I¡¯ll sigh and look out of the window, noticing from my peripheral vision how the smile would fall off her face.


    I licked my lips. Of course, she must have heard the car and seen it too. She was facing the window.


    ¡°Yes. A friend insisted on dropping me home.¡± I braced myself for the chastisement knowing I deserved it.


    ¡°d you are making friends. Was beginning to get worried for you.¡± She resumed matching her machine but I knew she wasn¡¯t done. She was trying to phrase her next words in her head before uttering them. Mom was always so careful before saying words, overthinking and processing them so it was safe to say that neither Rob nor I took after her.


    Maybe I could be soft-spoken while Rob was loud but we both either quickly expressed ourselves or didn¡¯t.


    ¡°But you should be careful of who you allow to drop you home, here. Everything about this friend of yours could attract attention and do.¡± She set her lips in a straight line and continued matching her machine.


    She¡¯d forgotten I was even in the room with her. That was it. My eyes widened in surprise even as I forced my legs to leave her room, heading for mine.


    I was towelling my hair dry when my phone pinged and came on. Nonchntly while still lip singing to the Disney ¡°Let it go¡± music ying from Mom¡¯s room, I read the message like I was a normal high school student and getting texts on my phone was a routine but unlike an average student, I didn¡¯t have trouble realizing who the sender of the message with an unknown number was.


    Unknown


    ¡°Guess who lost to me and owes me two dates?¡±


    I wondered how many numbers he had since I have saved thest one he had used in texting me even as I sighed in relief.


    6 hours and Law Tyler has been all that has consistently been on my mind. I could barely eat and had managed to stop pacing around not wanting mom to see that I was freaking out and although I had tried to stay positive and told myself he was fine, it was another thing having it confirmed.


    He said I lost to him? I grinned, this guy was crazy if he thought this was a challenge. I¡¯ve never felt so good at losing because the relief that spread through me was noticeable and the warmness at the side of my chest at how he had remembered that in my worried rants, I¡¯d promised him two dates worried me.


    God, this guy sure does know the way to screw with hormones and mess with the body. Brain is disappointed and shaking her head in disdain. But it was just two dates, and he had truly gone through unimaginable height to get them. Not like it had been apetition but I¡¯d be the devil¡¯s assistant to have a guy walk into fire, aware it was fire and still deny him the one thing he wanted from it. It was just two dates. What could possibly happen?Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡°Just so you know, I¡¯d have agreed to go on a date with you without the James bond stunt you pulled today.¡±


    Insufferable (2)


    ¡°It is no James Bond stunt if there was hardly any action and yeah if taking you back home from school got me an extra date I can¡¯tin.¡±


    ¡°You just don¡¯t know when to give up. You threatened me, pestered me, and then almost gave me a heart attack.¡±


    Insufferable (2)


    ¡°Your heart beating loud and fast is not a heart attack. It might mean it is beginning to beat for a purpose, it is now aligned with a like beat and now your pulse is connected to another.¡±


    I stared at the message for a while, before hanging my towel to dry.


    ¡°Ever thought of bing a poet. You know the ones that say deep soulful words that don¡¯t really make sense?¡±


    Insufferable (2)


    ¡°Ouch¡­¡±


    ¡°What? You could make a fortune out of it while at it.¡±


    Insufferable (2)


    ¡°Fortunes? I think I have enough tost an eternity.¡±


    I rolled my eyes, as I read his message, barely buttoning my pyjamas nnel shirt before I was typing back.


    ¡°Modest much? I¡¯m touched.¡±


    Insufferable (2)


    ¡°Modesty is not the art of avoiding talking about one¡¯s strengths but being able to say it with a straight face, acknowledge it and be indifferent about it. You are brainy, Il mio fiore di loto and there have been rumours going on around of you having a great chance of being valedictorian. Now that is a strength.¡±


    I snorted. The chickens have wings but why don¡¯t they soar like the eagle? Just like they possessed wings but can¡¯t use them, although I might be intellectually okay, I have amittee of parents who would see me holding that title as a big insult. He knew this already so I didn¡¯t tell him.


    ¡°And once again you swerve the conversation back to me. I don¡¯t know why whenever we talk, I suspect you just want to hear about me.¡±


    Insufferable (2)


    ¡°You interest me. Everything about you does that to me from your long soft ck hair, the stormy expression on your face when you say a thousand words in your head to the barely visible crescent-shaped scar on your knee. I see you. All of you.¡±


    My mouth fell open even as I folded my pyjamas trousers a little, peeking at the almost not there scar I¡¯d gotten on my knee when Rob had been teaching me how to ride a bike.


    ¡°Wow..¡±


    Insufferable (2)


    ¡°I get that a lot when people look at me but we are texting and you are in awe. I must be doing something right.¡±


    I didn¡¯t call him out for being arrogant because he rightfully deserved to be. He wasn¡¯t just doing something right, he was making my mouth ck which was hard to achieve recently since even though I hated to admit it loud to avoid people thinking I¡¯m depressed or needed help, Life bored me. There was no longer any thrill and the only reason I woke up was the feeling of wanting better. A decent job, house, life¡­ Most times I wonder what would happen when I achieve all that, what next then? But Law Tyler effortlessly on text was making me feel a hundred myriads of emotions. He wasn¡¯t doing something right. This was all wrong.


    Law Tyler didn¡¯t go about noting hardly seen scars on the body of every other person, did he? I know he was damn perceptive but noting such subtle details on just everybody could be damn creepy so this should mean something right?


    I pressed my hand on my chest. It was beating fast. Rhythmically and pounding knowing someone else¡¯s pulse was now connected to it. I shook my head, I was being crazy.


    ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten I even had that.¡±


    It was simple and almost nonchnt. He could even imagine me shrugging when saying it and won¡¯t know I was a mess because of that mere observation by him. I was proud of the message. I slept off with the phone in my hand while waiting for a message from him.


    The phone chimed at past 3 and as pathetic as it sounded. I would never ever confess this even to my diary, I was wide awake.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    I didn¡¯t reply to him. That would be a shameless admission that he surely left me bothered and disturbed especially since hisst message with just two words made me feel like we still weren¡¯t talking about the damn scar on my knee.

 Chapter 018|Life was a joke anyways

    Chapter 018| Life was a joke anywaysProperty ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ~ Doubt thou the stars are fire


    Doubt that the sun doth move


    Doubt truth to be a liar,


    But never doubt I love


    I felt hands on my hoodie and the minute I felt my cheeks curving into a smile, I widened my eyes, not at all thrilled by that Revtion and pped Law¡¯s hand away from my hair at the same time he dragged my hoodie down and with such great expertise. My band too with it.


    I rolled my eyes at his retreating figure hoping the re I was burning into his back could make up for the big grin that I¡¯d fought the moment I had sensed he was next to me.


    ¡°You and the mute huh?¡± It was Jack.


    Now, it didn¡¯t even surprise me when people tried to initiate conversations with me. Some were pleasant just like Tristan¡¯s who had made giving me an energy bar during lunch breaks our thing and had apologized for all those times he had watched his friends bully me and not being able to say anything in my defence though he knew it was wrong. I¡¯d understood, it was peer pressure and regardless of one¡¯s good nature, there was power in numbers. Then, there was also the unpleasant ones who were total douchebags who told me that soon Law would dump me like used toiletries so I shouldn¡¯t entertain the idea of thinking anything had changed and I¡¯m still a scum.


    Jack I could tell was going to be in theter department. He was the school football midfielder, was dating a Junior high school cheerleader and was one of the meanest jerks to me with his cruel pranks and never-ending, never funny degrading jokes.


    I didn¡¯t reply to him and resumed walking to my locker. He followed me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like this now, Prude. Just because you seem to be good in-between the sheet and you must have screwed the brains out of Law doesn¡¯t permit you now to act all high and mighty.¡±


    I¡¯ve heard worst rumours circting on why Law Tyler seems to want to have me around and his trust me was the least absurd so I didn¡¯t budge.


    He spun me and pinned me to the wall, making my eyes widen in fright and surprise. I hear them in the hallways, most times in the toilet and washroom when they were unaware we were just a wall apart they called me the untouchable for a reason. Everybody was scared to touch me, to anger Law well except Titiana and Julie whose party was tonight and I couldn¡¯t wait to see how wide their mouth would drop open when they saw me with Law.


    ¡°Let me go.¡± I gritted my teeth at him even as he chuckled lightly at first then it got even more throaty and scary.


    ¡°I knew there was something about you,¡± my eyes widen as one of his hands pinned both my struggling hands to the wall and the other pulled my skirt a hitch higher, ¡°You have always struck me as the type who would be ¡°un vani¡±, ready and wet to be used like a whore she is.¡± I struggled against his hold, tears pooling in my eyes even as I realized how futile my struggles were since he was thrice my size.


    ¡°Why are you crying?¡± He shook his head amused, ¡°Does Law¡¯s whore not like it when someone is trying to have a civil conversation with her and just can¡¯t wait for her panties to be shifted and then forcefully taken again and again, while she screams even though she is enjoying it. She likes it. She is wet.¡± I shook my head at the sadistic smile on his face even as his big hands which felt like a thousand insects crawling on my body inched closer to my naked skin, almost teasingly and like a damn punishment.


    ¡°No, please No.¡± I pleaded tearfully shaking my head not liking how helpless I was and sounded.


    My eyes were closed as his hand moved the third time and I knew he was going to push up the strap of my bra and touch me even though I had pleaded with him not to when I felt something heavy pressing on my body for barely seconds after hearing a painful sound of fist meeting with skin.


    I opened my eyes just in time to see Jack¡¯s body falling from my body to the ground and a seething Law Tyler hovering over him.


    His nose was already bloody even as he sat down on the floor, ¡°Fuck you British cunt.¡± He cursed underneath his breath and I could tell he had a death wish even as I tried to stop the tears that kept on rolling down my cheeks without restrain blurring my sight.


    Another sound of a punch and I blinked away my tears aware that the girls now watching Law who had rolled his shirt up to reveal disturbing foreskin muscles were not even in the right frame of mind to know that someone could get killed while they watched Law flexed his muscle.


    Another punch. A groan and the sound of something breaking. Dibs on bones.


    Jack spat out blood, the side of his cheek already bruised and I could guess would turn green soon. Law¡¯s fist went up intent on delivering him yet another punch not minding that Jack was gurgling blood and was just about to pass out.


    ¡°Stop.¡± My voice was so small, I doubted he heard it in the midst of the chaos and the frightening deadly look I¡¯d seen in his eyes before he settled down on Jack but his hand was suspended mid-air and I exhaled in relief


    ¡°Please just stop,¡± tears rolled down my cheeks while the metallic smell of blood hit my nostril, ¡°Please,¡± I whispered hoarsely.


    The hallways were quiet. There was a ss yet everybody was way too intrigued that the mute had made Jack a bloody mess because of little ole me.


    I took a step backwards even as Law held his hand out to me, shaking his head aware of what I wanted to do next. I was predictable, I didn¡¯t want to change that so I ran away from it all. From the bold statement Law Tyler had made in the hallways. He was showing everyone what he¡¯d do to anyone who would mess with me. Jack was on the floor yet I could still feel my tummy turning inside out at the thought his hand had been on my body, tears still pooled in my eyes at the names he had called me and the thought of what he would have done with me if not that Law showed up and nothing would have happened.


    I fell to the ground and stayed there. Someone was beside me. I could see him through my peripheral vision. He was a shade of ck and shadows just like my life had been. Now, I didn¡¯t know what it was bing but it scared me even more at the thought that I just might be getting used to the idea of being protected and cared for.


    Someone was crouched behind me and I felt string familiar hands hugging me from behind, offering me some of his strength because I was after all not as strong as I liked to believe.


    I choked on my tears while he just held on to me.


    ¡°He was going to__¡± I paused not wanting to voice out how vited I¡¯d felt. I¡¯d been.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Il mio fiore di loto.¡± His head was now on top of my neck even as his big body swallowed my entire fragile petite one, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t there.¡±


    ¡°At least you were eventually,¡± I muttered ignoring how unbelievable it was that the Law Tyler was sitting on the ground with me, despite how perfect he always looked and how Pristine everything he wore on his body was yet he sat behind a girl like me, hugging her even though this floor has been stepped on severally today.


    ¡°Then what if you stop being there. You finally disappear just like you had appeared in my life. What if Ie to school one morning and nobody is dragging my hoodie down and I¡¯ve to bear the obnoxious loudment of ¡®dumped slut¡¯ whenever I pass the hallways? What if this is just a game to you and you end up gone?¡±


    I was on hisp the next minute, too emotionally gone to marvel at how fast he had made me straddle him and was now holding me to him even as he leaned in and I felt his tongue on my chin. He licked my tears and I fisted my hands on his hoodie, wanting to ruin it, make it imperfect, make him imperfect so I could believe that he truly wanted me, was going to hang around with a poor, pathetic charity case even though he could have anyone.


    I cried even more as hepped on my tears, again and again. There was nothing sensual about it but it felt so intimate, so bone curling. It felt like something was changing in the air and I have no control over it.


    ¡°Doubt that the stars are fire, doubt thou the moon doth move, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love.¡± His grey eyes held mine, ¡°Shakespeare. I decided to read up everything about him since your very clever advicest night to mize my meaningless yet deep words.¡± He grinned at me, ¡°Guess what? he made a shit ton of money.¡±


    Iughed despite the tears in my eyes. Laughed because I didn¡¯t know when next I¡¯ll be doing that. Laughed because life was a joke anyway.

 Chapter 019|The other side of the room

    Chapter 019| The other side of the room


    ~She¡¯s a strong cup of ck coffee


    In a world that is drunk on the cheap wine


    Of shallow love.


    I wasn¡¯t surprised to see Julie and Titiana waiting for me next to my battered with sharpie written cusses, locker. Eyes plucked, manicures and pedicures checked, lips pouting and both their make-up on flick with thee-get-me eyes that were second nature to them that they shed at any deserving guy that walked past.


    Julie was trembling while Titiana seemed to be more than just a bitch but a more emotionally stable one but that was expected when youe from a dysfunctional family where thewn was trimmed, housekeepers paid with lumpy envelopes, tiles Pristine but yet your mother cry to bed every night and your father is a drug addict and sleeps with your agemates.


    They say what doesn¡¯t kill you only makes you strong, Titiana was a perfect walking example of that theory but I didn¡¯t give two fucks about them, especially not now when I was runningte for P. E


    ¡°Prudence, a quick talk?¡± I rolled my eyes at how calm and polite she sounded, aware that she was a trembling mess on the inside if she had merely caught wind of what had gone down in the hallway and was already here to beg me not to attend her party.


    I smirked, dumping my textbook inside the locker and mming it wishing Titiana¡¯s overly done manicured fingers which she studied like they were the most interesting thing in the world were in between them.


    Julie just stood next to her quietly. She made to grab my arm but her hands fall midway. I quirked a brow thoroughly amused and enjoying both girls squirm because regardless of how naturally it came to Titiana in hiding her fear, it reeked.


    ¡°Why? We are going to be seeing at the party anyways,¡± I smirked, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you have changed your mind. Was looking forward to hanging.¡±


    ¡°Well, the thing about that__¡± Julie started unsurely. ¡°Our friends are against the idea of having you in our midst.¡±


    I waved my hand in the air as they would do at a flimsy excuse, ¡°I saw thating so I told Law. Hope you wouldn¡¯t mind giving me the names of these friends. He could talk to them¡±


    Julie¡¯s eyes widened even as she bent over and started coughing. I flipped my hair, waved at Titiana and strutted out not even feeling bad that I¡¯ve used Law to even the scores with them but the look on their faces when I walked out burned in my memory. I couldn¡¯t help the big goofy smile that grew on mine and the warmness that spread on my chest, I could sure as hell get used to this feeling of¡­ Invincibility.


    I had expected something to go wrong, it always did whenever I tried to get happy. My smiles were a bad omen and should be banned but what I didn¡¯t expect was for the smug grin on my face to be dropping the next hour when the inte in the hallway was buzzed, a minute after P. E


    ¡°Law Tyler, report to the principal¡¯s office. I repeat, report to the principal¡¯s office.¡±


    I was still changing from my PE uniform so I couldn¡¯t rush to him, look at his face and promise him I¡¯ve got him even though it was a lie and total bullshit. But I owed him that much because he was in trouble because of me, he was way too cold, too quiet, too mysterious to be in the Principle¡¯s office if not for he was trying to defend a stupid suspicious runt litter like myself.


    I ran out the minute I was done changing but he was gone. Gloria was behind me.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine regardless of what happens. They are always going to be fine because they have more opportunities than us. He might get a p on the wrist and be let off the hook__¡± my eyes hardened at how nonchntly she sounded, how nonchntly I¡¯d have sounded a week ago.


    I didn¡¯t know much about Law Tyler which was almost impossible since rich people like to talk about themselves all the time and I knew way too much about everybody that matters in Evans high school. To the point it was awkward. When I say knew, I don¡¯t mean mere basics but personal things like body counts though with bitches in my ss that spread their legs like it was love, it was hard to keep up but I knew enough.


    Yet, I had nothing on Law Tyler. He didn¡¯t talk about his parents much. Apart from the fact that they were in Britain and loaded, we knew absolutely nothing about his folks. He didn¡¯t have siblings, I heard him once saying that he hated to share and that tendency might have sprouted from him being an only child. So, I didn¡¯t know how connected his parents were, if they knew anybody on the school board in case this matter gets stretched to that point. I knew barely the basics about a boy that had made me feel so many things I thought I was incapable of a week ago even though it felt like it has been a lifetime and that bothered me a lot.


    Not being in the know means having to be kept on the other side of the room without illumination. Many people love being in the dark. After all, they were freaks and love surprises because mostly they have been met with a lot of good ones but I wasn¡¯t like most people because I never got that lucky.


    I hated surprises.


    Five minutes, twenty-three seconds since I¡¯d run out of the girl¡¯s changing room and realized that Law had already walked through that door. Hearing myself, I felt like maybe Gloria was right and I just might be overreacting since it has not been that long to assume the bizarre wild things going on in my mind. I have an overactive imagination, so trust me you wouldn¡¯t want to know, (One clue though it had everything to do with Law Tyler, on the Principle¡¯s golden tiled floor in the pool of his own blood). Don¡¯t you dare ask me how I came to that conclusion. I was feeling all sorts of emotions like I was on a rollercoaster of feelings and I deserve to think shit at the very least.


    The door was swung open after 329 seconds, see? Look who doesn¡¯t sound dramatic and an angry unremorseful Law Tyler walked out. I sprang to my feet not even ashamed to admit that I¡¯d cared and had sat outside the principal¡¯s office waiting like the desperate idiot Rob had begged me not to be. He¡¯ll be so disappointed, but guess what? I was too so yeah keep your disapproving frown to yourself in Jail while you await trials your whole life.


    He stopped his long strides in the middle of the hallway, right before turning the right corner like he could sense my presence and I forgot I had knees the moment he turned to look at me. How fast the anger in his god-like gorgeous face had changed to concern and care made me feel all kinds of things that should be illegal in fifteen states in the US.


    ¡°How long have you been standing there?¡± I don¡¯t know who had covered the distance between us but he was holding me in his arms and peering into my eyes like I was the one who got tongueshed doubt by Mrs Henshaw. I didn¡¯t know if she behaved differently with kids who weren¡¯t on schrship but she was such a horrible human being. I avoided visiting her office by all means possible.


    I shake my head, smiling foolishly, ¡°Not ufortably long but long enough to feel like a freak,¡± he gazed at me like he didn¡¯t know what to make of what I¡¯d just said so I shrugged, ¡°I was worried.¡±


    ¡°I was your Superman. It is only human to feel that way.¡± He had a weird sense of humour if he was attempting on cracking a joke after stepping out of the principal¡¯s office but as I said, I didn¡¯t know how she behaved with the rich folks. Maybe she wasn¡¯t so ¡°Henshawish¡± around them. (Henshawish in this context means a vengeful and without soul. A racist but felt this strong prejudiced feelings for all those whose parents didn¡¯t makerge donations to the school) but yet again, it wasn¡¯t like he had grinned or smirked when he had said those words so I was at a loss of what to chalk them into.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡°Jack¡¯s parents are not pressing charges.¡±


    I breathed an audible sigh of relief at his words.


    ¡°They would be stupid to anyways since mywyer had already contacted their ass to sue for sexual harassment. We have lots of evidence to back my im and almost the whole school as eyewitnesses so they should know better. I had to drop mywsuit.¡± He breathed out fire and strength and anger¡­ So much passion and all for me. Prudence the Creekside chick so I resisted the urge to remind him that his eyewitnesses had watched Jack misbehave with me and yet hadn¡¯t raised a brow or lift a finger to intervene and were only now jumping over themselves to help because Law Tyler was the one asking.

 Chapter 020|A content fool

    Chapter 020| A content fool


    ~And if love be madness


    May I never find sanity again


    I withdrew my hand that was almost caressing his face, looking away but for a second before that, I thought I saw a grin sh on his face. I sneaked a peek just to be sure but it was the same empty yet spectacr eyes that now I stood a bit closer to him could notice that they could look bluish depending on the light pouring on them.


    I coughed awkwardly, ¡°Why were you then so angry if you only got a p on the wrist for how badly you had beaten Jack Hathaway.¡± I red at him for even making me worried, ¡°You didn¡¯t even get a p on the wrist, you got nothing! And you had hit a Hathaway! You must have super powers or be a mini-god because__¡± I raised my brow making an exaggerated almostical show of how in awe I was.


    ¡°God, you¡¯re so wrong and right at the same time I want to kiss you so badly.¡±


    I stared at him, not able to resist and he wasn¡¯t smiling, he rarely did but I wanted to believe the serious expression on his face wasn¡¯t because he was dope at deadpanning but because it wasn¡¯t a joke.


    Time had stood, brown boring eyes had shed with brilliant ones and for a while, everything had stood still. Maybe for seconds or longer. I couldn¡¯t tell then the bell rang and I had immediately stood up, gulped, and smiled at him.


    ¡°Hey, Law what¡¯s good?¡±


    The words flew out of my lips before I could stop them but I was rewarded by my momentary seconds of embarrassment as slowly, Law¡¯s face had suddenly transformed into a reminder that someone could be so gorgeous it hurts and life was so freaking unfair, and the throaty deep chuckle that reverberated in the room made me want to embarrass myself yet again just to produce that sound while I stared at him like the creep I was. Like I was running a Marathon, was out of breath but didn¡¯t want to stop running. Because who needed oxygen anyways?


    He sped his hand around mine when he was doneughing over how much crazy he had gotten himself entangled with and I tried to believe that I¡¯d intentionally done that to make himugh inside my head even though it was a big fat lie. I knew how unfit we looked even as we walked into our history ss, 15 minuteste like we owned the school. I was an image in a hoodie standing next to a god but for that moment I didn¡¯t see the spite and jealousy in everyone¡¯s eyes, didn¡¯t remember my wretched hood and how he could have anyone yet he chose me, I had a goofy smile on my face, didn¡¯t give a shit that I didn¡¯t belong next to him because now, here, he wanted me there so I stayed and that was that. I felt high on life and I should be worried that the crash would have more consequences, but I was a content fool, period because at that moment while I watched the teacher¡¯s lips move only aware of Law¡¯s left hand curledzily at my lower back absent-mindedly, I didn¡¯t.


    I kicked dust that was underneath my leg yfully, almost like I¡¯d just remembered I was 17. My hoodie was down and my ck hair was untamed but it was exposed. I was smiling brightly.


    Ron, Rob¡¯s close friend, and his ssmate in the public school we all had attended and business partner in the workshop Rob had opened during his dabbling into different businesses rush, did a double take when he saw me. I high-fived him, holding on to my backpack tightly with my free hand because although Ron was almost like family, hunger was closer and he was a notorious criminalst I heard about him. I didn¡¯t know if he was hitting it big in crimes or if he was desperate enough to snatch a backpack held together from falling apart with safety pins but I had cookies in my bag I wasn¡¯t about to lose just to find out things about him.


    He had a big smile on his face while he walked me home like it hasn¡¯t been years since I¡¯d seen him and Rob was at home waiting for him so they could go over some crazy-ass business idea that was so perfect, lit but never did what other unlit businesses do. Bring profit.


    ¡°Where is your friend?¡± A shoe dropped and it was about fucking time.


