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Chapter 17 *Snap*

~Sophia

“You’re going to eat all of that?” Driana asks incredulously, staring wide eyes at the food in front of me.

“Of course,” I say.

My food consists of Baked Mac, two slices of pizza, a crème brûlée, one diet coke and an orange juice.

“Are you okay?” she asks worriedly. She leans on the table and puts her hand on my forehead.

Rolling my eyes at her, I decide to start with Baked Mac. The first half of the day passed in a blur. For the first time in a long time, I haven’t learned a thing from the teachers.

“I’m fine,” I reassure her.

She doesn’t even buy it. “They say that when people are stress, they tend to eat a lot.”

“And you believe that?” I ask her teasingly.

“Whatever,” she says evasively, twirling a loose hair on her finger.

Staring at her across from me, I can’t stop the guilt I feel inside me. Maybe I should tell her? Driana is smart, she knows what to do. But didn’t I already think about that earlier? That the less she knows, the better?

Driana’s eyes remind me so much of Draky’s. Those luminous blue eyes that can look right through you. Can I really –

A tap on my shoulder makes me jump from my seat. It’s like someone sends an electric shock through my body.

“What are you doing here?” Driana asks, throwing daggers at someone behind me.

Turning around, my heart leaps in my throat when I see its Draky. I almost choke the juice I’m drinking. This is the first time I see him since I’ve known the bet. Some part of me is urging to confront with him but I tune it out. My breathing is rag and slow, my hands are shaking so I put them on my lap. This is not the time to fight with him yet. I’m not even ready to see him. The seconds is slowly ticking by as we stare at each other.

He has an unreadable expression on his face as he looks at me. I can’t take my eyes off his piercing gaze! The only thing that breaks as apart is when Driana clears her throat.

“What are you doing here?” she repeats.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I twist on my chair to face my food.

“I’m wondering if I can join you today,” Draky says.

“Why?” Driana asks

“Because if you haven’t noticed, there’s no available seat anymore,” he says wearily.

Glancing around me, I see that it’s true. Some people are crowding in some tables. Some are even standing. If the weather is nice, I’m sure they will just eat outside.

“Why don’t you eat with your friends then?” Driana asks, raising her delicate eyebrows.

“Because our table is already full,” he says flatly.

I’m like an audience, watching on the sideline of their show.

“Oh,” Driana mutters. “They can’t even spare you a space?”

“Not really,” Draky says, “I just want to eat with my little sister today.”

“Who says you can eat with us?” Driana says with a voice full of venom.

“Me.”

I can’t see his face but I have no doubt he’s smiling manically. To my horror, he slides on the chair beside me. Driana scowls at him but doesn’t say anything. What can she do? Make a scene? He’s already seated.

Every part of my body knows the enemy is just a few inches away from me. I don’t want to be close to him so I move my chair farther from him. I feel so dirty just by being near him. He doesn’t seem to notice because he’s staring at my food with genuine interest.

“Wow,” he says, smiling. “You eat a lot.”

My gaze turns to his food which just consists of a cheeseburger and a coke in can.

“I wonder why you don’t get fat,” he continues.

Suddenly I feel self conscious. How dare he talk about me like that? This creature I despise so much, I want to make his life a living hell.

Driana puts down her fork and stops eating her spaghetti. “How come your sidekick is not with you?”

“Sidekick?” Draky asks, and then realization hits him. “You mean Andre? Why, are you interested in him?”

Driana’s cheeks redden at the accusation. “I am not,” she says through gritted teeth. “I’m just wondering why he’s not with you.”

The corner of Draky’s mouth twitches upward. “That’s good because he’s certainly not interested with you either.”

Driana looks at her brother with disgust.

“As for your question,” he says, “Andre’s not here because he attends the Student Council meeting.”

“Hah.” Driana scoffs.

Draky turns to me. “I wonder why you don’t eat a lot in Andre’s house,” he says thoughtfully.

I feel really irritated. It’s like if I open my mouth, I know I will shout at his face. Taking a deep breath, I force myself to exhale it slowly. Okay Sophia, you have to calm yourself. I breathe in and out until I feel semi normal.

