Another day of school down and yet for it being the real world, the entire day has felt like a dream. Drifting from one class to another, whispers continued to follow me like ghosts in the halls of this school. It didn't bother me like it did yesterday. If anything, it was white noise in a field of smoke while the memories of last night repeated over and over in my mind.

"What if I wanna play with her a little longer? She must be something special to you for you to come here. Sounds like a useful toy to me."

Those words...his words, have been playing in a loop like a bad song you can't get out of your head. I cried so much after waking from the dream realm that I struggled to get back to sleep. Now, I'm not sure I have any tears left to cry.

I never cry.

Well maybe not "never" but it's definitely not something I do often. Crying was seen as a weakness in our house. To show that kind of defeat was not allowed. And yet that's exactly how I feel now. Defeated.

No, you're stronger than that. Get yourself together.

Captain...Hunter...was my refuge for so long. Even when I thought he wasn't real, I still questioned if I'd ever be able to feel for someone the way I do him. Then to find him here, real and at this school, it was like a dream come true. Even if he was an asshole out the gate, I was willing to work with that. I might not have realized I was at first but after last night, I have to admit I was still holding onto hope for us. Now that hope feels squashed like a bug.

With no hope and no tears, numbness slithers through my body. Hence the zombie-like fog I've been lost in all day while my peers continue to laugh and call names behind my back. Even now, sitting on the outside steps of the girl's dorm watching as kids enjoy the last of their free time for the day in the courtyard beneath the stars, I see the looks shot my way as other girls pass. I'd probably hear their nasty words too if it werent for the earbuds currently playing music in my ears.

I wonder what kind of music Hunter likes to listen to...no!

I shake my head and mentally slap myself for letting my thoughts go back to him. Even if he is perched on his usual picnic table with his friends, occasionally looking this way, there are more important things to think about right now.

In order to get away from Hunter last night and out of the dream realm, Dad had to help me. For whatever reason, tapping into my supposed abilities is a struggle. Dad says I need to practice and he's willing to help me do that but even after he proved he was right about Hunter, I'm still finding it hard to trust him. My dad has never been the helpful type, especially when it comes to me. The fact he wants to be now feels weird. So for now, I told him I'll work on things on my own. He didn't seem too happy about that but he doesn't get a say right now. If he wanted to help me, he should've told me about all of this a long time ago. Maybe then, Hunter wouldn't have been able to so easily find and manipulate me all these years while I slept.

Halfway through listening to Bella Poarch sing about making someone's life a living hell as I try to figure out my next move, one of my earbuds is snatched from my ear. I whip around, ready to finally lose it on someone when I meet Mia's warm eyes and wide smile. A breath of relief escapes as she sits down beside me and hands back the stolen earbud.

"So...what'd you do?"

I pull out the other earbud and slip them into the pocket of my sweatpants, a much-needed change after being strangled by my uniform all day. "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on." Mia turns to face me, her head tipped to the side with a raised eyebrow. "What'd you do to piss off the pirates?"

I arch a brow back at her. "Pirates?"

"Yeah." She nods with a proud smile. "After what you said two days ago about the others calling Hunter their captain, it just seemed to fit."

My eyes widen.

Has it really been three days already?

After counting and recounting, I realize she's right. This is my third day here. It feels like so much longer than that.

"Who knows, maybe it'll spread and people will start to think they have scurvy or something," she adds.

I can't help but snort a laugh at that. It's creative but also a little on point too. Maybe not the scurvy part but...they do have a pirate ship.

She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "It feels like we keep missing each other before and after school and we don't have any classes together, but I've seen enough to know the whole school is treating you like a pariah."

A slice of guilt hits me unexpectedly. I like Mia and it'd be nice to make an actual friend here. But she's right. When I got back from Dad's last night, she was already asleep and then she was already up and gone before I woke up. Then at lunch both yesterday and today, I hid in the library just to get some peace and a break from the dirty looks. I didn't even think about finding Mia instead. That's on me. I need to make more of an effort.

"So, what'd you do?" she asks again. "The pirates are the only ones with enough power to make the whole school turn on someone."

I sit up and stretch my arms over my head, trying to pretend I'm unfazed by it all. "You mean you haven't heard by now?"

"Psh, yeah right. I already told you, no one talks to me." Her relaxed smile is almost convincing.

"Is that why you're a loner? Cause the pirates turned the school against you too?"

Mia's smile vanishes in an instant, her eye's losing their usual happy glow. "I asked first."

