Loving Lisbeth Salander (XIV Series #1)

The Boy Who Doesn't Give Up I

“Hey, dipshit! Wait up!”

I continued walking. I never let people order me around and that includes Han – especially Han. No one is ever too important for me to stop for them. I flicked the cigar stick off my fingers that just ran out in frustration. That was my last stick for the entire week and it’s only f*****g Tuesday. f**k. I shouldn’t have more than a box for a week.

“Forest Laken Young.”

I stopped. Han knew I hated being called by my full name and she knew very well when to use it against me. That included stopping for a b***h like her. I turned around to see her and flipped a finger at her direction.

She looked away with a scoff and flipped me off. She ran to me and immediately raised a brow. “You can hear me call out to you when I’m barely yelling, but you don’t when I do?” Han was already next to me, wrapping her arms around my shoulder as she dragged me to walk with her.

“If you call me that one more time, I’m ripping your head off your body.” I glared at her to the side.

Her smirk grew wider and her grip over my shoulder tightened as she spoke. “Then maybe you should start paying attention to the only person who gives a s**t about you.” The way she emphasized it was annoying.

I turned to her raising my brow back at her. “Guess who gives a s**t about people who gives a s**t about my existence?” I asked, nudging her by the stomach to shove her away from me. “No one.”

“That guy who’s always under your nose recently apparently.”

I snorted out loud, gritting my teeth in annoyance.

Han fixed her bag that was hanging loose by her shoulder and flashed a sly grin. “What are you going to do with that poor guy this time?” This time. The woman knew the amount of guys who went their way to break me. I hate that she knows most of them without telling her. “He seems pretty…” She paused momentarily as if she was thinking of something she could call him. “Clean.”

Clean?

I guess clean was good enough to describe the seagull.

“And really clean.”

I looked away in frustration. The fact that we’re talking about that annoying guy this early in the morning, it’s eleven, by the way, was making my whole body warm up in fury. It’s a good thing I haven’t seen that guy since my first class because if I did, I would literally leave school and just ditch my other classes because of how annoyed I was with the kid. Although yesterday he was pretty funny during class. Who, in their right minds, fall off their chairs alone? f*****g klutz. Then again, meeting me after and showing me the s**t I made fun of just ticks it off. It was still hilarious though.

“What’s up with that dude? He seems persistent.”

“Don’t even start talking about that seagull,” I shook my head. I was already aching from thinking about it. The thought of the guy infuriates me and I’m reminded of how much of a bug he was to me ever since I met him.

“I’m just saying, he might be that one serious guy you’ve always—”

“No one’s too serious for someone.”

“The same s**t you said when Miggy was—”

“Shut the f**k up.”

“Okay, okay. Whatever.” Han flickered her hand in the air, rolling her eyes. “We missed you at Xander’s party last night.” Of course, this was what she actually wanted to bring up until this moment. “Where’d you went?” She asked but I kept a straight face and kept walking. I wasn’t interested to know how the party went. I don’t wanna talk about it either. Not with her, not with anybody, really. “Or did you went to a better party with better, you know,” She grinned, wiggling her brows like a f*****g creep. “…better candies?”

“Whatever I did,” I paused to look at her with a straight face, “I assure you that none of it is your business to mind.” I answered.

She snorted out loud then laughs like a mad cow. “Okay, b***h. No need to be so spicy about it?” She exclaimed. “But anyway,” I heard her sigh. “So Jaxon’s throwing another party tonight. You’re coming, right?”

“Depends on the circumstances.”

“What circumstances bullshit?!” Han hissed, raising the tone of her voice as if she expected me to say yes to every party she invites me to. Maybe I made her expect like that because I always said yes, after all. “You even bailed last night. You got your good night sleep yesterday already so get your ass at Jaxon’s party tonight, you weakling.” She threw a teasing punch over my arm which made me glare at her.

It’d be nice if I actually had my good night sleep. But I didn’t. I never get a good night sleep. f**k a good night sleep. “And you’re getting on my nerves. f**k off.”

She cluck her tongue in dismay. “How rude of you to talk to your only friend like that.”

“Friend, my f*****g ass.” I turned to my right and finally parted ways with the b***h. Not glancing back at her so she would stop calling my attention whenever we’re a lot of feet apart.

“See you tonight!”

Nope. I answered in my head as I made through the crowded hallway.

“Ignoring me now, huh?!” She still yelled and it echoed in the hallway just as I was thinking that she wouldn’t dare call out to me and embarrass the living s**t out of me for the second time. “Forest Laken Young!”

