Chapter 11
M y stomach growls as I make my way toward the cafeteria.
I had forgone breakfast to rush to ‘ Modern language and Ideology class’ . Basically a fancy way of saying Modern English.
I yawn as I make my way through the corridor, another growl following soon after.
Unfortunately, there was no break in between the next class, ‘Spells, Illusions and Curses’ with Ms. Bruswick. And she would love any excuse to throw me out of her boring class.
I had arrived on time and smiled brightly just to spite the old hag. But unfortunately for my stomach, every second she drawled on, felt like an endless eternity. Maybe I should have let her throw me out of class…no, her permanent scowl was priceless.
Another rumble from my stomach pulls me from my thoughts, just as the scent of bacon hits me.
Pushing through the cafeteria doors, I head straight toward the food, ignoring any of the normal whispers or glares around the room.
A freshly made club sandwich in a thickly sliced brioche bun and side of fries catches my eye, making my mouth water.
I point to the sandwich and quickly take it from the server, eliciting a small chuckle. Grabbing some juice, I quickly head to my usual morning spot.
Thankfully not many people seemed to sit there.
I’m making my way over when a bony shoulder knocks into me. I stumble slightly but manage to keep a hold on my tray and food. I look back as two girls wearing emerald ties laugh while taking their seats.
Placing my tray down, I see them glancing back and forth at me from their table, their voices raised as they loudly make snide comments.
“She must really enjoy her food.”
“It shows…on her hips.”
“Gods, how can she eat all that?”
“Who does she think she is even being in here? Doesn’t she know her place?”
“And where does she think she's sitting? I can’t wait for her to be put in her place.”
The last one has my brows furrowing and my mind questioning the space I’ve chosen.
What significance does this table hold? I hadn’t ever seen anyone near this table, let alone sit and eat.
I guess that in itself was a bit strange…
Or was this some way to make me move or leave the cafeteria?
Another way of removing my existence from their presence?
I lift my gaze toward the voices and narrow my eyes at the group of girls laughing in my direction.
Ignoring them, I turn back toward my sandwich and take a bite, just as they fall silent.
What now? Were they going to comment on how I eat, or how much food I can fit in my mouth?
I glance up toward them, their faces pale as they stare toward the food queue. Then they quickly turn back to their rabbit food, their laughter and voices now completely quiet.
What? Did the appearance of some crispy bacon terrify them into silence? There were many reasons I loved food, a very long list in fact. Now silencing those rabid hyenas would be added to it.
I take another bite of my club sandwich, holding back the hum wanting to leave my throat at its delicious flavours melting in my mouth. I take another large bit as a shadow falls over me. I grip my sandwich and pull my plate closer as a dark voice bites out.
“You’re sitting in my space. Move.”
I drag my gaze up the towering dark silhouette before me, slowly following the tattoos across his arms and up to his neck, where a crimson red tie hangs loosely.
His sleeves are rolled up and proudly display the black skull and snakes running down to his hands, with tattoos lacing each knuckle and finger.
His fists clench into balls and my eyes quickly jump to his face. A familiar face.
Even in anger, it looked almost godly. Such an inhumanely beautiful face, that if it wasn’t for all the dark tattoos and piercings, and the murderous aura , you would think he was some heavenly being.
His dark hair falls onto his face as he moves closer. He brushes it away, freeing his piercing blue eyes as he grits out ‘Move’ once more.
I take another slow bite of my sandwich as he pulls out, what I assume, is his pocket knife, and glares down toward me.
“Haven’t we already been through this?” I meet his eyes just as they narrow at me. “Do you own every seat in this school…”A glint of recognition sparks in his eyes as his hand freezes, “Or do you just like the ones I sit on?”
His eyes widen a fraction before a slow grin stretches his lips.
“Right, the crazy chick from English.”
My eyes slightly widen. Who was he to be calling me crazy? I wasn’t the one whipping a blade out over seating arrangements. Also it was World History, not English.
His hand flicks his blade away and places it in his back pocket.
Guess he wasn’t feeling stabby today.
He pulls the seat in front me out and sits down. “And it's the opposite, Little Red. You're the one in my space.”
Little Red? Was he calling me that?
I take another bite of my sandwich, finishing it before I speak.
“I don't see your name here.”
His grin turns into something almost deranged, his teeth glistening as he raises a brow. “That so? I’ll have to fix that.”
He taps his long fingers on the table, his eyes watching my every move as if seeing something interesting and fun.
I take a crispy fry from my plate and continue eating. I’d get nothing from talking to someone so half-baked.
Just as I’m biting into another fry, his hand reaches toward my plate and fries. My own hand automatically darts forward. His large hand freezes, the small metal fork just millimetres from his fingertips.
I narrow my gaze toward his fingers.
“Get your own.” His eyes widen for a brief second before he breaks out laughing.
His laugh is deep and husky, sending a slight shiver down my spine with the timbre of it. It puts me in a daze for a moment as the rest of the room falls silent.
His laugh dies off as he turns back toward me, a glint in his eye as our gaze meets again. The grin spreading his lips has my toes curling and something moving lower down my spine.
He bends in closer, his smokey scent hitting me. “Don’t like sharing, Red?”
His words pull me out of whatever trance I was in.
I shake my head. “Not my food.”
“So, crazy and possessive. Not qualities most normies want in their partners, Red.” He shakes his head leaning in toward me.
