Sixteen Bad Blood

            Raven black hair are strewn across Devlin's pale forehead. He isn't wearing the usual blue scrubs- a red loosely fit t-shirt clings to his broad shoulders paired with an edgy black Levi jeans and russet combat boots. The casual clothes suit him- making him look like a typical American teenager. His thick-framed glasses are missing. There is a teasing gleam in his brown eyes as he takes in my shocked state.

            Sandy digs her elbow into my rib- jolting me out of the trance. "I'd so exchange SpongeBob for him," She squeals into my ear.

 I notice all the other students are staring at me- with a bored, dull expression. Beatrice and her friends including Carmen mutter something to one another and then burst into fits of laughter.

            It didn't take a genius to figure that they were talking about me.

I avert my eyes from them and look at the right side of the auditorium. The entire front row close to the foot of the stage was empty. No-one really prefers to sit right in the face of the teacher. But if Devlin here then I don't mind sitting in the front row seats.

            "What is your boyfriend doing in our biology class?" Sandy whispers into my ear as we walk towards the front.

He's not my boyfriend. I wish he were though.

I shrug my shoulders, trying not to look at the stage where Devlin stood chatting with Mrs. Sandalwal. Mrs. Sandalwal sagging wrinkles lift upwards as she laughed heartily. I don't think I've ever seen the woman laugh.  She presses a hand on her red-lipstick ridden mouth- a stroke of rose colors her cheeks.

Comfortably, I take a seat, setting my books on the adjacent empty chairs. Sandy gives me a pleading expression; the freckles in her cheeks tighten.

            "I don't know why he's here," I sigh. "He didn't tell me anything about this," I steal a quick glance at the stage; he's hooking up the microphone back onto the podium. Mrs. Sandalwal trails to his side like a leech. Isn't she a bit too old for him? What in the world are you thinking, Alice?

            "He's obviously here for you,"

I roll my eyes. "Sandy, I'm pretty sure he has hundred better things to do than follow me to school,"

            Her pigtails swing back and forth as she shakes her head. "Patrick says Devlin is madly in love with you,"

             "Yah, like I'm the only girl left on the planet," I scoff.

The girls in Beatrice's group make weird noise. Out of curiosity, I turned to look at them. Maybe one of them had a heart failure or something. Wait, they don't have hearts.

            Beatrice's black-brown eyes smile shyly as she watches Devlin. She curls a strand of blond hair around her finger, biting the corners of her red lips.  Instantly, I feel sick. She likes him, of-course. Who wouldn't?

            "Look," Sandy giggles. "Beatrice is so in love with your boyfriend. God, she looks like a pink jellyfish," I wonder if that's what I look like when I watch Devlin.

I raise my eyebrow. "And you're not?"

            "Well, I have SpongeBob," She sounded unsure about that one.

"Beatrice has Oliver,"

            Sandy wiggles her eyebrow. "Someone sounds jelly,"

"I'm not,"

            "Aw, you are and you look so cute," She pinches my cheek and I swat her hands away. "Have faith in your boyfriend. He ain't going anywhere,"

            "He's not my boyfriend,"  

The playful smile on Sandy's face dampens. "Then why jelly?" She asked, her eyes are drawled into a confused line.

I'm about to reply when I'm cut by another voice. "Who's jealous?" Devlin towers over my chair. All the other sounds in the room fade into a suffocating silence. The stares of Beatrice and her friends burn a hole through the back of my head. I feel my heart rate ride up into my throat as my stomach twists in a flustering way.

"No-one," I quickly shoot back. Sandy watches Devlin wide-eyed- her eyes filled with curiosity and admiration.

Devlin smirks, his warm brown eyes searching my face for hints. "Really?" The tone of his voice is allusive.

I narrow my eyes at him. "What are you doing in my high-school?"

He holds up his hand in defense. "Whoa, thanks for the lovely greeting," 

            "You don't deserve one. Now tell me why are you here?"

"Do you own this place?" He crosses arms, a smile still lighting his features. The stress and pain from yesterday seemed to have vanished into thin air.

            "No," I mutter.

"Then I don't see the problem," Devlin is about to turn around and walk away when I grab his hand. Heat rushes to my face once I notice everyone in the auditorium is watching us. Chocolate triple fudge.  Instantly my hand drops his.

