Alyssa's POV
I stared at my untouched plate of supposed-to-be burrito and past the seniors noisily crowding the the cafeteria line. I don't really see the point of rushing to and from the line since 'burrito Friday' is just practically the lunch lady serving us chunky blocks of potatoes and beans wrapped in a soggy, oh so soggy tortilla wraps. It amazes me how I find myself pretending to be more bothered with the guy in front of me eating his third burrito with his friends chanting around him than to be bothered by the reality being slapped across my face. Nope, I was busy in my own world with burrito guy feeding me with soggy tortilla wraps until Emma dragged me back to reality.
She snapped her fingers at me, "Look at me when I talk to you," she grunted and looked at Kristina when she realized she couldn't catch even a blink as a reaction from me, "Look at her!"
Kristina looked at me and sighed, "You know what, Emma? I really think she's still not ready to say anything. I think it'd be best if--"
"Ha, funny," I croaked. Both of them turned their heads slowly towards me. "He's a multinational star! I was crazy to think I have him all to myself."
Two pairs of eyes stayed on me, as if encouraging me to explain further. And so I did. I described everyhing that had happened earlier morning, stammering here and there but with no hesitation, turned our whole lunch time with 30 minutes of storytelling because time couldn't permit me to have the privilege of chatting and eating my, quote and unquote, delicious burrito at the same time. I didn't miss out any important things. These are my friends, I should open up to them. I needed help on what to do anyway.
Harry's POV
I sat on the lounge of Simon's building, looking at myself in a mirror that was standing opposite to me. With my black coat and white v-neck, complete with brown khakis and penny loafers, I felt on point. I felt sharp. Fidgeting with my watch, I tried to construct my sentences I'd use for this confrontation. Everything is just bull and I can't just accept what's happening. This time, I didn't come for Simon but for one of my managers, Will Bloomfield. I talked to Paul and he told me that Will had important matters to handle in his office so I decided to pay him a little visit.
"Styles? Mr. Harry Styles?" My head darted up to meet a woman with long straight hair, balancing a telephone between her ear and her shoulder behind the reception table, "Mr. Bloomfield is expecting you in Mr. Cowell's office."
I gave a quick smile, offered her my thanks and rushed to the elevator. As the elevator lifted itself to the floor where Simon's office is, I tapped my foot on the wooden flooring of the lift. This must be the longest elevator ride I've ever been. I felt impatient.
The bell tinged tinged and hurriedly, I stepped outside and inside his office. There I saw Bloomfield sitting on the sofa opposite to the bar against Simon's minimally designed wall.
"I've been expecting you." He glanced at me from the newspaper he was holding and lingered his glance from my head to my feet. He put this down and gestured towards the two-seater sofa in front of him, "Sit."
I brought my feet to walk the distance from the door to the leathered sofa. Since the heater of Simon's office gave enough warmth, I removed my coat and let it sit beside me.
"So? What is it that we have to talk about that you had to disturb me from my work?" He brought a cup of what I think was tea to his mouth and sipped a bit from it and placed it back onto the saucer, looking at me expectantly.
I fought the sudden urge in grabbing his tea and splashing the hot beverage on his sick face but no, I am still sane. I made sure to convince myself to behave to make this discussion short. We wouldn't want to stay longer with an ass like him. "It's about my girlfriend and Amanda. Amanda right?"
One of his eyebrows flinched and his jaw flexed, "We talked about this. And it's Amy. Don't get her name wrong."
"I'm here to clarify some things," I started, "I'm sorry."
"Well, better get started now! I have no time to slouch around, listening to the babbling of a brat." He snapped.
"I just want to say that I refuse to date her. Even if it is just a show. I don't want girls to be linked with my name--"
"Listen, Harry," He started, his eyes darting through my skin, "You need this. The band needs this--"
"I don't care! Let the people think what they want to think." My fists are throbbing at this point. Just a little now and I'm about to lose my cool.
"No." He stated firmly, "I'm sure you'd already thought of these consequences before you made that ridiculous choice that time. I'm sure you did. Didn't you?"
"I. Don't. Want. To. Date. Her." I emphasized and sent darts from my eyes to his. I want to punch him right there and then. I hate how reckless he thinks I am for having Alyssa as my girlfriend. I hate how he was right about me not thinking about things that might happen if I got together with her. But I don't care. I'm ready to face all the consequences my decision had yet to bring me if it means that I have Alyssa in my arms in return. I'm ready to go to hell and back for her.
"Didn't you think about Alyssa's security from my the start?" He sneered with that irritating smirk pasted on his face that I really wanted to hit just to try to get it off him. I stayed silent, because I know even in the corner of my ranting heart and mind, he had a point. But still, there's no way I'm dating his niece. Although I had Alyssa's welfare in my mind, I had to stay firm with my decision.
I grabbed my coat and marched towards the double glass doors of Simon's office. Before finally exiting what I felt like hell when I was with him, I stopped but didn't bother to look at him.
"No still means no, sir. I don't want to date your niece to keep the people entertained in their seats. Sorry." With that, I proceeded to the exit and directly inside the lift. That went well.
