[A/N: Songs for the chapter:
- The Lumineers // Stubborn Love
- Katy Perry // Birthday]
"Happy Birthday Ashley!"
I groaned and heaved the duvet over my eyes, desperately clinging onto the last shreds of my rapidly departing nightmare. Behind my lids, molten gold eyes combusted into a river of red, crushed metal and deformed flesh. Bringing a hand to my throat, I tried to draw air into my lungs but thick, black smoke danced down my airways, making me cough and splutter.
"Darling, you don't wanna be late for your last first day back, do you?"
The voice sounded faraway, so faraway; as if my head was submerged in water. I tried to reach out to it but the sirens were too loud.
They wouldn't stop blaring.
"M-Make it stop, please!" I choked in a broken voice as curling smoke wrapped a hand around my throat and squeezed tightly enough to make me wheeze.
"Ashley?"
The voice didn't match the deep voice that haunted my dreams; it was much softer with a lilting twang that matched my own. A choking gasp racked through my chest, forcing me to bolt up into an upright position and frantically scan my bedroom. A sheen of cold sweat layered my body like slick oil, glistening in the dim, morning light.
"Daddy?" I called out in a helpless whimper, blinking twice as I searched for the source of the soft voice calling out to me.
"Ashley?"
Laced with concern, the new voice was thickened with fear and helplessness. I swallowed a mouthful of smoke-free air and sighed with immense relief as my eyes adjusted to my dimly lit lilac room, meeting a pair of pale blue orbs that watched me cautiously.
"Mom?" I managed in a wavering voice, shaky and breathless in the attempt to breathe too quickly.
She ignored me and strode into my room, her gaze never faltering. When she reached the foot of my bed an uneasy grimace played upon her wide mouth.
"Was it the same nightmare?"
There was no point denying the obvious so I nodded slowly, averting my gaze to my bloodied nails. They were bitten to a stub so the nail was a thin strip that was surrounded by fraying skin. I made a mental note to quit my nervous habit but for now I gnawed on my pinky, hoping that Mom wouldn't interrogate me any further.
"Maybe you should book an appointment with Dr Jillian? You haven't been to therapy since last year and she did tell you to come back if the dreams returned. Should I call her for you?"
I imagined sitting in a boxy room filled with too many flower pots whilst being coaxed to recollect my recurring nightmares and shook my head fiercely at Mom. Thick curls slapped my cheek, grazing my skin before they pooled around my waist like brown paint.
Don't get me wrong, Dr Jillian Anderson was sincere, pleasant and a remarkably good listener; but that was the problem - she was too good at her job and it was unnerving. She knew exactly what questions could push me over the edge and was far too observant for my liking. I didn't like the way she could unravel the hard layers I had around my memories with her warm brown eyes.
I'd had a lot of therapists in the past eight years but she was by far the best and managed to ease my dreams for a short time. But when the guilt worsened, the nightmares followed suit and I couldn't bring myself to let her help me anymore, I just couldn't.
I didn't want to talk about my dreams, I just wanted to forget them.
"No! Don't call her!" I said quickly before slipping on an impassive mask and waving a hand dismissively. "I mean, don't waste her time. This dream was a one off; you know that I haven't had one in almost a month."
My lie hung in the air, heavy and dense like a thick layer of honey, washing over Mom and softening the concern in her eyes.
"Really? You look like you haven't slept in days dear."
I raised my eyebrows, mustering a tired smile.
"Are you calling me ugly Mom?"
She laughed lightly and seated herself beside me making the bed dip. Her smile was bright but it failed to conceal the saddening sorrow in her eyes. Today was a day full of sorrow.
"No sweetheart, of course not but you should take it easy today."
I glanced up at her, pushing away all horrors of my tenth birthday and straightened my posture.
"I am taking it easy," I sighed, heaving myself out of the comfort of my bed as I fixed my twisted pyjamas.
