I caught the train and made it to school by 8.00 but since school didn't start until 8.25, I just made my way to the library. But not before stopping at the bathroom to put on my blazer and take off my pants and hoodie, which I stuffed into my backpack.
Gravitating towards the crime fiction section, I pulled out a book by James Patterson and sat cross legged on the floor to read. I was sucked into the story right away and was only interrupted when the morning bell rang. I checked the book out before hurrying to my homeroom. I took a deep breath before entering the room. I took my seat at the back of the classroom and pulled out my book. I plugged my iPod in and let the music take away my concentration from the people in my class.
"Here miss." I said when my name was called. The first bell rang and I pulled my earphones out and made my way to Enriched chemistry. Being an honors student, meant that all my classes were advanced placement classes, except math apparently. I slid into an empty lab table while my classmates filtered in chatting with their friends.
A tall, yet plump balding middle aged man strolled into the classroom, his hands full with new textbooks. He pushed his too big for his face glasses up his nose and straightened his tie.
"So enriched chemistry then?" He said. No one answered. I furrowed my eyebrows at him.
"Turn to page five and we'll start on some oxidation reactions." He instructed.
"Sir we don't have the books." One girl told him.
"Why don't you have your book?" age asked sternly.
"Uh... because you have them." She replied calmly. He looked flustered when she gave her answer.
"Yes, yes of course. Here they are, how about you give them out and then we can start the lesson." He replied, stumbling over his words.
I didn't understand how this man became a teacher if he was easily flustered and highly disorganized. I just turned to page five and began reading about alcohols and aldehydes. We were to oxidise alcohols into aldehydes and then finally into carboxylic acids. Seemed fairly easy. I gathered what I needed for the experiment and placed them on my workbench. I worked through the procedure and made the required end products.
Chemistry whizzed by with no interruptions and no breakage of any test tubes. I collected my books and binder before leaving the classroom and my bench clean. I found Jess at my locker with another boy. He was quite tall and had a blonde mop but I couldn't see any more than that since his back was turned to me.
"Who is this?" I asked Jess, though as soon as the words left my mouth I knew. He looked exactly like Jess except a taller, slightly more tanned version of her.
"This is..."
"Hi, I'm Oliver."
"My twin brother." She grinned widely.
"You must be Rori then?" He asked.
"The one and only." I shrugged.
"Jess has told me so much about you." He said, as we walked down the corridor towards the bleachers.
"We've only just met, I can't think of anything she would say to you." I said truthfully.
"I can say, you look more beautiful of person that she makes you out to be." He smirked. I blushed a deep red. I was never good enough to handle my blushes. Once I blushed I couldn't control it.
"You're joking." I muttered looking away.
"If only I were." He grinned.
"Stop flirting with Rori and go hang out with your own friends." Jess demanded punching his bicep.
"Ow! that hurt!" He cried rubbing his arm.
"It was supposed to. Now stop stalling and go."
"You can't tell me what to do." He glared at her.
"I can't do whatever I want to." Jess told him.
"Respect your elders." He shot back.
"Guess what Oliver? I'm older than you. By a full three minutes. Now go away. She doesn't appreciate your lame ass pick up lines." At that I had to chuckle. It was funny to watch them fight.
"Do you think this is funny?" Jess glared at me.
"Not at all." I replied smoothly. Oliver smirked.
"Now leave before I punch you in the face." Jess pushed him.
"I'm going. I'm going, chill woman!" he laughed walking away. "I'll see you around Rori!"
"My brother is the biggest idiot I know. And he's irritating." Jess complained. I laughed at her. Their relationship reminded me a little of my sister and I. Although we loved each other, we fought constantly. And now we were separated by more than a few states. I was closer to my brother but he was older to me by a few years so I hardly saw him once he left school.
"He's not that bad," I reasoned.
"Are you defending that little turd," She gasped.
"Uh no, I'm just saying apart from being a flirt he doesn't seem too bad." I explained.
"Oh wait till you get to know him better and then you'll wish you never heard the name Oliver." She grimaced. We walked to our next lesson as the bell rang. Together we stepped in to the Geography classroom and before anyone could grab the good seats we chose the ones furthest from the front.
"I see you're learning fast." I winked.
"Yes, I have to admit you bring the rebel side out in me." She said.
"This is hardly rebellious." I noted.
"I know, but for the last thirteen years of my schooling years I have taken the front seats." She shrugged.
"You're too keen." I laughed.
"I thought you were supposed to be a nerd with me?" She mock gasped.
