I don't see Alexander for a whole week after that day. He's been missing from class alongside Cole and River.
We had a science assignment we needed to submit this week and with him gone, it means only MY grade will be counted and I am overjoyed. I don't know where he is, but he should skip classes for the remaining of the year if you ask me.
I'm not worried. In fact I'm rather hopeful. Who knows, maybe he got Meningitis and died and I can finally get Emily back.
I was in the lab during chemistry class; heavily focused on my Iodine Clock reaction when I noticed Mister Henderson grading our science assignments at his desk. And before you ask, yes, he teaches both science AND Chemistry. I got Alexander as my partner on both classes.
I think you can gather how life is slowly draining away from me by just looking into my eyes.
Suddenly, I spot a tiny frown on Mister Henderson, he then looks my way, our eyes meet for a second then he shake his head while looking down again.
I get this spasm in my abdomen and I just feel that something's about to go down. Really hard.
When the bell rings, I make my way to the door but I hear him call out to me from behind his desk.
"is there a problem mister Henderson" I asked filled with mild dread while approaching him.
"your lab partner has been missing for the last seven days or so..." he says, taking off his glasses and looking up to me.
"Yes, I noticed that when I realized my chest pains were gone" I responded.
"You may want to drop the attitude, miss Spencer, turns out your partner submitted his assignment by Email and both your grades will be taken into account after all"
That's when the chest pains came back rushing through.
"come again?" I ask, about to hyperventilate.
"You had an A+, but his work earned him a D-, therefore, you both get a collective C+"
God left.
You might be thinking, a C+? It's not that bad. You're overreacting, Alexa!
You don't get it. I HAD AN A+. I was going to have an A+ until the idiot decided to ruin it.
A passing grade? Might as well drop out and become a stay at home mom. I've never HAD a C in my entire life.
I take a deep breath and I feel my knees getting weak. I'm legitimately beginning to tear up and feel like the universe is conspiring to make me stay under Markus's regime for the remaining of my life.
"Mister Henderson, this is the worst course of events to arise in the history of Homo sapiens."
I totally mean what I'm saying. Malaria can't trump this.
"Please calm down, I called you over for a reason" he says calmly and I'm all ears.
Please tell me you realize the importance of capitalism now. I look at him impatiently and he puts his pen down.
"Since I know how hard you worked on it, I will give you a chance to earn an extra credit.."
I'm about to apply some chap stick so I can kiss his ass like no one ever did at that moment.
"Oh my goodness, thank you so much this is.." I jumped and he raises his palm up to stop me.
"..not you, miss Spencer, you already have your A+, Mister Miles will have to take a makeup test, but only if he wants to and he needs to score higher than a mere D for you to get your A+ back"
And then my enthusiasm is curbed yet again.
Okay, focus. This is an ultimatum. It's better than nothing.
"I'll take it!... I mean he'll take it" I assured and he frowned.
"Miss Spencer, this is his decision; neither you, nor I, can force him if he doesn't want to take it."
I can and I will force him. A C+ is not acceptable. It'll take me off the honor list and drop my GPA.
Alexander's taking that test or I will be charged of breaking and entering and then first degree murder.
I turned around to leave but he called out to me again.
"Hold on, there's one more thing..." he added while getting out a stack of papers from his drawer.
I was sitting on the bus. On my way to Alexander's address. Mister Henderson gave me the lessons he missed and some homework he needed to catch up with from other classes. Why didn't he just email it to him? I don't know, but I needed to talk to Alexander anyway so I agreed to do it.
I'm guessing he's sick or something. Nevertheless, if he's having trouble keeping up with school I will gladly help him, as long as he agrees to take the makeup test and actually study for it.
I'm also not that mad about the D-. I mean he's home sick but he made the effort to Email the assignment in time anyway and I know he doesn't care about grades so he obviously did it just to shut me up and that touches me...kinda. I feel bad for wishing he was dead.
The bus stops, I get off, and suddenly it hits me.
I'm in the most lavish gated community ever.
I make my way through the fancy yet empty neighborhood. Big houses left and right. Not many actually. Most of this place is just gardens with big trees with fancy cars parked here and there.
Calabasas could never.
My one wish is that someday, I could retire my mother in a similar house. I might as well die as soon as I do that and I'd still be glad.
I'm finally at my destination and I realize I just walked for 20 minutes on the edge of a forest. My GPS better not be messing with me because behind the brick wall that's in front of me, I'm supposed to find Alexander's house.
And I do, as soon as I turn left.