Mom's eyes were glued to my back as I manoeuvred around my room, blindly reaching for my wayfarer, brown rimmed glasses. Today didn't seem worth the effort to put on my contact lenses or to dress up, even if it was my birthday.
"If you don't want to go to school I'm going to visit your father after breakfast, would you like to come?"
"I'll pass Mom. You know, with it being first day of my senior year and all that stuff," I rubbed the sleep away from my eyes, squinted at the pool of sunlight that flooded the carpet and slipped on my glasses. "I paid him a visit yesterday so I'm really not in a rush to see him. I can wait until after school."
Unconvinced, her immaculate blonde eyebrows disappeared behind her ruffled bangs, arched high to match her tight-lipped frown.
"I already emailed your form tutor and Principal Jenkins. He granted you permission to miss your first period. And you already have your timetable printed out so you won't be missing out on much if that's stopping you dear."
It wasn't that I didn't want to go with her but it's just that today of all days, I needed to be alone. Mom's eyes scanned my pained expression before she nodded with understanding and sauntered over to me, planting a gentle kiss onto my temple.
"I know that today, like every birthday, is going to be hard. Hopefully school will be the perfect distraction then."
I exhaled slowly to ease the knot tightening inside my chest and nodded before striding past her to go to the bathroom. Birthdays were supposed to be celebratory but mine was clouded with an eternal abyss of misery better known as grief.
***
Breakfast was in silence; neither Mom nor I felt the need to converse since the anniversary of my father's death was looming over us greater than an incoming tsunami.
I shoved my packed lunch into my backpack and retrieved my bicycle from the garage before waving a swift farewell to Mom, praying that she would hold it together for the day. I didn't want her to pop open a bottle the way she did every year but I guess we all had our own way to deal with grief.
I didn't mind being the only senior at Riverdale High who didn't have a car because they transformed me into a nervous wreck. At least I was over my fear of being inside one, having learnt to accept rides from my friends - but I would never ever sit behind the wheel and drive.
Picking up on my speed, I managed to arrive to school just as the bell rang to signal the end of homeroom. I decided to skip mine since I already had my timetable so I used the spare time to grab a quick coffee at the Starbucks just around the corner; anything to keep me awake after consecutive sleepless nights and terrors.
Students scattered out of classrooms like a colony of ants and before I knew it I was being swept towards my locker by the tide of people milling to their first periods. It took me several seconds to remember the combination to my locker before I managed to pry it open. As I rummaged through the old notebooks I had left prior to the summer vacation, my eyes lingered over the scurry of photos that lined the inside of my locker door and I winced as a jolt of sadness swelled up inside my chest.
Oh Taylor, the voice in my mind whispered longingly.
Blinking repeatedly, I smiled at the blonde haired beauty who grinned at the camera with her arm draped around the shoulder of a shy, golden eyed girl. The cerulean sky reflected it's glory onto the clear blue ocean behind them as they showed off their gigantic sand fort. Grinning at the two flags sticking out of the sand structures, my eyes returned to the beautiful sea-green ones that belonged to Taylor.
She was always the livelier and more outgoing half of our friendship and even though she's been gone for over a year and a half, I still - and always will - deem her as my best, greatest and most phenomenal friend. Just as I was about to delve deeper into the memory of my best friend, a shrill bell made me jolt backwards. Groaning, I glanced at the rushing students who chattered endlessly about their summer vacation. At that moment, I became aware of the tall, lean figure leaning beside my locker watching me with a cocky grin.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Ashley, happy birthday to you!"
I rolled my eyes as my close friend Blake enveloped me into a crushing bear hug.
"Hip hip!"
"Hooray," I drawled sarcastically, struggling to breathe against his rock hard chest.
"Hip hip!"
"Hooray."
"Hip hip!"
"Okay that's enough, let go of me now!" I grunted, squirming in a failed attempt to wriggle out of Blake's lock hold.
He nuzzled his face into my hair which increased my irritation to sky high levels.
"Nope," He popped the 'p' as he held me away at arms length and searched my eyes. "Man you look like hell. Did you have a rough night or what?"
