༻ Daniel ༺

This is bad.

Really bad.

That old man almost exposed me. I was trying my best to be discreet. I thought nobody would recognize me here, but somehow someone did. I was too careless.

The reason why he knew me was because I had a certain reputation in the field of brains back at London.

Our company, the Curtis Corporation was quite famous there for our prestige in the world of business, and I unintentionally earned some weird titles because of the activities I was forced to participate in.

I really didn't intend for it to blow out of proportion.

And aside from the business and brains aspect, my public image became even more known when the press found out that I was related to the rising star in the world of show biz.

Tsk. Rising star my butt. They don't know just how annoying that guy was.

But that's not all. Since people were obviously too damn bored with their lives, they decided to make up stories on their own and print articles about it. I never read the articles, but my best friend did.

Yes, I actually had a best friend.

I had two best friends.

And we were usually the hot topic in the weekly newspapers.

Ahh.

Just remembering my life back at London made me depressed. I wanted to get out of it. And I wasn't lying when I said I missed Poopy. I know I usually denied it when dad teases me but it's actually really true. I wanted to see her all these time. And I'm glad I got to meet her again.

Admitting this stuff to myself makes me sound like a marshmallow.

Poopy looked so confused earlier and I felt bad. I wanted to tell her, but it was still too soon. I wanted her to trust me before I told her the truth. The real reason why my dad and I came back wasn't only because of that dumb marriage arrangement. I didn't even know about that arrangement until we all met each other again.

After my new classmates concluded that they wouldn't get anything from me, they stopped asking about it and went out. I just hope no one gets bored enough to Google my name.

This is ridiculous. I should just stop thinking about useless stuff.

"Hey," someone's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see Poopy standing in front of my desk, looking a bit stern. "Gym's about to start."

Gym? Oh right. We had a class like that.

"Okay?" I said, making it sound more like a question. I stared at her for a bit as she gave me the confused-unsure-doubtful look I can't really explain.

"You know..." she began as she hugged her arms against her chest. She looked a bit hesitant to say anything, but after what seemed like an internal debate, she glared at me, though I think she just used that expression as a cover-up for her confusion. "I really don't know anything about you."

Even though that was kind of true, somehow I felt like something stung my chest. Weird.

But wait. Did that mean she wanted to know more about me? Was she interested? But it can also have another meaning. Knowing Poopy, maybe she just said that because she was irritated with me holding her hand in front of our Physics teacher for such a stupid reason.

Well, stupid for her maybe. What the hell. I don't know anymore. Some genius I am.

I stiffly nodded my head like a guilty puppy.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me about... your life or anything like that. But... um..."

I want to tell you.

I really do.

Before she could finish, Ella just suddenly popped out of nowhere, unaware of the awkward conversation just now, and started tugging her hand. "Tina, let's go. We still need to change into our gym clothes."

Ella couldn't come at a better time? What was Poopy about to say?

"We're going ahead," her voice was monotone as she waved an airy hand before she and her best friend exited the classroom.

As soon as they disappeared, I hit my head on the desk, a bit harder than I had intended. A stupid groan escaped from my stupid mouth because I had a stupid brain.

If I tell her about it now, I know she'll just get involved with the annoying people and troubles I'm acquainted with.

This burden was mine to carry.

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The gym classes in this school were interesting.

Why? Because they don't separate the boys from the girls. Instead, they lump both genders into the same class, which was kind of weird for me because back at my old school, there were separate teachers and classes for each.

Plus, I just noticed the system of rotation of the subjects. Everybody in class had the exact same classes and schedules together, so technically, every class in this school was a block section.

Interesting. This system is simpler not just for us students, but for the teachers too.

I went to the boys' locker room to change into my new gym clothes. When I got there, the sight was a bit surprising and not so surprising at the same time.

My classmates were fooling around, running everywhere in their underwear and socks. Sean was doing some kind of exotic dance with his socks in his hands and his pants on his head.

How old were these guys, eight?

Or were they probably high on drugs?

I just shrugged off a laugh before I got to take a look at the gym uniform. It was just a plain white shirt and a pair of red jogging pants.

I took my uniform off and folded them neatly before putting it inside my locker. Half-naked and about to wear the T-shirt, a whipping sound replaced the noisiness in the locker room, followed by an eerie silence and a searing pain on my butt.

I turned around with a frown clearly forming on my face.

