| Amelia |
"Why did you break his nose again, dear?"
I bit my lip awkwardly, not sure how to explain the series of events that had taken place just about an hour ago.
Ultimately settling on a sigh, I briefly glanced at Calvin's slowly recovering form on the bed and then back at the school nurse, flashing the older lady a hesitant smile.
"It wasn't me, actually," I tried to explain as well as I could, "He...let's just say he got into a small quarrel..."
But that was apparently all the information she had required, for the next second she cut me off and huffed exasperatedly.
"Let me guess, Noah Carter?" She shook her head in annoyance, muttering words under her breath angrily before averting her attention to the bandage in her fingers. "That boy, I swear to god."
Her voice was filled only with sheer malice, but that wasn't surprising. Considering his reputation in the school, probably half the students she treated were in some way or other in here because of Noah. He certainly wasn't known for controlling his anger.
I watched as she carefully began placing the bandage on Calvin's broken nose, making him whimper slightly - a sign that he was slowly coming out of his state of unconsciousness.
As much as I may have wanted to simply leave Calvin lying in the hallway for all to see, I knew I couldn't have done that. I couldn't have just left him there when he clearly needed help. When Noah left, my only option was to bring his body into the infirmary with the help of a nearby student.
My thoughts were broken by the sudden irritated sound that left the nurse's mouth.
"I've told that old hag about that rascal of a boy so many times, but he always gets away." She grumbled under her breath, her eyes briefly addressing me before going back to work.
My brows furrowed at her words before I asked, confused, "Um, what old hag?"
"The headmistress, who else?" Her tone was casual and off-hand, almost as if I was dumb to ask for clarification.
"O-Oh."
Oblivious to my puzzlement, she continued. "He's a curse on this school, I tell you. That rascal always gets away without so much as a detention."
Suddenly, she stopped what she was doing for a moment to tilt her head closer to mine, her voice now eerily low and discrete.
"It's easy when you've got a millionaire of a father."
My head leaned back in surprise at the unexpected proximity as I took in her words. I was never one for gossip, but even I couldn't help but have a slight clue about what she was implying.
Noah's dad had been a trustee at the school since years. Being the founder of a large international corporation, he had given the majority of the funds required for the construction of a large part of what was our current campus.
Given that fact, he - and consequentially, Noah - was basically feared by more than half the teachers in the school...including the headmistress.
Having finished with the task at hand, the school nurse retreated her head from near me and stood up from her chair, her frustration still radiating from her. She assessed the bandaged wound one final time before crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Life really is a comedy for the rich."
And with that last huff, she stomped out of the infirmary, leaving me behind, staring after her with amusedly.
I couldn't help but chuckle at the strange antics of the lady and her sudden anger, but I guess I couldn't blame her either.
Shaking my head of the thought, I turned my head back, only to find Calvin staring right at me with a smirk on his face.
"Worried about me, were you?"
The sight took me by surprise for a few moments before I processed his words and rolled my eyes.
"Not in the least."
My remark only seemed to fuel his cockiness further. With some difficulty, he shifted himself on the bed to lean closer to my sat form, his smirk widening. "For how long are you going to put up this act? We both know you've missed me."
The word managed to catch my attention. "Missed you?" I repeated in disbelief before posing a question of my own, "How can you say that after all you've done?"
"All I've done?" He chuckled, mocking me and only increasing the humiliation and contempt I felt growing inside me, "You mean what happened two years ago?"
He couldn't have just said that.
Two years or not, what he did was despicable - something that shattered me and caused my self-worth to take a dip of a lifetime. The fact that he was brushing it off as a mere mishap from our past was the final nudge I needed to get up and prepare to leave.
He really hadn't changed at all.
But before I could exit, his voice called from the back.
"If I'm being honest, it was kind of your fault, don't you think?"
My eyes widened at his words, forcing me to halt my movements.
With clenched fists, I turned back to find him still looking at me with that god-awful smirk on his face, and it was then that I knew that the dam had broken.
"My fault?" I gritted out, filled with nothing but disbelief and anger, "How can you even say that?"
He scoffed. "Please, if you hadn't been such a prude back then-"
"What?" I cut him off furiously, "If I hadn't been a prude you wouldn't have bet on me? Humiliated me in front of the entire school? Cheated on me with Avery Walter?"
If this continues, the little demon on my shoulder suggested, you're allowed to give him another broken nose on top of the one he's already sporting.
To my utter shock, the cockiness on his face made itself apparent again.