His suggestive smirk made me scowl. We both knew that I didn't date guys, let alone hook up with them for a one-night stand so I just sighed heavily and pulled a crisp new notebook out of my locker before shutting it behind me.
"That good?" He whispered into my ear.
I jerked away from the proximity between us and landed a punch on his arm, not that it had any effect on the soccer player.
"Blake!" I hissed as he raised his hands in a defensive motion and glanced pointedly behind me.
Whirling around, I followed the direction of his bulging, pale green eyes and winced at the hurtling redhead.
"ASHLLEEEEEEYY!"
"No, no, no, noooo-" I wailed as my other friend Mona tackled me - arms and legs wrapping around me like octopus limbs.
A piercing pain shot through my back as we both collided into my locker.
"Happy birthday!" She screeched into my ear making me jerk away as I peeled her arms from my neck.
What was it with this gregarious girl? Even her whispers were extremely loud.
"Mona! That freaking hurt!" I whined, rubbing my back as she shuffled backwards to stand beside Blake.
"Sorry Ash," She apologised in the least apologetic voice and flashed me a wicked grin.
Acknowledging the substantial height difference between my friends, a sly thought popped into my mind. My eyes flickered from Blake, to Mona and then back to Blake before they finally settled back to Mona again. A slow smirk settled on my lips as I glared at her warm, brown eyes.
"Blake?" I kept my gaze focused on her eyes.
She narrowed them at my sudden mood lift.
"Hmm?"
"Is it me or did Mona shrink during her vacation to Peru? I remember her being five foot tall but now I'm pretty sure I have pencils that can stand taller than her."
Blake, playing along, nodded eagerly which earned him a shove from the irritated redhead.
"Mona!" He wailed as the feisty girl's shove sent him careering into the lockers.
Funny how she was a head shorter than me but miraculously had enough strength to make Blake's face contort with pain. He frowned, brushing his black hair to the side so it wasn't falling into his eyes, but seconds later it settled back on his forehead. I held back a bark of laughter as her menacing gaze landed on me.
"You can't touch me," I held my hands up and smiled smugly. "I'm the birthday girl, remember?"
"Fine! But the next joke about my height and you're both gonna lose a ballsack! Got it?" Blake and I nodded solemnly, deliberately avoiding eye contact before we ended up breaking down into guffaws. "Now show me your timetable guys, I'm gonna cry if we don't have Home Economics, English Literature, Calculus, French and Chemistry together."
"Like I even do Chem. You expect too much missus," I laughed, knowing that we wouldn't have that many classes together.
I pulled out the crinkled timetable that I hastily printed out last night whilst they fished out newly printed ones. Doing a three-way swap, I squinted at Mona's timetable and breathed a sigh of relief. We had Home Economics, AP English Lit. and Calculus together which was comforting. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have Mona for English Literature. She was a walking, talking and very, very short replica of Shakespeare.
Blake slapped my back as he let out a loud hoot, earning him the curious stare of a group of lost freshmen girls who ogled him.
"We have AP Physics, Calculus and Home Ec. together Ash!"
Mona's dainty nose wrinkled at the mention of Physics before she beamed at Blake. She pushed her choppy bangs out of her eyes and let out a high pitched squeal before launching herself into his arms. Alarmed, he stumbled back and his face flushed from the exertion of keeping them both upright. The girl sure had issues containing her excitement.
"That means we all have Home Ec. and Calculus together!"
"Good thing we chose Home Ec. as an elective," I muttered, scanning my timetable again.
They both nodded with agreement; that subject was notorious for its simplicity. Last year, the teacher granted his entire class all A's - even the kids who never bothered turning up. Albeit last we'd heard, he'd be sacked for 'failing to meet teaching standards'. Noticing the clumps of bickering juniors that hurried past us, I was in the process of pocketing my timetable, deep in thought, when I caught my friends share a secret glance.
"What are you staring at?" I asked warily as Mona and Blake turned to grin at me as if I had grown another head.
