Colton's POV

"Colton, would you just calm down?" Ryan pleaded behind me as I stormed down the hall. None of her words would mean anything to me until I had a talk with the little prick.

If he thought he could get away with disobeying what I told him specifically not to do, he had something coming to him. Anyone in the right mind wouldn't break an agreement with me, unless they had some kind of death wish. I was definitely someone you didn't want to piss off.

I continued down the hall in any direction that could possibly lead me to my target. Pushing through a few a groups of sophomores, who more than gladly stepped out of the way, I saw his little pretty boy face which wouldn't stay pretty for long. It was never wise to go against my orders, most people knew this.

After having caught up, I grabbed him by the arm and slammed him in the row of lockers closest to us. His look of pain soon turned to fear when he saw the serious look on my face. "I told you to stay away from my sister," I growled as my fists tightened around his shirt and I pushed Wyatt into the lockers once more, with more force this time. "You think I wouldn't find out?"

"Colton, don't!" Ryan grabbed my shoulder, but I shrugged it off.

When Wyatt decided to stay silent, I grabbed him by the back of his neck and pushed him into the middle of the hall. Everyone kept their distance as I released my anger with a quick hit along his jaw. Me being twice his size, he fell to the floor instantly.

"What's wrong with you?" He said as he rubbed his jaw. Luckily for him, I wasn't putting all my power into my punch, or else there was no doubt that he'd be knocked out right now.

"I said stay away," I stated bluntly, then took a step forward in Wyatt's direction, but Ryan tried to stop me. "Stay out of this, Ryan."

"So what, you think you can just say who I can and can't hang out with?" Ryan scoffed and folded her hands over her chest, not realizing that it made her boobs appear bigger. Did she not have the decency to cover up? I didn't like thinking that she was like the girls I played around with on a daily basis. I was fooling myself, though. There was no saving my sister's innocence with how provocative she dressed.

"I'm just protecting you, Ry." She had to know I was just looking out for her. Yes, she was the most annoying person on the face of this earth and I've never met someone bitchier, but she was still my sister. I needed to protect her even when I could barely stand her.

"Since when did you care about protecting me? The only person I recall you caring about is yourself!" Her words would have hurt, if I cared. Right now I was too angry with Wyatt to really think too much about it.

"Maybe if you didn't dress like such a slut I wouldn't have a reason to." Ryan, hearing things like this from me all the time, didn't think much of the comment. Wyatt, on the other hand, made it his personal vendetta to get me back for what I just said.

His fear of me was suddenly completely gone as he made his way toward me. The rage from me basically saying that my sister was a whore apparently was enough to get him a backbone. His anger didn't do him justice, because the first swing he threw I caught moments after. Wyatt's face hardened as he looked from me, back to my hand, then me again. With a shove, Wyatt flew backward and slid a couple feet on the floor.

Before I could take one more step towards him to finish what I came for, one of the school cops grabbed me from behind and dragged me away. My rage grew as I saw Ryan helping Wyatt get back up. It was apparently too much for me to handle, because of the way I was fighting against the cops grip to go back there and knock his teeth in.

Ryan sent me one more disapproving look when I shrugged off the cop and the anger. I grudgingly made my way towards the office and entered the principle's headquarters.

"I know things have been difficult for you since your mom-"

"Is this going to take any longer?" I interrupted Mr. Mason and looked at the clock. It was already half an hour into the period. "There's a certain someone who will be needing my help in english."

"I think they can do without you bothering them for one day."

"I don't know." I sent him a cocky smile and crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm pretty irresistible."

"You do know that I'm going to have to call your parents, right?"

A smile sneaked its way on my lips filled with malice. "You do know that you're a dick, right?" Now my smile was gone and the anger I was holding in escaped. "My mom is dead. You really think reminding me about it is one of your job descriptions?"

Through all the years of him being the principle, I never knew what was up his ass. It was almost as if his main goal was to make anyone's life terrible.

Mason frowned at my outburst. "You are very lucky that I'm not suspending you, so don't push your luck," he warned. "Detention for a week. Starting Monday you will be in the library every day after school shelving books, or whatever else you can do to help out in there."

I threw my head back and groaned.

"Don't even think about making this difficult or decide not to show up even for one day. If you do so, I will have no other choice than to suspend you. Do I make myself clear?" He challenged.

"Crystal." Grabbing my bag from the floor, I threw it over my shoulder and left the office without another word.

***

Dahlia's POV

The past couple of days have been weird. When I say weird, it's the kind of weird where a certain someone who has been bothering me for the past few days suddenly doesn't even look at me.

I know what you're thinking, and if I were you, I'd shut up before you mysteriously woke up in a crate, confused, in South Africa. There was no crush developing within me toward Colton Millers. There was a bigger chance of me jabbing myself in the side with a fork than want to be involved with him romantically.

Colton was more of someone for me to pester in class when I got bored. Apparently he had different ideas when it came to our 'friendship' with this little contest he was trying to start up, but it wouldn't last. I was anything but impressionable.

Now it was Monday and not even a glance from him since he got into class late on Thursday. If I cared enough to ask, I would have, but talking to him would just encourage him. That was something that I didn't want to happen. I had bigger things to worry about that didn't involve boys. From what I learned from Sophomore and Junior year, sleeping around wasn't going to get me into any good colleges. The only thing it would give me was regrettable memories and an STD.

"So I was thinking," Cassidy said as he sat behind me in Journalism. "Tomorrow night, you, me, a cheesy eighties horror movie, and more pizza and popcorn than we can eat."

"Sounds like a plan, Stan."

He blinked awkwardly at me. "My name is Cassidy."

Rolling my eyes, I slapped him playfully. "I know that, you dummy."

Cassidy grinned and shoved me in return.

"What are you doing after school?" I asked curiously.