    I¡¯d been waiting, knowing from the beginning that he didn¡¯t just miss his friend¡¯s sister who still had misgivings on the few times she lost some money when he ¡®just¡¯ dropped by. He has always had sticky fingers and the potential to be sneaky. His career choice didn¡¯te as a surprise, to me at least. Mom was shocked.


    ¡°Except you need to make me believe that you have started taking something more strong than regr pot, you need to throw more light on my supposed friend.¡± I only had one friend in this vast universe, Facebook inclusive and she was too refined toe into a rough neighbourhood like mine. I¡¯d only allowed it asionally.


    ¡°He said he was your friend yesterday,¡± he mumbled more to himself than me and my eyes widened, my mouth dropping open.


    The minute Law had showed up in school this morning smugly walking up to me for a bodily inspection so I¡¯d be sure he waspletely unscathed, I¡¯d thought that he had gotten lucky. Just like when he had dropped me at home during his return and had not encountered any thug back home but it was a whole new Revtion to know that he had met Ron because no offence, although the guy would always be the blonde mischievous bastard that stayed upte with my brother discussing sports car, he was a scoundrel on the street. As it should be. No criminal was prim and proper anyways because what was then the point?


    ¡°You saw him?¡± My voice was inaudible.


    ¡°Yes. Not only me. Your friend¡¯s car is actually so so cool. It had attracted lots of attention. When I mean lots, I mean it in every way possible. The scums from the next neighbourhood hade sniffing but we had sent them away almost immediately,¡± he shed me a grin like it was normal that Law Tyler had gotten that much attention yet hade to school this morning with his frickin one-77 unscathed just like his perfect body and thighs¡­ Hormones not now!


    ¡°So?¡±


    Ron shrugged, ¡°He knows how to roll weed. Charlie believes he is cool and I don¡¯t hate him that much even though he is a privileged motherfucker.¡± He fixed me a curious look, ¡°What is with the perfect dentition and face anyways? He looks way too perfect. I should hate him,¡±


    And want to break his bones, ruin his car and fight for spare parts on the streets, I added in my head.


    He regards me for a minute, ¡°He is an okay guy, I guess.¡± Which in Ron¡¯s dictionary means, I¡¯m so into this guy, when could we make best friends bracelet and share women?


    Okay, that was a bit exaggerated but you know what I mean right? And then he opened his mouth next and I blinked standing to be corrected. I hadn¡¯t exaggerated one bit.


    ¡°I¡¯ll totally approve if you are dating that privileged asshole.¡±


    Ron would never ever permit me to date just like Rob even though I didn¡¯t give two fucks that he thinks of me as a younger sister and although I hadn¡¯t been able to go against him because ofck of willingness from the male department since it takes two to you know ¡­ Have a rtionship but I never dreamt of hearing such words escape Ron¡¯s lips.


    ¡°We are not dating.¡±


    ¡°He is blind then.¡±


    I grinned at the scowl on his face and was reminded of why I would put up with Ron¡¯s everything that was so annoying all over again. Because he smelt of cigarette, sweat and gin, still looked at me like I was fucking beautiful, and when he held my hands as he did now, the calluses in them all served to remind me of Rob whose memory was beginning to slip and the more I held on to them like fine sand on the beach, they seeped out of my grasp more.


    ¡°So where is he?¡± He asked almost like he just remembered why he had initiated a conversation with me in the first ce.Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Of course, Law had to make a fucking impression, I thought even as I lied and told him I wasn¡¯t aware because telling him I had run away to the bus station immediately the bell rang for school dismissal because I was scared that Law Tyler might try to pull the stunt he did yesterday and I wasn¡¯t wrong after all if he had scheduled meetings that await him didn¡¯t sound good at all.


    The guy must be high on power and how easy it was for him to get away with everything. I would be the first person to believe if he announced he was a superhero anyway through the school inte system.

 Chapter 021|Real and right next to him

    Chapter 021| Real and right next to him


    ~You have me until everyst star in the Gxy dies. You have me.


    ¡°Do you have a death wish or just ten lives?¡±


    It was the first time I was initiating a conversation but I didn¡¯t mind the scare of wondering if he would reply to me. The news I¡¯d gotten in the afternoon was one I couldn¡¯t contain anymore.


    My phone chimed almost immediately and a wide smile yed on my face involuntarily as I read his message.


    Superhero


    ¡°Am I supposed to choose from the above option?¡±


    Yes I was a walking hypocrite who used everyone of being cliche yet had decided to save Law Tyler¡¯s name with a cheesy word like ¡®superhero¡¯ but I should be forgiven just this once because Law was to me, my personal Batman but without the ability to fly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be cheeky with me. A bird told me you now hang with the boys in my hood. No, let me rephrase that criminals and somehow your body parts were still intact thest time I saw you.¡±


    Superhero


    ¡°You live with these guys and it isn¡¯t like they ain¡¯t humans. What is so hard in chilling with them? They tell decent jokes and are fun to be with.¡±


    I rolled my eyes not at all missing how he was making it sound like they were normal teenagers and I¡¯m just being paranoid.


    ¡°They are criminals that¡¯s why it is hard to just chill with them. They have guns, and knives and take people¡¯s hard-earned money and lives atimes.¡±


    Superhero


    ¡°That¡¯s their upation. Don¡¯t tell me are an upationist. It¡¯d be bad if my girlfriend is that kind of a person you know?¡±


    My heart palpitated and my phone almost dropped from my hand as I read and reread his message just to be sure I had seen it correctly.


    My hands were shaky as I typed nervously, ¡°upationist? That isn¡¯t even a word.¡±


    Superhero


    ¡°Yes, text message police, it does because it means racist but with upational choices. Look out of your window.¡±


    ¡°Why? Do you have more wrongly not invented words you n to use in a sentence waiting for me?


    I heard the honk of a car and my eyes widened as I looked out of the mirror and saw a range Rover sports car at the same time my phone chimed.


    Superhero


    ¡°No, just me. Il mio fiore di loto, the guy who you ditched toe home by yourself. Sorry to disappoint.¡±


    I found myself rushing outside of my room and not minding it was a cold night, I was running barefooted to the crazy gorgeous boy waiting for me outside and leaning against the hood of his car.


    He was wearing a beanie and in white T-shirt that just didn¡¯t help my fluttering heart even as he waved at me, shing me one of his smiles exposing the dimples he seems to only want to show off with me.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I harsh whispered even as the chilly wind messed with my hair.


    ¡°What if I told you that I wanted to see your long Beautiful legs you try to hide all day with baggy boyish trousers and although I think your fashion sense is dope, sneaking up at you at night to see what I¡¯m seeing right now doesn¡¯t seem like a bad idea.¡±


    I tried not to blush hard remembering I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and nothing more.


    ¡°I¡¯d say you are a pervert, sick and a liar. My fashion sense is definitely not anyone¡¯s favourite.¡±


    He smirked, ¡°That¡¯s not true. It could even be a fashion line. Bold, chic and hand me downs.¡±


    I shook my head, smiling a little even though he had taunted my choice of clothes.


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely why I¡¯m here though but I¡¯m also here because what kind of a teenager stays at home on a Friday night besides we have a party you requested I attend with you. Guess who is dressed and who isn¡¯t?¡± He arched a brow at me and I almost sighed at how gorgeous the man in front of me was. It was almost surreal and heartbreaking, ¡°Well¡­ Except you want to go in your shirt because guess who isn¡¯tining about the sight in front of me?¡±


    I gave him azy grin, ¡°That party isn¡¯t happening, unfortunately. I¡¯m sorry I forgot to inform you but we won¡¯t be attending. Both girls came to withdraw their invitation already earlier today. It was a trap obviously and hearing about your fight with Jack they thought better of their malicious intent.¡±


    He fixed me a look after I was done exining and I averted my gaze and started ying with the Hem of my shirt avoiding eye contact with him.


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me why you won¡¯t be going to a party you were pestered to go to and even threatened for.¡± My eyes widened, ¡°I don¡¯t hit women that¡¯s the only reason I didn¡¯t go after those scums. I¡¯d seen the wound on your neck they had inflicted on you.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to__¡± I started to protest but his hand against my lips even as he leaned into me, his lips lightly brushing against my forehead made me forget what I had to say. I elevated my head to meet his eyes now aware more than ever that the guy in front of me was over ten inches taller thn me.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a vendetta trust me.¡± I wondered how fair this was if, he was standing so close to me, being so cajoling and aware of just how much effect he has on me with such proximity, ¡°I just want to spend every time possible with you. Please, just let me.¡±


    I looked up to meet his gaze and knew I was gone already. My initial protest had just been for appearances.


    ¡°I need to change but no hitting anybody especially not on my ount.¡± I wasn¡¯t stupid. We were going to a gathering packed with insensitive and unapologetic pricks, someone was going to say something wrong or do something annoying and although I appreciated Law standing up for me the way he had today, apart from the fact that Ipletely abhor the sight of blood on anyone even assholes like Jack, I didn¡¯t want him getting into any trouble because of me. It was unlikely with how invincible he seems to be but not impossible.


    He nodded even though I¡¯d a creeping suspicion he didn¡¯t even register what I had said. I nodded at him then rushed inside the house, dropped Mom a stick-it note and literally wore the first thing I could find that didn¡¯t have grease on it, which was hard since almost all Rob¡¯s clothes had oil marks spill on them.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    I came out ten minutester and blushed hard when Law Tyler made a big show of checking me out.


    ¡°An open ck hoodie over a ck tee-shirt with a fuck you inscription, and a ball cap on? Exactly my kind of girl.¡± I chuckled lightly even as his car¡¯s engine roared to life.


    The ride to Todo Santos featured Law and I singing loudly, out of sync and happily to the music on the radio mostly. One thing was certain we both should never set our foot on any Broadway musical auditions in our nearest future.


    When he pressed the automatic button for the neighbourhood¡¯s electronic gate, I bit my lips gawking at the gigantic mansion with lights on that looked like it was cut out of Home & Living magazine center page although it was grander, more suffocating.


    I gulped even as I peered at Law. He knew where I stays, he hade to pick me up himself. I didn¡¯t belong to this ce with tarred roads, streetlights, and gigantic mansions nked on both sides.


    ¡°Is it toote not to be here?¡± My voice was shaky.


    He hit the brakes and held my hand, ¡°We could leave here right now and go to my ce because trust me, I don¡¯t want to be here either among these dumb teenagers but that¡¯d be selfish of me not to even attempt to bring you out of your shell and show you how much fun acting your age could be.¡±


    His intense eyes held mine captive even as he brought his hand forward to touch my face like he couldn¡¯t believe I was real and right next to him which was exactly how I felt.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t be next to you from the very first day I saw you and found you. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t speak sooner and held your hands when you felt like the world was against you. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t take your pains away and kiss your tears but I¡¯m here now. I don¡¯t n on going anywhere for as long as forever happens with us. I love you, my beautiful warrior that has conquered mepletely and thoroughly because there is no other one for me than you. I love you, Il mio fiore di loto more than you can imagine and I¡¯ll keep on loving you because I doubt I know how not to.¡±


    My eyes pooled with tears and I couldn¡¯t tell if it was because of pure shock or how much I¡¯d longed without wanting to admit it, to feel loved, cherishable and this gorgeous boy in just a week had made me feel all of this things.


    ¡°And Yes,¡± he smirked, ¡°You¡¯re my girlfriend.¡±


    I grinned. I just found a new addiction¡­ No pot is very much overrated. The new cool was Law Tyler.

 Chapter 022|I鈥檓 the lucky one to have you

    Chapter 022| I¡¯m the lucky one to have you


    ~You shout it out


    But I can¡¯t hear a word you say


    I¡¯m talking loud, not saying much


    I¡¯m criticized, but all your bullets ricochet


    Shoot me down but I get up.


    Titanium ¨C David Guetta


    Loud music ring through speakers, people making out, grinding against each other or just hanging out. The smell of alcohol and sweat was strong in the air even as I recognized a few people while I and Law made our way through the throng of people outside who held matching Cobalt blue disposable cups.


    I ignored the looks I got as more people recognized me by the second and I was grateful a lot that some people around weren¡¯t from our school. I suspected they were from JFK another elite school in Todo Santos because Titiana didn¡¯t seem like the type to invite anyone who wasn¡¯t high and mighty to her house. Average won¡¯t even do and by the impressive whips on the garage which was almost filled up despite how impressivelyrge it was, it could be a workshop, I was amongst the privileged.


    Law squeezed my hand and my chest warmed remembering he was right next to me as we walked inside the house. He loves me, God he had admitted he had fallen in love with me within how long? 7 days and as crazy as that sounded, I felt bad I had just gawked at him and not replied. He deserves an answer, any answer.


    ¡°Law?¡± My voice was almost a hush but I didn¡¯t know how he do it. Pick up my voice even though it was barely a whisper because his brilliant eyes were now on me.


    ¡°Look__¡± I licked my lips nervously.


    He grinned at me. ¡°You don¡¯t need to say anything and I didn¡¯t admit my feelings because I wanted to get a reply from you. I just wanted you to be aware of where I stand with you and why I¡¯m with you. I don¡¯t need any misconceptions.¡±


    I nodded slowly.


    ¡°Besides that, there is something else I want you to know.¡±


    I tilted my head a bit to acknowledge I was listening to him despite the ring speakers that were sickeningly loud inside the house.


    ¡°I¡¯m the lucky one to have you, not the other way round.¡± He kissed me on my forehead again aware that he had almost everyone¡¯s attention the minute he had stepped inside the house  That was Law Tyler¡¯s super powers that I knew irritated him but it couldn¡¯t be helped. I couldn¡¯t help myself from gawking too. Yet he had kissed me like it was a damn statement and snaked his arm around my waist because I was his girl and then we walked further into the house aware that now they saw me too. I wasn¡¯t just the loser that had faded into the background next to Law Tyler. I was watched, sized up, and thought about and it felt good even though I was sure it wasn¡¯t all niceties going on in their heads and on their minds.


    I tried to act like I didn¡¯t feel intimidated by their designer gowns and shy heels even as I noticed Titiana who was owning every second of being the girl of the moment in her Barbie doll getup. Gold coloured pair of Prada heels, a sequins gown, her face was caked up with the high of being exhrated and of course makeup. On her hair was a big fucking intimidating pink bow like she was a fucking present and if this was meant literally, I wasn¡¯t so sure the receiver of this parcel won¡¯t scream obscenities because Titiana wasn¡¯t just a bitch who waspelled to be one, she controlled the ones who were just wannabes.


    The ones who got to roll with the system and join them if we can¡¯t beat them type like Julie who was on a half schrship program but had done well by keeping this secret of hers so well. And as a reward, she was almost headed to the third chain of the poprs in the social chain, was dating a mean Basketballer whost I heard about hits her but buys her lots of presence. She was at the other side of the room, dangling her very newtest model iPhone which I could tell was one of those extravagant presents that makes up for the evident ck eyes she had onst week and all the times she has to lie about tripping on her legs andnding face down on the floor to exin the big bump on her forehead or the visible huge fingerprints that spread from her jaw to her eyes.


    But Titiana wasn¡¯t that kind of a girl, she was an unapologetic witch that owned every of her demonic plot which I had no doubt was giving her the orgasm, her football captain boyfriend couldn¡¯t give her though I must add this was her longeststing rtionship and I could tell it wasn¡¯t because of love. Nah, people like Titiana with so many mummy and daddy problems bigger than their fake ass don¡¯t fall in love. They don¡¯t even know what that is but venting on the world for their unfair life and keeping people around them like trophies? They aced bookkeeping.


    So that¡¯s the only reason she had kept Jason for so long. she needed to move to a bigger thing, a guy with a better whip, greater looks, nicer body. It was a game, a chase and with the smile, she was sure as hell not directing at me because I totally don¡¯t dig chicks and I was sure that Titiana was as straight as her mother rigid lined up appointments with lots of mental therapists and shrinks, I could tell her eyes were on Law Tyler. I mean my boyfriend? Not happening bitch!


    I straightened up and cleared my throat to remind her I was right next to the guy she was ogling like a freshly baked chocte whipped dessert. He was holding my hands for crying out loud.


    ¡°Hey, Prude¡­ nt,¡± she gave me a fake one-chin curved smile which was totally weird and looked like she was about to have seizures and panic attacks altogether. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect you to show up at my party.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I gave her a patronizing smile tilting my head to the side daringly not minding that if Law¡¯s appearance and kiss hasn¡¯t gotten us enough attention, I was on a road trip to doing just that, ¡°Because you had asked me a few hours ago not to?¡±


    The music was turned down even as she fixed me a smug and devilish grin, the type she gives before saying something deliberately and outrightly evil.


    ¡°Maybe because I expected you to be beside your mother who scrubs and mops to put food on your te or wait?¡± She gasped a little, ¡°This one is good. How about you just stick to the side of your imprisoned crack addict of a no-good older brother.¡±


    I heard the p. Saw the look of disbelief in her eyes before feeling the stinging pain of just how much impact my hand had made with her chin to realize that I had pped her and going by the astonishment on everyone¡¯s faces, nobody had seen thating not even Law Tyler who was still standing beside me. He got me. He had told me he did and it felt good to know he was keeping true to his words.


    I had the option of reminding her that although my family wasn¡¯t the most perfect, hers wasn¡¯t. Wanted to remind her that her father had been fucking her best friend when we were in Junior high school and her mother had attempted suicide thrice, thest time her daddy dearest had berated her to get it right just once. I didn¡¯t because it was an insult to my mom who wasn¡¯t popping pills regardless of how hard life got us and my brother who had made a few too many bad choices in his life. I didn¡¯t because we were just poor and that was just a financial situation, it didn¡¯t mean we were bad people ormitted a gruesome crime so I took a step back away from her making sure I looked her right in the face when I told her the next words that escaped my lips.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I wish someday you might look in the mirror and hold your gaze, the way I¡¯m holding yours without flinching but until till then I wish you could drink makeup, then there just might be a chance you¡¯ll be beautiful on the inside.¡±


    An oblivious drunk teenager tripped on the sound system and an upbeat dance hall music came up even as I tugged Law¡¯s t-shirt in my arms, ¡°This is my song!¡± I screamed dragging him to a dark corner of the room aware that more than a hundred pairs of eyes were on us right now.


    Static energy clung to my hoodie even as Law held my waist, dragging me to himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m proud of you. You did good, Il mio fiore di loto. I¡¯d have pped if not that I was way shocked.¡±


    ¡°I feel sick,¡± I muttered fisting his T-shirt around my hand, ¡°Take me out of here.¡±


    He chuckled, ¡°As your chauffeur for the night, I¡¯m up and ready to get out of here.¡±


    We make jokes about how the ce smells like sins and drugs decided to birth a child as we both stepped out of the house not at all minding the chilly weather condition which was better than spending a minute more with those icy cold hypocrites.


    Lesson learnt, Law. Could we face being a teenager 101 another day? I was tempted to ask. We go to school with these scumbags already I didn¡¯t see the point of bonding over weekends too.

 Chapter 023|A let鈥檚 remove our clothes and make out line

    Chapter 023| A let¡¯s remove our clothes and make out line


    ~ You have me until everyst star in the Gxy dies


    You have me.


    He had an electric key unlike the others who Titiana¡¯s security protocols had helped open the neighbourhood¡¯s gate electronic system, yet it had never struck me that he was her neighbour. Wait, let me rephrase this, it never urred to an A straight student, a fully funded schrship beneficiary that for someone to have such ess to a neighbourhood he had to be a part of it somehow, wow superb, great.


    Not.


    I didn¡¯t know if I should act on my little worry and jealousy that he had more things inmon with her than he ever would with me in a million years even as his automatic gate opened on its own and I found my mouth falling open.


    Let¡¯s go over a quick rewind, I had seen lots of houses as we had glided along the neighbourhood discussing music, (and let me just put it right out that for the record, I hate all Law Tyler¡¯s favourite music because he digs country and all that jargon while I¡¯m a pop and R&B type of girl). So I¡¯d seen some really dope houses, like vanity at its finest with architectural designs that make you stare wide-eyed at the buildings just realizing that some people were blessed way too much for their good, with the roots of all evil.


    But nothing had prepared me for the extravaganza and disy of wealth that Law Tyler called a House. Perhaps, I was just a bit shocked that he was also into the whole morous living since he doesn¡¯t seem to dig their lifestyle but I couldn¡¯t even be a hypocrite and deny that I didn¡¯t like the exhrating rush of excitement that bolted through me at the thought of exploring all this.


    ¡°Wee to my humble abode.¡± He had a smug grin on his face and a matching smirk while I bet I had a goofy smile, looking every bit of the idiot I was.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. If this is humble and ¡®not in your face I don¡¯t know what to do with money¡¯ then my house should be called a shoe box.¡±


    I followed him to his vast garage with cars that would make Rob have wet dreams while ncing at him in awe every chance I get as he leads me to a stunning panoramic elevator that the different levels of his residence are essible via. While I clenched my hand around his half expecting the annoying whiny sound of my rm to signal I¡¯d ditched Titiana¡¯s party, stayed in and had slept on my poster bed like the loser I was.


    But the electric feel of his hand on mine, I¡¯ve never felt more alive like that very moment even as I tried to take what was in front of me at once without screaming obscenities.


    It had an in-ground pool, which I could see from here, and a sauna I must havepletely missed because I was too busy gawking at any and everything.


    I moved closer, taking in the perfectly designed inter spaces captured so beautifully, I could figure a bay view at the day which I can guess must impress with a breathtaking sceneposed of the city¡¯s skyline, and the roar of the Todos Santo bay which I could see from here which looked grey, angry and stretches of water.


    I must have been panting after Law had indulged my endless pleas to be shown around but in my defence, how would I have known there would be so much rooms? A collection of rooms I must add, there was the dining room which was my house put together with a chair that could amodate a Max of 50 people which made me raise my brow at Law, while he shrugged.


    ¡°I might decide to host my wedding right here. You never can tell.¡±


    Acting like just thinking about this thing between us, whatever it was without a tag ending and him finding a girl that would only mumble nice ce when he shows her his house didn¡¯t fill me with unexinable anger. I allowed him to show me his fitness room, a game room, sunroom yes you heard me right and to top it off, the ce didn¡¯t look like it had been inhabited by a human being.


    And then there was the library¡­ His own very personal library which I was excited to see but had given off a spooky feel and I knew it had something to do with the brown coloured shelved books which suspiciously looks like limited editions and how ancient and old-fashioned the room. The door creaked even as I swallowed hard and not wanting to look like a freak, I snapped my mouth shut restraining from telling him it felt like the room was calling out to me, the books there seemed familiar and each held a leaflet that fixed together a story. My story¡­


    Even I think I¡¯m crazy and I should probably start seeing one of the shrinks at the school with too huge a smile on stic faces and Louis Vuitton purses draped on their arms while they persuaded you that you needed to talk to somebody, why couldn¡¯t it be them? Maybe, because ma¡¯am you don¡¯t look like you have seen a day of hardship in your life to advise on it and when you were my age I bet silicones were more of a problem to you than debt, inadequacy and fear. God, the consuming fear of failing everyone eventually. Just wake up one morning and realize I can¡¯t take it anymore. Give up.


    ¡°You should change into something lighter.¡± I raised my brow at him. He sounded disappointed and down, although now I think of it he had shed me an expectant desperate look.


    ¡°You do know you ain¡¯t going back home tonight?¡±


    I gazed at him momentarily realizing that as usual I was overthinking everything and imagining everything. He looked and seem fine.


    ¡°Yes. Cool. Whatever.¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°Let me show you to your room because although I love em clothes, to be honest, I¡¯ve always fantasized having you in my clothes.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    It was only when I was in Law¡¯s beautiful master suite that has its own dressing room and staring at myself in his floor-length window realizing just how much I love wearing Law¡¯s clothes and smelling like him did the two pennies drop.


    I was wearing a shirt that would ride up to show my panties if I made any uncalcted step, I was going to go see a movie with him which was pretty cool since he had a home theatre system but the only problem was that Netflix and chill were more like a universal let¡¯s remove our clothes and make out line. I¡¯d be spending all night with him and he had showed me to the master suite as my room, not the guestroom which means we would be staying here together because as of a few hours ago we became boyfriend and girlfriend, and as much as I wanted to act chill on doing something every kid my age does regrly, I was anything but chilled. I¡¯d 0 experience¡­ Completely nk and the thought of embarrassing myself and blurting something totally absurd out there was making me hyperventte, sweaty and stressed out as fuck. God, I was so screwed or about to be, I hope only literally but because I knew deep down I could never get that lucky I found myself praying yet again that the ¡®figuratively¡¯ should be one I could live with.


