Masked By Madness

4. Roses

"What the fuck?! Why didn't you slap him? Or better yet, kill him!" Lance clenched his jaws.

Jane shrugged opening the cola easily and looking around. "He would enjoy if I beat him. He is sick like that. I can't stand him." She took a swig of soda.

"You have to do something about him," Lance said.

She shrugged again and they lapsed into silence.

When the bell rang, Jane threw out her trash and headed for class, saying good bye to Lance. Before she could reach the class, Andrew and her other classmates rushed to stand in front of her and block her path. She watched them carefully, confused.

"Jane! Andrew wants to say something. We all do. Please just listen to us." Emma spoke.

Jane stared at Andrew, waiting.

"I am sorry Jane, I know I was rude. I apologize. There is no one better than you in our rock star theme. So please, will you take over? Please?" Andrew pouted, the ultimate sign of destroyed pride.

Jane didn't know what to do but she loved her classmates anyhow.

"Okay! I can but you guys have to promise to follow my ideas."

"We will!" they all declared together.

Jane smiled and started to talk about ideas for the talent show. Andrew was still not happy seeing her tossing around thoughts, but if he had to endure then he would.

***

It was the period for English and Jane was lost in her own thoughts again. She was half sleeping because who listens to their English teacher? It is the best period to sleep.

"I am announcing the result of your previous tests. Let's see who our top three students were this time."

Typical dramatic, intelligence gloating, English teacher. Jane's attention diverted and she was now curious to know if she passed.

"The highest score is from the brilliant Grayson Williams. Second Emma and third is George," she announced.

Everyone looked for Grayson but he was not there, as usual. It was not the first time he skipped class.

"Absent?" she asked, but who knew.

Jane couldn't believe that Grayson was the guy whom she had always heard coming in first or getting A's all the time. Perhaps, that was because she never cared about anyone and their grades but now this was Grayson and she was instinctively curious. She was still lost somewhere and looking around when her teacher woke her.

"You did not pass. Again. "

Jane sighed and wished that the tests never fucking mattered. Her mind wandered back to Grayson.

'Who the hell is he? I don't get him! How can he get good grades when all he does is play hookie?' she thought to herself.

***

Jane was walking home when she got a text from an unknown number saying 'Hey. I am standing at your door. Love the roses around your neighbourhood . Full of thorns ;)'

Jane swallowed down the anxiety building in her and walked as fast she could. She came running and saw Grayson just where the texter said they'd be. He was fixated on a rose and continuously jabbed the thorns into his finger.

"What are you doing here?" Jane asked, trying to control her bursting rage.

"I was waiting to treat your dog. Sweet Jane, here is this flower I wanted to give you. Oh! Be careful of those little thorns." He winked, handing them to her.

"Shut up! I don't want you near me! You jerk! Leave! Now!" she shouted.

"But I promised to help you, I can't break my promise." He began to laugh carelessly.

"Get out!"

"Okay, okay! Thank your neighbor for these roses for me."

"Dickhead!" Jane cursed.

***

Jane had completely forgotten about her chemistry lab. She ran upstairs as fast as she could and finally reached the room.

"Can I come in?" she asked breathlessly.

Everyone laughed at her but Ms. Scarlet sent a glare to silence them.

"You are late. I don't know what your problem is, girl. Hurry and take a seat next to Grayson and start your work," she told Jane and turned back to grading.

Jane was shocked to be paired with Grayson, and that he was even there, but now she didn't have the time to argue. Grayson smiled and patted on the seat. She ignored him and wore a slack mask.

"What is this project?" she asked Grayson who was biting his nail without a care in the world.

"It is about how to burn yourself and die by pouring sulphuric acid on your body. Wanna try?" he chuckled.

"You know what, you're a pain in ass!" she grumbled and moved towards the next row asking Emma about the project. As soon as she turned back she saw Grayson playing with the lighter.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she blew out the flame.

"Hey! It was fun, I could feel the heat on my face," he smiled.

Jane again tried to calm down, taking out the last piece of bubble gum in her mouth and ignoring him. She poured the chemical gently and waited to read down the papers they'd been given. She carefully noted down the reactions and their time readings.

"Hey! Look at this!" Grayson pulled her chair closer to his. He mixed two chemicals and now black fumes spewed from the test tubes. Jane's mouth remained open after seeing what he did.

"You're insane! You better do something about it or I will have to complain it to Miss Scarlet!" Jane warned him.

"Come on! Don't be such a baby! It's fun. Have you ever seen anything like this?" he gazed intensely at the black cloud forming.

Jane crossed her arms tightly over her chest and glared at him.

"I have seen many things but I have never seen a creature like you! I am going to tell Ms. Scarlet about what you have done!" She stuck her tongue out at him and went to the front desk. Meanwhile Grayson took the opportunity and poured Jane's experiment into the sink, smiling to himself.

"I can't stand him! Please, ma'am, I don't want him as my lab partner!" she complained but as they were talking the whole lab began to smell with the stench of burning sulfur and Ms. Scarlet ran to Jane's table.

She shouted for everyone to evacuate the room immediately as she searched for the source.

***

"Jane, you were experimenting and yet you insist that you didn't create the concoction that has forced us to quarantine Ms. Scarlet's classroom! You expect me to believe that it was Grayson, our prized student?!" the principal shouted at her.

"But it was!"

Said prized student interrupted smoothly. "I was in the bathroom. Jane refused to take my help, saying that I would screw things up so I left."

A part of Jane couldn't believe he would do this to her but another part had seen it coming. She hated him more than anything.

"A week of detention. Both of you!"

A/N :
I hope you liked this chapter and hopefully you enjoyed this.
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