(A/N: I have a migraine so I'm going to rest. Enjoy the chap~!)
-3rd Person POV-
"Urgh. Why is he not answering?!"
Dressed in a black blouse and hair tied up in a ponytail, the large-earring wearing girl grumbled as she exited her house.
Haley had been trying to reach Dylan since last night especially since Madelyn Cline, a.k.a Yoko texted her telling Dylan had gone to meet Edward with her boyfriend Brian.
"Both of them! Are they messing with me!?" Haley shouted as she entered the minivan, sitting in front next to Claire.
"What's going on?" Claire asked in concern.
Luke and Alex exited the house with their bags, and as Luke opened the side door, he saw someone familiar cycling in front of their house.
"Hey, that's Ed." Luke muttered and tried to wave at Edward, but the boy wasn't paying attention to anything other than the street.
"What happened to his face?" Claire squinted her eyes as she looked through the back mirror of the car, and she saw something different from the Edward she spent time with yesterday.
"Looks like he'd been in a fight." Alex muttered in concern. "WHAT?!" Haley shouted in a weird high-pitch voice as she heard what Alex said.
-Edward POV-
"Ugh. My teeth feel loose. I ought to sue them." I muttered as I woke up today and walked to the kitchen. I massaged my jaw a little bit and changed the pain relief patch on my right cheek.
"You can, you know." Ted said while sipping his coffee. "You don't have to go to school today if you want."
"It's okay. I got to submit my assignments today. I will play hooky tomorrow." I said teasingly.
"Unfortunately, the offer is only valid for today." Ted said with a soft smile.
"Tch, stingy." I joked and I ate breakfast together with my dad. Instead of cooking, my dad bought a few croissants from a bakery in the city for his turn in making breakfast.
The next day arrived, and I cycled to school as usual. I passed through the Dunphy's household, and glanced only for a second before I cycled past them.
"Last night…Ugh…teenagers…" I grumbled as I remembered the events of last night when I was walking home from the Dunphy's house.
[Flashback]
"Oh. The idiots huh." I muttered as I stood face to face with the two 18 years old – Dylan and Brian.
Standing at an imposing 6'2'' (187 cm), Dylan's eyes were red as he had just been crying.
"Dude. I need to ask you a question." Dylan approached me and said in the pitiful voice of an abandoned puppy.
On his left side was Brian, the glasses-wearing, 5'7 bassist that allegedly bought his way into the band. He was staring at me with contempt, so I reached into my pocket and opened the recording function of my phone secretly.
"Shoot." I replied casually.
"Are you dating Haley?" Dylan asked.
"No." I replied calmly.
"Do you like Haley?"
"No."
"Then why are you in her house?"
" 'Cause her mother is teaching me to bake a cake."
"But….but…why?" Dylan asked in confusion.
"Dylan. He's lying. There is no way he's not making a move at Haley." Brian said in contempt. "He needs to be taught a lesson." Brian walked toward me with his fist cocking. I narrowed my eyes and would counterattack at a moment's notice if he really did try something.
He was dissatisfied with me because of my Youtube video. My live-cafe performance has now reached one million views on Youtube, and people have been asking the band why they picked Brian instead of me.
Worst of all, his girlfriend was thinking of breaking up with him because of the incident. She didn't want to take the heat about the matter, and was abandoning Brian to deal with the matter by himself.
Dylan grabbed Brian's fist before he could swing it to me. "That's not what we came here for!"
"LET ME GO DYLAN. I need to punch him at least once!" Brian shook off Dylan and swung his right fist at me.
Putting my guitar case on the ground, I took a step back, causing him to lose his target and he staggered forward. At the same time, I kicked his legs to trip him, causing him to fall to the hard ground into someone's garden.
Then, I pinned him down by putting my knees in the back of his neck and locking his limbs.
"Are you done yet?" I asked in a cold tone. After I got kicked out of the orphanage at age 16, I entered the military for 2 years to collect money to go to college. Fighting a highschool boy wasn't even an effort for me.
"Argh!" Brian screamed in pain as I twisted his joints.
"Dude. STOP!" Dylan said as he tried to remove me from Brian's back.
He wanted to come here to get answers about Haley and apologise to me personally in the first place after Haley had gotten mad at him about the matter. That's why he brought Brian along with him, so that he could apologise too.
Dylan pulled me from Brian's back, and he was holding me so that I couldn't harm his friend any longer. Brian however, took the chance to swing his fist at me with all of his might.
'Idiot.' I scoffed inwardly and dropped down to the ground, causing Dylan who was holding me from the back to be hit by the punch at his nose.
"ARGH!" Dylan screamed in pain, his nose started bleeding. Brian was flustered by his friend's injury. "Dylan, you okay?!" He asked anxiously.
"What do you think?!" Dylan asked in frustration as he put both hands on his nose, trying to stop the bleeding.
I stood back up and dusted my clothes. "I will give you one last chance to stop. Otherwise, I will start hitting back." I warned Brian.
"You little bitch." Brian cursed and didn't take my advice. I sighed and I readied myself into a stance. Brian closed the distance with me, and I used his momentum against him. I put him into a jiu jitsu chokehold called the 'Mata Leao'. My right hand was at his neck, and my left hand was locking my right hand into a choke.
