The uproar that drew me out of my reverie signified the entrance of Te Golden Trio. When the noise increased I wondered if Hunter had forgotten about his no commitment nonsenc=se and had someone with him.
I continued to pick, undisturbed, at my food (A pickle sandwich) when someone came and snagged one of my pickles.
"How do you eat these?" Andrew asked, his voice booming.
"You just eat it," I said looking at him as I rested my head in my palms. He, Claire and Hunter took, a seat each at my table.
"What are you guys doing here?" I asked.
"I'm in school to learn," Claire said popping a pickle into her mouth.
"Purpose defeated." Andrew snickered, making Claire glare at him.
"You know that's not what I mean. " I said, feeling Hunter stare at me.
"Well, we thought we should stay together since you are our friend, you know?" Claire said. " I'm hungry. Andrew, can we go get some chips?" She linked her arms with Andrew's.
"Okay," Andrew said getting up. "Hunter you coming?"
"I'm good, just get me some chips." He said still staring at me.
" Are you going to keep staring at me or steal one of my pickles," I said making eye contact once Claire and Andrew left. Immediately, he looked away, his eyes looked at everything and everyone except me.
What's up with him?
Andrew and Claire came back to the table, Claire happily eating her chips.
"Here are your chips," Andrew said placing Hunter's food in front of him.
I looked at my plate to see a lone pickle. I ate it savouring every bite but as bound to. It finished.
I got up and trashed my plate before returning to the table to rest my head. Placing my head on the table, while using my hand as support, I watched as Andrew and Claire threw chips into each other mouths.
I felt something nudge my arm making me realise I had zoned out.
I looked around and realised Hunter's plate of chips was what touched me.
"Have some." He said. I looked between him and the plate realising I had made the fact I wanted chips a bit too obvious.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Have some before I change my mind" I brought the plate closer to myself before picking a chip and gingerly placing it in my mouth. I watched Hunter as I did this wondering why he was so nice?
It tasted good. I put one after the other into my mouth. I continued to enjoy the chips as I thought about my life, especially the person in front of me.
If I didn't think about how he shouted at me the day before I would say he looked pretty appealing.
I looked at him in front of me, head tilted backwards, hand draped over his eyes, loosened tie, first button undone, left hand on the table.
No matter what he wore or didn't wear, he always had girls dropping right, left and centre for him.
I reached for another chip when I realised the plate was empty. I turned the plate over to see if any would magically fall out.
Take SOME of mine. At this point, his words came back to me and the more I think about it the more the word 'SOME' was in emphasis. I guess I missed it earlier.
That aside, I started contemplating whether to run to my next class or tell him I had finished the chips.
The first option would make rounds in the school's paper for weeks and I was trying to avoid that. I imagine the headlines;
GIRL LOSES IT FROM SEATING WITH HOT SHOTS: HUNTER GEROME, CLAIRE DE FLOUS AND ANDREW HUXLEY A.K.A THE GOLDEN TRIO.
I chose the latter option, hoping the consequences would be better than the former. Straightening my back, I cleared my throat and put on my brave face.
"Hunter?"
"Mhmm?!" He groaned, peeking at me from under his arm.
"I want to tell you someth-"
"'Where are my chips?" He interrupted.
"That's what I would like to talk to you about."
"Yes?" He demanded, calmly.
"I-I-I...I...I-I...I-I-I-" I stuttered.
"Yes, I think I got past that already." He smiled, clearly enjoying my state. I turned to Claire for support and she was munching on his chips. She looked as if she was watching a movie and she was telling the main character Don't say it. Don't. If you do the police would never find your body.
While Andrew had his legs crossed on the table, his facial expression said, " You're on your own."
Intertwining my fingers, I looked around the hall, realising everyone had their eyes on Hunter and me as if they were watching a horror movie and I was the dumb girl who was about to have that one phone call from the 'delivery guy ' who was watching her from the driveway.
Deciding to go back on my choice and pick the first one I grabbed my bag and held onto my headphones. I got up to run but he was in front of me.
"And where do you think you are going?"
I moved right and then left trying to evade him but he grabbed my headphones.
"Dang it," I muttered as I ran down the hall and took a left instead of a right to my classroom.