"Whatever, keeno." I snorted, rolling my eyes and taking my books out.
"Keeno?" She chuckled.
"Yeah. A keen person? A keeno?"
"You're so weird." She said.
"And you're not?"
"Touché. So you want to finally come to my house today?" She asked.
"I can't. Today is the first day of my new job so I have to be there straight after school." I told her regretfully.
"Oh well, maybe another day." She sighed.
"Definitely." I grinned. We quietened down after the teacher walked in, placing his books on the desk.
"So geography stuff." The teacher began. "Mountains, blah, blah, rivers, blah, blah, countries more blah, blah. Coloring in. That's what you all probably think right? Well this year I'm going to make you all enjoy geography as much as I do." Our teacher continued enthusiastically.
"I'd like to see him try." Felicity snorted from my right.
"When did you get here?" I asked turning to her.
"So observant." She said sarcastically.
"Shh. I notice things." I retorted.
"Yeah like my hot body." Christian smirked from my left.
"What?" I stated stupidly.
"What?" he asked.
"What!"
"What."
"Oh would you look at that you know the word 'what' now move on from that." Felicity smirked.
"Huh?" I said. I felt like I couldn't understand anything anyone was saying.
"Are you stupid?" Christian snorted.
"Apparently." I said wincing.
"What?" It was his turn to ask stupidly.
"Are you stupid?" I said sarcastically.
"Not like you no." He replied.
"So you're a different kind of stupid?" I asked.
"What no? I'm not stupid. Period." He snapped.
"Who says period anymore? Doesn't it remind you of a girl's menstrual cycle?" I asked genuinely curious.
"No. Just shut up." He spat.
"Oh. Someone's on their man period, I mean menstrual cycle. Hey it even has 'men' in it!" I exclaimed at the end.
"You're in such a weird mood." Jess commented.
"I know. I don't even know what I'm saying?" I said confused. "I like Spongebob."
"Are you high?" Christian asked.
"High on life yes." I smirked.
"More like drugs." He scowled.
"I take drugs." I told him.
"Miss Greensmith did you just say you take drugs?" The geography teacher asked frowning at me.
"Yeah, I take Advil." I giggled. Giggled what the hell is wrong with me? The class burst into laughter. Christian even quirked one side of his lips up.
"Sir I think she's sick. I'm going to take her to the nurse." Christian stated.
"I'm not sick." I frowned. Christian ignored me and grabbed my bicep before dragging me out the classroom.
"Sure you're not." He rolled his eyes. "What's wrong with you?" he asked.
"Nothing's wrong with me." I snapped.
"Then what are you acting all weird?"
"I'm not acting weird. You are." I stated.
"How am I acting weird?" he frowned.
"You're talking to me." I crossed my arms and scowled at him.
"And that's weird because?" he scowled back.
"Because you wanted me to stay away from you." I spat back.
"Well I'm sorry if I didn't want you to make a fool of yourself in that classroom." He retorted.
"My back hurts." I complained suddenly as the full force of my issue came back. I sunk to the ground and rolled into a fetal position.
"Uh, are you okay there?" Christian asked awkwardly.
"No. My stomach and my back hurts. I have a craving for chocolate. I want to sleep and I feel like I'm a freaking waterfall." I snapped harshly.
"Uh..." Christian just stood there. "Shall I do anything?"
"Yes go away so I can die from embarrassment." I said.
"Why are you embarrassed?" he asked.
"I basically told you I'm on my period, I thought you'd be running the other way." I said.
"I have a sister remember. I do know what she goes through. And what I go through." He shuddered.
"I hate this. Every single month Mother Nature knocks on your vagina and says hello." I muttered. I heard Christian's deep, sexy laugh.
"Let's get you home." He said.
"Let's not." I replied.
"I think it's best if you go home now it's not like you're going to miss much." He stated. "How about I drop you?"
"Oh look, Christian Jamieson being nice." I said sarcastically.
"I can be nice." He defended.
"Yeah when pigs fly." I snorted.
"Fine if you didn't want a ride all you had to say was no."
"Fine. No." I said.
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Good." He snapped.
"Good." He stormed off leaving me curled up on the floor. I felt myself drifting off in the middle of the school corridors. When I woke up again I felt better and less like a cat with wings, but instead of waking up on the floor I was in a soft, comfy king sized bed.
The pillows were incredibly soft and the comforter was light. I buried my head in the pillow, which smelt of wood and leather. I continued to inhale the sexy smelt and almost laughed at how ridiculous I may have looked. It was intoxicating. I couldn't help but think of the familiarity of this particular smell.
