Cassandra found herself walking towards an unknown direction but the things she saw in her path were fascinating, they were making it from the sports column of the school apparently.
the swimming pool was huge and even though the school was closed she could see a couple of students hurdled there, they were practising and sharpening the skills, she assumed they were professionals by how fast they swam.
Cassandra had always been a little terrified of swimming pools and that was the reason she barely knew how to swim, she was indeed terrible at any sports, you name it.
Next looked like the football Ground even though she could not see a coach in the view the boys were practising hard before a bell blew from her side and all of them exhausted and Sweaty rushed towards what she had assumed as the boys locker room apart from just one.
The guy barely looked like a school student he was somewhere around 6'3, his jet black hair were tossed Around randomly on his head and yet they looked so beautiful.
Cassandra couldn't help but stare at him as his eyes that were now focused completely on the bar that he was currently using to do pullups,
His eyes did not move for even a second to any place else like nothing else mattered for him except for what he was doing right now. only then Cassandra realised that the guy was not even playing football with the team but just working out the way he wanted to, she was sure he was not the coach because his outfit was of that a player.
The ground was humongous which meant that even though they were walking at the corner of it she could still stare and ogle at him. The guy pushed his T-shirt out on the ground revealing his muscled torso and Cassandra felt a weird urge to rush towards him.
a few parts of his hand were ink in tattoos and she wasn't sure if that was allowed in the school or not but it looked like he was the kind of guy who did not give a damn. suddenly like realising somebody's eyes were on him he turned towards her, his grey eyes narrowing at her as she finally realised she had been ogling at him all the walk through the football ground.
Cassandra quickly diverted her eyes but in another few moments she found herself looking at him but unlike what she had expected from a football Jock, to smirk at her. he was still looking at her like she was a mystery when she finally decided to look away and walked inside the building.
"That's Xaviers Garcia" the receptionist mumbled when they walked inside a classroom.
"Sorry?" Cassandra asked still a little shaken.
"The guy you were ogling at the football ground but if you want to consider my opinion I will advise you to stay as far away from him as you can" The receptionist mumbled for the first time smiling at her like she was a friend and not just some lady who was assigned to show her towards the examination room.
"Why?" Cassandra couldn't help but ask.
"Is he like the typical football jock with rich dad, no brains and playboy reputation?" Cassandra asked.
"Worst" the woman laughed.
" you see saying that Xaviers Garcia is dumb is going to be a stupid statement considering the fact that he has the highest grades in the entire school. and also that he is super athletic, which is something I am sure you have realised by now though one of the things that you said that he is a playboy is sort of right but things are deeper than that. Xavier Garcia has the reputation of ruining people and believe me you don't want to know what happened to the last girl who tried to cross his path. I know this might be a sensitive topic to you but I know what happened to your parents and I don't think I want to see you suffer more than you already have but it's your choice at the end of the day" she mumbled before handling her a paper and walking out.
The forthcoming two hours Cassandra found herself completely engulfed into the paper where nothing could divert her attention to say that the paper was easy would be a fool's place because it was not but that was not what she was anticipating any way midland high was not going to give scholarship to any student just so easily so she was anticipating it to be this hard but she could answer most of the questions.
Some parts of the question paper felt completely out of her academic knowledge and yet she tried to answer as much as she could paying special attention on the essay sections since she knew that that mattered a lot when considering granting scholarship to any student.
Cassandra didn't even realise when two hours blew off and she was finally done with her question paper, the receptionist had prior told her to remember the way back because all she had to do was click submit on the computer she was provided with and walk out because that was the end of her test.
There were a few times where she felt like she was exhausted maybe because of the nightmares she had yesterday there was lack of any sleep. She did not even want to go to the sleep topic considering the fact that she had probably not slept well in more than a month the last time she had ever had a sound sleep was when her parents were still alive and she was going to face the last examination of her junior high. the next morning everything from the day fourth changed and sleep was the thing that was out of her affordability standards, Something she could only dream of having.
Once she was done with her examination she clicked on the submit button and walked out of the classroom with her clutch and her phone.
She walked across the football Ground but the forbidden boy was nowhere to be seen Until she was suddenly and forcibly pulled inside the locker room she saw the boys going to a couple of hours ago.
*****
"Ahh" Cassandra's screams were muffled into the palm of the person who was holding her against the lockers.
Cassandra found herself panicking again as she felt herself unable to breathe like she was having an anxiety attack. She had scene this happening before ....