"How about a trade?" I ask, holding her gaze, hoping she'll trust me if I trust her. "Me first and then you?"

She chews on her lip a second before slowly nodding, her eyes casting to the ground. Before she can think to back out though, I go ahead and spill the beans. Well, some of them. I think Mia is trustworthy but I also don't want her to think I'm insane either, so I leave off the part about my dreams with Hunter and go for the last part.

"Some girls caught Hunter kissing me in the dorm stairwell on my first day here," I blurt out like I'm ripping off a bandaid.

There's no point in adding that he was also my kind of, sort of dream boyfriend that was secretly using me to get at my dad for years. I don't need her to think I'm completely bat shit crazy.

Mia slowly lifts her head, eyes the size of the moon, and jaw dropped. "W-what?...Why? How? I mean...you guys don't even know each other, and he doesn't get involved with girls at school."

Shit. I should've seen that coming. How can I explain without mentioning our past?

"I don't know." I shake my head. "But I think it was calculated."

"Like he did it just to put an extra big target on your back?"

I shrug. "Maybe?"

It would make sense. He's used me all this time, so why wouldn't he do something as messed up as that?

But I don't think that's entirely right either. He kissed me to prove a point, that he affects me. That I feel for him. And that those feelings mean he has some kind of control over me. Too bad for him that he lost that control when I overheard just how horrible he really is last night.

The thing is, both that kiss and his reaction last night proved something to me too. He's just as affected by me as I am by him. He can play it off all he wants but I know what I felt. The second our lips met, he lost control, and last night, the look in his eyes when I caught him was a mix of both surprise and guilt. Even if I am a useful toy to him, there's still something more between us.

At least there was. Now...I'm going to fight like hell to kill whatever that "more" is.

"That's fucked up," Mia says, breaking me from my thoughts. "Maybe he did it cause of your dad. I know he hates Headmaster McClay. The whole school sees the way Hunter looks at him."

If only she knew just how right she is.

"Well..." a mischievous grin slides across her face. "Was he at least a good kisser?"

I try to fight the smile wanting to break on my face. I try to remind myself how much he's hurt me. But the fact is, that was the best kiss of my life, even if it was with a complete asshole.

Unable to fight it anymore, my lips twitch into the faintest smirk, and Mia squeals. But before I can try to stamp that smile out or say anything else, a group of girls walking by stop and turn our way. With nasty looks on their faces like they smell something foul, I can already guess where this is going.

"Look at this, girls," a brunette standing at the front of the pack says. "The new school slut is bragging now."

"Fucking shameless," another girl sneers.

I'm ready to flip out on them when they surprisingly turn their attention elsewhere.

The bitchy leader gives a fake smile. "So, Mia, you've finally made a friend. Are you gonna turn into a slut next? Start wearing tight shirts, tiny skirts, and kissing guys way out of your pay grade too?"

Mia's face tenses, her brows knitting above eyes that can't help but fall to the ground. The sight creates a fire in the pit of my stomach, one that's already raging out of control with all the chipped and shattered pieces of me fueling its flames.

"What's your name?" I ask the girl with a smile just as fake as hers.

Her head jerks back with surprise before she lifts it with pride and says, "Kelly...Kelly Bamford."

Pushing up from the steps, I get to my feet and step toward her, still holding that fake smile as my eyes burn into hers. "Well if you do, you should be careful pissing off the school slut. I'm willing to bet prissy princesses like you don't put out and I'd hate to see any guy dating you be so deprived. And if you don't then take this as a warning. Especially if you think you have a chance with Hunter, 'cause I've already been there and done that so I doubt he'd be willing to downgrade to you now that I'm here."

Kelly's eyes blink several times before her lip curls back with disgust. "You're an even bigger slut than I thought."

"And you're a jealous bitch, so get lost," I fire back, dropping my smile. "And leave Mia alone too or else I'll really give you something to be jealous about."

Kelly's mouth opens and closes like a fish, trying to find her words. When she comes up empty-handed, she settles for a snobby look and a flip of her hair before walking off with her group of sheep.

"You okay?" I ask Mia, offering a hand to help her to her feet.

She takes it and nods. "Have you really been there and done that with Hunter?"

"No."

Not exactly.

Mia nods, her smile attempting to come back to life. "Would've been cool if you had though. Kelly's the worst and she's crazy about Hunter."

"Good to know," I say with a nod as a prickling sensation begins to spread all over my body, like someone's eyes are burning into me.