The smile that made its way on my best friend's face was enough to tell me. A blush came across his cheeks as he tried to refrain from making eye contact.

"Okay." I nudged him. "Who is she?"

He shook it off, pretending like it was no big deal. "Just some Junior."

"No. No. No," I said. "You can't spare me the details. Who's this mystery girl?"

You may think it's weird to obsess over Cassidy's romantic life, but it was mostly because he didn't have one. There was the occasional girlfriend that he had, but it never lasted long and he never seemed that into them. I could tell, however, that it wasn't the case this time. For some reason, the girl he was seeing now, was different.

Cassidy scratched the back of his neck. "It's really nothing."

"Bull crap," I said a little too loud, getting a stink eye from the teacher. "Don't make me punch you."

"Oh yeah, because you're just the most terrifying person in the world." Cassidy laughed, noticing my glare, he gave in. "Okay. Okay. Her name is Melissa Reynolds. She probably the second most amazing girl I've ever met."

"Who's the first?"

"You."

I rolled my eyes. "Suck up."

"I am not sucking up! I'm sticking to the laws of friendship here!" He said, raising his hands up in defense.

"Laws of friendship?"

"Bros before hoes, my dear."

Laughing out loud, I said, "I'm the closest thing to a bro you'll ever have if you only hang around me all the time."

Smiling, Cassidy got up and headed for the door.

"And where do you think you're going?" I asked.

"To find some bros who appreciate my company," he pouted.

That was my best friend, alright. The impractical joker who could get on my nerves so easily, but still managed to keep me by his side.

People often told us that we should date, but the only reaction Cassidy and I gave them was a fake gag. Yeah, we weren't going to be getting together any time soon. It was long ago where we established the boundaries. Dating him would be almost like incest; you can't kiss siblings.

When it was finally the end of the day, I was relieved. All that I had to do now was finish my service credit today and then I could sit home and snuggle up to my dog, Polo, while watching Disney movies. Today was Lion King, my favorite.

Walking into the library, I placed my bag on the floor next to the counter and placed some of the returned books on the cart. If you're wondering why in the world I would want to work in the library for an extra credit on my transcript, it was because of my love for books.

For me, anything that had to do with the arts, interested me. Whether it was painting, or photography, or writing, all of it was art in my eyes.

A fidgety Sophomore came up to the checkout desk and handed me Pride and Prejudice -one of my favorites. I smiled politely at her as I took her card from her hand as well and checked it out for her. "That'll be due back in two weeks."

The girl only nodded, took the book, and ran off without another word. Strange students were a dying breed at this school, but they seemed to pop up left and right at the library. Don't get me wrong, I'm a very accepting person, but some people here were extremely bizarre.

"Fancy meeting you here." A voice said from behind me. Speaking of the strange and bizarre.

I turned and Colton was smirking down at me. "You lost? And to think I thought that you'd know where the detention room was by now."

My comment only made his smirk grow. "I'm only lost in your eyes." It was obvious that he wasn't being serious, but it was just cheesy nonetheless.

"Seriously?"

"Who wouldn't be lost in them, Flower?" he asked, taking a step closer to me, making my butt hit the counter.

"Did you just call me a flower?" This guy was really confusing me. I mean a flower, really?

"Well a dahlia is a flower," Colton pointed out. "It makes sense though, flowers are gorgeous, you are gorgeous. It just fits, doesn't it?"

"You can flatter me all you want." I folded my arms over my chest. "You're not getting me to sleep with you."

"Jumping to conclusions, are we? Tsk. Tsk. I was just making conversation."

"Well you can stop trying, because I have some librarian type duties to take care of and you have a detention to go to." I walked off with the cart of books to re-shelf, hoping he wouldn't follow me and make my hour of service become a constant game of cat and mouse.

To my dismay, Colton followed me towards the book shelves. "What? I can't get any pointers from the person who knows most about this place? After all, this is where I will be after school every day for the whole week."

"You did not apply for service credit in her, did you?" I feared the answer, but I had to ask.

Colton laughed at this and I gave him a weird expression. "You think I would do this willingly? I'm not like you, I don't need to add more credits to my already four point o GPA."

Now it was my turn to laugh. "You have a four point o?"

He groaned and threw his hands up in the air. "Yes, Flower. Why does everyone always assume that I'm dumb?"

"Stop calling me that."

Moving closer to me, he said, "What? Flower?" Colton now was only inches from my face and as I tried to back away, once again something prohibited my escape. Now I was squished between a teen too hormonal for his own good and a bookshelf that I was supposed to be shelving books on -hence the name.

"Y-yes, Flower." Really, Dahlia? You stuttered? You idiot, now he's going to think he's made you nervous, or something! Smooth.

"You're not as tough when it just you and me, are you, Flower?" He ran his hand through my hair and stopped when his fingers traced my neck, sending goosebumps. I had this thing where people couldn't touch my neck without me shivering. This didn't really help me in my situation. Noticing my reaction, he grinned and leaned his mouth next to my ear. "Do you really think you can still seduce me first?"

Another involuntary shiver made it's way through my body and I looked nervously into his eyes. This was a lot harder than I thought. I wasn't attracted to him personally, because his reputation, cockiness, and his attitude, but that didn't change his looks. How could someone look that good and be such a prick?

"You can't win," he whispered in my ear. "Because I've got you right where I want you."

From the position we were in right now, I knew he was right, but I had no other joy in the world than proving this guy wrong. "And I have you right where I want you."

Before he could say another word, I ducked under the arm that he was secured me in my place and ran out of the library.

He thought he was the guy with all the power here, but I wasn't going to fall under his control. The only thing I could think about was how he was trying to break another heart, and that was enough to make me want to make him fall.

This war was just getting started and I intended to win it.

Dahlia to the side! --->