Stars Dance
Chapter 8
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Zayn's Point of View
SHE DIDN'T HAVE to say anything, just laying next to her was enough for me, we lied side by side in my bed. In whatever way we could. It was small but we managed either way. She gave me a small smile. She didn't have to tell me anything about the events that happened earlier, she didn't like that I had kiss Jackie and had her all over me. The way her eyes just fell in disappointment when she noticed me with Jackie. It was immediately dislike towards Jackie, she didn't have to say it. She won't ever admit it, but she didn't need to. I knew.
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However I couldn't respond the same way, I was jealous of that guy that had talked to Selena that day in lecture for our literature class. I wasn't good at hiding my emotions whatsoever, so I don't know what I could be capable of if I had gone as far to let my emotions get the best of me. I went out of my path to push anyone that stood out of my way, to get what I wanted. Compared to last semester I am much more calmer, and I've learned to control myself but meeting Selena she had awaken these feelings and I don't know how much longer I was able to contain myself around her or anyone that stood in my way to get to her, like that guy in in literature class.
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"We can't keep doing this to each other." I begin. "How are we suppose to work together if we continue to argue all the time?" I say.
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"I just wish, we could talk about different things when we we're together." She admits. "I need to get to know you, not only for this project but as friends." Selena adds. "I want to know you, but you just give me a brick wall and I don't know how to work around that, because you don't let me." She says.
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"Selena." I sigh. "I've had a complicated life, I've hurt a lot of people along the way and my family upbringing wasn't all that great either. I didn't like talking about it because I wish to forget." I confess. "I'll tell you things when the times are right." I tell her.
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She smiles. "Alright."
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"And you know I we both can't just be friends." I remind her. "Everything that's happened between us this week, it's physically impossible." I say scooting closer to her.
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"This is what I'm talking about." She pushes me away and stands up scooting herself off of my bed. "There isn't a second that we can spend together that you cant seem to talk about me and my body and want you want us to be." She exclaims, dressing herself in the dress that pooled the floor. "I said no Zayn, understand that."
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"You have no problem telling me no, but that won't be the answer for Adam will it?" I bring that son of a bitch up in the conversation.
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"Are you insane? What does he even have to do with all of this?" She exclaims.
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"Oh its obvious, you two really hit it off that day in lecture, I saw both of you. Just look at yourself and then look at who he is, you're both made for one another!" I exclaim.
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She scoffs. "I barley even know him." She says. "You sound ridiculous."
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"You'll remember me when he takes things one step further and you don't do anything to stop him." I argue. "What is Selena? Is it my tattoos? Is it who I am? Is it all the shit you've heard about me?" I exclaim. "Is it because I'm not clean and cut for you to take home to meet your parents?"
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She nods her head sideways not believing the words that leave my mouth. "I'm leaving." She says tossing my T-shirt onto my bed as we walks out of the door and slightly slamming it behind her, leaving me to my own thoughts in the darkness of my room
***
Selena's Point of View
I walked down the hallway and the frat party was still going on in full force. I noticed Jackie who was standing against the wall talking to someone, and she caught notice of me through the rim of her red cup. She pushed past me and made her way down the hallway, I'm sure to find Zayn.
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"Hey Selena." It was Levi. "Everything alright?" He questioned.
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I sigh following a smile. "I'm just tired...could you do me a favor?" I ask.
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"Shoot." He says. "Sure what is it?" He says.
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"Is it too much to ask for you to drive me back to my dorm?" I smile.
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"It's no problem." He says. "Sure." He smiles.
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"Thank you so much." I say as we walk out of the frat house and he leads us towards his car.
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He unlocks the door and I step inside, closing it behind me and running to the other side, stepping into the drivers seat and turning on the engine to drive me off to my dorm.
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"You seemed bummed out." He notices me as I lean against the window. "Care to share?" He says.
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"It's Zayn." I admit. "I honestly don't know how you, Jake, and Chris deal with him all the time." I sigh.
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"He can be a handful sometimes." Levi says.
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"Sometimes?" I raise my eyebrows at him.
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He notices and chuckles. "At times." He says. "But he doesn't always means wrong."
