Damien's Goons

I stood, unmoving as I silently assessed the boys in front of me. Damien, I knew well enough already. That stupid smile played on his lips as he reached his arms out in front of him and spoke theatrically, "Welcome my dear!"

I glared at him, trying to shoot his confidence down but even my worst levels of sympathy towards the very person who had helped me find my way didn't have any effect. Gaze moving to meet those of the other two in the room, I gulped nervously, wondering what I was going up against now.

They were both blonde, one of them much brighter looking than the other. He had a smile on his lips, one conveying genuine optimism and friendliness as he grinned at me. Amber eyes sparkling, he reached his hand out and said happily, "I'm Nick!"

Unsure, I let my hand slip into his as he shook it heartily. "You're Makayla right? From Florida?"

I nodded slowly, eyes wavering from his to meet the silent blue depths of the other guy's fixed upon my face.

Noticing this, Nick added, "This is Leo. He's our class president as well as valedictorian."

So this is the punk that told Damien about me.

Forcing a smile onto my face, I nodded at Nick and let go, dropping my hands back to my side. "Nice to meet the two of you."

Damien snorted loudly and we all turned to look at him. He had a frown written across his face as he looked at me with a puppy dog expression. "How come you weren't as nice to me when we first met?"

Grinning, the distaste in my voice was as clear as could be, putting Damien down further when I replied, "You don't make a good impression on the ladies and you've done a pretty good job at being a jerk which topped it all off."

He cringed back like I'd just slapped him across the face but didn't say anything more, probably knowing I had another round of insults just waiting to be shared. Facing Nick, I grinned at him. By the look on his face, I had a feeling him and I might get along as he too looked equally amused as I.

But the soft and airy voice that spoke lazily into the air was what grabbed my attention next.

"Liking hell so far?"

My eyes widened slightly in surprise as I faced Leo. His smile wasn't mocking like Damien's but matched the tone in which he'd asked the question: sleepy. His lean body was leaning back against the closed piano, arms resting on the surface and feet crossed in front of him. But he waited for a reply, watching me patiently.

Opening my mouth, I voiced strongly, trying to avoid a stammer as I said, "Not so much."

He must have been expecting that reply as his blue eyes blanked out, nodding shortly before turning to his friends.

"Nick, go back in there and try to reorganize the class. Damien, you're going to be her tour guide for the rest of the day."

I released a groan. Why was I stuck with him?

A small smile played on Leo's face as he turned to me, eyebrow raised. "Do you have any objections?"

I didn't want to seem like an airhead the first day itself but being stuck with a prick like Damien was the last thing I wanted to start the day off with.

"Can't you be my tour guide?" There was a hint of obvious desperation in my question and Leo's smile widened, eyes flickering shortly to Damien who looked crushed.

"If you want me to be," he replied with a shrug.

"Please do," I groaned.

Nick started laughing from the other side but immediately stopped when Damien shot him a murderous glare. Attempting to cover up his laughter for an over the top cough, he clearing his throat, and managed to say in a lame attempt at being serious, "I'll just go and try to sort our class out."

"I'll come with you," Leo muttered, flashing Damien a meaningful smile before following his friend out in a lazy amble of his.

Closing the door behind them, they left an unwanted silence to be created between Damien and I. Eyeing him, a smile appeared on my lips. He looked positively depressed. But his next line wiped that smile off my face, angering me.

"The plot thickens now, I see. There are complications for the stable boy. But he will get the princess in the end."

You have got to be kidding me.

Fists clenching in anger, I shot a death glare at Damien, resisting the urge to launch myself across the room and throttle him. He was being such a pain! The expression that fled across my face must have pleased Damien in some way as he grinned cockily, clapping his hands together in mock accomplishment.

"At least I've made some progress."

Eyebrows raising, I asked, "How exactly have you done that?"

"Well for one," he said, taking a step forward towards me. I took an equidistant step back. "Even if you hate me, that for a start, is better than having no feelings towards me at all, right?"

I opened my mouth to retort back at him but the frustration that overwhelmed me made me know better than to say anything at the moment.

Pressing my lips together into a thin line, I turned my back on Damien and crossed the room. Anywhere was better than here with him. Even if it meant revisiting the hell that awaited on the other side of that door.

The irony of me leaving was the fact that the only reason I had entered was to get away from the refines of being trapped by the other students. I'd actually been hoping that Damien would save me.

And here I am, trying to run away from the stable boy. All thanks to his sheer pigheadedness.

This time, entering the music room, I was met by the unexpected sight of a totally calm class. Everyone was seated, with an exception of Leo who stood in front with the teacher by his side.

My eyebrows shot up, realizing that it was by Leo's influence that they were all quiet and attentive. He must have a rather tight hold over his classmates though by first impression, he definitely didn't look like the kind of guy suited to be class leader.

"Alright, so listen up," Joshua said and for the first time, the others actually did. "Since you've all settled in now, Leo proposed the idea that you get to know your new classmate. So shall we?"

Joshua turned to me with a smile on his face, beckoning me to come join him and Leo in the center of the class where everyone would be able to see me easily. Shunning aside the urge to run for the hills, I forced a friendly smile to my face and walked over with a confident poise.

Some of the students smiled at this, the corners of their lips curving upwards. Just minutes ago I'd ran away from them and here I am trying to convince not only myself, but my audience as well, that I was not scared at all.

Stepping forward, I stood near Leo who watched me, that small smile imprinted on his face. The door creaked open from behind me and I looked over my shoulder. Damien walked out, expressionless but his green eyes were rather pleased with himself as he joined the others, plopping down on a chair next to Nick.

Taking a deep breath, I smiled inwardly hoping that this won't go bad at all. Then, I started.

--------------------CHAPTER END---------------------

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