Chapter 7
Ameena and I have grown really close in the past many weeks of me being stuck here.
Honestly, staying in a house filled with five hot boys and one reasonably normal girl, and servants that do everything for you, I'd say I was living my best life.
Let's forget for a moment that I'm held hostage.
We're expecting Killahead NY today, they're meant to arrive in the afternoon, but it's past five pm and they're still not here.
I'm surprised, really, because the Killahead gang I'm staying with are everything got to do with punctuality. If they're even a second late, they'll probably have a stroke.
Oh, and the school problem.
We're going to have to start in two weeks time, so we have thirteen days to get ready.
I have to say, the school is quite impressive, from what I've picked up on the internet.
Reed Arts Grand Ridge Academy. Or abbreviated to; Acadamy Reed.
The most extremely modelled institute, like its name - grand, is equipped with full luxury.
Built one hundred years ago by the Europeans, and run by the principal's strict wit. Someone with inside information on almost every school ever.
Why do I find that so familiar?
It's definitely not a normal school.
You could even say it was a whole new world.
And the centre of that world, Rebekah Crissler Reed. The principal of Academy Reed.
She looked pretty decent and young for her age, but once you got to know her, she was super scary.
No wonder they say; looks like an angel, but speaks like the devil.
Students love her, but she keeps herself reserved, showing her fear to no one, not even her son, Arsen Reed. The heartthrob of the school.
Go figures.
Although he'd never been to it, it was clear he visited many, many times before.
Whether it was for Prom and Graduation speech, or for a football game. Some say he's even met the famous Michael Jordan himself, as a child.
Why am I not surprised?
Academy Reed is divided into three sections, under the rules of Principal Crissler's finest student, and fellow senior like me, Shanaya Longwood.
On one side, was the Richies.
All they cared about was making sure their image was picture perfect, and everyone worshipped them. They consisted of the most popular people's children and sons and daughters of the biggest business tycoons in history.
They didn't care for their education since they could probably pay someone to do it for them, it was merely an accessory.
Then, on the other side, was the Nerdies.
They're given an amazing chance to come to this school, rich or not rich because they're on a scholarship. They need an A or an A+, max.
They're the ones who want to become something big and leave a mark in the school and make sure the principal remembers them. Which isn't very likely, unfortunately for them.
And, last but not least, is the Sporties.
This side is mainly of all those boys and girls who's love for sports would never falter, nor fail. They just want to become famous sports players in life.
Lucky for them because Academy Reed has an amazing field, for almost every sport. Basketball, football, tennis, volleyball, you name it, they have it.
The school was huge. As if three Buckingham Palace's had been merged together, to make one.
Of course, half of it was dorms for the attached college. And talking about that would age me faster than my dead grandpa.
Now, onto Shanaya Longwood, the school's most rich and clever student. Obviously.
A role model for every single girl starting from grade seven. She was so rich, in fact, that she didn't even have to go to school, but she did anyway.
Probably to impress Arsen's mom, who would no doubt want Shanaya to grow up and marry Arsen. Maybe that's Longwood's lifelong goal.
To be Mrs. Reed.
Ugh, it sounds wrong even in my head. Imagine a priest saying it.
I'm expecting her to be another Mackenzie, the idiotic psycho from my previous school.
Currently, Ameena and I are sitting behind the countertop in the kitchen, and she's telling me about the school, how prestigious it is, and how I'm going to love it.
I certainly hope so.
"Mom, I'm home!" I hear a yell from the front door, then a lot of deep voices and a loud bang.
Ameena and I jump spontaneously until she bursts into a fit of giggles.
"What was that?" I ask her, my eyes wide, and she shakes her head.
"Killahead NY is here," She laughs, tapping my nose gently.
I slap her hand away as my eyes widen at the thought.
Damnit, I haven't even gotten ready and it looks like a bunch of spiders moved into my hair.
"Don't worry, they're easy going. Don always calls Arsen 'mom' to piss him off, but you'll like them. Just, stay away from him though, I hope Arsen already told you that," She says, and I nod momentarily.
So, Don must be the gang leader Arsen hates so much.
Ameena leads me into the living room. One of the new guys is having a wrestling match with Jax and Kade is fluffing up a very lanky looking boy's hair, which is a frizz of black curls.
Trust me, he looks funny. Especially with those big black glasses.
A giggle escapes my lips and everyone freezes, turning to me and Ameena, who - besides me - is also trying to stifle her laughter.