            "Never mind," I sink back into the chair, silently wishing the earth would part open and swallow me.

Devlin ignores the stares. I don't think he would care even if the whole world was watching us. That's the peculiar thing about him-he doesn't care what others think of him.

Placing a hand on the empty seat's cushion frame, he leans down to my level. The faint smell of the masculine cologne he wears surrounds me. He tilts his head, so ours eyes would meet. My lungs ache because I'm not breathing. "I needed extra-credit so I took the assistant teacher offer. Okay?"

"Why are you really here?" Sound escapes my throat in a choked huff.

"Believe me, that's the only reason," His eyes don't agree with his mouth.

            I don't believe him but I don't say so either.

I nod my head. He smiles at me. In the end, we both know the truth. He wasn't here for extra-credit. There is some other reason.

            I watch him walk away- his shoulders are in a stiff stance, I can see his shoulder blades jutting out - an anxious air fills my body. What's going on his mind?

            Sandy gives me a knowing look. "What did he say?"

"Nothing important," I answer, dazed.

            "Yah, well I hate to point it out but you're face looks like a tomato and that too a ripe one,"

I pull my face into my hands. Great.  

Before I can ponder upon my flushed cheeks, Mrs. Sandalwal breathes into the microphone. "Good morning," A loud beep encases the dark hall. Devlin frowns as he takes the mic. from her hand and taps its ends. He hands it back once he's done.

"Thank you," Mrs. Sandalwal bowed her head slightly, acknowledging him. "Well kids, I'd like to introduce you to our new student teacher Mr. Hutchins. He will be giving all you seniors and juniors a real insight to college life. Together we've put a small presentation. I hope you kids like it and I'll let Mr. Hutchins take it from here," A small giggle escapes Mrs. Sandalwal's lips as she heads down the stage's stairs and takes a seat next to Sandy. She must be excited to have Devlin for assistance.

"Isn't the boy just charming?" She whispers to Sandy.

            Sandy nods her head feverishly. I bit down on my lips so I wouldn't burst into laughter. I don't know why I was finding all of this funny.

Devlin grins at the crowd and my heart melts. "So who's excited for college?"

A series of cheers and hoot break out in the auditorium.

            "Wow, you' all sound pumped up," He strides to the right side of the stage where me and Sandy sit.  The wood of the podium glows as Devlin turns on the projector.

            A stop clock appears on the screen behind him, light reflects off the sharp counters of his jaw. I suck in a deep breath when I notice him observing me. He smiles at me. "When I was your age I was everything but excited for college,"

He looks away from me and leans against the podium.  In his long fingers he holds a stylus and in his other hand he held a mic. With a click, the slide changes into an utterly beautiful painting. It portrayed a small boy- no older than ten, dressed in muddy rags- staring at the navy blue sky which held a gazette of airplanes and jets.

"I might add that I was petrified by the thought of college,"

"How come?" A studious looking girl shouts from the center row.

            He gave her warm smile causing my stomach to pinch in a strange way. "Dreams, we all have them, don't we? I was scared of not finding my dream,"

            He tilts his head to look at the painting. "See this boy...You can already see bits and pieces of dreams forming in his hopeful eyes. College is all about dreams. It's the first step in making you realize your dream,"

            "Anyone wants to share their dreams?" His eyes scan the audience. I spot a series of hand rise in the air. Beatrice held her hand high above her hand-she flung it in the air impatiently.

            Devlin steps down the stage and makes his way towards the center front row where Beatrice sat. He held out the mic. for her to take.  I couldn't help but notice how Beatrice swept her hand across his when she took the mic.

            "I dream to be an airhostess for the British airlines,"

"Impressive," Devlin responds, taking the mic from her.

            He walks to the back of the auditorium. Mike Newton, who is in my Statics class, stand from his seat. As long as I remember, he's the only real human crush Sandy has ever had. He's a bit lanky-a typical nerd boy. He beat Sandy in the Algebra Triathlon and she's been crushing on him ever since.

            "I want to be a physicist," He says boldly.

"Sounds amazing," Devlin grins at him.