Alyssa's POV
Amazeballs! Just one subject to finish and I'm free to enjoy the weekend away from school.
'I miss you. I'm waiting outside the entrance. Can't wait to see you, baby. xoxo'
Sent from: Curly-haired Guy
I put my hand on my chest and felt the familiar thumping of my heart that until now I haven't got used to and I have no plan on doing so. I tried to hide my fluttered feelings but I know it was evident on the reddening of my face. I just now noticed that he changed his name on my phone. Silly fool. I love him.
'quit flirting and listen to the lecture. your going to fail and you have to live in the streets in a box'
A pink paper was slipped under my unoccupied hand and by the messy penmanship, obvious that she struggled with cursive writing exercises from grade school, I can already recognize the culprit.
'Emma, I studied this in advance. I don't want to listen. You spelled 'you're' wrong.'
'idc she really sounds like a dying whale'
"Brighton! Watson! Whatever you are doing, stop it right now!" Ms. Gutenberry bellowed which caught us completely off guard. It was then that I realized we were engrossed in the notes that I forgot the presence of my horrifying calc teacher. How am I going to get used to Emma and I, occassionally with Kristina, passing notes, being founded out and shouted at in class? Probably never. That's because Miss-Terror-Teacher shouts like the whole school needs to know she's angry. With only smoke coming out from her nose and fire-breathing abilities, you could really mistake her for a dragon that eats students for lunch.
She doesn't usually snatch the notes from us. This time, though, she did. I felt Kristina's elbow nudging me but I was too focused on Ms. Gutenberry's eyebrows furrowing with anger as she read each and every note. They were only three but Emma is so much in trouble for sending the last one to me. All gazes were on us, murmurs and whispers were heard inside the closed walls of my last period.
"Watson! Brighton! Meet me at my office now!" She stormed out of the classroom and as if on cue, the school bell started to ring and the students started to swarm around the door. Some already minding their own businesses while almost the majority remained on watch for us.
"What?" Kristina snapped and looked at the on-lookers. Immediately, they turned their heads away from us and tried to pretend that nothing happened. If I wasn't so much in trouble, I would probably laugh my ass off at their reaction. But no, I was in trouble and I looked constipated. I turned towards Emma. She caught my gaze and shrugged it off.
"Probably some extra work." Emma concluded but I doubt it.
"Or detention," She looked at me nonchalantly, "For the duration of her whole period on Monday, of course."
I heard Kristina sigh beside me, "Next time when you're passing notes, make sure no one's looking and do it discreetly. But hey, it's finished. Nothing can be done to redo it." She eyed and passed glances as each of us before letting out another exasperated sigh, "Go before she comes back and drags you down to pits of hell."
Emma snickered as Kristina pushed us outside the room, "I'll take care of your things while you're gone. Hurry. Don't take too long."
We walked the distance between the room and the teachers' room and once we were in front of the wooden door, Emma nudged me, "I knock, you enter."
Before I could even respond, She knocked on the door. Even it was a 3-count knock, it sounded so hard I was afraid it was gonna fall out from its hinges. I glared at Emma.
"Come in two of you." Said Ms. Gutenberry who sounded calmer than earlier. Calmer, but it was still evident in her voice that she was mad. Mad pissed.
Of course, we went in. The cold atmosphere of the room greeted us. Large tables were put against white walls that were embellished with corkboards and schoolworks made by the students. In the middle of the room, another column of large tables were laid onto the carpeted floor. Each table was separated by plastic dividers. It smelled like plastic containers and pencil shavings.
"Err." Emma murmured, sitting on the stool in front of me beside the table of Ms. Gutenberry who was behind the table. I saw only two pencil cases and stacks and stacks of papers. Unlike other desks who had vases, candy and chocolate jars, colorful and recycled pen holders, hers stands out because it contained nothing but mountains of papers.
"What you did was very wrong," She said, shaking her head, "and I plan to forward this to the head of discipline then to the principal." She discreetly glanced from Emma to me. I looked at Emma to see her gaping at Ms. Gutenberry.
"Ma'am, no, please no. We'll do whatever you want. Just.. Just don't tell him." I was surprised at Emma's reaction but more bothered by Ms. Gutenberry's plan of direct confrontation with the principal.
"I don't know, Emma. I was insulted but good thing what you said about me wasn't about my ability to teach academics," she brushed her hair, almost flipping it her back, "however, I do have a preposition to make."
She then cleared her throat, pushing her eyeglasses further back in her ears. She stared at us and we stared back, listening to her. In the background, I heard the tip-tapping of computer keyboards, the swishing sound of papers being flipped by haggard teachers, excited to go home.
"I take it that you're aware of the finals coming up, right?" She said, her hands under her chin and elbows on the desk, observing us. We nodded slowly. "I want you to tutor two of my students."
I tilted my head curiously, "Tutoring ma'am?"
Her hazelnut eyes appeared and stood out from her wrinkly skin, "Yes, tutoring. I've already chosen students you need to tutor before finals. I need you to help them in academic means. I've seen them struggle and I want them to pass and tutor them myself but time won't permit me." She looked at me firmly, "Alyssa, I want you to tutor Martins. Tom Martins. You know him, don't you?" She stared at my eyes intently , waiting for my answer.