Brian struggled to get out, and he hit my arm a few times. But the choke was slowly putting him to sleep.
"Get off!" Dylan said, and punched at me with his bloody hand. I released Brian instantly as there was no chance I would let that fist hit me – not because of the strength, but because of the dirtiness. I stepped back, causing Dylan to miss his target and he crashed into the half-unconscious Brian.
Both of them groaned at the ground – being both in pain and in shame. Dylan's phone was broken by the fall, and Brian's too.
"Go home." I said and turned my back against them before I walked away. Dylan and Brian only answered with a groan, and I ignored them both.
'Give me a scare for nothing.' I thought as I turned off my recording.
BAM!
I stepped on a rake as I turned and walked, causing the stick to hit my face. I stumbled on the ground and fell to my knees from the shock.
"Oww! Fucking hell!" I groaned and I rubbed my painful cheek. Dylan helped Brian to stand up as he was still feeling groggy. At this time, a car high beam was directed at us, and my dad hurriedly walked out of the car.
"Oh fuck!!" Dylan cursed and ran away while holding Brian hurriedly.
My dad approached me and kneeled on one knee, checking my injuries. "What happened? Were you fighting?" He narrowed his eyes at the running teenagers and wanted to chase them, but I stopped him.
"No. This stupid rake smacked me in the face." I said as I pointed at the rake.
[Flashback Ends]
Before I cycled to the main street, I passed through house 314, a one storey cottage with a beautiful garden in front.
Suddenly, a twin-tailed goth girl with a low-cut skull face tank top, a black plaid skirt and high black boots jumped in front of my bike and stopped me by grabbing the bike handle.
She closed her face to me and stared at me menacingly. Her brown eyes that were like two pools of honey kept getting closer and closer to me as she tried to intimidate me.
'Ahh. She's really pretty.' I thought as I looked at her oval-shaped face, her high cheekbones, and the dark-smoldering goth makeup she has on.
"That's dangerous Abby. If I don't break in time, you'll be run over." I said casually as I was greeted by an old friend.
"That's what you're going to say to me after not contacting me for a week?" Abby asked angrily.
She was still bending over to grab the car handle, causing her tank top to reveal most of the C-cup she's packing. "What's wrong with your face?" She asked with concern and violently pressed her finger on my hurting cheek.
"I thought you're at camp. So I don't want to bother you. When did you get back?" I asked, trying to ease the 17 years old girl's anger while avoiding the embarrassing topic of getting a rake to the face.
Although she was a goth girl, Abby was an enigma I couldn't solve as she has the personality of a golden retriever. She completely destroyed my expectation that all goth girls were emotionally closed off and emo.
Abby narrowed her eyes in suspicion as she stared at my innocent smiling eyes. She released the bike handle and stood upright before she walked to my right side.
"Anyway, my mom's car is broken, so you're going to get me to school." She said and she sat at the seat behind my bicycle, hugging my shirt as she waited for me to start moving.
Although I was already familiar with her character, I was confused when I saw her coming from this house.
"Hey Abby, is Desiree your mother?" I asked.
"Hmm? You don't know?" Abby asked curiously. I turned to the house as I heard the sound of a car engine trying to start. From the sound of the slow crank, I had a hunch about the car's problem. I saw Desire in a pink long sleeve shirt trying to start the car from afar, but it was hopeless.
As I stared at Desiree for 10 seconds, Abby rolled her eyes and got up from the bike. "Don't tell me you have a crush on my mother too?"
"Hmm? Why do you think that?" I turned to her and asked. "By the way, have you told your mother about going to school with me? She's still trying to start the car over there."
"Ahh. I forgot." Abby widened her eyes in realisation and walked toward her mother. I parked the bike and followed her, causing Abby to roll her eyes again.
"Mom. I'm going to school with this little perv." Abby said to Desiree. The hot mother finally gave up and exited the car.
She flipped her blonde wavy hair and she stands next to the car. Her pink shirt had several buttons opened, revealing her deep cleavage. Her mommy jeans hugged her thick body tightly and watching her had made my teenage hormones go awry.
"I think I'll have to call a mechanic for this." Desiree muttered with a seductive voice, and then she turned to Abby, "I will call a cab for you."
"Mom. Listen." Abby said in annoyance. "I'm going to school with him." She pointed at me.
Desiree finally realised my existence and she brightened up instantly. "Who's this? Your friend? Finally!" She said in excitement and held her hand for a handshake towards me.
"He's not really my friend." Abby said in a tiny voice, but her mother ignored her.
"I'm Desiree. Abby's mother."
"I'm Edward, Abby's partner-in-crime." I said and I shook hands with Desiree while being met with a smack in the arm by Abby.
"What partners-in-crime?" Desiree asked in confusion.
"N-Nothing." Abby panicked. After Desiree's divorce and she moved to LA 2 months ago, Abby has been hanging out with the previous me at Sam's junkyard – smoking 'herb' together. She had been inside my house too as our music taste was similar.