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"I've only known him for a week." I say. "He's already-...do you know why he's like this?" I question. "So emotionless, so cold, so possessive so-..." I explain with hand gestures.
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"Zayn is over the top I admit." He says. "But truly he doesn't know how to express how he feels well." Levi says. "He has a sharp tongue, and is quick witted, if you thought everything you've seen in a week is Zayn at his worst, you haven't seen him when he's pissed off. He is another person." He admits.
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"What do you mean?" I questioned, if I couldn't find out through Zayn himself, I could sees the opportunity through his friend here. "If it wasn't for me, the other day he would have punched this guy in the face. I managed but I don't know what would have happened if I didn't."
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"He gets impulsive when he's angry, his eyes turn a darker shade of hazel. He is destructive and takes anything out of his path if he needs too." Levi explained, and I couldn't believe what he was telling me, when I was with Zayn he was anything but.
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"Has be ever fought with any of you guys?" I question.
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"He has actually." Levi confesses. "I've gotten a few blows for him, in the past." He chuckles. "We made up as mates afterwards." He said.
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"And you both are still good friends?" I questioned.
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"Very good and very close." He says.
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"Was he always like this?" I question further.
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"Listen Selena I have probably already said too much about his life, and if he found out I told you, I don't know how he'd react." He says. "But I trust you that you won't tell him anything." He glances over at me before focusing his attention back to the road. I nod my head. "Well...He wasn't always like this. At one point he did have ambitions and dreams but things in him changed, and he wasn't the same again. That's why he's the way he is now." Levi confesses. "Everything he's ever wanted had been taken from him, and he's possessive because he doesn't want to ever feel that way again, even if it means getting want he once lost through other people."
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"What happened in his past?" I question further.
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"I don't think I should be telling you this.." He trails off.
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"Levi please, I promise I won't tell him anything." I make a promise. "You have my word." I smile.
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"Fine." He sighs. "He's lived a complicated life, it wasn't always rainbows and flowers. He's hurt people in his past and done fucked up shit as well." Levi says. "He's hurt a lot of people, and people have hurt him as well, especially her. Which is why doesn't anyone that he doesn't trust easily."
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"How do you know about all of this?" I question.
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"Zayn, Jackie and I grew up together in Bradford, with Zayn and I being in the same grade. Jackie being a bit older than us. If it is anyone that Zayn puts his sole trust in, it would be me and Jackie." He mentions that Jackie girl once again. "But confides in Jackie the most, those two are connected at the hip." He says.
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"Do they have a thing going on?" I can't help but question.
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"Zayn and Jackie always have a thing going on." He chuckles.
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His car comes to a complete stop and I realize that we are in front of the sorority house. He steps out and opens the car door for me. I step out and he walks me towards the glass doors of the sorority house. "Thank you so much Levi." I smile.
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"You're welcome, and between you and I, you're a pretty cool girl and you have a friend in me anytime." He says. "Here's my number if you ever need anything." He hands me a piece of paper.
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"It was nice meeting you." I say with a smile. "See you around." I wave.
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"Have a goodnight Selena." He says before he walks off back to his car, and I walk inside the sorority house.
***
Zayn's Point of View
After Selena had stormed out of my dorm room, Jackie walking in minutes later. She closed the door behind her and went and sat down next to me. "So what happened?" She questioned. "She looked pretty pissed off walking out of the frat, and she gave such a look that if stare downs could kill. I would be fucking dead." Jackie says.
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"She's just pied off cause she saw us kissing on the couch earlier." I sigh lying down on my bed, Jackie followed laying next to me onto top of my chest. "She's just jealous, it was written all over her face." I say carelessly.
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"Prom queen has no fucking idea." Jackie says. "You like her don't you?" She questions.
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"I don't know what Lu-...she's told her about me but she better fuck off." I refrain myself from saying another word regarding her. "She's making fucking difficult for Selena and to really hit it off." I tell Jackie. "Like leave me alone!" I exclaim in anger.
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"I'll go over there and pop that bitch in the mouth, I will. You know that." Jackie defends.
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"She's not even worth our fucking attention." I sigh.
