The next day...
As I entered my first class of the day, I let out a sigh as I had escaped any run-ins with Jesse Campbell and I was happy about that. In fact, he seemed to be nowhere in sight this morning, which honestly was unlike him. I took my seat near the back of the class and pulled out my notebook. As a student, English was one of my favorite subjects. I loved the written word, dreaming of becoming a famous author one day. I stare at Mrs. Davis as she begins the lesson, "I want everyone to listen to me... today we are going to start on our Shakespeare projects." she says before I hear a loud commotion at the door and everyone notices Jesse Campbell walking into the classroom. That's awesome, what was he doing here? I wondered to myself as I watched him hand a piece of paper to Mrs. Davis who merely smiled at him. "Oh class looks like we have a transfer." she said, "Please Mr. Campbell find a seat." Everyone was surprised to see Jesse Campbell walk into the classroom, and even more so when Mrs. Davis welcomed him as a transfer student.
I watched in horror as he turned towards the class to find a seat, his gaze landing on me. My heart skipped a beat as he walked closer to me with his teeth clenched. He took the only empty seat in the class, which just so happened to be behind mine. "Oh hello Makena," he says under his breath as he leans into my space while taking a seat. "I see you have this class." I hear him chuckle. I felt my face flush and I awkwardly smiled. I could feel the other students in the class looking at me, wondering what was going on. I tried to remain composed as I turned to face the front of the class.
All throughout the class, I could feel his stare burning right into the back of my head. I couldn't focus on what Mrs. Davis was saying as I remained on high alert being this close to him. Immediately after the bell rang signaling the end of class, I grabbed my things and fled. Why was I so scared of him? What did I ever do to him? Nothing, absolutely nothing! As I reach my locker, I open it up and lean my head against the cold metal taking in a deep breath. Before suddenly a hand slams loudly on the locker just above my head causing me to jerk back with a yelp. Of course, it would be the one person I didn't want it to be, Jesse Campbell. "So tell me something Makena, why are you trying to avoid me?" he asks with a smirk on his face. I'm speechless and I can't look at him. He's too close, and I'm scared. I don't know what to do, so I take a deep breath and try to compose myself.
I tried to ignore him and move past him, but he gripped my arm so hard that it hurt me. I wanted to smack the stupid smirk right off his smug face. Trying to free myself from his grip, I cried, "What do you want? Let go, you are hurting me." He responded to my request by tightening his grasp. I felt my anger boiling over. I attempted to yank my arm away from him as I yelled, "Leave me alone!" I was so angry that I felt my fists clenching, my heart pounding, and my body shaking with rage. I was ready to do whatever it took to get away from him.
But I didn't see any indication that he had heard me as he ticked in my ear. "Awe my love, answer the question!" he taunted me. I took a deep breath, attempting to calm myself down. I had to remain in control if I wanted to get away.
As harshly as I could, I glared at him. But he didn't respond. "Please, just let me go." I pleaded with him, trying to make myself sound firm. He merely stared at me with a condescending smirk on his face, as if he found my request entertaining.
I watch as his eyes roam my body, and he chuckles. "And what do I get if I release you? A kiss?" he asks with a smile. I tried to break free from his grip, but he refused to budge.
My face flushes red and I give him a sharp look. "There's no way that's going to happen," I answer firmly. "Please just let me go, you're crazy!" I begged. When he realized that the tears were coming again, he smiled widely.
"This is going to be so much fun breaking you down slowly," he said, and my stomach dropped at his words. What did he mean by that? I wouldn't allow myself to be bullied by him...instead, I needed to prove my strength to him. Otherwise, I would spend the rest of the year being tortured and ridiculed by him. So I slapped him as hard as I could in the face with my free hand.
For a moment, he looked stunned. It's not like I meant to slap him...I just did it without thinking about it. As he stared at me with a shocked expression on his face, it seemed as if time stood still. Suddenly, he grabbed me by both shoulders and shoved me against the wall. As he raised his arm, clenching his fist, he growled, "You will pay for that!".Trying to prepare myself for the impact, I close my eyes. However, nothing happens. A moment passes, then another, and still nothing...
Opening my eyes I stared up into his brown eyes, and for a moment I saw something flash through them. However, it was over so fast that I couldn't even decipher what it was. "Makena?" A small voice broke our trance. Then, he released his hold and walked away without saying another word to me. "Are you alright?" I heard Suri ask as I watched Jesse walk away. I shook my head and tried to blink away the tears that had formed, refusing to let them fall. I was embarrassed by my own reaction and had no idea what had just happened. All I knew was that I felt something at that moment, something I had never felt before.
"Oh, I'm fine... let's head to class," I reply as I make my way down the hall. As I made my way to my next class I couldn't stop thinking about what he had said. 'You know, this is going to be so much fun breaking you down slowly.' But why would he say something like that? Sucking in a deep breath, I let it out as I realized that this year was going to be a tough year for me if I wasn't careful. At that moment, I promised myself that I would do my part in staying away from Jesse Campbell. But I knew that it wouldn't be easy as he had a way of finding me. I stepped into the classroom, determined to stay focused and ignore any attempts he made to distract me. I had to stay on guard to make sure I could stay on top of my studies and be successful this year.