                        Few more people tell Devlin about their dreams. All of them dreamed of something large and imposing -from being a neurosurgeon to a big league lawyer. I felt lost.  I wanted to be an interior designer. It's not something I always wanted to do. I always wanted to be contemporary painter and showcase my art in high class auctions but it wasn't a realistic dream. So I gave it up and choose something close to it like interior designing.

            Devlin was about to climb the stage when he stopped in his tracks and turned around to where I sat.

            "Alice, what do you dream of?" He didn't speak the words into the mic and was I thankful for that.

            Then I realize what he is asking me. I don't want to talk in front of this large crowd. But I don't think I can refuse with Mrs. Sandalwal sitting two feet away from me.

I hesitantly take the mic from his hand- my hands sweating profusely as my pulse hikes up. Bubbling and rising inside me are pools of fear and terror. What if they all laugh at me?

            I gulp, words leaving me before I can order them to halt. "I dream to be happy,"

There is silence in the room- a wave cold drowns me as my eyes begin prickling.

            Devlin eyes hold mine- a strange kind of undecipherable expression on his face.

 "Don't we all,"

~*~*~*~*

            Biology passed by smoothly. No-one laughed at me for dreaming something silly as that. The rest of the class was spent in the presentation which was quite impressively put together. Devlin didn't look at me once during remainder of the class and left quickly once the class bell was rung. I wonder why he was in such a hurry.

            I sat at my usual lunch table with my mind far too preoccupied to eat. My lunch box vacantly lay on the table. There're some breadsticks and cheese in it which I had gotten from Devlin's pantry.

            Devlin, the simple name brings my stomach to lurch forward in a strange manner. 'I was hoping you hadn't heard of my father's company'

            What had happened between Devlin and his father?

Whatever it was, it was something bad-something so bad that it had caused Devlin to leave me and bare his heart in desolation.

            I couldn't wait any longer. I have to find the answers now.

I got up from the table and picked my bag from the ground. "Where are you going?" Sandy asked, looking up from her math textbook.

            I slung the bag across my shoulder. "Out,"

"But you can't. It's against school rules,"

            "I don't care,"

~*~*~

            I trudged-dragging my heavy bag along my aching shoulder. The sidewalk is filled with people dressed in professional attires. Women with buttoned up shirts and pencil skirts walk by me clicking their high six-inch heels. Men, their hands burdened by heavy suitcases and laptop bags stride in a proud manner- a dull expression painted on their faces.  Shiny, expensive cars whizz on the road, stirring the dirt on the sidewalk.

            I stick out like a sore thumb in the crowd of grown-ups.

Tall, towering corporation buildings shoot into the blue sky- surround the roads. The glass windows of the buildings reflect the sunlight- blinding me instantly.

            My heart pounds in my chest in a fast and terrified way. Maybe I shouldn't be doing this. I shake my head. No, I need to do this.

            My feet come to a stop in front of a dome-shaped building. The dome is gold and dancing in the sky like a temple of illusion. It's truly magnificent. The way the light bends around the sides makes it look like some sort of magic trick.

            A large red lettered sign reads the Enlighten. Enlighten corp- develops web designing softwares and it currently hosts over one thousand different servers which is quite impressive if you ask me.

            My step falter as I head towards the double-doored glass entrance, I can see people in regal suits and dresses standing at the reception area. I hear a loud chatter when I step inside- A group of sophisticated people standing in crowd are debating about something.  As I near towards the half-moon like reception counter- I can hear them more clearly.

            "This is absolutely unheard of," A middle-aged lady- her hair wound in a tight brown bun, stands in the center. There is an air of dignity and power surrounding her. "They cannot pull out the contract without prior notice,"

            "Mr. Hutchins will handle it. You don't need to worry about it-"A young man standing beside her mutters. Even though it seems like he's trying to comfort her- there were stress lines on his forehead.

"Handle it? Handle it my foot. He hasn't been able to stop the last four terminations. What makes you think he'll stop this one?"

"Have faith Miranda," The young man replies.

Miranda pulls her mouth into a menacing scowl. "Faith? We're going to lose our jobs and you're talking about faith,"

            "Mr. Hutchins won't fire us,"

"He can't afford to keep us either. Our department is all in losses,"

            The aged man, who had a dark look on his face, finally spoke - his white hair conveying a sense of worth. "Only one person can save this sinking mess,"

            Something sparked in the weary eyes of the people around him. Was it hope?