The door opened and Levi walked in, when he saw Jackie laying on top on me he stopped on his tracks. "Uh...should I leave? You two seem to-..." He pointed at Zayn and I.
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Jackie chuckles, sitting up on my bed. "I wish I could say, but I have this class field trip early in the fucking morning that I have to go to. So I can't." She glances over at me then to Levi.
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"Have fun." Levi said in relief as he plopped himself on his bed across the room.
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Jackie stood up from my bed and fixed her dress, pressing her lips onto my cheek and patting on Levi's leg. "See you two whenever I can." With that she walked off out of our room. '"Stay out of trouble you two." She said before walking out the door closing it behind her.
***
After Jackie left, I sat there in silence against the wall. While I noticed Levi had already passed out and was probably on his tenth dream. I looked over at the desk in between both of our beds where my notebook sat. I reached for it and the pen, taking it and re-reading the introduction paragraph about Selena. I turned to the next clean page and began writing:
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In the time of writing this, it has already been a week since knowing Selena. I can only write about the surface level things that I see in in her from what she's revealed to me about her and what I see in her exterior from what I have noticed about her. Selena wasn't easily driven on persuasion and peer pressure and she stood her ground when she meant something. I would know that now in these past few days. Determination, is what she felt when she needed to get things done. I haven ever met anyone in my life as determined as her. Compared to myself, she and I are nothing alike, polar opposites in fact. We found ourselves arguing about things all the time, but I guess that is the point of this assignment to find out more about the person you are assigned to work with. For once in my life, I didn't want this project to end because I knew there was nothing we could ever talk about that would help us continue to see each other, at least not at the level that his project has. I have to see her everyday for this project to work, but I know it will all stop afterwards.
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It was a pretty long paragraph, I closed the notebook and I tossed it back onto the desk as the light snores of Levi consumed me and I passed out for the night.
***
Selena's Point of View
I walked into my dorm room and it was empty, Lucy hadn't been back yet. I immediately took off the heels that were killing my feet and took off the dress that now pooled my feet. I grabbed one of my T-shirts and tossed it over my head. I used makeup removed wipes to get rid of the makeup all over my face before I tossed the wipe in the trash can and lied in bed. I noticed the notebook on my nightstand, and it called my name. I reached for it with the pen and turned to the next clean page before I began writing:
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Zayn was such a complex person, filled with secrets, darkness and mystery. Every time I tried to have conversation with him he would put up this shield to protect himself for whatever I tried to ask. You can never tell what he's thinking but he can read you from inside and out. He's done it many times and every time I've denied it. However, every time he was correct on what I was thinking. I didn't understand him some times, and we disagreed almost about everything. This project his suppose to work cohesively but when he and I come together to work on this paper, we end up arguing. Zayn wasn't like anything from what people have said about him around his campus, well at least when he was with me. I couldn't decipher him he was a puzzle piece in himself.
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I re-read the paragraph before my eyes grew heavy and I had passed out.
***
It was already the second week of classes, Monday morning to be exact. I hurried to class with a coffee up in my grasp and tried to arrive before everyone else so I could get a good seat in the lecture hall. Sometimes when you arrived late, there was limited seats available and all the way in the back, where I couldn't see. I sat down among the first few rows, and pulled out the materials for the class while I sipped into my coffee. Waiting for lecture to start, I had missed last week because of Zayn and I needed to catch up.
***
Zayn's Point of View
I woke up and took a quick shower before heading to the lecture hall, last week I had missed because of my father. I walked through the double doors of the building and pushed walked through the hallway of college students that filled the college campus. I made it lecture hall, where it began to look slightly crowded as lecture was nearing to begin.
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I spotted Selena sitting there, and just as I was just about to approach, I noticed that son of a bitch from last week sat right next to her. He turned to his side to talk to her with a smile and she said hi and smiled back. My jaw clenched in anger, but I took a deep breath and I stepped in, noticing a seat that was open next to Selena on the other side of her I went and walked over and sat down. Selena didn't bother to turn her attention towards me and continued talking to the other guy on the other side of her. I tapped my pen on the wooden desk, but who's attention I did catch was his.
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"I missed last week, but let's hope I didn't miss much." I heard him tell Selena.
