Stonebrook High School

Chapter 9

Jess was humming to herself as she left her last class and went to the locker room. Surprisingly, there was no one else there, so she started to slowly sing a little louder, although still quiet. Lux Aurumque was stuck in her head and the only way she knew to satisfy her head was to sing it out loud.

Grabbing her items, she walked back out and went to her actual hallway locker, turning the lock. It clicked and she pulled off the lock and opened her locker. Still humming, she took out a textbook and some papers and closed her locker with a slam and started to make her way to the library.

She was just peacefully weaving her way through some random crowds of people when an arm extended in front of her and blocked her from continuing. An irritated expression on her face, she took a glimpse of the person's face and sighed loudly with exaggerated annoyance.

"What do you want, Mercer? I'm trying to go study here."

Aiden flashed a toothy smirk and leaned closer to her, his face dangerously close to hers. They locked eyes and held it, neither one backing down. "You and your stupid brother have been keeping Lukas from being his best. Why's he so interested in you two? You both are nothing but losers."

She stuck her nose up and made a 'humph.' "Why should I know? I don't care about him. Why is he even friends with you? You're nothing but a trash puppy. Always snooping around, trying to antagonize me."

"You don't bother me at all, flatbread. Lukas is the only reason why I'm even here in front of you. I can't have him hanging around some nobodies."

"Then go back to Lukas and get out of my face, trash puppy. I don't need someone with dirty paws to remind me how great I am."

"You're nothing, flatbread. Nothing compared to me."

"But Nothing lasts forever, dearest Mercer. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to read 100 pages." She ducked under his arm and continued walking, a wide smirk on her face and she memorized Aiden's shocked expression.

~*Ω*~

5:00 P.M. The library was about to close. At least she got 72 pages in. With a defeated sigh, she closed the textbook and left, slinging her backpack over one shoulder.

If only Olivia and Axel weren't in clubs. Maybe she would've had some friends to be with right now. And Jesse was out with Petra, so there was no point in calling him.

Feeling strangely lonely, she walked back to her hallway locker to put her textbook back.

A slam resounded throughout the empty hallways. In all honesty, it was kind of frightening. Jess held her arms and prepared herself to go home. Of course, as she was tying her high-tops, the sound of a leather jacket fluttered nearby.

Crap.

"Hey, Ryder."

She stood up and turned to face the blonde with a complimentary sneer. "Hello, Porter. Where'd you learn my last name?"

"I saw it yesterday in the computer room. When the teacher was taking roll, I was looking at all the names to find mine but I found yours, too."

"Creepy."

"Sorry if it sounds that way," he chuckled. "Anyway, school is closing soon... Are you going home right now?"

"Why do you need to know? You should stay away from me. In fact, your friend Mercer wasted five precious minutes of my life to tell me that my 'stupid brother' and I was hindering you."