Rules?
1348 Words
Zee.
I followed Denver like a lost puppy, still trying to wrap my head around what had just happened back there.
Even though kissing him felt serene, I couldn't get past what others might think about it—what Lawrence might think about it.
Lawrence may be a jerk, but I've known him for as long as I can remember. He's always been a good kid, someone my father would easily accept. Someone who made sense.
But Denver? I don’t even need to know him well to sense that he’s trouble. Even Mrs. Williamson thinks he is, so what could I possibly want with him?
Once we got to a quiet, empty spot where no one could see us, he finally let go of my hand. My skin tingled where his fingers had been.
"Why do you allow them to treat you like that?" he asked, jaw clenched, clearly still fuming.
I looked at him, confused for a second.
Don’t get me wrong, I knew he was referring to Blake and her coven mates. But why did he care? And more importantly… why did he kiss me?
"Are you going to say something?" he asked again when I stayed quiet, my brain tangled up in questions.
"Why did you kiss me?" The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
"For obvious reasons," he shrugged like it was no big deal.
"Explain," I pressed.
"I saw them laughing at you. I figured I needed to do something that would shut them up."
"And kissing me was your best solution?" I raised an eyebrow.
He smirked, the corner of his lips twitching. "At least it worked, didn’t it?"
His confidence was irritating, but I couldn't lie, it had worked. They’d gone dead silent. For once, even the almighty Blake was speechless.
"But it was my first kiss," I said quietly.
What I said wiped the smugness off his face. He turned to look at me as if trying to ascertain whether I was telling the truth.
"You’re serious?" he asked, his voice softer now.
"Of course. And now it’s gone. Right in front of everyone. Even Lawrence." I sighed.
"So you’re mad because Lawrence saw us?" he asked, his voice tinged with a bit of sadness, or was it jealousy?
"I’m trying to make him like me, not look like some random girl throwing herself at people. A new guy at that, someone I barely know anything about," I said.
His expression shifted, something unreadable flashing in his eyes. Guilt? Regret?
There was a pause, and I noticed his shoulders drop slightly like the weight of my words actually affected him. It felt strange, almost disarming, to watch someone like him show any sign of vulnerability.
"I’m sorry, I didn't know, I only did what I thought was best at the moment. Forgive me," he muttered, turning to leave.
"Wait," I said, reaching out. "I know you were trying to help. I just… this is all too much."
"You really do like him, huh?" he asked.
I nodded. "Yeah."
"Fine. I’ll help you. I’ll make him see you," he said.
I looked at him, surprised at his sudden change of mind.
"But you have to follow my rules," he added.
A cautious smile crept across my face. "What kind of rules?" I asked.
"First, you can’t fall in love with me," he said.
I laughed nervously, nodding. "Deal."
If that was a rule, then he should rest assured, I had no intention of getting close to him, let alone falling for him.
He was a bad boy, and definitely not my type.
"Secondly," he continued, his voice cutting through my thoughts, "you will follow my instructions. No questions asked."
Something about that didn’t sit right. But for now, I nodded again in agreement, not wanting him to change his mind.
"And thirdly, you’ll be doing all my homework and tests from now on. That’s your way of repaying my kindness," he said.
"But how would you learn if I’m doing your schoolwork?" I asked.
"Now you’re breaking rule number two," he sighed.
"Fine, I’ll help you," I said.
"I thought I was the one helping you?" he replied with an annoying smirk.
By now, I had had enough of him, but I kept my cool, not wanting to trip him off.
"Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes and making to walk away, but he pulled me toward him, making me collide into his chest.
My breath hitched as his hand suddenly wrapped around my waist, her s breath fanning the side of my neck.
"You don't roll your eyes at me. Do you understand?" he whispered in a voice I was just hearing for the first time.
My heart raced—not with fear, but something I couldn’t immediately name.
It was rough, sexy, and dangerous.
I nodded, unable to form a word with my voice. And just like that, he let go of me and walked away.
A part of me told me that this was a bad idea and that it might not end well. But he was my only chance of breaking free from the weird girl I was to everyone.
My chest ached with confusion. Was I doing this to get closer to Lawrence… or was some twisted part of me curious about Denver?
I went to class, and luckily, I had just arrived when my teacher walked in. Despite trying to keep a straight face and listen to what he had to say, the whispers behind me and the feeling of constantly being watched had my mind distracted.
But after a while, I was able to concentrate and even ask questions.
The rest of the day went by quickly, and though nobody directly talked about the incident between Denver and me, there were whispers everywhere I went.
Just at the end of class, as I was preparing to leave, Juliana suddenly came up to my desk.
"I thought you said you didn’t want him. So why did he kiss you?" she asked.
"And how is whoever I choose to kiss any of your business?" I replied.
There was surprise in her eyes as she looked at me like I’d just said something out of the ordinary.
"You know, you really had everyone fooled with the good girl act. Barely twenty-four hours after a new student comes to school, and you’re already kissing and smooching him publicly. I wonder what the school board would say about that—especially since it concerns their scholarship student," she said.
"What are you insinuating?" I asked.
"You are smart, I think you can figure it out," she said before walking out of the classroom.
Juliana’s words echoed long after she left. And though I stood there pretending to be unaffected, inside I was crumbling, piece by piece.
Just then, my phone peeped and I brought it out of my bag to see who had sent a message.
"Meet me outside, Denver." the message read.
I wondered how he got my number since I didn't give it to him. Nevertheless, I packed my bag and went outside to see him seated on his bike.
I walked to where he was and asked why he wanted to see me.
"what is it?" I asked subconsciously looking around to see if anyone was watching us.
"A friend of mine is having a birthday party this evening at 6 pm; I will send you the address; I want you to be there," he said.
"I don't attend parties," I said.
"Well, do you think Lawerence might like that?" he asked.
I sighed, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.
"What sort of party is it?" I asked.
He didn't answer but rather unzipped his bag to bring out his books and headed them to me.
"Make sure my homework is ready for submission tomorrow, and I will send you the address for the party," he said as he covered his head with his helmet and turned on his bike.
Within seconds, he was blasting his bike out of the school compound.
- Writer