"He won't come back," Miranda sighed, solemnly. "Not after what Mr. Hutchins did to him,"

            "He has to," The old man's voice was firm. "He has to come back for our sake,"

"Instead of fussing let's get back to work, why don't we?" Another voice entered the conservation, drawing everyone into a stiff silence.

It was a young woman, she stood tall and proud. Black waves of hair were scattered along her straight back. She carried herself with arrogance- her eyes were bright blue. She reminded me of someone but I couldn't put of a finger on it. She looked familiar- the sharp counters of her face reminded me of a face I had seen countless times.

Who was she?           

The group scrambled away into opposite directions like they had been attacked by a horde of long-horned bulls.

The woman's eyes snapped in my direction. I instantly averted my eyes, feeling a string of panic attack me. Something about her made me uncomfortable.

I turned my attention to the receptionist, sitting behind a sea blue screen of glass. She smiled at me amiably. "How may I help you?"

"I was looking for Mr. Brown, the senior accountant," I tried keeping my voice neutral. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the woman with the bright blue eyes moves towards the reception counter.

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, praying that she wouldn't come here. It's silly but she scares me.

"Do you have an appointment?"

The receptionist frowns when I shake my head.

"No, I don't think I need one. I'm his daughter,"

"You must be Alice Brown," The bright blue eyed woman folds her arms on the cold counter- a chilled out look on her striking face.  I gulp.

            How does she know me?

 "Ye-yes," I stutter.

            "Come on, I'll take you to Mr. Brown's cabin," She waves me over to the right hall, which has expensive glass panes lining the walls.

            "Thank you," I try smiling as I follow her into the hall. She's a foot taller than me so I have to crane my neck to meet her gaze.

She smiles back. There's a small dimple on her left cheek as she pulls her rosy red lips into a curve. Instantly I make the connection. Her smile is exactly like Devlin's smile. My heart stops beating for a whole point two seconds.

Words leave me in a jumbled order, rushing out of my mouth before I can stop myself.  "Are you Mr. Hutchin's daughter?"

            She quirks her eyebrow- in a way that eerily resembles Devlin. "How did you figure it out?"

What am I supposed to say? I know your brother on whom I have a massive, heart-breaking crush.

"Lucky guess," I laugh nervously.

            "Lucky guess indeed," She laughs along me, her laugh sounded like the tinkering of thousand church bells. "I'm Sarah by the way. I rather not have you address me as Mr. Hutchin's daughter. It's outright weird,"

            "Nice to meet you Sarah," She leads me down a narrow hall with sparkly marbled floors. My eyes widen when I take in the golden chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

            "Is there a special reason you're visiting your father today?" It sounded like she genuinely cared. She's the total opposite what Devlin told me. She doesn't strike me as cold just a bit daunting.

Yah, so I can pry out Devlin's secret past and the reason for the bad blood between him and his father.

            "No, not really,"

"Apparently I heard you left your dad's place. Takes guts to do that -though at your age I think it's a stupid idea. There is no way you can make it on your own unless you have help,"

I try not to be offended by her bluntness. "I do have help," Your brother.  "My friend's nice enough to let me stay in his apartment for some time,"

            "Can I know your friends name?" She glances down at me. Why does she want to know his name? Does she know I'm staying with her brother? There's no point in lying if she knows.

 "Devlin," I want to take the word back but the harm is done, instantly Sarah's face is fled with different emotions- one minute she's looks sad then angry which is replaced by a mixture of disbelief and relief.

Chocolate Fudge, Alice you make the most stupidest assumptions. She didn't know.

            "Last name?" She stops walking- a few of the office's staff twist their heads to look at us. We stand next to room labeled as the printing lab.

I don't say anything and simply glare back at her. She taps her foot impatiently. "Last name?" She repeats in an angry voice.

            By saving grace, my dad emerges out of the printing room, his hands carrying a stack of freshly printed paper. The blonde in his hair is filled with more white than before. My dad's eyes are tired and worn- wrinkles streak the side of his face. He looks old.

            "Dad," I call for him- ignoring the pangs of guilt and fear filling me. I pushed back all my repulsion and regret into a dark corner of my mind, sealing it there.  I have to do this.

 He stops in his tracks.

