Bisous (noun){French}

- kisses.

~*~


Vice-Principal Samuels' pen kept scraping at the paper as he wrote an incident report. The noise went on and on and on. Scratch after scratch. I could feel the irritation descending over me like a vault, preventing all other sensations from entering at that time. 


Samuels hunkered at his desk, looking about finished with life as I was. The pen in his hand continued to prick at the paper as he listened to Mattia relay what had happened. It was his turn to speak and none of us was allowed to disrupt. It was no astonishment to me that he was lying through his teeth.


"And after I managed to get Christian off of me - Liam fucking attacked me," Mattia fussed, pointing at the various bruises on his face. I watched as the older man groaned, peering down at his paper and scribbling down what Mattia had just said. He mildly admonished him for his bad language, affirming that it wouldn't be tolerated.


The four of us stood in front of his desk. Mattia stood at the far right. Liam stood on the far left with me. Jillian was permitted to go to the nurse's office because it was clear to us that she looked like she was about to pass out. Christian, who stood in the middle with an indifferent expression, twisted to his right and asked, "you kiss Jillian with that mouth?"


My eyebrow jerked and I tried my best to not lurch across Christian and smother Mattia. The edge of Liam's lip towed into a smirk as he clasped my hip, leaning forward to susurrate in my ear, "I can sense how badly you want to strangle him."


My body became even more high-strung as Mattia once again began to complain at the exact same time the older man elected to recommence his incident report. I wondered for a split second whether he was scribbling with a pen or a fucking quill. "The only reason I'm not acting on the urge is that I know Christian already strangled him," I murmured, eyes trained on the whining man-child.


Samuels didn't bother to hide his eye-roll and uttered in a moderately jaded tone, "what happened next?"


"Oh," Mattia was back at it again with his performance. He turned to Liam and me. I felt my entire body tense even further when making eye contact with Mattia. "Liam continued to punch me and Charlie cheered him on. She also called Jillian some very degrading words."


"What?!" My voice had never attained such an extraordinary frequency before, both Liam and Christian going to cover their ears. "You're lying," I upbraided. Liam didn't react because he didn't really care what Mattia had to say about him. He was just elated that he made Mattia suffer in return for hurting me.


Samuels yawned, not so subtly glimpsing at the clock for the tenth time. We'd been in his office for half an hour already. He went back to penning down the falsifications that Mattia had just spewed, the abrasive sound of the pen scratching on my last nerve. "Miss James, you do know that we do not tolerate bullying at this school. I see why Mr Johnson reacted the way he did. Of course, it was wrong of him to react so vehemently but he was defending his friend."


Liam had sensed it. He knew that my annoyance had spilt over when I clutched his hand tightly, knuckles becoming white. "Blondie," he murmured but I abruptly wrenched myself out of his hold as I turned to face the treacherous asshole.


"You're a liar!" I screeched at Mattia, who flinched at my outburst. I'd never felt this much distress for one human being. "That is not what happened! You confronted me, looking for a fight. I tried to walk away but you wouldn't let me. Jillian saw what an asshole you truly were and she walked away from you. That's when you pushed Tammy." My eyes narrowed to slits, daring for him to oppose.


He took the bait. "I have no idea what you're-"


"Liar," I said nonchalantly, savouring the word in my mouth. "And then when I tried to intervene, you slapped me. Cue Christian lunging for you. And then Liam arrives and punches the crap out of you. But you know what?" He kept quiet, not apprehending that it wasn't a rhetorical inquiry. "Ask me."


He still didn't say anything and Christian snarled. That's when Liam warned, "ask her."


"What?" Mattia grumbled.


Crisscrossing my arms, I stared him dead in the eye. "You deserved it. You deserved it for hitting me, pushing and using Tammy, manipulating Jillian for all these years. You were never a friend to her. You didn't like her for the right reasons. You used her so you could be untouchable here at school."


Samuels set his pen down and gaped. "Is that true, Mr Johnson?"


The parts of Mattia's face that weren't covered in wounds rusted with humiliation and rage but he wouldn't say anything – not when I had that murderous look in my eyes. Both Liam and Christian discerned as I marched ahead slightly. I was going to tackle Mattia. Before I could get that far, Liam scooped me up, tugging me to his chest and keeping me there. 


When Mattia declined to say anything else, Samuels groaned and penned something down again. This time, Christian didn't hold back. "Can you stop with the scratching?!" 


"Calm yourself, Mr James," he rejoined in a world-weary tone. It appeared that he subsequently had enough so he closed his notepad and clasped his hands together, turning to face us with a constrained smile. "Now that I've heard the full story, I'm ashamed of you Mr Johnson. There were many complaints about you through the years but it was overlooked because you're a respectable student. I had no idea that there'd be truth to these complaints."


