Hate Me, Love Me(GirlxGirl)

Chapter Four: Dazzling Smiles & Bleeding Knuckles

"What are you doing your Powerpoint on?" Riley asked, peering at my screen.

"Um...I'm still thinking whether to do it on pasta or cheesecake," I told him, glancing at him.

He cocked his head to the side, his steely gray eyes flickering to each image of pasta. "Well, good thing you're not doing pizza since that's what everyone's basing theirs on. Plus, I'm doing my favorite dish."

"And what's that?"

He flashed me a smile and I had to keep my mouth sealed shut and not have my jaw fall to the ground. He looked so...strikingly gorgeous. The way that smile lit up those steel eyes. I never been struck by a smile that was so awestruck and alluring before. His gray eyes held such amusement and happiness; emotions I've been craving to have. I wanted to feel happiness just like I once did. I wanted to flash a smile that wasn't forced.

"Hot dogs."

I gave him a flat look which made me laugh. A laugh so contagious that I couldn't help contain the giggle that escaped my lips. How foreign it felt to laugh. I don't think I have laughed like this since... Well, since my parents died. Was this a new sign that I wasn't blaming myself? As much as I pondered on this, I knew I never be left alone without that nagging thought that their death was my fault. If I wasn't so stubborn and never had asked them to change my dress to the one I had always wanted then they would've been alive. I should've been happy with the dress Mom bought me instead I let my stubbornness kill them.

I don't know how my giggle ended but with my eyes glued to my clasped hands, I knew my thoughts got the best of me again.

"I would get an easy A, huh?" Riley chuckled softly as he begun to type something on his computer.

My eyes drifted to him and studied him. How his jaw would tick every so often when the whispers of the girls grew louder and it involved him. The way his eyes narrowed in concentration as he tried to make his PowerPoint more alluring just like his smile and eyes. His fingers skillfully typing and clicking away yet multitasking with texting someone in his iPhone underneath the desk and away from the teacher's eye.

Throughout the whole class hour, neither of us spoke. I finally decided to base mine on cheesecake. With pictures of the delicious dessert already picked out and placed in a few slides and facts about how the cheesecake came to be, the sound of a vibration caught my attention. Riley left his iPhone on the desk closer to me while he dragged a picture of a Daschund into one of his slides. I rolled my eyes at his humor of a wiener dog presented in a hot dog slide show. Too busy in his project, my eyes dragged to the screen of his phone where the new message was seen.

xxKat.Viciousxx

'Give me their names and I'll deal with them.'

Confused of the text, I returned back to my project yet my mind wandered to the message I read. Kat Vicious? Who was Riley texting? Could be Kat from Ivan's party? No, it couldn't be her. How could Riley know her. She was older while Riley was probably my age or perhaps a year older. Though, Kat seemed...dangerous yet breathtakingly captivating. Who's names would Riley give to this Kat person and what did they mean by 'I'll deal with them'?

The sound of the bell snapped me out of my reverie and I blinked a couple of times to come to realization that I didn't finish my slide. Groaning softly, I saved my project in my flashdrive and signed out before gathering my things. Riley was texting away in his phone slowly getting up from his seat. I only had one look at his phone to see one name being written before he sent the message.

'Gladis Young'

My eyes flew to the girl with straight brown hair dressed in black tights and on off the shoulder top. Perfect manicured hands waved at some of her friends who yelled their goodbyes at her as she grabbed her schoolbag and walked away with her two closest friends. Gladis was one of the girls who was gossiping about Riley. Gladis was one of the girls that will be dealt with by this 'Kat Vicious'. Fear rushed through me as I gawked at Riley who pushed his chair and begun to walk out of class. Was Riley a bad person to put others in danger?

No, he couldn't be. He seemed nice...

But looks can be deceiving...

I walked out of class, my thoughts in a jumble mess with Riley being the main topic. I couldn't grasp on the idea of Riley being a bad person though I don't personally know him. Perhaps this 'Kat Vicious' was probably going to speak to Gladis and her two friends to stop creating rumors. Maybe this person would reason with them and not actually show them the 'or else' part... Right?

I bit my lower lip, my heart pounding with fear coursing my veins. What if I'm a witness to a crime? Surely, I'm going over dramatic but you never know.

As I approached the staircase to go to my Psychology class, I glanced at Gladis and her two friends laugh amongst each other as they turned to their left towards the Math section of the hall and not too later, two girl with their Chelsea hairstyle and their Skinhead appearance approached the Math corridor with long strides and their eyes trained on something.

I shook the nagging feeling of the sudden fear for Gladis and her friends away and proceeding walking up the stairs.

Nothing's going to happen, I told myself but even that didn't vanquish the fear crawling up my spine.

"I'm home!" I announced as I set my bag on the couch in the living room and approached the kitchen where I heard voices.

Once I stepped into the kitchen, I froze.

I didn't know what I was expecting when I came home but certainly it wasn't seeing Kat sitting in the island, drinking a beer so gracefully. Her black hair fell back in beautiful waves as her arms heavily inked in myriads and her long legs cladded in black jeans. She turned her head and glanced at me for a brief second before returning back to her drink. Ivan was cooking something at the stove yet took sips of his own drink. The smell of chicken wafted through the air and made my stomach grumble.

Ignoring the butterflies going frenzy in my stomach, I went to the fridge probably to purge my face in anything and cool off the heated warmth on me. Why was she here? Did Ivan invite her? Of course he did, don't be stupid. My eyes drifted around the fridge finding nothing to munch on even though it was the fridge was stacked. All these things needed to be cooked and knowing me best, I was lazy and relied on Ivan to cook food.

"I'm almost done with the chicken, kiddo," Ivan's amused voice filled the room along with a low chuckle that upstarted my heart.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and closed the fridge, sneaking a glance at Kat who continued to drink from her beer. I noticed her knuckles were bruised with a few cuts and dried blood surrounding them. I arched an eyebrow, drifting my gaze to her other hand only to see the same results as the first one.

"What happened to your hands?" I asked, dragging my narrowed gaze to her face only to have my breath caught in my throat.

Those amber eyes bored into mine deeply, something lurking in those eyes that held so much secrets. Her body suddenly went stiff when I asked her that question and the way her plumped lips pinched into a thin line, I had a feeling I knew that answer to my question but didn't want to believe it.

Instead, I believed her answer more than the warning flags in my head.

"I have anger issues," she answered, bringing her clenched fist towards me. "I punched the walls to the point of blood appears. I know it's a bad habit but it's better than hitting a person."

Yet her voice was so convincing, I couldn't help but be vigilant. Those golden eyes told a different story.

"Here, Mabel," Ivan placed a plate with a piece of chicken, beans, and rice onto the counter.

I grabbed it, avoiding those attentive eyes of hers and headed to my room.

As much as I ignored this feeling in the pit of my gut, I decided to just let it be. If those bloody knuckles were just a simple reason of punching the wall due to anger issues then that's it. I'm not in the place to put my nose where it shouldn't be.

Even if someone's life was at stake...