All Brittany could think of as Mr. Jenkins filled her ears with boring English stuff, was Michael aka Lakeboy. He sounded cute, tall, broad and most definitely not a nerd. He sounded like those boys that parents did not like but they still managed to somehow get the girl.
What's his hair like? she thought. She did not know the colour but the shape looked kinda shaggy. His voice was not deep or husky. It was just cool and calm. Maybe it's his voice that attracts the girls, she thought. Brittany had a tiny crush on him because she had not seen his face. It was mysterious and she liked mysteries. If she sees his face, the crush would just die... afterall, he was not a nerd.
She looked up from what she had sketched Lakeboy to be. It was a stick figure with a smiley face and lines on its head like hair. Brittany was not an artist. "Perfect!" she said and smiled at her stick figure. Her eye caught someone at the front with very dark brown hair sleeked back. Damian. She did not know he attended the same English class as her. Well, she never knew he existed till the mac and cheese incident.
There was nothing to think about again so she decided to focus on Mr. Jenkins. She held out her English book and just stared at Mr. Jenkins. He was one of the hot teachers. Actually, he was the only one. Most female teachers tried to get his attention but he did not even give them a second look. Maybe he has a girlfriend, Brittany thought. Some students found him hot and cute but not her. Teachers were not her type. Her type was sitting at the front with his head in his book. She chuckled and Mr. Jenkins looked at her, "I didn't know my lecture was funny Miss Copper" he said. "Believe me it's not!" she said and looked around.
Her English class had mostly girls because of a certain auburn-haired man in a green vest which was on top the white shirt and then a pair of green pants to match. Mr. Jenkins that day, reminded Brittany of BTS V during the Dynamite era. He just did not have the hair V used.
The few boys in the class were sleeping except Damian. "Haha! Very funny Miss Copper" he said and looked at his book "Thanks! Try watching some comedy shows so that your lecture can be more lively" she said and he just rolled his eyes.
The boring lecture continued for a few minutes and then some girls Brittany recognized as her posse, ran into the class. "Girls, you can't just run in----" "Sorry Mr. Jenkins!" they said simultaneously. "We didn't see you there" Patricia said as she arranged her hair. Brittany rolled her eyes. Of course her posse liked Mr. Jenkins. Who wouldn't like a 6"2 guy that looked somehow like BTS V during Dynamite era?
"Patty!" Tiffany nudged Patricia and they looked at Brittany, "SWIITHRN!" one of them said and Brittany was confused. She knew what IITHRN was; Is In The Hall Right Now, but what was the SW? "Huh?" she asked. "Seth Williams is in the hall right now!" Tiffany said. Seth, Seth, Seth, Brittany thought, it sounds familiar, she thought and tried to remember where she had heard the name. Her mind first went to the villain in the movie, Gods of Egypt but she brushed the thought from her head with the fact that he can not be in Disnee High School.
"Seth! And I must say that glare makes you look so sexy" she remembered the other Seth. "That guy?" she asked and the girls nodded, "And he's looking for you" one of them said and there was a knock at the door. Everyone looked at the door and saw a tall guy in a dark blue shirt and Levi's. Again, it was a simple outfit but why did it look like it was being modelled on the runway?
"Who are you? Are you a student here?" Mr. Jenkins asked and Seth smirked, "Nah! I'm just here to pick up Brittany Copper" he said and winked at Brittany. The girls fawned over his voice, smirk and wink. "Don't you have class?" Mr. Jenkins asked and Seth shrugged, "I ditched. Big deal?" he said and was about to walk into the class but Mr. Jenkins obstructed him, "I'm sorry but you have to leave" he said and Seth chuckled, "Make me!"
Mr. Jenkins clenched his fists. God he hated teenagers. Seth looked at his fists, "You know you can't hit a minor, right?" he said and Mr. Jenkins released his fists and sighed, "Class dismissed" he said and went to get his things then he left. Everyone except Brittany, her posse and Seth happily filed out of the class.
"Umm... Brittany?" Tiffany asked and Brittany gestured for them to leave and they obeyed their queen. Brittany was still in shock. She almost witnessed a showdown between her teacher and a guy who dented her car.
"That's our cue! Let's go!" Seth said as he walked to her desk. "Go where exactly? You can't just come and kidnap me in the daylight. Have some deceny and do it in the night" Brittany said and stood up to go but Seth blocked her path. She sighed, "Get out of my way!" "That's what intrigues me about you Brittany. Your voice remains calm even when you're angry. How do you do it?" he asked. Brittany felt light-headed. Did she just receive a compliment? Was that even a compliment? She gets compliments a lot but this one was weird.