"Are you done sniffing my pillows?" A loud, sarcastic voice sounded. I flinched as I grabbed the pillow and held it in front of me so I could hit whoever had interrupted me. I focused my eyes on the intruder when I found myself looking into the stormy grey eyes of a particular bad boy.
"Christian." I muttered, placing the pillow back into it original position.
"And what were you planning to do with that pillow?" He smirked.
"Kill you. I can already see tomorrow's headlines 'Bad boy murdered in a pillow fight.'" I shot back pulling the comforter away from my body. I shivered slightly from the cold draft but grabbed my jacket which was strewn across the back of his desk chair.
"What am I doing here first of all?" I asked.
"Did you want me to leave you lying on the floor in school?" He asked, smirking again.
"No but you could have just taken me to the nurse." I retorted.
"Uh..." He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "You looked like you needed a proper sleep."
"Are you saying I look horrible?" I raised an eyebrow. I didn't know where all this confidence came from but I was liking it.
"Yeah." He smirked.
"Gee thanks." I retorted. He sat on the bed beside me. I huffed and fell back on to the pillows.
"But I think you look cute too." He whispered beside me. I blushed. Now when I say I blushed I don't mean the pretty shade of pink, no I mean I turn into a tomato. "And your blush is cute." And that ladies and gentlemen made me turn into a blood red tomato.
"I... uh... thanks?" I muttered. I felt Christian move closer to me and the heat radiation from his skin reached mine. I scrunched my eyes up and froze as his arm touched mine. My entire body was tense but I jumped off the bed like it was on fire. Shakily I brushed my hand through my hair and took a seat on the swivel chair. I was afraid to see Christian's face so I pretended I was interested in the non existent dust on the floor.
"What was that?" Christian asked.
"Uh... nothing. I'm sorry. Forget that ever happened."
"No tell me." I looked up at him. He had angry look on his face.
"I can't." I said helplessly, tears forming in my eyes. I rushed to his ensuite and locked myself in. I sunk to the floor and clutched my knees. I rarely panicked at touch anymore but after last night's dream I was on edge. Tears slowly fell down my face.
"Princess? Open the door." Christian banged his fist. "I need to know if you're okay. Talk to me." He continued urging me to come out. It wasn't until twenty minutes or so after he gave did I come out.
"I'm sorry." I mumbled, walking up to him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed deep in thought. I sat down beside him allowing my thigh to touch his. "I don't usually freak out."
"That doesn't explain why though." He said looking at me.
"Maybe one day I'll be able to tell you." I said.
"I hope it's sooner than later." He muttered, probably thinking I couldn't hear him. I gave him a small smile. Despite his character I couldn't help but feel that I would be safe with him.
I looked at the large wall clock and gasped. "Oh shit." My shoes were neatly placed at the foot of his bed and I tugged them on as I stumbled towards the stairs. I almost tripped and fell down the stair if it wasn't for the secure arm around my waist that pulled me back.
"Careful. Wouldn't want to have to clean your brains off the floor if you fell." Christian said, his face contorted into his usual scowl.
"Yeah thanks." I muttered before pushing his arm away and scurrying down the stairs.
"Why are you in such a hurry? School is finished now." Christian called as he hurried down the stairs after me.
"I don't want to be murdered in your room." I shouted back.
"I'm not going to kill you!" He shouted down the stairs.
"I'm not convinced you're telling the truth." I shot back as I slammed the front door. My shirt was wrinkled and my hair was disheveled, but nothing I couldn't fix as I rush to catch the subway to Rosa's. I managed to make it there by four, my designated shift. I dumped my bag in the back office and tied my unruly curls into a messy ponytail.
"Ah mi chica!" Rosa exclaimed, giving me a tight hug. I laughed. She handed me a black and white striped apron with a handwritten name tag. I slipped it on as she began to instruct me on how to use the cashier and the prices of the items on the menu. My first task, however, was to wipe down the empty tables and collect the dirty mugs and plates. It wasn't too hard, since most of the tables were empty and fairly clean. Once it reached four thirty though, the work rush began to start trickling in. Soon I was called to help taking orders to those taking seats.
"Hi, what would you like?" I asked in my sweetest voice. I scribbled down the customer's orders and took them to Rosa who made the coffees. Her nephew, Enrique, was in the kitchen washing up and another waitress Maria was behind the cashier. It was pretty hectic but it kept me distracted and I needed the money. I would happily scrub people's toilets if it meant there was a steady flow of money I could live off. By the end of the rush I was knackered and my cheeks hurt from the fake smiles.