"Alice," Disbelief is etched deeply into his feature. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

            Sarah still stands by my side, her face glows with a red tint but Dad doesn't notice her. 

"I had to get some forms signed for the retest," My hands dig into the bag and pull out a sheet of crisp white paper which had consent form  sprawled across it.

            "Let's go to my cabin. I'll sign them there," He motions me to follow him towards a small, sliding door at the left side of the corridor.

Perfect, I'll be able to ask dad about Devlin without having to worry about anyone hearing me.

             I face Sarah. "It was nice meeting you and thank you once again,"

She narrows her eyes at me- a sudden dislike for me fills her blue eyes. "My brother won't like it if he finds out you're here," With that she stalks off into the opposite direction, her six-inch red heels clicking on the floor.

If he finds out that is.

~*~*~*~

I stand in-front of dad's cluttered desk filled with files and more files. He usually is a very organized person. There is no way he'd sit in a mess like this one. The computer screen would flicker every two seconds.

Nothing looked right. Tension lines were forged onto dad's forehead.

"You look worried. Everything okay?" I ask him, watching as he signed the forum with a shaky hand.

            "Not really, Alice, there're some massive budgets cuts I have to deal with. The company is going into loss and the stock rates are falling so fast," Dad never opened up to me about his job. So it takes me a minute to comprehend all that he had just said.

He sets the pen down and hands me the form. I shove it back into my bag.

"How come? A company can't just go to down without a reason," I push back the green cushioned chair and take a seat in it.

            The gray in dad's eyes dulled. He didn't realize that he was talking to me. Whenever he's tensed, he would start muttering things to random strangers. It's a strange habit my father has had for as long as I can remember. "It's nothing you need to worry about,"

            "Dad, seriously can you please tell me about it. Does this have to do with Mr. Hutchin's son?"

Dad's eyes widen. "How do you know about him?"  I don't miss the accusing tone in his voice.

            "I overheard some of the staff talking about the bad blood between Mr. Hutchins and his son," I shrug my shoulders, trying to sound causal about the whole ordeal even though my lungs could burst  open any moment.

            Dad buys it, he looks relieved. "For a moment, I thought you know his son personally,"

I don't just know him.

            "Why? What's wrong with his son?"

"Wrong?" Dad laughs- The hollow sound of my father's laugh makes my heart fall to the pit of my stomach. I feel queasy.  "You should ask what's right about him,"

            I bite the inside of my cheeks to keep myself from yelling.  The metallic taste of blood seeps into my mouth.   

            "Dad, how can you judge someone like that? You don't even know him," I blurt the words, my heart hammering fast with rage.

"What make you think I don't know the boy? I know him alright," A skeptic look covers my father's age worn face. "Alice, why do care about this boy?"

            I take a deep gist of air, in the hope of calming my agitated nerves. "I don't care about him. It's just I don't like it when you judge people,"

            His eyes are overflowing with unshed tears. "Just like your mum,"

I avert my gaze. I'm nothing like her, dad. The only reason I'm defending Devlin because I like him way too much.

            "Devlin, that's his name right?"

Dad doesn't notice my attempt to change the flow of the conversation and quickly follows along. "Yah, that's his name alright," I couldn't ignore the deep distain in my father's voice as he spoke about him. "He jeopardized the entire corporation for his worthless desires,"

            Dad shakes his head as if to rid himself of a bad memory. "When I met him, I actually liked the boy. He was polite, respectable sort of chap with fine mannerism and steady, honest opinions. You don't find boys like him anymore. I thought to myself how nice it'd be if my daughters could find themselves a boy like that,"

It would be nice. I silently agreed with him.

            Dad laughed at his own folly. "It was all an act. Of-course- the boy was too good to be true," An anchor of dread clung to my shoulder. I fear what's about to come. Devlin couldn't be too good to be true. Right?

            "Mr. Hutchins boasted about his son. On and on he went how his son would take the world by a storm. We all believed him. His son was truly something. After four months working in the company, the boy already had brought two important clients into the Enlighten's ring,"

            "He worked here?" I asked, shocked. All this time I thought Devlin was a simple medical student. He couldn't have worked at Enlighten- I just couldn't imagine it. Devlin in a buttoned up shirt with a tie and coat instead of blue scrubs- the idea seemed impossible.

