Dolores stomped down the hallway, the weight of her ruined textbooks a physical manifestation of her anger. Every rustle of pages reminded her of Axel's infuriating smirk. Suddenly, a hand clamped down on her shoulder, startling her from her fuming reverie.
Turning around, she came face to face with Chloe, who sported a wide grin.
"Hey, earth to Dolores!" chirped Chloe, a wide grin plastered on her face. "How's the project coming along?"
Dolores forced a smile, the memory of Axel souring her mood. "Alright," she mumbled, barely registering Chloe's question.
Seeing the shift in Dolores' mood, Chloe's grin faltered. "Did Axel bother you again?"
Dolores nodded, clenching her fists. "He kicked my textbooks out of my hands this morning. Jerk."
A frown creased Chloe's forehead. "Ugh, seriously? Why can't that guy just vanish into thin air?"
Dolores sighed. "Apparently, tormenting new students brings him immense joy." She recounted her encounter with Calantha, the girl who'd surprisingly helped her.
"Calantha?" Chloe echoed, her brow furrowing in confusion. When Dolores confirmed, Chloe burst out a surprised laugh. "Dolores, no way! Calantha wouldn't dare suggest reporting Axel to the dean. They used to date - childhood sweethearts, well, childhood friends, actually. Her dad and Axel's father are practically best friends."
Dolores stared at Chloe, her jaw slackening. "Wait... her dad? They're childhood friends?"
Sensing Dolores' confusion, Chloe clarified, "President Vaughn. Calantha's dad is the President of the country."
Dolores' eyes widened to comical proportions. "Calantha Vaughn? The daughter of...THE President?"
Chloe rolled her eyes dramatically. "Well, duh! This is Grimstone, Dolores. Remember, it's the most prestigious school in the nation. Everyone here comes from some kind of influential family."
Dolores winced internally. Of course, but being surrounded by the children of presidents and CEOs felt a little suffocating.
"But Calantha seemed… nice," Dolores ventured, clinging to a sliver of hope. "Maybe she just broke up with Axel because he's, well, a giant–"
"Douchebag?" Chloe finished the sentence with a snort of laughter. "Dolores, honey, you have no idea. Their relationship was a mess from the start."
Chloe squinted at Dolores' schedule that laid on her book. "Italian, huh? Can't believe you signed up for that torture chamber. You should have gone for Spanish, chica," she said, slipping into a playful Spanish accent.
Dolores gave a weak smile. Truth be told, all the language options seemed equally daunting.
"Alright, alright," Chloe conceded, sensing Dolores' disinterest. "Here's the lowdown on Calantha and Axel. They've been practically glued at the hip since they were in diapers. Calantha, let's just say, had a bit of an ownership complex over Axel. Even before they dated, she'd get jealous if he so much as looked at another girl."
Dolores felt a flicker of surprise. Jealousy? The girl who helped her didn't seem the possessive type.
Dolores furrowed her brow. "How do you know all this stuff, Chloe?"
Chloe flashed a mischievous grin. "Let's just say I have a well-honed talent for unearthing school gossip," she admitted, winking playfully.
"Sure, Calantha might have acted possessive, but trust me, Axel didn't exactly listen. The guy's a walking charm offensive, always flirting and making out with whoever gives him the time of day." Chloe added
Dolores grimaced, picturing the scene with even more distaste.
"Their relationship started sophomore year," Chloe continued, launching into full storyteller mode. "Calantha, the brilliant, beautiful sophomore, and Axel, the undeniably hotshot junior. It was a recipe for high school drama from the get-go. And drama they had. Their fights were legendary, rumors of ultimatums flying around like confetti. It wasn't exactly a walk in the park."
A pang of sympathy stabbed at Dolores for Calantha. "So, Axel broke up with her?"
Chloe nodded, her playful demeanor replaced by a touch of sadness. "Yeah. Apparently, Calantha took it really hard. She retreated into herself, barely spoke to anyone. I even heard she started therapy."
Dolores couldn't help but scoff. "Why on earth would someone like Calantha be so hung up on Axel?"
Chloe shot her a teasing look. "In case you haven't noticed, Dolores, Axel does have a certain…smokin' hot quality."
Dolores rolled her eyes, trying to suppress a flicker of amusement.
"But seriously," Chloe mumbled under her breath, "Calantha… she is nice. Or at least acts nice. And don't get me started on her brains. She was practically the junior class genius. Beauty and brains, despite the whole president's daughter thing."