I sunk into a booth as the last of the evening rush left. "Tired?" Rosa asked smirking.
"Yes, but surprisingly I'm still quite energized. To think you do this everyday is amazing!" I gushed.
"So when are the days you want to work here?" She asked me.
"You're letting me choose?" I cried.
"Si. Coordinate with Enrique and come back to me with your decision." She smiled widely. I allowed a grin to slip on to my face. I nodded and went to find Enrique. He was a hot twenty something Spanish guy, with amazing biceps and deep chocolate eyes which has probably broken many hearts.
"Hey Enrique!" I chirped, jumping on to the cooking table that he had just cleaned down. Even though I had only been here a few hours, I learned that Enrique was a talented chef and excelled in the art of patisserie. For you and me, it means the art of baking.
"Hola Rori! How was your first shift?" He asked.
"It was great!" I cried truthfully.
"You're our first employer who has liked it after the first day." He chuckled. It was a beautiful sound and I could listen to him laugh all day.
"Beggars can't be choosers." I stated. "Anyways any leftover cake?" I asked.
"I have a few slices of pineapple cake that hasn't sold much today. I guess I could give you a slice." He winked handing me tiniest slice I had ever seen.
"Are you kidding me?" I exclaimed, nudging his shoulder. He chuckled again and added another slice to my plate. I dug into the drawer and pulled out a fork, which I used to eat the melt in the mouth cake. I had to suppress a moan because it was so good.
"Am I in heaven because this is what I imagine food in heaven to be like." I moaned.
"Glad you liked it." He smirked. "The cakes are what people come to the cafe for."
"I can't imagine why." I said sarcastically as I took another mouthful. I was full on stuffing my face when Rosa walked into the kitchen.
"Rori! Get to work chica." She told me sternly throwing me a rag. I caught it easily, despite my lack of hand-eye coordination. I laughed, almost choking on the crumbs of cake left in my mouth.
"Si señora." I smirked before brushing past her. "Oh and I can work every day of the week, including weekends." I shouted from the front. I cleaned the tables, waited on a few remaining people sliding into a booth myself. I took out my books and began working on the sheet of chemistry equations. Since it was the beginning of the year teachers hadn't started piling on assignments but I knew this time next week I'd be struggling to juggle work and homework.
As I was working on geography assignment I saw Rosa slide a hot chocolate in front of me, along with a panini and a slice of Enrique's heavenly lemon drizzle.
"Gracias Rosa. I really appreciate that." I smiled at her.
"What is your story chica?" She asked, concerned. Her eyebrows very furrowed only slightly and her lips were tilted just down. I froze. My eyes widened and my mouth began dry. Shakily I took a sip of the delicious hot chocolate before opening my mouth again.
"It's complicated." I finally settled for. I wasn't ready to share my story. Not yet.
"Whenever you're ready chica." She smiled widely, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. I nodded, blinking away the tears forming in my eyes.
It was around nine when I had completed my homework and Rosa was just beginning to leave. Since her café ran almost 24 hours a day another waitress was coming in for her 9pm-2am shift. I stretched my arms and legs, yawned widely before shucking on my hoodie.
"Buenos noches Enrique. Buenos noches Rosa!" I shouted.
"Buenos noches Rori!" They replied together coming out of the kitchen. Before I could leave, though, Rosa pulled me into a bone crushing hug successfully cutting off my oxygen supply. Enrique thankfully noticed my now red complexion as he pulled his aunt away from me. He then took his turn in crushing me to death. My arms flapped uselessly to the side as I tried to wiggle my way out his grasp.
"Enrique. If... you... want me to... come tomorrow... you need... to let go." I gasped. He chuckled loudly before releasing his hold. He ruffled my hair and smirked. I glared at him before leaving.
There was a small supermarket which had all the essential food items I'd need for the week. I picked up a basket and quickly placed eggs, milk, bread, butter, cucumber and tomatoes in. I added another box of granola bars and a pack of apples too. The total amounted to $10.56, which I paid in exact amount. I was running out of change so I'd needed to break a twenty soon.
I scurried home, my arms full of groceries that were needed to make my apartment a home. I still needed clothes so I decided to visit the nearest thrift shop on the weekend. I dumped the contents of the papers bags in the fridge, with the exception of the bread and granola bar, before stripping out of my uniform and into my pyjamas. I was too worn to think about a shower anyways.
I climbed into my cold bed and whispered goodnight to my family before falling asleep.