In the name of God (Arvin Russellxreader)

Chapter 13- Time flies when you're planning a crime

(The next week)

The week passed as usual; Lenora bolting it out of school at the ring of the bell, me faking interest in the three musketeers and slowly planning the long-awaited demise of the Preacher; you know, normal teenage girl stuff. Each day took forever but it was all leading up to Sunday, so all my thoughts were of ways to punish Preston Teagardin tortuously and slowly.

But sometimes my mind wandered beyond there, back to the brown-haired boy who'd stolen my interest. I'd never formed this kind of attachment to someone, something so magnetic. And it kept dragging me back to our little hideout, even if he wasn't there, which was rare, I felt so at peace and detached from reality that I didn't think about anything, not until he appeared on the ridge, white shirt and jeans, missing his signature cigarettes, but by then, I'd seen him more without them, so the scales were tipped.

Thoughts of the brunette boy started to override my everyday life, to the point of distraction.

"Polly, so you know where to read from? Are you even following?" My English teacher looked at me peculiarly and the sound of my name brought me back to reality. "Y/N, take over please."

I nodded to him curtly and began reading the passage where we finished. After a page and a half of monotonous reading, I passed it on to the next person and relaxed again, awaiting the end of the day. When the droning of the bell rang, it was like a call to arms, and the entire classroom of students scrambled to their feet, packing their bags hastily in an effort to flee what they viewed as hell.

I left gracefully, packing neatly since I didn't have to B-line to the doors with Lenora since she was in a different class, until I heard my name again, for the second time that hour. "Miss Y/L/N, can I have a word with you please?"

"Yes, of course sir." I stood up and smiled innocently, waiting by my seat to hear the teacher's thoughts. "What is it about?"

"Can I be frank with you?" The man sat behind his desk, pinching his nose and exhaling carefully. I stared at him cautiously, taking in every detail of his face and realising how young he looked, like barely graduated young. "The principle has asked me to find someone willing to tutor some failing students, however, those students happen to be..."

"Unfocused?"

"Jackasses was the word I was going to use." I laughed at the man's response; the very fact that it had even fallen from the lips of an English teacher was even more entertaining. "And I don't want to subject you to their antics, especially since I've heard how they talk about you, so I would like you to corroborate that I asked you, but you had to decline to focus on your own academic journey."

"I apologise Sir, I don't have the time to dedicate to helping these students. I hope you can find a suitable replacement." I replied dramatically to the teacher as I walked to the door.

He grinned widely, returning to his paperwork. "Well, it will be a shame Miss Y/L/N. Have a good weekend."

"You too Sir." I basically skipped out the classroom, praising that it was Friday, since that meant I had one more day until I could further my plan.

When I got home, Rebekah and Anthony ran from the porch and lingered around my knees, detailing their day in loud shouts and even some descriptive noises from the boy. I smiled at their innocence, as they reminded me of Eliza and I, when we were younger, especially those early days after her parents adopted me. We'd spend hours in the back yard or in the forest, and when her parents got home, they'd take us out to hunt for fireflies that glistened and twinkled against the navy sky.

I went straight up to my room after the younger children had scampered off to go play again. I picked up the copy of Robin hood on my nightstand and laid down, sifting through the pages to find where I was before. I didn't actually like the book, I preferred the works of Austen and Bronte, but I suppose Eliza's attraction to the fairy tales of childhood made me want to embody her soul, a pure and blameless soul.

Now I realise why I loved those books so much, I wanted something real, something attainable, something more achievable and believable than a glass-slipper and Prince Charming. I wanted someone real; someone imperfect, because in reality, there is no perfection, because it is easy to love perfection, however loving something imperfect is harder but more worthy and true, because you love it for it, rather than what it represents.

I never could persuade Eliza to give my books a try though, she was always more one for whimsy and beauty. We'd had the discussion many times, and reflecting back on that, I was so glad, because it meant I had more memories of her passion and fieriness that were totally different to the girl everyone thought they knew. She wasn't a floozy or promiscuous, she was naïve, but who could fault her for that.

I read, well into the night, only stopping when I was called down for dinner. Even after finishing it, I began again, trying to un-pick what Eliza wanted me to see, everything I had rejected until now, but before I could, my eyes became sore from the relentless reading. I woke from a trance like state, noticing the time on the clock and realising that I should probably be asleep, however it was also the time that I could be out with Arvin by the grove as we talked endlessly about random topics that never seemed to run dry.

I shoved on some boots and my coat, escaping the house soundlessly and wandering through the field to the hideout. The dry September had made the path easy and luckily not swampy, and I didn't encounter any rogue farm animals along the way, because lord knows how I would explain that to my aunt.

It wasn't long before reached my destination, and spotted the boy perched on the log. "Before you come any closer, are you accompanied by any weapons today?" He asked jokingly.

"Yes, I've got an array of weapons and there's a tank over on that ridge there, ready to take you down. Unless you surrender now." I trampled down indelicately, plonking myself next to Arvin and whispering menacingly.

"Well, if that's the case." He turned to me, smiling like an idiot but even in the dark, his brown eyes shone brightly. I won't lie, it made me smile too, it made me happy.

"See I knew you didn't stand a chance Mr Russell."

"Oh, Mr Russell now, is it?" Arvin faced me, somewhere between confused and smug but it suited him. "What happened to Arvin?"

"I'm just keeping you on your toes. Don't want you to get too familiar." I scrunched my nose at him before facing away from him again.

"Why on earth not?" He clutched his chest dramatically. "Are you hiding something from me? Are you not really from Jackson? I feel beyond betrayed." He kidded childishly, holding a hand to his head and fanning himself.

"You know Arvin, if we had never met, I think I'd be a great deal less happy." I tried to win him over, attempting to appeal to his fondness for me, and grabbing his arm to face me.

"Thank you, Y/N." 

(A/N; Apologies for the lack of frequent updates. In the mean time, please suggest any situations or ideas you'd like for the story in the comments.)