Freckles
1263 Words
The entire dining hall had fallen silent, and the slap had drawn almost everyone's attention.
The students stared at the scene with wide, curious eyes. For a moment, the only sounds in the dining hall were the hushed whispers rippling through the crowd.
"What the—?!" the girl screamed, scrambling off Drexter's lap as she frantically wiped the food from her face before running off, muttering curses under her breath.
Melanie kept her eyes on Drexter, waiting for a reaction. She expected him to yell, to curse, to lose his temper. After all, that was what any normal person would do in his position.
But to her surprise, he didn't explode with anger.
He laughed. It was a cold, chilling sound that echoed through the silent dining hall, and somehow, that frightened her more than if he had shouted. What had she just done?
The laughter died as quickly as it had come. Then he stood up.
The amusement on his face vanished, replaced by something darker and unreadable.
He walked toward her, slowly. Every step he took seemed to drain the courage from Melanie's body.
By the time he stopped in front of her, he was towering over her. His expression gave nothing away.
Melanie felt her legs weaken as she craned her head up to look at him. Fear crept into her chest, making her feel shaky, but she refused to let it show.
She had to act brave. Lifting her chin, she met his gaze head-on. She was not a shrinking violet, and she wasn't about to let Drexter Grayson think, even for a second, that he intimidated her.
"You slapped me?" he asked quietly.
The softness of his voice unsettled her more than a scream would have.
"Yes!" she snapped. "And you deserved it! That's what you get for destroying my relationship! Noah broke up with me because of you!"
He merely arched a brow.
"Oh, really?" His lips curved slightly. "Because of me?”
"Don't act innocent,” she spat angrily. “You know exactly what you did at last night's party.”
“What did I do?” he asked calmly. “A lot of things happened at that party. You'll have to be more… specific.”
Was he serious? Was he actually serious? Melanie thought with rage.
"You humiliated me!"
He sighed. "You know," he drawled, "you're even more stupid than I originally thought."
"Excuse me?!"
He tilted his head slightly and said, "You slapped the wrong person, Chambers. But I suppose thinking before acting isn't one of your strengths."
The AUDACITY of this jerk!
Before she could stop herself, she raised her hand to slap him, but he caught her wrist mid-air.
"Let go of me!" she spat, struggling against his grip.
His fingers tightened just enough to remind her that she wasn't going anywhere.
Then he laughed again, low and dark.
"You remind me of someone."
Melanie froze.
"Hmmm..." He studied her face thoughtfully. "Freckles."
Melanie's eyes widened. Freckles?! Oh my gosh. Panic surged through her.
If she had a mirror nearby, she would have checked whether her makeup was still intact.
Had it smudged? Had it worn off? Were her freckles visible now?
The questions flooded her mind, filling her with terror. She couldn't bear the thought of everyone seeing her freckles.
"Freckles?" she repeated weakly.
"My cat. You remind me of her," he nodded.
Melanie stared at him. "Wait. You named your cat Freckles?"
How was that the important part of this conversation?
Drexter nodded. Then he leaned in, close enough to make her heart skip a beat, and whispered into her ear.
"Yep. Stubborn, feisty, and scratches when cornered.”
Melanie forgot how to breathe. Heat flooded her face.
She could feel his breath against her skin, warm and impossibly intimate. His voice was low and smooth, and suddenly, she became painfully aware of just how close they were.
Melanie's cheeks had already turned red. She tried to process everything, but her mind went blank.
This was Drexter Grayson. The arrogant jerk. The man she hated. What was wrong with her?!
By the time she managed to form a coherent thought, he had already pulled away and smirked, clearly noticing the heat flooding her face.
Embarrassment crashed over Melanie. He actually saw her blushing. Of all the humiliating things that had happened today, this had to be the worst. She was supposed to hate him. She did hate him. So why on earth was she blushing because of something he had whispered?
She glared at him.
But then, all of a sudden, his smirk faltered and was replaced by a cold, expressionless look. The change was so abrupt that it made Melanie's stomach drop.
Without warning, he released her wrist and shoved her, hard.
"Ouch—!" Melanie cried out as she hit the floor, pain shooting through her backside. She looked up.
Drexter stood over her. He wasn't smiling anymore and he wasn't laughing either. His gaze was sharp, and utterly unreadable. Looking at him now, it was difficult to believe he had been teasing her only seconds ago. There was something about the way he stared at her that sent a chill down her spine.
"I love the game, Chambers," he said quietly. "Challenge accepted."
His lips curved into a slow, arrogant smile. "And I don't back down. Because I know one thing." He held her gaze. "I always win."
Then he turned and walked away.
Rage flooded Melanie's chest. No words could describe how much she despised that man.
Slowly, she pushed herself to her feet, and that's when she realized everyone in the dining hall was staring. Some looked shocked, some looked entertained, and some were already whispering.
Humiliation burned through her. She lowered her head and hurried out of the dining hall as fast as she could. She didn't stop running until she burst into the girls' restroom. Thankfully, it was empty.
The moment she locked the door, all the strength drained from her body. She slid down against it, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.
She was furious, humiliated, embarrassed. And she hated Drexter Grayson. She hated his smirk, his arrogance.
She hated the way he always acted as though the entire world revolved around him. And she absolutely hated that she couldn't stop replaying what had happened a few moments ago.
Freckles.
She could still hear the way he'd said it. The way he'd leaned close. The way his voice had dropped. The way his breath had brushed against her skin.
No, no, no. What was wrong with her?! Melanie shook her head violently, trying to banish those thoughts from her mind. There was no way—absolutely no way—she was going to sit here thinking about Drexter Grayson. That arrogant asshole.
Instead, she forced herself to remember everything else. The first day at the admin office. The way he'd mocked her. The truth-or-dare disaster. Noah leaving her. The humiliation in the dining hall.
Her anger returned immediately.
Good. Anger was much better than whatever that other feeling had been.
She let out a frustrated groan and pushed herself to her feet.
College was horrible. No! Crestmoor Academy was horrible.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had a long journey ahead of her. A very long one.
And now that she'd started it, there was no turning back. So she'd stay. She'd survive Crestmoor. No matter what.
Taking a deep breath, Melanie turned away from the mirror. Tomorrow was another day.
- Writer