"Oh nothing!" Mona's grin widened as she hooked an arm through mine and dragged me away from my locker.
"You guys are up to something and I know it," I complained as Blake lazily draped an arm around my shoulder and steered us towards our first lesson together: Home Economics.
With about three minutes left till the second bell for first period, I detached myself from my friends to take a quick trip to the bathroom. They were too busy whispering in hushed voices to even notice my sudden departure. The bell rang just as I exited the bathroom so I broke into a run to get to class in time. Panting heavily, I shoved my curls out of my eyes and reluctantly pushed the door open, meeting about two dozen pairs of eyes that made my cheeks heat up.
"Sorry I'm late," I mumbled before walking to the farthest empty desk at the far end of the room, away from the kitchen area that took up about two-thirds of the room.
"Excuse me madam, but would you care to enlighten the class as to why you are five minutes late?"
The irritated tone of the new teacher's voice made me stop short and spin around. I acknowledged a short plump lady, tapping her foot impatiently as she beckoned me back to the front of the classroom. Being the worst liar in the world, I rattled my brain for a good excuse whilst scanning the room until I found Mona mouthing something at me. 'Car' and 'broke' were the only two words I could make out.
Licking my lips nervously, I tore my panicked gaze from Mona's and opened my mouth.
"I don't have a valid reason Miss."
Mona's grumble filled the class whilst the new teacher continued to glare at me.
"No reason?" She snapped, her puffy cheeks flushing with anger. "Well then, you can join me here after school for no reason then!"
I groaned inwardly but nodded silently, ignoring the snickering of the promiscuous, queen bee of Riverdale High: Michelle Harte. I rolled my eyes at Michelle's sneer before casting my eyes over to the desk in the far corner at the back. The desk in front was also vacant but I didn't have time to question anything else when our new teacher clicked her tongue with annoyance.
"Good morning class and welcome to Home Economics. My name is Ms Smith and I will be taking over this department for the foreseeable future. This semester we'll be focusing solely on your cooking skills; in particular cake baking..."
I zoned out as little cheer swept through the class. I just couldn't concentrate on her bland, monotonous voice that beckoned my eyelids to shut. I propped my head onto my palm and just stared at the gleaming, graphite kitchen worktops on the other side of the room. Slowly, my eyelids began to close and the weight of my head was too much for my arms to bear but before I could lay down and pass out on top of my desk, the classroom door swung open. It slammed against the wall once.
The latecomer strode into the classroom slowly, his lazy saunter coming to a halt as his eyes effectively scanned the room. The deafening bicker of the class died instantly allowing an eerie silence to invade the atmosphere. Ms Smith's eyebrows snapped up far enough to join her greying hairline before they shot back down.
The guy simply ignored the gawking pupils and made his way to the only empty desk in the classroom - right in front of me.
"And you are?" Ms Smith's voice sliced through the thick silence as he flopped down into his seat.
I had no idea how she managed to remain intact under his intense glare - I, for one, was ecstatic to only have the view of the back of his blond head. The muscle in his strong jaw jumped.
"Me?"
"Yes you, young man."
"Tyler Miller," His deep voice was as intimidating as his presence making the teacher's shoulders harden and tense.
"Tardiness seems like quite a trend at this school. Arrogant students such as yourself may be used to taking advantage of your previous teachers but if any of you attempt to break my rules again, I'll just put your grade down or fail you, regardless of your hard work." Ms Smith held her head high.
Her eyes slid away from Tyler's and burned a hole through mine. His head turned slightly so that I caught a glimpse of his side profile: tight lipped with a ticking strong jaw.
"I assure you, I'm not taking advantage." His voice was devoid of any emotion, something that everybody had grown accustomed to over the past year and a half.
"I should think not," Ms Smith retorted before returning to her perpetual lecture expressing her expectations from us for the following year.
