Overprotected Me
Chapter 6
PHOTO TO THE RIGHT IS JENNY ANDERSON:) ---------------------->>>
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The first day I met Julius Stark, I barely could control the force pulling me towards him. The tension within his lethal stare, I found out myself; Pain was behind its dark sea green lens. It has been two years now since I've seen him pass by our school's dull hallway. Sometimes, the cafeteria with a monotonous repetition of lunch trays and mindless chatter. Even in classes we share and in every absence he made, I notice them a lot, and I mean a lot. New cut on his sleeve or wrist, I know. I could differentiate what's new from weeks old. The more he hated me unbelievably makes me like him even more, now who finds me retarded? Yeah, I see all of you raising your hands in agreenment.
But whenever that tiny devil exisitng on my left shoulder would tell me that Stark is keeping an arm's length away because I'm creepy, a.k.a. Stalker, all I've ever wanted to do after that was to leave him alone. We've never exchanged words before but he spellbinds my attention specially when he bites his lower lips as a habit.
So this was when I started acting like I hated him or something, but there's that craving in me that draws me back to my old perspective about him. It bothers me frequently but it's better that way. I hate you Julius Stark!
All of these crazy infatuation epilogue? No one knew for it was kept a fat secret. Even my brothers had not a hint or Julius might be sticked and barbecued with Rodeo's Grill Sauce. Kebab for dinner we may say.
Like now, he's trying to avoid me as usual.
Sitting far over the gym's bleachers, he started blowing air into the souvenir floaters with the words 'Green Cobras VS. Wild Hawks' written across them. What the hell of a gym teacher would let someone so well-proportioned inflate dozens of balloons using his very own lungs? Didn't they have any air pumps at all?
I decided something I never thought I would ever have the courage to do; and that was to make a proper conversation with him. But before I strangled my toes up the bleachers, Ms. Baker ruled out a whistle, signaling me to run towards her. Moment breaker.
After stumbling like twice perhaps by simply running across the wide gym, I finally reached her still panting hard as if I held my breath underwater for ten minutes. Oh wait, I think I would be dead if I'd take that long. But I felt like dying anyways so what's the difference.
"Anderson, I want you to stay in the hydration booth. Be sure to fill all the cups so our players can get to drink them with all haste. Now go go go! The game's about to start!" She cheered and ran straight to Coach Jayson, wiping his sweaty face.
I sighed in frustration aware that the booth was right at the other side of the gym and I had to run plus fall a couple of times over again. But tempted by the strong caramelized popcorn cart by the corner, I grabbed a bucket for myself.
The audience cheered as the Green Cobras made their epic entrance. Screaming girls, howling and hooting audiences were cheering for both teams which almost blew my ears off. If I was a normal teenage girl who had the permission to drool over boys then I wonder if I would do the same thing...
"Go James!!!" ladies in cheerleading outfits cheered for my brother, the one and only so awesome team captain.
"Hey James!" I waved but he missed my direction.
"Jenny!" Someone yelled fighting the crowds noise. I saw Skylar running towards me with hands held high in the air for me to spot him.
"Hey there." I waved at him and kept myself busy in filling the red cups with energy drinks. Clumsy as ever, most of the blue liquid streamed straight to the worktop. Every cup were overflowing with gatorade and I would gladly take the blame.
'Go away before you end up having another pair of black eye framed by James.' I said in my mind.
"Need help?" He yanked some cups but I refused to hand them to him.
"Umm, no I'm fine. Here, have some." I hesitated but gave up my caramel babies intead just so I could shut him up.
"Hey Skylar." A very model-like girl waved at him. She was tall, gorgeous, sexy, most of all a cheerleader. He gave her a quick grin and snapped his attention back towards me in an instant. Please, I don't need his attention, why can't he just lay eyes on the hot girl next to us...
After the first game, the players paced towards my station to replenish themselves. They started hauling cups here and there making a wide mess all over the floor.
James was about to reach for a cup but before noticing that I was there, another sizzling hot girl crashed lips with my brother right in front of me can you pepsi-cola believe that? That liar! He said he'd rather not have a girlfriend because it would be unfair in my case!
Seeing the rated X scene, the cafeteria food which was mashed potato badly wanted to escape out my throat. James pulled a cup and gulping the drink down midway, finally after 50 years he noticed his raging sister eyeing the chick wrapped around him. He chocked himself and coughed the drink hard out of his mouth realizing what I just witnessed.