The sound of books falling startled them and they looked at wherever the noise came from and saw Damian picking up the books that had fallen. Damian was still here? Brittany thought. Who in the world---- Seth thought and Brittany pushed him aside and went to help Damian. Her hand brushed against his as she helped him pick up his books and his face heated up and became red. "Thanks!" Damian said shyly as he looked everywhere apart from her.
"Brittany, let's go!" Seth yawned and she looked at him, "I'm not following you anywhere. I still have classes and as the serious student I am, I will stay and bless myself with knowledge" she said and he laughed, "You sound like a nerd" he said and walked closer to her, "But we both know you're anything but a nerd" he whispered huskily. Brittany turned to Damian and smiled, "Let's go study at the library. You haven't tutored me" she said and he nodded.
"Oh! So you prefer to hang out with the nerd?" Seth asked and Brittany rolled her eyes, "Damian, I'll catch up with you. I have to get rid of a fool" she said and he nodded then he left. "A fool? That's a new one" Seth chuckled "What do you want Seethe?" "It's Seth" "I'll call you whatever I want Seethe" Brittany shrugged and he nodded, "Okay Britz!" he said. "Britz?" she asked "Well it's only fair I give you a nickname since you gave me one".
"Alright! I'll play your game Seethe. Do you like me? Was it love at first sight?" she asked and he burst out laughing. "O my God, you're so funny Britz! I can't remember the last time I liked a person, especially a girl. I'm just doing you a favour because I know you would like to see me again" "I don't take favours from dogs!" she said and was about leaving but he grabbed her arm, "What did you just say?" he asked and she scoffed, "Of course you won't hear me. All that dog wax must be blocking your ears. I said I don't take favours from dogs now get your hands off----" he slammed her into the wall.
"What the----" "Listen up princess! You don't know shit about me. I'm not a fucking dog!" Seth yelled and she nodded, "Okay, I get it. Can you let go of me now?" she whimpered and his nails dug into her skin, "You're the one that even looks like a puppy. You look like a fucking chihuahua!" he cussed and she nodded, "Yes, I'm a chihuahua, just let go of me. You're hurting me" she begged but he didn't listen. His nails even dug into her skin more.
"Please" she begged again as a tear fell from her eye. "Brittany!" someone shouted and pushed Seth off her. Brittany slid down the wall and Jake hugged her, "Are you okay?" he asked and she slowly nodded. Jake got up and looked at Seth, "Who the hell are you? You think you can come inside my school, mess around with my girl and go scot-free?" he asked as he cracked his knuckles.
Seth's eyes wandered from Brittany to the group of boys trying to intimidate him. "Are you guys a fucking band? Or do y'all just go everywhere together?" Seth asked "What'd you just say?" Jake asked and Seth chuckled, "And she thinks dog wax is blocking my ears" he whispered to himself. "Hey dork face! Don't talk to yourself or are you deranged?" Jake said and Seth looked at him, "So you're like the king of this school?" "Yeah! And you just messed with my queen" Jake said and walked closer to Seth, "And you're gonna pay for that!" he said and glared at Seth who did not hesitate to return the glare back.
"Umm... I don't think we should do this right now" someone said in a small voice and they turned and saw Damian, "Oh! It's the nerd that giving you a run for your money" Seth chuckled "What?" Jake looked at him. "Brittany needs to go home" Damian said and Seth backed away from Jake, "Looks like you've got some competition boy scout!" he said and glanced at Brittany who was looking at him with...tears in her eyes?
Shit! He made her cry. Seth ran out of the classroom and Brittany's eyes followed him. Jake went back to Brittany and stretched out his hand, "I'll drive you home" he said and she looked at him then at Damian, "I want Damian to drive me home" she said softly and all the boys whipped their head to Damian's direction. Brittany got up and stood beside Damian, "Thanks Jake" she said and dragged Damian out of the classroom. Jake scoffed, "Did she just pick a nerd in suspenders over me?"
~~~~~~~
Throughout the ride, Damian and Brittany did not say anything to each other. Brittany just hummed to Set fire to the Rain by Adele which was playing in the stereo, while Damian was trying to forget how warm and how Brittany's hand fit right into his.
"Umm... Brittany" he said and she looked at him, "You didn't tell me where your house is" he said and she sighed, "I don't want to go home" "But----" "Let's get burgers and ditch the rest of school" she said excitedly. "I'm supposed to get you home and then go to class" "Forget about school. Don't you ever get bored of it?" she asked and he shook his head, "I have to take you home and go to class or I'll take you to school with me" he said and she looked away as she pouted.
Now Damian had two weaknesses; Crying 5"6 blonde, blue-eyed girls wearing a short denim skirt with leggings and a pink corset top(Brittany), and pouting 5"6 blonde, blue-eyed girls(Also Brittany). When did he have a soft spot for girls? He always thought they had cooties. But the blonde girl sitting beside was making him do things he had never done before like thinking about ditching school and just hanging out with her. He sighed, "Where should we get burgers?" he asked and she looked at him and smiled, "Take a right turn".