    I took a few nervous steps toward him. He had changed and the old pair of jeans short he was wearing and a wife beater which showed off taut muscles that tempts me to make my drooling obvious even as I tried not to be that girl. You know the one that asks anyone theye across with okay skin, their skin routine but Law¡¯s smooth everything was not helping with my cause.


    I took a mouthful of the popcorn from the bowl on top of the oak centre table like I was chugging down vodka, forcefully chewing it all and swallowing it even though it felt like cotton in my mouth.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± He paused flipping through a series of movies using the remote control while he said Nah Nah. He was looking at me worriedly.


    ¡°I¡¯m great! Chilled actually! Yippee¡­¡± I cringed at my squeaky voice resisting the urge to facepalm myself as Law nodded O-kay. You know the bad type of okay that is apanied by whenst did you see a therapist? and no I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re crazy, you just need to work something out emotionally.


    Was I overreacting? Maybe a notch. Did I deserve to? Of course! I was about to make out with a demi-god who makes me and a majority of the female poption feel things that should never be voiced to our mothers who thought us angels and pure, and he was soon going to find out that the girl in front of him was inexperienced in every sense of the world.


    No, have never kissed anyone before.


    Yes, apart from thinking it was disgusting and unhygienic to have someone else¡¯s privates in your mouth. I know nothing about blowjobs.


    Porns make me yawn and do nothing for me so technically I¡¯m scared that you justnded yourself Ms Frigid.


    I gulped.


    ¡°Actually I¡¯m not fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡± His face was a mixture of confusion and worry.

 Chapter 024|What are you doing to me?

    ~So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.


    I swallowed hard feeling silly for a while and when he caressed my cheeks, I blurted the first thing that came to my mind. ¡°How do you stay in such a big house all alone? Don¡¯t you feel lonely at all?¡±


    He sighed and with his hand underneath both my legs he ced me in-between his spread legs effortlessly as if I weigh nothing.


    I gulped, my gaze going down to my ridden-up shirt and when I look up to meet his pretty eyes that were responsible for the slight sway in my head, I sagged my head against his chest hiding away from the intensity of the moment, the electrifying undercurrent chemistry simmering in the air, even as I felt his hand underneath my chin making me meet his eyes.


    ¡°Maybe just the thought of knowing one day I would find you, see you, have you in my arms just like now made the wait bearable, the loneliness less consuming. I have never stopped loving you not even for a second__¡±


    ¡°Is this when you tell me you have been waiting to do this to me all night and then we make out?¡± I blurted out too tense to understand what he was saying and too stupid to stop myself from blurting out words that made me seem like a psycho and a maniac.


    Confusion marred his gorgeous face for a while. I clenched my eyes shut too embarrassed as it were to look even as I felt my face bing hot and I bet red like tomato sauce. Two seconds. Three.


    I heard a deep sound ofughter, yes this might sound cliche and very unoriginal but it sounded like music and I had the urge to sway to the sounds for a long time which was a better choice than slowly opening my eyes to face a guy that I certainly can¡¯t help embarrassing myself around.


    I shifted closer, kneeling in between his legs subconsciously as I watched his face still thrown back as heughed while I couldn¡¯t help the little smile that graced my face even though I knew the night was not going as I imagined it. Of course, it was so romantic when your boyfriend throws his head back andugh at you because you are such a silly idiot that knows when exactly to spoil the mood.


    Not.


    I was just so hopeless whenever ites to Law Tyler.


    ¡°No,¡± he finally whispered when he was doneughing, which was quite satisfying because although I love the feeling of watching himugh, I didn¡¯t like it so much that both times I¡¯d seen him do that it was because I tended to embarrass myself whenever I was next to him. Now, he¡¯ll just consider me a goofball.


    ¡°You¡¯re so cute.¡± He mumbled pinching my chin. I red at him. Make that a flurry little cat.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see a movie and nobody is using that cliche pickup line as old as time to get your pants off you.¡± My eyes widen at how crude he sounded even as the thrill of his words made me feel like we were doing something bad¡­ Very bad already. ¡°Because,¡± he started huskily even as one of his tanned hands disappeared underneath my shirt while I watched his eyes which pinned me to a spot while he stroked my thighs, ¡°If I wanted to do anything to you all night, I¡¯d have done it already.¡±


    My eyes widen as he removed his hand abruptly from his shirt I¡¯d borrowed, and then he chuckled I bet at the look in my eyes when he continued scrolling through an array of different movies to choose from.


    Grumpily, I turned to look at the screen, my head now cocooned in his chest as I wondered why he couldn¡¯t make his point without touching my thighs and making my thoughts all corrupted and jumbled.


    Slowly, I wasughing at theedy show Law had put on while easing into his body like I belonged there. We both had an intense argument on which vour of ice cream was the best. I stood behind vani and chocte, while he tried to defend strawberry and caramel. Ugh.. at least there was one thing about Law Tyler that wasn¡¯t so perfect after all. He had a bad taste in food. Like how exactly was that even possible?


    After we were done buttressing both the points we had made in our vour argument with a popcorn fight, I swung my leg looking all pretty while I watched Law Tyler vacuum clean the room.


    Then we both tried to predict the next scene of Notebook because it was that cliche, overwatched and loved all the same. Okay by me.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    You know that moment when you are about to drift to sleep, Rob calls it standing at the threshold. I think that was right where I was when I felt myself lean into a very soft surface and I was d I was far gone else I might do something as stupid as moaning.


    I was past the threshold when I felt a kiss against my forehead, but I really couldn¡¯t tell if it was a dream or Reality because of how pained Law sounded and the strangeness in his tone.


    ¡°What are you doing to me? Why do I find it so hard this time to keep to the rules of the edict?¡±


    Something delicious hit my nostrils even as I sniffed in disbelief, wondering if I was still dreaming because thest time I woke up to a freshly cooked meal had been in middle school and it was a birthday treat.


    The waft of pancakes hit my nose more strongly even as I slowly opened my eyes, staring at the rich golden colour drapes over the window for a while in utter confusion, and as my leg hit the ground and was met with an expensive-looking ornate rug, memories of Law and I attending Titiana¡¯s birthday party, the p and staying over at Law¡¯s house flooded my memory instantly.


    I stood up not even wanting to spare myself a look in the mirror knowing that would totally make me avoid going to look for Law. No, I wasn¡¯t one of those girls who wake up looking like a ray of sunshine, I have had a terrible case of bad bed hair since forever which Rob has always used to taunt me.


    Deciding that what I didn¡¯t know couldn¡¯t hurt me, I cautiously padded my way barefooted grateful for the little tour Law had given me because it helped me avoid getting lost as I tried to find him while I avert my eyes from the marble warmed floor not wanting to see a reflection of my hair sticking from different corners at all cost.


    The kitchen had environmental friendly bamboo and brushed granite which features a terrazzo eating bar but that wasn¡¯t the first thing I had noticed. The state-in-the-art interior designing and all the overwhelming types of kitchen utensils I have never seen before arranged in rows neatly didn¡¯t also hold my interest because in front of me stood Tyler with messy hair that oozes sexual appeal and stirs something in me that wants my hand threading on his hair strand and it didn¡¯t help that he was wearing a ck fighter¡¯s short.


    He looked up from the pancakes he was arranging into a te, giving me a lopsided grin while I perched my behind on a barstool in front of the eating bar.


    ¡°Hope you had a good night¡¯s sleep?¡±


    I wanted to tell him that it had never been better. Yes, I am fascinated by wealth and I¡¯m not like a few people who grew up hating everything it was to do with privileged people and that was an unusual trait because Evans high school can re such a fire. So I loved the luxury that Law dwelt in, his nice house, his big sma TV, God¡­ His softfortable bed but that wasn¡¯t at all what had made my night sleep so much better. It was all about the boy in front of me who was now adding maple syrup to the pancakes after I replied to him with a shrug because I knew right at that moment I could sleep in a shit hole next to Law and still feel thoroughly at rest.


    There was something about him that made mefortable, made him feel like an old guitar pick a famous star still carries around because of the familiarity or an old friend, a star actress still hangs around with because more than anything they were a piece of the regr, the reminder of who they really were. Law Tyler gave me exactly the exact feeling. He felt like home to me.


    He slid a te in front of me and I looked up to meet his eyes, ¡°You look great by the way.¡± He threw me a smug grin even as he sat down next to me.


    ¡°Oh shut up..¡± I retorted weakly, digging into my pancakes quickly so I could use my mouth being full as a reason why I didn¡¯t finish my sentence even though I had nothing to say.


    Not all of us could wake up looking like Law Tyler, now. Can we?


    He chuckled lightly catching up to my childish antics and leaning over he kissed me on my forehead and it felt so natural. ¡°But I like it really. It gives me a preview of what you¡¯ll look like when you have been fucked so thoroughly.¡±


    My eyes burned on unshed tears as I choked on my food wondering why I had thought it was ever a good idea to have so many mouthfuls in the first ce. At first, it was Law Tyler and his taunts then it has been because the pancakes were too good. It was crispy brown and nicely made, unlike the measly ones Rob do make for me asionally.


    Law stood up panicked even as he made me drink from the ss of orange juice next to my te and I lifted my head when my breathing had evened out shootingsers at him while he had the nerves to give me an innocent look.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know about eating etiquettes?¡± I angrily asked him, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t talk at all while eating.¡± Or talk about something so filthy randomly I added in my head.


    He nodded, his face way too serious and I could tell he was messing with me even as I caught the little smirk he was trying to hide over his rim of ss.


    We spent the rest of the morning, after I had dumped both tes we have used in a dishwasher amidst an argument on leaving that for the housekeepers who stayed outside of the house, we discussed his amazing cooking skills and I fill him on my horrible one and how I couldn¡¯t be trusted to make something edible for myself. Then I discovered he found ramen noodles unhealthy and noticed he had frowned when I told him that was like a lifesaver for me since it was cheap and I ate it all round the clock.

 Chapter 025|World鈥檚 apart

    ~And I¡¯d choose you


    In a hundred lifetimes,


    In a hundred worlds,


    I¡¯d find you and


    I¡¯d choose you.


    Later on, I received a call from Mom who sounded hysterical like she couldn¡¯t believe I had slept outside and wasn¡¯t kidnapped. She believed the coloured notes on the fridge were from my so-called captors and had asked me to head straight back home, muttering something incoherent about making sure before I had hung up rolling my eyes. Weren¡¯t parents just such a joy?


    Not.


    Law had given me a spare brush and offered me his closet which was fucking huge to freely select whatever I could work with. I¡¯d spent hours in there not because of ack of what to wear since I majored in boy clothes but because of the assorted varying clothes to choose from.


    I had opted for a jean jacket, a white in jogger which was a lot big on me but served the purpose and at least wasn¡¯t sliding out of my waist after I had secured the rope hanging from it twice and making sure I didn¡¯t trip on the trouser, since Law was a lot taller than me, I had folded them twice


    I ran a brush through my hair hastily, took the bag where Law had neatly folded the clothes I had worn yesterday and came outside to meet him since he had insisted on taking me back home after informing me casually that he nned on hanging out with Ron and the boys like they were some dimpled rich guys and didn¡¯t do drugs, crimes and, use crassnguages that would put a sailor to shame.


    He wolf-whistled as I slide into yet another of his insanely expensive sportscar, trying hard and failing not to ogle at him. He looked like a dream. His hair was slightly damp and his Indigo V-neck tee shirt hugged his impressive outlined triceps and I couldn¡¯t help but noticed his taut tanned biceps. His Rolex watch was on and apart from the antique piece, he really was trying hard at looking casual and not too intimidating. But¡­ because he reeks and exuded wealth and authority he was failing miserably, just like I was in trying not to gape at him.


    Law was like a beautiful work of art, and whenever I turned to read his emotions, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from noting yet another stunning expression and another allure. Highlighting a set of discoveries I never made before. He was dangerous for my health and sanity. Everything.


    ¡°You sure you ain¡¯t going to consider the fashion line I talked about?¡± He gave me a suggestive look, ¡°Because you are definitely owning these clothes and making me think they were never made for me in the first ce.¡±


    ¡°Oh please,¡± I scoffed partly because I couldn¡¯t believe that anything was not made for him; He could wear a sack and still pull it off, and to hide my cheeks that were flushed because of the way he stared at me in awe like I was the most beautiful girl he has seen. His raw expression at that moment clenched my heart tightly reminding me yet again of his confession yesterday. He loves me!


    I had barely registered when the engine of the car hade into life or when we had manoeuvred out of his gate, out of the neighbourhood gate, the airy breeze blowing into my face since the car¡¯s hood was up while I soaked in the view of giggling rich children, expensive cars, way too shiny malls and boutiques with women who represented a brand from their head to toe walking around so casually.


    But I had been more alert the minute we had entered La Paz and then slowly Creekside. The Stark difference could be noticed by a blind man. Overflowing gutters, flies, littered dirt, children dressed in rags or naked and crying of hunger while wandering around.


    I stared at Law Tyler who was hitting his left leg to the afro-pop music ying from the radio oblivious to my roving eyes. Our lives and our backgrounds were worlds apart it was embarrassingly so clear to see and spelt out.


    ¡°Mom!¡± I hollered dumping my bag on our worn-out cushion and slumping down next to it.


    She came out. She was wearing the pub¡¯s t-shirt she worked for in the mornings and an arched eyebrow.


    ¡°You said you were with a friend?¡±


    I didn¡¯t reply to her. The little smile now on her face tells me there was more to whatever she wanted to say and she would tell me when she was good and ready.


    ¡°By friend do you mean the good-looking guy that just dropped you at home and has been making rounds in the neighbourhood gossips?¡±


    ¡°Mom, have you been listening to gossips?¡± I gave her an exaggerated disappointed huff trying to hide the huge smile that threatened to break out on my face if I wasn¡¯t careful.


    She shrugged sitting next to me, ¡°It is quite hard to work in a pub and not be in the know of trending gossips especially when this particr gossip drives an expensive car and wears a watch that could put you through college.¡±


    I leaned into the couch hoping that gives her the impression that I didn¡¯t want to talk about it. Whatever it is she was going on about.


    ¡°Talking about working in a pub, shouldn¡¯t you be there right about,¡± I did a dramatic show of checking my empty wrist, ¡°Now?¡± I asked noting she didn¡¯t budge.


    It felt a bit weird having her sitting next to me striking up a discussion. Although it wasn¡¯t her fault she works four Jobs to keep our heads afloat but it has almost been like she wasn¡¯t here and I¡¯ve gotten used to her absence. She doesn¡¯t just expect me to flip on and off that switch now, does she?


    I flinched at the sudden contact of her feverish hand against mine but found myself rxing after a while.


    ¡°I was truly worried when I came back homest night and entered your room to check up on you and discovered it empty.¡±


    ¡°I dropped a note.¡± I tried to sound exasperated, not wanting to evaluate how good it felt to know that she does check up on me every night though it was also a little creepy. But it felt nice to know she was looking out for me because for a while I had been tempted not to drop a note thinking she won¡¯t even notice I wasn¡¯t home.


    ¡°I saw the note. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t contact the police but still, you have always been cooped up at home. Always. And although I was worried you didn¡¯t have friends or anyone you visit, you weren¡¯t obsessed with your mobile phone like every teenager I know, wasn¡¯t whiny about wanting to attend a party even though it was past your curfew and I didn¡¯t have to deal with my teenage daughter boy issues mood swings, I had be used to the routine.¡± My eyes met hers.


    She tightly smiled, ¡°I know going to a school where almost everyone lives in Todos Santos would have been hard for you even if you didn¡¯t mention it and I was so scared for you. Still scared as a matter of fact even though most parents consider me lucky because you¡¯re the most undramatic teenager on Earth but__ I¡¯ve always been so scared you¡¯ll miss out on life cooped in your room.¡± Her voice broke and I was the one grabbing her hand now, ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to ever get punished because you were just from another side of town and although I knew you were strong I just felt like you might end up loathing me one day just like Rob does because you do deserve a better mother, a better life __¡±


    ¡°Mom,¡± I muttered wiping a tear that had escaped her eyes, ¡°I¡¯ll never hate you. Ever.¡±


    She smiled weakly. ¡°Do I need to be worried that my little girl is spending a night alone with her male friend?¡± I sighed at the obvious quotes on the friend while she grinned smugly, a reply to my obvious bullshit.


    ¡°Next time you can invite your friend inside too.¡± She mumbled and I grimaced. Of course, she must have eavesdropped on me stopping Law froming over to say hello. I wasn¡¯t in any way ashamed of my home and roots but I knew mom was home and didn¡¯t know how she¡¯ll react to him.


    ¡°Do I need to give you the talk again?¡± She jokingly teased even though I could sense a bit of seriousness in her voice as she grabbed her bag and left the room, searching for her boots outside.


    I cringed. The bees and pollination. Please No. ¡°I think I can do very much without Mom.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be direct but I don¡¯t want you doing anything friends don¡¯t do with their friends.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Seriously! Bye, Mom!¡±


    I heard her chuckle all the way from where she was.


    I smiled. That moment felt so good though it was cringe-worthy and a reminder of why nobody wants their parents in their beeswax but I felt normal.


    As normal as a girl getting the talk from her mother could.   I stood up in preparation to head out for my noon shift in Morning Bli.

 Chapter 026|Cliches could be beautiful

    ~It¡¯s either the flu or Love¡­


    The symptoms are the same.


    ¡°Does that big grin on your face have anything to do with the newest neighborhood¡¯s gossip of a hot rich guy who seemed to have lost his way to Beverly hills and now dwells amongst us lowlymoners?¡±


    I scowled at Stacey, at this point agreeing with Mom. Law Tyler was surely the hottest topic my neighbourhood was having a feast on currently.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡± I denied lying tly even as she gave me a smug grin bouncing on her heels in her shy everything enthusiastically and I could tell that soon she would be prodding at me for dets (An abbreviation of details.)


    ¡°God, I had caught barely a peek of him when he was talking to Ron yet I had lost the ability to speak for a while. He is so unbelievably perfect.¡± Stacey chirped and I intentionally busied myself with initiating a discussion with old Mr. Jacob who suffers from dementia and was one of our longest, faithful customers. Today, I indulged him as he told me about his wife who was ying hard to get but he¡¯ll surely get her and make her the mother of his children. I smiled at his words, knowing that he did that already even as I took the note his wife would have tucked in at the right side of hispel jacket with familiarity and seeing her note I gave old Jacob a smoothie in a to-go cup, biding my time unhurriedly not at all looking forward to a continued confrontation with Stacey who eyed me aware of what I was doing as I told Mr. Jacob yet again to greet this beautiful woman he was talking about when next he saw her.


    With blue-dyed hair, Stacey¡¯s choice of clothing was as original as theye. Today she was wearing a pale peach gown, a yellow scarf which she knotted on her neck twice, her bright pink boots made me cringe whenever I turn to get an order from her and peek at them incidentally so it¡¯ll suffice to say that Stacey had a colourful personality.


    Just like her strange fashion sense says the girl who was a collector of ck and grey hoodies, her personality was hard to miss. Boisterous, original and categorically honest. Though most times too blunt and honest for her own good like when she had told Mr. Grant who hade for his usual scones and sandwiches noon order that his wife was acting extra cranky to him because he couldn¡¯t get little dicky up. A piece of information she hade across after Mrs. Grant had way too much to drink, in a pub down the road.


    But she was easy to talk to than the rest of the other staff so we were acquaintances of some sort.


    I was relieved when Stacey had to step out from behind the counter and had Diane rece her. Though I thought Katie was an unapologetic gold digger, who had wanted to be friends with me the minute she had been hired so I could introduce her to the rich guys in my school, at least we barely talk so although I found her biting her lips thoughtfully more than once no doubt wanting to ask me about Law Tyler, she couldn¡¯t because she had been a real bitch to me after she discovered I wasn¡¯t even a tad bit interested in discussing Evans high school. She had mistaken my reluctance for pride, if only she had known¡­


    I let out a low sigh even as I squared my chest and made my way to cranky Mrs Harley¡¯s booth since she was on the row I would be covering. She was mostly moody and full ofints which we had to entertain as she told her long string of divorce stories, how badly she had been treated by a man she had dated for two months and how her children didn¡¯t want to see her in-between orders.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Look at who is dealing with cranky customers with a smile. Oh, love!¡± Stacey whispered after I returned finally from Mrs Harley¡¯s booth looking exasperated.


    I handed her order to Diane who in turn gave it to Selene, our chef while I waited for the food ignoring Stacey who seems to be so enthusiastic about poking fun at me than offering services to the very hungry-looking unattended customers in her row.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about smiles but I know you¡¯ll lose yours when Garrett leaves his office and struts inside here noticing that your row is unattended to while you seem eager to gossip.¡± I taunted, reminding her of our potbellied boss who didn¡¯t hesitate to sh our wages into two at the slightest misbehaviour.


    Dianeughed too hard and I could tell it had everything to do with the strange animosity she seems to harbour specially for Stacey who just frowns and rushes towards her row, fixing her name tag and her smile which had gotten crumpled a bit after my snarky retort.


    ***


    I set my stic bag of clothes next to theundromat while I wiped out the washers and dryers because though I¡¯m not a germaphobe, you can¡¯t be sure that the washer didn¡¯t get used to wash a semen-stainedforter from the whore house down the street or a puke stained shirt.


    I checked on the setting just to make sure, fighting hard to retain the scowl that is normally etched on my face as I sat down on one of the ufortable seats next to my clothes knowing that leaving my churning clothes unattended to in itself was a risk I wasn¡¯t curious to try out but slowly a grin spread through my face especially as I remembered the events of the day.


    It was fifteen minutes for my shift to be over when I had noticed that Diane, who normally was meant to man the paying counter now was missing from her position and instead her flirtatiousughter which was way too squeaky today floated across the dingy room making me roll my eyes as I knew she just had to be flirting with few of the college students that came around this side once in a while if she was trying that hard.


    I sat down behind the counter not at all happy that I had to pen down records of all that was sold today because regardless of how hard I wanted to turn a blind eye to someone being anything but proficient in their work, I couldn¡¯t stand it.


    I was on the third order when Stacey sauntered towards me, looking all bubbly and sparkles which was a huge turn of events, especially since thest time I saw her she was still fanning a grudge from my snarky reply to her.


    ¡°You have a pending order at table 27. That¡¯s your row.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. Of course, nobody would help me cover my orders even though I was obviously busy here.


    ¡°Cupcakes just this once can you__¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Stacey vehemently refused before I could voice my request, ¡°Especially if it means you get to do Diane¡¯s work for her. I¡¯ll go get her and you would cover your table.¡±


    I followed her with a notepad wondering if Mr. Garrett nned on introducing the digital method of doing these things and what was so hard in covering just one table in my absence.


    ¡°Hello,¡± I fixed a perky smile and lifted my face from the book. ¡°What are your__ Law?¡±


    I knew we held everyone¡¯s attention at this point because although they were doing a good job of pretending like they were all busy; Customers with their food and staffs minding their jobs. The sudden silence in the bustling room was their giveaway.


    ¡°I wanted to see you.¡± He gave me azy drawl already answering my unvoiced question.


    He was seated with Reynold, Ron and Jared all my brother¡¯s close friends but it was more than obvious they had just apanied him both literally and figuratively because he was the one that held everyone¡¯s attention. I heard an audible gulp and a gasp, perhaps more than two. And then giggles.


    God¡­ he held my attention too and I had seen him just this morning.


    ¡°You know you¡¯ll eventually need to make your order?¡±


    ¡°Only if you are on the menu.¡±


    ¡°That is so cheesy,¡± I scrunched my nose fixing him a pointed stare.


    He gave me a little grin that helped falter my senses and make me feel boneless for a while.


    ¡°Maybe because love doesn¡¯t need to be so intellectually demanding. It could be sickening with tropes, full of obvious urately figured out scenarios before they happen and still be love. Cliches could be beautiful.¡±


    I believed him. He was beautiful.


