18 - h.s

one

Sophia Elliott

"So, what does anyone think about Shakespeare's use of-" 

The door swings open behind me, creating a draft and wafting the smell of cologne and cigarettes that I was all too familiar with. I rolled my eyes and heard the door slam behind me. I closed my copy of Macbeth and teared my eyes away from my notebook, looking over to the figure who sauntered into the room as if he owned the goddamn place. I rubbed my eyes with my free hand and placed the pen on the table from my right hand. 

I felt a heat from the empty space next to me and I was hoping and praying in my head that it wasn't what i thought it was. I just could not deal with this today. I took my hand away from my face, and turned my head ninety degrees to look at what was once an empty space next to me and was met with exactly what I dreaded, those bright green eyes and a smirk. I sighed and closed my eyes, turning my head back to look at my book. 

"Oh, no, don't stop on my account Mrs A," he leaned back in his chair, the leather of his jacket squeaking against the wood and his wallet chain clanking against the metal. "You're doing an amazing job," he smirked and in my peripheral vision I could see his head turn towards me but I kept my eyes on my book, trying to work through the distraction because heaven forbid someone wants to fucking pass this class.

"Mr Styles, it is thirty- five minutes past three, where on earth have you been? Do you want to fail this class?" Mrs Allen leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, her right leg crossing over her left. Her tone of voice was impatient and clearly she was pissed off but he just has that effect on people.

"Mrs A," he waved his hand in a dismissive manor, "Call me Harry, baby, please." he smirked and I could have thrown up then and there at his use of the word "baby". Arrogant bastard.

Mrs Allen just rolled her eyes and gave me a look of 'good luck', then turning back round to the board, trying to continue the class before this asshole walked in. 

"Just get on with this please, you have an exam in three days." she sighed, sounding defeated.

The room fell silent again, the only sound echoing the room was the sound of 17th Century literature pages being flipped and ballpoint pens scratching against books of lined paper. 

"What are we supposed to be doing, babe?" I heard a whisper in very close proximity to me, I sighed, closing my eyes in annoyance and placed my pen on the table and turned to look at him, He stared into my eyes with such a gorgeous demeanour, as if he wasn't the person he is. I almost forgot who I was looking at for a moment. As a smirk began to emerge on his face at my reaction to looking into his eyes, he realised that he got the reaction he was aiming for. 

"I'm not your babe, Harry." I rolled my eyes and pushed my blonde hair behind my ears, my two piercings in my ear being exposed to the warm June air, "You'd know what we were doing if you came in on time, so that's on you not me." I claimed, turning back to my own work, hoping I was assertive enough for him to just drop it and shut up for the last twenty minutes. 

My brain and my heartbeat was working overtime but came to an abrupt stop when he placed his open palm on my thigh beneath the table. My eyes widened and my head snapped to look at him, his smirk still etched into his expression.

"Well, that's not a way to talk to someone now is it?" he whispered into my exposed ear, I mentally cursed myself for tucking my hair behind it and giving him this opportunity, knowing i brought it on myself. The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood on end, my heart racing even faster if it were possible. I hated that I reacted just the way he wanted me to. How is he so good at getting what he pleases without even trying? How the fuck does he do that? "Now here's me thinking you are a nice girl" his tone grew even darker now, his voice interlaced with a condescending tone the palpitations in my hands worsening by the second, I looked around the room but it was as if we were alone, nobody even noticing what was going on.