Forever His

O N E

I just grew up with him around since his parents knew mine.

That's what I know when I was a little foolish girl in pigtails. Later I found out that my parents were in debt to his but kept a friendly facade with each other for a civilized purposes.

No wonder that Xavier did nothing but hover around me, acting like a prince that he is.

Still, he still has a soft side which only I have the privilege to witness.

"Hop in." He said as his vehicle stopped beside me. I did what he said, and buckled as I felt the car move.

"What's with your face?" he asked, with a little attitude lacing on his voice. Looks like I wasn't the only one who got in unfortunate situation.

"Just encountered an annoying weirdo." I mumbled and looked at the window. My frown got deeper as I remembered the spoiler guy.

He wasn't strikingly handsome like Xavier, nor have the drool-worthy features like the star quarter back of our football team. Although, he was above average.

Dark brown hair, brown eyes, full lips, lean features? I'm not sure at the moment. I was so coped up in annoyance to do a complete overall check.

"Where?" Xavier asked, breaking my train of thought.

"At the courtyard."

"You were reading, again."

"I have nothing better to do."

"Practice your sport?"

"The official practices will start next month." I informed in a grave tone.

"Same." He second in an equal tone.

- - - - - - - - - -

A week after, I was surrounding myself with books at the library. No, I wasn't reading a novel. Unfortunately.

I was doing a research for my English lit project, which I was really not good at. Others will probably be buried to their laptop, and facing the wikipedia, copy-pasting the most common answer in the ground of technology.

But here am I, visiting the old school spirit within me on a free time. I was on my three-fourths of the paper when I someone occupied the chair in front of me.

"Do you always cover yourself with books?"

Red lights were flashing wildly in my mind when the voice registered in me. I look in front and expected the worst person I have the unfortunate to see again. He was smiling so energetic and friendly, as if he hasn't done anything rude to me.

"Leave me alone." I grumbled and rushed my writing so that I could get away to this guy faster.

"Oh, she talks!" he exclaimed like he won a lottery and couldn't believe it... only it was in a mocking manner.

dumbass.

"Seriously? Can't you see I'm busy?" I glared which he only grinned at.

"Too busy, actually." he said, then I noticed that he was holding and reading the instruction paper before he took one of the books beside me.

"Hey! what-" I was about to rebut, yet he only hushed me and looked to book's contents in a brief way before putting it in front of me. He took another book, did the same thing, only he put the book beside him.

He did the process in a cycle, until no books stayed to its original position. Now, three books lay in front of me while the rest is beside him.

"There." he said and leaned back as he let out a satisfied sigh. He raised his hand and gesture to the books in front of me. "Those were enough to get you an A+. And these..." he said as he tapped the set of books beside him. "Are unnecessary. Total destruction."

"How do you know about that?" I asked, skeptical.

"I'm a junior, I went through that." he said with a shrug.

"You're a what?"

He gaped in mocked offended manner. "What's with your reaction?"

I shrugged, not yet completely recovered about the info. "You just don't act like it... And you talk to Me." well, more like annoying me.

"What does talking to you do anything about it?"

"Duh? The social ladder?"

"That was so high school!"

"We are in high school!" I countered.

"We could be in high school, but not acting like it." he said with a thought.

"You lost me."

"Look at it this way..." he said and leaned closer to me, making me follow suit for the sudden interest rushing to my system.

"Social Ladder is a façade." he started. "Like a mask for people with insecurities that wants to be above on others. And the ugliest part of it is people took part in it. As if admitting that they are lower than the others. It's childish actually, it almost sounds like form of trap."

"Trap?"

"A trap." he nodded. "A trap which makes people think that they were stuck on a certain level, but they're not." he said, but then stopped. thinking. "But in sense, they are. They're stuck on themselves... which leads us on the term stuck-ups." he finished with a satisfied smirk.

Watching him so into explaining and with hand gestures at that, is so entertaining. I couldn't help but release a laugh, which he thankfully dismissed in a playful scowl.

"What's so funny?" he asked while trying to send me a glare but the way his lips were quirks upwards gave away his amusement.

"Nothing. It's just about your way of explaining things... you're saying things that were so deep and brutal but to me it sound so carefree." I said and controlled my laugh.

"Thanks?" he said and smiled. I just shook my head and took a breath. "Marcus." he said and reached his hand to me.

"Olivia." I replied as I shook his hand.

That moment, I never knew that his hand would be my rope to humanity.