Cassandra was walking her way back. Weirdly enough she had no clue where she was walking back from or where to she was going the only thing she could feel was the pain in her feet like she had walked more than 1000 miles, her breaths were coming out in pants and she felt like her feet weighed more than tonnes.
She forcibly dragged her feet across and continued walking like her destination was close even though the only thing she could see for miles away was darkness she did not even realise, when a hand suddenly came out of the coop of darkness and pulled her into something. the surroundings were blur even though she could see a bit of light it was the sort of light that blurred everything around and made you blind. she tried her best to claw away the hands that were now pressed her against something.
She could hear them laughing like they were laughing at her helplessness. Slowly she felt herself losing her breath as one of the hands now clawed at her throat pulling out blood, She was so exhausted that even though the pain was killing her She did not even have the energy in her throat to shout. she could feel the blood now sweep down her throat all over her current clothing, the only thing she could pray for was the end of this misery even if it meant death. she had no power to fight against what was happening with her right now, she was done trying to save herself.
With the last shred of energy she had in her self she looked up to find the predators who were hurting her only to see the familiar faces staring back at her, these were the faces of the people she could not even think of hurting in her dreams. she would never even think that would hurt her someday.
"At least she is hot" She could hear someone mumble as she shifted back to conscious.
She opened her eyes only to find a couple of boys staring down at her when she realised that she was still sitting down on the locker room, the room was now well lit but one of the Boy was standing too close to her.
She is fumed that he was the one who pulled her in forcibly pushing her into the locker she realised she had seen this guy before until it clicked that he was the same asshole who was trying to buy her when she was working at the cafe.
"Tough on the outside and faints when touched" the boy smirked.
"Get off me you brat" she scowled pushing him away.
"What happened? I didn't knew that our school gave admissions to waiters as well. Is your mom a junkie and your father a runaway. What's your sob story huh?" he spat laughing followed by the other guys.
Cassandra found the binds of her patients tested even though she had told herself earlier that if she wanted to get through the school life she had to keep her head down take all the violence or whatever bullying came her way and just get through this year, this was the thing she could not ignore even if she wanted to.
"You asshole" She spat before slapping him hard across the face. The couple of boys who were earlier cheering on him actually went into Ashok before bursting into fits of laughter.
"Look at Ryan's face, the red hand print it's gonna take probably a couple of days to get normal" one of them laughed.
The Ryan guy the one that she had slapped her across the face was now fuming up advanced towards her pulling the collar of her T-shirt and banging her hard across the locker wall as she let out a wins due to the pain she felt in her back.
"You bitch" He spat and she freaked out not knowing what he was going to do to her right now when a voice interrupted all of them.
"Ryan" She looked up to see Xaviers stepping out of what look like a shower. His hairs were in the wet strands and the droplets were still falling on the white V-neck T-shirt that he was wearing.
He looked freshly showered with simple clothes like his white T-shirt with black tracks. His grey eyes were now completely focused on Ryan not even sparing her a look making her feel completely insignificant. just like Cassandra remembered the receptionist mentioning there was just something about his presence that turned the entire room into darkness.
If Cassandra had been scared of Ryan she was terrified of Xavier. She could see it on the faces of all the other boys standing in that locker room that she was not the only one who was affected by the darkness, every single face that was once laughing and giggling had now turned into complete seriousness and submission. Ryan himself had a clenched strict jaw but a panicked look, wondering what exactly Xaviers was going to demand from him.
Ryan stepped a couple of inches away from her before looking at Xaviers in complete seriousness and that was enough indication for him to command.
"I have said this before and I will say it for the last time right now! what ever stupid pranks you wanna do keep them off the football locker room. I will not tolerate any single member of the football team getting into trouble Because your idiotic ass refuses to grow up or you want to trouble some miniature insignificant and non-existent girl" he commanded.
Cassandra kept her head down in Shaym she wasn't sure if she could thank Xaviers for saving her or be mad about the fact that he had called her insignificant and non-existent.
The rest of the room was in complete darkness not the one that you could see but the one that you could feel slowly sweeping into your blood as the rest of the boys scattered around picking up the stuff and leaving the room followed by Ryan who was lost but he did not leave before giving her a look that said 'you were going to pay for whatever you did.'
Cassandra looked up only to find herself in Xaviers alone in that locker room And to say that she was freaking out would be an understatement.
*******
Cassandra looked up only to find herself with Xaviers alone in that locker room And to say that she was freaking out would be an understatement.
"Are you just going to stand there like a dumb person and ogle at me in a boys locker room" Xaviers exclaimed before narrowing his eyes at her.
