CHAPTER TWO.
+ Sam's POV +
The first thing I noticed was my pounding headache. I forced my eyes open, and grimaced as my vision returned to me in little spots of colour. The bar was still deafening, and I was slightly disturbed to see that not even an unconscious dude lying on the floor was enough to dull the party vibe. In fact, it wasn't even enough to stop anyone from dancing.
"Get up, you piece of shit," a gruff voice ordered.
Looking up, I spotted the guy who had punched me hovering over me, his dark hair framing his angry face. Now, I wasn't one to deny a pretty face, but... this idiot just knocked me out!
I pushed myself off the grimy bar floor quickly, squaring my shoulders as I faced the guy. I'll admit my confidence decreased slightly as I took in his height; he towered over me.
"What the fuck is your problem?" I demanded.
The guy simply let out a bark of laughter as he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at me. I'd be lying if I said my gaze didn't flitter over the defined muscles in his arms, but I was brought back to attention when he spoke. "My problem is that you were getting all up in my girlfriend's face."
Oh, here we go, another territorial straight guy. I rolled my eyes lightly and considered just telling him the truth – that I was 200% gay – but something made me pause. I didn't know this guy at all, what if he was homophobic? What if he punched me again? I don't think my pretty face could handle another beating. Then there was also the question of how the hell I was meant to explain why I was hitting on his girlfriend if I was gay. Sure, my plan made sense in my head, but spoken aloud to another person that wasn't Cammie or Jackie? Not so much.
"Look, sorry dude," I said eventually, raising my hands in mock surrender and trying my best to sound manly, "I didn't know she was taken. No harm done, right? Well, other than to my face."
The guy's eyes narrowed even further (if that's possible) as he assessed me. I could basically see the cogs turning in his head, trying to figure out if I was for real. Well yes, Mr. Brooding Man, I am. As far you know, anyway.
"Fine," he said shortly as he glared at me, and let me just say, his eyes could freeze fire. "Just stay away from her."
One of my (perfectly shaped) eyebrows sprung up at this, and I couldn't help the smirk that slid onto my face. I glanced behind the guy to his girlfriend, who was still sitting on the stool watching us. "So you're his property, then? Duly noted."
I felt more than heard the guy growl. Whoops, I pissed him off. Yes, I know that I was basically poking a sleeping lion, but come on. That girl looked like she could take care of herself, I doubt she needed this macho idiot to fight her battles.
"Look, Sam, was it? I'm flattered and everything, but I think you should go," the girl said.
I honestly don't know what compelled me to say what I did next. Was I asking for a fight? A fight that, by the way, I would definitely lose? Apparently.
"Okay, but let me know when you get sick of this idiot and I'll show you a real man," I finished with an obvious wink before spinning around and slipping into the crowd of dancing bodies. As I stalked away with fake confidence, I could hear the girl struggling to stop the guy from chasing after me, and I smirked softly.
I couldn't help seeing this as a victory. I mean, yes, I got punched, but I also made a super attractive hetero dude feel threatened. I just pulled off being straight, and as I pushed my way outside and took in gulps of fresh air, I thought that maybe, just maybe, I could survive at my new school after all.
\\//\\//
I blinked rapidly as my eyes adjusted to the light streaming in through my open window. My alarm bleeped obnoxiously at me and I groaned as I slapped the snooze button. I was so not ready for this. It felt like just yesterday that I was at home in LA with my friends, yet here I was today, waking up early to start my first day of my senior year at Oak Hill High School.
I literally rolled out of bed, landing on the floor with a thump as my blanket stayed wrapped around me like a burrito. Pushing myself up off the ground, I dragged myself to my bathroom and had a quick shower, humming softly as I let the scorching water blister my skin. As painful as the heat was, I stayed in the shower until my skin was red and sensitive and the water was beginning to turn lukewarm. The nerves that were invading my body were powerful; I hadn't felt this anxious about something since my mum told me she was gonna jump out of a plane when she turned "forty-something".