The sight of a luxurious house offers itself at me and for the first time, many things about Alexander start to make sense.
How he carries himself like he has no care in the world about his future, like it's all planned out. Like he owns the school, and the town, and everybody in it. It's because whatever business his parents are into, he's probably going into it as well and doesn't care about bio-chemistry.
I on the other hand, have to stress about every tiny nitty gritty. Life's unfair.
I walk up to the door and before I can ring the doorbell, the door flies open so hard I almost got sucked into the house from the impact. A guy walks out seemingly angry...and naked.
Naked as the day he was born.
I frown at the man with sandy blonde hair and chiseled torso that's making big arm gestures while yelling at someone inside.
"I don't care who he thinks he is, you can't just waltz across our territory like it's a playground. I'm going to find him."
I'm just standing there as the guy hasn't even noticed me yet since he's still yelling and looking inside. He then stops talking and takes a couple of snuffs like a dog catching a scent and his head follow until he's looking down at me. He just stares like a shaved crazed ape, not even bothering to cover his junk and then rolls his eyes and yells out.
"Xander, you called for another bitch didn't you?"
''another''? what's that supposed to mean?
I flinch at the term he used but don't have time to say anything because he's off into the woods and I can't help but want to dial 911 and go home.
Where the hell am I?
Since he left the door open for me and nobody was coming to get me despite me waiting for a solid minute, I hesitantly walk inside.
The lobby was absolutely breath taking. With marble flooring and a big square aquarium on the side of the stairs. There was a white piano right under the huge windows. I was looking all around until I heard footsteps from the stairs coming down.
Alexander locks eyes with me then I see a smile form as he quickly comes down. He was wearing a white bath robe that was exposing his tanned sculpted chest and his dark hair was a little messy. I'd blush but I already saw way more than I asked for just a minute ago so by now I'm just numb.
"Are you really in my house or did I die and go to hell?" he teased and I felt my jaw clinch.
God, I forgot how annoying he was.
"Like you wouldn't know what hell looks like, you spawned from it" I quickly responded and he smirked.
Right as I said those words, a girl came down stairs after him. She was buttoning down her blouse and slamming her five inches stilettos on the floor. She was Victoria Secret Angel status. Big boobs, tiny frame, tall, skinny and blonde. Literally gorgeous.
"I'm leaving first, fun week huh?" she smiles seductively at him and he looked like he couldn't care less.
She steps at my level and then looks me up and down in the span of a second but doesn't even acknowledge me and takes the door.
I narrow my eyes, dumbfounded.
I don't know, I guess I just can't see him as a ladies' man since he's always acting like an idiot around me. They obviously just fucked, and the naked dude earlier did yell "you called another bitch".
What and idiotic naked monkey, Imagine Alexander calling me after he just spent the night between the blonde's legs. Major downgrade, isn't it?
I shrugged and he moved closer to me.
"to what do I owe the honor?" he asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"You owe it to the undeniably disgusting job you did studying the protein synthesis in the cellular factory" I declare, pulling out his assignment paper and shoving it in his stomatch.
Yeah, I read it in the bus.
It was garbage.
But I was annoyed at something else. I just couldn't put my finger on it at the moment.
"next time, do mister Henderson a favor and write it on toilet paper so he can wipe his ass with it when he's done grading it" I spit out.
He smiled.
Damn it! Nothing I say gets through to him.
"have you ever thought of yourself as uptight?" he asked, turning away from me and heading off somewhere.
I follow him annoyed to what seemed to be a kitchen.
"Why weren't you at school?" I asked. Not that I care but he seems fine. Not sick. He looked healthier than I'll ever be.
"you saw her walking out of here didn't you?" he shrugged, getting a soda can out of the fridge, "would you like something to drink?" he asked so politely the world around me shook for a second, I blinked in confusion.
"You ditched an entire school week to stay home with your girlfriend?" I questioned.
"not my girlfriend, and in my defense, she's insanely kinky" he smiled and I breathed out trying to calm myself and not jump at him to bite his windpipe off.
So while I was feeling sorry for him and thinking he was sick and giving him a pass for that awful grade, he was as healthy as a horse and as horny as a rabbit just getting it on.
Okay, calm down.
"since you weren't sick, you could've at least put some effort into the assignment" I said exhausted and tired. Last time I talked to him, I told him to shape up but this guy's relentless.
I need to get home, it's gonna get dark. I'll just tell him about the makeup test and be gone.
But before I could even do that, he said something and hell broke loose in my head.
"Tell that to her, she wrote it..." he shrugged and I felt my eyes turn bloodshot while he took a sip from his soda can.
