Chapter Seven
CASSIE
Like his name were his eyes – blue.
His eyes carried a smirk and his lips tilted in anticipation of my arrival. It was almost as if he knew I would be coming to the infirmary so, he waited for me. He didn’t beat around the bush nor did he waste time trying to explain that he had been the one I got into a fight with the previous night.
“You transferred from where?” He asked as he bandaged his arms. I was sure the marks he got on his arms were not from me, but I stood in silence and watched him. He raised his eyes to meet my gaze before shaking his head. “Join our clan.” He was blatant in his approach.
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” I tried to feign ignorance but was terrible at it. He could read through my shallow demeanor and stand to his full length. His bandaged arm reminded me of the ninja stories my father used to read us when we were kids, and his scent left a tingle at the bottom of my belly.
“You do, Miss Dawson.” His voice was in a whisper. “I can also say that you are not quite observant.” He moved around me as if he was marking his territory and when he returned to his position, he pocketed his hands and sighed. “You are new here, you’ll need to be protected.”
From what? By Who? I took a step away from him and sighed. “I am just here to see the nurse, and since she’s not here, I’ll take my leave.’ I turned around and headed towards the door with his voice catching up with me.
“You’ll regret it.”
I already was.
As I stepped out of the infirmary into the cold air of the corridor. Why were all the good-looking ones in Advania High so cocky and insolent, I thought? As I moved down the line towards the library area, from afar, I saw Matt leaning against the wall with three girls around him, looking up at him sheepishly as they spoke to him. I thought to myself that he must have a lot of advances from girls, given his physique.
It was one thing to look good, and it was another to be a good person and from what I knew, Matt was a cold-blooded bastard. I scoffed only to get startled by a brunette who stomped right in front of me to obstruct my view.
“I guess you are Double D.” She said.
“My name is Cassie.” I tried to correct her, but she didn’t seem like she cared about that at all.
“You can stare all you want, but my advice is to know your place, newbie!” Her words were shallow even though I wasn’t sure what she was gunning for.
“Excuse me?”
“Matt…” she said. “I heard you bumped into him in your class, and also created a scene afterward. Don’t try to get comfortable with chasing such clouts. He won’t give you the light of the day because he is mine.”
The revelation seemed so funny that I couldn’t hide the amusement from my face and my mouth mirrored how ridiculous it sounded. Firstly, I didn’t give two fucks if she was whatever she claimed to be with Matt, and secondly, I wondered why and how that is any of my business. I turned around on my heels. The last thing I wanted was to get into any sort of trouble with anyone. Mother was particular about it.
I had just taken a step into that decision when I felt a sharp tug on my hair. I turned around immediately, and the girl from earlier was laughing as she glided away from me towards Matt. I felt enraged and watched to go after her but, I saw Matt now looking in my direction and something froze within me. Wasn’t it wrong for these girls to fawn over a teacher? I didn’t know why I was captive to those intense eyes of his, but I remained transfixed on the spot.
I watched the girl walk towards him, swaying seductively and coldly as he had done to me, he looked away and walked away from them all. It must be a blessing and a curse to be like him, I thought.
I had a free period so, I thought to myself to use the opportunity to explore the school area. It was wide and my first few days had been so dramatic. From heightened emotions to unnecessary entanglements, I thought it will only make sense if I did something different. I hadn’t made any friends here because I feared that I might end up in another drama. I thought to look for Lou, but I decided against it last minute and just took a stroll through the corridors towards the sports center.
Advania high looked like a fort; like it was built from the spoils of war into such historical magnificence. The walls were stone cladding, and the floors looked like they had been carved from the mountains. I smiled within myself as I thought that there might be things to learn about myself. Father had said Advania was our haven, and I needed to find out if that was true.
I felt a sudden rush of headache and went light on my feet. I staggered sideways and leaned against the wall. I caught my reflection on the notice board and realized that I had not taken care of my forehead and it was likely to pose a problem. I steadied myself and turned around to keep walking when the light in my eyes faded and I crashed to the floor.
When I opened my eyes, the scent of warm fur swept through my pores. It was as if I had been sleeping for eternity because my entire body felt relaxed and stretched. I touched my head and subconsciously realized that my plaster had been changed. I shot to a sitting position and looked around to find out that I was splayed like a child on a long cough in a small office that had books on every shelf. I sat upright and looked around only to stop at a familiar junction.
Matt?!
I felt the blood drain from my face. He was seated at his table, close to the window and he was reading a book. Questions churned in my mind as I observed him speechlessly from where I lay. He lowered his book and without saying anything, he came over and perched on the seat by my side. My heart stuck in my throat. This had to be some kind of weird dream. Why would the ice-cold teacher be alone with me in the first place?
He raised his palms to my forehead and felt it. “You are fine now.” His words were cold, and his expression was cold, but his gesture felt warm to my heart. He poked my plastered forehead gently. “Get out.” He added.
He stood from my side and returned to his seat. I was frozen on the spot and my heart fluttered. “You…” I stumbled hopelessly on my words. “You found me?”