My heart sank.
"Come again?" Emma blurted out. I glanced at her to see she had the same reaction like I had.
"I want Alyssa," she glanced at my face which I couldn't even paint myself, "to tutor Tom Martins."
"I-It can't be. Can't I choose-"
"No, you can't. You can start as early as tomorrow, I want you to start teaching him about the subjects he'd missed. You can teach him anywhere as long as I see progress in his academics. I assigned this to Alyssa because he just listens when he wants to. He's hard to teach if he doesn't want to be taught. Believe me. I know Alyssa's up to that challenge."
"May I take the responsibility instead Ms. Gutenberry? Anyway, he's not too hard to teach, isn't he?" Emma laughed nervously, side-glancing at me. I managed to show her a tight smile.
"Do you really want to dictate my decisions Ms. Watson? Ms. Brighton? Do you want me to forward the notes to the principal, Ms. Watson? Mr. Edwardson wouldn't like this." She glared at both us, "Now if you don't have anything else to add or say, you are now dismissed."
"But--"
"Ma'am, can I have a day or two to think about it? I.. I don't think I have the means to tutor someone. Let alone, someone from the seniors. It's my first time after all." I lied.
She furrowed her eyebrows before tilting her head back and stared at the ceiling, as if proposal for her needed deep consideration. This occurred inside a duration of 5 seconds before turning back to us again. Her eyes showed evident tiredness, "Very well then. I'll give you until tomorrow to think about this decision. I can give extra work if you can't." My eyes lit up and so did Emma's. "Let me rephrase that. I'm going to give you you your punishment for that terrible thing you've done earlier in my class today." She seemed entertained by our reaction after she added her last statement, "Dismissed."
"By the way Ms. Watson, you'll be tutoring Mr. Burlington." With that, she grabbed a a red pen from her pen case and started grading the papers we had taken last week like she hadn't just been in a persuasive discussion with us.
~
"Well that went damn well." I drawled, fighting the urge to punch a nearby wall to vent all of the mixed emotions that managed to crawl into my system. Wow, okay. This was a very eventful day for me and and I just want to go home the second I stepped outside of the office.
"Alyssa, don't get upset hun. You can refuse the offer anyway." Kristina implied, rubbing my back and brushing my hair with her fingers. She's so reassuring. She knows how to make Emma and I feel better. But damn, I can't just be okay with a situation like this.
"That's the point Kristina." I said, "I want to accept her offer. I want to be in peace with myself after what happened. It's just, I can't stand to look at him for even just a second. It makes me remember what had happened before. I'm scared it would happen again, Kristina. The scar it left on me was too deep and too fresh for me to tolerate his asshole-ness. I'm just damn scared. That's all."
They looked at me with worryingly and I smiled weakly at return, "You can refuse if you want to, Alyssa. Though I'm proud of you for considering that, I know how it left a mark on you. But I'm proud you made that as your choice. That's mature of you," Emma smiled, "You have to think about it before making a decision, okay?"
"Thank you." I smiled and looked at my watch. It's already 15 minutes past our dismissal and I'm sure Harry is already outside waiting for my long ass. I just hope it's not that cold outside, "I have to go. Let's talk later?"
They nodded at me, "Anytime."
I hugged both of them before proceeding to the exit. From there, I saw him leaning on his car, hands in his pocket and eyes focused on me. He smiled as he watched me walk towards him. When I was already probably like a meter away from me, he engulfed me in a sudden embrace. I drowned in his scent that I just can't get tired of. It tickles my insides. His green eyes made its way to mine and I was safe. I smiled ang hugged back, "I missed you, babe."
His hands were still on my waist, my body suddenly dependent on his warmth, "I missed you too." He kissed my forehead and sent tingles from there to the rest of my body. I can't get enough of him. I never will. I saw students looking our way but I'm sure they wouldn't recognize him with his black beanie and a pair of aviators. He was wearing a coordinating sweater and an airplane necklace dangling on his neck. My man looked good. He always did. Even with simple attire, you can't deny the fact that he has features that distingush him from the ordinary. Hell, you could even dress him with a garbage bag and he could still look like a god.
He pulled away and opened the door with a grin, "My lady."
I laughed and slid onto the passenger seat, "Thank you, my lord."
He went around his car and sat down on the driver's seat. Before driving away, he took my hand and kissed the back of my palm. He entertwined my fingers with his and I felt a cage of butterflies was opened and now they were flying around my insides.
"I'm taking you somewhere. Somewhere nice." He said with an evident excitement in his voice.
I smiled, staring at my hand he was holding while he drove, "Where might that be?"
"You'll see." He replied, taking a glance at me then back to the road.
Author's Note
This was a boring chapter, I know. But I'm sorry it took a long time for me to update again. Ugh, being in school takes up lots of my time, I haven't got the chance to even write a draft form my next update. Soooo sorry.
Anyways, expect an immediate update after this. Hmm, maybe the next 2 days or so? I'll try because my next update is already drafted :)
Barbara Palvin is on the side. Just kidding that's me. (no time for jokes)
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