"Jen!? What the-? Why are- I could explain." He said the repetitive line everybody uses when trapped in the scene. God James, that's like the trend way back from the 80's. I'm not naive.
"Oh hi Jenny, you must be James's sister. He talks about you a lot." She flashed a very attention grabbing smile. Wow, she's so gorgeous but hey, it doesn't make me a homo.
"And you must me James's girlfriend, he talks about you like every single second at home. And oh no, no I'm not in any way pissed at all." I sarcastically gave them the widest grinch smile. Lies, lies, lies, when will this habit stop if they keep feeding me with lies as well?!
"What the hell are you doing next to her?" James noticed the creep so close to me with hands itching to box him again.
"Well haven't you heard that he's courting me? Maybe I should..." I smirked at James and wrapped my arms around Skylar. Gross, I am so not doing this arm-to-waist contact ever again.
"Jenny Anderson." James said firmly with the fire-lit eyes I was hoping to expect.
"James Anderson." I mockingly said back, raising an eyebrow.
HOOOONK!
The time-out was up, signaling the players back on track but whatever came up into this lying-tongued-jerk's mind, I didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. James made a time-out sign with his hands, giving up on the game and instantly pulled me out the gym.
"What?! Let go!" I pulled my hand off from his firm grip crossing them over my chest.
"Jen, is something going on between you and that Skylar geek?" He questioned, not minding if he missed the game or left his girl. Even I was the one worried for him.
"Why didn't you tell me about your girl?" I talked like a spoiled brat. I'm sorry but he provoked me!
"Is something going on with you and Skylar?" He stubbornly questioned again. Wow, I can't even remember the last time James was this impatient for an answer before but Angelo and the rest.
"I have nothing to say to you. Hmph! And put your head in the game!" I snobbed at him and made my way back to the gym. So what if he was mad? I was too. "And your girlfriend!"
"Hey." Skylar got in my way stopping me.
"Not now Skylar." I deliberately raised my voice and brushed my hair backwards. Ohh the stress.
"Oh okay. I see you're not in the mood. I... I'll just help out with the um.. The-" he trailed off but as soon as his eyes laid on something that can at least keep him busy. "The souvenir floaters." He shrugged and walked towards my Julius Stark. I would like to believe that I owned him in my hopeless dreams so let me be.
The game quickly ended announcing that the Green Cobras won the game. Their points skyrocketted instantly when James went back on tract causing the the whole gym trembling. I seldomly scrutinize at Stark's direction but I only find Skylar stealing glances at me.
The gym emptied after time and the last ones leaving were the basketball team and their girlfriends heading towards the boy's locker room and filthy shower rooms doing whatever they might think of doing. Julius and I were keeping the equipments back in place and I was more than mad when Ms. Baker told us that the whole entire gigantic gym must be clean as well.
I pulled out a black garbage back from the janitor's closet and started filling it with soda cans and sordid mess. To my disappointment, I couldn't find Stark anywhere around the gym and it maddened me. Instead of mumbling on how unfair Stark was, I dragged the garbage bag out the gym's dump site.
I felt the cold breeze piercing underneath my sleeve which made me shiver instantly. I fiddled to the dark side of the open walls looking for the bins. Graffiti art were vandalized on every corner and there was mere lighting out here. If you were in my place, you can't even tell this place was part of our school. It looked more like the dangerous sidewalks with black cats.
Just as I was about to throw the bags in, I heard chuckles that promptly made my spine shrill. Goosebumps were all over my body like allergies. I snapped my head towards a platoon of bad boys standing two meters away from me. Oh my god, no way.
There were about five of them and one of them caught my attention even if it was too dark to recognize him in person. But I know it was him. Stark was there.
He was right next to them lighting a stick of cigarette who was about to suck upon it in seconds.
I had to stop him before he might possibly be influenced by these disgusting fraternity. Cigarette? So much of a big deal to me than alcohol.
"Wait, stop." I raises my tone ending their deep chuckles. Each one of them was now locking their creepy dark stares into the windows of my pupils, except him. Except Stark.
I walked towards them bravely and even if I knew it wasn't a good idea, I'd rather try. I had second thoughts of backing out but I always lost sense when trapped in my own plans. A pebble nearly cost my stability to break but I managed to balance within the darkness.