    ¡°Are you done? because I want to steal you away from these people?¡±


    I opened my mouth to speak but Stacey beat me to it already aware I wanted to make an excuse. ¡°Yes, all done.¡±


    I red at her a little even as Law smiled appreciatively for her input. ¡°Live life a little, Prudence.¡± She added being all so helpful.


    I held back a grin, as Law raised his brow, ¡°Care to live a little?¡±


    I chuckled and ced my hand in his because he was gorgeous and I¡¯ll probably say yes to anything he had in his mind because I was hopeless like that.

 Chapter 027|Rollercoaster ride

    ~ You¡¯re the finest, loveliest, the tenderest, and most beautiful person I have ever known and even that is an understatement.


    The video of me and Titiana was the what¡¯s hot? Topic in school and more people spoke to me like we were best buddies.


    ¡°Hello, Ms. Popr.¡± Gloria greeted me with a sing-song voice as I went to meet her at her locker which had been our everyday routine since forever.


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, Prudence.¡± Troy, a teenage model, a shoe-in for prom king and an absolute Abercrombie package with the jetlike ck touseled hair, green eyes and straight nose hollered from across the hall.


    I waved at him like I had done the others like nothing was out of ce and turned back to Gloria.


    ¡°You were saying?¡±


    I shrugged then bit my lips, ¡°Everything is changing so quickly. I¡¯m scared.¡±


    Gloria grinned, ¡°You deserve this particr change especially if you could p someone and sound so cool after. I saw your video like a hundred time.¡±


    ¡°Me? A hundred and one time.¡± Gemma was a popr nerd which was way rare. She was the only nerd that was in the second-tier poprity ss in Evans high school.


    She gave me a bedazzled look like she was seeing me for the first time which was identical to the look everybody has been giving me since today. ¡°You are so cool!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to reply to thatpliment especially since she had just entered Gloria¡¯s and I conversation unannounced.


    I watched her retreating figure relieved even as Gloria cooed, ¡°Look at who has to get used to being popr?¡±


    In Englishnguage ss, Gloria and I arrived a minutete to discover that the back row next to the toilet was now the newest popr¡¯s row. It waspletely upied save for two seats, one next to Law who had a thing for kissing my forehead casually and another one at my right-hand side reserved for Gloria.


    Even Mr. Bartholomew had looked taken aback to see that the third row was scantily upied and the back row which was greatly avoided was packed.


    I didn¡¯t me him when he had to take a few minutes to get used to the cement because even I who sat next to Law whose right hand restedzily on my lower back was a bit overwhelmed.


    If Law noticed that he was the reason for the strange seat cement and every other strange thing that is going on in Evans high school that waspletely foreign he didn¡¯t act like he did. If anything, he acted like everything was perfectly normal.


    I lost count of how many parties I was invited to by lunch break and when I was invited to the popr¡¯s table also known as one of the ces I never imagined someone like myself being catapulted to I freaked out.


    My life was changing so quickly and my insides were queasy, I felt like I was going to throw up because of the rollercoaster ride I have been on for a week.


    Although yesterday was a Sunday, it felt just like yesterday when I had been bullied by all those at the popr¡¯s table who now gave me encouraging smiles identical to one a mom would give her son who was horrible at ser when he tells her he was going to the tryouts.


    I hated everyone at that table, I realized. Swallowing hard as I knew right then what I was going to do. I was going to be the first person to turn down an invite to sit at the popr¡¯s table.


    The cafeteria was eerily quiet as Shawn, one of the newest addition to the first ss popr¡¯s system and also a messenger widened his eyes asking me yet again what I¡¯d said. Obviously, he thought he had heard wrongly.


    I smacked my lips realizing that saying it the second time felt easier than the first.


    ¡°I said I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯ll have to decline.¡± I ignored Gloria¡¯s disapproving and surprising re while I sat right back on my seat digging into my bacon like I wasn¡¯t hyperventting.


    A chair was drawn beside me. I didn¡¯t look up. I don¡¯t know what to expect after turning down such an invite since nobody I knew have done that and remember who doesn¡¯t like surprises?


    ¡°Hope you don¡¯t mind?¡±


    I found myself smiling as I looked up. I knew that voice.


    ¡°Tristan.¡±


    Gloria arched her brow at me due to my tone which sounded way ecstatic, but if I was being truthful, I was d to see Tristan. He was a nice guy. Relief was more of a catalyst for my enthusiasm.


    ¡°So I didn¡¯t know if we can just slide in and sit down with you without a reservation and all the other formality stuff,¡± he joked. ¡°That video and how you behaved yourself with Titiana earned you an extra ounce of my respect. That girl had got that ping for a long time and you having the guts to give that to her, that¡¯smendable.¡±


    I smirked, ¡°To be honest I didn¡¯t n to go boomerang on her face.¡± I bit my lower lip, ¡°I¡¯m seriously not a violent person.¡±


    Tristan gave me a grin even as he reached for my hand which was fiddling with my spoon and giving it a good squeeze. ¡°I know I¡¯m thest person to be talking about this since I¡¯m an only child and all but if I had a sibling and anyone ever talked trash about him or her like that, I won¡¯t feel a bit guilty that I whipped their cheek to the other side.¡±


    I smiled at him.


    ¡°The fact that you are even a notch remorseful shows yet again why you are unbelievably way too perfect for your own good and I think Law noticed this faster than we all could.¡±


    I returned his good-natured grin liking how easy it was to talk to Tristan and how easily he got me.


    ¡°He is a lucky bastard.¡± He added.


    ¡°And he ns to remain just that.¡± A gravelly familiar voice quipped behind me. Law Tyler.


    I whipped my head to meet his gaze wondering where he had been after Englishnguage. He had missed AP calculus and geometry. Both of the sses we had together and I was beginning to realize there was a lot more which was weird since it was almost like I have never noticed him in my sses before but to be fair the guy was nicknamed the mute for a reason.


    Deciding that I was done with the intense stare off especially since none of them was ready to call it quits and announce the winner of a show everyone in the cafeteria was now ogling at.


    ¡°Okay back down, big guy.¡± I fixed Law a scowl even as I ced my hand on his shoulder which redirected his heated grey eyes towards me which were a shade darker and hence looked greenish.


    ¡°Where have you been?¡± I asked him ignoring the possessive hand he had snaked around my waist.


    ¡°See you around, waterfalls.¡± Tristan stood to his feet looking amused even as he walked out.


    ¡°He calls you waterfalls?¡± Law asked the minute Tristan¡¯s back was no longer visible from where we stood.


    ¡°It is just a silly nickname besides he is intentionally trying to rile you up.¡±


    ¡°I have something to show you.¡± Before I could get a word out, I was practically whisked away from the cafeteria, aware of the eyes that were still on us till we left the room.


    ¡°What was that about?¡± I asked the minute I was sure we were alone.


    ¡°Just marking my territory around you. Don¡¯t want any mutt to have ideas and think you can be sniffed on.¡±


    ¡°Tristan is my friend and I¡¯m not a piece ofnd!¡±


    ¡°You are worth more than that but__¡±


    I met his gaze even as he leaned forward, our foreheads rubbing each other.


    ¡°I¡¯m scared and insecure.¡±


    ¡°Insecure?¡± I chuckled lowly, ¡°You are insecure? Then where does that leave me? Every damn girl in there.¡± I whispered pointing in the direction of the cafeteria, ¡°wants a piece of your ass.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want them.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t holding an inscription saying I wanted someone and Tristan like I said__¡±


    ¡°Is just a friend but I can¡¯t help it. Especially when he is a blonde wannabe chick with that long hair of his.¡±


    ¡°Because you are insecure?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Iughed andughed, even more, when I noticed how confused he looked. He was like a dream literally to me and he was insecure about losing me.


    He narrowed his gaze at me when I was doneughing while stroking my cheeks, ¡°You are so fucking beautiful and how oblivious you are to how desirable you are makes me want to cry. And for full disclosure, everything I said above feels like a fucking understatement.¡±


    I doubt I could ever get rid of the queasy feeling in my stomach whenever he looked at me like, he meant every single word he had said and how he makes me feel like the most beautiful girl in the room and even in the world as his grey eyes met and mesmerised more than just my eyes that held his. He gave me the good kind of queasy. Not the I¡¯m going to throw up type but the I¡¯m going tobust and disintegrate into tiny bits soon but I don¡¯t mind.


    I blinked even as I took a miscalcted step forward and collided with his head because I¡¯m a damn klutz.


    ¡°Ouch.¡± I groaned holding on to my head even as he shook his amused. I knew wondering what he was still doing with a dozen of crazy.


    ¡°You said you have something to show me if my memory served correctly?¡± I was desperate to redirect the moment and digress from my clumsiness. I was d I couldy my hands on that even though I knew that was a universal word most boyfriends use to get some though in our case he had wanted to talk.


    ¡°What¡¯s in the cafeteria today?¡±


    ¡°Monday bacon.¡±


    He grimaced slightly and I roll my eyes at how ¡®selective¡¯ they could all be.


    ¡°Well great, I know a pizzeria outside the school that gives you a taste of Heaven.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯d have to break like 77 moral conducts of the school while at it.¡± I retorted sharply.


    ¡°Thankfully I thought of that and cooked something better both literally and figuratively mind you.¡±


    I arched a brow suspiciously while he gave me his most innocent smile.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 028|Monday Bacons

    Chapter 028| Monday Bacons


    ~ Remember those walls I built?


    Well, baby, they are tumbling down


    And they didn¡¯t even put up a fight


    They didn¡¯t even make a sound.


    Beyonce ¨C Halo


    I would have sprinted back to the ss if not that Law Tyler¡¯s hand was sped around mine as we rounded the vacant corridors and I saw him staring at the stairs of the basement.


    No fucking way!


    I had never had a reason to visit there previously. Though it was a rare, if ever, used wing of the building but students were strictly prohibited from essing the basement,


    ¡°C¡¯mon live life a little,¡± Law cajoled even as he tugged me forward and I followed trying not to think about the echo of our footsteps as we descended into the darkness of the basement which was deafening. A feeling of unease was beginning to form deep in my guts, but I allowed my rationality to dictate my steps.


    ¡°I¡¯m not usually a picky person but an eerie creepy basement is not in any way, a ce to profess deep affection to your girlfriend at all.¡±


    Law Tyler was gravelly quiet and I swallowed hard peering into his face but not seeing his expression since the room was barely illuminated. I wonder what we were doing here especially as I was aware that all the doors must have been locked as there was no homeroom down here and thus no reason to keep them open.


    My eyes widened in horror as Law produced a bunch of keys from his pocket.


    ¡°Maybe I had been exaggerating a bit about the pizzeria and 77 moral conducts of the school being broken in the Evans high school regtion handbook but now I¡¯m pretty sure we have simultaneously broken over 200 rules without breaking a sweat and although you are gorgeous that doesn¡¯t give you a right__¡±


    My rant was temporarily halted as the door swung open and provided me entrance into the pitch-ck room.


    ¡°Go inside.¡±


    I turned to look at him with fear in my eyes, ¡°I really don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Do you trust me?¡±


    ¡°More than a sensible person should a guy they just met a week ago.¡±


    ¡°Just go in.¡± He cajoled.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because of how amused he sounded which assured me that it can¡¯t be all bad or the frightening thought that I can jump over a cliff if Lawpelled me to with that sexy ent of his, I took a step forward then crossed the threshold of the room.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    As I found the light switch and flicked it on, my mouth dropped. The insides of the dark basement came aglow, Soft music and low lighting assaulted both my ears and eyes. Candles and Red carnations were lined on the floor, and beautiful chrome balloons hung on the walls and ceilings, I could see an arranged set of foldable tables, which on top of it sat a bliss white orchid bouquet, with two foldable chairs tucked into it at both sides.


    The incorporated flower petals, harmonious music and low lightning just made the moment seem almost surreal and I snuggled against Law¡¯s warm body the moment I felt it against my back.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± He gruffly asked and I smirked.


    I could still see a littledder at the side of the room, his former clothes which now I realized he was no longer wearing, I bet covered in sweat hanging on top of it and the thought that he had been trying to arrange all of this and had even miss sses in the process warmed my heart more than I¡¯ll like to admit.


    ¡°I¡¯ll roll my eyes if this happened in a movie,¡± I mumbled even as I turned to meet his eyes, his hands now below my waist and holding me to him.


    He gave me a yful grin, ¡°And now it is happening to you?¡±


    ¡°I now see that cheesy can really be beautiful,¡± I chuckled lightly, ¡°You told me and now you are showing me. Besides, I¡¯m just realizing that I never knew what a great dinner restaurant looked like until now. Thank you Law, this was so much better than Monday Bacons.¡± I finished thest part with a slight drawl and mocking smile.


    ¡°Anything mydy,¡± he whispered huskily in an intended Frenchical ent that was more British. My hand brushed against his for the briefest of moments before he took it, and kissed the back of my palm while maintaining heavy eye contact which made me feel silly especially as I let him lead me to the dining table.


    He drew my chair and I sat down pretending I was in a dinner gown and not my pastel-coloured hoodie and ck baggy shorts.


    He poured me a cup of champagne and I took it, looking at him over the rim of my winess even as he opened two tes of steaks, he rubbed his hair and gave me a sheepish grin that made me grateful I was already seated else I might just lose my bearing.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know if you love your steak fully cooked or not so I made both.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t eat steaks.¡± I reminded him looking amused.


    I saw a sh of anger and guilt in his eyes but it was almost like I imagined it because he was opening yet another te of Salmon,sagna, andstly a chocte fondue for dessert.


    I smacked my lips together even as a goofy grin grew on my face, ¡°So much better than Bacons.¡±


    The whole school, watched as Law held his sports car door open for me and I entered, feeling like I was walking on a frickin moon.


    The ride to my house was quiet as I was deep in thoughts which Law noticed because the moment he stopped in front of my house and I made to alight, he held back my hand loosely.


    I met his gaze.


    ¡°A penny for your thoughts?¡±


    I gave him a tired smile, ¡°I¡¯m a practical girl so I¡¯ll prefer a dor since pennies aren¡¯t in cirction.¡±


    I watch amused as he indulged me, cing a dor on myp and leaned back, a signal he was all ears.


    I sighed. Guess I was going to be that girl anyway. The melodramatic pessimist who makes her boyfriend¡¯s efforts to make her happy seem like trying to melt a rock.


    ¡°Something bad is going to happen.¡± I blurted out because I always believed in the snapping bandaid quickly method when breaking a non-desirable news.


    He ced a finger below my jaw, forcing me to look into his eyes, ¡°Why would you even say that?¡±


    I felt like I was going to cry at the despair in his eyes at my words, ¡°It is the Prudence curse,¡± I continued even though I knew I was sounding delusional and crazy. ¡°Whenever too many good things start happening to me, something really awful alwayses along to crash it all on the floor. Like a pack of cards which the waves would soon carry, I can tell that soon a bad omen would drown all my happiness,¡± I smiled sadly, ¡°I sound like a bag of crazy, don¡¯t I?¡±


    He brushed a lock of my hair animatedly with his finger. ¡°I¡¯ll never think you sound crazy, ever.¡±


    I lean against his chair, ¡°I¡¯m just so scared.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m cursed!¡±


    His eyes were hardened and snapped at mine, ¡°You ain¡¯t cursed!¡±


    I sat up, desperate to convince him otherwise, involve him in an argument I very much wanted to lose for the first time in my life. ¡°My favourite birthday was my seventh year birthday. Rob threw me a surprise party and invited all the children from the hood. I¡¯d worn a stupid birthday hat and had a goofy big grin on my face unaware that, that night was the first night my brother would try getting involved with crime, reason? He wanted to keep a big smile on my face all the time!¡±


    ¡°That means nothing! It is all bullshit.¡± He countered.


    ¡°I figured you¡¯ll say that, so I was way ahead of you and had already piled up another case study. When I had gotten a schrship to Evans high school, I felt like I was handed the moon! I was so stupid, naive and had dreams. I¡¯d thought I¡¯ll have students who would flock around me all wanting to be my friends, two people would fight over showing me around the gigantic building I¡¯ve always stared at in awe, which was featured in the back of a what¡¯s popping magazine my brother¡¯s best friend had and would always bring along whenever he wasing over to my house. He¡¯ll just casually call Rob when he sees me gawking at it and jokinglyment that his little sister dreams to rub shoulders with dor signs. They would alwaysugh but none of them was aware that a dream had been birthed in me,¡± I looked away, ¡°A dream that turned around to bite me hard in the ass. Nobody looked my way except to hold their nose like I was stinking,¡± I sniffed as the bad memories came flooding back to me.


    ¡°A week after I got a shy wave and grin from Gloria, my brother was arrested and has been awaiting trial for two years. Can you see that this is a pattern? A curse?¡±


    ¡°No that¡¯s all a bunch of freak coincidences.¡± He held my hand, ¡°Nothing is going to happen this time because I have got you.¡±


    I nodded, trying to be optimistic, to believe in him, to believe in this love we are making but he had lied. I wished I had turned even once while I alighted then I would have caught the sad look in Law¡¯s eyes and knew things were soon going to turn foggy and bleak for me.

 Chapter 029|A disaster waiting to happen

    ~ They say it¡¯ll get better


    It¡¯s a lie


    It doesn¡¯t get better.


    You just get used to it.


    On Tuesday, Law took me to the cinema.


    On Wednesday, he came to pick me up from home to school and reminded me he love me.


    On Thursday, he ignored me at homeroom, went back to sitting in the third row, and didn¡¯t take my callster that night when I thought maybe he was having a bad day or something hence his attitude.


    On Friday, I was tagged on Instagram to a picture on our school¡¯s what¡¯s hot? Website. It was that of Titiana and Law Tyler at Todos Santo bay. They were kissing.


    I was getting a full cover of what being popr at Evans high school entails, which involves thousands of messages. Few were genuine and concerned about how I was doing, some punctuated with fakeness and I could imagine their pitchedughter while they typed their obvious lies and the rest, well just everybody reminding me that I was a fool for believing Law Tyler had feelings for me.


    Besides that, I¡¯d just discovered a lie. A lie of the century because although they call it heartbreak and it all takes ce inside the body. Calm and brutal. As my first tear, fall on top of my phone which was still disying the zoomed picture that proved that the guy wearing the grey unbuttoned shirt was really Law, I heard my heart cracking and just as Rob had told me, it didn¡¯t break. It shattered into tiny pieces of shards that all had Law Tyler etched in them.


    I was ten minuteste for school. I dashed into the homeroom aware of every eyes that were on me, conscious of every high-pitchedughter knowing that the possibility they wereughing at me was very high.


    Gloria hugged me after we were done with history ss, I bet even she could see that breathing was bing a chore for me and ine, who was in a Non-exclusive rtionship with Jason came to remind me that men were scumsst period to break.


    I was back to the Janitor¡¯s closet at break time, my chest heaving, my eyes bloodshot, my heart bleeding. Brain warned me, it was meant to be a recipe for disaster when you believe the words of a boy who was too good to be true. It was a game to him, just like his PS video games and I was the control button yet heart had fooled me and hormones had egged her on.


    ¡°So here is where all the cool kids hang out now, huh?¡± It was Troy, in between his finger was an unlit stick of cigarette and I immediately tried to hide any evidence that I had been crying in here hence cleaning my tear-streaked face aware that he was looking for a secret hideout to smoke since smoking was not allowed on school premises.


    I looked away like I didn¡¯t hear his sarcastic question even as I hugged myself watching him lit his blunt and in fascination noticing how the little trail of smoke and smell that I absolutely abhorred looked and smelt better.


    ¡°You know this was bound to happen, Prudence. Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t consider even for once that this could unfold right in front of you. This is no chick flick and in real life when a popr bad boy is seen hanging around with the school¡¯s nobody it is a disaster waiting to happen.¡±


    ¡°You know I liked you better when you were just Troy the kid with a great smile, nice hair and who waved at me across the hallways because I sat next to Law Tyler.¡±


    He casually sat next to me on the table and I scooted to the side putting much-needed distance between us while eying the stick of death hanging from his lips with disdain and disgust.


    ¡°Firstly, I didn¡¯t say hi to you because you were sitting next to Law Tyler but because it was like¡­ You were not and then you were.¡± He gave me a confused look like he was the one at a loss of what was going on, while I stared back at him with my eyes I bet mirrored the worry I felt for him.


    I was too weak emotionally and physically to deal with a ssmate that decided today was a day to exhibit a tendency of craziness.


    ¡°We saw you across the hallways with your hoodie and for a while, you were just faceless, like another girl amongst others blending into the background.¡± I rolled my eyes. Like we weren¡¯t both saying the same time. Law was the one who stole my band till he had them all, removed my hoodie from my face till I got tired of putting them up and held my hand telling the world he was with me. Law.


    ¡°Law didn¡¯t make you noticed. It was different. You weren¡¯t seen at all. Before Law, though it is creepy, I didn¡¯t know what your eyes colour look like, your high cheekbones are a surprise to me and you had ck hair? Shocker. You were invisible but not in an unpopr understandable way but we couldn¡¯t see you creepy type of way but now we do.¡±


    I hit his cigarette that was hanging in between his fingers and ignored the re he shot me.


    ¡°You know you reduce your lifespan whenever you take a drag of such unhealthy things.¡±


    ¡°Many things reduce our lifespan. Heartbreak, our parents, expectations even life itself so who gives a shit if the cigarette is contributing its quota?¡± He gave me a self-assured smirk, ¡°Besides I¡¯m so sure cigarette won¡¯t be what kills me, my mom¡¯s next nose job which might be worst than the first would do the job.¡±


    I wanted to smile. God, knew how desperately I wanted to hear myughter ring in the room but it was almost like I have forgotten how.


    Instead, I settle for a wince at the end of the day that tempted me to cry even more.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡°Jeez! You¡¯re a mess.¡± Troymented after regarding my face with a grimace for a while.


    ¡°And you my pretty boy have an attitude problem. Who is so rude to a girl that is having a difficult day already?¡±


    ¡°A guy that wants to be your friend?¡± He supplied.


    I stared at him for a while, ¡°Thest time someone told me that you amongst the whole poption of the school saw how that ended.¡±


    ¡°Your friend not swap spit with you but if you want to make out when you are sad, I¡¯m down for being used.¡±


    I shake my head horrified that I was amused at his sick sense of humour and I was even entertaining his questions and asking mine. I should be leaving the room aware that my abode of silence and tranquillity has been breached yet again.


    ¡°I should be the one holding that stick and puffing out smoke from all the holes in my body and not you Mr my father don¡¯t know what to do with money and my mom models for Victoria¡¯s secrets.¡±


    He eyed his cigarette that was lying now on the floor and sighed, ¡°I guess it is only fair I throw myself a pity party since we are bonding.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t___¡±


    ¡°You know being born out of wedlock is tougher than everyone thinks. Being me, apart from the looks is a pain and struggle. My maternal family members hates my father who sadly, I have a striking resemnce to hence an inheritance of the hatred ensues. My mom view me as someone who had violently clutched her youth, made her miss out on all the fun parties while she was heavy for me and made her miss out on most opportunities because she was busy raising me. A lousy job she did, by the way, so there you have it. I¡¯m the reason why my mom¡¯s unaging drugs aren¡¯t working, her surgeries areing off wrong and possibly why there is climate change.¡± He shrugged like it was no big deal that his mother hates him.


    ¡°How about your real dad and his family?¡±


    He chuckled lightly, ¡°Apart from the bullshit images he takes with me from time to time for appearances sake, the man wishes he can close his eyes and just wish me away. Regardless of how impossible it is he does try his best and acts like I don¡¯t exist anyway besides if I¡¯m being fair, a teenage son who you suddenly reappear into his life after fifteen years and discover he has a foul mouth, a sour attitude and a way too sarcastic soul could be a handful. My sperm donor of a father¡¯s parents are really religious hence I¡¯m just a symbol of sin. A remembrance that their son once disgraced them with a woman who uses shells to barely cover her nudity on magazines.¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°Well fuck them all.¡±


    He sighs, ¡°Trust me I have been acing the fuck you path for the past seven years and regardless of how hard it is to admit some times I just wished my family is normal you know.¡± He eyes me, ¡°No offence to your dressing and all but this is not a cliche movie where I wish I wore oil-stained clothes like yours and hand-me-downs because the baby boy treatment and cash thates from being rich is really dope and all__¡±


    And there it was. My first decent, realughter produced by a boy who was strange as fuck, broken and sounded detached from life but you know what they say about two broken souls who fit at that moment like a missing jigsaw puzzle pieces. We found each other andughed so hard, at life, ourselves and all the things that had broken us.