"Jealous, are we?"
And that, was it.
Not able to control anymore, I retraced my path and walked back to where he was sitting on the bed. My sole finger landed on his chest as I clenched my jaw, my lips curving into a malicious sneer.
"You are such an asshole! How can you even suggest that I'm jealous when all I've wanted from the moment you came here is to avoid you at all costs? What happened two years ago was horrible. It wasn't just some mishap that you can ignore without so much as an apology. Don't you dare say it was my fault, that was all you."
I watched as he opened his mouth to speak but I interrupted him, speaking my final words before stomping out of the room angrily.
"Stay away from me, Calvin. I mean it."
Exiting the room, I closed my eyes and exhaled a deep breath, resting my back on the somewhat comforting surface of the wooden door behind me.
I shouldn't have done that. I really shouldn't have done that.
-
"I cannot believe you have detention!" Leila all but squealed as she shut her locker and leaned against it, shooting me a sly smile. "My prayers have finally been answered."
I sighed. "This isn't a good thing, Leila. Mrs. Peterson was really ang-"
"Oh, stop with that!" She smacked my arm, rolling her eyes. "You need this. Four years and not once have you got so much as a scolding from that woman."
As much as I disliked admitting it, I did somewhat have a reputation for being adamant about my classes and attendance; I was never one to get into trouble. Yet, today, on entering class 20 minutes late after the disaster at the infirmary, trouble was exactly what had ensued.
I was ordered to go into detention, plain and simple.
I shook my head, averting my attention to Leila once again. "Yeah, true, but-"
I stopped mid-sentence when I noticed her gaze focusing on something behind me. Confused, I turned my head in the same direction.
My brows furrowed. Leila seemed to be staring at a girl who stood a few feet away from us by her locker, collecting her books in one hand. I faintly recognised her but couldn't quite place exactly where I knew her from.
"We're going out tonight."
Leila's voice interrupted my thoughts, her tone suddenly stiff and harsh. I turned to find her now glaring at the girl, her eyes narrowed at the edges.
Hesitantly, I asked, "Where?"
Her stance remained tense as she answered through gritted teeth. "There's an event, I'll send you the invitation."
I didn't get the chance to respond as she slammed her locker shut with a loud bang and stalked out of the hallway.
What in the world was that?
-
Apparently, it was a lot.
"How fancy exactly is this event of yours?"
Zoey asked while she pulled on the brakes of the car we were in. Once stopped at the red light ahead, she turned her head backward to face Leila, who was sitting in the back seat.
The girl pursed her lips into a thin line. "I don't know, actually," she wondered, slightly confused. "It's a celebration of an important business deal or something."
"I still can't understand how or even why you're invited." I interrupted, turning my head back as well. "This whole thing seems really fishy."
But Leila simply rolled her eyes before mumbling under her breath, "Trust me, okay? It's important." She then met my gaze in the rear-view mirror. "Plus, it'll be fun."
I nodded, unsure, fidgeting uncomfortably in my seat beside Zoey.
After hastily informing us just this morning about this mysterious event we needed to go to, Leila had made the three of us spend the rest of the day finding appropriate outfits to wear. Needless to say, Zoey and I were kind of exhausted- more confused actually, considering we had absolutely no idea about where we were headed to.
More confused, when we had the chance to have a good, long look at the outfits we'd bought - absolutely beautiful, elegant gowns that were fit for a royal occasion.
"Did you have to buy me this death machine?" Zoey snapped irritably while beginning to drive the car again, cursing the sequinned black dress she was wearing.
Contrary to what she had to say about it, I thought she looked stunning- something I had tried to tell her multiple times.
"Oh please," Leila dismissed her, "You look amazing and you know it."
I chuckled as Zoey couldn't help the slight blush on her cheeks before she averted her attention back to driving.
The car continued to drive past the area we were now in - and complementary to the dresses we'd adorned ourselves in, the houses too looked like they were fit for a more modern, contemporary form of royalty.
A few additional minutes passed before the car came to an abrupt halt.
Before I could assess my surroundings, Zoey's voice resounded through the car. "Are you sure you have the right address?"
The incredulous tone in her words made my gaze travel to the direction in which she was looking.
You've got to be kidding me.
"We have to leave."
My throat went dry as I got out to get a better look at the very familiar mansion ahead of me, my mind already beginning to cloud up with memories of that horrific morning.
I need to get out of here.
"What in the world do you mean?" Zoey questioned from beside me as her eyes remained glued to the people entering through the wide gates - men, women and some familiar faces from our school, clad in exquisite suits and gowns.