            "I wish he hadn't," Dad grunted, bitterly.

"Why?" I whisper.

            "He lost Enlighten's biggest investor because of his carelessness. Apparently the boy never wanted to a part of the company. He wanted to be a writer not the CEO of a million dollar company,"

            I couldn't digest the information. Devlin- a writer, how had it never occurred to me? The shelves of books lining his room- they weren't textbooks. All of them were fiction novels.

            The reason why his desk was always cluttered and why he didn't let me study on it was because he had his writing journals scattered there.         "Neither was I,"   He never wanted to be a doctor but he still chose it anyways.

            "I can't believe that. He wouldn't risk the jobs of the people around him. If he gained two important clients, how could he possibly loose an investor? Something isn't adding up,"

            "At the time, I found it hard to believe as well but as we began losing investor after investor, we were forced to believe in it,"

            "Devlin would never do something so carelessly. He isn't like that," I press a hand against my mouth when I realize what I've said. Dad stares at me with a blank expression- it takes him a moment to react.

            When he does, there is pure rage and fury on face.

"I meant by the description you've given me. He doesn't sound like that sort of person,"

            The anger on his face dissipates and I feel my breathing rate return to normal.

"Oh," Dad presses a hand to his chest. "You had me there for moment. I rather not have you deal with likes of him,"

            "Of-course, dad. I should get going," Before I utter something else.  "You probably have work to do,"

            I scurry out of the chair and jog towards the door when dad's voice stops me. "Alice,"

I turn around, forcing a smile on my face. "Yes,"

            The wrinkles on his face deepen as he smiles back. "Liza told me you're staying with a friend. You know you can always come back,"

            He sounds so hopeful. It makes my chest ache- I quickly turn my head to the other side- not wanting him to see the tears flowing down my face.

            "When the time comes, I will," With a heavy heart, I dash out of his cabin.  Tears making a waterfall down my face.

            Be strong Alice. I whisper to myself, inconspicuously wiping the tears from my cheeks.

My vision is blurred. I can barely make out the faces in the halls as I pass. The path ahead me twist and turn in different ways. I realize that I'm lost in the enormous building.

Hazy black spots are beginning form behind my lashes. The world around me slowly starts to spin. I realize that I'm having another chocolate emergency. Moving to the side, I lean against the wall. My breathing labored as black clouds the surrounding.

Hold on, hold on.  

            I open my bag, fumbling and drop the contents onto the floor- no-signs of my glucose tablets or chocolate.

            The ground sinks under me; my legs give up, causing me to collapse onto the hard marbled floors.  

            The throbbing in my head increase- I don't have the strength to utter a word. People surround me in checkered shirts and heels, congesting the small pocket of air around me.

            "What's wrong with the girl?" They mutter amongst themselves.

"Are you okay dear?" A kind lady asks. I want to tell her I'm not but I don't have the voice.

            The crowd grows in size and I feel more suffocated.

"Move aside!" I hear a familiar voice. "Give her some room people!"

            In the blurred state, I see a figure emerge through the crowd. A blue-black striped shirt clings to his broad shoulder as a tie loosely hangs off his neck.  

            He kneels down beside me and takes my hand in his, his skin is ghastly pale with fear. "Go bring something sweet!"  He shouts at someone I don't recognize. "Why are you standing there? Damn it! She's having a low-sugar attack! For God's sake Hurry up!"

            I want to laugh at Devlin's worried expression. I want to tell him that I won't die from a chocolate emergency.

 But before I can do anything, the curtains of conscious fall and everything descends into unfathomable darkness.

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Note: I just love how almost in every book the boy's family takes an instant liking for the girl. But in real life, things like that don't happen ... well most of the time.

      Anyways, another chocolate emergency whoo! To be honest, I say this like a gazillion of time but I wasn't going to post this chapter ( cause it's terrible). I did anyways.    

I do realize the book was so far really chilled out and now it's going to be pretty hot and intense from here on if I say so myself. ;) ;)

      Do vote, comment and let me know what you think of this chapter. And seriously tell me if you were expecting this? Devlin's past and all. What theory do you have on Devlin losing an important investor? Do really think Devlin could possibly make a mistake as big as that? If Devlin wanted to be writer then why is he studying medicine? ;)