All the boys in my class had gathered around to witness Sean, whip my butt using a small, wringed towel. He was all smiles and the bastards all broke into a fit of laughter when they saw my unpleasant expression.

"Dude, you were awesome at Physics today," he started. "Oak was totally into you!" He changed his voice into a high-pitched squeak, a lame attempt to imitate a clichéd cheerleader. It was so gross that I had to scrunch my nose in disgust.

At least they didn't suspect anything. Hooray for idiots.

Some kid whose name I didn't know called my attention. "Yo Daniel! You're from London but how come you didn't pick up an accent?"

I was surrounded by Americans in my house and in our company building. And I barely spoke to English people for a prolonged time. That's why.

They all started conversing in lame English accents before I even got to reply; not that I even intended to answer anyway. Somehow they reminded me of monkeys.

These people were weird, but the good kind of weird. It was amusing to watch them make fools out of themselves.

"Did you have to whip me?" I held my inflicted butt cheek and fake-glared at Sean for fun. Now I wasn't overreacting. It really did hurt.

A series of ooohs echoed from the room followed by small, deep laughter. Sean proudly folded his arms and smirked at me. "Aaw, sensitive aren't we? The president sure handles you with care!"

I just grinned during their boom of laughter. Funny. I should probably take Anne's advice and socialize. They seemed like they were joking, so I decided to respond with a joke as well. I might actually be good at this 'making friends' stuff. "Actually, she doesn't. She's pretty rough, if you know what I mean."

She is. She hits me, strangles me, kicks me and yells different varieties of tasteless insults at me every day. She definitely doesn't handle me with care. At all.

I stopped and looked at the shocked faces of every boy in my class. Now that silenced everyone. It was my turn to laugh.

Hahaha.

That was a good laugh.

"Tina's actually into those kind of stuff?" Sean didn't look like he was joking anymore. He looked... scared. The rest of the guys had the same reaction.

Oh God this was hilarious! How perverted were these people? But then again, I was the one misleading them on purpose, so that made me the bigger pervert.

Ah. So that's why I didn't have many friends back at London.

Sad story.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I assure you," I gave them all a smug grin, a look of sheer superiority. They all just stared at me like confused children. "She'll only do those stuff with me."

Of course I meant the punching, strangling and all those other stuff she did whenever I bullied her like a jerky ten year-old.

They all stood there like statues. Was that really shocking to hear? I meant it in an entirely different way but I made it sound entirely different as well.

Everybody's either stupid or just really innocent.

Or, they saw their council president as someone like a sibling all this time and never even imagined anything outside of that.

Taking advantage of the situation, I rapidly twirled an extra shirt into a weapon like a Kung-Fu master and whipped each of their fat butts as revenge for ganging up on me. They woke up from their short dazes and everybody began attacking each other with shirt whips.

Not long after, the gym teacher's assistant came and got mad at us, yelling at us to hurry up because the girls had already finished first and were waiting at the field.

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We arrived at the field like we just won a big game. I don't know how, but I somehow got along with everybody immediately. It was all thanks to Sean. Everybody was quite friendly here compared to the environment I grew up in.

As expected. I was better off in a place where nobody knew about my dumb title.

I saw the group of girls resting under the shade of a tall tree, and I instantly spotted Poopy. Their uniform wasn't as different from ours since they also wore a white shirt, but instead of pants, they wore tight red shorts.

She was hugging her legs against her chest, looking lost in her thoughts while the other girls behind her chattered endlessly.

When she noticed me, she carefully watched me from across the field, her brows knitted and her lips formed a thin line. Why do I feel like I did something wrong?

Before the class started, our gym instructor, Mr. Emerson, scolded us for being late. He looked quite young for a teacher; I'm guessing he was around his late twenties.

His body was also quite different from what I would've expected from a gym instructor. Although he was muscular, he didn't look all buff like the Hulk, much to my disappointment.

I read comics and manga way too much. Forget I said that.

Ah.

I just realized how lonely I was.

I didn't listen to the rest of the lecture because I was busy having a stare-down with Poopy, who was mouthing me repeatedly to 'pay attention to the teacher'.

I really should, since this was my first meeting with the gym instructor. And then I thought again.

Nahh. It takes up too much of my energy.

"Okay!" Mr. Emerson blew on his whistle as soon as he finished his short sermon. "Girls, stand on this side, and boys, stand on that side."