“Personally though, I think a little crazy every now and then is healthy. And being possessive…” His eyes gloss over a little as he pulls his bottom lip into his mouth, “It’s sexy as fuck having a woman stake her claim on shit, especially if it gets bloody. ”
A tray from a server falls to the floor behind the food table. It has the both of us turning around and pulling us from our own little world.
I sigh. What was I even doing listening to this guy? He was clearly more than a little crazy and volatile, whipping out blades and barking orders for someone sitting in a seat.
So why was I staying and listening?
Why did I not take my food and just leave? Was it because I was stubborn and liked my spot? Or because the only conversations I had with other people were ones insulting or humiliating me?
Or was I craving communication to the point that I was actually enjoying his company?
While I’m lost in my own thoughts, his hand suddenly flicks forward so quickly that I miss the movement completely.
He gives me a wicked grin as he takes a bite of the crispy stolen fry, a playful hum leaving his lips as he watches me.
“Some things taste so much better when shared… or stolen, Red.”
I grip my fork before pointing it toward the half eaten fry in his mouth. “Enjoy that, cause you won’t be getting another one.”
His eyes turn into crescents as his grin grows larger, “Somebody starve you or somethin’, Red?” He chuckles, licking the fry crumbs from his fingers.
A beat of silence runs between us as his chuckling comes to a quick stop.
A cold chill runs up my back as I watch his playful eyes slowly turn into something darker. And I now recognize that what he’s shown me so far has been a contained version of himself. That something darker lurked beneath the surface, just waiting to pounce.
He gives me a look so dark, so deep and almost feral that I can’t reply. He watches me, and I can tell he's seeing more of me with those piercing blue eyes than I want, something no-one should be seeing.
I open my mouth to deny it, to playfully laugh it off. I hadn’t suffered any of that in this life anyway. But just as I’m about to talk he shakes his head and pulls himself up.
The table shakes, my fries tumbling from their plate as he gets up and makes his way out of the cafeteria, not a word more and gone just as quickly as he came.
A silence fills the room as the groups watch him leave. Then they begin their chatter and laughing again, their voices now louder that he's gone.
An annoying giggle starts up again.
“Even he can’t stand to be near her.”
“Of course he would find her repulsive, just look at her.”
“She probably tried to bait him with her bullshit.”
“Do you think maybe she smells as well?” the group of salad-eating hyenas laugh.
My gaze turns to the small group of girls, all wearing matching pin-straight hairstyles and manicured nails.
Their words meant nothing to me, but their loud voices were giving me a headache. And after the confusing and strange moment I’ve just shared with a crazy guy–I just wasn’t in the mood for them.
“I bet she doesn’t even have anyone for the Halloween Dance. I mean who would even ask her?”
“That's so sad.” They giggle, “I mean, I have three partners already and another waiting for my reply, and she can’t even get one? That's pathetic.”
“But who would really want someone like her ?” They all turn to me, mocking pouts coating their overly-glossed stained lips.
I roll my eyes, scoffing as I pull myself up and away from my table.
“I didn’t think anything could turn me off eating…” I look toward them, meeting each set of raised brows, “But I guess it depends on the surrounding company.”
Their faces scrunch up as I make my way past their table.
“Your voices are nauseating. It's almost a talent to be able to make someone feel so disgusted just by having listened to them... Almost .”
I walk out of the cafeteria doors, a symphony of screeching sounds falling behind me as I make my way into the corridor and hit straight into something solid.
A hand reaches out to steady me, but quickly pulls back as if burned.
I look up and into a set of familiar brown eyes.
Knox is frozen, his gaze slightly wide and awkward as he flickers it between his hands and me.
I hear laughing from behind him and Anders' voice.
“What's the hold up man, I’m hungry–” His words freeze in his mouth when he spots me on the other side of Knox. “Oh.”
“Anders, what are you doing? You're in the way.” Kane calls before his eyes fall on me, his habitual scowl taking over his expression.
I push past Knox and Anders, Kane the only large jackass now left in my way of exiting the building. He stands almost a foot above my five foot seven inch frame.
“Move.” I grit out. I wasn’t in the mood for his bullshit. I’d been given enough of a headache with the hyenas from before.
His eyes narrow, before something sparks in them.
“Ask nicely.”
“Kane.” Knox calls with a slight warning to his tone. But who needed his help?
I take a step closer to Kane, our toes touching as I glare up into his smug eyes.
“Did you not learn your lesson the last time we spoke?” My eyes narrow, as he opens his mouth, but I cut him off before he speaks.“You used to be such a stubborn grump when we were kids, all dark clouds and thorny stems, I used to even like that about you.”
He flinches, his scowl slightly wavering as his eyes soften just a fraction.
“It's a pity that you grew into such a cold dick who only knows how to growl or bark.” I thrust my shoulder into his side, forcing him out of my way, and head out of the building, ignoring the voices behind me.
I’ll leave those emotions and memories where they belong. In the past.
I no longer know the boys before me. The childhood friends that I once had disappeared with my broken youth and memories a long time ago.
Sentiment wasn’t going to prolong my life or help me have it easier in the academy, it did nothing in my previous life. Nobody stepped up to help me, or to stop the torment or trauma that was inflicted on me. And nobody lent a hand when I was down.
No, they just kicked me further into the abyss that was my own desolation.
The past’s hope is burnt to its wick, and you could no longer make something from nothing.
I make my way toward the girls dormitory, and head to my room.
There is now only the future in my mind, and the past was just a painful memory of mistakes to learn from.