I'll Protect You (Re-Edit #2, 2016)

Don't you dare serenade me with 'Call Me Maybe'

dedicated to Meg-loves-books on deviantart for the adorable cover she made!

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"I'm so going to murder you," I seethed through gritted teeth as we made our way down the steps of the academy entrance.

"I know."

"I'm going to kill you and chuck your body off the Empire State Building."

"I'm aware."

"I will feed you to sharks slowly, limb by limb."

"So you've said."

"I don't think you're taking my death threats seriously enough," I muttered.

The deathly tension between the two of us wasn't translating properly over to the mass surrounding us. No one had a clue that I was throwing blatant threats at Logan. Somehow, my vicious words seemed to cause girls to giggle and coo at how "adorable" we were.

It's not going to be adorable when I drop-kick this idiot off the Great Wall of China.

A tight-knit group stopped whispering as I passed them, and I realized they were the same kids that had bullied me last Friday. It was unnerving to see no hatred and contempt in the glint of their eyes. They watched me with an envious curiosity now, complete with wide gazes and hanging jaws.

"I feel like you," I said quietly. Maybe I should run away to Ontario, Canada. Ha. They'd never find me there, would they?

"She's so pretty," someone said from close by. "No wonder Logan likes her."

"She's probably the number two on the ranks!" someone shouted. "That's probably the reason why he likes her!"

"Don't you think she's really pretty?"

"Maybe I should dye my hair red."

Excuse me, Headmistress--I believe your students have been replaced by clones created by the government. They're out to destroy me and I think you need to do something about it before I die.

I repeated my thoughts to Logan but he merely scoffed at the thought that I could be potentially hunted by the American government.

"Alex, we should totally hang out!" Pepper Smithson called out, and I stiffened in horror as my imagination created a scenario where Pepper and Alex Finch were friends.

Yeah, Canada was starting to sound real tempting.

Once we crossed the gates and then headed towards the bus stop, I shuddered. "I think have to go purify myself now. That was the most horrifying experience I've gone through since James decided to have a food fight with me in the cafeteria."

"If you're looking for someone to still hate you, James is at the top of the list," suggested Logan.

"I know. He told me that himself today after lunch," I grinned. "Good ol' Mayfield--I can always count on him for anything anti-Finch. Normally, I could just turn to anyone in the entire academy, but someone just had to go and destroy the foundation of our generation, didn't they?"

A bus pulled up next to us, and I heard Logan's frustrated sigh escape his mouth. "I'm sorry, alright? I never knew what really went down between you and that red-head from second year. You can't blame me for knowing she nearly ratted you out to the press."

"You have demolished my entire reputation," I continued as the two of us boarded the bus and took our stances side-by-side next to a metal pole. "I had a thing going--the most hated girl in the entire academy. Do you know how hard it is to get that hated? Everyone knew I was a nobody so nobody investigated. Now look at me! I'm the female Logan Cross!"