by Lannah Smith
Skull smirked and crossed his arms. "Go to opposite corners and reflect on what you kids just did. I won't have you fighting in my house again."
Rohan threw him a dirty look. Color was returning to his face again. "The way he talks it's like he's playing teacher."
"He can't be a teacher," John stated flatly."He'll make all the kids cry or make them run screaming."
Skull was not amused. "Opposite corners. Now."
John rolled his eyes and stormed to the kitchen. Taking out a water bottle from the fridge, he let out a long sigh. His confrontation with Rohan had left him restless, thirsty.
And ashamed.
Shit, but the kid didn't deserve that. He should have been patient with him. It made him sick to his to hurt him. Wanting to make him feel shouldn't have lost it like that. But the stress of these past few days had caught up with him. It was his only excuse, fucking up like that.
"I'm sorry."
John's eyes cut to the doorway. Rohan stood there, his hands deep in his pockets, staring at him with somber eyes.
"I'm sorry I said those things. I was just worried about Leon."
"I know," he muttered. "I'm sorry too for—."
Rohan shook his head and cut him off, "Don't apologize. I honestly don't blame you. I was acting like a... like a kid. But it was kind of unnerving to see you like that," he ended with an awkward chuckle.
John pressed his lips together, feeling even more ashamed for losing it.
"I think of him as a brother, you know," Rohan confessed, sliding his gaze away.
Fuck it, but could Rohan make him feel even more shittier?
"I know, Rohan," he whispered.
Rohan nodded. "Cool. Hey, Skull's turning on the Xbox. Come and play with us."
"Just give me a sec," John replied, lifting the water bottle up.
Rohan grinned at him before he left him alone. John pulled in breath and drained the water bottle. Then he hurried back to his friends.
Still feeling like shit.
Chapter 10
A crowd had gathered in the middle of the classroom when I walked in. I didn't even hesitate, I went directly for my seat. It was obvious what today's juicy topic was and I didn't want to be part of it. But I had barely sat down on my chair when Hannah began calling for me. She was smack dab in the middle of the group. She could never resist a good gossip.
"Terry! Terry, come here!"
I shook my head. I wasn't in the mood for conversation, especially if it was going to be about yesterday's events. My head was also hurting from lack of sleep because I had to stay up very late to answer a call from my grandfather who was in Japan.
"Did you hear?" Hannah sat down beside me, and jounced in her chair excitedly. "Terry, did you hear the news?"
"Can you keep it down, Hannah?" I asked quietly. "I have a headache."
Her mouth closed and she stopped bouncing in her seat.
"Is it bad?" she asked, worried. "Did you already take something for it?"
"It's bearable. Just don't shout in my ear."
She pursed her lips. "I'm sorry."
I gave her a tentative smile and took my books and pens out of my bag. Then I set them on my table meticulously. Hannah was silent as she watched me. I glanced at her and noted she looked about to ready to burst.
With a sigh, I asked, "Okay. What's this news I didn't hear about?"
Hannah took in a deep breath and said in strained voice. "She's his girlfriend."
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Sophia is Leon Gage's girlfriend."
My heart started to race.
"What?" I whispered in disbelief.
She was about to answer me when her eyes slid to the door and stayed there. Her eyes widened. I followed her gaze. Then my body jerked.
Sophia and Leon were outside our classroom.
My eyes slid down.
And they were holding hands.
"It's really true," Hannah murmured as everyone scrambled to their seats and in utterance, I heard both awe and dread. "She's really his girlfriend."
I was quick to regain control of my shock. My thoughts weren't controlled, though. They raced with questions.
Was she really his girlfriend?
My eyes narrowed on Sophia. Her expression was one of fear.
Or did he just force her into a relationship with him?
Suddenly, Leon's gaze shot to the room, his eyes moving ever so slow along the visible length of the classroom, taking everyone and everything in a glance. Everyone flinched and looked away. His eyes met mine for a brief period before he turned and left.
Sophia looked uncomfortable as she stepped into the room. With her head down, she hurried into her seat, aware of everyone's eyes on her. No one moved. No one even seemed to be breathing. Everyone was watching her with expressions of horror and shock. I was about to blank everyone out and lean down to take my books out for first period when Hannah clutched at my arm.
"We have got to do something," she muttered at me, her eyes not leaving Sophia's form.
"No, we don't," I instantly responded.
"But Terry. She's in danger."
My eyebrows climbed up. "Hardly."
She turned her gaze to me and whispered furiously, "She's going to be eaten alive by him!"
"Is that another of your stupid sex jokes?" I asked with a frown.
