That was the only thing she could think of. It hurt. It hurt like her body was being peeled off her skin as she and Loui walked to their classes.
Her heartbeat had slowed down and it was a wonder she hadn't collapsed to the floor. She needed her medication but she had no money to spare to buy them.
"Are you sure you don't want to go?" Louisa asked, fixing the ribbon that tied her hair.
"Yes." Kayla cleared her throat, and let out an incoherent noise as she tried to hold back her cough. She tasted the metallic substance in her mouth but swallowed it like she had learned to do.
"Kay, have you been listening to anything I said?" Louisa held her arm forcing her to stop.
"You said did I want to go somewhere." Louisa frowned. "I said that like five minutes ago. Is everything alright? You look pale." Louisa touched her forehead but she didn't have a fever.
"I'm fine." she swatted her hand away, "I'm just going to go to class. See you later." She walked away before Louisa asked her any more questions. Why was she lying? Why couldn't she just tell her the truth? But how did she want to say…
"Kayla!" someone called out her. She turned around and met the bluest eyes staring at her with that infectious smile.
"Wy." she said softly as he caught up to her.
"How are you doing?" he scanned her face, removing a stray strand of hair from her face. Her heart stopped. He was so close that she could see every one of his features but she wasn't intoxicated nor was her body riled up the way she wanted it to.
Still, butterflies danced in her belly. "Are you okay? You don't look too good." The concern made bile rise in her throat.
"I'm good, just tired." she tucked her hair behind her hair focusing on her newly painted blue nails with heart shapes drawn on them.
"Here." he handed her her Boba tea. "Wy, you don't need to do this anymore. I've forgiven the psycho scooter guy." She gave a short laugh which was a bad idea because the cough she was holding, burned her throat terribly, her vision glossy.
"But I want to. How else am I going to see your face every morning to brighten my day?"
"Wyatt." her heart melted at his words. The heart that would give out at any time. It had the time to melt but did not do its fucking job.
He also gave her something else. The first Harry Potter book she had given him.
"You've read it!?"
"Of course. You said I should and I did and I think the story is very interesting. For a kids' book, the characters are pretty complex."
"You liked it?"
"Is there anything you would like that I wouldn't like, Kayla?" her inner girl jumped and screamed as she fought the blush creeping to her cheeks. Would Oliver say something like that to her? She doubted it.
"Well, I gotta…. You… know…. Get to class, Wy. See you around." When her back was turned to him, she tightened her grip on her tote grab grinning like an idiot.
The only thing that could compare to this moment was when Oliver gave her the circular pyramid book but the latter took the cake for sure.
Speaking of Oliver, how was she going to face him after what happened at the resort?
"Fuck me!" Who did she offend to deserve this?
When she got to class, she searched for Oliver but luckily he hadn't arrived, yet. Thank God.
Students were scattered throughout the class but she easily spotted her friends. She went to sit down with them but climbing the stairs to back knocked her out of breath.
"Girl, have you heard of the term, 'exercise'?" Jack eyed her.
She leaned into her seat, closing her eyes as she steadied her breathing. She would ask Rosa what happened to her the other day. Her eyes shot open when she smelled citrus and wood.
Their gazes met and for a minute the whole world was at a standstill. Her left eye twitched and the asshole did the assholest thing. He fucking smirked but it slowly vanished when he studied Kayla's features. Something was wrong and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
However, Kayla didn't notice this since she averted her gaze immediately. What was wrong with his raccoon? Her lips were drier than usual and her mouth parted which only happened when she slept and her chest heaved more than usual.
"Professor, can we start?" Regina asked impatiently when she noticed Oliver didn't take his eyes off Kayla. Hearing her witch-like voice both Kayla and Oliver snapped their eyes to her.
"Sure, we can start." he stalked to the podium, setting his bag on the table. "During our last test, I didn't inform you but the test was a test for me to pick ten students for a special project." That same wolfish grin that Kayla recognized spread on his face. The students looked at each other, but they didn't dare murmur, as Oliver would have their heads.
"Starting from January, these ten students will work as employees at my company for the rest of the year and if they meet expectations, two of them might just have a place there…" his hooded eyes roamed the class as he enunciated, "permanently."
People gasped, others couldn't hold in their squeals of delight.
"Kayla did you hear!? We don't even have to wait for the showcase to get jobs!" Rosa exclaimed, hitting Jack's arm repeatedly.