“Leave Sophia alone,” Driana snaps.

“Are you talking to me?” Draky asks amusedly.

She puffs out a breath. Before she can say something, Draky mutters, “Shutting up now.”

I eat my food, ignoring the guy beside me. Actually, I eat it faster than I’m used to. I’m not even chewing it, I just swallow it.

“Whoa,” he exclaims. “There’s no need to rush!”

I just continue munching on my last pizza without sparing him a glance. Driana looks at me with a confused expression on her face. Maybe she’s wondering why I’m acting like this. After drinking my coke until it’s empty, I grab my things from the floor and stand up.

“Wait,” Driana says quickly. “What’s the rush?”

I need to get away from Draky! His presence gives me awful and horrible thoughts.

“Sophia,” he starts.

“I need to go now,” I blurt out.

“Why?” Driana asks.

“I’m not yet done in my homework in Literature,” I say.

“Homework in Lit?” Draky asks incredulously.

Shoot! I slap myself mentally. Goodness! How can I forget that he’s my classmate there?

“I mean in Arts,” I say, biting my lip.

“But we don’t,” Driana says slowly.

Ow! She’s my classmate in Arts! What’s happening to me? Fortunately, Driana realizes what I’m doing.

“Oh, yeah,” she mumbles, “Our homework in Arts.” She gives me a knowing look.

Phew! That's close! I let out the breath I don’t know I am holding.

“I have to go now,” I say. I can feel Draky’s eyes on me but I don’t dare look at him.

“Wait for me!” Driana puts down her fork and joins me. Suddenly I feel bad. She doesn’t even finish her food because of me.

“You’re going to leave me here alone?” Draky asks, brushing bits of crusts from his mouth.

“Yes,” Driana answers. She links her arm to mine and we make our way towards the Lit hall without a backward glance.

“Thank you,” I say with a sigh of relief.

We’re already in front of my room. It’s quiet because my classmates are still in the cafeteria.

“It’s nothing,” Driana says, rolling her eyes. “I know you can’t stand Drake as much as me.”

“Yeah,” I murmur. More than you do.

“See you in Arts!”

“See you.”

She waves at me and begins to walk away. I enter the classroom and sit on my place.

What am I getting myself into? I thought I’m going to make him fall in love with me? How can I do that if I can’t even look at him in the eyes?

Making him fall in love is not as easy as I thought it would be. Am I even brave enough to do that? Of course I am! I already experienced a lot of sufferings and hardships so this should be a piece of cake. But there’s a problem. I don’t know how to start.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I can do this! I can win! Girl power!

After a few minutes, some of my classmates start to enter the room. I read my copy of A Midsummer Nights Dream in case Draky wants to talk to me. Unfortunately, I can feel his presence when he enters the room. When he comes in, I look up from my book and my eyes lock with his.

He even smirks! He walks to his place behind me with confident strides. I want to do something to hurt him. Why not start with –

Oh, I have a very bright idea.

I slide me left foot on the way at the same time he walks. He almost falls down on his hips but unfortunately he has fast reflexes so he grabs the chair beside him and straightens himself.

Some of my classmates who have seen the scene are now trying hard not to laugh. Draky glares at them and they look hastily away. Meanwhile, a smirk is forming on my lips. I fake a cough but I know Draky is not too stupid to notice that I’m just trying not to laugh.

“Pie,” he mutters, scowling at me.

“What?” I ask innocently.

“Your left foot was out of the way, and you tripped me!”

“Oh,” I mumble. Good, you deserve it, idiot.

Save by the bell, I don’t have to say sorry to him. As if I’ll ever say that word to him, even in his dream.

~Drake

What’s her problem? Why is she ignoring me? She even tripped me!

Did she?

Shut up, I snap.

You’re even accusing her of things she didn’t do.

What—

I sigh. Yes, I’m accusing her of tripping me. What if she just stretched her foot at the wrong time? I should think logically and not blame other people for the accidents that are happening. I mean, happened.