I turned around and saw her grin before running away. I grunted and proceeded to my class before I decided to run after her to beat her ass. She was lucky I’m in no mood to fight today because if I was, I would have wrecked her face the moment she first called out my full name.

I was supposed to have a peaceful lunch but ever since this kid showed up, my lunch breaks were my worst nightmares – plus Chemistry class. It used to be the only time I look forward in the day. f**k this kid who doesn’t learn how to give up. I couldn’t even shoo him away now because I was too pissed that he was doing such a good job at disregarding my threats and sarcasm. I don’t remember the last time someone was this persistent. Only him. I watch him eat comfortably next to me in my table. Like he wasn’t even sitting with me. He was just f*****g eating there like a pig while I’m here with nowhere else to go to and judging him in every way that I can while he completely disregards the glares that the people were giving. This was my table to begin with. I have every f*****g right to stay here and he doesn’t.

“Here.” He suddenly brought out old f*****g Mcdonald’s from his bag and handed them to me in the middle of his meal and stopping.

I stared at the bag he was holding up in the air for me to grab but I wasn’t going to get it anytime soon. I don’t take things from people especially from those I don’t even know. His arms can rot right here waiting for me to accept it, whatever it f*****g was.

He playfully dances the bag in the air, shaking it as if it wasn’t enough for me to notice what he was doing. He was so pushy with everything. It was like he was expecting things to go things his way every single time. “Hello?” He sang, still trying to catch my attention, which he already have the moment he pulled the brown bag out.

“You expect me to take that garbage?”

“Of course!” The enthusiasm in his voice was as annoying as I remembered. “It’s food. No one calls food garbage except you.” He laughed then smiled after. “I found out yesterday that two sticks of French fries is equivalent to one cigarette.” Is he f*****g serious right now? He raised two fingers in the air to emphasize his point but my comprehension was clearer than most days. I wasn’t high today. Nor was I drunk from a party last night. I was perfectly sane to know what the hell he was talking about. “Just thought maybe you should change bad habits into something more…” More what? “Appetizing, I guess…”

I ran my tongue over my teeth and glared at him in frustration. “Is that supposed to insult me?”

He finally brought up his gaze and looked at me. I was sure he was avoiding my gaze on purpose for reasons I wasn’t aware of. “It’s only insulting if you find it offensive.” Makes sense. “Do you?”

My jaws clenched. The kid knows how to handle my questions, I acknowledge that.

He slid the bag of Mcdonald’s over at my direction. “French fries is best when they’re still hot so you might want to start eating them before they turn soggy and all weird.”

I frowned and pushed the bag back to his side. “I don’t need your stupid Mcdonald’s bullshit.”

“Just take it. You ran out of those things you…” He gestured an awkward smoking image. “Those, right?”

I looked at him in confusion. The more important question is, how the hell did this guy know—

“I noticed you only smoke about two or three days and sometimes it just happens on the first days of the week. It was strange but I realized you only finish a box of those smokey things for a week. You usually smoke before you attend your class before lunch break, but you didn’t today so I figured you already finished your box. Or maybe you’re just saving the sticks for the next days. I mean, that’s pretty, well, not healthy, but a healthy way to watch your cigar stick count, I guess.”

I squinted my eyes. For a moment, I was scared for the way he was observing right now. People don’t normally notice that habit of mine but he somehow figured it out on his own. This kid is interesting. He got me there. How undeniably interesting, this one. “What are you really trying to prove here, Mike?”

“It’s Mark.”

“I don’t f*****g care.” He was ballsy. Maybe that’s the reason why he managed to stick against me like a dog. One of the reasons, maybe.

“Well, for one, cigarette’s bad for you – for anyone’s health really.”

I hissed at his remark. I wasn’t in the mood to listen to anyway preach to me about what’s healthy and what’s not. “Who do you think you are, trying to stop me from doing what I want to do?”

“A friend.”

I glared at him, surprised at his answer. I had no idea he could be more ballsy than he already was. “You’re not my f*****g friend.”

“Don’t you ever say a sentence without having to use that, you know, the eff word?”

“No and you got nothing to do about it.”

“That’s one.”

“f**k off.”

“That’s not another word.” He pressed his lips together briefly after replying. “I’m just saying that if you still want to be with the people you love the most, you should at least take care of yourself and live long with them, right?” The way he just f*****g said that made it sound like he was a f*****g fairy godmother or some s**t.

“I don’t f*****g love anyone.” I said in a low tone. Just like every conversation I seemed to be having with this guy, I have no idea where it was going to lead us to. “Not even your stupid God.”

He looked a little surprised but he recovered quickly after realizing what I just said. “I’ll… respect your religion.”