 Chapter 030|Owned, bound, belonged to me

    Chapter 030| Owned, bound, belonged to me


    I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.


    I walked to the bus stop, a grim look on my face and my mouth in a thin line.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was during lunchtime as I chatted with Troy or after when mine and Law¡¯s arms had brushed against each other while we had both entered the ssroom at the same time yet he had stared straight ahead like he didn¡¯t feel anything like he didn¡¯t see me, couldn¡¯t. Almost like I never existed.


    The rest of the Literature ss would be what my former self would call normal but nothing was normal about not receiving any annoying yet beautiful notes targeted on your forehead, nothing was normal about not having anyone readjusting and making a helluva noise just to get your attention with his chair and it felt so weird that no hand was hanging a little bit below my back.


    It was funny how I had spent years building walls that has been barrelled through by one person, every part of the broken bricks he imprinted a part of him into, he stored an unforgettable memory in the broken pieces which were ridiculous since the pieces were countless and the time we had spent together brief but they all had fit among the thousand broken shiny walls.


    Him tucking my hair behind my ear and touching the nape of my neck in the process aware of how sensitive I was there while giving me a cheeky smile, warming my heart with his smiles, caressing me even without touching me with his eyes. I didn¡¯t know how but there were just a lot of memories, way too many times he had dazzled me with pearly whites and made my knee buckle as his dimples deepen due to goofy grins.


    But as I took a walk home from the subway station, I realise that it had hurt so badly and though I couldn¡¯t remember when it had stopped hurting, it didn¡¯t anymore and somehow I was aware that was worst.


    The pain was a feeling, anger made you hold on to something, makes you alive but the numbness that spread through your body, that massaged my shoulders and gave me a foolish sense of peace makes you die within. Keeps you down and miserable. Makes waking up from sleep hard and walking through the school hallway, impossible, knowing you might run into Titiana and her minions with her head held high and a self-confident grin stered on it that without words said Check Mate.


    I had promised to text Law when Ron had asked me why he had ditched their outing with a smile and the next morning with a bigger grin I informed them that the housekeeper had told me that he was really sick hence why he hasn¡¯t been in school, a day before. Oh¡­ I think I forgot to mention that I have already lied about his attendance to them because I say so many lies at ease now, I have lost count.


    My tummy growled. There was food in the fridge but I barely registered any urge to eat as I on autopilot wore another hideous hoodie and ck shorts. Then wore mom¡¯s ck boots. Mine was still wet and soaked from when I and Law had gone to the movies. It had rained and on our way back I was inspired by whatever nd that was released in a girl¡¯s head to do foolish stuff when she is with a boy she likes, to ask a confused Law to stop the car, then I had unbuckled my seatbelt, ran out of the car and danced in the rain. He had joined me chuckling and calling me a hopeless cause he loved. He was right about me being a hopeless cause but the love? He won¡¯t even know its texture even though ites up and hit him hard on his face.


    Deciding not to throw myself a pity party, I left for work even though I was way early but I ended up doing exactly that because every strange person I looked at, every face I saw and things all had a piece of Law in it. His memories taunted me, the thought that he had been with me, held me, told me he once loved me terrifyingly began to feel like a long hallucination caused by my overactive imagination. And when I had seen a little boy with a guitar pick, so little and by every normal personpletely insignificant, I knew I would have cried if not that I was too tired to even do that because just like a guitar yer, Law had expertly yed my heart with his guitar pick, strumming effortlessly and with so much talent.


    I thought of Law Tyler who was frighteningly turning into my bane of existence aware that I¡¯d spend tomorrow seeing him act yet again like I didn¡¯t know what his house looks like and hadn¡¯t confiscated his clothes he had lended be because it smelt like him.


    ? Law¡¯s point of view ?


    Humans had always had it easy I thought with scorn as I searched the hallways filled with throngs of gullible, ignorant and greedy creatures looking for my only source of light, the reason I wasn¡¯t swallowedpletely by the darkness that I was so much associated with.


    She was speaking animatedly to her best friend and only friend, because of me, and for the umpteenth time, I wished the edict allowed me to read her mind, to know what she was thinking, to assure her that I was ying no games and as fucked up as everything looked right now and sounded this has to be done else she¡¯ll suffer because although I wasn¡¯t ying a game, the elders upstairs was.


    They was ying a fucked up game with their ursed and cursed punishing them every millennium for ever thinking they could get away with rebelling against him, tainting his hallowed abode with an impurity that should be unprintable in the hearts of the saints.


    ¡°Baby!¡± Titiana screeched so loud to draw not only my attention and I could tell, Amelia¡¯s too because her brown pools met mine for a split second before she turned back to continue whatever she was saying to her friend while I gritted my teeth trying to remind myself I needed to get through this for not only my sake but Il mio fiore di loto. It wasn¡¯t something that was up for bargains or aimless gambling because although our separation hurt me in a way that words just made the deeply regrly stoked affliction inside of me, seem mundane and unimportant. This has to be done.


    ¡°Are we still going to surf today?¡±


    I regarded her coldly aware that the ice princess with Daddy issues in front of me couldn¡¯t surf to save her life, I reminded myself why it¡¯ll be a bad idea to snap her slender neck like a twig. For one, Rudolph might just throw a banquet in heaven to celebrate that I¡¯d gone against the edict and brazenly lie to hide his ulterior motives by saying that a soul which had pledged worship to me has found its way back to the edicts.


    Another person who made me rethink if I couldn¡¯t just once go against the edict concerning the snapping of neck thingy and just erase everyone¡¯s memory after was now next to Amelia.


    I didn¡¯t want to hurt the human kid who seems to have grown an unhidden infatuation with Amelia. I knew that was what would happen when I finally acknowledge her, have her in my arms, and remove the veil that covered her but I still haven¡¯te to terms with anyone entertaining thoughts she could be theirs.


    Without argument, void of doubts she was owned, bound, and belonged to me even before her very existence and the thought that nobody was aware of this fact made me want to bash something or a particr someone who has holding Amelia¡¯s hand andughing.


    I stood up not sure I had the grace to resist anymore the overwhelming urge to walk towards that seat and rip the pretty boy¡¯s head from his body or perhaps warn him to stick to trying to fix his dysfunctional family, well if you call a woman who mes you for the fat rolls on her thighs and every other imperfection she notices on her once blemish free body, that.


    But the thought of losing Amelia forever. Never seeing her face, hearing her voice, holding her in my arms, and basking in her innocence sent me leaving the cafeteria hurriedly. He wasn¡¯t worth it. A thousand storms, fifty almost impossible least ideal must do in the edict, the tempestuous storm I was forced to weather and every other thing that had made every millennium seem more difficult, Herculean even but yet I had scaled through, seeded, wasn¡¯t worth it.


    I rolled my eyes wondering if I just had a knack for being purely unlucky today or if the heavens seemed to have unfolded the books of my transgressions today and were punishing me relentlessly without giving me time to catch my breath.Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I snarled at Rudolph who seemed amused. d my love life was keeping himpany enough since his job as archangel made him doze a couple of times than was appropriate and stifle a yawn all the time, I drily thought while I wondered if he wasn¡¯t up for promotion yet because although I didn¡¯t care about the dipshit, I really hated that the one angel who also harboured feelings for Amelia was my messenger.


    ¡°Ie bearing news from the 24 elders regting the edict,¡± he beamed and I frowned wondering if I really stretched my cheeks so wide at people while I was an angel making them totally ufortable.


    ¡°And why are you smiling especially since you are suspiciously turning to be a messenger of doom and yourst message wasn¡¯t in the least desirable.¡±


    His grin dropped even as the familiar re that was more original and a scowl was etched on his face.


    ¡°Let¡¯s be truthful. You and I know you don¡¯t deserve Amelia with all your devilish ways.¡±


    ¡°And you do?¡±


    Rudolph¡¯s eyes hardened even as he brought out the scroll, from his satchel which was sealed hence even I could tell he wasn¡¯t aware of this message.


    That just made me more apprehensive.

 Chapter 031|I want to slap you yet hug you so tightly

    Chapter 031| I want to p you yet hug you so tightly


    ~ For when the cold winds blow,


    I¡¯ll close my eyes calmly knowing


    I¡¯m anchored to you.


    ¡°You miss him that much?¡± Tristan asked, leaning at the side of my locker.


    I gave him a little smile not replying to his question while I searched for my chemistry textbook. Finding it, I put the damn thing in my school bag, zipped my bag and closed my eyes.


    Everyone tells you that when you are heartbroken, you first feel anger, then it morphs into pain, an ache blossoms and transports you to denial whichnd you at your destination point which is numbness but what nobody had said was that you relive these conflicting emotions every single day that is stretched painfully and almost never ending.


    It was a Monday. A day after waking up to yet another picture of Law and Titiana. They were in Todo Santos bay, and Titiana was dressed in a two-piece bikini wear that barely covered the essentials and Law in ck shorts and nothing else yet I didn¡¯t allow my eyes to rake his chiselled abs Because at that moment if I really knew Law Tyler and everything we shared wasn¡¯t a lie, it looked like he¡¯d rather be anywhere but with her. But she didn¡¯t know him, didn¡¯t know he had a hidden creepy need to y disgusting games with someone¡¯s heart and mind when he was less busy. Or perhaps I didn¡¯t know anything about him.


    The next slide was a picture of Titiana holding up a surfboard which was totally ridiculous. Titiana couldn¡¯t be a surfer, even though she gave up both legs and arms for it.


    There were just some things that were unthinkable or inconceivable to associate with Titiana. Her manicures and pedicures that cost more than what I made at Morning Bli weekly in all those overpriced shiny med&ped shops couldn¡¯t be risked just to ride a wave.


    She wasn¡¯t that kind of girl. She was way too fragile, too fake, delicate like a china ware or a doll and I was also aware that I had more love for dogs in my pinkie finger, (Just for full disclosure I hate dogs. Yes, sue me I don¡¯t find them cute and probably the only teenager who isn¡¯t smitten by their flurry body.) than she had for anyone in her entire body.


    Yet, somehow Law was with her not me.


    Because I had been too quick to trust him, drop my guards around him the minute he had told me he loved me, regardless of all the red gs, because who says I love you barely a week after spending time with you? It hurts, it infuriates, it made my heart ache and my head throb yet somehow when I see him from across the hallways, his eyes empty, his legs walking with purposeful strides that werecking in his attitude, I could see how terribly I miss him. How much my world has quickly be entangled with him.


    Mom asked about himst night. Ron had given me a get well soon card, which the ¡°guys¡± had bought for him just in case I dropped by to see him. Katie had after asking me if Law had Siblings, cousins, best friends or just anyone who drove a shiny car like his, asked me for his username on Instagram and I¡¯d written it with a sharpie ignoring the surprised look on her face and chastising look on Stacey¡¯s who was probably wondering why I¡¯ll give my supposed boyfriend¡¯s username to a girl like Katie.


    For her sake, even as I carried on taking orders I wished he was in no mood for harmless jokes that he prolongs for a week, professing love to you, making out with a girl who couldn¡¯t stand you and then acting like you didn¡¯t exist the next week.


    ¡°You know I do know how you feel but if it is any constion Law is a big fool for jeopardizing what he had with you.¡±


    ¡°Is he?¡± I asked sarcastically just remembering that Tristan was still next to me.


    I have heard the line countlessly from almost everybody and it was simr to the lie your mom fed you as a little kid telling you, you are a princess and the most beautiful girl in the whole world while you were just an average poor kid in a neighborhood where dreams go to die.


    The fakement was beginning to now sound like a taunt and I was beginning to prefer Nora¡¯s, another background person who nobody gave shits about, who walked up to me and straight up told me I should be grateful that Law considered me worthwhile to y around with and had made me visible while at it.


    Had it hurt as fuck especially since I didn¡¯t ask for the damn attention that was turning into a nightmare? Yes, but in her defence, I was probably sure she didn¡¯t know what it feels like to drop every shred of your walls, be peeledyer afteryer, to feel and then to be betrayed, stomped on repeatedly and the ¡°Law is a fool¡± lie was adding salt to injury because there was indeed an injury. A gaping hole at the side of my chest where my heart used to be.


    ¡°Law Tyler who is shoe-in for prom King regardless of hisck of interest, elected student council president despite his refusal to take up the position repeatedly and also the most famous and desired mysterious bad boy is a loser for what exactly?¡±


    ¡°For choosing Titiana a dumb bimbo who thinks through her tits over a star student of AP calculus ss, shoe-in for valedictorian, one of the most beautiful girls I have seen and that is one of the biggest understatements I¡¯ve ever made, whose obliviousness to this fact still mystifies me__¡±


    I couldn¡¯t hold back my snicker at this point. I understood he was trying to make a good argument and all that but he really did take it too far with the beautiful line and all. Sure I wasn¡¯t hideous but I wasn¡¯t much to look at either.


    ¡°Yes, I am a loser and also a nerd. That I can admit. Shoe-in for valedictorian? That¡¯s hrious. I don¡¯t know where this whiff of rumour is stemming from but it needs to be stopped immediately and the branch cut off.¡± I chuckled a bit at the thought of parents who were still gritting their teeth aware that their children were sharing a ss with someone who lives among criminals wondering how they would react when they hear this amazing albeit fake piece of information.


    It¡¯ll be disastrous. Chaos I could tell.


    I took a step forward shaking my head amused.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°And what about you being oblivious to how beautiful and perfect you look? Should I also chalk that which I could see with both my eyes to rumours? What stem should I cut off? The simr thought that is gnawing at the mind of the male poption of the school.¡±


    I turn to look at him expecting an amused grin on his face. I might be a little offended and tell him basic rules of what he should never joke around with and a woman looks top that list but the seriousness in his feature, his unblinking eyes.


    I didn¡¯t know if to be worried that he truly believed this or tremendously ttered.


    Deciding that I was first Tristan¡¯s friend I decided to go for being worried because if my brother Rob came home with a girl like me and sang all these praises about her looks, I¡¯ll first check his eyes like I was checking Tristan¡¯s just to make sure he was alright and not high on drugs or an illness.


    I made to check his temperature next, but my hand was flung to my side by an angered Tristan.


    ¡°Don¡¯t shit me, okay?¡±


    I snorted mockingly, ¡°I wish I was. I truly am worried about you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s test my theory, shall we? How many guys have met you today to ask for your contact just so they could check up on you? Knew you were still recuperating from a breakup h h h___¡±


    Essy. 6. But wait I thought, there has been Ethan after Jason, Drake who couldn¡¯t get a word out and had just gaped at me the whole time which had felt creepy and weird. Then there was Ken a quarterback, Eliot the captain of the football team, Todd an expert swimmer, Roman with a face that made you think he was smiling Even when he was being serious and many more names I couldn¡¯t keep up with. If I was being honest I think the truth was that I had stopped counting after 6.


    ¡°That means nothing. Girls too have beening around to__¡±


    ¡°Mock you. Some of their words wereced with obvious derision. You didn¡¯t wonder why they suddenly bothered to keep up appearances with you, exchange contacts with you?¡±


    ¡°Because I had somehow managed to catch Law¡¯s eyes now they consider mepetition,¡± I mumbled slowly and the statement ended uping out more like a question.


    ¡°You¡¯re so wrong and right at the same time. I want to p you yet hug you so tightly. Look around you, this has nothing to do with Law Tyler who is a loser in every way but you. Beautiful, fucking hot, intelligent Prudence and thetest sensation in Evans high school and the biggest threat to every girl that uses this hallway.¡±


    I stared at him for a while trying to look as serious as he did but failed because a minuteter myughter filled the air as I bent over andughed hard at Tristan¡¯s crazy words.


    With the way things were going, soon the students of Evans high school would be making shrinks very wealthy.


    I walked away from him still amused and chuckling at intervals as I walked.

 Chapter 032|I forgot how to walk

    Just in case you foolishly forget


    I¡¯m never not thinking about you


    I stared at the mirror three days after Tristan had put ideas in my head.


    I could remember how Rob normally told the neighbours I was adopted as a joke because I looked way different from him and mom. I hated to believe I looked like a man that had caused mom so much heartache and had hated his in features the minute I could tell that I would have been prettier if I had mom¡¯s green eyes or blonde hair like Rob¡¯s.


    The fucker even keeps a bun, a special way of rubbing it in if you ask me. But, one thing was certain I was never the type to linger in the mirror, not just because I was pretty sure there wasn¡¯t much to see but because I hated staring at my self knowing I might be a splitting image of the man Rob resented and mom foolishly adored yet, I¡¯d survived this memory but now? The idea that I wasn¡¯t in Jane?


    I couldn¡¯t tell what had pushed me to grab the body-length mirror owned by Rob, he is the better-looking one amongst us something he vehemently denies though I could tell it was a guy¡¯s thing. Men liked their strength to be acknowledged, their masculinity and not something as petty as looks and for a while, I¡¯d begun to see myself as one of the guys. I only used the mirror to make sure I didn¡¯t leave out a button of my shirt in a hurry or of recent to check if the grease on Rob¡¯s shirt was much visible.


    But today like I was being controlled, I carried the mirror I don¡¯t know perhaps propelled by the numerous insta follows I had gained the very day Gloria had seeded in making me reconnect with social media and perhaps life again, perhaps it was the messages I received on my inbox on a daily that was beginning to seem too consistent for a prank and the guys who suddenly wanted to hang was bing increasingly ufortable but anyway for whatever reason, I looked at myself.


    in ck hair.


    Brown pools nothing remotely striking as mom¡¯s green or Law¡¯s grey.


    Damnit.


    I was back to my brain forcefully pulling back the one person I try desperately not to think of every day, the one person whose existence still shook me albeit his brief run-in my life, the time he had been with me nheless still left me raw and shocked.


    I dropped the mirror feeling foolish that I had let Tristan¡¯s words get into my head. He was just being a good friend at the moment and knew I desperately needed a confidence boost.


    Perhaps he had been worried about me which wasn¡¯t misced since the spiralling gossips about Law and Titiana were driving me to the edge. In the washroom, in the ssroom and even in the hallways everyone was talking about how good they looked together and tantly to my face more than once, I have been asked by some of the chirpy cheerleaders if I didn¡¯t just think Law and Titiana¡¯s children will be a dream.


    We were 17!


    In high school!


    Why would they even be imagining Law and Titiana¡¯s babies?


    Why would they ask me out of everyone my opinion?


    How dare they purposely go out of their way to hurt me?


    How dare they mock me so?


    How dare Law do this to me?


    I had been perfectly content with my life when all I had to do was to be invisible, it was senior year and I was almost done living like a ghost, I found myself reminiscing once again painfully, regardless of how many times I told myself I won¡¯t be the girl who can¡¯t get over someone who hasn¡¯t even stuck around that long?Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    But most times I tried to remind myself constantly that he had made all the memories he had with me in barely two weeks and not in a lifetime, it felt like that sometimes and although he had lied to me to achieve what? was still confusing to me because although Law gave he seldom demanded anything in return but yet, I couldn¡¯t forget he had made me have faith in him and then stomped all over all I had thought we share in public making a mockery out of me. It was still quite unreasonable that he was able to imprint himself into my life and make me sometimes cease to want to breathe without him next to me.


    And yet again there were also these crazy nagging feelings, this familiarity that I had felt when his hand had brushed mine like it had happened countless times, and when I elevated my head to meet his, it was almost like my body somehow couldn¡¯t resist a maic pull to his which was totally ridiculous and crazy.


    Losing interest in flirting with the lies Tristan had spurred in me, I dumped the mirror andy face down on the bed with a defeated sigh. Most beautiful girl he had said, I scoffed. The first guy who had talked to me in years now looks past me like we never exchanged pleasantries or he didn¡¯t once hold my gaze with his now empty eyes and made me feel things that should be a felony.


    The guys were alling because I was the first girl to hang around Law after all and perhaps were enthusiastic about wanting to spin the tale of whatever they thought I had done that had made him stick around for more than a while inw¡¯s book and I was tired of exining to anyone at all who could just stop making ridiculous assumptions that it was all a game, I was yed. Victim not Victor okay? But somehow the habitants of Evans high school were just way dumb than I had once evaluated to make good use of this piece of information.


    So more invites to different parties which I never attended partly because I didn¡¯t have a beautiful first encounter with those since I had gotten into an argument with the hostess of the first party I had attended, pped her and now she was having her pound of flesh by not only unting Law who was with her now but making sure I didn¡¯t miss out on any of their pictures or videos, and partly because I didn¡¯t want a part in a life that was merely a misconception.


    I walked into the school hallways amidst other students after Biology ss, my hands tucked into my loose cargo pants even as I tried to avoid attention being drawn to me but that had been shattered the minute, I heard Titiana¡¯s loud whiny voice calling a mocking semnce of my name.


    ¡°Prudyyy.¡±


    In a school where everybody wanted to be in the know of the shit going on in your life so it could make them feel perfect about their less ideal life, you could imagine how dependent they were onpping at the juicy topic of what to be discussed in homeroom amidst the homeroom teacher going through our attendance.


    From my peripheral side of view which was an interesting shade of ck, I could see students bringing out their smart iPhones not even pretending that they didn¡¯t expect drama from what was going to happen right now.


    A snarky current girlfriend calling out a wallflower nobody who somehow had gotten under her skin and even pped her while she was with the school¡¯s bad boy for a while.


    Yes right, even I would have liked to watch how this would go down but the part of me who didn¡¯t like being in the scene and embroiled in the drama that only Evans high school could offer held unto the straps of my school bag and made to leave.


    I felt the tight aggressive grip of Titiana¡¯s hand on my shoulder which was in sharp contrast to the sugary fake smile she directed at me. Batting her attachedshes more than once like seeing through them is bing a problem.


    ¡°Can I help you Titiana?¡± I finally voice out not at all wanting her to get the idea I had time to spare to entertain all her skirmishes.


    ¡°Help me?¡± She threw her manicured fingers in the air like she found that truly amusing. ¡°You, help me?¡±


    I gritted through my teeth trying to rein it all in, ¡°Hope you are not hard on hearing?¡± I asked with a scowl etched on my face, which I hoped was able to convey to her to get on with whatever she was up to since my time was of the essence to me, ¡°Yes, help you.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t help me even if you spend your lifetime and you¡¯re being lent another by your fellow peasant who doesn¡¯t feel the need to waste oxygen so don¡¯t even bother.¡±


    I almost grinned, almost. But couldn¡¯t help but be irritated that Titana was dafter than I gave her credit for if she expected me to indulge her in her back-and-forth aimless banter like we are an old married couple or something.


    ¡°Since you don¡¯t need my help,¡± I shrugged off one of her hands which was on my shoulder casually, ¡°Why did you stop me?¡±


    ¡°Because regardless of what you would like to think I¡¯m a good guy.¡±


    Yeah right, I thought and then made to leave.


    ¡°Your brother is dead.¡± She blurted out.


    I forgot how to walk.

 Chapter 033|Just like a Devil

    ~You go about trying to fix everyone but you¡¯re the one that is broken.


    ? Law¡¯s Point of View ?


    I have always known when something bad was going to happen to Amelia. No, apart from making sure she was born into poverty and making her life difficult by rtion, I haven¡¯t orchestrated the other bad happenings in her life although I had indirectly been the cause somehow.


    So that day was not any different. It was a gut feeling, a foreboding that has not left me ever since that morning.


    I shoved Titiana who has been a lot more clingy recently off my body knowing that I was going against the agreement I had entered with the elders: Be nice to Titiana and get a shortened sentence to be with her.


    Although, I knew the intent was to drive Amelia farther from me and hurt her while at it but I was already days gone trying to satisfy the sadistic entertainment of the men above toin but at that moment nothing matters even as my eyes roamed the cafeteria andnded on Amelia which eased me a little but did nothing to calm the rm that was going off continuously in my head.


    I stood up and strode out of the cafeteria the minute I sighted a troubled Rudolph hastily walking out aware that his senses must have been notified of what was happening and if he was bothered and looked rmed, whatever was about to happen went contrary to heaven¡¯s will (This rarely happens but sometimes human actions influence the serialization of happenings on Earth) and he was worried for Amelia.