I'd already planned my outfit in advance, naturally (you can take the gay out of LA but you can't take the LA out of the gay), so as I stomped back into my bedroom I threw on the "straightest" outfit I could put together. Standing in front of the full-length mirror that hung on my closet door, I clicked my tongue as I assessed my reflection. My gaze lowered from my anxious face down to my simple grey t-shirt, and down to my maroon jeans before settling on my black converse. Satisfied with how I looked, I ran a hand through my wavy hair and jogged down the stairs, swinging my backpack over one shoulder and grabbing an apple on the way out.
My father, as I had learnt upon my arrival, worked as a lawyer, which meant long hours and little time to be spent with me. I was, naturally, completely okay with this turn of events. Before I moved here, I had envisioned countless nights of awkward "family" dinners and forced conversation, so you can imagine my surprise when I arrived, only to be welcomed with a microwave meal and an empty house.
I locked up the front door behind me, slipping the key back into my pocket as I made my way to the nearest bus stop. Yes, that's right, unfortunately my lovely car was still stuck on the other side of the country, and no, I was not happy about it. Who would willingly take the bus every day, anyway? Besides, no one told me before I came here that Oak Hill had such shitty bus times. Since when do they only run once an hour?
I sighed in relief as I saw the headlights turn around the corner, and nodded politely at the bus driver as I flopped down into the first available seat. It was gonna be a long day.
\\//\\//
"Have you read 1984?"
"Um, no."
"What about Pride and Prejudice?"
"No again."
"Well, have you at least read To Kill A Mockingbird?"
"...Well, no."
My new English teacher rolled his eyes before sighing obnoxiously and crossing his arms. "What do they teach you at those schools in LA?"
I knew it was a rhetorical question, but I couldn't help being slightly pissed off as he attempted to publicly humiliate me in front of the class. I could hear the snickering and whispers behind hands, and I wasn't down for that.
"Just the important stuff, you know, calculus, algebra, physics. Would you like me to explain what the formula for vacuum permittivity is?"
I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said the whole class went silent. Mr. Nichols' left eye started twitching, and I genuinely think I saw a flash of fire in his eyes before he took a deep breath and uncrossed his arms.
"Well, Mr. Winters, I won't give you detention seeing as it's your first day, but I'll let you know that if you keep that attitude up you'll be spending a lot of time in room 23C."
I nodded mutely, sinking into my seat as Mr. Nichols sauntered back to the whiteboard and began listing the novels that had been assigned for summer reading in a scrawling print.
"Psst."
I ignored the whisper, staring straight ahead and glaring holes into the back of my devil teacher's suede jacket.
"Psst," the sound came again.
I swung my head to the left, raising an eyebrow at the petite girl sitting there. I took in her dark hair, styled into a short pixie cut, and her small button nose. Oh my god, she was a literal pixie. How cute.
When she realized that she had my attention, she beamed at me, leaning over her desk to keep whispering.
"That was awesome, what you said before," she grinned, her eyes never leaving mine.
An easy grin slid onto my face as I relaxed into my seat, already feeling comfortable with this stranger. "Thanks, it was pretty stupid of me to do that though."
She giggled lightly, flicking a hand in my direction. "No, don't be silly, it was legendary. Anyway, I'm Arden."
"Sam," I responded automatically. I liked this chick.
"Nice to meet you Sam. Have you met anyone else yet?"
Well, since I'd spent my lunchtime wandering around aimlessly, trying to figure out how the hell to get to the cafeteria, the easy answer was no. But, always trying to come across slightly cooler than I actually was, I shrugged one shoulder carelessly, "a few people, but no one I can see myself being friends with, you know?"
She nodded gravely, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her elf-like ears. It was settled. If I were straight, I definitely would've had a thing for her. But, you know, I definitely wasn't.
Our short conversation was interrupted as the final bell for the day resonated through the school. It was an obnoxious ringing that I couldn't see myself ever getting used to.
Immediately the other students began packing up, and were out the door before I had even blinked, leaving only Arden and I in the classroom. Where the hell did Mr. Nichols go?
"Well, Sam," Arden continued as she delicately placed her pencils in a Hello Kitty container, "you're more than welcome to come sit with me tomorrow. My friends are awesome, I promise."
I grinned in relief, infatuated with the thought of not spending another lunchtime roaming the halls of Oak Hill High School alone.
"Sounds good," I breathed honestly.
