THE ACADEMY HALLWAYS
"Wait! Trent! Stop running away from me!"
Running out of breath, I struggled to catch up to him. His long legs were no match for my tiny ones. Suddenly, he came to an abrupt stop, causing me to collide with his back. He froze at the impact as I tried to stabilize myself, pulling away from him. Fortunately, I didn't hit him so hard.
"You could have warned me before you stopped"
I shot a frown up to him, tucking loose hair strands behind my ear. Trent remained quiet, gazing down at me with an indifferent look. He still didn't say anything as he reached for my right wrist, dragging me away to Lord knows where. I didn't try to resist him as his grip, warm and loose, sent tiny sparks on contact.
Why am I allowing him to take me away?
Finally, I recognized where we were going, my newly discovered safe space.
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SWIMMING POOL AREA
As usual, it was empty and serene. Distracted by the blues of the water, I didn't realize his hand had left my wrist.
"It's calming"
Trent stated, noticing what caught my attention. I nodded and a sigh escaped me as I relaxed into the scene. Trent stood beside me, his hands tucked away in his pockets.
"Can I trust you to not mess this project up?"
His curt words slapped me back to reality. My eyebrows were hunched together in annoyance, as I gave him a look-over. He just stared back at me blankly, expecting a reply. Taking a deep breath to calm down, I pinched the bridge of my nose in irritation.
"Can I trust you to be civil during this project?"
My words were heavy with hostility. A tense silence fell as we both stared at each other. Trent's gaze hardened in an attempt to show dominance. Of course, mine wasn't backing down easily.
"Best friends summit without me? Now, that's cruel."
Our heads whipped in the direction of the voice. Max stood at the entrance, book in her left hand towards us. Trent attempted to leave, walking away from me towards Max's direction. Her empty hand reached out to him as he got closer, stopping him. Reluctantly, Trent allowed her to drag him back to the spot I stood.
She turned to me,
"Have you both eventually divulged your undying devotion for each other?"
I burst into a coughing fit. Max could barely hold her laughter in at our reaction. Stealing a glance at Trent whose eyes were widely shocked. Noticing his vulnerable reaction, he quickly controlled his emotions.
"Maxine! That's not funny"
Still laughing as I reach to playfully hit her which she avoided narrowly. I couldn't deny however that I was surprised to see Trent show emotions. I want to see more emotions from him. I guess I just have to press his buttons, just a little.
A mischievous smile etched itself into my face. Pulling my hair into a high ponytail, exposing my neckline, I made my way towards Trent. Each step I took held the seduction I wanted to pass across. His eyes followed me, taking me in as he, himself, felt confused. A smirk on Max's face, she could see through my little performance. My hands lightly glided across his pectoral as I felt him stiffen briefly beneath me. My facade almost broke as I inched closer to his face, his cloudy eyes drawing me in.
"What do you think? Should we prove Max right?"
I heard him swallow. My mind told me to pull away but my body instincts pulled me to get closer. I need to get myself under control.
His confusion vanished and was replaced with mischief. Taking one of his hands, he pulled me closer to him by the waist. My eyes widened in surprise as I attempted to look away. His fingers lightly brushed my chin, tilting my eyes back to him. Slowly, he closed the distance between us.
He breathed out, inches from my lips.
"In your dreams, Princess"
He pulled away from me, the look of victory shining in his eyes. My expression morphed from surprise to confusion, before settling for anger.
Well played, Trent. This is not over.
A cough broke the silence. Max had an annoyingly smug expression on her face. I could feel her excitement. The overwhelming satisfaction she got from our little show. Uncomfortable due to the awkward situation, Trent started walking off in the direction of the exit.
"Well, that was quite a performance"
The way her voice was slightly higher gave away her enjoyment. She strode over to me, planting her hands on my shoulder.
"There are undoubtedly sparks between you two. I can distinctly see it. You both are just too adamant to acknowledge it."
"You clearly need to get your lenses changed. We almost despise each other. He won't even say more than two sentences to me."
I removed her hands from my shoulder, walked over to the benches and sank into a seat.
"Why does he hate me?"
"He doesn't loathe you, Elise. He is just infuriated..."
Looking at Max, waiting for her to complete her sentence.
"Not at you. He is...heartbroken. It's not my tale to tell. But he'll come around when he is willing"
She gave me a reassuring smile. I exhaled, giving her a nod. I knew there was a reason why he was so mean to me. I felt the need to help him. The memories of his embarrassed look brought a small smile to my face.
