Coming to school today wasn't something I had been looking forward to. And my anxiety was proved valid when Mr Clark had me stand in his office for half an hour while me trying to explain all sorts of excuses why I could not submit my assignment in time and should be given a chance again.
At first he didn't budge at all, extremely disappointed in me but then I managed to get time from him after the classes and somehow he agreed to let me submit the assignment if I completed it today before he leaves.
So that's what I had been doing all day, sitting under a tree, with my books and notes scattered all around me. I happily bunked my classes, to work on my assignment. Well that was an excuse but I wasn't planning to come anyway to avoid everyone at a costs if not for Emma who would have gotten more suspicious after I took her off my back by made up lies last night.
Wind swept around the tree making its thick branches to dance all around and yellow leaves fell in my lap. Pages started to get away in hurry and I pounced forward to hold my hands on them until the wind settled down.
It was slightly cold outside and I frowned at my plain white shirt with black polka dots on, which I matched with black scarf and jeans. I could feel wind biting through the sleeves of my shirt and I regretted not wearing a top over it to prevent this hot n cold game of the weather.
I glanced upward at the sky and saw clouds rushing over in the middle to cover the sunlight from sight as wind gushed around once again.
Huffing, I collected my papers and notebooks, stuffing them in backpack and stood up feeling the first few drops of rain landing on my nose tip and cheek.
Few students were still outside, not affected by the soft trickling of rain and I tried my best to stay unnoticed and go somewhere quiet once again to finish this assignment.
Finally reaching the library, I nodded at the librarian who greeted me just by pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and again immersing himself back into the newspaper.
I shuffled my pockets to fish out my cellphone to see how much time was remaining but then realization hit me like a hord of ton of bricks.
The entire day I was trying to shift my focus from my keys and cellphone to the assignment and not yet think about them.
This morning when i walked past our first class to go to Mr Clark's office, i could here the loud chatter of students erupting from inside and I could distinguish a distinct chuckling sound among all others.
Goosebumps travelled up my arms and I shook while thinking of a plan to go to king and take my stuff back from him.
But just the idea of going to him and talking while knowing fully well how he broke into my house and entered my room as well. God knows what he might be thinking or have done in there while I was passed out like a loser in my bed.
Heat rushed in my cheeks and I shook my head to dismiss the thought.
Why did he have to take my stuff with him?
Now I would have to retrieve that back from him.
What if he refuses to give it back to me? Or worse, doesn't admit that he has it in the first place!
I had to get in touch with new student as well. I couldn't lose anymore time. This entire assignment dilemma is already making me lose my grades in the first place. I would be lucky if I somehow manage to get through exams without anymore complications.
"No ticking of pen!" Growled librarian and I met his gaze to find him glowering down at my pen in hand.
My cheeks burned in embarrassment and I turned ahead slouching over my assignment hoping for a miracle to end it soon.
~~~
I looked at the clock in the library and jumped off my seat in hurry panicking over the fact that it was over two hours when the classes finished. Teachers usually stay hour and a half more to talk with the staff or complete some paper work and then leave.
I stapled my pages together, neatly putting them in a file and rushed towards the office, chanting all the prayers I could remember on my way.
I entered the hallway and could hear the echo of my sneakers all the way down to the corner, leading to another hallway, and back. I slouched my shoulders in half disappointment. The hallway was completely deserted so I hurried my pace and almost broke into a run, hoping to somehow find Mr Clark still sitting in his office.
I took a turn where the staff rooms and offices were and took a huge breath of relief coming to a halt when I saw Mr clark exiting his office with the strap of a documents bag hung over his shoulder as he attemtped to lock the d-
My eyes widened and i once again broke into a run, towards him before he could lock the door and refuse to take my assignment. It was already a miracle that I completed my assignment by the given time which I haven't seen coming in my wildest stars. But now that it was done, I wanted to get it over with.
He abruptly halted in his movements when he found me rushing over to him. I stopped before him while gasping for air and extended my assignment.
A moment of silence passed as he took my gasping state in and then looked at the assignment in my hand.
I sheepishly adjusted my backpack mentally counting down backwards.
I think he took pity on my state cause he took the assignment from my hand but there was a hint of underlying grumpiness because he didn't say anything and just put the assignment in his bag and started down the corridor.
To be honest, as long as my assignment was submitted, I didn't mind his attitude.
Half grinning to myself, I also made my way towards the locker room. Nearing the corner, I could here the laughter and voices of guys who I was assuming were coming back from a football practice and gulped down feeling sudden anxiety gripping my chest.