~~~~~~~
"So you have never ditched or even thought of ditching school?" Brittany asked Damian and he shook his head. "Wow! That was part of my bucket list for high school. Ditch school more than three times" she smiled and sipped her soda. "How many times have you ditched school?" he asked and she started counting with her fingers. Damian's eyes widened when she had already used her ten fingers and she was still counting.
She shrugged, "I don't know! I've lost count but just know it's a lot!" she said and bit into her cheese burger. "My parents would freak out if they find out that I'm ditching school" Damian said and she picked her soda, "Mine just yells and I yell back then he reduces my allowance and then I give him the I-hate-you speech" she said and chuckled, "It's a never-ending cycle".
"Are your parents strict?" she asked and he rubbed his nape, "Well, I wouldn't say they are strict cos I'm used to their parenting skills...but my older sister complains all the time" he said and she smirked, "So you're the last born?" she asked and he nodded, "No wonder you're cute!" she said bluntly and his cheeks became bright red.
Different thoughts ran through his head; is she flirting with me? Is she just being nice cos I'm her tutor? Does she like me? Am I even likable? Does girls like her hang out with losers like me? Should I stop overthinking this?
"C'mon let's go! I want to buy some paint" Brittany said as she stood up "What do you need paint for?" "Don't worry about it. You're too innocent to know what I want to use it for" she said with an evil smirk on her face.
~~~~~~~
Damian and Brittany loaded ten cans of pink spray paint into the trunk of Brittany's car. "Why do you need so much paint?" Damian asked and she smiled at him, "I told you not to bother" she said and smirked, "He'll never know what hit him" she whispered to herself.
"So are you ready to go home now?" Damian asked and Brittany thought for some time, "Well, school's not yet over. We still have a class or two...I don't want to leave you cos I know you'll go back to school but I'm already tired" she said and was about to enter the driver's seat but Damian put his arm on the door, "I'll drive you home" "It's okay. I'll----" "I was supposed to drive you home so let me do it" he said and smiled.
How was she supposed to say no to that cute smile and that slight blush on his cheeks? "Fine!" she said and he got into the car while she turned round and sat in the shotgun seat.
~~~~~~~
"Thanks Damian" Brittany said as Damian pulled up at their garage. They came down and Damian looked around. It wasn't a house. It was a mansion that stood proud in it's cream glory. There was a large field with a gazebo and small bushes which were trimmed in different shapes. In the middle of the compound, there was a little water fountain. Damian could not see the pool, but he knew there was a pool. He also noticed the large tree close to a room that lights were on.
"Lisa gonna kill me for leaving my lights on" Brittany muttered and looked at Damian, "Do you wanna come in for tea or sweets? Lisa usually bakes by this time" "Don't worry, I have to get home" "So you won't go back to school?" she asked as she got close to his face.
"Umm..." Damian could not think straight. Why is so close to me? he thought, confusion and slight fright clearly written on his face. He took the time to study her face well since she was so close. Her face was not fully blemish-free. She had a small scar close to her eyebrow and on her nose was a birthmark. Her lashes were long and her big baby blue eyes were lined with eyeliner, highlighting them more. Her lips were----
"Brittany Hope Copper!" someone screamed and Brittany immediately pulled away from Damian and they looked at the balcony were the scream had come from. It was Lisa...and she was furious.
Brittany knew she was in huge trouble. Lisa had warned her about leaving her lights on, so many times. "Lisa I----" she tried to explain as Lisa marched to her angrily "You----" Lisa said and Brittany closed her eyes expecting a cheek-pull or an ear-pull, but it never came.
She opened her eyes and saw Lisa looking at Damian. "You didn't tell me you had company" Lisa said and Brittany heaved a sigh of relief. Damian, you're a lifesaver! she thought. "Lisa, this is Damian, my tutor and Damian, this is Lisa, my..." she thought as she stared at Lisa. She had not really put a label on Lisa. Lisa was not just the househelp, she was like a second mother to Brittany but of course, she was never going to tell Lisa that. "...maid?" Brittany completed and Lisa glared at her.
"Hello ma'am" Damian said politely and Lisa smiled at him, "Thank you for tutoring Brittany. She can be a handful most times" she said and Brittany rolled her eyes, "Good job at helping my reputation" she said sarcastically. "Do you want to come in?" Lisa asked "He has to go home Lisa" Brittany said and Lisa looked at her, "I wasn't talking to you" she said and faced Damian, "I can't let a guest leave without offering him a cookie" she said and dragged Damian in despite his protests.