"By the way, did you leave your car's lights on last night?" I asked Desiree. I also peeked inside the car and found out that my hypothesis was true. The battery light indicator was blinking, and I saw the headlight was turned on.
"I…don't know." Desiree replied helplessly. At this moment, I finally understand the traits of the woman who only showed up in one episode of the series.
"You're an airhead huh." I blurted out. Desiree widened her eyes in surprise while Abby burst into laughter as they heard that.
"W-what?" Desiree was flabbergasted by the sudden accusation.
"Nothing. The car battery is dead. I can replace it for you after I get back home. Or you can call a tow truck too, but that will be more expensive." I offered.
"Hmm? You know how to fix cars?" Abby asked curiously. Desiree showed a wry smile as she thought I was just a teenager trying to show off.
"Mom. He can do it." Abby suddenly said. Desiree turned to Abby in confusion, but also was in awe. Her daughter never had introduced any of her friends after they had moved to LA, making her feel that her daughter was estranged in school.
Desiree smirked at her daughter, causing Abby to roll her eyes again. "He is one of the rare few people who didn't exaggerate what he can and cannot do."
I nodded behind Abby in agreement. "It's okay if you want to call a mechanic. They will tell you the same thing."
Desiree shook her head and said, "Okay. I will let you do it." She gave Abby her credit card to hold to buy the battery after we finished school.
"Let's go. We'll be late." Abby said and sat sideways on the back of the bike, patting my seat hurriedly to ask me to start cycling. I sighed at my legs muscles and put my legs on the pedal before I waved goodbye to Desiree.
She waved back excitedly as she was touched that her daughter finally had a friend in the area. She was so touched that she didn't even ask about my age or whether we went to school together.
"So, you are serious about taking forensics?" I asked Abby as we rode to school. I had to drop her off at highschool first before I rode to my middle school. It would take me 10 minutes extra to get to school today, and I estimated that I would be late to the first class.
"Yeah. After we move back to New York, I will talk to my mom about that." Abby said. The goth girl was a bit of a genius, and her main interest was crime investigations.
She only smoked weed when she had studied about it and found out that the 'herb' was harmless. "So. Did you fight with someone?" Abby asked.
"Two idiots came near my house last night, but their fate is worse than mine." I bragged.
Abby laughed and teased, "Really? You can fight? Aren't you a wimp?"
I chuckled and said, "Said the paper human."
"Hey!" The weak Abby exclaimed in anger. I laughed at her and we catched up till we got to school.
"You're famous now on Youtube, are you going to debut soon?" Abby asked as we entered the city.
"I think so. But I guess I will only be a studio artist." I said.
"You're not going around on tour?" Abby asked.
"Nah. Too troublesome." I replied.
"Still lazy I see." Abby teased. We arrived at the school in no time, and I accidentally arrived at the same time the popular group of people had arrived at school.
"Hey. That's the son of a bitch who broke your nose." A laughter came from An African-american band member of Dylan's who teased the injured man when he saw me. I think his name was Derek, but I didn't remember him much.
"That's the guy you fought with?" Abby said as she understood the situation without me explaining anything. "Nice job." She nodded as she was pleased someone had actually taught the stupid guy a lesson.
"Well, it wasn't me who broke his nose though. It was Brian." I said casually. Derek heard it and exploded into laughter once more. He held his hurting stomach and strutted over to my direction.
"Let me say it first. I'm sorry that we didn't let you play before. It wasn't fair to you. And I'm sorry that Dylan is an idiot. Haley slapped him when she heard what happened earlier on."
"Nice." I exclaimed, causing Derek to laugh once more. Derek was only 15 years old, and a pianist for the band. He had short and unkempt hair that was driving me crazy, and he wore clothes as if he was working at the docks.
Dylan lowered his head in shame and tried to talk to me, but I needed to rush to my school.
"Bye Abby. I'll pick you up later." I put my foot on the pedal and wanted to ride away, but Abby stopped me.
"Okay bye!" Abby said as she kissed my cheek lovingly. I was a bit stunned as I knew she wasn't this type of girl, while Derek and Dylan widened their eyes.
Abby whispered to my ear while maintaining to be affectionate to me, "I don't know why he's targeting you but I guess for that girl Haley. Like this, he won't bother you anymore."
Abby was a bit concerned as I was a loner and Dylan has his group of friends. The little genius managed to concoct a scheme instantly as she deducted the whole situation based on limited information. The only thing she couldn't solve yet was the bruise on my face.
I smiled and I kissed her on the left cheek before I said, "Don't worry. I can handle myself. Thank you for your help… Although I'd prefer it to be on the lips."
I drove away, leaving a stunned Abby and a group of jaw-dropped men.
The goth girl had a lot of fans in school, but no one actually managed to ask her out. But a middle-school student did. As the rumours started to spread, I finally arrived at Franklin Middle School after the bell had rung.
I entered Mrs Henderson class a bit late using the back door, attracting the attention of the entire class.
Mrs Herderson turned toward me from writing on the whiteboard and said, "Did you fought with someone Mr. Newgate?"
"Ah…I cannot talk about it as per the rules of the club." I said jokingly. Mrs Henderson narrowed her eyes at me while some boys in the class laughed.