Unintended Influence: Taming the Bad Boy

CHAPTER 1: NEW STUDENT

I was new to an American school, being a Filipino, and it was my first day. I felt a mix of emotions, not knowing if I would make friends, face bullying due to being different, or encounter any racism. I hoped that someone would reach out to me and become my friend. Although I considered myself an introvert, I was afraid of not having a single friend I could trust. 

On my first day, as I nervously entered the school building, Principal White approached me and welcomed me with a warm smile. She said, "Welcome to our school, Kimberley Anne Bernal! We're delighted to have you here."

"Thank you, Mr. White. You can call me Kim," I said with a shy smile. I can speak a little English since I'm still learning and I'm feeling a bit self-conscious about my language skills. My parents say that I will improve over time and eventually get rid of my Filipino accent. But do I want to get rid of my accent, you ask? To avoid bullying, I was determined to do my best to become proficient in English. I had watched many American movies, and I had noticed that girls like me, who spoke like me, often became targets of bullies, leading to miserable lives. I didn't want to experience that. No one does. Plus, I wasn't the kind of person who would stand by and let bullying happen. I despised bullies, I was determined to stand up for myself. 

He coughed, "Ms. Kim, are you listening?" the principal asked. I looked at him and smiled confidently, replying, "Yes." He returned my smile and said, "Well, I hope you enjoy your school year here. We have lots of good students. Here is your registration form, and your class is... well, 11-C. Good luck, and I hope you do your best." His smile seemed a bit forced, which made me feel a hint of suspicion. 

"Yes, thank you, Mr. White," I replied enthusiastically.  He chuckled awkwardly at my energy and said, "Well, I'm still waiting for Mr. Walker. Since he's also your classmate and doing free community service at school, he will definitely come here, even if he's late." He sighed and continued, "He will be your tour guide. Don't worry, Mr. Walker doesn't—"Before he could finish his sentence, someone knocked loudly on the door to the principal's office. Both of us turned our attention to the door. "HELLO, Mr. White! It's me, your one and only Damon, the future rockstar on this in America," the newcomer announced as he swung the door open. 

I observed the boy who had just entered the room. He didn't wear his uniform correctly, with the top two buttons unbuttoned. He had earrings, black nail polish, a single side-swept bang that covered one eye. He seemed to exude a confident and carefree aura." Aw, come on, Mr. White, why the sad face? You'll get wrinkles immediately," he teased the principal, and it was evident that he had noticed me, but he didn't pay much attention to my presence." Mr. Walker, please refrain from embarrassing yourself in front of a new student," Principal White scolded, clearly frustrated. 

He then introduced me by extending his hand towards me and said, "This is Ms. Kim, and I called you here to be her tour guide. After that, please, both of you, attend your classrooms." Mr. Walker looked at me with a smirk and started to comment, "Yeah, new student, huh? Wow, how come your parents enrolled you in this school? Are they stu—"But before he could finish his sentence, Principal White slammed his hand on the table, silencing him. "Mr. Walker, I hope—"

"Yeah, yeah, I understand. Let's go," Mr. Walker interrupted, and without further ado, he walked out of the room. "Thank you, Mr. White. Goodbye," I said before following Mr. Walker out of the office. As I followed Mr. Walker through the white, somewhat boring hallways of the school, I couldn't help but find them a bit eerie, especially if I imagined being here at night. The sterile surroundings made it feel like I was in a hospital. Suddenly, Mr. Walker abruptly stopped, and I instinctively halted as well. He then looked at me, and I was taken aback by the swift movement. 

He began to move closer to me, step by step, until he was uncomfortably close to my face. My eyes widened in alarm as my mind raced with thoughts like, 'What the hell does this guy want?' and 'Is he going to kiss me?' I couldn't fathom giving my first kiss to a stranger. In a panic, I used my handbag to shield myself from his face and gently pushed him away to maintain some distance. 

I heard some faint chuckles coming from him, and I cautiously lowered my handbag, still feeling a bit bewildered. His chuckles grew louder, and I noticed his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he tried to stifle his laughter. He eventually covered his face with his hand and lowered his head, attempting to hide his amusement. "What was that for, Mr. Walker?" I asked, while adjusting my handbag on my uniform. I continued to look at him, waiting for an explanation. He glanced at me, still covering his face, then slowly lowered his hand. "Nah, just teasing a new student," he said with a casual grin. "Anyway, just call me Damon." "Okay, Damon, don't ever do that again. It's not funny," I scolded him, feeling a bit frustrated with his earlier antics. He simply looked at me with a grin, and then he made an inappropriate comment that caught me off guard. "Ah, another boring woman. Why not a chick who's horny all the time?" he said with a smirk. 

I raised an eyebrow in response, not sure how to react to his crude remark. I was about to respond to his inappropriate comment, but he abruptly silenced me by placing his index finger on my lips. I felt a surge of irritation, and I had to restrain myself from smacking that smug grin off his face. "No need to bark," he remarked, his grin still intact. Then he pointed to a room on the left side of the hallway." That's the cafeteria," he explained, looking at the room and then back at me. I simply nodded in response, deciding it was best not to engage further in his antics. 

"Let's go outside," Damon suggested, removing his finger from my lips and leading the way. I followed him as we exited the school building, and soon we were standing in front of what looked like an abandoned building covered in graffiti. I couldn't believe we were still on the school grounds; this school was much larger than I had initially thought. Confused, I asked, "What are we doing here?" However, he didn't respond to my question. Instead, he began to stretch, and I watched as he took off his jacket and discarded it in front of me. Out of habit, I instinctively held onto the jacket. "The hell, Damon, I thought you were expelled for what you did to Craig." It startled me when I hear someone speak behind me. I turned to see a tall guy, and our mutual surprise was evident. He then questioned me, "Who the hell are you?" raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

**:) Hope you like it and please vote, I appreciate it. More chapters to come.