I took a deep breath again.
"you mean to tell me...you placed my future...in the hands of some cheap harlot?" I said in between short pauses to make sure I understood everything correctly.
I worked my ass off for that A+ while he was home fucking some girl and then randomly told her to write the assignment that will contribute to half of my grade?
Is he joking?
"she wasn't cheap" he corrected and every hair on my body stood on end.
I took the stack of lessons and homework mister Henderson gave me out of my bag and jammed it through him in the least delicate way possible. He caught it in his stomach and looked at me confused.
"listen dingbat" I said as I poked him in the chest with my finger, completely over everything, "I've had it, I don't care what you do with your free time, you could literally wither and die two feet from me and I wouldn't care but as long as you're sharing a grade with me and playing in role in my academic performance, I will not tolerate such moronic insensitivity."
"you'd watch me die in front of you and do nothing? That's so incredibly like you.." he said while putting the stacks of paper on the marble counter. Unfazed.
He was untouchable. God, this pissed me off. I wanted to grab him by the sides of his bathrobe on his chest and shake the absolute shit out of him.
This was pointless. I could be conversing with the fish tank in the lobby and it would yield a more productive back and forth than this one.
With an exhausted voice, I try again.
"Mister Henderson is giving you a shot at an extra credit. All you have to do is take a makeup test in two weeks"
" I'm assuming you got an A+ so we're both getting a C+, am I right?"
"yes."
"then it's pointless. I'm alright with a passing grade."
Well, I'm not!
"this isn't about you" I announce while throwing my arms up.
"It kind of is, else you wouldn't be here.." he answered, leaning on the counter, "the only reason I asked her to mail the assignment in the first place was so you wouldn't whine about it once I got back to school."
I pinched my nosebridge, feeling a headache creeping its way in.
I'm going to shove something sharp in his rib if I don't focus.
"I already had my A+, Henderson said he would only count my grade and you'd get an underserving passing one since you weren't here, everything was fine, and then you went ahead and threw it down the drain you selfish, clueless, insensitive, sexually ambiguous imp!"
He tilted his head to the side and his frosty blue eyes hovered above me.
" "sexually ambiguous"?" he repeated with a slight grin.
OHMYGOD.
"Are you perpetually high or were you simply not loved as a child?" I snapped, he looked at me for a brief moment before crossing his arms and leaning against the counter with a grin.
"Were you ever a child?.." was his answer. His very patronizing, insulting, answer. He already called me stuck up once.
It looked like he was pissing me off on purpose. I could swear he was enjoying this.
"you're a horrible person!" I continued.
"hate me all you want, sweetness, I'm not taking the makeup test ", he leaned forward and I shook my head.
"I don't hate you, I pity you."
There! Did you catch that?...
Right there!
The smile was gone!
That got to him!
He looked at me seriously for the first time since forever. His icy blue eyes looking straight into mine and I felt the words pour out of my mouth without even realizing it.
"I'm guessing mommy and daddy gave you the world and told you it was okay to stomp around like a titan while other peasants should try not to get crushed under your feet. Guess what, the highest prince on the highest throne is only ever sitting on his own ass like everybody else" I spit out and he frowned,"if you actually took the time to pay attention in class, you'd know different living organisms rely on each other for survival. I wasn't asking for your friendship or partnership, I was asking for cooperation, but I don't think you can manage to give either one of those three because they require a basic level of human decency that you seem to lack thus why I can't hate someone like you, I can only ever feel sorry for you."
I grabbed my bag and was about to leave when I felt a third presence amongst us.
"what a desolating, yet oddly accurate lecture" a man said while coming out of a room to my left.
He was a grown adult man. Probably in his forties. Tall and as chiseled as Alexander, dressed in a button up dark blue shirt and black pants with a brown leather belt.
He looked at Alexander, who was still eyeing me with curiousity, and then turned back at me with a smile.
"if my son wasn't quite the insensitive, stoic character I knew him to be, you'd have succeeded at upsetting him."
Oh my god, he heard me go off on his son..in his house...
Jesus Alexa!
"Debatable", he shrugged, "I'd be more upset if she wasn't such a pretty little female..", he grinned at me "..and she basically called me a prince with that metaphor.." he smiled at his dad and I couldn't help but scoff.
The fact that he called me "pretty" tugged slightly at some chord in me but I shoved it at the back of my head.
Don't go there, Alexa. Stay in here!
"you're a feeble disgrace of a human" I grunted and his dad extended a hand at me with an amused look.