Ma’am Coelho starts reading a poem called The Rubaiyat. Somehow, I find this class boring but when Pie tutors me, I find it interesting. I yawn involuntarily. I almost stretch my arms in front of me but stop my self when I remember I am in a classroom.

Looking around, I notice that I’m not the only one who wants to sleep. Some are even pretending to listen but in reality, their body is present but their spirit is wandering elsewhere.

It’s hard to focus on the discussion because I haven’t even heard the first part of the poem and I’m not in the mood to listen. I think I’ll ask Pie to tutor me later.

“Pie," I say quietly. She doesn’t seem to hear me because she doesn’t respond. “Pie,” I repeat. Again, she doesn’t look back. “Pie,” I call softly. Is she purposely ignoring me or really doesn’t hear me? She’s just a few feet in front of me!

The girl beside me looks at me oddly, but when I return her gaze, she turns back to the front of the room where Ma’am Coelho is reading.

My patience is running out of me so I tap Sophia’s shoulder to get her attention. Her body freezes at my touch. Good, that means –

She turns around slowly with a scowl on her face. Before she can say anything, Ma’am Coelho stops walking beside her.

“Is there something you want to share with the class?” she asks. At her voice, my classmates who are sleepy a while ago are now wide awake.

“Nothing ma’am,” Pie says. She clearly doesn’t want to be the center of attention. It says so on her face.

“Why is that it looks like you and Mr. Swift,” she pauses, and gives me a pointed glance, “are having a conversation?”

“We aren't Ma’am,” Pie says politely.

“Okay then,” she says, even though she’s not convinced.

Fortunately, Pie is her star pupil so she lets it go. A sigh of relief escapes from my mouth. That was close!

After that, I force my self to behave like a good student. But I don’t know what’s wrong with me because I always look at the time on my wrist watch. Because of that, time passes more slowly. This boredom is killing me! Getting my notebook from my bag, I decide to draw. I’m not that good, but I want to do something to pass the time. Suddenly, an idea comes into my mind.

Tearing a new page from my notebook, I write:

Hi Pie.

I fold it in half and pass it to her. Actually, I just put it beside her. After a few minutes, she decides to answer it. She grabs it and writes something on it. She tosses it towards me and I catch it before it falls to the ground.

Opening it, I see her delicate handwriting. She writes really well. Compare to my hand writing which looks like an elementary student wrote it. I expect her to reply: Hello, but I guess I should expect the unexpected when it comes to her. What I read is:

What do you want?

My first thought is to write: You, just to tease her, but I think that she’ll just scold me later for that. Instead, I write:

Meet me later after class.

I’m so oblivious. I’m about to pass her the paper when someone snatches it away from my hands.

“Hey!” I say.

Looking up, my eyes widen when I see Ma’am Coelho reading the words written on the paper. I groan inwardly. How can I be so careless?

“What is this supposed to mean?” she asks, raising the paper for everyone to see.

“A love letter,” a guy from the front of the room suggests. Some girls giggle like cheerleaders.

“It’s not a love letter Ma’am,” I say wearily. I glare at the guy who said it but he’s purposely not looking at me.

“Read it a loud ma’am,” someone from the back of the room shouts.

And then there are a lot of them talking at once, curious to know what are the words written on the paper. This is my entire fault!

Sophia is too shock to speak.

“Okay,” Ma’am Coelho says, stopping my classmates from saying anything else. “I’ll read it.”

And so, she does.

After reading it to the class, they’re all clapping and shouting that Sophia and I will have a date. The classroom feels like a zoo, and my classmates look like wild animals.

“You’ll meet each other at detention,” Ma’am Coelho instructs.

“What?” Sophia asks incredulously, snapping from her reverie.

“I already gave you a warning but you just ignored it. Now, you’ll have detention.”

“But I didn’t do anything,” she protests.

“No buts,” she says impatiently. “You two are going to have detention whether you like it or not.”

I’m falling down and I’m dragging Pie with me.

~Sophia

Something big fell on my shoulders. Me, in detention? Who would have thought that this day will come? I didn’t do anything wrong! It’s Draky’s fault! I still feel humiliated, especially when Ma’am C read the paper in class. I wanted to become invisible.