Why was he separating us? I thought this was a joint class or something? Now I'm curious what they do in gym in this school.

When the groups finally settled down, Mr. Emerson made his instructions. "Today we're gonna play a game. Although it has no relevance to our topic, this game will teach you how to handle your team mates and opponents. I will be observing and recording your behavior towards each other. Any unsportsmanlike act will not be tolerated and will be sent to the bleachers immediately."

A game? That sounds like fun.

Mr. Emerson continued. He took two fist-sized balls, a red one and a blue one, from the table and presented them to the whole class. "Now here are the rules. I am holding here two balls."

Sean interrupted with a snort. It sounded like a deflating balloon. "Yeah, you're holding there two balls."

The class broke out into a fit of laughter when they understood the deeper meaning to that sentence - even Mr. Emerson did.

He hit the two balls (screw Sean for activating our dirty minds) on Sean's face in a teasing manner. I'm guessing this sort of thing happened quite regularly.

"Shut up Sean," he chuckled, and then continued where he was interrupted. "Each team will possess one ball and they should do whatever it takes in order for the opposing team not to take it. The first team to get their ball stolen will face the punishment game."

What is with this school and punishment games? Everybody sounded excited. Well, including me. I never played a game like this in my old school before. Actually, I never played in any physical game with anyone other than Poopy before.

Like I said. I'm lonely.

I fail as a teenage boy.

Sean's hand shot right up, earning the attention of all. It gave me the impression that every time this guy talked, it made people laugh, that's why people listened eagerly.

It must be nice to have such an outgoing personality.

"Boss!" He yelled. "After we steal the girls' ball, or when the girls take our ball, what next?"

"That's right I almost forgot. Each team has their own base too. See those two poles at each side of this wide field?" Mr. Emerson pointed at each of the poles at the far edges of the field. "Those will be your bases. Now, after you steal the other team's ball, you need to make a run for it so they can't retrieve their ball. Next, when their ball is in your hands, you run back to your base and claim their ball as your own. After that, the victor will then be decided. Every player has the right to play. Now, for the leaders."

He grinned at all of us, looking just as excited. I like this teacher already. "For the girls' team..." It didn't really take him long to decide. His eyes immediately landed on Poopy. "Kristina. You're the leader, be responsible for your team alright?"

She nodded. The girls looked relieved that he chose her too, making me all the more curious. I wonder if her athletic abilities improved over the years. When we were kids, she was a lot stronger than me.

"Now for the boys' team. Let's see..." His eyes were strolling around the herd of boys, searching for a responsible leader. I was expecting him to choose Sean since he was the most obvious choice.

As I observed the rest of the guys, also looking for possible candidates, the ninja butt-whipping monkeys pushed my back roughly, almost making me stumble in front of the teacher. I glared at them but they just snickered in reply.

"Boss!" Sean yelled again, patting my back. "I volunteer the new student as tribute!"

Before I get to twist his arm a second time, he made a run for it. Mr. Emerson approached me with a curious smile. "I haven't seen you before. New student?"

"Yes sir," I replied, more like sighed. "My name is Daniel Curtis and I just transferred here last week."

He folded his arms and a suspicious grin crossed his face. He took a quick glance at the girls' leader and then back at me. Poopy is glaring so hard at me, my animal instincts were sensing my life in danger here.

"Alright," he rubbed his hands. "Daniel, you'll be the leader for the boys' team. You better not chicken out when your opponent is someone as tough as Kristina. Show us what you got."

Nothing came out of my mouth but a silent chuckle.

I looked at Poopy and smirked, she quickly narrowed her eyes as her knuckles turned white. My mind reverted to its comic-filter and I imagined a fierce wind pass by. The opposing teams behind us gave each other challenged looks and Poopy and I exchanged meaningful smirks.

"Just what I needed," she told Mr. Emerson, venom dripping from her words.

The gym instructor was more than aware about the atmosphere between the two teams, and I think that just got him more excited.

We were called upfront to claim our balls.

Our balls.

That still sounded weird. I can't help imagining weird images in my head.

Mr. Emerson was between us, giving us further instructions. We exchanged glares.

"...you can use any method, excluding violence of course." he kept talking, but we weren't paying much attention anymore. "Now, shall we begin the game?"

He flashed a carefree smile before he stepped back, signaled us to get ready, and then blew his whistle. "The game starts now!" he yelled as he backed away from the field to observe from the side.