I looked back and there was no one in the hallway and i had no option but to go ahead to my locker room in the next hallway.
I've never stayed this late at school and seeing it this deserted at this hour creeped me out.
It almost seemed like a deserted insane asylum of some sort.
Voices grew nearer as I reached the corner and soon a bunch of guys turned the corner, some with their shirts in hand, swiping the water drops off their newly showered hair, others joking around and chuckling.
As soon as they noticed my presence, I shifted my eyes ahead and quickened my pace holding my breath and walked past them, turning the corner. I completely avoided their questioning gazes and curiosity that hung in midair about what a girl was doing in the hallways this late.
Couple of guys I recognized from my class at first glance but there were a lot more. Could be more from our class and other classes.
Could it be that...he was among them too?
I could hear my heart beating non stop at this point and I couldn't hear any other sound, not even the patter of my own shoes.
Another lump grew in my throat as I reached my locker and shuffled with the lock for a good half minute as my fingers shook terribly.
The memories of yesturday started introducing them one after the other in consistent succession and no matter how hard I tried, they didn't fade away, instead grew stronger and more powerful.
Cracking the door of my locker open, I dumped my notebooks inside and took the ones I had to work on at home and put them in my bags with clammy hands.
I had no idea if Emma would be at home yet or out with her boyfriend Jake.
I had absolutely no courage to go to king and ask him for my cellphone or keys today. Especially not when there were no other students whatsoever except some raging football team boys flocking around the hallways.
Zipping the bag close, I attempted to handle the strap to swing it on my shoulder when my gaze rested down on the Nike shoes in front. And I slowly looked up at the bare leg up to the thighs where red coloured shorts peaked from under my opened locker door.
Before I could wrap my head around the fact that someone was standing on the other side, the locker door was pushed inward which flew past my face, nearly hitting me off in the process and shut off with a resounding bang making me jump back couple of feet away at the impact.
Piercing dark eyes met mine under the freshly showered wet bangs that scattered unruly over his eyebrows, dripping slightly, creating an elusion of false mixture of tears and raindrops that tickled down his face landing on his red football tea shirt which was sticking to his front, showing underlying abs, effortlessly.
I shifted my eyes away from him, holding the backpack closer to my chest as I looked down the hallway longingly, ready to shoot away in a run.
But he had other plans.
Resting right elbow on my locker door, he carelessly shifted on one feet and ran a hand over his wet hair backwards, willing them away from his eyes. Some of them smoothed back in submission, while the remaining stubborn ones jumped back down, covering his eyes once again protectively.
A lazy smirk appeared on his lips. As if to enjoy the addiction of his bangs to his amused orbs.
I gulped down painfully slow and i was sure he could hear it too.
"What a sweet little girl like you is doing, wondering around in the hallways?" Sarcasm dripped from his every single word and my nostrils flared at the fake sweetness.
I didn't reply, keeping my loudly beating heart in check.
Could he hear my loud breathing too?
Suddenly I was conscious of every single cell inside my body.
Releasing a long breath he looked down the hallway behind me and I wondered if anyone was coming but I couldn't risk looking behind, away from him.
When his eyes finally settled back at me, his smirk was nowhere in sight, but his posture still looked calm otherwise," you already know I don't take lightly when someone ignores my question." His calm tone held a threatening storm underneath.
I quickly surveyed his face for any sign of danger but either he was good at deceiving or he wasn't used to showing much.
Ofcourse he wasn't used to showing much!
The memory of him getting mad at me to the point of choking me when I didn't answer him yesterday came back again and I involuntarily held my throat over the scarf to rub off the uneasiness.
His calculating gaze followed the movements of my hand and then narrowed few millimeters.
My hand froze.
He removed his elbow from the locker door straightening up and shifted close to me. I took a step back but he was quick in grabbing my wrist that was extended towards the throat and pulled me close, his above 6 ft tall stature loomed over my 5'4 one.
It gave me a sense of being caged, as I felt my heart sinking in a claustrophobic way.
I gasped growing stoic in his grasp as underlying terror returned making my eyeballs almost drop out of my sockets.
His lips set in a thin line, and he removed my hand from over the scarf, collecting the hem of it in his one hand, as he attempted to lift it up bending down to peak at my- throat?
A shuddering breath left me in panic and I pushed at his chest, " what are you doing!" I whispered out bewildered.
His serious eyes met mine and kept them hypnotized "Stay still." When I couldn't make up anymore words, he took it as an agreement and once again looked at my throat closely.