    An ally wasn¡¯t bad even though he was an angel that I have always secretly despised and who was in love with Amelia. Okay, it was a lot worse but at that moment I could stomach my displeasure because only Amelia matters.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± I snapped at Rudolph not able to contain my impatience and the worry that gnawed below my belly.


    ¡°Now why should I tell you? You selfish creature!¡±


    I rolled my eyes already anticipating the path that Rudolph wanted threading where something terrible happens to Amelia and he mes it all on me because of my initial decision to make her born into squalor and a few other requests granted to me by the elders which I had thought would make having her in my life easier this millennium. I was so wrong.


    ¡°Just do tell especially since whatever is sure to happen isn¡¯t of any benefit to the heavens.¡±


    His eyes narrowed in suspicion, ¡°And most times whenever that happens it is basically because of your tempting evil activities here on Earth. You liar, cheat, thief.¡± His eyes hardened even as he snarled at me and his face contorted in disgust, ¡°Devil.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe that I would do anything to hurt Amelia now, do you?¡±


    His hoarseughter escaping his lips made me grit my teeth aware the minute that question escaped my lips was an opening for him to taunt me.


    ¡°You, Lucifer? You made her fall! She is now on Earth among pitiable, dirty, disgusting creatures because of you!¡± He scoffed, ¡°Let¡¯s just say you didn¡¯t know how to love right at that time, but its been thousands of years, and every millennium you meet Amelia but yet you still show the same trait of your selfishness. Because you¡¯re the devil after all and you would never know the meaning of love and how much it centres on giving unselfishly rather than taking again and again and again!¡±


    I tucked my hands into my pockets and look away at his words. Unmoving, cold, and indifferent just like a devil is imagined to be.


    ¡°Saint Rudolph you said it yourself its really been thousands of years but yet, you still haven¡¯t gotten over the fact that Amelia chose me, over your pure and right way to love, over your selflessness! She has chosen me again, again and again.¡±


    He grinned at me, shing me pearly whites that irritated me.


    ¡°Ohe off it. If you considered me that less of a threat why did you deal Amelia with poverty, insecurity, an unpresent father and her only brother? The one person she had in this big lonely world, what did you do, Satan? You didn¡¯t let him be, you sowed a seed of such lofty vain sinful dreams in him, tempting him to a life of crime.¡±


    I should tell him that I had nothing to do with Rob, Amelia¡¯s brother getting mixed up with badpany but you only do that when you have some ounce of goodness in you, I take credit for every bad thing that happens on Earth. Humans me me, Angels me me for the most despicable things so, of course, my heartlessness was what I thrived on. I fed on the fear, the awe, the shock.


    ¡°What is this really about, Rudolph? Because all you have done since we started discussing wasin. Rant. Remind me of things we are both aware of. I have always been a thief so yes, I¡¯m undeserving of Amelia but I stole her heart regardless, a liar so nothing I¡¯ll say would make a difference, and I¡¯m every other bad thing you could think of but that isn¡¯t new under the sun. So tell me? What is it this time?¡±


    ¡°Rob.¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°What trouble has that ball of recklessness gotten himself into this time?¡±


    He gave me a sidelong nce hesitant to say another word for a while so I waited, used to this routine knowing that worry for Amelia would make him break soon.


    ¡°Death. He is going to die at noon tomorrow. He¡¯d get into a fight, be stabbed and would almost be dead before the prison warden would find him, unconscious and soaked with his blood.¡±


    I frowned, ¡°That is messy and gory.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all you have to say?¡± Rudolph snapped, ¡°You aren¡¯t worried about how shattered this would make Amelia but only concerned that he would mess up the floor of the prison?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the devil, after all, you don¡¯t expect me to care about a foolish man who has made a ton of bad choices and had only been a source of worry to Amelia, do you?¡± I¡¯d rather he die already let¡¯s get his phase over with, I added in my head knowing that although Rudolph¡¯s nature doesn¡¯t allow for anger, he was 50 per cent human at this point and pushing him to a point where he ditches his heavenly calm won¡¯t help my cause, especially with the big men pulling the strings upstairs.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡°No, I expect you to care for Amelia¡¯s brother. Don¡¯t you get it?!¡±


    I shaked my head mockingly, a wry mocking incredulous grin on my face. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. Please enlighten me.¡±


    ¡°She still loves him. Foolish, a headache, problematic. She can¡¯t help it. She loves him regardless but I won¡¯t expect you to understand this, so out of my way let me try to avoid this disaster from taking ce since you don¡¯t seem to give two fucks about a criminal in a prison cell.¡±

 Chapter 034|Love triangle

    ~ True love is like seeing ghosts; we all talk about it,Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    But few of us have ever seen one.


    ¡°And why would you do that? Disrupt the natural course of things that are supposed to take ce?¡±


    ¡°When have you suddenly started to care about not disrupting the natural course of happenings? Your existence alone is a diversion of nature and your foul nature you have made men inhabit is the root of every problem we face up there.¡±


    I chuckled, ¡°Rob is dead, Rudolph. You should let things be.¡±


    Her heavy yet I bet very expensive Italian cologne wafted into my nose before I saw her, few feet away from me and Rudolph who had already stopped talking because though his back was facing her, he had sensed her presence and scowled at me briefly then walked away.


    Titiana took slow steady steps towards me, eying Rudolph¡¯s back while looking at me, curiosity shining in her eyes and I could tell she must have heard thest part of my sentence.


    Hate? Humans never truly figured out the true nature of this word and the few that did were termed monsters by those who use it frequently because, for someone who ims to hate a person, Titiana cared so much for her subject of spite. But I really couldn¡¯t fault her, that¡¯s a human dynamic of hate. You only hate when you care enough, just like a true atheist is one who has once had great faith, the rest are just foolish wandering humans scared to conceive the thought of my existence, of hell, of punishments.


    ¡°Who was that Man?¡±


    I arched my brow, ¡°For someone who said and I quote, ¡®I don¡¯t really care why you would want to hurt someone you truly care about but trust me I don¡¯t mind¡¯ you¡¯re beginning to ask so many questions.¡±


    ¡°That was before we __¡± she trailed off and averted her gaze, ¡°Why are you with me when you care so much about her obviously? Why do you let me hurt the one you love? Because these past few days though you have been the perfect boyfriend, driving me to practice, staying behind the bleachers and watching me, getting me ice cream, buying me stuffs, listening to me regardless of how annoying I know I could be. I know you don¡¯t want me. You have never looked at me the way you do her, you aren¡¯t as happy as you were with her, and you certainly act like being with me is a punishment of sorts which is absurd because you don¡¯t in any way strike me as a man who would do what he doesn¡¯t want to do.¡± She ced her hand on my chest. ¡°You are no pushover. So tell me why are you with me?¡±


    I shrugged her hand off me and gave her the most polite of looks I could muster, ¡°Why do you suddenly care?¡±


    ¡°Because I want to be sure this isn¡¯t some sort of game to you.¡±


    I snorted, arching a brow at her. This was all a game to her, that was her terms, and preconditions and also one of the reasons I loathed humans. Their inconsistency and confusion were disgusting and disturbing.


    ¡°But this has been all a game to you. Get back to Prudence. Take a couple of pictures and be even.¡±


    ¡°Not anymore.¡±


    I frowned, already aware of what delusional games, heaven was ying with me in conjunction with Cupid and honestly, even the Lord knows I can¡¯t stomach a love triangle with every other thing spiralling out of control right now.


    ¡°I love you, Law.¡±


    I clenched my eyes tight as she confirmed my suspicions.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what is Love, Titiana.¡± I simply replied before facing my back towards her and temporarily making her forget all that she had heard because thest thing I needed was for her to go ratting this out to Amelia. That too would happen but at the right time when it woulde in handy.


    ¡°Wait for me.¡± I howled at Rudolph whose legs dropped to the ground, the minute he sensed my dark aura next to him.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Because I hate Chemistry, teenagers, and I know you need someone to get their hands dirty since you¡¯ll be damned before you do anything that goes against the edict and we are going to a prison, a world in which its inhabitants have no business in saintly missions.¡±


    Rudolph red at me briefly but he didn¡¯t say a word, already acknowledging that he would need lots of my help since he couldn¡¯t afford to taint his white garb.


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


    ¡°Forget about this being a sin, isn¡¯t this like punishable byw?¡±


    I rolled my eyes even as I tugged on the ¡°borrowed¡± yellow tracksuit worn by all the inmates. And by borrowed I mean, I knocked out a warden unconscious, posed as him, did the same to two other inmates in his ward, took their clothes, handed one of the uniforms to Rudolph who was beyond petrified and now we both strode into prison like we belonged there.


    Okay, not exactly we. I did the fitting in while Rudolph clung unto me like a scrawny lost mouse and gulped every time a stereotyped junkie which ticked off bald headed, tattooed, and muscled guy boxes nce at him.


    ¡°I did tell you, you didn¡¯t have toe in. I¡¯d have been in and out sorting out the issue without a hitch.¡± I found myself repeating to Rudolph because although I hate repetition, the blonde angel beside me seems hard on hearing.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right? I should allow a guy who kills just because he feels like it into a prison yard full of men nobody really cares about alone. Talk about recipe for disaster.¡±


    I nodded slowly in agreement, sitting quietly beside a disgruntled old man while staring at a green liquid substance in an enamel that was supposed to be lunch. Rudolph audibly retches and I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°Firstly, you were right. Myself and a bunch ofw breakers and psychopaths would amount to no good, but you acting like someone¡¯s bitch would surely attract attention to us and I¡¯d have to do something to save your angelic ass which might involve missing, unable to ount for bodies so quiet it down, would you!¡± I whisper yelled even as I scanned the crowded prison cafeteria of sorts searching for Amelia¡¯s brother.


    ¡°Hope this isn¡¯t ilegal?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Two men are passed out unconscious and barely dressed. We are wearing their clothes. Does that sound morally upright to you? Well that¡¯s a ¡®is this a good thing to do?¡¯ Answer to your question and legally, yeah this is fine. Nobody has ever tried to break into a prison, impersonating prisoners. It is always a reversed case so I don¡¯t thinkws have been put into ce to punish maniacs who would choose to eat something that look so much simr to algae and decide that prison is the perfect secluded spot for a vacation.¡±


    Rudolph nodded even as I resumed looking for who I was just realizing I had no idea of what he looks like. Yes, I know there are popr beliefs that I¡¯m all knowing but that is untrue. I just happen to wander aimlessly, to and fro, and always manage to stumble upon juicy secrets, scandalous thoughts, desires, and tamed wants that I help unravel.


    As I turned to ask Rudolph what our guy looks like, a tired looking guy who didn¡¯t fit into this room and sticked out like a sore thumb walked in.


    Blonde long unkempt hair sticked to his sweaty forehead, someone brushed himself against him intentionally, calling him pretty boy and the whole room had a goodugh as he fell to the ground, stood up, cleaned his body, and continued his journey to his seat I guess amidst jeers and mocking taunts.


    Even though it was crazy and the two siblings though biologically rted, looked nothing alike since Amelia was merely reincarnated not created, he reminded me so much of his sister trying so much to stay out of trouble, stay afloat, keep his head down. Only his fisted hands showed he was upset, but his face gave nothing away even as he sat down on a booth adjacent to ours.


    ¡°Why would anybody want to kill this guy?¡± Rudolph voiced out my thoughts.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we are here to do. Find out so getfy buddy and my cellmate because it is going to be a long tiring frustrating night.¡±


    We returned back to an ufortable bunk bed and although I was aware Rudolph was wide awake since he needed hymns and the peaceful tranquility of heaven to transit into such level of peace, I knew he was much rested than I was as the thought of Amelia seemed to be heightened that night and regardless of my disbelief, I couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge it only made sense if my overwhelming unrest was because across our bunk was a room where a piece of herid, an imperfect failure of a brother but family nheless. An ache but this ache she loves regardless.

 Chapter 035|The true Hades

    ~ Love recognises no barrier. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, and prates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.


    Rudolph held my hand sensing I was losing my cool even as a foul-mouthed warden shoved us forward showing us to an empty alley-like space packed with heavy bricks we are supposed to stack neatly to the side.


    Don¡¯t get me wrong, I was an absolute believer of punishment when deserving, I served mine quietly and meted humans theirs when after years of showing just how much they hate me they end up meeting me. But, I couldn¡¯t stand inequality of any kind hence why hell burnt poor and rich alike, but in here I had noticed that few of the prisoners were exempted from hardbour because their well off families had already bribed those at the higher-ups and just that realization was frustrating. Yet, I found myself swallowing that along with the warden who was trying hard and failing to disguise that he hated his job, knew he was a disappointment to his mother, and certainly couldn¡¯t stand the way the children in his street would look at him when they knew what his job requirement in a police station really was and he was nobody cool.


    I carried the third brick, trying to remind myself again and again that I loved Amelia so much and that¡¯s why I was doing this, why I was taking orders from this lowly human who thrived on this trivial power and wasn¡¯t aware of how greatly endangered his life was if I snapped. I love Amelia and that¡¯s why I had let Rudolph talk me into saving her silly brother¡¯s life.


    I had a loud ng echoing inside the room and stopped aware that the sound hade from a room where I had seen Amelia¡¯s brother, Rob being directed with a few other men to arrange its roofing.


    Rudolph met my gaze and we both knew just as I had suspected that we couldn¡¯t do anything to avert fate and Rob must already have a knife deep inside of his body.


    ¡°Hey, what are you staring at? Move it!¡± The warden stepped closer to me, shoving me, and I gritted my teeth even as I let the brick fall to the ground and turned to face the man who now had terror in his eyes. I clenched my fist desperately trying to stop my demon form from controlling my body but I could already tell that my eyes were no longer their usual colour, I closed my eyes in pain knowing it¡¯ll be a total bloodbath if my demon self make entrance since unlike me, he had no ounce of humanity, he was heartless and the true Hades.


    I growled at Rudolph as I felt his hand touching my stiff shoulders and he rolled his eyes, helping the ward to hit the button that was a secret rm that goes off during an emergency and was sure to alert people.


    I snarled, just realizing that Rudolph was more of a dunce than I gave him credit for if he thinks that a few more humans stood a chance against me and could make sure half of the inmates in here leave with their heads intact.


    ¡°Lucius, stop creating a scene already. You¡¯re going to make this man piss himself and I¡¯m not sure Amelia would be too happy if you end up killing half the people in this ce. It would only make her worried about her brother¡¯s safety.¡±


    Yes¡­ Amelia that¡¯s right.


    I felt my ws which were just about making an appearance retract back even as I stared at the warden whose mouth was still wide open and his eyes almost literally popping out of his eyes. His skin was pale and it was almost like he was frozen in time.


    I shook my head, amused for a while then rolled my eyes.


    ¡°Fix this,¡± I gruffly ordered Rudolph not waiting to hear his sarcastic reply but knowing that he was surely going to erase what the unfortunate warden had almost experience not because he needed to or because I did care, but Rudolph was pure for a reason, untainted. Not only could he not bear the thought of someone living with the paralyzing fear of almost seeing my true form, but knowing that the spell would be broken and he would be able to see other demons, live a life of pure misery believing he was losing his mind since he could see what others couldn¡¯t perhapsmit suicide, or finally lose his mind for real, was something Rudolph was too good to let happen.


    As for me, I couldn¡¯t really care I thought as I hurried towards another person I didn¡¯t give shits about. I heard footsteps, and ring sirens from a distance because of my extraordinary hearing abilities and it finally made sense why Rudolph had hit the button. Finally, look who was getting good at just being good.


    I rushed into the room and yes, the sight was indeed messy. A knife was sticking out of Rob¡¯s body and the man I suspected was responsible for what had happened, looked at me in absolute fright and confusion like he had been possessed to do what he had done.


    Rudolph pushed me to the side even as I couldn¡¯t help but feel that something was amiss. The confusion in this man¡¯s eyes was real and besides, I was the one that tempted him to start selling drugs which helped him in some way. It did improve his standard of living and also helped him satisfy his addictions.


    Age 45, drug peddler, alcoholic, womanizer, unmarried and a dipshit in nutshell but he was no murderer. He was too much of a pussy to do that.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I managed to ask using mypelling voice.


    ¡°Rob started it.¡± He was on his knees, static energy clung to his shirt even as he clenched his eyes tight, while aggressively wiping his blood-covered hands with his shirt repeatedly.


    The other two men who were in jail for more heinous crimes which ranged from rape and child trafficking to murder seemed also paralyzed with momentary shock which made me puzzled. These men have taken life with little or no remorse so why the special awe like this the first time they were witnessing spilt blood?


    The sound of fabric tearing in the air made me remember Rob who was fighting to open his eyes even as Rudolph cajoled him repeatedly to hang in there while applying pressure to his knife wound, trying to stop the unrestrained flow of his blood.


    I wanted to remind him the uniform he had conveniently torn and now was allowing Rob to drench with his blood wasn¡¯t his and belonged to a dude called Paul Bills but refusing to give him an avenue to use me of being heartless and not caring for Amelia so-called brother, I kept mute and watched him stay by Rob¡¯s side till the paramedics came for him.


    Without saying a word, we left the prison and returned the two men who we have given a day off back to their haven and then we strolled to the side of the street looking like we were just having a normal ass boring day like every other pedestrian.


    ¡°I need to go to the hospital,¡± I told Rudolph as he brought out his phone wanting to board an Uber I was hoping for the both of us because although Rudolph didn¡¯t hide that he considered me disgusting and couldn¡¯t stand me, he didn¡¯t have it in him to be cruel. It takes lots of effort to be me.


    He eyed me suspiciously, not buying the thought that I was going to the hospital because I cared about Rob and I was impressed, that although it took him hundreds of years, he now had a hang over my true nature.


    ¡°Amelia would be there. I made sure that Titiana would get her for me.¡±


    He arched his brow, in a ¡°What have you done this time?¡¯ manner and I shrugged replying to him with a ssic, ¡°I can¡¯t help myself.¡±


    ¡°Remember you still can¡¯t go close to Amelia else all your progress is gone. You¡¯ll be nice to Titiana and act like the perfect boyfriend, also___¡±


    ¡°I just believe that I deserve to see Amelia at least if I went through all this trouble for her brother. Nothing more, Dad.¡±


    If I knew how, I wouldugh at the horrified look on his face, of course, Rudolph¡¯s total nightmare would not just be immorality which would cost him his position but having to father a devil. But I didn¡¯t know how, because I was only like that with Amelia, only she made me seem humane, only she made me care enough, only she brought me real pain and tortured me¡­ And only her I couldn¡¯t really get regardless of how essential she was to my existence.


    I slowly walked away from Rudolph not turning back to look at the man I used to be and for once I didn¡¯t feel the need to ruin anyone¡¯s life by whispering cajolingly to them all the bad decisions known to mankind, I didn¡¯t care about making sure my demons remember who was boss. Its been weeks since I visited hell and of course, Demons like Lilith and Scaridena might be parading themselves as the King of my Kingdom but it happens every time.


    The same old pattern of me getting all soft whenever I meet Amelia, Lilith my second inmand and her assistant, Scaridena trying to hasten my Downfall and take over my throne, theplete blood bath that takes ce when I return where I take back what belongs to me and assume my position as Hades, the name that strikes terror in the heart of man and demon alike, that makes Angels scowl and was bad news to the elders but as for now, I was the humbled man that fell hard for someone I could never be with forever but yet because I¡¯m stubborn I fight anyway knowing that all my victories were somehow my loss.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 036|Chess pieces

    ¡°What do you mean by that Titiana?¡±


    I never knew I could be so excited to hear someone else¡¯s voice because at that minute, I waspletely speechless.


    Troy walked towards me, his eyes hardened on Titiana who though didn¡¯t show an ounce of remorse seemed confused, like she didn¡¯t know what had possessed her to say something like that.


    My phone rang at the same time. All pair of eyes were on me even as Troy held my hand, nodding at me to take the call.


    It was Mom. That was the first sign that something was terribly wrong. She never ever called during school hours, she was always too busy, on one of her numerous shifts.


    ¡°Hey Mom.¡± My voice sounded croaked even to my ears.


    She was quiet for a while and I was just about bringing the phone from my ear, believing she had hanged up even as I could hear chatters behind me. Everyone had resumed whatever they were doing and must be disappointed that there wasn¡¯t going to be a catfight, screaming, dragging each other hair, and cussing. Teenagers and the drive they can¡¯t help for dramatics.


    ¡°Your brother.¡± She has been crying.


    My hands were shaking even as I held on to my phone tightly with a vice like grip, waiting, apprehensively, nauseated, frightened.


    ¡°He is at the hospital.¡±


    I nodded more than thrice, lowered myself on the floor while Troy slipped his palms into mine, taking the phone from my hand. I barely registered him bringing out a piece of paper from his backpack and writing down the address.


    Someone was yelling behind me and asking Titiana how she knew about Rob, I guess it was Troy. Everyone was staring now but I cared less, I just moped at the tile which was suddenly so fascinating, so many years in Evans high school and I was just discovering the beautiful patterned intricate workmanship on the expensive floor of the hallways.


    Troy was cajoling me to stand up and I guess I did because my feet just followed his even as he informed our homeroom teacher that we would be leaving the school premises and even till we entered his SUV, all I did was hug myself and stare into space.


    Rob was going to leave me too.


    Just like Dad had left us.


    Why does nobody want to stay with me?


    Was I that unlovable, unmemorable and easy to forget.


    Perhaps I was just destined to be lonely because at this point even though I decide to turn to an old catdy, I¡¯d one day wake up to all of them dead.


    This was my curse and it was getting worst because nothing good was even happening to me! and as I watched thendscape in front of me change from bustling and perfect to ufortably serene, I realized that I¡¯ll never hear Ariana Grande¡¯s melodious ¡°God is a woman¡± ying from Troy¡¯s amazing car sound system without associating it with the distant siren of the ambnce that red nonstop as I alighted from the car, and the smell of death that engulfed me as I stepped into the linoleum carpeted hospital that had this nauseating air of disinfectants and drugs. Troy was talking to the nurse while his hand were still interlinked with my fidgeting one while I scan the waiting room looking for my mother and when I saw that she was leaning against Law sobbing, I discovered that my sense of smell which was suddenly heightened, trying not to throw up which was bing unbearably difficult, and my attempt at not going through the different possibilities that ran through my mind amidst the choking fear became the least of my problem because the cover over the stirring whistling kettle of my sanity was about blowing off.


    I tugged my hand off Troy¡¯s agitated the minute he sighted me, patted mom¡¯s shoulder and made to walk away.


    Mom¡¯s eyes widened and I knew she could tell at that moment, I didn¡¯t feel pain, I wasn¡¯t sad either, this wasn¡¯t the time for all my insecurities toe ring at my face as I again wondered why I wasn¡¯t good enough. I was beyond pissed.


    Troy¡¯s finger brushed against mine the minute I blocked Law and without words I knew what he was trying to tell me. The scene I was about causing, whatever I was about doing, the anger¡­ Law fucking Tyler was so not worth it!


    I didn¡¯t know why he was here acting family member with my mom but If he thought my family were willing guitar strings to be yed then he had better think again.


    I grabbed his hand not even pretending to act like we were about to have any dialogue between us that goes close to the word civil in any way because the pointed re I gave him the minute I got us out of earshot and away from my mom was anything but that.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Pretty guy.¡± He raised his brow, ¡°Nice guy so I heard.¡±


    Of course I thought, he just had to make this about Troy, it was always about someone else, about something else, except him. Like him hugging my mother was perfectly okay and normal and me showing up with a friend was one of the wonders of the world.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what games you¡¯re ying, Law but my family would not be your chess pieces.¡±


    He chuckled lowly like I was saying something really amusing and foolish at the same type, ¡°Chess pieces? Very original, Prudence.¡±


    I scoffed, ¡°I don¡¯t know if you find not talking to me for weeks, which is perfectly okay with me and showing up next to my mom like you were invited, amusing which makes me question your mental health, but __¡±


    ¡°Invited you said?¡± His lips twitched, ¡°I¡¯ll presume you got my message through Titiana?¡±


    My eyes widened, ¡°You made your girlfriend tell me my brother is dead. What kind of a sick person are you!?¡±


    ¡°The kind that invites a sibling to the hospital were your brother is recuperating and to be fair, he did look dead besides I figured that might grab your attention faster than a call from your mother which you might miss since you¡¯retely upied with boys like him.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    I looked over my shoulder, where Troy was waiting for me, ¡°You mean boys that don¡¯t lie to innocent teenage girls, y with their heart, dump them and record it in their championship game scrapbook?¡±


    My heart drummed against my chest even as he shake his head and the damn stupid sad look temporarily made an appearance on his face which made me want to hurt him badly which was shocking since I was 100 percent not a violent person.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t supposed to be this hard or hurt this bad.¡±


    I red hard at him not paying heed to one of his crazy ass words that doesn¡¯t add up, wondering why I didn¡¯t notice this as a red g when we started talking but then I remember I did notice but perhaps I was too desperate to be loved, cherished, held¡­ Just valuable.