I spent the rest of the hour doodling inside my notebook, impatiently waiting for her to announce the project for this semester. I was well aware that I could'nt slack in this lesson because it was an easy A that only required effort and the ability to cook - both of which I was perfectly capable of. Occasionally I stole glances at the mess of dishevelled blond hair in front of me. Invading sunlight shot past the cracks in the drawn blinds and lit up a section of Tyler's hair, setting it alight into blinding shades of platinum, straw and gold. Despite the fact that his hair could catch fire any moment from the scalding heat that accompanied the intense sunlight, Tyler's head remained perfectly still on the table; a perfect statue that lay unmoving except for the subtle rise and fall of his chest. How he managed to fall asleep so fast, I'll never be able to figure out.
Eventually, my eyelids began to feel heavy again and I rested my head onto my desk, using my arms to cushion me from the hard, wooden surface. Within moments I was drifting in and out of consciousness, vaguely aware of Ms Smith recitation on how teachers were respected 'back in the day'.
I don't know how long I slept but the increasing echo of clicking heels approaching my table pierced through my sleepy haze. I couldn't summon the energy to force my eyelids open until a sudden crash made me bolt upright. Ms Smith's palm lay on my desk where it had thunderously crashed down, jerking me into wakefulness. Snickers emerged from every corner as I pressed my hands to my face, attempting to conceal my reddening cheeks. A tight scowl was the only response Ms Smith offered me as she handed me several worksheets.
"I've just spent thirty minutes explaining the importance of respect towards your teachers. Do you want to return at lunch to hear it again?"
I shook my head vigorously, the crazy curls from my high ponytail slapping my cheeks in the process.
"I thought so," Ms Smith said smugly. "You're already coming back for an after school detention along with Tyler Miller so please try to stay awake young lady!"
"Yeah, that won't be possible." His deep voice silenced her and I inhaled sharply. I thought he was fast asleep.
"Excuse me?" Ms Smith said incredulously, turning sharply to face him.
Tyler lifted his head from his desk and shot her a disinterested frown like he was wasting his breath talking to the likes of her.
"I said I won't be able to make it to your detention. What are you? Deaf?"
"And why is that?" She folded her arms over her chest as she narrowed her steel-grey eyes at him.
"I'm visiting my sister."
The entire class cast their eyes away with shame and even my cheeks flooded with embarrassment for Ms Smith. Surely the other teachers must have filled her in on the unspoken code? No teacher in this school ever asked Tyler to complete assignments, let alone force him to attend a detention. They just simply failed him in every subject whilst simultaneously flashing him discreet, pitiful smiles.
"I'm pretty sure your sister can wait, she has all the time in the world to see you after your detention young man."
I groaned loudly, desperately wanting to shove a dirty sock down this wretched woman's throat as she prodded her dangerous remarks at Tyler. His calloused knuckles were milk-white as he clenched his fists tightly; glaring at Ms Smith with a deep scowl.
"Is that so? My sister has all the time in the world?"
"Yes now hold that rude tongue from running and be quiet!"
Suddenly Tyler broke out into a bitter laughter, his deep voice bouncing off the thick tension in the room. It didn't ease the apprehension in everybody's eyes; instead it made us all nervous - even Michelle bit her lower lip with unease.
"You're hilarious! Absolutely hilarious!"
He threw on his backpack and stood up, scraping his chair back and slamming it viciously when he tucked it into the table.
"W-What are you doing? The bell hasn't gone young man!"
Tyler stalked off towards the door, chuckling humourlessly under his breath, his sea-green eyes glittering dangerously.
"Me?" He pointed at himself, shaking his head with laughter.
Golden hair fell into his eyes, concealing the thunderous glint to them.
"I'm going to leave this classroom before one of us makes a big mistake."
And with that, he aggressively slammed the door shut behind him making the posters around the classroom shudder from the force as everybody stared at Ms Smith in absolute horror.