I looked down at my own dress as I assessed theirs: a long gown of thin silk which hung from my shoulders through thin straps, slightly brushing the floor as I walked, with a long slit down one side.
Even though I looked decidedly elegant, standing among that crowd made me revaluate myself, making me feel underdressed even.
"Why do you want to suddenly leave?" Zoey's question broke me out of my thoughts as I found her raising her brow at me.
"It's just-"
"No one's leaving, look at this place!" Leila's voice became apparent as she stood beside me, sharing the same enthusiasm as the two of us.
I shook my head, inwardly realising that there was no way I could explain to them why I suddenly couldn't even step foot inside when I was completely fine just a few seconds ago.
'Noah Carter drugged me at a party, kidnapped me, and threatened me in this exact house the next morning.'
I could already imagine the looks on their faces.
Shaking my head, I managed a shaky smile as the three of us began walking with the crowd, my head already going crazy thinking about what would happen inside.
Please, please don't let him be in there.
—
"Ah, you must be some of Noah's friends."
The elderly man standing at the door greeted us, a wide smile on his face as he shook each of our hands warmly.
"It's a pleasure having you here. I'm his father, Raymond."
I nodded, trying to hide my inner chaos as best as I could. "Amelia Winters. Thank you for inviting us, you have a beautiful home."
He laughed heartily, shaking it off. "It's all Noah's mother's doing. But please, make yourselves comfortable. We are here to celebrate, after all."
My lips curved into a smile as I returned his gracious one, my mind inwardly wondering, baffled, how someone as good-natured as him could be Noah's father.
My mouth hung open as the three of us entered inside.
Even though I had been here before, I realised I hadn't got the chance to look around his house that well; now that I did, I found myself gaping at the seemingly massive diamond-studded chandelier right above my head, the golden glow of the large hall, the decorations everywhere...It was simply mesmerising.
Further inside, the small crowd included elites from all over - some of them I could even recognise from magazines - and their heads turned to our direction as we walked in.
How fancy exactly was this event?
Feeling the weight of their gaze, I lowered my head. I never did quite that well with attention.
Finally dissipating into the mix of people, I lifted my head to find Leila out of sight, while Zoey hugged her bare arms uneasily, looking nervous around the crowd.
I put my hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile. But before I could speak any words of comfort, her lips curved into a sudden smile as she spotted something - or someone- ahead of her.
Her mood completely morphed as she took in his figure.
I chuckled at her giddiness and rolled my eyes, "Go, Zoey."
Her smile widened before she nodded and walked toward Chase, who was sharing the exact lovestruck look on his face.
Ah, these two.
I sighed as I walked to the bar in the corner of the room. With seemingly nothing to do, my eyes travelled to a small board placed on the ground nearby, bearing a solemn message.
'Carter Industries celebrates 25 years of excellence and success!'
So that's what this party was all-
My train of thought was suddenly broken by a harsh tug at my wrist.
The tight and unrelenting grip pulled me backwards, making my back collide with a hard surface. A soft gasp escaped my throat as I felt a strong arm snake around my waist from behind, the large palm resting itself on the surface of my stomach.
The scent of cologne that surrounded me moments later was enough to let me know just who was behind me.
My breathing rate accelerated as I felt him entrap me, his threatening grip on me alone enough to convey his contempt.
"Dance with me?" He whispered next to my neck. Even with my back pressed against his chest, I could tell his teeth were gritted.
A grimace formed on my face as I felt him slowly sway our bodies to the gentle music around us, not bothering to actually hear my response.
A lump forming in my throat as I tried to speak.
"Let-" I began, but halted momentarily when my voice came out croaked and raspy. "Let me go."
His low growl echoed in my ear. "Just. Fucking. Dance."
"Listen, I'm sorry I came here-"
"Oh, for fuck's sake."
He grunted in disapproval, and with one swift movement, turned me around with his arm still wrapped around my lower torso.
Something similar to a storm raged in my stomach as I found his vivid eyes suddenly glaring right into my soul.
I should have got out of here when I had the chance.
-
Hey there,
Kind of late update, I know, but I uploaded an extra long chapter to compensate ;)
Do tell me what you think is going to happen next (A little hint: it's going to be hot). How do you think the party's going to go? What's the reason for Leila's need to attend it?
Please don't forget to vote, comment and share if you're enjoying the story:)
Until next time (and it'll be really soon),
Kiara❤️