    And as I red at Law¡¯s retreating back while I fought the tears that burned against my eyes, I realized that I did feel all of those things and though it was a game for him, to me it was as real as the tears that I failed to hold back that was now sliding down my cheeks.


    Someone touched my shoulder and when I turned, I found myself stepping into Troy¡¯s arm and hugging him hard and long because I was a fucking weakling who always let Law get under my damn skin all the fucking time.


    I rolled my eyes even as mom tried to muffle her tears as we walked into Rob¡¯s room, even though inwardly I was jealous she could do that while I had to stick to my role of being the brave and strong one.


    ¡°How did you manage to get uglier with so much ease?¡±


    He shook his head amused even as he struggled to sit up while I watched him, giving Mom a warning re that told her that Rob won¡¯t be so appreciative of her if she treated him like an invalid.


    ¡°Getting stabbed by a fellow inmate over a petty argument and sleeping in a te called bed every night does the trick.¡± He grumbles under his breath as he finally managed to sit up while I gave him a little smile, sitting beside him and scowling when he ruffles my hair with his right hand.


    Like nothing had changed.


    Like one of his hand wasn¡¯t chained to a bedpost and two policemen were not outside the waiting room.


    ¡°How are you doing?¡± Mom finally asked, still hovering around the door which I noticed made Rob frown while I arched a brow at mom trying to discreetly make her sit down and join me in my pretence.


    ¡°I¡¯m definitely not feeling like a ray of sunshine and definitely have seen better days. I feel sore here and there but that¡¯s all.¡±


    Mom swallowed while I nodded even though I knew with Rob¡¯s pale skin and blood covered blue colored jumper at the side of his bed, that was the biggest understatement I have heard and that¡¯s something because I have been fed with really shitty stuff of recent.

 Chapter 037|Baby steps

    ~ Love is friendship that has caught fire.


    I waved Tristan over to me and Gloria¡¯s surprisingly no longer lonely cafeteria table.


    He smiled at me, raised his finger for me to give him a minute, walked to the table he shared with a few of his friends, and with his tray in his hand, he pulled the chair beside me and sat down not at all acting like he was surprised at how much had changed in his absence or more like in a day.


    Because my eyes had bulged out when I realized that not only was I and Gloria at the right table, most of the people were there to sit with me and they spoke to us like we have been friends for a while.


    ¡°So sorry about your brother. I heard about all that happened in my absence the minute I stepped into the school from ire.¡±


    I rolled my eyes at the mention of ire who was the school¡¯s press club president and had no issues with snooping around student¡¯s personal life as long as it gives her the specks of dirt she needed to publish and remain relevant here.


    ¡°Of course you did.¡± I deadpanned, then beamed at him, ¡°But how was Miami?¡±


    He had gone to see his grandmother who just recovered from a heart attack, two days ago. I arched my brow at the wide goofy grin that appeared on his face since he had been reluctant to go at first, something about not wanting to have to put up with the picture-perfect family charade.


    ¡°Nicer than I expected, actually.¡±


    I nudged him slightly, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you found a girlie!¡±


    He stuffed his face with mashed potatoes confirming my suspicions which made meugh louder. He really looked cute when he was embarrassed, I thought even as I decide to rub it in by pinching his cheeks.


    ¡°So how is your brother now?¡± Tristan asked me after we were done clearing our tes and now heading back to our lockers.


    ¡°Fine. Though the doctor had made mention, that would not have been the case if not for the mysterious inmate who had dressed his wounds and also seemed to suddenly disappear into thin air when I had gone to thank him with my mother.¡±


    A crease was formed in between Tristan¡¯s eyes brow, ¡°That¡¯s strange. Hope you reported your discovery to the prison officials.¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°And why would I do that? I¡¯m just d my brother would be discharged tomorrow and__¡±


    ¡°Back to prison.¡± Someonepleted from behind me and I smiled at Troy.


    ¡°I have told you countless times that you can make use of mywyer to at least get a trial for your brother. He is the best at what he does and although now that your brother has spent quite a period of time in there and we can no longer remove him silently through underhanded means, mywyer can reduce his sentence quite easily.¡±


    I smiled faintly at Tristan, ¡°You have done so much and honestly I¡¯m too embarrassed to take you up on another offer.¡± Although there remains the itty bitty problem that bugged me. Awaiting trial was bad enough for Rob, and although I knew he was wasting his time in there not serving his proper time, I didn¡¯t have the strength to watch him being located to a central prison which was more worst than the ce he actually stayed now and after the knife incident, my fear had doubled thrice, especially with the numerous scary story I have heard about the kinds of criminals my brother would have to put up with there.


    Rob was no criminal, he probably won¡¯t be able to survive there and since I was not prepared yet to just leave him in there by himself, I knew that was a path mandatory for him to thread as soon as possible.


    ¡°I know it¡¯ll be a lot thinking it through,¡± Troy smiled at me almost like he could read my mind, ¡°But once you are through, do ring me.¡±


    He nodded at Tristan and before I could snap out of whatever daze I currently was in to introduce the two he was already walking towards the basketball courtroom which made sense since they had a game in two weeks time.


    ¡°What?¡± I mumbled turning to meet Tristan somewhat amused yet suspicious brow raised.


    ¡°Look at you my little dear already learning way too fast how to ditch a star and get on with another.¡± He ruffled my hair and I snorted at how wrong he was.


    I and Troy are just tonic friends. Purely just friends. Something I have realized I have been saying a lot of times to Rob¡¯s friends who hade around to see Rob and ended up shooting me usatory res like I was the one who dumped Law¡¯s ass while the reverse was the case.


    ¡°Knock it off already, Trist. I didn¡¯t do any ditching and nothing is going on between me and Troy. We¡¯re just good friends and he gets me.¡±


    He waggled his brow, ¡°But you do know what they say right? Love is friendship that has caught fire.¡±


    I scoffed, ¡°We would just remember to have fire extinguishers in handy then.¡± I quipped even as Tristan rested at the side of my locker, his hands in his pocket while I whipped my locker open and brought out my textbook.


    ¡°But seriously Prudence, you shouldn¡¯t let Law ruin the remaining days of Senior year for you because believe it or not, we ain¡¯t going to be this young again and every day that you apany out with that sad pout is nevering back ever again. You should have a life because it onlyes once anyway.¡±


    I chuckled, ¡°It is crazy already that a few weeks ago all I wanted was to get past the nightmares of these walls but trust me it is even more surreal that I¡¯m now supposed to try to enjoy what was once my nightmare.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not nearly as smart as you, but I know life is meant to be lived as ites, so enough of the calctions inside and outside of the ssroom because trust me as teenagers everything doesn¡¯t have to make sense else life would be a bore.¡±


    I slid my hands into his, as we descended the staircase biting back a snarkyment at how he was obviously shitting me since he fell on the list of the too good to be true triple power individuals in Evans high school.


    Good looking.


    Smart.


    A good human being and recently I was finding out that he could also be a great friend.


    Check. Check. Check.


    ¡°So what do you say?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°About bing a teenager again.¡±


    I smiled uneasily, ¡°Look this is all still new to me. This life, you, people calling out my name and acknowledging me across the hallway,¡± as if on cue my name is hollered across the halls by an afro American cute guy who I waved at.


    ¡°Then enjoy every single day while at it and I understand if you want to think about this. But while you¡¯re at that, how about we warm you up to I don¡¯t know, the path of irresponsibility?¡± He smirked and I shook my head at him amused.


    ¡°A beach party at my house. You know, drinks and just chilling, some dancing, chit chatting, perhaps truth or dare and everything lowscale. Nothing too overwhelming but enough to be a helluva good time for you.¡± Our shoulders brushed even as he leaned into my ear, ¡°Like a dip of your leg into the pool of reality and I promise that¡¯s all it¡¯ll be. Baby steps. Tomorrow at 8.¡±


    I met his gaze, ¡°Just baby steps.¡±


    He nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 038|A fashion intervention

    ¡°We need something flirty yet bold, not too slutty anyway but enough to like say I¡¯m down for some¡­¡± Tamara moved closer to the saleswoman, a passionate look in her eyes that made me pity the now horrified woman who gasped and nodded thrice, scrambling to her feet, and if I wasn¡¯t in a dilemma myself I¡¯d have tried to save her.


    Mariah smiled at me, that is if you can call the big fat goofy grin which was beginning to seem creepy especially since it was so identical to the one Tamara had as the saleswoman of the cute boutique shop we had entered told us to follow her, that.


    I scrunched my nose at the smell of new stuff all enclosed in one ce reminding me yet again of how much I hated malls, how much I didn¡¯t want to be here and wait. You are confused about how I got entrapped with Tristan¡¯s crazy cousins whose identical twin power was luring unsuspecting teenage girls to ces they absolutely abhorred, well you get a rewind unlike me whose life is as messy as the clothes being thrown into my arms with each second that passes.


    *Yesterday, right after lunch break*


    I met his gaze, ¡°Just baby steps.¡±


    He nodded in agreement.


    I smiled.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there then.¡±


    ¡°You can bring your friend along mmm Gloria right?¡±


    I nodded enthusiastic about not being alone on this particr step and as I journeyed back home a part of me well, looked forward to spending time away from watching ¡®How I met your mother¡¯ marathon on weekdays which was an amazing si and won¡¯t be at all sad, if not that it was the same episode that was repeated on TV again. Like a pitiable loop. And gain and again, with nothing to do I¡¯ve sat and seen the movie.


    The doorbell rang just after mom had barely left making me roll my eyes as the prospect of getting out of bed again as opening the door wasn¡¯t at all on any teenager¡¯s to-do list on a Saturday morning. At least, not until 12. My shift starts at 2 and Mom should have known better than forget anything behind especially when I was trying to gain as much energy that waiting tables doesn¡¯t really demand. But socialising with perverted customers, especially the college students that have been frequenting my neighbourhood and consequently where I work with stupid sexual jokes that were slowly and distastefully beginning to be all about me, trying to wad off pick up lines and unnecessary flirting without losing your job and keeping up with jealous coworkers who you would trade whatever is happening to you, especially with the unneeded male attention to in a heartbeat, I needed to sleep for a year.


    ¡°I¡¯ming.¡± I hollered begrudgingly realising that putting my pillow over my head won¡¯t make the incessant knocking on the door just go away and decided to just deal with the disturbance once and go back to my sleep.


    I stood up from the bed and putting my hair which I know would be a mess into a bun to keep it from being on my face, I rushed towards the door and swing it open.


    Now, if Chanel and Gi decided to go into an arranged marriage and got pregnant they¡¯ll give birth to the Identical twins in front of me on the two designers get up that made them look totally ridiculous from head to toe.


    ¡°Wrong turn?¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Six actually.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to be rude but the girls in front of me who were gawking at me now in total disbelief, while still texting on their phones simultaneously didn¡¯t at all belong on this side of town with their oversized identical designer shades, pink Gi bags and heels, and cute pink crop-top and ck pair of shorts.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I frown as one of the strangers took a picture of me and still standing on my porch like that wasn¡¯t weird continued texting.


    One Of them after a few minutes, looked at their phone in utter disbelief then at each other when I was sure I was at my wit¡¯s end, ¡°You are Prudence¡­ Like the Prudence that dated Law Tyler?¡±


    I rolled my eyes not believing that two spoilt brats came all the way here just to confirm what I looked like in person and consequently had disrupted my sleep. Okay, I was wrong some teenagers didn¡¯t mind having to interrupt their sleep as long as it had everything to do with a male man that was sculpted to look like a Greek god.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m that Prudence though I won¡¯t call what we had dated but if that¡¯ll be all, I was quite busy__¡±


    My eyes were practically bulging as they both pushed me out of the threshold of the door and made their way into my house gaping while at it like it was no biggie that they were technically breaking in and that was punishable byw. They rested one of their ass cheeks on one of our worn out looking leather couch still looking around my house like if they sat anyfortably they¡¯ll be stuck in it forever.


    I ced my hand on my waist even as they arched their brow at me like I was the stranger intruding on their Saturday morningzy ass moment conveniently.


    ¡°Do you think it is time yet, for you girls to tell me who you are?¡±


    ¡°Oh forgive our manners,¡± one of them started giggling, ¡°We were just carried away by how much work we had cut out for us. But I¡¯m Tamara.¡±


    ¡°Mariah.¡± The other chirped and went back to her phone.


    ¡°Oh wow, Tamara and Mariah, two identical twins that I know from no where sitting on my couch, that¡¯s perfect!¡± I gritted my teeth, ¡°I meant what are you both doing in my house and what do you mean by work cut out for us?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Tamara¡¯s mouth dropped open as she stifled a giggle, ¡°Did you see that? Hellie just totally threw a fit and left the group chat.¡±


    Mariah nodded, ¡°That is a ssic.¡±


    I was in between doing breathing exercises that our homeroom teacher always advise we do when we were about to do something shitty that may or may not be illegal when Tamara looked up and smiled at me.


    ¡°We¡¯re Tristan¡¯s cousins.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡­¡± I whispered though I was in no way in hell able to visualize Tristan rted to the sparkle bombs in my sitting room and even if I could, why that had anything to do with being in my house.


    Mariah sighed, ¡°ney and Le just broke up. Love is messy!¡± She turned towards me, ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? We¡¯re here to get you prepared for Tristan¡¯s party. Like a real makeover thingy!¡± Her cheeks flushed with excitement, ¡°You girl need a fashion intervention and we¡¯re so d to be in on this movement.¡±


    I was about to say yet another okay? Because my ear might have even found it too hard tomunicate all that Mariah¡¯s red lipstick-covered mouth was saying so quickly and in between all the oh my gosh! And the pronunciation of girl as gal.


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°We said__¡±


    ¡°I heard you the first time, Princess Daisy.¡± I snapped at Mariah, ¡°Now I don¡¯t know how you girls got my address or who put you up to this intervention whatever, but I can¡¯t even squeeze in time for whatever bullshit this is. I¡¯m so sorry but I do not need help with my looks.¡±


    Tamara grinned and pulled her sses to the bridge of her nose giving me a deliberately long nce, ¡°You sure about that girl? Because I won¡¯t be caught dead in that ratty Tee¡¯s even while alone in my room because I¡¯ll be too scared my shadow would be too ashamed of me and disappear. Besides, this is an intervention for some reason, a druggie doesn¡¯t know he or she needs rehab until they be irredeemable the same way a fashion disorderly person too thinks they are cool in mismatched socks and hair that hasn¡¯t seen a hairstylist in ages.¡±


    ¡°Look girls this is really sweet and all but you don¡¯t go into people¡¯s houses on a Saturday and telling them their fashion sense is whack and requesting they allow you to fix that, especially in this part of town, that¡¯ll get you into lots of trouble and although this talk have been great and all but you guys would need to leave and I promise not to mention this to Tristan okay?¡±


    ¡°Firstly, we¡¯re not requesting, we¡¯re demanding. That¡¯s a huge difference. We don¡¯t know what No looks like even though it hits us square in the face as the Bakers twins so just get ready already else we would have to drag you looking like a disgrace to every teenager who runs a brush down their hair quickly before opening the door.¡± Giving me a big smile like she hadn¡¯t just threatened me and somehow still look incredibly sweet, Tamara went back to her phone and Mariah gave me the little, ¡°she can get intense like that sometimes¡± shrug. Of course, they¡¯ll be ying bad cop and good cop with me.


    ¡°You know this is my house and I can ring the police anytime I want like right now__¡±


    ¡°I think the cops would be too busy chasing the teenagers we saw rolling weeds at the side of the road before they get to your petty emergency and,¡± Tamara made a show of checking her Rolex watch, ¡°I don¡¯t have all day so you sure you want to take a bath or not?¡±


    I blinked in disbelief not believing that I was really considering going upstairs and taking my bath, scared that the Bakers twins might just make good on their promise but with the dramatic first impression they had given me which was a helluva impressive and nothing I had expected from two rich missuses, I could tell they weren¡¯t ying around.

 Chapter 039|The Bakers Twins

    Let it hurt until it can¡¯t hurt anymore


    I ran upstairs grumbling under my breath.


    ¡°And Prudence?¡± Mariah hollered in a suspiciously sweet tone, ¡°Who do you think gave us your address?¡±


    I closed my eyes. Yes, of course, Tristan.


    ¡°Don¡¯t keep us waiting and don¡¯t think about locking yourself in there. It doesn¡¯t have to be hard if you don¡¯t make it so.¡±


    I sighed exasperatedly as I walked up to the room wondering how my life went from not great to not so great.


    As I shrugged on an ¡°I love boobs¡± t-shirt. Firstly, it was Rob¡¯s and it was meant as a joke by one of his friends but I didn¡¯t have much of an option to choose from when I had two crazy ass teenagers unsupervised in my house and I didn¡¯t have many clean clothes to choose from considering it was the weekend and weekdays were for wearing the clean clothes.


    Besides, I had a call I needed to make.


    ¡°What the fuck, Tristan?¡± I whisper yelled the minute he picked up his phone on the second ring.


    ¡°Hello to you too, Prudence. I have missed you. Guessing from your opening speech I can tell you have already met my adorable cousins?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re grinning right now! How is this even funny to you? We went from baby steps yesterday to you outing me out to the fashion police this morning?¡±


    ¡°Prudence, it is not as serious as you¡¯re making it seem. I just__¡±


    ¡°Too embarrassed of what I wear and too much of a softie to tell me that to my face and so you recruited your cousins to do the job?¡±


    ¡°No Prudence¡­ I¡¯m so avoiding going down this path with you. I hate fights, and I¡¯ll have to hang up because I¡¯m a coward and I don¡¯t want to fight with you.¡±


    ¡°Tristan please don¡¯t hang up,¡± I begged reducing my voice then sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just surprised and upset. And scared, your cousins mean business and I just want tozy around the house and not y dress up with a look alike Kim Kardashian sorry two!¡±


    I smiled as Tristan chuckled.


    ¡°To be honest, my mom¡¯s sister, their mother is away this weekend recreating her honeymoon with her husband and my mom convinced me to just watch the Bakers girls. They have been all over me since they got here, first they made a dig on my dating life and then they were on with my diet and everything¡­ Don¡¯t get me wrong I love those sweethearts but as you can tell nobody gave them the personal space talk so when they saw a selfie of you and me on my phone, after absolutely assuring them you weren¡¯t my girlfriend by telling them the Law story.¡± I smiled a little, that made sense now, ¡°They¡¯re juniors in Evans so knowing Law only made them more intrigued with wanting to know you so they dug around just a little and they weren¡¯t impressed with the pictures they found so although I think your dressing is cute and I¡¯ll never be ashamed of you my sexy as hell vixen that could make a sweatpant with grease on it look intimidatingly great, I just thought you could use an extra¡­ I don¡¯t know?¡±


    I smiled a little sensing how nervous he sounded. The guy was really a softie and was nothing like the monsters hollering my name now.


    ¡°Besides that¡¯ll get them out of my way and let me n my party. I¡¯m just so sorry I didn¡¯t give you a heads up and you are getting wrapped into all of these.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re. Besides, I think I¡¯m due for a little fashion upgrade,¡± I grinned, ¡°Because trust me hand me down sucks! Would you believe that I¡¯m wearing a t-shirt that legit suggests I¡¯m a lesbian. It says I love boobs!¡±


    He chuckled, ¡°Chic and informative.¡±


    I looked down at my mismatched socks even as I chuckled, ¡°Don¡¯t forget sexy as hell!¡±


    ¡°Never.¡±


    So that¡¯s how I ended up in a changing room, with lots of clothes I could tell without trying on that I absolutely hated and the most intimidating girls I knew waiting for me outside to strut out with each of my dresses.


    Squaring my chest and deciding this should be dealt with soon as my shift was uing, I walked out of the changing room in a beige-coloured mid-length gown.


    Mariah shook her head repeatedly while Tamara eyed the saleswoman like she was the one who had been too busy throwing dresses from a different direction to my awaiting hands.


    ¡°This just gives off a teacher, clerk, ountant vibe and those jobs pfft¡­ Are not what you want teenage boys to be thinking when you walk into a room.¡± Mariahmented after a while.


    ¡°But at least we can see¡¯em legs and trust me they are incredible. You should never wear a pair of trousers in your life ever!¡± Tamara chirpily added ignoring the big frown on my face at the thought of not wearing trousers ever¡­ Like that would be so inconvenient especially when you don¡¯t own a pink Maserati and need a bus to get to school, I thought but they didn¡¯t know what life like that entails. Besides it was just apliment, I should smile and just take it instead of evaluating how practically impossible it is.


    I was about to walk inside to change into another dress when the saleswoman snap her fingers like an idea just urred to her, ¡°What is the asion?¡±


    I smiled back at her just realizing it was the first time the Baker twins were allowing her to have a word input with me.


    Mariah scoffed, ¡°Like there should be an asion to look good! I hate that assumption.¡±


    The saleswoman had a stricken face before I held her hand, ¡°Unlike these two¡­ I believe that there should be an asion to look good. My t-shirt should give you a good enough guess of what myzying around sweatshirt looks like¡­ I¡¯m here for a dress because my friend is throwing a party. A beach party but I¡¯m not so confident about wearing a bikini in front of the whole poption of students that¡¯ll be there.¡± I smiled conspiratorially at her, ¡°I just need something that¡¯ll allow me to show off and dip my legs inside the water¡­ Just baby steps.¡±


    ¡°I know just the best dress for you the minute you had walked in.¡±


    She politely smiled at me before she left to get the gown while I bit back asking her why she didn¡¯t just give me this gown she had already visualized me in the minute I walked in but I had my answer the minute I heard giggles from the twins. Those two could be quite intimidating, I wasn¡¯t one to talk especially since they were able to get me out of my house in minutes and I watched them talk themselves out of a possibly mugging situation with a gang withpliments and a free ice cream coupon on our drive out.


    One thing was certain whatever gic make these girls were of, wasn¡¯t in any way linked to Tristan at all and it was dangerous. Could start World war 3 if not curbed early.


    She brought out a floral printed backless gown. It stopped midthigh and was unbelievably perfect and still so simple.


    ¡°I love it,¡± I whispered.


    ¡°I know you would.¡± She beamed.


    ¡°Go try it on or something!¡± Mariah coaxed looking up from her phone, ¡°I have a med and ped situation in like soon. We don¡¯t have all day.¡±


    I wanted to add that I had a job to do which was byparison more important and nobody had sent them on this little errand but I couldn¡¯t because a part of me was visualizing myself in the floral print gown and I couldn¡¯t deny that though this wasn¡¯t going to be an everyday thing and the baker twins were a headache and that is mildly putting it, dressing up wouldn¡¯t kill once in a while though I¡¯m so not considering never wearing pants! Yes, I¡¯m still thinking about that.


    I swung my bag of floral print gown trying so hard to not remember that I just spent Two hundred and fifty bucks on a dress since that¡¯ll dampen the triumphant grin that was now on my face as I followed Mariah to where her car was parked since she was the only one who and I quote didn¡¯t have an urgent thing to get back to asap.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe we spent hours for you to buy just one gown¡­ We had a ck American Express card that would have bought all those dresses without stress. It wasn¡¯t even a designer¡¯s stop per your order!¡±


    I chuckled as I stepped into the car the minute she disengaged her rm system as I wondered how much a designer dress would have cost if a mall with a clearance 50% off sales day poster hanging in front of it could sell a dress at such an exorbitant price.


    ¡°At least I got the dress,¡± I mumbled as she slid in.


    She pouted, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have insisted to pay for the dress like that, it was not a big-ish.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    I¡¯d have cringed on a normal day at the thought that not only was she among the set of teenagers who used unnecessary abbreviations while typing she also says it out, I shrugged.


    One less thing that made me relieved since that was the opposite of Law Tyler.

