"Are you insane?"
Yes, he's a beast but I didn't expect him to literally live up to his nickname.
"What? You're the one who says I'm a beast."
I blinked a few times.
"You heard that?" It's a mumble that only I can hear.
"It doesn't matter." He shrugged. "Just don't go near him."
It's not like I'm planning to get close to Jillian. I even want to avoid the two of them, they're the ones who stick their nose in my business.
But this is a great opportunity, I can use this.
"In one condition, go to school." I bring out his piled-up activities in front of him.
I thought he's finally going to accept it when he gets the papers from me but he only starts to tear it one by one.
"No." And sprinkle it on top of my head.
I'm a calm and collected type of woman.
I'm not affected by his childish antics.
I brush off the papers on my head and body as I repeat the same words inside my head over and over to keep me from bursting. Nothing will happen if I did burst out, I'll just dig my own grave.
"Okay, then. I'll stick to him like superglue." I said to annoy him before I went down the stairs even though it's never my intent to stick to another asshole.
But I can't back down and show him that I'm talking shit especially that Jillian is in front of our apartment right now with some of their familiar friends.
Why are they here at this exact moment, huh?
"Oh, Suzi! Are you going to work early today?" One of his guys asked.
"School?" Jillian moved forward closer to me and I knew instantly why he did that.
At the terrace on the second floor, Lyndon stood there with his both arms resting on the railings gawking at us, so I didn't move and let Jillian get close.
He lifts his hand to caress my hair and frowned as he removes some pieces of paper that I hadn't been able to remove earlier.
"Does it still hurt?" He intentionally whispered near my ear talking about what happened yesterday.
There's no hidden meaning behind it but I can't help but blush because of his sudden choice of words and actions.
"What are you doing here?" I backed away a bit.
"I'm bored." His eyes say different, he seems amused.
"Oh, yeah! Is it fine for you to work? You hit your head yesterday." The other guy exclaimed.
"Who hits their head?" The landlord interrupted the conversation after setting up his business.
"What's up, Richard!"
"Getting good, Ash." They give each other a high-five as if they're of the same age.
Just how old is this man?
If some random stranger were to answer, I bet they will mistake him as a college student with his physical appearance but I know too well that he's not.
"It's Suzi, the cue ball accidentally hits her head." The other guy answered.
"Suzi?" The landlord looks at me, shocked. "Yesterday, Jake? Who did it?"
"The cue ball?"
"You, dumbass. Did the cue ball throw itself at her?"
"Ah, no. Well, it's Lyndon." Jake scratched the back of his head avoiding the man from the terrace who doesn't even bother to look at him, he's too busy giving me death glares.
"That son of a bitch." He murmured. "I'm sorry, Suzi. I thought it'll be okay to leave you with him, I was called yesterday and the hall's full of customers, I don't have any other employee."
"It's fine, it didn't exactly hit my head. I used the tray to shield me so it's the tray not exactly the cue ball."
Is it okay to curse his tenant like that? What if he also curses me like that when he's annoyed by me?
"Aren't you going to school?" The voice from above reminded me.
My eyes widened and the sudden rush of panic overflows within me.
"I-I'll go ahead." I started running as fast as I could without giving them the chance to utter another word.
The wind blew stronger as I run. My well-organized thoughts and hair became tangled. I'm running for my time, hopelessly catching for it.
I have never imagined myself in this kind of situation.
The school grounds were quiet making my heart and mind unsettled.
"Wow, you're late." My adviser noticed my sudden presence while lecturing. "For the first time."
I bowed my head in embarrassment. "Good morning, ma'am."
It's really not good for me to be late so I make up for it. I listen carefully and take down notes on every subject, I didn't let any pests enter my mind for the whole class and did it successfully.
"Ms. Almirante, is something bothering you?" My adviser asked after the whole class left. "You look unsettled these days, you're even late today."
I was left here because she gave me some work to do, I guess it's only an excuse.
"Oh, maybe it's because of the task I've received from Miss Rebecca."
"What is it?" She curiously asked.
I told her the task and everything that happened after that. Of course, I'm sure she knows Lyndon and his reputation but I was wondering, why would they care a lot for him when all he did was trouble? They can just kick him out like what normal schools always do, that guy doesn't even care about his study after all but I guess this school is different.
Or maybe he has connections?
I remember what the landlord told me last day that Lyndon has money to spare.
"You can drop the task if you can't do it. I'm sure Miss Rebecca will understand." My adviser suggested.
"But she's willing to give me two books."
Ma'am Clarissa sighed, "You're easy to lure." She looks at me directly with a worried expression. "I'm worried you'll change after meeting him."
My brows furrowed, what is she talking about? That I'll be the same as that beast? Ridiculous.
She laughed as if she heard my thoughts. "Everyone changes and you're no exception. After all, change is inevitable. I just hope you'll change for the better and not for worse."
She then stood out of her chair and reach for another set of papers to fix.
"Think of this as a warning, you know rumors about him, right? You know too well that meeting him is like meeting your downfall, get close to him and you'll hit rock bottom."
I paused. Her words strike me deeply, I don't know why, she noticed my reaction.
"I'm not bad-mouthing him. He has some good sides too. The school noticed it so they're not giving up on him. I just want you to be careful. As my student, you're like my child that I should be taken care of."
Good sides, huh? Where?
After finishing the work she gave me, I quickly fix my things so I won't be late for my job.
It's just a walk to get there and I still have some time since ma'am Clarissa dismiss the class early so I took my time walking while reading under the bright afternoon sun.
This is my usual self and not the one earlier, I don't know what happened why did I ever come to such a state. Remembering ma'am Clarissa's words, I guess I didn't want to admit earlier. I never want to admit it. I'm slowly changing because of that man. He's seeping into my system and devouring my consciousness.
I mentally slapped my face when I caught myself thinking about him again. I'm reading economics yet my thoughts are completely different from the book I'm reading.
This is hopeless. I'm hopeless.
He wants to annoy me so much that he keeps on bugging me anytime. Why do I have to be the one to look after him? I'm not planning to be a nanny. Nevertheless, why did I get another copy for him? I know that he's just going to ignore it as usual but why did I still get him another one?
For the books. Yes, it's for the books. I accepted the task first because of the books. I'm doing this because of the books.
I'm still annoyed. Why do I feel confused? It's always the books and it will always be the books. Why do I have to ask and remind myself of that?
I keep my book inside my bag when I heard noises where the apartment is. They're hanging out again there today. For some reason, I feel nervous. Maybe because of what happened yesterday, I'm afraid I'll get hit by a cue ball again.
My feet stopped at the sight of a man wearing a black shirt and a messy expression puffing a cloud of smoke up high that vanished before it even reaches the sky.
I suddenly felt my skin burning from being under the sun for too long.
A warning?
Maybe it's too late for that.