I glanced to the swarm migrating in route to the lunch hall and other sites before I began walking in the opposite direction, over to the upper east floor. I halted at the door by the very end which existence served generally to pack up dust on the rare days it wasn't consuming the time of the unfortunate souls summoned there. Today, I had become one of them.
All prepping for lunch had gone down the toilet when Mr. Hill suddenly popped up on my way. I swore, he had never detailed the unreasonable detention sentence was to be served at break but he was being so insufferably pushy and accusing of me trying to "dodge it" that I had to bite down on my tongue to prevent the scowl this time.
I huffed as I sat down on a vacant seat, furthest apart from the rest of the 'punished' kids. I really would've thought with the caliber and class of St. Sinclair they would've had a more productive detention system than sticking a bunch of students in an out of use chamber with nothing to read or do. Also, I was sure one thing you certainly shouldn't have been eligible to do was talk. Hence, the definition of isolation but the majority were merrily chatting away, more than comfy.
Before I could even fathom how I was going to endure the next thirty minutes, I heard the screeching of metal against the floor scarcely nearby. I peered to blue eyes and a lazy smile.
"Got to say, this is a surprise. And I'm not usually surprised."
I slowly blinked at Alger Hess who had brought it upon himself to occupy the seat beside me. When it should've been obvious from the gap I made between the rest indicating I didn't want to mingle.
No, it was probably exactly that reason he picked it. Call it a crude opinion, but Hess appeared to me like the kind of kid who would do the opposite of what he was told, purely for kicks and giggles.
He was perceptive on what fields to play on a person, judging from the way his eyes regarded me with unrestrained attention and another being he was a 'sort of' friend of Garren. There was a pattern with that boy surrounding himself with observant people.
"What are you in here for?" He asked.
I turned my head to the window that could use some of Callahan's articulate dusting.
"Oh come on, Buns." I felt uneasy with the tone in his voice that was oddly intimate. It wasn't in a direct flirty way like Will's but it made me feel things similar to it that my nan would scold me for wanting to feel.
"I'm curious," he insisted. "It's not everyday a model student is caught in detention. Oh, wait let me guess; you got one mark less than a hundred on an essay and went ballistic on the teacher? Accused of cheating on a test? Too many late notices? Got caught giving a hand job in the dark room because you forgot to lock the door?"
I didn't budge.
"Just tell me, Buns or I'm going to keep guessing and I have a lot of time to keep guessing."
I frowned on that because it was true. The supposed detention monitor, Mr. Driscoll had plugged in headphones to his tablet right after listing who was present. I was beginning to feel this really was a punishment now.
"If you back off, I'll tell you." I conditioned.
Thankfully, Hess obliged and refrained from trying to mesh our bodies like clay. "This good enough?"
"Straighten your tie," I added.
Hess rolled his eyes but nevertheless adjusted his striped tie to fit snuggly by his collar. "Now what did you do?"
"Nothing."
His brows furrowed. "Nothing? What's that supposed to mean? How do you get detention for nothing?"
"You tell me."
"What, is there some insurance policy where model students are required to at least take one detention sentence?"
"Yes, it's the one off plan. If I take one, I can enter a raffle to win a free cruise."
Hess' grin widened.
I shouldn't have joked around like that, playing along with his sarcastic remarks was the last thing I should be doing but dear god, I was dying of boredom. I was hopeful and thought maybe he'd only make banter and not try to shamelessly hit on me with twelve other people in the room.
"So..." His voice subjectively lower. "What are you doing after this?"
I said I was hopeful- not positive.
"Look, I'm not interested in sleeping with you alright?"
He tilted his head. "I'm not convinced."
"What words did you hear just leave my mouth?"
"I'm not convinced because you were pretty eager to undress me not too long ago."
I rose a brow. "Can't say I know what you're talking about. I think you have me confused with somebody else."
He chuckled, slanting back and tipping his chin to where his eyes swept over the ceiling. "So, you wanna play it like that? Okay." He folded his arms over his chest. "Let's go out."
"We're in detention."
"You know what I mean."
"I already said this loud and clear, I have no interest in sleeping with you."
"Did I say that's what I wanted? When did I say that? Who said anything about sleeping with each other?"
"Your reputation says about enough."
"Oh, have you been asking about me?" He leant on one elbow, inching closer once more. "Tell me, what's the latest one? Is it still about how I slept with half of the girls in my year and Coach West?"
"Seems like it, yeah."
Hess shook his head. "That's a stupid exaggeration. It's only been five and with Coach West it was just a quickie."
"Sorry, how is this supposed to be persuading me?"
"It's not. I just want you to have all the facts straight."
"And what does that have to do with anything?"
"It has to do with everything." Hess declared. "I'm trying to..." He sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. His mind seem to wander off momentarily before deciding what words were to follow his puzzling statements.
I genuinely hoped it would clarify things.
"What I'm about to say, I haven't said to any one before so keep that in mind." The intensity in his glistening blue eyes truthfully had me drawn that I couldn't flinch when he clasped a hand over my own. "I really like you."
There was that unestablished resonance in his voice again. "And not to just mess around- like, actually go on dates with and stuff. Can we do that? Can I take you out sometime?"
I couldn't surface anything further than repetitive blinking. My head couldn't really get a proper fix on what was happening suddenly. One second he's making a pass at me and now he's saying he likes me?
More and more confusing.
Everything about this strange boy was puzzling and it must've been why I didn't feel inclined to back away.