"I'm James!" he introduced and I took his hand in mine and shook it timidly. It hit me again.
"Alexa" I whisper hesitantly.
Oh my god, stop insulting his darling son in front of him.
"That was the most graceful way I've ever seen anyone try to be rude " he laughed and I felt weird.
I would call that "trying to be rude" I was openly BEING rude. His dad seemed fine with it. I guess they all have pretty thick skin in this house.
"Adorable, isn't she? " Alexander added and I frowned. He was looking at me like I was a tiny puppy barking at him and he could rip me apart if he wanted to.
This dude is insane.
"please have a seat, I'll make some tea" James offered while looking at my bag on my shoulder and I hesitated.
"please" he repeated and I sighted.
I mean, I want Alexander to take the test.
"sure!" and with that one world, I plopped into one of the chairs at the counter while Alexander came and sat right next to me. For some reason, his amusement was going to give me a stroke.
I ignored him and his dad went towards the counter.
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I was paying attention to your exchange and from what I gathered, you two are sharing a grade?"
"she's my cute little lab partner.." Alexander answered, grinning. He knew that was going to piss me off. I breathed out.
"I'm not little, you're oversized.." I sounded like and angry toddler. I didn't like when people talked down to me.
"Oversized..", he chuckled at that expression then leaned closer to me, "Sweetness, do you enjoy how big I am?", he continued with kind of a husky brethless voice and those words gave me the heebies.
Now that he mentions it...
He really was a big guy. What was up with that? I felt tiny next to him. I also felt..I don't know, kind of protected for some reason. Especially with how ripped and sculpted he was.
I get why he's so patronizing. I really am just a little puppy barking at a steel tower.
And now I was getting a little hot thinking about it.
Do I like it? I don't know. I usually like taller guys..
Oh my fucking god! What am I thinking.
I put my hand on his face and shoved it away from me. He was so close.
"I would if you didn't have the personality of a blender!" I contradicted while turning to face away.
"So you do like me.." Alexander smirked and I rolled my eyes. I am not answering that.
Idiot.
His dad suddenly put a tea cup in front of me and I took it.
"Hm..", he was looking at me like he was trying to study me as a person, "You have a very singular way of dealing with him", he smiled, whatever conclusion he came to about me seemed pleasing to him, "most girls trip over themselves to please him; I'm guessing he's just bothered that you don't do the same" his dad tried to explain while giving him a interogative look to confirm if he' right.
Are you serious ? Look at this moron. Trip over myself? Not in this lifetime.
"Strangly enough, she doesn't bother me at all" ,he sterched his arms in front of him, "Look how cute she gets when she's agitated.." Alexander poked my chin to make me bob my head like I was some kind of toy. I narrowed my eyes at him.
I'm going to strangle this moron. I don't I don't bother him. I can't get to him. I want to stab at him but he just smiles like i'm an insect. No matter what I do or say.
If I can't get Alexander to cooperate, maybe his dad will.
But first...
"Mister Miles, I'm really sorry I didn't mean to go off like that under your roof but I take my school performance very seriously and I get pretty frustrated when my future is being dangled in front of firewood"
His dad looks at me surprised for a moment then a satisfied look crosses his face.
"I understand, you don't have to apologize. What can he do to make it up ?"
Oh my god! THANK YOU!
"he can take the makeup quiz" I almost jumped from my chair.
"I am not doing it" he contested.
"you are" I answered.
"make me!" he crossed his arms on his chest and I almost threw my boiling tea at him.
Okay, time for negotiation.
I turned towards his dad who was observing us this whole time.
"mister Miles, you're a business entrepreneur, am I correct?"
"something of the sort" he nodded.
I turned to Alexander.
Obviously, by the house we're in, his dad is successful as hell and I'm willing to bet he taught Alexander everything. Let's just turn it into a business proposal. He needs to gain something from this.
"okay, let's make a deal then. Very easy, you have the power to give me a result that I want"
I seem to have piqued his interest as he raised an eyebrow at me and kept on listening.
"is there anything I can do in exchange to get that?" I asked while finally picking up my cup of tea and raising it to my lips.
I was expecting him to tell me to get off his back, be nicer, less uptight and shut the hell up about school. Or maybe let him doodle during experiment hours as much as he please and I was okay with that.
But I watched the corner of his lips stretch into a mischievous smile as he leaned towards me until only inches separated his lips from mine.
"Ride me, Alexa!" he blurted out in front of his very attention paying dad, "you can have me do everything you want after..", he continued,
...and I never thought choking on tea was possible until today.