"I'm not talking about sex," she denied. Then her expression turned thoughtful. "But I do wonder. She's like... a bunny while he's a wolf. A big bad wolf."
I curled my lip. "Don't be gross."
"Oh, my gosh, we have to do something, Terry," Hannah pleaded. "I don't know what happened but she can't be his girlfriend. She might share the same fate as Mr. Snuffles."
"For the last time, your rabbit didn't get eaten by a wolf," I hissed, losing patience. "It escaped because you forgot to lock the stupid cage."
"But I saw blood!"
"That was just jelly!"
At that moment, someone suddenly burst into tears and I saw Sophia winced. The teacher came in soon after and called for everyone's attention. Hannah had a stubborn expression on her face as she faced front and I immediately knew she was going to do something outrageous again.
The girl sitting beside Sophia started to cry and I exhaled, rubbing my temples.
This was going to be a long day.
John wasn't in a good mood today.
His body still itched from hiding behind the bushes bordering the cafeteria.
Skull knew he didn't like dirt. Didn't like sitting on dirt. Didn't like having his ass slathered in dirt and didn't like being covered with leaves and twigs that scratched his skin and made him itch.
But the asshole wanted to spy on Leon and Sophia while they had their first lunch together. As interested as John was to see how his best friend and his girlfriend were together, he wasn't that interested to sit on fucking dirt.
John exhaled in annoyance and removed the earphones from his ears as he approached Leon. His best friend was waiting for him at the back of the school building, smoking a cigarette. Leon scowled at him and he couldn't prevent the smile on his face. His best friend was also in a pissy mood.
"Any news?" Leon asked as he stubbed his cigarette with his boot on the ground.
"No," he answered.
"Then why the fuck did you make me come here?"
John's grin widened. Leon sounded like a petulant kid. "I needed to smoke."
"So?"
"I don't have a cigarette."
Leon's features darkened. "Fuck, you. You're always mooching off me. Why the fuck can't you buy your own pack?"
Because he didn't like to smoke.
He didn't say this, however.
Instead, he told him, "I'm helping you cut down your cigarette use because I'm worried you're going to have cancer before you're even 20."
Leon threw his pack at him. "Fucking freeloader," he grumbled irritably. "And what the hell is taking so long?"
"It's going to be over,
soon, Leon," John informed him, lighting up a cigarette, though he wasn't certain if it would be after what he had seen that lunchtime.
Sitting hidden in the bushes and on dirt, John had watched and listened to the exchange between Leon and Sophia. It was interesting, the different and unusual sets of emotions Leon let across his features.
He saw Leon irritated. He saw Leon amused. He saw Leon being considerate and gentle with the girl he was supposed to be trying to protect. John had never seen this side of him before. Not since they were children. And he saw that it was making his best friend conflicted, making him confused.
John realized something then as he watched them.
Sophia. This tiny girl. Maybe she'll be the one who'll save Leon.
Or maybe she'll be the one who'll drag him further down into hell.
Either way, John was going to watch over her and their so-called relationship to make sure the second didn't happen.
"That's it?" he heard Leon mutter and he slid his gaze back to Leon. His best friend was sporting a dark look on his face. "You made me cut my lunch short for this?"
It was actually so that he could get out of the bushes. Skull was giggling like crazy while he listened to Leon's conversation with Sophia. Appalled, John secretly got out his phone and asked Leon to meet him behind the building.
He still didn't say this.
"Why?" he began in a teasing tone. "Did you want to spend more time with your girlfriend?"
Leon rolled his eyes and began walking away.
"Hey, there's nothing to be embarrassed," John shouted after him. "I mean, you're the first among us who's got himself a girlfriend. Maybe you can give us some tips—"
"Fuck off."
"Where are you going?"
"Away from you."
Funny. That was what he told Skull when he left him in the bushes.
Smiling faintly, John shook his head and turned his gaze to the cigarette in his fingers. He dropped it to the ground and stubbed the light out before picking it up along with the cigarette Leon had dropped. Shuffling out the back of the building to the nearest garbage can, he threw them in, together with the pack he managed to obtain from Leon again.
Hannah didn't return to class after lunch.
She had disappeared as soon as morning classes were over.
At first, I didn't worry. I had a lunch meeting with the other student representatives of the school so Hannah and I didn't get to share our meals together. When I returned to class and saw that she hadn't, I still didn't worry. There were times when she was too distracted by something or someone to forget about the time. Like guys. Especially guys.
Or she was too lazy to attend afternoon class and skip them altogether to lounge in the infirmary.
But when Mary and Cecil informed me they didn't have lunch with her either or saw her, I began to worry. And that worry escalated when I didn't receive any messages or calls from her to inform me where she was. She wouldn't answer my texts or calls either.