***
Tyler never returned to class for the remainder of that lesson, causing Ms Smith to nervously eye the door, absentmindedly casting her gaze to his vacant seat. However, when we had Home Ec. again before lunch - and this time I made sure to arrive to class early - I was surprised to find Tyler sleeping in his usual seat. The rest of the class paid no attention to him as they chattered loudly, waiting for the bell to ring.
I cautiously approached my seat, staring at Tyler's face as he slept; the deep frown that he usually wore no longer possessed his full lips. As I sunk into my seat, the classroom door swung open and Ms Smith stormed in, yelling at the class to shut up as everybody slipped into their seats. Her steel-grey eyes scanned the classroom, falling upon Tyler's sleeping form as I acknowledged her eyebrows furrow slightly. One of the teachers must have informed her about his circumstances after the news of Tyler's exit spread around the school like a wildfire.
I didn't know why it was such big news when he had done far worse to teachers before. Over the past year and a half, he had become a nutjob, doing as he pleases whenever he feels.
"Right class, we've got just under an hour to start brainstorming the origin of the most popular cake recipes and starting from tomorrow we'll begin the practical lessons-" The class cheered and suddenly excited chatter filled the room. "-so I need you to be quiet in order for me to group you into pairs," She paused but the chatter only increased. "Silence Jonah! Michelle spit that gum out of your mouth!"
My gaze drifted towards Michelle's immaculate waist length hair. Feeling slightly envious at how straight it was, I almost jumped out of my skin when she turned around in her seat. Her dark eyes settled on Tyler briefly before they flickered to mine with distaste.
"As I was saying, I will set you an assignment which will count for sixty percent of your final grade. The assignment is to create your own unique cake recipe - a recipe that combines at least three flavours of your choice, for example: chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. And by Christmas, I want you to bake this brand new masterpiece for the entire class to taste - you'll have all six lesson each week to master your cake baking."
I scribbled down the details as Ms Smith listed the minimal requirements and restrictions. Desserts were definitely not my strongest point but hopefully with a dedicated partner and this easy assignment, I was feeling fairly confident.
"I want you all to be creative and to think outside the box. I have deliberately limited your restrictions so you can experiment with any flavour, texture and colour. Remember: presentation is key! All the basic ingredients will be laid out for each pair at the start of every lesson. Do not hesitate to bring in your own ingredients if you wish to do so..."
She continued to explain the project details and handed out more worksheets that briefed us on the project guidelines. I stuffed mine into my bag and nervously waited for her to call out the names of the pairs.
"Dylan Crossway and Michelle Harte."
I glanced around the classroom to see them oblivious to the teacher, obviously ecstatic that they could spend more time making out in this class. It was no secret that they had hooking up on and off for the past year and a half. Some insiders, like myself, knew that they'd been at it even when she was dating Tyler. However I didn't know that until Blake told me recently.
Ms Smith sighed with disgust and continued to read off her list.
"Mona Hastings and Blake Sinclair."
I groaned internally as a little squeal coincided with Blake's relieved sigh.
"Ali Reynolds and Jordan Elliot."
"Jonah McAllister and Simon Harvey."
"Hannah Green and Kaito Jones."
"Jenny Chu and Ellie Ackers."
I tuned out at the rest of the names, pulling a bottle of water out of my bag and drinking it whilst I dwelled in my misery, praying that Ms Smith would pair me with one of the quiet, hardworking souls in this boisterous class. I held the bottle to my lips, feeling the water quench my thirst until I heard my name being called out.
"Ashley Martin and Tyler Miller."
Water spurted from my lips as I slammed the bottle down making more liquid spill onto the desk.
"WHAT?"
Ms Smith ignored my outburst and continued reading out the final names as the bewildered class gawked at me. She had to be kidding me! Tyler Miller hasn't put pen to paper for over a year and a half! How on earth was she expecting him to help me come up with an extraordinary recipe for an assignment that was to determine my final grade? How on earth did she expect me to work with somebody who was a border-line failure?