I ran into the library and walked to the front desk but it was unoccupied so I went to the library assistant's desk.
"Hey, Louisa!" I said since it was my classmate that was there.
"Hello, Eleanor. Did someone take your seat again?"
"No. I wanted you to help me find some books." I scratched my neck.
She cocked her eyebrow, " Really?"
"Yeah."
"What genre?"
What genre did werewolf fit into exactly? I said the first thing that came to mind. "Greek mythology."
"Really? Not a lot of people read that!" She said, enthusiastically.
"Wow! They should." I tried my best to sound interested.
"What would you like? Poseidon? Zeus? Eros? Aphrodite? Ares? My personal favourite is Aphrodite, I mean what's there not to love about her? Who's your favourite?"
I looked around blankly for a few seconds before proudly answering. "Percy Jackson."
"Oh...okay. If I could interest you in some philosophy. Descartes? Nietzche? Schopenhauer? Kierkegaard? Spinoze?"
"No, I'm good. Thank you." I replied. I wonder why there are books for philosophy? My philosophy was to stay out of trouble, live life, and don't mess up. I did not get that out of a book.
"Which one would you want?" Louisa asked.
"Werewolf...mythology?"
Her eyes shot daggers at me. if looks could kill I would be six feet under.
"You should have just said that earlier! Instead of making me waste my time." She snarled. "You teens just want fiction, fiction, fiction. Sci-fi and junk." She led me to another aisle different from the one we were in.
There were shelves and shelves of werewolf and vampire books. I saw Moon Called, Vampire Academy, Twilight, The Morganville Series and some other books I hadn't seen before. Was I supposed to read all of these?
"Since you are so big on werewolf mythology why don't you try this one out?"
She came down a ladder with a book that probably weighed a ton. Putting the book down on a table, I realised it was dusty and looked like it hadn't been read in a thousand years. It was at least a thousand pages.
"It's everything you need to know about werewolf...mythology."
"Brilliant!" I faked a smile and went forward to carry the book but she clamped her hand down on it, making some dust go everywhere. Causing me to cough and wheeze, resulting in the other students shushing me.
"It's a hundred chapters with a hundred pages per chapter."
"Wow! I guess I better get to work then!" I tried to grab the book again.
"Not so fast." This she sat on it. "Let's make this more interesting. I...dare you to...finish this book in a month." A month? Who did she think I was? Howard Berg? It would take me at least a century to finish! But... it's a dare... "Are you going to do it or chicken out?"
"Fine, A month it is," I seethed.
"Perfect. By the way, you can not take it out of the library and you can only read it on weekdays, school hours specifically, at other times the library will be locked." She smirked and left me fuming. This was basically from frying pan to fire. From eating Hunter's fries to Louisa's library of doom.
Taking the library cart, I lifted the book onto it, took it to my usual spot and settled down. Craving some music to calm me and help me focus, I pulled out my phone only to remember the Hunter had taken my headphones.
Slipping my phone back into my pocket I opened the book and skimmed through the foreword and thanks before getting to the first chapter, 'Ranks'
***
The bell finally rang, signalling the end of lunch and the end of my torturous reading. It was a bit interesting excep for the fact I had nodded off a few times.
I swung my bag over my shoulder and pulled out my phone from my pocket to check my messages.
19 messages from mother.
"Mother?" I huffed with an eye roll and changed the profile name to Ms. Florence.
I stepped out of the library, scrolling through my Instagram when I heard someone greet me. Without even raising my head I knew who it was.
"My headphones?!" I asked with an outstretched arm as I still looked at my phone.
"My fries?!" He said mimicking my actions, making me finally look at him and stuff my phone into my pocket.
"You want your fries?" I asked and he nodded. "Okay, what don't you stick your finger down my throat and make me vomit?"
He pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered something along the line of, "Why don't I stick something down that throat of yours?"
"You disgust me?" I said with an eye roll and started to walk away. Before I could process what was happening, Hunter pulled me back and pinned my back against the wall, with his hand in my hair and my head pulled back, exposing my neck to him. What was he doing? We were in school!