~~~~~~~
Damian sat on a huge couch, in a huge living room. The tiles were white and spotless. The stairs were magnificent...but long. How do they climb those stairs everyday? he thought and another thing caught his attention. Was that a garden in the living room? He got up and went to look at the small garden.
There were a lot of roses in the small garden and it added colour to the living room. He held the petal of a rose then he heard a voice, "Do you like the cookies?" he turned and saw Brittany in a yellow summer dress. It was really cute on her.
Brittany looked at what he was holding, "Oh! You find the roses fascinating?" she asked and he let go of the petal. "I was just admiring it" "Yeah, I admire it everyday...and wonder why he hasn't destroyed it" she whispered the last part and smiled at Damian, "You can take a rose if you like" "No... it's not----" "It's okay. Take it as a gift for coming to my house for the first time" she said and plucked a rose and kept it in the breast pocket of his checkered shirt.
"Ahem!" Lisa cleared her throat and they turned and saw her standing close to Scott. Damian gasped. His guess was right. "Mr. Copper" he said and Scott smiled at Damian, "Hello Damian". "How do you guys know each other?" Brittany asked and Scott sat on the large couch, "He's the son of my business partner, Mr. Thompson" he said and Brittany looked at Damian then at her dad, then at Damian and then her dad, "Never heard of them!" she shrugged.
"That's because you never cared to hear about them" Scott said and she nodded, "True. Cos all you want is for me to "befriend"one of your business partners sons and I'm not interested" she said and Scott smirked, "But you seem interested in Damian" he said and her cheeks turned a slight pink. That was the first time Damian had seen Brittany look flustered, even if it was slightly. She huffed and held Damian's hand, "I'll walk you out" she said and dragged him away. "Tell your father I said hi Damian" Scott said and Damian nodded.
The walk to the gate was silent because Brittany was trying to decipher how Damian was rich and still dressed like he was a professor in the 90's. "So your middle name is Hope?" Damian asked and she looked at him, "Yeah! What's yours?" "Sebastian" he said nervously and she burst out laughing. "So your name is Damian Sebastian Thompson? Wow! Your parents must be quite distinguished to give you names like that. What about your sister?" "Elizabeth Allison Thompson" "Why Elizabeth?" she asked and Damian shrugged, "I guess mom was inspired by the British leaders. My sister doesn't like the name so she shortened it to Lizzie" he said as he kicked a stone.
"I still can't get over the fact that your name is Sebastian" Brittany laughed again. "Like yours is any better!" Damian countered "Hope is a very nice name. When you hear it, it gives you hope" she said with her hand on her chest "How 'bout I call you Hope then?" he asked and she immediately remembered Lakeboy. He was the only that called her Hope. "But you already know me as Brittany" "Well, it would take some time learning to call you Hope" "Sometimes, I forget it's my name" she said and stopped. They had reached the gate.
"So, tomorrow?" Damian asked. He was becoming a little bold. "Sure! I gotta head back now before they suspect things" Brittany said and did something surprising. She hugged Damian who was too shocked to put his arms around her. "See you tomorrow!" she said and left him in shock.
As Damian left, the only thing in his mind was, did I just get hugged by the Brittany Copper? He also could not get her roses scent out of his head. He held the rose she had tucked into his breast pocket and smelt it. She smelt just like the rose.
~~~~~~~
"Dad!" Brittany started as she entered his room and he groaned, "Brittany, let's have this discussion after dinner. I'm tired" he said and laid on his king-sized bed. "You were not tired to interrupt Damian and I" she said and he groaned, "I said let's have this discussion after dinner". "Why did you have to tell me that he is the son of your business partner?" "Britt----" "So that I can know he is rich and then you'll start inviting him for dinners and you'll start playing matchmaker?" "I'm only looking out for you Brittany" Scott said and she shook her head, "You're only looking out for yourself. You want to expand whatever you have when Damian and I start dating". "I'm trying to help you Brittany and you just keep pushing me away. Yeah, I made mistakes and I want to correct them but at least give me a chance" he said as he stood up.
Brittany came closer to him and tilted her neck sideways. There were faint finger marks at the base of her neck. "Mistakes like this can't be corrected" she said and he backed away. "You haven't helped yourself but yet, you want to help me. Please, first get something before you can give it" she said and walked out of his room.
Scott held his head as memories of that night flooded back in. The broken glass particles at his fingertips, his fingers wrapped around his nine years old daughter's neck, her cries and him tightening the grip more around her neck.
He pushed the lamp on his bedside table frustratedly and it shattered. Seeing the broken glass made him remember more. Lisa quickly ran in and saw what had happened. Scott was already trembling on the floor. He never wanted to remember that terrible night again. He never wanted to feel the way he felt that night. Drunk, depressed, angry and...mad