"But-"


Samuels sent Mattia a glance that told him to shut up. He grimaced suddenly and sighed. Liam raised a brow at the abrupt sullen expression he was donning. "As much as I understand what you're saying, Miss James, I have to follow the rules." I felt my heart pounding ferociously and I noticed Liam and Christian stiffen. Mattia smirked. "A fight started on school grounds. I have to suspend those who started it."


Christian dragged his lip back in a gnarl. "But we were defending Tammy and Charlie. He hurt them."


"I know, Mr James. But rules are rules. I'm afraid I'm going to have to suspend you and Mr Finnegan from this weekend's game. I'm sorry."


Liam and Christian promptly went to protest and Mattia sniggered. Samuels turned to him and demanded, "what are you laughing at. Your position as Vice President of the student body is officially being revoked." Mattia's eyes swelled and he opened his mouth to dispute but was cut off. "No."


Silence encompassed the office. But then there was quarrelling again. I elevated a hand to massage at my throbbing temples. I could feel a massive headache beginning to develop. The arguing going on around me wasn't helping either. 


Mattia barked something that made me glare at him. I grimaced and informed him, "the more you talk, the worse my headache gets - do you see the pattern here?" He snubbed me and continued pestering the older man to give him his position back, wailing about how he'd always been a good student. 


Liam articulated over him, wanting to know if Vice-Principal Samuels wanted our school to lose against Martelle - because that was what would happen if both Liam and Christian were off the team.


Without peering up from his desk, Samuels replied to whatever Christian had just yelled and stated, "I can't change the rules." The office went soundless again.


My heart pounded, mind running insane at how distraught Dad was going to be. He'd worked so hard with everyone in order to get here and now two of his best players were suspended. Dad didn't need any more stress. 


"You said that you have to suspend those who started the fight?" I questioned seeing as nobody else was going to say anything. We were all tired. And some in agony - looking at you, Mattia. "Right?"


Samuels browsed through the papers on his desk and concluded that his report was suitable. "Yes." He eyed me weirdly, no doubt wondering if there was a brain in my head since we already established what the rules were. To be honest, at that moment even I was wondering if my brain resolved to go into hibernation. 


A smile found its way onto my face and everyone else raised their brows. There was a maniacal glint in my eyes, I didn't need a mirror to tell me that. It was apparent by the expressions the four males wore. "Mattia and I started the fight. Christian and Liam merely intervened. They got caught up in the whole situation."


Christian stiffened. "Wait-"


Disregarding him, I recommenced, marking that I had Vice-Principal Samuels' full attention. There was a fascinated glimmer in his eyes, a grin threatening to appear at the loophole I just found. "Technically, I could've walked away. I almost walked away. But I provoked him which prompted him to make the first move. We started the fight."


Liam narrowed his eyes at me. "Blondie, you have a routine to do at the game." He grasped that cheerleading meant a lot to me, it's what kept me close to my mom. But the boys were more important. I was unable to support my mom in any way but at least I could support them.


"You guys playing the actual game is more important," I leaned over and pecked his cheek when he scowled. Mattia snickered at me and I glared at him. "What?" I asked, making sure to convey my repugnance for him. 


He smirked, looking all too self-righteous even though his face looked as if a wild bull tap-danced on it. The image brought me some entertainment. "You won't go through with this," he stated, crossing his arms but then flinching when we all heard something snap back into place. Christian snorted. "You're a typical cheerleader, Charlie. This game is too important for you. I know you."


Smirking at him, I tutted and his smile dropped. "Yes, you knew the old me. The one you broke down all those years ago, the one you made feel like the only thing she was good at was being pretty." I feigned a pout. "You don't know me now. I put the pieces of myself back together a little differently this time." Turning back to the front, I said, "go ahead. Suspend me from performing at the game."


"Okay," Samuels accepted. He opened up his report again and scribbled something else. The scratching caused Christian's brow to jerk and I suppressed a laugh. "Miss James, you're suspended from performing at the Martelle game." He tidied up his work before sliding it into a folder and said, "Mr Finnegan, Mr James, you're allowed to play." When Mattia went to stand, he motioned for him to stay put, implying that they were going to have a long conversation about his actions. Samuels shot the two at my side a smile and said, "bring home a win, boys."


~*~


I let my eyes drift closed to the sound of the passing flock of birds. My toes wriggled around in the grass as I watched the sunset from my backyard. My feet brought me out here to relax. Everything inside of me felt relieved.

