My hopes of a good week proved both fleeting and wishful. In fact, they were obliterated just fifteen minutes later.
Harrison's voice was the first thing I heard when I walked into English after lunch detention that day.
"I don't know, Dooley. Sometimes the quiet ones are the wildest."
My fists clenched automatically, digging my nails into my palms. From that one sentence, I knew exactly what they were talking about, and I felt sick to my stomach.
Cameron leaned forward in his chair to clap Harrison on the shoulder like he'd just won the lottery rather than made a disgusting joke. Cameron Dooley was one of those assholes who couldn't very well think for himself. He was alright when it came to school, and he loved his girlfriend, Noelle Dirckens, like she was a fucking angel – in reality, she was clingy and self-conscious and psychotic – and he could really give a shit about stuff when he wanted to. But the second you threw him in with his friends, he turned into a jackass and a kiss-up who would agree with anything anyone said. He was actually a lot like his girlfriend, in that sense. He was so worried about losing his popularity that he would do anything to appease someone like Harrison. I didn't really like the guy too much.
"What's all the hype?"
Cameron's eyes had drifted up then with a look of fear when he saw me. That was his caring side, I guess, but it was immediately replaced with his asshole side. Harrison, on the contrary, never faltered. He only had one side.
"We missed you at lunch today, Dash," Harrison said as he turned to look up at me with that falsely innocent grin of his. "It's been a while since you've had lunch detention. What...three months or four?"
"Let me think," I said sarcastically. "Your bruise finally faded two weeks into November, so I'd say it's coming on four months now."
"Would that also mean it's been four months since you last got laid?"
The audience howled. I, however, fumed. Thankfully, Harrison and Cameron were the only ones who knew it wasn't just a joke, and the others thought it was harmless insulting between friends. That was the thing about Harrison. He never went around spilling secrets to everyone. No, he carefully formulated these sadistic plots to get someone to spill their secrets on their own. Then he sat back and watched the person fall apart. I wasn't Harrison's first victim, unfortunately.
I had to laugh it off. If I didn't, it would be too suspicious, and people might try to look into it further. Harrison and the others who were in on it had been watching me closely, so I had to remain alert.
"So," I started again, taking my seat beside Harrison, "what's all the hype?"
"Harrison's got a new girl," Cameron filled me in. "But he won't tell us who she is."
"Is that so?" I questioned with a sharp edge to my voice that I hoped wasn't too obvious.
"You know me, Dash," Harrison replied. "I don't like to discuss private matters."
"Oh, I know," I agreed. "But she must be pretty special since you're not even telling us her name."
I was beginning to feel nauseous thinking about Harrison and Juliet together. I didn't even want to picture them in the same room let alone in a relationship. I knew he was full of shit and just doing it to torture me, but the idea of him corrupting her and using her killed me, especially because it would be my fault. Seven months ago, she had no idea what befriending me would entail. If she had known, she would have turned and run when she got the chance.
"Actually, the opposite," Harrison said, baffling both me and Cameron, who was still listening in on the conversation. Harrison was sitting there grinning maliciously, watching my reaction with immense pleasure.
"What do you mean?" I questioned.
"I'm not going after her because I like her," he explained, his dark grey eyes ravenous for vengeance. "I'm bored, Dash. I need some entertainment."
"What do you mean," I demanded this time, sharpening my gaze in an attempt to intimidate him. Unfortunately, Harrison wasn't one to be intimidated.
Instead, he merely chuckled. "You know me, Dash," he repeated, sounding almost playful. "I like games, challenges," he paused, planning his next word carefully. "Competitions."
"So, she's a conquest," I deduced. "You're going to seduce her, then dump and humiliate her."
I'd seen him do it before. It was last year, and he had proposed the idea exactly how he had now: "I'm bored, Dash." Even then, when I was much less swayed by morality, I was pretty disgusted. Her name was Elisa Alves. She was a cute, shy girl in our Econ class – very intelligent, but timid and anxious. But that didn't matter to Harrison. He was bored.
Harrison's smirk widened. "I couldn't have said it better myself."
"But who is she?" Cameron asked eagerly, reminding us that he was still there.
"You'll find out soon enough."
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She won't believe you. Why would she? She hates you. She'll never trust you again.
I stood at my locker, watching the fair girl in the pale blue sweater as she packed her backpack to go home later that day.
I wanted so badly to tell her what Harrison had said. At the same time, I wanted to trust that she would realize his intentions and stay the hell away from him, because she was smart and careful. But she was so generous and open-minded and understanding. She could always see the best in people. But she knew what a bad guy he was, right?
I still remember what she said to me the day we were sitting outside the principal's office after I punched him: "I'm sure it was just another jerky comment he made. He's not really a bad person. I guess I just don't understand how such a nice person like you would be friends with someone like him."