Where's Arsen?
Why would you ask about him?
I dunno, in case he sneaks up from behind me and pulls out my heart?
Wow. I'm not even gonna question that.
"Hey, guys! Meet our new member, Xan--"
"Xanny! Nice to meet you all," I say quickly, wanting to tell them my name by myself as a memory flits through my mind.
The boy with Jax turns to me, and I get to take him in properly.
Damn.
Why does it feel like Dean only chooses hot guys for his gangs? Because looking at him right now, fainting was probably the only option left for me.
He had a rough, tossed-around type of hairstyle, and his hair was thick, the color of dirty blonde. And boy, did it look good!
His face was the literal meaning of perfection. I'm pretty sure if you looked in the dictionary right now for the word 'gorgeous', his face would be right there, second to Arsen's.
But trust me, this boy? He was something else.
His eyebrows were arched perfectly, and his thin, red lips were all too appealing to me.
And he had electric blue eyes.
"Take a picture, it'll last longer," He grins at me, causing me to turn redder than a tomato.
Damnit.
"I'm Donard Devon, but you can call me Don. I practically own this gang, right, man?" He exclaims, hitting Jax hard on the back, causing him to glare. To which, Don smiles.
He smiles a lot. And dare I say, his smile is a picture definitely worth taking.
He's the one I'm supposed to be staying away from.
Yeah, right. How can a hormonal adolescent like myself stay away from perfection like that?
Arsen, you've got to be kidding me!
"And I'm Logan. Hey!" Frizzy haired dude says, making me giggle uncontrollably. Don smiles at me and Logan narrows his eyes as if I've lost my brain.
It's true, I've been looking for it for a while now.
"I like your hair," I say in between tiny giggles, and Ameena bursts out laughing next to me, causing my laughter to rise too. Sooner or later, Don has joined us.
I don't know why, but the fact that he is completely and absolutely different from Arsen pops up in my head.
Arsen never laughs. But it seems even Don's electric eyes are smiling. They're complete opposites.
Damnit, Xanny, we don't like Arsen, remember? He is an annoying, sexy jerkface.
Right. I forgot...wait--
"Thanks! I like your hair too, actually. What colour is it?" He asks, reaching forward to touch it, but Ameena quickly slaps it away.
Thank God, because my hair was a mess of knots and curls, him touching it wouldn't have made it any better.
"It's caramel coloured and people always think I've dyed it, even though I haven't," I start to say, but then quite abruptly, two throats are cleared.
We all simultaneously turn to see two girls standing there.
They're not exactly pretty like Ameena, but they both have grey eyes and that's nice enough. Although one has ginger hair and the other has purple hair, which causes me to try not to laugh.
Keyword; try.
"And we're their girlfriends," Ginger says, walking up to Don and hooking an arm through his.
I have this sudden urge to glare at her, hating the way she so annoyingly smirks at us.
Don, fortunately, feels the same since he shrugs her off and walks over to me, loosely draping his arm over my shoulder. I smile to myself.
I like it.
"You're not my girlfriend, Ally, which is sad for you," Don snorts, and I giggle at the thought of me thinking her name is Ginger.
"And what are you laughing at?" She snaps.
Purple comes over, folding her arms and glaring. I glare back.
Oh, so it's illegal to laugh now?
"Your hair matches your personality," Ameena snarls, and I snort.
Yay, go Ameena! My hatred isn't alone.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ally the Ginger asks, venom lacing around her words. I roll my eyes.
"It means your temper is way worse than your whole existence, which is a lot," Ameena says in a friendly way, and I chuckle quietly whilst Don openly laughs.
"I see you made a very clear point, Ams," Don chuckles, making me blush for no reason. "But since she's in my gang, I'm gonna have to tell you to back off a bit."
I'm still wondering why his laugh made me blush. Maybe hot guys do that.
Pretty much the only thing he's got in common with Arsen is they both make me blush with no explanation as to why.
There she goes with the comparing, again.
I roll my eyes at myself.
"So, where's my mom?" He asks suddenly, and this time, I definitely find it hard to stop my laughter.
"She's in Virginia," Someone growls from behind me, and we all turn to see Arsen standing there, leaning against the door frame, and glaring at me - Don's arm, actually.
I quickly take a step away from Don. I don't know why I feel guilty.
But I completely forgot about his rules.
His stupid, stupid rules that I hate so much.