They skidded to a halt in front of a heavy wooden door labeled "Italiano." Chloe winked at Dolores. "Adios," she chirped, offering a playful wave before sauntering off down the hallway.
Dolores sighed, a mixture of emotions swirling within her. Chloe's intel had been a whirlwind – a glimpse into the tangled past of Calantha and Axel.
Pushing open the heavy door, Dolores stepped in.
'Speak of the devil.'
~
He could feel it clawing in his insides, that beast that resided in him, that resided in his mind. "You're so weak, human," the beast's voice whispered sinisterly in his mind, its presence burning with a fierce intensity as he sat in his classroom, trying to focus on the lesson.
He was in class, for crying out loud! How could this be happening now? He darted his eyes around the room, desperate to ensure no one noticed the sheen of sweat gathering on his brow. It felt like a constant battle, this struggle to maintain control.
His father had told him to embrace it, claim it, learn to control it, then uneasy it. But he hated it, he hated the beast residing in him.
"You know you want to give in," it continued, its voice dripping with temptation. "You know you want to let me out. I can feel your heart racing, your pulse pounding. You're so close to surrendering. Just let go, human. Let me take the reins."
His grip on his pencil tightened, his knuckles white with tension.
His mind was a maelstrom of pain and fear, his thoughts consumed by the struggle to maintain control. He could feel himself slipping, his grip on reality tenuous at best.
"Shut it!" He finally yelled inwardly, his mind racing with frustration and anxiety. He gripped his pencil tightly, trying to maintain control.
Snap!
Just then the classroom door creaked open.
Dolores.
In that instant, a strange thing happened. The clamoring inside him quieted, replaced by an unnerving stillness. The beast's voice, a constant companion for as long as he could remember, fell silent. A wave of relief washed over him, so intense it almost made him dizzy. Axel couldn't tear his eyes away from her. Her presence both soothed and unsettled him.
Axel's gaze met Dolores' the moment she entered the classroom, her expression a mixture of surprise and something that felt suspiciously like a glare. The teacher, oblivious to the silent exchange in the room, continued scribbling furiously on the blackboard.
Dolores scanned the room, a frown creasing her forehead. Every seat appeared to be filled except for the one directly next to Axel. He couldn't help but notice her predicament, a smirk flickering across his face. With a resigned sigh, Dolores trudged towards him, muttering under her breath.
This was the last thing she needed after their hallway encounter.
Sliding into the empty seat, Dolores couldn't help but steal glances at Axel. He sprawled lazily in his chair, the picture of nonchalance. Chloe's words echoed in her mind, painting a picture of Calantha's heartbreak and Axel's arrogance.
Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, she leaned closer and whispered, "What are you doing here?"
A slow, sarcastic grin stretched across his face. "Expanding my horizons, Mia cara," he drawled. "Apparently, the great minds of both junior and senior year mingle in this fascinating world of… Italian conjugations."
Dolores narrowed her eyes, suspicion rising. "I don't recall seeing you in the previous Italian class," she countered, her voice barely above a whisper.
Axel spoke, his gaze flicking back to the teacher. "Non mi hai visto? Che sorpresa!" [Oh, you didn't see me? What a surprise!]
What? The least thing Dolores knew was Italian.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Italian is a bit too advanced for, isn't it?" He said.
Just as she opened her mouth to retort to Axel's remark the teacher's voice sliced through the classroom like a knife.
"Ms. Torres," the teacher addressed her, her voice laced with a hint of suspicion, "would you care to share what fascinating tidbit you were whispering with Mr. Vynce? Perhaps the class would benefit from your insightful conversation."
Dolores' face flushed a deeper shade of crimson. Blown. Completely and utterly blown. She stammered, "N-no, Ms. Rossi," her voice barely above a squeak. "I, uh… I was just…"
The teacher's thin lips pressed into a tight line. "Thought so," she said, her voice devoid of warmth. "Perhaps you'd find Italian more engaging if you focused on the lesson rather than your social butterfly tendencies."
Dolores sank lower in her seat, the weight of Ms. Rossi's withering gaze burning a hole in her face. A wave of heat flooded her face, rivaling the color of a ripe tomato. She stole a glance at Axel, expecting a triumphant smirk. Instead, he seemed… distant? His gaze was fixed on the window, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his features. Dolores couldn't help but wonder what was going on behind those stormy blue eyes.