I ran to our base holding the ball, and so did Poopy. She passed it to Ella while she guarded the base.

On our side, I passed the ball to Sean so I could guard our base as well. We both used the same tactics in the beginning of the game, so we probably had the same plan in mind. She spread her arms around the pole, glaring at whoever dared to take a step near her.

I ordered one of the guys to go after Ella while I still continued guarding the base. Not long after, a piercing screech (obviously Ella's) could be heard from afar. I saw her already running for her dear life as one of guys chased her. She clutched the ball tight against her chest as she ran straight ahead.

"TINA!!!" she screamed. "SAVE ME DAMN IT!!! I... I CAN'T RUN FOR SO LONG!"

She was screaming yet laughing at the same time, so I was predicting that her legs would get weak from running and laughing too much. She was going to slow down soon and be easier to capture. Good.

I saw Poopy give me another glare before she called for her teammates' attention and gave each of them tasks. "Amanda! Take the ball from Ella and help her!"

Immediately, Amanda ran towards Ella and threw her arms in the air. "Pass! I'm open!"

Ella threw the ball away from the guy chasing her and Amanda caught it in perfect form.

"Good job! Now Trisha, steal that ball from Sean!" Poopy pointed at where Sean was.

"Roger!" Trisha did as told.

Sean had no idea that Trisha was gonna steal the ball from him; he was too busy staring at the people getting chased around. He was so distracted that he forgot that the ball, and the fate of our team, rested on his hands.

Trisha swiftly snatched it from him and quickly ran back to their base. "Kristina! I have it!"

"Shit!" he hissed when he finally noticed. He tried to chase her to retrieve the ball but he tripped on an invisible rock and Trisha was already far from his reach. "Daniel! The ball--"

"Don't worry," I replied with a sigh. I observed enough and just came up with the best come-back. Poopy's not the only good strategist here. Although, it didn't seem like much of a strategy anyway. "Guard this rusty pole while I'm gone."

Trisha was about to throw the ball to her leader when I quickly grabbed a hold of her arm and gently took the ball back.

Easy.

"Huh?" she stammered when she realized the ball was gone from her hands and now in my possession. I actually used a shortcut and made a dash behind her and stole the ball. From a different angle, it looked like I teleported.

I was actually conserving all my energy for this very moment.

Kidding.

"What the hell?!" Sean yelled. "How'd you get there?! You got super powers or something?!"

"Damn it Daniel!" Poopy said. I just made a cocky grin.

༻ Kristina ༺

More than half an hour passed, and both members of the teams were exhausted. They all slowed down, especially the girls. Now, it was all up to me. "You all guard the base while I go get their ball," I said.

"Aah!" Amanda cried. I quickly turned my head to see Sean run away in the blink of an eye with our ball in his hands. He took his shot at redemption and succeeded. "He ripped it off my hands! Tina!"

"Hell no," I spat, but Sean didn't care. He was almost at their base and the boys were already howling victory. Oh no he's not. "I'll get it back."

I sprinted for Sean and caught up to him in no less than ten seconds. I was the best runner in my grade since I was eight. There's no way anyone could outrun me, not even Sean. He looked surprised to see me running alongside him, so he sped up. So did I.

Having no other choice because he was a few feet away from their base and we were on the edge of losing, I used Sean's weakness. Not sure if it really is his weakness, but it was worth a try.

I flailed my hands in the air to get all our classmates' attention and screamed at the top of my lungs. "SEAN HAS A BIG CRUSH ON ELLA!!!"

I resisted the urge to face palm myself.

I know it sounded entirely childish, but it worked on him. I wasn't sure if what I said was true or not, but he always seemed sensitive to the topic.

"SHUT UP! THAT'S SO NOT TRUE!" he yelled in complaint, jumping to clamp my mouth close but I dodged, making him stumble and trip on his face again. I swiftly snatched the ball and ran back to our base.

I saw my teammates cheering at me from the pole, but that only lasted for a second because then they kept yelling at me to go to the other direction.

When I turned my head to the side, I saw five guys making their way towards me. I ran to the opposite side but three more guys came, trapping me in the middle of the field.

I panicked for a bit, but a rush of confidence and energy came back to me when I remembered. I was a girl. I had an advantage. I could easily slip past through these guys if I'm careful enough. And I did.

Some ended up knocking each other's heads because I ran between them and moved my body away from their hands as if I were dancing gracefully.