 Chapter 040|It isn鈥檛 highschool if it isn鈥檛 confusing

    I closed my eyes. I shouldn¡¯t be thinking about Law. A guy that ghosted me then got on with my nemesis after fooling me to believe that there could be something between us. My mind, if it could talk, would tell me how I was a walking poster for a pitiable teenager at this point to still be thinking of such a guy.


    I should enjoy my remaining days of high school, and roll with whatever was going on now besides the least he owed me was the poprity ride his involvement with me has brought me and when I don¡¯t feel this ache at the side of my chest whenever I think about him maybe I could set my sight on a guy more attainable, real and within my league.


    ¡°I¡¯m not just used to being handed stuff, I always have to work for it.¡±


    Mariah smiled, ¡°But we are friends right?¡±


    ¡°If you were aiming to be friends with me going by the first impression I have of both you and your sister, you girls have serious work cut out.¡± I chuckled even as she grinned then I felt her hands on mine making me meet her eyes.


    ¡°It was definitely not the clothes that made the Law Tyler notice you. I mean that guy has more than 6 Tumblr fan pages and no offence we weren¡¯t expecting a girl like you to be the one he finally deem worthy to settle for. I don¡¯t know why he isn¡¯t with you anymore but I think he is foolish if he really saw what I think he did and still walked away, Prudence because you¡¯re the most beautiful person I have evere across at Evans high school, inside and out.¡±


    ¡°Even with the, I love boobs t-shirt?¡± I teased.


    ¡°Especially with the, I love boobs t-shirt.¡±


    We chuckled.


    ¡°Where have you been?¡± Stacey whisper yelled angrily as she dragged me to the side the minute I walked into the diner.


    ¡°I have been covering your shift and covering your ass so you better open your mouth and confirm that there was a good need for that and what are you wearing?¡± Her lips curved at thest part of her sentence to what I want to assume was good enough to pass for an amused face start. Was that even a thing? You know the face you made when you¡¯re trying hard not tough then eventually¡­ Totally not a thing.


    I sighed knowing that when she said a good need for that she meant family emergencies not ast-minute fashion shopping spree for a party.


    ¡°I went shopping,¡± I said eagerly rushing in to exin at the look in her eyes. ¡°Look it waspletely unnned from the jump. I have this friend at school and his cousins who were bored decided that they were up for Dilly dallying using me as theirb rabbit but this time to experiment with fashion and I didn¡¯t want to go but it wasn¡¯t like they were asking or___¡±


    She chuckled interrupting my rant. ¡°Did you have fun, Prudence? Because I was beginning to get ufortable with how you never get to do any high school stuff ever!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I gasped out totally surprised but that was the truth. ¡°And I¡¯m going to a partyter this afternoon. A beach party.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll give me all the detster as for now let¡¯s go back to minding our tables especially since Garrett has been in an extra cranky mood. Rumours had it that his fourth wife just filed for a divorce.¡±


    ¡°Honestly I¡¯m not surprised. Nobody can live with that man.¡±


    I quickly wore my apron and started serving the tables. It is a beautiful day, isn¡¯t it?


    ¡°So I¡¯m guessing you have a hot bikini to wear to your beach party since you went shopping and all?¡±


    I smiled a little, shaking my head as I turn in my notepad to the chef while waiting for the meal.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be courageous enough to wear a bikini and show that much skin. But¡­¡± I lingered, ¡°I got a really cute dress so that should count right?¡±


    She arched her brow, ¡°That would count to make you stand out as a sore thumb wearing a cute gown in a yard full of bikini and tits.¡±


    I shrugged, now carrying my tray to table 15 with Stacey behind me, holding onto hers.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really mind, you know?¡±


    ¡°Being noticed or being different.¡±


    I chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m taking baby steps with the whole dip in the pool thingy.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yeah, you think? I doubt there is anything like baby steps when doing scary things. Just take a leap of faith, babe besides it is a shame you¡¯re not aware of how great your body looks.¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t know everything is happening all at once and it is damn confusing¡­¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t high school if it isn¡¯t confusing, Prudence. Just make the best of this moment because you only get to be 17 and in Senior year once in your lifetime. Make it count.¡± She pretends to be cleaning the already spotless counter just in case Mr grumpy shows up in the absence of tables to serve while I sat down on a barstool ditching all forms of appearances.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to embarrass myself or something,¡± I muttered biting the insides of my chin.


    ¡°And you won¡¯t. You my girl would make lots of men gawk long enough to lose whatever girl they came with and how on Earth is that embarrassing?¡±


    I chuckled amused, ¡°When the jealous girlfriends ambush me.¡±


    ¡°Am I missing something or what? Now how is that a bad thing? It only makes you even more popr and dope.¡± She looks up her hands spread out, ¡°Most beautiful girl in school gets ambushed by the not-so-privileged vengeful jealous girlfriends for snagging their boyfriends.¡± She read out like it was in a banner while I resisted the urge to chuckle because it always felt so good when Stacey does this thing where she makes you feel validated enough even though I couldn¡¯t tell her that being ambushed by the popr girls in the private school I attend was every teenager nightmare unlike the public one in ourmunity. After all, that would mean opening up to her and telling her that I didn¡¯t slip and fall during those periods I always came to work with new multiple bruises.


    Because what could that possibly achieve rather than dampen the hopes of others struggling to get out of this hood soon like I once wanted and strived to do?


    So I just gave her a tiny unsure look, ¡°I¡¯m still not sure that I¡¯ll like to be ambushed.¡±


    ¡°Okay but just make sure you pack a bikini just in case you know. You¡¯ll thank me when you get gawked at but this time for a lot of wrong reasons.¡± She assured me then muttering under her breath how I think wearing clothes to a beach party was okay was yet another thing about me she couldn¡¯t wrap her head around, she walked to the newly upied seat by two e-faced teenagers on her row to take their orders.


    On a normal day, I wouldn¡¯t give Stacey¡¯s words a second thought because she was in quite another diverse world from myself. A world of freedom and void of hostility but to be fair on a normal day I also wouldn¡¯t be invited to ¡°the¡± party of the weekend that I was aware more than six guys in my history ss has made an Instagram page for.


    I was never going to be a teenager ever again right? So how hard could it be to take baby sprints? And what harm could wearing a bikini underneath a big t-shirt and ying truth or dare with a bunch of other people cause?


    Garrettes out giving me an angry huff seeing that I wasn¡¯t preupied, I held his gaze even until he looked away and angrily walked out, banging the door of the din behind him while I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how he turned out to be this man.


    Perhaps he was the only teenager that didn¡¯t wear a swimsuit to a beach party.


    I shivered. Definitely taking Stacey¡¯s advice. Besides the point in baby steps was to blend in not stand out.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but overhear you and Stacey.¡± I shivered in fear just realizing how far off I was deep in thought as I turned to see Diane who had that look in her eyes. Winter dance queen twice in a row in La Paz public school, it should not be a surprise to anyone that discussing bikinis and parties could make Diane¡¯s eyes shine. So I waited for her to ask for an Invitation as discreetly as two bangers going off in my face while I pretended like I didn¡¯t catch her hint which was impossible to and took great effort since it was always in my face but I couldn¡¯t afford to invite her to my supposed circle and having her glimpse how I was being treated there though that would make the idiom, all that glitter isn¡¯t gold finally make sense to her, it¡¯d cost my mother a panic attack.


    So imagine the surprise in my eyes at her next word:


    ¡°Would you need help getting ready for the party?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the offer, Diane but if you had listened harder you could have been able to tell that it is a beach party and I¡¯m not sure there is much to do in readiness.¡±


    She gave me a duh expression, ¡°And many things could go wrong. You know with deciding the right bikini, not too tacky because there is beauty in not exposing too much but showing off just the right amount to prove your point and of course, nobody really goes to a Beach party to swim, more like a hooking up, chilling out spot so you¡¯ll need minimal makeup and¡­¡± She touched my hair, giving me an identical look to the one the Baker twins gave me when I first stepped out of my room. ¡°This here haven¡¯t seen a stylist in a long time I can tell. But not to worry, in this hood when you go to parties often you definitely learn after shaving your eyebrow, burning your skin with a hair stretcher and poking your eyes with a mascara stick how to do it right.¡±


    I gave her an uneasy smile and I was literally saved by the Bell as the ding of the doorbell signalling a client rang as a couple walked inside the din.


    I moved quickly to them but not before mouthing out to Stacey whose eyes widened immediately as she grasped the message. ¡°Help Diane is being nice and wants nothing in return.¡±

 Chapter 041|Peer pressure is real and valid

    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Stacey gasped almost like she could believe her eyes. ¡°You look beautiful.¡±


    ¡°I do?¡± I rolled my eyes at her thinking she was being sarcastic but confusion crossed my features the next minute because her face remained in pure awe that I knew well enough she didn¡¯t have it in her to fake. There was a reason why she was renowned for her bluntness, the girl can¡¯t pretend to save herself!


    After my shift, Diane had remained adamant on helping me get ready and I had dragged Stacey along because let¡¯s just say I didn¡¯t want to exin a missing eyebrow or idental burn of my scalp since humans are prone to ¡°mistakes¡± but by the looks of it I was at loss of what games Diane was ying now.


    She swiveled my seat which she had insisted on turning away from the mirror initially, so now, I¡¯m facing the mirror.


    I blinked looking at my reflection and as corny as this moment seemed and how ridiculously absurd it was alike to a scene from ¡°The makeover¡± I did look okay which didn¡¯t happen everyday.


    ¡°This is nice.¡± I nodded in approval after a while.


    Diane beamed.


    ¡°And I created this magic just with the basics, tinted lip balm, mascara and powder.¡± She walked over to my dresser and shook her head at me. ¡°Noticed your empty vanity dresser so I left them behind so you can use them. Every girl needs minimal makeup every once in a while and you especially could use an up to speed with the do¡¯s and dont¡¯s of dressing up or down.¡±


    I stood up from my chair giving Stacey an ¡°I¡¯m going to end this charade right now look¡± before walking up to Diane who was rummaging through her leather bag she had ran back home to get.


    ¡°Look.¡± I sighed realizing that what I was about to do would be so hard especially since she was pulling all stops to be this nice. ¡°You do know that I can¡¯t get you a cute rich guy and being nice to me wouldn¡¯t make Law Tyler reply all the messages you have been sending him on Insta right?¡± I held her hand even as I gave her what my mom normally calls a polite enough smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to get your hopes high and I¡¯m so sorry I let you do all of this for nothing, don¡¯t get me wrong I totally appreciate the gesture,¡± I said as Diane opened her mouth to speak. ¡°But me and Law don¡¯t even speak at all.¡± Because Titiana is always too busy sucking off his face disregarding how sick and nauseous her slurpy sounds were making a handful of us feel in ss. What? I¡¯m not the only one that has a problem with their PDA. The world has a problem if I¡¯m alone!


    ¡°Yes, I know I deserve this moment because I fit the profile of this cold hearted gold digger which I can¡¯t deny for the records are true. I crave opportunities to get out of here and unlike you, I¡¯m not as brainy or smart so I use what is at my disposal which might be the reason why I had hated you even before I had my first conversation with you. Brainy, have a mother that truly cares and is not too busy smoking weed to remember she has a teenager at home, unbelievably good-looking too yet so clueless.¡± She says chuckling. ¡°I bet that adds to the appeal. But more than all of these which had made me jealous of you, meeting you had killed mepletely because you were unbelievable good and I could never be that girl. I¡¯m not Prudence who is in the lips of just everyone in Creekside who is too good to be in the hood  and the only news that never grows old here. Butut not anymore because I hear the whispers, I followed few of your ssmates after Law and I was shunned when I tried hitting them up because I¡¯m some La Paz chick which in itself is nothing wrong as it is a vibrant capital city of Baja California sur but none of them cared because It was obvious I wasn¡¯t some rich kid hiding away inpaz because of its amazing scenic views as I reeked of Creekside and that alone was my crime.¡±


    I looked away not excepting the quick turn of events and Diane¡¯s hand on mine startled me as I wondered how she was able to grasp all this, the judgement, the condescension, the disrespect in just few conversations.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how hard going to school with such presumptuous people is like but you¡¯re not alone anymore Prudence and make no mistake I still hate you and don¡¯t pity you because my little sister believes your beauty is¡­¡± she frowned. ¡°Ethereal but I¡¯m more determined in showing those Todos Santos bubble protected idiots that we can dominate, make heads turn and still ace life even as upants of a hood thates with poverty as a package deal and I would never have wished for a better representative because although you don¡¯t believe it now, which was one of the things that I thought you were pretending about you have it in you to ace whatever you put your mind in, this party inclusive.¡±


    My mouth must have been hanging open as Dianepletely obliterated everything I thought I knew about her and I felt my cheeks grow warm at the thought that I had truly jumped over the gun while judging her.


    Stacey sniffed in the background even as I found myself opening my arms to Diane who fell into it and after few seconds of what had to be the most awkward hug of my life, Diane went back to searching her bag.


    ¡°I know you might not know this about me, but I¡¯m guilty of buying clothes whenever I¡¯m tensed, stressed or just angry and you are in luck because I¡¯m usually a lot of these things all the time which makes me have an oversight and buy clothes that aren¡¯t even my size!¡±


    ¡°Such an extravagant hobby.¡± Stacey mumbled under her breath shrugging as I arched a brow at her which Diane noticed and chuckled.


    ¡°I really can¡¯t help myself especially since it is cheaper than therapy. Imagine paying someone just to listen to you!¡± Her eyes widened in mock incredulity even as she produced a bikini from her bag.


    ¡°This just screams you all over it, Prudence.¡± Stacey muttered.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It does?¡± I asked in surprise because Stacey always never agrees with Diane. That¡¯s like her thing.


    I stared at the quintessential halter turned strapless style bathing suit with a fun open back that can be worn two ways with removable strip ties and though I couldn¡¯t help but admit that the bikini in front of me was beyond gorgeous, the truth is that I didn¡¯t know if I could pull wearing something this bold and flirty. At this point this wasn¡¯t even a baby anything, I was purely leaping now as I beamed at Diane whose smile was already faltering at how long as I was taking to decide on the bikini which was quickly rectified as I told her I loved it. Believe me peer pressure is real and valid.


    I walked out ten minutester wearing the bikini underneath a cotton free ck gown courtesy of Diane¡¯s induced habits of dealing with basically everything which I intend to pay her back for because I was so keeping the gown.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I whispered to Diane as I packed a pic nket, beach towels, and flip-flops into a portable leather bag courtesy of mom who never gave up the thoughts that someday I¡¯ll just morph into a normal high school kid and have use for them.


    ¡°For what? Making you do most of my job while I flirt at the din?¡± She teased, a smile on her face which I reciprocated but was wiped two secondster as my phone chimed with a message from Gloria.


    She had caught a flu and though it wasn¡¯t serious, she needed to sleep it off.


    Stacey had already left in a hurry to the din minutes ago because unlike us she worked full time and she was at a risk ofing back from her lunch break quitete if she spent extra time with us and there was no fucking way I was going to Todos Santos alone so that left me with no other choice.


    ¡°Remember your speech which basically was all about Creekside women helping the other, I think there just might be a call for you to do that. One guess, it includes a party and boys. Cute rich boys.¡±


    Iughed so hard when Dianees back minuteter panting hard with her beach items while I wonder how she had fitted into the crop top and shorts she was wearing, did her hair, wore make-up and with the sunsses ontop of her head looked at ease in such record timing. I guess some people were just pros in acing this getting dressed thing, just to be clear I don¡¯t share any gic trait with ¡°some people.¡±


    I just wanted to have the best day of my life void of overthinking and having the world on my shoulders like Rob would constantly tell me I do. I just wanted to be a teenager, just for today, just for a while, just in Tristan¡¯s beach house.

 Chapter 042|He is mad about you

    Chapter 042| He is mad about you


    ¡°You came!¡± The Baker twins both said in unison the minute Diane and I walked through the gate, a reprieve I was thankful of because although I was aware that Tristan was mega rich because who casually mentions a beach house as one of the properties his mom had gotten him for his birthday and still lookedpletely indifferent? But I didn¡¯t expect the beauty that greeted me the minute we walked right into the gate and I wasn¡¯t the only one because I heard Diane¡¯s audible gasp.


    Although Tristan¡¯s beach house wasn¡¯t as towering as Titiana¡¯s or extravagant as Law¡¯s I couldn¡¯t help but notice that it was its simplicity that made it so beautiful. With a beautiful fountain in the front of the house that just made youpletely breathless and the endless ceiling to floor windows that made the house look more like a ss house apart from the fact I was already liking the thought of bare feet, the caressing breeze and the feel of water and sand on your legs, I could tell that they had quite the view from inside the house. For a while I imagined myselfzily lounging around on a robe, sipping from a bottle of ridiculously expensive wine and watching sunset from such ss elements designed to allow maximum lights into the house and imagining just how breathtaking the beach would look in that moment I breathed in the cool breeze.


    ¡°We should tell Law that you are here because he was totally convinced that we had scared you so much, you were going to ditching.¡± Mariah chirped right after she allowed me gracefully get a word in and introduce Diane who was working her charms already with Tamara as shemented on her headband which of course just had to be designer and Diane had lots of knowledge on it that made Mariah who was now listening on their conversation thoroughly impressed.


    After getting the party favor from the twins which consisted of a beach pail with a shovel, sunscreen, water squirt bottles, sun visors and an after sun produce we walked right into the hardest part of being a teenager; mingling in a party.Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    The party was in full swing as we walked in and I couldn¡¯t have been more amazed with how great of a party Tristan threw. The smell of grilled items like burger and hot dogs hit my nose even as I found myself easing into the music mix by the disk jockey which veers between the old and new, the avent-grave and the crowd-pleasing.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Diane whispered which she had been saying quite frequently and I couldn¡¯t even me her as I tried to take in everything at once. Few people were dancing to the tune of the music, and then there were also the Kim Kardashians of the school sprawled out in pic nkets while wearing thong inspired bikinis, there was an ongoing h hoop contest which was more fun thanpetitive and as Diane set our beach umbre I was already making conversation with few people from school and being introduced around while I introduced Diane who effortlessly was good at throwing a loop at people and dragging them with her charms.


    ¡°Hey stranger,¡± I smiled at Troy standing up and taking the ss of fruit juice he was offering me, aware that he must have seen me reject few bottles of beer.


    ¡°Hey yourself.¡± I whispered turning to Diane who was sipping a ss of cocktail and had stripped to a beautiful peach bikini that showed off her tanned perfect body. ¡°Meet, Troy my friend from school and Troy, Diane¡­¡± I paused for a while then smiled, ¡°A friend.¡±


    I saw the shocked look Diane gave me before turning her attention to Troy.


    ¡°You look beyond stunning.¡± I had left Troy with Diane to make a sandcastle and was almost startled to find him beside me and staring at me as I turned after admiring my huge sandcastle.


    He was wearing a vintage shirt which was left unbuttoned and a pair of shorts which waspletely unfair in my books by how casual he looked yet so undeniably good-looking.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look so bad yourself.¡±


    He smiled, even as he took a step closer to me, taking my hand. ¡°I didn¡¯tpliment you because that¡¯s the polite thing to do Prudence, but because it is the truth.¡± I met his gaze, ¡°You¡¯re easily the most beautiful girl in this ce right now.¡±


    ¡°Are you flirting with me right now?¡± I taunted.


    He grinned shaking his head slightly. ¡°I could if you want me to. But no, I was just making sure you understand me because most times it is almost like you hear what you want and nothing else.¡±


    I chuckled.


    ¡°Recently, I¡¯ve been used of so much you can pile yours on me as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just d you are here.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what waters I was steering Troy at or what was the big idea of what I hoped to achieve with this little bit of what I wanted to think as harmless flirting since what we share was purely tonic but I hope he doesn¡¯t get the wrong idea.


    ¡°So I was wondering if you¡¯ll like to go see a movie with me sometime you know. We haven¡¯t really spent any time away from school to get to know each other and I think it is about time we rectify that.¡±


    My eyes widened as i wondered if he was asking me out on a date. Was this it?


    I heard Troy¡¯sugher which made me blink realizing I had spaced out with my overactive wandering thought.


    ¡°Christ! You overthink everything. I¡¯m asking you to a movie night as my friend. It is certainly not a date because I know how very much you¡¯ll want us to remain friends and although even a blind man can see that I have eyes for you and I like you a lot.¡± He paused for a while even as he held my eyes. ¡°What we have now is good as well and I¡¯m not ready to lose you as a friend because I just happen to want more.¡±


    Someone coughed behind me and I took few steps away from Troy who I now realized was standing so close to me and turned to meet Tristan¡¯s amused face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Troy, I¡¯d have to borrow Prudence here for a while.¡± He informed Troy and with his hand tugging mine, a mischievous smile on his face while almost dragging me behind him in his hurried steps I found myself looking behind trying to catch one glimpse of Troy which I totally regretted as our eyes met. His intense for a second but I saw the amusement in them before I turned right back just in time for Tristan to drag me inside his house and if I thought his house was beautiful even without seeing what the inside look like I was desperately trying and failing not to gawk.


    His sitting room had a moody te blue walls that contrasts nicely with thettan furniture, pale upholstery, patterned pillows, and warm antique style wall with wall to wall ss doors that provided me with the view of teenagers taking pictures in the beach-themed photo booth which was so cool with props like snorkels, googles, big sunsses, and fishing poles and others busy on their phones.


    Everyone was having a great time including Diane who I was worried that I¡¯ll be leaving to her own devices for too long. She was flirting/chitchatting with an unfamiliar good-looking guy. He didn¡¯te to our school and though I was still considering if that was a good thing or not, I turned to meet Tristan¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°For someone who is always vague with his partying lifestyle on social media, you throw quite a sick one.¡± Iplimented deciding to be the less psycho one among us who doesn¡¯t have to do something as crazy as drag me to his sitting room the minute he saw me in the absence of the usual courteous, hey how do you do?


    ¡°Yeah thank you. I¡¯m sorry for interrupting whatever it was going on with you and Troy.¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°There was nothing to interrupt.¡±


    He scoffed but didn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡°So why am I here?¡±


    ¡°I owe you apologies.¡±


    ¡°You already apologized over the phone and to be honest, the twins and I did hit it off eventually when we came to an understanding and I do enjoy shopping surprisingly in the absence of clothes being thrown at me.¡±


    ¡°Secondly, I¡¯m also sorry for how huge the party turned out to be. Words seemed to spread way too fast than I¡¯ll like and that had everything to do with the Bakers twins who invited everyone they know which is the whole school and few other neighboring high schools.¡±


    I smiled a little at how agitated he looked as he gritted the word Baker¡¯s twins in-between his teeth while I gave him a mock sympathetic look aware that he must be having quite a day with those two as his co-host.


    ¡°I can¡¯tin. I was settling in nicely¡­¡±


    ¡°Obviously, With Troy. I saw that and don¡¯t serve me the we¡¯re just friends crap. That guy was undressing you with his eyes and looking at you like you were bacon!¡±


    I looked away. ¡°He told me he likes me.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    I met his gaze. ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°What did you say because you obviously don¡¯t find him repulsive from the disy I just say.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just¡­ I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m ready to date him or anyone at all.¡± I met his gaze. ¡°That doesn¡¯t feel like baby steps.¡±


    ¡°Does this have anything to do with Law Tyler.¡±


    I opened my mouth to quickly deny but found myself sighing deeply as I nodded, ¡°I ignored all the warning bells with Law that clearly told me he was way out of my league and he made a fool out of me with Titiana. I don¡¯t want the same thing to happen with me and Troy¡­.¡±


    Tristan snorted, ¡°Out of whose league? You¡¯re right in almost every guy¡¯s league who had asked me more than once if you¡¯ll being when I sent out invites to this party. I don¡¯t know when you¡¯ll see what everyone else sees except you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to think anymore.¡± I sat down on his couch. ¡°I went from a nobody in a day to being noticed by Law Tyler who after a week just behaved like I never existed and isfortable making out in front of me with a girl he told me he was proud of me for telling off and so I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯m feeling like this is just another too good to be true pattern repeating itself.¡±


    He sat down beside me holding my hand, ¡°You have every right to be wary but you need to also close this Law¡¯s page behind you for good and believe that not every guy is him. I have seen how Troy looks at you, and take it from a guy, he is mad about you. You just need to give him a chance, consequences be damned.¡±


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