But it wasn't too reassuring. Back then, she still thought I was a good guy. Compared to me, Harrison must look like a god to her now. No matter what she thought of him, maybe she was just using him to get back at me.
Or maybe she was testing me. Maybe she already knew what Harrison was planning, and she was waiting to see if I would do something. This could be it. This could help me win her back.
Clenching my fists tightly, I pushed up from my locker and strode across the hall to Juliet's locker. She was just about to zip up her backpack and leave when I got to her.
"Juliet," I said with much more confidence than I had in months. She, too, seemed surprised.
"Yes?"
I was the surprised one now. I didn't expect her to reply so patiently, and I was slightly taken aback. Suddenly, that confidence from seconds before was nowhere to be found.
"Oh, uh, ahem," I cleared my throat, urging myself to get my act together. "I, uh, well. You were talking to Harrison yesterday."
"Yes, I was," she stated, closing her locker and turning to face me.
"Well, it kind of upset me," I went on, uncertain where I was going.
"I noticed," Juliet replied. Under different circumstances, that comment might have been a joke, and I might have laughed, and she might have smiled at me.
"Yeah."
"What's your point, Dash?" Juliet asked, now sounding impatient and uncomfortable. A strand of dark hair slipped out in front of her face, and I wanted nothing more than to tuck it back behind her ear.
I found myself at a loss for words as she finally looked up and met my gaze. Her eyes were so round, clear, and innocent. I wished I could see them smile again.
"I have to go," she told me softly after nearly a minute of silence went by. I was too lost and regretful to speak.
"Yeah," was all I could bring myself to say.
Slowly, Juliet turned around and disappeared down the hall.
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"Dash, honey," my mom's voice called, accompanied by the sound of slippers scooting across the floor. "Dash, this is ridiculous. What more can you possibly need to do?" Her hand wrapped around my shoulder, but I didn't look up.
The project was laid out in front of me, the heels of my hands were pressed to my forehead, and my fingers were buried in my hair. It was 12:55 a.m. on Thursday.
"Dash," she murmured again. "The poster looks great."
I nodded wordlessly, too exhausted to protest. It was the third day in a row I'd stayed up that late to work on the poster. I could stay up all night just fine on the weekend or over the summer when I could sleep in the next morning, but after eight hours at school, all I wanted was to sleep.
"You did a good job," she went on, guiding me up to my feet and rubbing my back in circles. My mom wasn't always so motherly, but sometimes, I really appreciated it.
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I walked into school Friday morning with my head held high. I might have been completely drained if not for the three cups of coffee my mom had prepared for me behind my father's back. Percy Mayer didn't believe in coffee. He believed only in self-sufficiency.
The finished poster was in my hand as I headed towards Juliet's locker to show her. Admittedly, my stomach was bubbling with both nervousness and excitement. This poster was the first real step towards winning her back.
"Whoa, that is some poster."
The eagerness in my stomach instantly morphed into dread at the sound of his voice.
Harrison snaked his way into my path, forcing me to halt in mid-step. He smirked darkly as his eyes flicked back and forth between me and the project.
"What class is it for?" he asked.
"History," I replied, straightening up to gain some height on him. He was an inch and a half shorter than I was, so his attempts at physical intimidation were futile.
Harrison's cloudy gray eyes flashed for a moment before darkening again. It was clear that he had figured out what the project was really about, but he was going to play around some more before he came out with it.
"History, huh?" He hummed. "You've always been a History buff. This year especially, though. Mrs. Torres must be a fantastic teacher. Unless there's another reason you love that class so much."
"Who says I love that class?" I questioned, willing myself not to sound defensive. "I didn't make this poster for fun."
Nodding, Harrison replied, "Right, no, of course not. It just seems you put a lot more effort into it than usual. I mean, the Industrial Revolution is great and all, but I really don't think the glitter pens were necessary."
"I didn't use glitter pens," I bit back through gritted teeth.
At that point, Juliet had finished at her locker and was already heading to class. Never had I wished the morning bell would ring as much as I did then.
"I was just messing with you, Dash," Harrison jested, patting my arm like we were best buds. If he didn't back off soon, he was going to end up with another shiner.
"I have to get to class," I said.
But when I tried to push past him, Harrison merely sidestepped himself in my way again. As usual, he was not going to let me off easy.
"Come on, Dash. We still have five minutes until the bell rings."
Before I could react, Harrison snatched the poster from my hand and held it out in front of him for a thorough inspection. He snorted to himself as he mocked the result of hours of work. Then, to my utter dismay, Harrison flipped the poster over and read the fine print:
AP European History
Mrs. Torres
The Industrial Revolution
by: Dash Mayer and Juliet Taylor
Harrison's smirk widened, closely resembling that of the Joker. The two seemed to have a lot in common, actually.