And I don't dance.

"We're losing!" Sean yelled, lying on the ground for the third time in a row.

I was about to snatch their ball from Rodrick while clutching our own ball until Daniel suddenly appeared in front of me.

I shrieked in surprise. Where the hell did he come from? Did he time-jump or something?

Rodrick took a step back and stood between us leaders. He swallowed hard and stared at Daniel and me with the ball in his hands. If this was in a comic-book state, it would've looked like there was a little deer caught between two hungry lions.

"I see." A smile crawled up my lips as I wiped the beads of sweat trickling down my forehead. "So it's between team leaders now eh? Perfect! Now I can take revenge on you."

Rodrick ran away with their ball and went back to their base. Wimp.

"Don't let him take our ball Tina!" Ella screamed from the base, followed by other inaudible cheers from our teammates.

"Take her down man!" the boys were just as enthusiastic in cheering.

I hugged the ball tight against my chest and stared intensely at him, expecting him to try and steal the ball away from me.

Daniel just simply put his hands inside his pockets and slowly and menacingly approached me while wearing that smug look of his.

"You know what?" he huffed, as if he was preventing his laughter. "Just give me that ball, midget. The winner will be me no matter what anyway. Don't waste any more of your futile efforts."

Oh he did not just call me a midget again!

"You cocky bastard!" I was highly offended! "Don't call me a midget when you're just... okay you are tall but that's not the point! You are not getting our ball!"

I quickly kicked the damp mud on the ground and it accidentally splashed all over him. His white shirt was now dirty, and his face was covered in mud too. I didn't mean to do that, but he looked pretty damn funny.

So I laughed at his face.

Our classmates released a series of ooohs and when I looked at our gym instructor, he was doing the same thing.

Daniel's expression didn't change. He wiped the mud from his face and looked at me stoically. Uh-oh. Was he mad?

"We can use any method excluding violence, right?" he said. I nodded my head unsurely. Then he suddenly took his shirt off.

He took his shirt off.

HE TOOK HIS SHIRT OFF!

The girls from the base were going crazy, squealing and yelling in excitement.

Heck even Mr. Emerson was screaming.

Me, on the other hand.

I was gaping at him like a dying goldfish, my eyes scanning what he just unveiled in front of me.

Daniel had a firm, toned chest. His muscles were visible from his biceps to his flat stomach. He looked like he worked out regularly, despite how lazy he usually acted.

I tried to tear my eyes off but seeing the sweat on his body made me curious and dazed. He changed... a lot. I mean... He was a man now...

I mean - no!

I yelled after the girls. Why did I yell?! Didn't I just make it obvious I was affected? I was sure my face got beet red again so I covered my face with my hand, my other hand squeezing our ball until it practically exploded.

"What the hell do you think you're doing you pervert! Put your shirt back on!"

I don't deserve to be called a seventeen year-old. I'm like a seven year-old every time this guy does something stupid. Even my vocabulary degraded horribly because of him.

"Impossible, it's covered in mud." His tone sounded amused, and I didn't even have to see him to know he was smirking right now. "It's your fault you know. Here, wash it," he threw his shirt to my face. As soon as his dirty, sweaty T-shirt made contact with my cheeks, I cried out hysterically.

"Yuck! Get this thing away from me!" I threw it on the ground like it was viral.

He began to approach me again, and I started to feel more nervous now that he was shirtless. I'm not used to that sight! My knees were getting wobbly and my breath was getting heavier by the second.

Why was I acting like such a girl now? Where did all my confidence go!

"Give me that ball," he commanded, firmly. I shook my head and ran away, still covering my face with my hand.

Daniel chased me all around the field. While I was desperately running away, I knew he was having fun teasing me.

I saw Mr. Emerson getting amused to the point of chortling like an old man. Who could blame him though? He never saw me act this way before. In fact, nobody saw me this way before. Even I never saw myself like this before. This is such a stupid yet funny discovery.

I continued running blindly when Sean distracted me by happily announcing, "WHAT'S THE MATTER TINA?! YOU KNOW YOU WANT HIM!"

I fumed. I knew he was just doing that as revenge for earlier or to distract me.

I glared at his direction and almost growled. Adding to my embarrassment, they all cooed and began teasing. I can't take this anymore; my knees were going to give out now.

Since stupid me was still distracted by staring furiously at Sean, I didn't realize that Daniel had already disappeared from behind and advanced in front of me.