We left the classroom slowly, taking our time as we found our lockers. I already knew, by this point, that I'd missed my bus. I'd have to kill time for an hour until the next one, but I wasn't willing to ask Arden for a lift home just yet.
Arden looked up at me as we passed a classroom, and a giggle escaped her lips as she pointed an accusing finger at the closed door.
"See that? That's room 23C. AKA, the detention room. Make sure you stay out of there, okay? It's full of stoners and lowlifes," she told me earnestly.
I nodded solemnly, fighting the smile that threatened to appear on my face. "Duly noted."
"Okay," she laughed, "well I gotta go. I have to drive my little sister and her friends home every day and they're brutal if I'm late."
Well, there goes the hope of a lift home, anyway. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow, then?"
"You know it, bye Sam!" she called as she disappeared down the hallway, leaving me alone.
It had only been ten minutes since school ended, but already the corridors were deserted. Knowing that I had an hour to kill, I slid down the wall, landing with a thump on the hard floor and plugging headphones into my ears as I began to blast the 1975. Call me mainstream, I don't care.
You know how when you wake up in the morning and don't want to leave your bed, time passes so quickly? Like, one second it's 6am, and the next it's 7:30am and you've missed your bus? But then when you want time to pass quickly, it goes painfully slow? It felt like I'd been sitting there for hours, but when I glanced at my watch, I grimaced as I realized I'd only been waiting for 20 minutes. The bus wouldn't be here for another 40 minutes.
A door swinging open at the end of the hall gained my attention. I recognized it as 23C, the detention room, and watched with interest as an assortment of students began to filter out. The first girl that came into view was obviously a stoner. Her eyes were still glazed over and as she wandered by me, I caught a whiff of a plant that should probably stay in the ground.
The next guy that emerged closely resembled Marilyn Manson. I averted my gaze as the Goth slumped past me, pushing the front doors loudly and disappearing outside.
The last guy, though, had my breath catching and my face flushing. I tried to avert my gaze like I had for the Goth – oh God, how I tried – but I couldn't bring myself to tear my eyes away from his perfectly sculpted face. He was even better looking in the daylight.
The second he noticed me slouched on the floor, his eyes narrowed. Aw, he remembers me! Wait, shit, he remembers me.
I swallowed harshly as I scrambled to my feet, not worrying about how "gay" I probably looked. I was painfully aware of how pathetic I was coming across, but I couldn't help being intimidated by this guy. Especially since the last time I saw him, I hit on his girlfriend and offended his masculinity.
"Hey," he said eventually, his voice not betraying his emotions at all.
I nodded in acknowledgment, hiking my backpack further up my shoulder as I turned to leave.
"Wait," he interrupted, and I shivered as his hand came down onto my free shoulder. "I'm glad I ran into you."
I hitched an eyebrow up quizzically as I maintained eye contact, "oh?"
"Yeah. My girlfriend made me feel bad about punching you," he admitted, glancing down at the floor shyly. For such a macho bad boy, this kid sure seemed nervous at the moment.
"Thanks," I said, deciding to cut him some slack, "but I should apologize first. What I said was out of line."
He shrugged carelessly, a movement that looked especially relaxed and familiar to him. "All good. You heading off now?"
I opened my mouth to respond, before I closed it again and stood gaping at him. It was such a simple question, what the hell was wrong with me? "I'm waiting for my bus," I said eventually.
He gave a slight nod of his head and looked deep in thought as he ran a hand through his short black hair.
"I could give you a ride home, if you want," he offered quietly, and I simply blinked at him, "you know, to say sorry for knocking you out."
I was conflicted. I mean, on one hand, I really wanted to get home as soon as possible and escape the high school for the afternoon. But on the other hand, was I willing to be in an enclosed space with a guy with obvious anger issues? A sexy angry guy, but an angry guy nonetheless.
The guy was still staring at me, and it was just then I realized that I hadn't yet gotten his name. He was still just a face in a dark nightclub.
"What's your name?" I asked, instead of responding to his offer.
He looked slightly put back, but pulled his lips into a tight smile as he said, "Axel."
"Well, Axel," I sighed, "I'd really appreciate that ride."
\\//\\//
A/N I definitely didn't edit this, whoops. Anyway, please please vote/comment it means a lot :3