"Ah, I see," he murmured in satisfaction. "Now I get why you worked so hard. Don't you know that girls like guys how don't try so hard? It's that lost cause sentimentality that they go nuts for."
I clenched my fists to the point of inhibited circulation in my fingers. The longer this interaction went on, the more I was starting to believe that Harrison looked better with a black eye.
"Shut the fuck up, Harrison," I growled furiously. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"I know exactly what I'm talking about." He wasn't smiling so much anymore, which was even worse.
"No, you don't. You have no fucking clue." It took all my willpower not to raise my voice, but we were gaining attention anyway.
"Fine, you're right, Dash," Harrison said. "There's nothing going on here. This poster holds no secret agenda. And since I'm sure your History grade is doing just fine, it won't matter if you turn your project in a few days late."
And with one, clean rip, the poster was in two.
Harrison dramatically let the two pieces fall to the ground and then proceeded to grind them under his foot until they were practically shredded. I was so infuriated that I couldn't utter a word.
"I'll see you in English."
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The look on Juliet's face when I walked into class empty-handed was like nothing I'd seen before. It felt like a literal knife had pierced clean through my heart. But I knew I couldn't run this time.
"Juliet," I breathed, exhausted. Apparently, the adrenaline rush I'd experienced with Harrison had riled me up so much that the three cups of coffee were no longer in effect.
"You didn't make the poster," she said listlessly.
"I made it, I swear," I pleaded in what was nearly a whimper. "I worked on it for hours every night. I didn't do any other homework all week. You can ask Mr. Chase. He'll tell you."
"So where is it?" Juliet asked. I couldn't bring myself to meet her eyes, for the disappointment that was certainly expressed in them would kill me.
"Gone," I answered, defeated.
There was a long pause. "Gone how?"
I sighed softly, debating whether I should tell her the truth or not. I decided she wouldn't believe it anyway, so I replied, "It got ruined. I'm so sorry."
The bell rang before she could say anything else, and Mrs. Torres asked me to take my seat while the announcements came over the PA. Once they were done, Torres stood up from her desk and began discussing the projects.
"I'm impressed by what I've seen so far," she continued, clapping her hands together. She seemed to be in a good mood that morning, but I could bet that it wouldn't last long. "I don't want to waste any more time, so let's get started with the presentations. Dash, Juliet, how about you two present first?"
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Juliet flinch in panic.
"Mrs. Torres," I spoke up from the back of the room. "We can't present today."
"And why not?" she asked sharply, giving me that urging, hopeful look that only made me feel worse.
I stole a glance at Juliet, who kept her head down as I explained. "It was my job to make the poster, and I did make it, but I don't have it at the moment."
"Do I want to know why you don't have it, Dash?" Torres inquired, sounding frustrated. At this point, I didn't know why she still had faith in me.
"Probably not."
Torres sighed heavily, jotting something down on her notepad before looking up at me again. "Well, turn in your paper, and we'll talk after class."
Juliet stood up and handed over the paper that she probably worked extremely hard on. I couldn't even put into words how guilty I felt.
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"It's entirely my fault, Mrs. Torres," I said before she could edge a word in first. I didn't want Juliet to take any of the blame.
"Now, Dash–"
"No, I mean it," I cut in. "I was responsible for the poster, and I'm responsible for not having it. You can give me a zero, but don't punish Juliet. She wrote the whole analysis by herself, and she deserves an A."
Juliet shifted uncomfortably, hanging her head.
Torres put her hand up to stop me from going on. "That may be the case, but I would like to hear your excuse for neglecting to come to class with the poster. You said you made it, so what happened to it?"
I huffed, annoyed that for once a teacher was willing to hear me out. "It got ruined," I told her simply. "Now give me a zero and give Juliet one-hundred."
Torres stared at me sternly for a moment. "Look, redo the poster this weekend and give it to me on Monday. I won't dock any points as long as you turn it in on time, Monday morning. Hear me, Dash? I don't care if it looks like crap. I don't care if you do in the car on the way to school. Just turn it in on Monday, and you'll get full credit – both of you. Alright?"
Relief washed over Juliet's face as she thanked Mrs. Torres excessively. I remained quiet until Torres dismissed us.
"I'm so sorry, Juliet," I urged as I caught up to her in the hallway. "I really did work hard on it."
"What happened to it then?" The impatience in her voice alarmed me.
"I told you, it –"
"But how?" she insisted, turning to look up at me with those bright, round eyes.
I opened my mouth a few times, but my voice failed to produce any sound. Without wasting another second, Juliet spun around and left me gulping for words.
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A/N: Thank you for reading! I'll be out of town this weekend, so comment if you want me to post more than one chapter tomorrow to make up for it!