The Badboy and Me

Chapter 2: Fox

The first few periods had flown by, my mind still whirling from the earlier events involving a certain bad boy. I scolded myself for not devoting every braincell to my work, but every time I looked at the biology textbook, I shivered remembering the dark look he had given me. Shaking my head as though that would rid me of his memory, I wandered into the cafeteria- thank God it was finally lunch, I was starving.

After I had piled my plate up with the biggest burger this side of the Atlantic and a tower of fries, I scanned the lunch tables looking for a certain familiar face. A grin took over my face as soon as I saw her- my best friend since kindergarten, Winnie. I was never quite sure why such a pretty and charismatic girl had chosen to befriend a major introvert like me who preferred a good book over a party any day, but alas, we had been inseparable since the day she had approached my lonesome self and offered me a strawberry lollypop.

She ushered my over now, her shiny auburn hair glinting under the afternoon light which shone through the expansive windows. I discreetly weaved my way around the lunch tables, head hunched down as usual as to avoid any unwanted attention. But before I could reach the safe haven of Winnie and our isolated table, I felt my foot tag on something and suddenly I was flying forwards, my precious burger splattering on the floor before me in dismay. My limbs collided with the floor; cheek pressed against the cold plastic as I felt panic rise up in my throat. Looking up fearfully, I was met by the same eyes which had haunted my thoughts all morning.

"What did I say? Watch where you're going freak." Fox barked out a loud laugh, his jock friends joining in with a chorus of hoots, finding great amusement in my humiliation. His green eyes shone with a cruel delight, lips pulled into a smirk which would've been swoon-worthy, had it not been directed at my misfortune. I gulped as I felt the pressure of his orbs, alongside the eyes of everyone in the student body.

Peeling myself off the floor, I brushed off my jeans, casting a sad look to the mess that had been my beautiful lunch. My stomach growled mournfully. Anger began to stir up in my chest as the laughter of Fox and his goons rung in my ears. What right do they have to treat me this way- like entertainment? And that anger lead to me making the biggest mistake of my life.

"Maybe if you pulled your head out your ass long enough, you'd be able to actually see me." The words slipped out my lips too quickly for my head to catch up, and as soon as I realised what I'd said I slapped my palm over my mouth in utter shock. I looked at Fox's face in dread. His mouth had dropped open in surprise, his green orbs painted with disbelief at first. But then came the sadistic smile which pulled at his features, morphed with animalistic fury. And I knew what was to come: my senior year was about to become that much more difficult.

I scrambled away as quick as my legs could carry me, still feeling his eyes burning on my back. I tried to ignore his stare all lunch, instead focusing on Winnie as she chattered on, her brown eyes expressive as she ranted about her chemistry teacher. But I could feel his glare weighing down on me from his lunch table across the hall, sending shivers down my spine. As soon as Winnie finished her lunch (seeing as mine was still upturned on the floor), we slumped back out into the hallway.

"Okay, I haven't brought it up because I could tell you were trying to erase it from your brain, but what the hell was that with Fox before?!" Winnie rushed as soon as we reached the safety of our lockers. I cringed, finally having escaped the pressure of his eyes, and now having to hear the music from Winnie. She could tell something was up, and mixed with the little display earlier...

"I don't really know, but what I do know is this won't be the end of it knowing Fox." I said, looking down at the floor as we paced to last period early, books in hand, "So I'm officially taking refuge in the library until graduation."

Winnie laughed, rolling her eyes. But I was half-serious, how could I show my face in that cafeteria again? I had to stay off the radar, even more than usual. If he were to see me again, I wasn't quite sure what he would do, but I'd rather not find out. Fox was unpredictable, dark, dangerous.

"I'll speak to him later. He won't listen, but I'll speak to him." Winnie uttered pitifully. She probably wouldn't even get further than his bedroom door- he had it padlocked with the booming bass of the Ramones echoing out across the house. But it was the thought that counted. I sent her a grateful smile as we entered last period English. We took our usual seats at the back of the classroom, the first ones there, embarrassingly even before the teacher.

Excitement rose up in my chest, overshadowing even the anxiety lasting from my exchange with Fox- English was my favourite class, I adored the way writing made me feel, whether it was a short poem, or the start of my debut novel. A smile took over my face as I waited for my favourite teacher- Mrs Singh- to start the class, feeling Winnie's smirk against the side of my face. Nothing could ruin my love for writing. But then he entered, and the ball in my chest dropped down to my stomach, smile dropping from my face.

I had forgotten that he took this class, usually having nothing to do with him, other than exchanging an occasional look of annoyance with Winnie when her brother would shout out a snarky comment. I slumped down in my seat, hoping for his eyes to glide past me like they usually did, but this time, as he surveyed the classroom and sea of chairs, his eyes stuck to my cringing form, a wide grin consuming his gorgeous features. A light lit up in his eyes, glinting like he had a new purpose for this hour.

Fox sat himself in the chair directly in front of me and I sent out a thankful prayer to God that he couldn't sit behind me. He turned half in his seat, casting a look back to me as Mrs Singh started speaking, introducing the class. I groaned internally- I had a feeling English class would be going downhill from now on.

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"Right, before I let all you kids head off home, I need to introduce the project that will make up 50% of your grade for the semester." My ears perked up at Mrs Singh's voice- if I could bag an 'A' I would be set until winter break. But of course, I should've known it could never be that simple.

"I've put you in pairs that I thought you may not normally interact in. No, there will be no partner swaps. Don't even bother asking. You'll do a character profile on your partner, the extent you take this to will determine your grade. Think fears, dreams, all the inner workings of their mind. Low effort will earn low grades, for the pair of you. Right listen out for your pairing...."

My heart dropped- so my English grade for the semester was riding on the cooperation and hard work of a random peer, and also relied on me spending a chunk of my spare time diving into their lives. Great. I guess I'd just grit my teeth and bare it. Nothing was worth sacrificing my grade, and besides, they couldn't be that bad-

"Elise and Fox..." Oh God. I was doomed. Even Fox, who I though would've derived great pleasure from the prospect of ruining my grade, gritted his teeth in despair. Guess he didn't want to spend time with me as much as I despised the idea of spending time with him. He cast me a begrudging look back and leant back in his chair, whilst I quietly had a mental breakdown at the back of the class. I heard a hiss of pity sound from Winnie beside me as she gave me a failed pat of reassurance.

The bell sounded, and people shuffled towards the door whilst seeking out their partners to organise meet ups. But me and Fox remained frozen in place, eventually begrudgingly standing from our seats, and looking hesitantly at each other. I attempted to move past him, deciding to put this conversation off until it was absolutely necessary, but then I felt a firm hand clasp around my wrist.

"We'd better get this over." Fox grated out behind me.

I swallowed, "Okay, I'll just come over to yours later on, after all I'll be round there anyways to see Winnie- "

"No," He interrupted, "I'll be round yours at five. I'll get the address from my sister."

And then he was gone, out the classroom door, leaving me with dread of what was to come later that night.