I sent Hannah one more text, asking her where she was, then put my phone back in my bag. I leaned back on my chair and took a deep breath. On the exhale, my gaze swung to Sophia. She jumped when our eyes met then she looked away. Something akin to guilt spread across her face and I knew at that moment that she had something to do with Hannah's disappearance.
The teacher dropped her marker for the eight time again.
And yes, I counted.
It had been like this all day long and at first, it was both equally amusing and exasperating. But now it was getting ridiculous. Everyone was deathly afraid of Sophia, including some of the younger teachers. Sophia kept silent on her seat, making sure she was still and didn't move because whenever she did, the girl sitting beside her would start sobbing.
Where the heck did all of these people's senses go?
As soon as class ended for the day, I quickly left the classroom, but not until Sophia was gone considering Leon was waiting outside for her. Impatiently, I waited for the both of them to be gone. They were even holding hands, something I'd never expect the both of them to do.
I pressed my cell phone close to my ear as I navigated out of the school building. Hannah still wouldn't answer.
"Where are you, Hannah?" I muttered to myself.
"She's probably at home."
I spun around and saw John standing behind me with his black jacket slung across his shoulder, keys in hand. My stomach flipped when I looked at him. He was wearing his usual outfit, dark jeans, a black shirt and boots. I was wearing a preppy sweater and collared shirt with a skater skirt and flats. He practically screamed bad while I was dressed up like a good girl.
"She had a run-in with Leon earlier," he continued to say.
Turning my head away from him, I took a deep breath and said, "Did Leon do anything to her?" I asked quietly.
"He didn't. She was with Sophia when Leon went looking for her during lunch. I guess being in close proximity to him was too much for her," he ended with a chuckle.
Irritated, I shoved my phone back in my bag and let my gaze return to him. "You found that amusing?"
My temper flared when he nodded and said, "Very. Does that piss you off?"
"Very," I shot back.
His grin widened. "Don't worry about her. I'm sure if you call her house they'll tell you she's there."
She probably was.
Whenever something scary or bad happened to Hannah and I wasn't around, she would immediately go home and snuggle up with her pet dogs. Darn it, I should have made sure she'd heed my words and leave Sophia alone.
I suddenly remembered who I was talking to. Trying to subtle about it, I moved my gaze around. We were alone in the gardens leading to the parking lot. Relieved that no one was here, that no one saw me with the ill-reputed John Steele, I expelled a soft sigh.
"Afraid, Evans?" John said with a smirk. "I won't bite."
Guess it wasn't subtle.
"I'm not afraid of you," I said, lifting my chin up. "Or Gage."
His brows lifted. "Even after all the rumors you heard about us?"
I shook my head. "No because I know what you're doing."
John's body went completely still and his face turned blank. My mind scrambled near to panic when I realized the information I let slip out of my mouth. I was so used to being honest to him when we were children, used to say anything without a filter that it just came out. Being around him always disconcerted so much me that I revert back to the person I was with him back then.
"Really?" he drawled, his eyes arctic. "Do tell."
I refrained from looking at him in case my eyes gave away my own trepidation as I answered, "I... I pieced everything together. Everytime I heard the rumors of people you had beat up, I realized there was something fishy with the way you chose your... victims."
"Victims?" He sounded amused.
I clenched my jaw and lifted my gaze. "You know what I mean."
His lips twitched. "Continue."
Holding his gaze, I found the words pouring out of my mouth. "I realized what was happening after you guys beat up Dennis Montecillo last year. Nobody knows about this since everything was all hushed up quickly but he was the cause behind Alvin's transfer because he... he..."
"Almost killed him," John finished. "He beat him so brutally it's a fucking miracle he survived. Just for fun. He beat him just for fun and because he was a poor scholarship student."
I pursed my lips together.
"How did you know, Evans?"
"The Montecillo family's lawyer is one of Dad's associates." My voice sounded with shame as I spoke. "I heard them talking in his study about it."
"And that was what it took to piece everything together?" John asked, arching one brow up.
I shook my head. "No. Not yet. It wasn't until Suzie Turner that I was sure."
His head jerked back at the mention of her name. My eyes narrowed at him.
"You remember her, right?"
"Of course, I do," he answered quietl
y. "It was me who found her."
This time, it was my head that jerked back. I had heard she was found in one of the bedrooms of the house where the party had happened. But I didn't know it was him who found her. Suzie had been raped and if the rumors were right, she was in a terrible shape when she was first seen. I couldn't imagine what John must have felt to see her like that.