Driana feels sorry and amused at the same time when I told her in Arts that I’m going to have detention. Draky is really – ugh!

When PE class starts, I want it to extend its time; a first time for me, because PE is not my cup of tea. I’m good, but it’s not the same with my other subjects.

Before I know it, I’m in the girl’s locker room and changing my clothes. I hear whispers and murmurs that Draky and I are dating. Why are they assuming? They don’t even know me! They talk behind my back, thinking I can’t hear them. I want this day to end already! But before that, there’s detention. . .

What will I do? It’s just Draky and me in a room for one hour. But I can’t be sure that we’re the only one, right? Unfortunately, the odds aren’t in my favor.

When I’m done, I make my way slowly towards the detention room. I wish something will happen so that I won’t have to go. I’m about to turn around when I see the door, but Ma’am C sees me.

“Ms. Taylor,” she says disapprovingly, “this is the detention room. Where are you going?”

Biting my lip, I enter the room. Draky is already here, siting at the back, and he is alone. He waves at me and smiles apologetically. I choose a seat in front to be away from him.

I just have to endure this for an hour, and then I’ll be free.

When Ma’am C enters, she closes the door behind her.

Wait, that’s it? Just Draky and me? I turn around to see him with a wicked smirk plastered on his face.

After more or less thirty minutes, a girl who looks like a sophomore enters the room. She speaks with Ma’am C for a moment. I don’t know what they’re talking about.

Suddenly, Ma’am C stands up. “We’re going to have a meeting in the faculty room,” she says. “I don’t want you to do unnecessary things. I’ll be back when it’s finished.” She leaves the room with the girl trailing behind her.

Shoot me now! I’m officially alone with Draky.

“Pie,” he calls. I pretend to not hear him.

“Pie,” he repeats.

And then I hear footsteps behind me.

Oh no, he’s walking towards me.

“I’m sorry,” he says. He's already in front of me.

“Whatever,” I mutter, not looking at him.

“I know it’s my fault,” he says sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

“Just don’t talk to me okay?”

“You have it, huh?” A smile is playing at the corner of his mouth.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Is it your second day?”

“What?” I exclaim.

“Don’t worry, I’ll try to understand.”

Does he mean . . Oh God! How can he even say that?! I’m a girl, he’s a boy! I can feel my cheeks burning in embarrassment. This guy is utterly stupid! I can’t believe he have the guts to say that to me. My blood is fuming with rage, my fists are clenched tight and I have the urge to punch him in the face.

“Or maybe it’s your third day,” he mutters.

“Shut up,” I snap. I have no doubt I look like a ripe tomato.

“Or the first day,” he says under his breath.

“I don’t have it, okay?!”

His stupidity is getting the best of me. He even looks amused at my outburst. If it’s not a sin to kill, oh my, I want him to vanish in this instant.

“Okay, look,” he starts. “I was just –“

“Leave me alone,” I say furiously, cutting him off.

He sighs and brushes the hair from his eyes. “Did I do something to face this wrath of yours?” he asks curiously.

Wrong question, I thought bitterly. All you did and still do is wrong!

When I don’t answer, he continues, “You’re not talking to me.”

“I’m not in the mood to talk.”

“You’re even ignoring me,” he states.

“I’m not ignoring you.”

I’m quite surprise with his patience in me. No matter how much I push him away, he’s still trying hard. In it to win it?

He’s silent for a moment. “Let’s play.”

“Play?” I ask incredulously.

“Yes,” he says.

“What?”

“The quote guessing game,” he suggests.

“What is that?” I ask.

He grabs a chair and sits in front of me. “It’s simple,” he begins, “I’m going to quote something and then you’ll tell who said it or where it came from. But first, we need a topic.”

“Books,” I say. I love reading so of course it’s the first one I can think.

“I’m not into reading,” he notes dryly. “What about movies?”

“I’m not into movies,” I say evasively.

He looks at me oddly and thinks for a moment.

Before I know it, the detention is finally over.

*****

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