Not having it in me to allow such insulting behavior, I clutched the hem of my scarf that he had collected in his grasp and pulled at it to let it free from him, "no, stop!" My voice cracked at this point and these were the only words that slipped out of my tongue.
His eyes turned cold and I could feel all the chill of rainy wind that was gushing around outside coming off his pitch black orbs, brushing the skin on my exposed throat and I shivered in response.
I tugged at the hem of my scarf but he had it in a strong hold. Straightening up now with a ticking jaw, he regarded me down with a frosty expression," I'm not going to bite you. Just checking for the Marks from the last incident." As if it explained it all, he didn't give me another moment and his unreadable eyes once again fell over my throat from under those jet black bangs,"now don't move."
I held my breath.
His finger tips slowly brushed over my throat with the speed of a snail and I felt chill waking up from the back of my neck and running down my spine.
Soon his finger tips rested on the spot at the side of my neck and a burning sensation erupted making me jump back a little in pain.
His hand froze in place and his eyes travelled up to meet mine which were welling up now.
How dare he first leave these marks on my neck by choking me and then brushing his fingers on them to make me feel the pain all over again!
My blood boiled and I dropped the bag from my hand and using both hands, snatched his hand away from my throat.
He let it go this time, not saying anything but not taking his eyes off me either.
"Enough!" I shouted in a hoarse voice and I suspected others could hear my voice too as it swiftly echoed around.
He buried his hands in his shorts' pockets making me inhale a shaky breath in relief but my anger was not dissipated yet.
"What do you think," I started taking a step closer to him, gaining courage by this sudden wave of anger, " you could harass me publically and then bring me to some deserted alley to choke me to death and then molest me now in hallway when no one's around?"
I asked him but didn't let him answer me," and to top it off, when I didn't die out of the assault yesturday, you stole my keys without permission and broke into my apartment and took my keys and cellphone along, just like that!"
Silence.
A long cold silence.
I needed him to speak. Damnit!
"Give me my keys and cellphone back!" I raised my voice to get some reply from him, "now!"
Finally the frost crumpled down and his feet shifted ahead.
I extended my arm,"no! Don't come closer. Stay there!"
And he stopped.
He removed his hand from his pocket and my eyes landed on the cellphone it held. My cellphone.
Oh how I wanted to curse him to hell and back!
A pained cry erupted my throat in frustration knowing it really was him who took it.
I grabbed the cellphone from his palm but before I could pull my hand back, his fingers closed around my hand over the cellphone and my breath hitched as I looked up at him.
His eyes were biting cold as if he had been living all his life in Antarctica and my feet felt glued to the spot and my hand numb in his.
I couldn't feel anything. I didn't feel a shot of electricity running up my spine.
Just a numbing cold. A frosty bite of his chilling gaze.
"If you ever utter a word about yesturday to anyone!" He worded every word slowly to make sure it sinks inside my head properly, while with another hand he pulled out a jingling keys, with the letter F chain attached to it and flung it in front of my wide eyes, " it wouldn't be wise of you, when I possess the key to your hiding spot." And then dug them back inside his pocket.
I stared at his empty hand with parted lips.
No, he can't just take away my keys!
What will I tell Emma if she asked why I wanted to change lock.
Even the manager won't let me change the locks.
I couldn't tell Emma. And I couldn't let him take the keys.
"No! You can't just take them," I murmured in surprise and my head shot up at him, "Give me back my keys."
I gasped out breahtless.
Flipping our hands upside down, now that his hand was over mine, cellphone sandwiched in between, he eyed me with finality, "I'll let you take this for now." And with that he removed his hand from my cellphone and took few steps away from me, his dominant aura urging me to say something contradictory.
Getting nothing in response other than my bewildered face, he shook his head in amusement.
Sounds of approaching footsteps resounded from around the hallway and recognition spread over his face and his expressions turned sober again, " you got fifty seconds to pick up your backpack and leave the school or I'll come and escort you myself."
His words didn't break his now expressionless face and this sudden change scared me. This version of him reminded me of all my past interactions with him in front of other students.
Looking down at my forgotten backpack, I picked it up hurriedly as the footsteps grew louder and now we could clearly hear the voices of guys coming back after picking their stuff up to leave the school, I rushed past him but his hand held my shoulder making me hold my breath.
His hand fixed the hem of my scarf in front leaving me all confused and then his face neared my ears, "next time I want to check your cellphone, make sure to have your password removed!" And with that he was gone.
And those words kept circulating around my head as I rushed down the hallway and out of the school, not wanting him to come and drag me off , until I reached my apartment and sat on the doorstep. Not because it was locked, but because I wanted to get myself together before going Inside to face Emma.
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