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"Yeah, I missed too so let's hope." She says.
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The professor had walked in and Selena turned her attention forward. I know she noticed me but she didn't want to talk, that honestly bothered me. "Alright, we're working on a group project in class, please continue amongst yourselves." Professor McKinley said and sat down in the chair as he typed away on his laptop. "Oh..Malik, Gomez and McNamara." He called for our attention. "Since you three missed last week, talk among yourselves about partners and get back with me."
***
Selena's Point of View
After the professor had announced his directions, I didn't even get a chance to settle with myself before both Zayn and Adam turned their attention towards me. Zayn leaned against me. "You're going to be my partner and that's final." He said.
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"Selena would you like to be my partner?" Adam called for my attention with a smile on my face.
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"What makes you fucking think she's going to pick you?" Zayn leaned over to talk Adam with mock in his tone and smug smile on his face.
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"Unlike you, I'm not forcing her to be my partner, I'm asking her if she would like." Adam fired back. "You suck at whispering." He adds.
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"Forced or not, none of it matters." Zayn said. "Letting her choose doesn't mean she wont be mine in the end." Zayn said with assurance in his tone and my eyes widen at choice of words, I know he meant something else.
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"You already have her as a partner for another project in for this class." Adam said. "Maybe she'd like to work with someone else for a change." He fired back.
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"She wont be working with anyone else, because she's working with me." Zayn take my hand in his.
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"Why don't you let her speak for herself? Seeing the way you treat her I doubt she'd ever choose to work with you again." Adam fired back.
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"You don't know shit about our relationship, so fuck off." Zayn defended.
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"But you told me you weren't dating him Selena?" Adam turned in my direction with a confused look.
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"And you give a fuck why? It is none of your business." Zayn said something before I could speak up.
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I couldn't believe he was acting like this after the events of Friday night, how dare he even try to do anything regarding the topic of conversation when it was clear he and Jackie had something going on between the two to of them.
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"Let her talk!" Adam began to grow upset. "You're nobody to be talking for her!" He added.
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"Who the fuck are you to be talking to me like that? Do you know the fuck I am? Watch your fucking mouth with me." Zayn began to grow angry as well his jaw clenched and if it wasn't that I held onto his hand tightly, he would have probably punched Adam straight in the jaw.
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"From all the things I've heard around campus, you're not a good person Zayn." Adam fired back. "Everyone around here may be afraid to come face to face with you but I'm not. I don't care about what you can do, you don't intimidate me." Adam voice became serious.
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"Alright, stop it." I said in a hushed whispered. "Zayn stop it-...both of you stop it." I exclaimed.
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"He's not going to take you from me Selena." Zayn spoke to me with such darkness in his eyes, but I knew he meant it in another way. Levi was right, about everything he said about Zayn last night. "You're going to be my partner, isn't that right?" He said with a smirk in his tone.
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"I can choose whoever I want, you don't run my life Zayn and you especially don't own me." I defended and maybe he'd get the point once and for all.
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"Really?" He chuckled. "Because you and I know something nobody else knows." He threatens. "Everyone knows me Selena, everyone listens to me, I open my mouth and it is over for you." He says. "You don't want me to do that, I know you don't." He says.
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"I have had it!" I exclaim in whisper. "You hold this over my head, ever since I told you. I am sick and tired, go on tell everyone!" I encourage. "I don't care, and I cant be the only one."
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His eyes slightly widen at my response. "One last time, Selena." He says. "You choose him and I tell everyone." He threatens.
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"Malik, Gomez, McNamara!" Professor McKinley interrupts. "What have you come up with?" He says.
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"Think about this." He whispers.
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I couldn't risk it, I couldn't bare the mocking and laughing and the teasing. I wouldn't hear the end of it ever. Zayn said something and did the exact opposite. Levi was right everything he said about Zayn added up, it was all coming together. He took everything out of his path even if it meant hurting others and didn't care. Not even if it meant me.
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"I need an answer now, so I can give you the assignment." Professor McKinley held the paper in his hand.
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"I'll work with Zayn, Professor." I spoke up not really anything else afterwards. Zayn had won.
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