"You don't roll your eyes at me." He said running a finger under my chin. "Else there will be consequences." I heard my heart thump against my ribcage wanting nothing but out.
Doing the first thing that came to mind I kicked him where the sun doesn't shine, causing him to fall to his knees. I snatched my headphones from around his neck and ran out of the school building towards the gate before he got regain his strength.
Before I got to the gate, I whipped out my phone and called my driver.
**Phone call**
E: Hey Kevin come pick me up from school.
K: Aren't you...
E: Just come okay. I'll explain later.
I was about to end the call when I saw Hunter emerge from the school building and run towards me.
E: Nevermind, I'll meet you on the way.
K: what do yo-
I cut the call and pocketed my phone before I started running. Deciding my bag was better on my back I slung it over my shoulder. Halfway down the sidewalk, I spotted one of my cars. Kevin!
I ran into traffic and jumped in front of the car hoping for it not to hit me. It came to a screeching halt right in front of me. I hopped and shouted for Kevin to drive. He took a u-turn and drove, soon enough Hunter was out of sight.
"What about the rest of your classes?" Kevin asked.
"They could go screw themselves for all I care and honestly I don't care," I said shaking off my blazer along with my blazer and pulling out my shirt from my kilt. Why did today have to be the uniform day? I opened the mini fridge and downed a bottle of water.
"Did you run a marathon?" I heard Kevin joke. I closed the bottle and threw it at his head before downing two more.
Kevin wasn't my actual driver, he was just a temporary replacement for mine, who was on holiday.
"Who was that pursuing you?" Kevin asked.
"A jerk," I replied.
"Got a name?"
"Hunter."
"Hunter Gerome?"
"Yes."
"I knew it! He looks hotter in real life."
"Kevin?"
"Yes?"
"Are you gay?"
"Give me a bottle." He said and I opened the fridge."No, an empty one. " I handed the bottle over to him.
"Are you bi?" I asked and he threw the bottle at me, hitting me smack in the middle of my head.
"No." He said. "I'm as straight as a crooked road."
"Kevin! You
threw a bottle at me!"
"I would do it again. Besides no brain damage right?" He said pulling onto the driveway.
"I grabbed my bags and headphones before opening the door and jumping out of the moving vehicle, causing Kevin to make an abrupt stop.
"You have a death wish, don't you?"
"Maybe," I said with a smirk as I walked away.
"First crossing the road like a mad person, now this!" I continued to walk on ignoring everything he said, I already had enough to think about.
I rang the doorbell and waited, watching Kevin park the car. Surprisingly, Debbie opened the door. She had a face mask on and had her hair in a bun, she was also wearing my robe.
"Hey." She greeted as she hugged me and I hugged her back. I walked into the living room and saw a bowl of pringles. I picked one up and put it into my mouth.
"Tastes good right?" Debbie asked and surprisingly it did. I nodded before slipping another into my mouth.
"I added Nutella." I instantly stopped chewing. "Just swallow it's already in your mouth." She cooed. I swallowed before shaking my head and retreating to my room.
Once in my room, I had a shower and tied my towel around my body. I grabbed my bag and dumped the contents on my bed. Amongst the pile of books, make-up bags, emergency kits and stationeries, Hunter's glasses sat. Its lenses catching the reflection of the sun made me think of what happened in school.
"...there will be consequences..." Thinking of his voice and the way he said it made in between my legs throb, so I sat down and opened my messages, seeing I had some notifications.
The first thing that caught my eye was the message from an unknown number that said,
Check the school's online paper
Without thinking about who sent it I check the school's online paper, wondering what I might see.
TODAY'S NEWS
A rich thief...
Girl snags all of Hunter Gerome's chips and takes off only to be caught by the victim of the stolen chips.
After a confrontation, the girl disappears, later on, be found making out with Mr Gerome, in front of the library. I guess Mr Gerome has caught a criminal and won't be long goo anytime soon.
The girl is Eleanor Florence. Newly sixteen and practically royalty. Her single multibillionaire mother owns one of the biggest boutiques in New York, Chicago, Dubai, France and Italy.
I'm in for a long year. I thought as I threw my phone on the bed before laying down and looking at the perpetrator's glasses. "I'll return them and give him a piece of my mind.