"Great! I miss her a lot! Good thing you're here to cover up," Don smirks cheekily, making me and Ameena laugh out of nowhere. Although one glare from Arsen shuts us up.
Well, not Ameena, but it shuts me up.
Here's the thing; Don has a glint to his eyes, a glint that just tells you he's cheeky and mischevious. But Arsen has a glint to his eyes, too, except his glint tells you that he's dangerous.
Dark and dangerous.
They're absolute opposites.
And why the hell do I care?
"Just stay away from my gang," Arsen deadpans, walking up to us, specifically me, and standing in front. Don rolls his eyes, and I feel like doing the same.
"What am I possibly going to do with your gang, Arsy pants? Besides, Xanny isn't a part of your gang yet, so I'd be obliged to take her in," Don says, smiling happily at me. I return it.
Arsen, however, doesn't feel the same way. His amber eyes are blazing with fire, something really unusual in his eye colour. And it's only a plus sign that he's got eyes the colour of orange.
I still don't know how that's possible.
"She isn't going anywhere, Devon, and if you lay even a finger on her, next time, I'll make sure you don't have any," Arsen warns in a low tone, causing me to shiver and a tingle to slither up my spine, knowing he definitely keeps his word.
And anyway, what made Arsen suddenly care?
Don rolls his eyes in an exaggerative manner and smirks at Arsen. "You seriously expect me to stay away from Ms. Beauty over here? Yeah, dude, we both know she'll come running to me in the end, just like Xena d--"
But before Don can finish, Arsen is already pouncing on him, and if Jax and Kade hadn't pulled him off, I'm pretty sure Don would've been a dead man.
And if looks could kill, then Don would also be a shish kebab by now, because the glare Arsen was throwing at him almost made me fall right out of my own shoes.
Damn, Xena must've meant that much to him.
Suddenly, Xena's words from that day echo through my mind.
Was she talking about Arsen? Or was it Don?
No, it couldn't be Don, he's not her type. Then what is he saying?
Wait, he knew Xena? Wha--
"Okay, buddy, I think we need to calm you down for a while. Ameena, take him up," Noah says.
Arsen's still glaring at Don who's smirking back, not at all fazed by the scary look he's getting, but thanks to Jax and Kade, Arsen's a bit calmer.
The fire is still blazing in his eyes. And it's captivating.
"Actually, I think Xanny should take him up, she'll be able to tame him a little," Ameena says, winking at me.
My cheeks immediately burn and I can already feel myself blushing, but Arsen isn't paying attention. He seems to be having a stare off with Don and - not surprisingly - seems to be winning.
Noah sighs and gives a slight nod. "Yeah, I think that's a better idea. Xanny, would you?"
"Uh, I...y-yeah, sure," I stutter, trying to tame my stupid cheeks.
Oh Lord, please help me.
"Come on, Arsen," I mutter, grabbing his wrist and pulling him towards the door that leads to the stairs.
With one last glare at Don, Arsen follows, taking a deep breath.
"He should've got that punch," I hear him murmur, and I smile a little.
I knew he was going to say that.
But what exactly is so bad about Don?
"He's actually nice, what did he do that made you so angry?" I ask.
I probably should've thought hard about that question, because it infuriates Arsen even more, and he yanks his wrist back, which I didn't realize I was still holding.
"Don't talk about him like that," He growls, and I narrow my eyes at him as he pushes past me and stomps up the stairs.
I follow close behind.
"Why? What did he do?" I urge, wanting to know the answer.
I'm very impatient.
Arsen barges into his room and is about to bang his door shut but then remembers there's a girl right behind him so he stops himself. Instead, he huffs out a breath and walks over to his bed, falling down into it on his front.
I can't help but think he looks adorable, then quickly shake the thought out of my head.
"None of your business," He mutters into his pillow, making his voice sound muffled.
Without hesitation, I walk over to his bed and sit down next to him, knowing he won't just sit up because if he does, his mouth will clash with mine.
And it can't get any embarrassing than that.
Not that I'd mind...
Oh shut up, Xanny, are you listening to yourself right now?!
A girl can dream.
Yeah, whatever. Like I said before, shut up.
I roll my eyes at myself, once again, and try to ignore the devil on my shoulder.
"Arsen, it couldn't have been that bad," I say in a firm tone, to show him that I support him.
Although I don't know if I should.
I haven't even heard the full story yet.
"If you were here when it happened, Xanthe..." He trails off, still managing to sound cold. I sigh.