I bumped into him nose-first and due to the impact, I pushed him away using my hands. And oh my. His chest. Why was it so hard? Was he possibly wearing a skin-tone armor made of steel?

I mean no, it wasn't that hard. It was partly warm and his tight skin was actually soft. My eyes widened as I stared at his chest again, and then at my hands that touched... it.

The worst part was that everyone was witnessing it, even kids from other classes stopped and stayed just to watch me make a fool of myself. Uhh.

This was gonna taint my reputation as the council president.

"Heh." I heard Daniel scoff as he folded his arms, staring down at me smugly. "Who's the pervert now?"

"Still you!" I stuck my tongue out and made funny noises.

I just imitated a child. My character is officially dying.

He walked closer and closer to me; I walked back cautiously, one step at a time. "I'm tired. Give it already."

"Play the game fair. You should steal it from me, those are the rules." I tried to sound smart to at least make up for my childishness.

What the feather. I knew I was acting childish didn't I? I said it over a hundred times. Yet why do I still act like a kid?! This guy is really driving me insane!

"Nope. You're hugging that ball tight against your chest," he pointed at the ball I was holding for dear life. He grinned. "Do you want me to take it even if I may touch you -"

I didn't even let him finish because I instinctively took my blue handkerchief from my pocket and threw it at his mouth, and I unfortunately missed, but at least he stopped talking. I gave him another deep glare before I readied myself to escape.

"Fine." he sighed. He looked at me with those doe-like eyes again and the corner of lips curled up into a dangerous smirk. That look is never good. "You leave me no other choice."

I unconsciously swallowed hard. What method was he gonna use this time? I took a step back again. I really couldn't look at him straight because my eyes had a will of their own and traitorously feasted their sights on his toned muscles.

Oh my, oh my, oh my.

My thoughts... Somebody splash me some Holy water.

I mean no! Stop!

Shut up, mind. And eyes, please shut down.

"What are you planning to do?" I hissed after stammering too much in that question. I wasn't scared of what he'd do. I was more afraid of what my reaction would be when he does and after he does it.

"Well," Daniel walked closer to me again. Was he even aware that he had no shirt on? Was he doing this on purpose?

Just as I was about to complain internally some more, he suddenly, literally, swept me off my feet and gently threw me on his left shoulder. I only realized that after I noticed I was staring at someone's bare back; and my legs were being held together by a strong pair of arms.

"Since I couldn't steal the ball, I'll steal you instead. Maybe you're some sort of a package deal or something."

Everybody watching got ahead of me and started screaming in delight. I could hear howls, squeals, laughter and cheers from every corner - wherever that corner was.

My face was pressed against his damn back, so I couldn't see a thing.

I started screaming, kicking and hitting his butt. I did everything in my power but nothing happened. My superhuman strength was of no use against a butthead. My actions just added fuel to the fire when I heard everybody's noise get louder.

I was still holding the ball. I wanted to throw it to Ella but that seemed reckless and entirely impossible. I already knew we were far, far away from our base because as Daniel continued to walk, I could hear the boys' voices becoming more and more audible.

After what seemed like a few seconds, he dropped me on the floor. I landed on my butt and grunted, even though it wasn't that painful. I was just pissed.

I wanted to shoot him another death glare, but when I looked up, he and the rest of the boys were staring down at me as if I were a little rabbit and they were cavernous creatures.

When I finally came to my senses, Mr. Emerson blew his whistle, marking the end of the game. "Victory for the boys!"

The boys all cheered and yelled for their success, and the girls weren't disappointed - I'm guessing it was because they saw Daniel's body, and it was probably enough for them. Didn't go the same for me though.

At all.

I hope I'm telling the truth.

"That was so uncalled for!" I growled. I can't accept this loss! Mr. Emerson just chuckled while writing a few things on his small notepad.

"I didn't expect you to lose, Kristina. Guess a new strong rival appeared hm?" He turned to look at the shirtless monster that defeated me and praised him to increase his ego some more. "What an interesting yet wise decision. Since you couldn't take the ball, you took the person holding it as well. Nice one Daniel!"

Daniel wore a fresh new shirt lent by Sean. His expression didn't change. As usual. I was sitting on the ground, sulking, when he suddenly squatted down in front of me until his face was the same level as mine.

"Face it. You'll never win against me."