"No...no! I am just about to leave." Cassandra exclaimed. A part of her wanted to at least introduce herself but then she realised the warning she had been given by the receptionist and decided otherwise.
"Thank you" she said instead.
"Thank you?" He asked confused.
"For saving me from that Ryan guy" she explained.
"I did not save you and neither did it for you so now escort yourself outside" Xaviers answered carelessly.
"You can say whatever you want to but you still save me from whatever he was going to do so I am still grateful to you" she answered.
Xaviers narrowed his eyes at her best and before she even knew it he sprinted towards her in a fast speed blocking her against the locker just the way Ryan had done. But unlike Ryan the grip was not strong enough to hurt her or maybe it was just the way he was looking at her and how she couldn't find it her herself to look away from his grey eyes that she did not feel anything apart from the butterflies in her tummy not even the pain in her back.
"Listen to me and listen well girl! Do not give me that crap be grateful speech and try to count me in the good boys list because I am bigger of a devil than Ryan can ever be and the amount of damage he can ever cost to you is not even close to what I can do. The only reason I stopped him from doing whatever he was doing was because I do not need the boys football team suspended because of the beautiful case that you are" he spat.
"Pitiful case?" She mumbled.
"Oh don't act shocked! You know bankrupt parents, Who commit suicide just to protect their daughter from bankruptcy but instead throw her into a coup of loneliness, Now the daughter is penniless so she applies for scholarship after she shifts with the aunt she barely knew. That's the sort of case that makes people pity you and I do not need that old principal suspending the football team just because Ryan tried to mess with somebody as insignificant as you" he laughed.
"How do you know all this?" She asked shocked.
"News darling! news! you can find anything and everything on there if not Google" He laughed.
Cassandra couldn't help but wonder how many people actually knew about her past. She did not even think that it was possible considering the fact that Springfield was minimal as compare to California and why would somebody belonging to a huge city like California waste their energy on reading news about what happened in Springfield but from what she had seen, she did not think that the other boys knew about her past which means it was only Xaviers, who knew her terrible past and she could finally realise why the receptionist had warned her against crossing its path because the guy was indeed dangerous even when he hadn't moved a single muscle to her side.
"I'll leave now" She said trying to move away when she was forcefully backed on the lockers again, this time xaviers bent down to her eyelevel, his face inches away from hers as she could feel the mint on his breath spray all across her face and the forest like fragrance Briskly spreading into her nose.
"I decide when you leave and when you not" he spat angrily putting his nose into her neck, like he was almost smelling her.
Cassandra Remained completely still not even moving a muscle. Her head was complaining that this guy definitely suffered from bipolar disorder considering the fact that only few moments away he was demanding her to leave and now she was indirectly stopping her from. She was also mentally cursing herself for saying anything and not just leaving when she had a chance to.
Slowly as he calmed down smelling her maybe she couldn't help but internally wince at all the words that he had thrown at her face, he was indeed an ass.
"You smell like rotten flesh in and out" he spat moving away.
Cassandra looked at him like he had grown two heads. Obviously she hadn't chosen a very impressive outfit considering the fact that she was wearing a pair of denim flared jeans with a high collared T-shirt and a pair of wedges But this time she had taken the effort of using her regular expensive perfume and not the cheap ones she used when she was working.
Her mother had once told her that if there was anything that was first looked up about a person's appearance, it was the way they smelled and she wanted to make a good impression on the people she was meeting today in this school even if her case was pitiful like Xavier had pointed out.
"How wrong was I when I said that you were a savior. you are indeed nothing but a rich brat who finds his joy in hurting people. You are a sadist who enjoys hurting people for no reason?
Why huh! could your father never love you enough?
Or did your mother ignore your existence because of the sort of asshole you are?" She spat this time equally angry.
"Do not talk about my mother" he growled.
"That hit a nerve did it now? You find immense joy in making others feel insignificant because maybe you have been nothing but insignificant in the eyes of people you wanted to be everything for.
But listen to me and listen clear you brat" She exclaimed matching his tone before continuing
"You are nothing but a self absorbed jerk, who is trying to reduce his inferiority complex that has developed into him because of the lack of importance of himself. The only reason you call me insignificant and pitiful is because in truth that is what you are. And you can try to throw that in my face all you want but that would never change the truth that at least my parents loved me when they were alive and they still do from somewhere so I will never be as insignificant and unimportant as you are" She spat before she pushed him away and ran off the place.