"What happened?" I ask again. "Does it have anything to do with my sister?"
At the latter question, Arsen immediately sits up.
"Not everything is about--" But he stops just in time, because of one slight problem.
Our faces are just inches away from each other.
Scratch that, there's no room for the thinnest line to fit in between our faces, that's how close we are.
My breath hitches in my throat, and I swear so does his. I'm positive it did.
I sit, stiff as a button, my eyes wide at the intimate position we're in, and I'm trying not to squeal like a fangirl because his breath smells like Starbursts.
Yeah, that's right.
None of us make the slightest gesture to move. Arsen is sat there, halted in his tracks, staring at me.
Oh, those eyes.
The amber that has caught me off guard so many annoying times. And this close up, I can see the light flecks of blue and green in them. Guarded, as always.
I have no idea what he's thinking.
But I can't really care about that since I'm well aware of the fact that if any of us move even an inch, we'll end up kissing.
Again, I'm not exactly complaining.
I look over at Arsen's eyes again, to see that they're looking at my lips. And suddenly, a really big fluttery feeling emits in my stomach, and it takes everything in me not to scream.
You know that feeling that you get when you're on a roller coaster, and you're right at the top and just waiting for the bit where it'll plummet down and you might die?
Yeah, that's what I was feeling right then. And what made me even more nervous, was the fact that he was staring at my lips intensely.
His gaze flickers back to my eyes, and I try everything I have to look away, but I can't.
His gorgeous, fiery eyes are holding me imprisoned. Right there, in one spot.
The fact that we're sitting on a bed isn't helping at all, and his body is so close to me, that I can feel the heat radiating off of him.
And all I want to do, at that moment, is lean in and kiss him.
I can't help but feel annoyed by the fact that I don't know what he's thinking.
My heart starts to beat faster and faster when he leans in a little, and I don't realize I'm doing the same when suddenly, the door is shoved open, and Arsen and I immediately jerk away from each other.
Great. Now I'm blushing.
"Uh...was I interrupting something?" Jax asks, with a knowing smirk on his face. I have this sudden urge to scream at him.
YES, YOU WERE! YOU WERE INTERRUPTING SOMETHING IMPORTANT, YOU HOBO!
But I calm myself down and shake my head, my heart still beating wildly.
"Uh, you-you weren't," I answer him, and Jax snorts.
"Sure, Xanny," He laughs, wiggling his eyebrows at us.
I feel my cheeks heating up all over again, and when I glance over at Arsen, he looks completely the same, as if nothing just happened.
It's kind of annoying that Arsen can hide his emotions so well. I can barely keep my mouth shut.
"What do you want, Jax?" Arsen finally asks, his unusually husky voice making me shiver. And it takes everything in me to stop myself from sighing.
Oh jeez, I'm going mental.
Rememberyoudon'tlikehimrememberyoudon'tlikehim!
"Dinner's ready," Jax grins, winking at Arsen and with one last wiggle of his eyebrows at me, he walks out, shutting the door.
That's when the awkwardness takes over. And a question invades my mind.
Would he have kissed me if Jax hadn't come in?
I clear my throat awkwardly, and then I realize Arsen had also cleared his throat.
AT THE SAME TIME!
Great. Just great.
It's nice to know that only mine was to mask the awkwardness. His was probably because he had something in his throat.
"So..." I start. Arsen slowly gets off his bed and makes his way over to me.
"We should eat," He says, nodding slightly, then he walks out of the door, leaving it slightly ajar.
I sigh and lean back a little, thinking about what just happened.
Xena's words echo in my mind.
"Xanthe, I need you to love him for me. I won't be there to love him, but he needs to know. Tell him that you love him, tell him I loved him, and don't let him go. You'll know who it is when the time comes. And remember, I love you too, sis."
She had been talking about Arsen.
So how did Don come into all of this? And what had he meant when he said that I'll come running to him just like Xena had? Was Xena really in love with Arsen?
Or was it Don that she was talking about?
Damnit, I'm so confused. All these questions are really messing with my brain.
Arsen's right. I should eat.
____________________________________________________________________
3586 words.
OMG. So, what do you guys think of Don, now that he's here? And do you trust him in any way?
I certainly can't tell you if you should or shouldn't since he is one of the main characters and I'll just end up ruining the ending for you guys.
But we're all entitled to our own opinions, so, by all means, think what you want!
And remember...
Vote, COMMENT, Share!