"You won't be saying that when I get serious with you." I hissed.

He clutched his chest after showing me a somehow suppressed smile. Was he trying not to laugh? Was he mocking me? "I thought we already resolved our relationship. So you're still not serious with me? You're breaking my heart."

"You know what butthead," I inched my face closer to his, so he was caught off guard. His grin faltered for a second, but he recovered quickly. "From the moment I saw you, I knew I was gonna spend the rest of my life hating you."

"Oh really?" Sean interrupted. I just realized we had an entire audience around us. And I just did and said some embarrassing things! Those were not what a council president would say right?! Everyone turned their attentions at Sean. "You're always saying that but in truth, you really like him don't you? I mean, he's your fiancé and all."

Mr. Emerson's jaw dropped. So did mine. "Repeat?" he said.

"Oh. Mr. Emerson, you didn't know?" Sean said, smiling innocently at me. The bastard wants his neck wringed. "These two were engaged ever since they were kids. What an unusual couple right?"

"No way!" Our teacher exclaimed. He stared at us with his eyes bulging out of his sockets. "Kristina? And Daniel? How's that possible? Why did she make such a fuss about seeing him shirtless then?"

This teacher seriously!

"I really wonder too!" Sean cupped his cheeks like a gossip girl. "Daniel's seen her in lesser clothes. So why!"

After that, he started laughing like a maniac. He was such a kid! Did he hate me that much just for yelling that he liked Ella? That just proved it was true! This douche bag!

I was about to stand up and give him a piece of my mind until Daniel held my shoulders and prevented me from moving from my current position.

He looked at Sean over his shoulder. I don't understand. "Sean, that's enough."

Sean stuck his tongue out before letting out a short whistle. "Okay, okay."

Wait. Did he just defend me?

"You two are adorable," Mr. Emerson commented, smiling widely, like he finally accepted that new piece of information.

Several profanities came to mind.

They started teasing us again. Sometimes I wonder how old we all were. We didn't act like seventeen year-olds. Everybody pretty much acted like seven year-olds.

I had no energy to fight back now.

"Whatever." I groaned weakly and looked away from Daniel's face. Why did he keep leaning closer? "Fine. Daniel, this is your win. But just you wait; I'll crush your bones until they become dust."

My vocabulary of threats and insults was still sad.

"Sure." He smiled at me as if he was smiling at a kid. He even patted my head. "But before you crush me, I want to know what your punishment is."

"What?!" I shrieked when I remembered. Damn it!

"Oh, that's right! The losing team will face the punishment game. Whoever made their team lose will face the punishment game alone, sorry to say Kristina," Mr. Emerson smiled pitifully.

Damn this school and its punishment games. Who the hell came up with that and made it tradition?

I grunted dejectedly. "What's my punishment?"

Our teacher smiled mischievously and held Daniel's shoulder. "The winning team's captain has the right to make the losing team's captain his slave for a day."

"SLAVE?!" everybody exclaimed.

"Are you serious?! Me?! His slave?!"

Oh my God. What is with this twisted teacher?!

"Dude," Sean's face turned red. "That sounded so wrong."

Mr. Emerson jokingly punched Sean's shoulder and laughed. "I didn't mean what you were thinking. So, basically, Daniel can order Kristina around for one whole day."

"What if I don't want to listen to him?" I stubbornly asked. I'm beginning to get irritated with our teacher.

"Then he'll punish you. It's up to him how he will though," he started to look worried. A tiny ray of hope lit up in me, thinking he'd change his mind, but that tiny ray disappeared like a piece of shit flushed down the toilet. He shrugged his shoulders. "But that's alright, you two are engaged, so I guess this will strengthen your relationship with each other."

My mouth just hung open the whole time. I glanced at Daniel and was just in time to see him making a malicious grin. Shit. Anybody could tell. He had something in mind. What was that smug look...

"Lucky you Daniel!" all the boys congratulated and praised him. "Say, why don't you make her wear a leash?"

"Aaah..." the girls floated and giggled to their selves. "I wanna be punished by Daniel too."

"Ah!" Amanda slapped Nikki's back. "Fifty shades of Curtis!"

They giggled and squealed some more as I resisted a face palm.

What is wrong with these people?

Daniel finally freed himself from the swarm of boys. He folded his arms and gave me a wink. "Mr. Emerson?"

Our teacher nodded and he blew his whistle. "Let the punishment game, begin."