"Um, that's nice," I started. "But, no."
He didn't falter. "If you're unsure, we can just try it out. See where it takes us."
"No. I already have someone I like and I think he likes me too so..."
At that, Hess' gaze sharpened. "Who? Shaun?"
I nodded.
A burst of laughter erupted, spiking a few head turns before Hess settled from his explosion. "That sissy? Seriously, Buns? Don't waste your time on him. He wouldn't have the balls to try anything."
An epiphany came to me in that instance; in all my pondering on what the great mystery behind this grudge a wonderful person like Shaun could have on someone. Now I was thinking Liam had been right from the start. The truth of it was, that the boy was a prick.
"Actually, Shaun asked me out and we already made plans to go to the movies."
I cursed inwardly as the words escaped my lips. The only relish from Hess' fallen expression. That didn't surmount to exposing my big news to the ears of a prick. What a waste.
"You're kidding." He said.
"No, I am not kidding."
There was a slight pause. "When are you guys going?"
"I don't think that's remotely any of your business."
All my patience and regard had left, any caution at the consequences were no longer validated to expense. Whatever came, I didn't care. What I was certainly not expecting to come, was Hess withdrawing with a scoff and rising to his feet.
I watched him gait to one of the lounging detention servers consisting of four blokes, feet up and chairs swaying back. All Hess did was nod and he received room and a seat to settle amongst them. Ashton hadn't been joking about the respect.
It had been that easy to get rid of him? It didn't add up with the profile I'd gotten. I decided not to bother myself poking at it and simply enjoy my freedom of space.
I was the first one up and out when the time reached its end. I had a rough fifteen minutes to grab something to eat and explain myself to my friends. Thanks to the detention regulations confiscating my phone, I had no way to inform any of them beforehand on my absence.
"Off to the lunch hall then?"
I nearly jolted, whipping my head to see the smile that broke any assumption I had that I was pest-free. I quickened my steps to the hall, Hess followed.
"I thought it over and came to a fair plan," he began. "How about this; I guess the first digit of your number and you have to give it to me. I guess it starts with zero."
"Oh how clever." I sped up twice as much, prepared to bulldoze him if he intended to follow again. I wasn't sure how I'd succeed with my inferior frame but I was sure as hell going to try.
"Don't go out with Shaun."
I stopped.
Turning back, Hess stared me down with a vexing pointed look. I passed him one of my own. "Excuse me?"
"I said don't go out with Shaun." He repeated. "He's not what he seems."
"What are you talking about?"
He closed the gap between us again. "I mean, I know they say that it depends on a guy's shoe size to know what's in 'store' but trust me, Shaun's merchandise is very average."
I stared.
"You know, his dick."
"Oh my god, this is so stupid." I shook my head and resumed my tracks to the hall but the prick still wasn't through spewing nonsense yet.
He cuffed my wrist and I aimed to pull away. "Stop touching me." I snapped.
I failed to break free when he fastened his hold and securely trapped my tracks. What had me hostage was his stare as he hauled me to a corner, purposely in a blind spot and I swallowed deeply. I wasn't liking what he would want to do with no prying eyes.
"I really liked you better at the party. You were a lot more fun." He started. "A lot more straight to the point, none of this stupid playing hard to get stuff which I'm really fed up with."
"I'm not playing anything and what party?"
"Garren's party. For your club's win at the game show, obviously."
"Oh." It was coming together now. That really had been the case. I was never going to take another drop of alcohol again if it was going to wind up with this much trouble. "Listen, I was drunk."
"Yeah, I caught on to that."
"Like, really drunk."
"Me too."
"I don't know if I said anything to you at the card game but I get pretty competitive so-"
"I'm not talking about that."
"What?"
"I'm talking about after that."
My brows creased. "What? What do you mean after that? That was it."
Hess' expression perfectly reflected my own perplexity until a sudden enlightened look casted down on his features. "Wait, you... you don't remember?"
The mix of bewilderment and comprehension in his low tone gripped my insides. "Remember what?"
The fingers shackling me dropped, as did Hess' expression. He shook his head. "Wow, that's cold."
He started to walk off, like he hadn't just dumped a landfill on me. What? Did he seriously intend to walk away after saying all that?
"Oi wait a minute!" I dashed over to him, pulse rising. "W-What," I clenched my hands in effort to retain a civil tone like my insides weren't on fire. Almost like the liquor going down my throat that night. The ghosts of the migraine that followed after were threatening to submerge with it too. "What are you talking about? What are you saying I don't remember?"
Hess rose a brow. "It clearly wasn't a big deal to you if you forgot it that easily."
I sidestepped into his path to march off. "No, that's not the case. Look, that night was the first time I'd ever gotten drunk- as in, ever. Okay? I can barely remember a thing that night. It's all very blurry."
"Nice try, but I've used that line a few times myself."
"Hess! I'm telling you, it's true. I'm not lying. Please. I-If I said or did anything..."
Hess was momently silent while I blinked away any tremor threatening to subside in me.
He shoved his hands in his pockets. "You really had me fooled back then, with this whole innocent act. Well played. But I should've known. After all..." He shifted dangerously close, lips by my ear. "It was the best I'd ever had."
A shiver coursed through my skin and flooded every bone of my body, blood running ice cold. I couldn't recollect when Hess' figure was no longer looming over me and I was stood slumped, the wall the only thing supporting me as all sensation in my legs had went numb.