Tyler was oblivious to the commotion, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. I glanced around the classroom to find almost every eye on me. I furiously pulled my hair out of it's loose ponytail to hide myself from the astounded stares and then sunk lower into my seat, trying to shield my heated cheeks. Whispers filled the classroom - fast.
"She's going to be working with Tyler?"
"That's four whole months!"
"He won't work with her. He hates her guts."
"This should be amusing."
"He used to be so hot-"
"-You blind? He still is!"
"He doesn't talk to anyone, how is that going to work out?"
"I bet he'll cut this class anyway."
"That's not fair! I wanted to be his partner!"
"The dead girl's best friend and brother? How ironic!"
I recognised the last voice to be Michelle's. The sudden urge to punch her so hard that she'd career out of the window filled me - and believe me, the temptation was too hard to ignore - but I just clenched my fists in response. I tuned out their bickering and just prayed that the gates of hell would open up and swallow into their fiery depths. Relief coursed through me as the bell signalled the end of the period but I still couldn't manage to escape Ms Smith's glare as she kept me behind after class.
"Remember how much this assignment is worth Ashley, I expect nothing less than an A from you and Tyler."
I gave her an incredulous expression.
"You expect an A from Tyler Miller?" I spat incredulously, looking at her as if she had just grown two heads. "I'm sorry to point this out to you, but Tyler hasn't scored high than an F since tenth grade! Yeah, sure he used to be smart, academic and the star striker of the school team but right now he's just plain useless. There's no way he's capable of getting anything higher than a fail."
All the frustration and anxiety that had been building up inside me for the past few days suddenly exploded out of my mouth, hot and spitting like a volcanic eruption.
"He has no ambition and probably won't even make it to college! He's just... just... useless in the grand scheme of life!"
Panting heavily, I felt the need to grip my curls and pull hard enough to draw pain. Suppressing a scream, I gnawed on my bottom lip and tried to control my overwhelming frustration. Why did Ms Smith have to drop a bomb like this on me today of all days? I was supposed to be grieving, not worrying about my best friend's dangerous, delinquent twin.
Her only response was a raised eyebrow, enough to make me groan loudly.
"If he's capable of plummeting from an A grade to an F then I think he's perfectly capable of spiralling back up, don't you think?"
Her steel-grey eyes had a strange shine to them as if she was implying something completely different, but I didn't take any notice. I didn't want to take notice of anything she had to say unless the next words out of her mouth were to say that I could pair up with someone else. Anyone else, but Tyler.
Heck, I'd rather work with the slobbering sleazeball Jonah McAllister. At least I didn't have a long, complicated and painful history with him.
"No, I think he's capable of making me fail this class!" I retorted, itching back an eye roll before storming out of her monstrous classroom.
"Then you better work hard to make sure you don't!" She called out as I slammed the door behind me.
Breathing heavily, I leaned against the door and concentrated on pushing my frustration to the far corner of my mind. It was a neat trick that Dr Jillian had taught me along with how to control my breathing to deal with my emotions when they got too much. That was until I turned around and crashed head-first into a rock hard chest.
"Ouch!" I hissed, rubbing my head. "Watch where you're heading asshole!"
I snapped my head up, feeling my bubbling frustration resurface as I glared at the blond guy before me. Realisation hit me like a truck, creating a denting impact as I let out a gasp and staggered backwards.
"Oh no!" I breathed, wide eyed with terror and jittery nerves.
"Oh yes!" Tyler raised his eyebrow at me, eyes oozing with revulsion as he held me at arms length with scowl sour enough to make my stomach turn.
__________________________________________________________________
[A/N: Hey, how did you find this chapter? It was less heavier than the first.
I know it seemed long winded but there's a lot of history and background story I need to drop but I promise you things will get heated in the upcoming chapters ;)
If you see any grammatical errors, feel free to point them out to me. I do my own editing so it's kinda hard sieving through all my silly mistakes. As cliché as this chapter seemed, I promise you that the plot twists will leave you mind-blown but besides that.
See you in four days.
Till next time; vote, comment and fan.
- Kaddy]