"Hey there." A tall and buff athlete with leather jackets and massive tattoos came before me with his team making teasing sounds at the back. Looking behind him, Stark was leaning coldly on a wall eyeing down the cigarette butt locked between his fingers.
"Hey Julius..." I called out and said.
"You know this chick?" The freak smirked getting closer towards me. Oh the disgusting eyes luring for women.
"Back off." I said coldly while he examined my face in a short distance.
"Oh wait a minute, this chick... Everyone knows this baby girl. Hey overprotected porcelain, stranded off from your crib now aren't you?" He laughed his lungs out clutching his stomach, so was his backup friends. I managed to catch a glimpse over towards Stark's direction but he seemed calm, leaning chill now blowing off grey pack of smoke. "Hey bro, the poisonous apple's smuggling with you, dare to say a word?"
"You know her man?" Another overly thin man who was wearing baggy clothing asked.
"No." Stark didn't even have to look at me. He finished a stick to its end within just one long inhalation of the dangerous weed, looking so terrible and problematic.
Did he just say he didn't know me? What the hell?! I thought he knew better than being all scared and terrified of my brothers. I hate this! Damn it not again!
"Leave me alone." I hardly said as the tattooed man cooed me like a baby. I could see his shadow darkening towards me and This time I docked his arms which were about to tower against my shoulders. "I said leave me alone!"
"C'mon, don't be such a b*tch. You're brothers aren't here anyways overprotected chick. Have some fun with us." He mocked with a disgusting perverted face. He then pinned me to the wall and now his bunch of friends were hooting and howling for support. Stark wasn't though, if I was to believe on something then he wasn't.
"Let go! You're hurting me!"
"Let her go." A deep voice commanded right after mine. "That's enough."
James? He's here! "James help me!" I screamed really terrified. Ha! After today, you won't be able to move anymore because my brothers will limp you to pieces! Where in the thick faced bastards have you been living all your life not knowing I was the girl who no one dares to touch!
"Look what he have here." The effing athlete slash rapist finally lets go of me and faced my brother.
I couldn't see him though because the huge guy once again was too tall for me.
"Second thoughts?" The hero's voice sounds so powerful. Whatever they were exchanging, it seems that the perverted lads were terrified of him for some reason.
"We'll be back and there aren't any chances left for you traitor." The team of players left the gym when their leader signaled his head. and to my utmost surprise, my heart stopped when I laid my eyes on my topless James.
But it was no James but my Julius Stark.
Shit I don't get why he had to be shirtless and I couldn't believe I just noticed it now that a beam of light spread across a part of him. His toned abdomen free from scars, perplexed all the way from top to the end. But one thing stood out and it was a huge incision nearly to heal exactly at his right waist. But I don't care, it's just skin. Right? But how did he get that? His cutting was going beyond limits, it was too much.
I know he was dangerous. He was not right for me. He finds me a nuisance getting most out of him because I'm naive; Fine I admit. But I will always find myself fighting for his side and giving out the lamest excuse that he was a good person. I still find him unique and a jack in the box waiting to pop open and scare the crap out of me.
At that moment I hid my extreme embarrassment of staring at him with googly eyes. I tried looking down the floor but even if I knew Stark hated me, I just couldn't feel the same way. It felt so surreal assuring me this wasn't a good dream.
"Thanks." I muttered.
"Don't do that again." He glared at me but something in his eyes pleaded me to literally not do it again. Not be clumsy and blonde enough to get myself in trouble because of him.
He stood up for me today. How in the world can I keep myself from crushing on him hence closing my eyes when he is angered of my lost soul?
"Ahh, shit!" He slammed the fence with so much strength which probably bended a bit. He was very angry, I was terrified.
"I'm... Sorry... I was just trying to help-"
He then eyed me which made me stumble a few steps backward. I wasn't afraid of him because I knew he was someone who terribly needed a person who could understand him.
"Just-" He pinched the bridge of his nose and walked away from me. "-go home."
"Wait!"
"Jenny Listen. Do you have any idea on what shit you're getting yourself into? It's dangerous, do you know what that mean? They aren't the usual people who could be easily convinced by your brothers. They're-"
"What?"
"Forget it."
"What crap are you telling me? Have you ever considered listening to your own words? We'll mind saying that to yourself." I snapped my head and walked away. I started running, and running, so fast I had no idea why.
It hurts but I felt so unreasonable. I don't know him but it just hurts me.