Dad was doing okay, the boys were prepared for their match and Jillian - well, she and I had finally sorted things out. Who would've thought that whatever caused our shift was an idiot named Mattia?

The only downside of everything was that Maya was a smidge just pissed, but not at me - at Mattia. Her and Jillian had elected to go to a cafe earlier to talk about everything that happened. I was glad to see them together again.

A soft exhale escaped my lips, opening my eyes to observe the magnificent scenery before me. The glow of fire heaths and tangerines expanded far across the grateful sky. Each vibrant tint brushed against it as if the sky was an artist's canvas. The clouds crimsoned at the heated touch of the day-star. It was a prelude to the dawn and I welcomed the protective blanket that twilight would render, ready for a new day.


I gasped as I felt arms encircle around my waist, tugging me back until I stood snugly in someone's embrace. "I'm glad to see your bruise fading. I was afraid I'd have to put a bag over your head for the rest of the week," Liam's voice was blunt as he buried his face in my long locks.


Unable to stop myself, I gaped, turning around to gawk at his laughing face. My eyes were wide and my lips sank into a pout. He arched over as I pushed away from him and he even went as far as to slap his knee in amusement. 


"That is so not funny!" I exclaimed but the grin on my face said contrarily. When he made to pull me into a hug, I moved away with a taunting smile, motioning for him to stay back. "Nuh-uh. You insulted me. Stay there."


Liam's ego was ginormous. He was bold and considered himself able of doing anything he wanted when he wanted. I could tell by the twist of his lips that he took me hurrying away from him as a challenge. He cooed when I dipped my head in defiance. "Cute. You're angry. Is there anything I could do to make you feel better?" He simpered.


Squaring my shoulders, I glowered at him yet that only seemed to delight him. Disregarding my scowl, he closed the distance between us and smoothed my hair back from my shoulders. I couldn't step away or else I'd plunge into the pool - and we all knew how that would go.


When I refused to move closer, Liam dragged me against him with an animalistic grin and I felt my muscles slacken into his. In my mind, I was already kissing him, but the fool prolonged everything and kept his face away from mine.


He dipped closer to kiss my neck, lazy and tender. The kisses were so soft that they may as well have been whispers. He was torturing me and I resisted the urge to shove him into the water. He knew what kind of apology I wanted - I wanted his kisses.

I trembled as he nipped at the delicate skin at the curve of my neck. "You know," he murmured, amusement coating each word. "Kissing your neck is like turning the key to your engine."


"You have such a way with words," I giggled, pulling back to grin at him. His own smile rose steadily, much like a blossom opening to grace the world with its magnificence. A person smiled with their mouth. But with Liam, I could see it in his eyes, in his laughter and the way he articulated. "Are you excited for the game on Saturday?"


His nose scrunched and I pecked it. "I'm always excited for a game. I just feel bad that you won't be able to perform."


I sighed. "We've been over this. As long as you guys get to play then I'll be fine. Now kiss me, idiot." He smiled. I beamed at the familiar feeling of Liam's lips grazing against my temple. He let his large hands lightly brush my arms, stroking my shoulders and up my neck before cupping my face. I closed my eyes at the soothing touch and felt his warm breath fan my face.


And then he gave me what I desired. He kissed me and the quandaries of the day evaporated like the early morning dew on the lush leaves. His hand rested a centimetre beneath my ear as he allowed his thumb to brush my cheek. His lips were steady against mine yet the kiss still remained tender, delicate and slow. 


I could feel the urgency to breath invading my lungs so I gradually exhaled through my nose, not wanting to tear away from him. The kiss grew more ravenous. Grudgingly, Liam removed his lips from mine. After a few moments, my eyes lazily began to open. He grinned as I absorbed some much-needed crisp air.


His lips brushed mine smoothly and my eyes rippled closed again, too lazy to keep open. "Charlie," Liam whispered tenderly, each letter lengthened as if he wanted to savour the taste of my name in his mouth. As he reiterated it, this time softly and brushed his nose against mine, I apprehended that at that moment, it was the first time my name sounded like my own. "I love you, Charlie."

I blushed the same shade as the clouds. Falling in love with Liam was inevitable. He painted my world in the same way that the tangerine hues were painting the sky. It was rather humorous to me, that if I'd made a different choice, I wouldn't be standing here with Liam. My fate would've been inscribed in a spot of different ink.

Truly, the feeling of being with Liam was marvellous and I wouldn't change it for the world. We all deserved that magical feeling. "I love you too," I murmured. The coffee-coloured tinge to his eyes began to swarm with emotion: adoration, desire, passion, addiction, love.

And if that wasn't magic then I didn't know what the hell was.