"Okay, fine. But if he does something I don't like, I'll freeze him... by accident"
Max laughed, pushing her glasses in place before getting up to her feet. She pulled me up to my feet and led me out of the pool area.
"Let's get started on the task before you turn the pool into an ice rink"
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THE LIBRARY BUILDING
1ST FLOOR
The nostalgic smell of old books wafted into my nostrils, as we got deeper into the library. I walked past Max, whose attention was captured by her new conquest hidden on the shelves. Sighting a rest area ahead, I made my way to it. I sat down. Laying my head on the table, I closed my eyes for a short nap.
I need sleep before any form of information can be processed in my fragile brain.
His calloused, slim fingers pushed my hair away from my face. His touch lingers around my neck. The need to touch those freckles intensified. Heat sparks as he lightly runs his hands down the sides of my face. His scent deliriously puts me in a haze.
"Why do I feel this way around you?"
He breathes out so quietly, I almost didn't catch it.
I sat my bottom lip with the tip of my tongue, causing his fingers to graze over them. Suddenly, his touch withdraws.
And then, my eyes snap open
I blink, letting my eyes adjust back to consciousness. I was still in the library. Alone. Stiff from the uncomfortable sleeping position, I stretched out my hands and neck. Judging from the brightness outside the window, I wasn't asleep for long. Gathering myself together, I slowly got out of my seat. Then I remembered it.
The dream. It felt so real.
A blush made its way to my face when I recalled how I felt. Whether it was my hormones or an effect of the stunt I pulled earlier, I wasn't sure. I could still his hands on me. Shaking my head, I scoffed at the thoughts.
Maybe, I am slowly losing my mind. There is no way such can happen in real life.
"How is research proceeding— Were you sleeping?"
My body froze when her voice penetrated the silence of the room. She stared back at me with slanted eyes, arms folded across her chest. Looking back at her, I flashed her a smile. Sighing in defeat, she strutted back to the shelves. Not long after, she made her way back with a couple of books in hand. Dropping them down in front of me,
"I assumed the liberty of fetching your research materials, you are welcome. Now, I expect you to analyze them or else, I won't be able to protect you from Trent's flames. Understood?"
"Yes ma'am"
I shot her a salute and got to studying.
After hours of studying, my brain is saturated with information. I pried myself out of my seat and stretch my stiff joints. Taking my time, I organized my papers scattered all over the table.
"Max, I'm heading out"
I announced, stacking the books neatly on the table. She slowly strolled towards me, a book in hand. At the sight of the book, I knew I wasn't going to get a verbal answer from her. Falling into matching pace, we both made our way out of the library.
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CLASSROOM BUILDING
YEAR 5 HALLWAY
As we drew closer to the classroom hallway, the clouds above us got grey and heavy with rain. The rumbling of thunder almost silenced the sound of loud arguments coming from the class. I turned to Max in confusion. Lowering her book, her expression mirrored mine. Quickly, we rushed to the scene of the chaos, the weather getting more volatile.
The one person who can cause a storm is Sarah.
She stood in front of two people. She glared at them with a livid expression as tears started to well up in her eyes. Her fist balled by her side as struggled to hold on to a bit of control. They had this sort of intense stare-down. The victims of her wrath looked familiar.
"Max, who are those two guys?"
"That's Sanya and Tome. I remember that Sarah has a connection going on with Sanya."
So the copper-haired taller male had a thing with Sarah. Suddenly, I remembered where I had seen them. Those were the people I caught in the exit room. My gaze rested on the two again.
Sanya stood defensively in front of Tome. The smaller's face betrayed that he was feeling the pressure immensely while the other tried to calm Sarah down.
"Sarah, calm down. Please, let me explain, okay?"
Her flare of raising anger grew into a flame of rage, lightning crackling across the sky. The look on her face gave me an uneasy feeling.
Her eyes connected with his,
"Explain? You were sleeping with him! Sanya, how do you explain that!"
Thunder filled the abrupt silence.
And just like that, the secret was out.
Like and Comment because a ship just left the harbour but it might sink before sailing.
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Hello, there my chingus,
This chapter was quite a lot to write. I just kept losing focus and hitting roadblocks. But I finished it.
For the Bl fans here, the curse of ep 11 will be active. I will try to make it as depressing and sad as possible. There will be trigger warnings.
(Spoiler: Chinzhilla didn't win Hot Wave. *cries in FourthGemini*)
Anyhoo, don't forget to like and comment
Drink water and stay healthy.
"Cookie - New Jeans"