Potent Potential

Potent Potential - Ten - Murderous or Melancholy?

Ten – Murderous or Melancholy?

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The weekend was far from relaxing and peaceful. Kale had given Ash instructions to work me to the bone, catch up study, fitness rehabilitation. He actually worked on Jujitsu with me, which was frightening considering that, despite his age, he was nuggetty, agile and he hit hard. He avoided the bruises I already owned but made plenty more.

I lay on the floor of his makeshift gym in the garage space after a particularly difficult workout and wiped a towel over my sweat drenched forehead.

“You’re screwed come school tomorrow,” Ash said bluntly as he pulled his sweater over his singlet. He’d barely exerted himself. I was thoroughly ashamed.

“I didn’t realise that a week off was so debilitating.” I used my arms to push myself into sitting position, wincing as my pummelled abs complained.

Ash snorted and tossed another towel at my head. “One more session tonight and then it’s on you to look like you’re not dying in your physical classes tomorrow.”

I pulled the towel over my face and grunted in response. Physical classes weren’t the only thing I would be dying in. I had to make it through the school day with Pulsifer. The one thing I was looking forward to was the seeing the result of the situation I’d put Dante in, and also punching Dante in the face for kissing me… and making me think about the kiss for most of the weekend. I knew it was simply stimulated hormones, hormones that had been dormant for far too long. Perhaps if I’d been more of a romantic person I might’ve sighed after him but, no, I’d been building rage. I’d been quite happy staying single and platonic with the other sex. Now I felt like I had to act on the hormones and I was not pleased. And Dante would know it.

“What’s for lunch, guardian?” I called out as Ash opened the door to leave.

“I don’t know, you’re making it!” he answered drily before slamming the door shut behind him.

I groaned and flopped backward. I was tempted to forgo eating lunch simply because I could be bothered making it. But Ash would catch on, as always. I got up and dusted myself off. It wasn’t the first time that I’d wished Laker had handed me off to a homely housewife who believed that cookies were the answer to life’s questions.

** **

If I’d thought that lying in a hospital bed around Dante for a week had been hell, I definitely hadn’t been considering the return to school. Oh yes, the infamous orphan Jax makes her return after getting her ass handed to her. Pleasant.

Snickering should be banned from the hallways.

But, of course, I wasn’t the kingpin any more. It didn’t matter what people voiced about me because I couldn’t turn the school’s biggest bullies against them. I could beat them up but they could very well go to Rowan, gain his favour, and turn him against me… Well, that wasn’t too difficult anyway. But I should be staying more low-key. A secretive resistance group wouldn’t want to welcome anyone who drew attention.