"Stop hitting me!" Jack snapped and Rosa quieted down but her expression resembled that of a junkie, her hands couldn't keep still.
Working with Oliver Wilde? Having to see his face almost every day? No. No. On one hand, the thrill of what he would do to her sent waves of ecstasy through her, and on the other, what he would do to her made her recoil.
He touched her without consent, in a way. He could do much worse now that she would be on his turf, was this just a power move for him?
The company had suffered non-stop attacks and it was taking a toll on him. He hadn't left the company after the resort let alone sleep. The attacks were getting persistent and for some reason, he couldn't trace them, so he listened to Lilac. Maybe he could find someone who could set up the pyramid with him. Maybe.
Hastings. He was certain Hastings could be the one but he wanted to make sure because the other nine students had some potential.
"Who are the ten students, professor!?" Rosa clamored, gripping both Kayla and Jack's shoulders. The two friends shook their heads at their friends.
Jack understood why Rosa was excited. Her family was poor and getting into the biggest cyber firm in the country would set her up for life.
As for him, if he didn't get in there was always the showcase, or as Kayla told him once he could always be a drag queen. He smiled at the memory. Kayla was such a funny person.
"Albert Dakota, Cherry Decker…"
'Decker. That is such a nice name.'
Decker was a little bit short and just like her name had a sweet smile.
"Reigna Powers, Toby Cravers, Illia Stevens, Jack Stellar…"
"Jack, Congratulations!" Rosa and Kayla said at the same time. Jack was stunned. "I'm part of the project?"
"Yes, Jackie! You are!" Rosa shook him until he finally smiled. "Yes!"
"But the only downside is that the witch is also going to be there." Kayla sneered.
"James Davolasky, Rosaline Ayuda, and…"
"Rosa, you made it!" Jack said enthusiastically but Kayla's eyes were glued to Oliver. She dug her nails into her palms, praying to Harry Potter, fuck Voldemort that he wouldn't choose her but he should choose her.
Her mind was a battlefield. She shut her eyes as Oliver called out the last name, "Michigan Hastings."
What was she feeling? There was a flutter, a wave of relief but a pulsing of fear flowing through her veins. The confusion only slowed down her heart further.
"Who the fuck is Michigan?" Rosa's face fell when they didn't hear Kayla's name.
"Hastings you fool. Michigan is Kayla." Jack flicked her forehead.
"Your first name is Michigan, whose idea was that?" Rosa scrunched up her nose.
"I hope all of you will live up to expectations. Thank you, now let's begin."
Kayla couldn't listen or concentrate. It was like she was sitting on the hot seat. Small drops of sweat formed on her forehead and she had to borrow Jack's jacket to stop her bones from freezing off. She wasn't having a fever or cold. What would happen next was a normalcy that could have been prevented if she had her drugs.
Oliver ended the class twenty minutes early and when Reigna and other students wanted to see him, he asked them to send him an e-mail. He didn't like that she was unwell. She couldn't breathe properly and small things stressed her.
He needed her to be stronger because how could he break what was already broken?
"But professor it's very urgent. We just need to know the dress code and if we would need ID cards…" Reigna insisted but Oliver's gaze was on Kayla as she walked down from the stairs.
"Like I said, e-mail or the class representative, now if you would all leave, I have important things to attend to." He said impatiently, tracking Kayla.
"But-"
Oliver stared coldly at her and hugged angrily as she left.
"Hastings, come here." Kayla groaned internally. What did he want now? She was in no mood for anything he wanted to do to her.
"Liar."
She sighed and went to him. "What do you want? You want me to carry your bag and drive you to the office, don't you?" She faked a smile and grabbed his back but she slapped her hand.
"Ow! What was that for!?" she furrowed her brows.
Oliver carried his bag and instructed, "Let's go."
"To where?"
"To somewhere over the rainbow."
"Did you just….crack a joke?" Kayla was taken aback.
"Let's go or would you like me to be your personal comedian, Hastings?"
"Coming from someone who doesn't even have a single funny bone in their body. It's either you're grumpy, broody or you're a stalker or asshole. Make up your fucking mind!"
"Hastings." His voice was light but the warning echoed and made her shiver.
"Where are you taking me? Are you going to kidnap me?" She gasped but trailed behind him. Oliver ignored her as she listed off things she thought he was going to do to her.
From burning her to carving out her heart to killing her and dumping her body in the river, which right now didn't sound like that bad of an idea.