Turning around, I find those dark enchanting eyes watching me carefully. His face is blank though. No cocky smirk like yesterday at school but no signs of shame or guilt like last night either. It's hard to read him right now but I don't get a chance to think about it for long as I notice he's not the only one looking in this direction.

A good portion of the courtyard is watching while trying to pretend they're not. They talk to each other, and move about, but the subtle glances are hard to miss. Problem is, I'm not the only one they're looking at now.

Several sets of eyes bounce between Mia and me, whispers floating into the night air. Mia notices too and wraps her arms around herself, attempting to shrink away.

God, I hate gossips and bullies.

Burning with anger once again, I hand Mia my phone and earbuds. "Here, take these and listen to something you like. I'll be right back."

She gently takes them from me but makes no move to drown out the noise, instead opting to watch with a mix of shock and fear as I march across the courtyard. I don't even have to push people out of my way, the crowd parting for me and making a path to my desired goal. And they all know what that goal is. He knows too.

From on top of the picnic table like a king on a throne, Hunter watches me approach with his forearms casually resting on his knees. But those dark eyes holding mine are no longer blank and free of emotion. There's a new curiosity stirring in his gaze that both adds gasoline to my temper as well as creates ridiculous butterflies in the pit of my stomach.

Stop! He's been using you. No butterflies!

Stopping directly in front of him, I cross my arms and hold my ground as best I can, hoping I look more confident than I feel.

"Crystal," he greets me with a calmness I don't see in his stare or even feel myself.

"Make them stop."

His brows raise as he leans back, placing his hands on the tabletop behind him and stretching his lean figure. It's like he's placing bait in front of a starving lion to see if it'll take a bite. Or maybe I'm just overthinking things. Either way, I guarantee if I bite him it's not going to be something he'll enjoy. Starving or not, this lion's been kicked too many times and I'll be damned if I give him the chance to do it again.

"Make who stop?"

I throw my arms out wide, indicating the entire courtyard. "All of them. Make them stop. You started this, you can end this."

One of his friends, a boy not much taller than him with dark brown hair that curtains down to his chin that I think Mia said was named Woong, asks, "And what exactly are we supposed to stop them from doing?"

"Seriously? The rumors, the whispers, the dirty fucking looks, make them stop. It's bad enough when they do it to me but now they're targeting Mia too. That's not fair. She's done nothing wrong."

I don't even bother to add that I haven't either. If I can at least get them to call their hounds off of Mia, I'll be happy.

Another boy, Seong I think, tall and slim with jet-black hair and angular features actually appears a little bothered by my words as he looks at his captain. "Hunt, come on. Mia's not involved in this."

Hunter's gaze barely softens as he looks me in the eyes. "If I do that for you, you need to do something for me."

My jaw drops a second before I quickly pick it back up. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"I wanna talk," he continues. "One-on-one, just me and you."

"There's no way." I quickly shake my head.

I can't...I can't be alone with him. As angry and hurt as I am, I don't trust myself with him right now. No matter how deep he's cut me, there's still years of good memories floating in my head, threatening to soften me to him. I can be strong, but I'm not sure I'm strong enough to do that.

Hunter gets up from his seat, jumping off of the table to gracefully land just a foot in front of me. His presence, so close like this, is hard to ignore. It's like he's a burning flame and I'm just moth fighting to ignore that pull he has on me.

"That's my only offer," he says so low I'm sure those around us straining to eavesdrop can't hear him. "Give me that and I'll make sure Mia's left alone, and depending on how that conversation goes, I might even make them leave you alone too."

It's like making a deal with the devil. Would it solve at least one of my headaches at this school? Yes. Would it save Mia from the backlash of being associated with me? Yes. But what will happen after? How can I trust him to keep his word?

"What if I wanna play with her a little longer? She must be something special to you for you to come here. Sounds like a useful toy to me." His words repeat in my head once again.

I can't. 

Narrowing my eyes at him, I drop my hands to my sides, now balled into fists with my nails dug into my palms as I slowly say, "Screw...you."

And with that, I whip back around and leave him there with shock written all over his face.

Chapter Word Count: 2962

Total Word Count: 13890

Hey, loves! Another chapter down for this project and hopefully another step closer to finishing before my ONC deadline. I'm running out of time but I'm gonna keep trying until the last moment, so wish me luck! I'll be back to update with questions later! (BTW the song at the top is the one Crystal was listening to before Mia showed up.)

Leave your thoughts in the comments and if you like what you read, please hit that star button!

💜 xoxo