Mind Games.

chapter 6: Initiation.

I had been avoiding Mr. Marsh's study hall all week. I don't know why I always felt so nervous and self-conscious around him. I just couldn't believe that someone could change me like that. But, unfortunately, I couldn't escape his class.
Today was just a lecture, which I was thankful for. Libby is currently copying my notes as I glued my eyes to Mr. Marsh. All the girls in the class were, but I didn't see any of them taking notes.
"And that is why children who grow up around aggressive behavior are more likely to enforce it throughout their life time. I hope you all took notes, because we will be having a quiz on Monday for it. Class is dismissed."
Everyone started packing up. Connor walked out of the class with a different guy who was talking with wild hand gestures. I watched him leave while my heart filled with anticipation. Libby giggled and poked my arm,
"Someone's got the googly eyes..."
"Huh, what?" I asked, snapping out of my daze. She giggled and rolled her eyes.
"Miss chain? May I speak to you quickly?" Mr. Marsh asked me. I looked at Libby, then back to him.
"I'll be right there." Libby mouthed, 'bye,' and left the room. Now it was just Mr. Marsh and me. I walked down the steps and up to the counter top where he sat on top of it.
"Yes sir?" He smiled and leaned on his elbows so he was eye level with me. God, his eyes sparkled like the sky. His breath smelled of mint as he asked,
"Didn't we talk about the study hall?"
"Yes, we did." I stated, hugging the books to my body. He smiled, jumped off the counter, and leaned against it while still staring down at me.
"I haven't been seeing you in here." I held my hands together so they wouldn't shake.
"Yes, well, these other girls told me you already tutor a lot of people-"
"Heather and Madeline told you that, didn't they?" He asked, chewing on his bottom lip. It made my heart soar and my eyes widen slightly.
"Y-yes." He nodded like that explained everything.
"Those two are the only ones who come in, but don't be intimidated. Now, I trust to see you at the study hall on Monday, understood?" He asked. I looked down at my books in my arms and nodded slightly. Then, he did something that sent a chill down to my bones. It was a simple action, really.
"Alice," he set a soft hand under my chin and lifted it up, so I was now gazing directly into his starry eyes. "Understood?" He asked again, smiling in a calm, cool manner.
"Understood, Mr. Marsh." I replied. He smiled again and turned to walk around the desk.
"Again, after class, it's Simon. You may go now." He didn't have to tell me twice before I had turned to leave. I twisted the knob the wrong way first, then after fumbling with it, I turned it the right way and bolted around the corner. Once I was out of sight, I took a second to breathe. Mr. Star eyes, I thought to myself.
I was running to my dormitory the second our classes let out to get ready for the date. Libby was chatting my ear off while I tried to do my own hair.
"I don't know what to do. Should I get her flowers? She loves daisies." She talked on and on about her grand plan to make Debbie feel appreciated. I straightened my hair and looked at myself in the mirror. Clark didn't let me look in a mirror at the basement because he said true beauty lies within. I never thought I could look like this. Like...a girl. I smiled and changed in the bathroom.
"Well, how do I look?" I asked Libby, holding my hands out. She smiled and kissed her fingertips,
"Perfecto. Let's get going, it's 6:45." We ran down to her car and started off to the address he had given me.
"Ok take a left up here and...there, just drop me off here." We had driven to a dark park about 2 miles away from Princeton. She sighed,
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine."
"Ok, whatever you say. Have fun."
"I will, bye."
"Bye," she let me out of the car and drove off down the street. I shivered in the cold night air and waited. Nothing. I waited some more. Again, nothing. At 7:12, I was beginning to think he wouldn't show, but he did. Just not in the fashion I thought he would.
The car engine was revving very loudly. You could hear it from half a mile away. I turned my head slightly to the left to see a dark red impala speeding down the street. I saw Connor, along with three other guys, hanging out of the window. Connor shouted,
"There she is!" Two guys whooped loudly while Connor and another guy threw raw eggs at me. They exploded onto my hair and my clothes. I screamed and ran for cover, but they kept pelting me. They slowed down the car just to make sure they threw every egg that was in the carton. When they ran out, they sped off in the opposite direction, whooping and cheering. I leaned against a tree, tears streaming down my face. And not just because I was now sticky and wet on a cold night.
My previous thought of him was that he was cute. That I could have my first ever romantic relationship with him. But now the only relationship I wanted from him, was a predator-prey one. And I'll be damned if I let myself become the prey. He had no right to do that to me, and I was going to see him pay.
As I started walking home, I thought of the various things I could do to him with a power drill, when I heard something. It sounded like crying. Or whining. Actually, now that I think about it, it was a combination of both. Like a child who was throwing a tantrum in a store, only with more crying. I frowned and called out to the sound,
"Hello?" Just more whines and crys in response. One half of my brain was like, 'it's a zombie!' But the other half was like, 'we better make sure it is so we can warn people.' With my curious side winning, I walked in the direction of the sound. It sounded like it was down the road, so I walked down towards it. My teeth were jittering because of the cold night. And the egg that was sticking to me. The whines grew louder as I approached the sound. When I rounded the corner, I came to a ditch in the side of the road. It was muddy and dark down in the ditch. I could barely see anything but dirt.
The sound was coming from somewhere in the dark ditch. I walked carefully down the sloped ditch towards the unfamiliar sound. It was too dark to see, so I got on my hands and knees and crawled to the sound.
"Hello?" Just more whining and crying. Then, my hand bumped against what felt like a garbage bag. But the second I touched it, it moved. I yelled in fear and stood up, taking a few steps back. The bag continued whining. I took a long, deep breath. I knelt down and picked up the bag, carrying it with me to the nearest street light so I could see what was in it. Once I had found a street light about two blocks away, I sat on my knees under it and set the bag in front of me. It was still whining.
I slowly untied the bag. When it opened, I was met with 8, yes 8, sets of beady little eyes. I yelled again and squirmed away. But I shortly realized what I had found.
I had found a bag of puppies. 4 of them, to be exact. One of them stuck it's little head out of the bag, revealing big, floppy ears that touched the ground. I quickly reached out my hand to it. It waddled out of the bag and sniffed my hand, then licked it. I giggled. No puppy had ever licked my hand before. I leaned forward and looked at them. What was I going to do?
Pets were not allowed on the premise of the school, but I obviously couldn't leave them there.
I decided to carry them to my dorm room, but not in the bag. After a moment of thought, I remembered that a gas station was about a mile away. I'd go there and buy a box to carry them in.
I knelt in front of them and scooped them all up.
"Cmon, you guys are coming with me." They continued whining while I carried them in my arms. They were all shivering because of the cold night. I giggled and looked down at them.
"Dont worry, you're going to be ok." The one that was clostest to my face licked some egg off my chin. I giggled and we continued going.
One mile later, we came to the gas station. I sighed in relief and entered the store, puppies still in hand. The kid behind the desk frowned and said,
"Uh, I'm sorry ma'am, but you can't have animals in here."
"Oh, but I'm just here to buy a box to carry them in." I explained. He looked at me, then at the puppies, and nodded.
"Alright, I'll be right back with a box."
He disappeared into a back room. I sighed and hugged them while we waited. He came back about five minutes later with a box that had several holes in it and an old blanket.
"Here, its cold out there."
"Thank you so much," I set them in the box and pulled out my purse. He waved his hand and shook his head.
"No charge, have a good night." I smiled and nodded.
"Thank you very much." I shut the box, leaving a sliver for air, and picked it up. We made it back to Princeton at 10:00, and it's a good thing too, all the carrying almost made my arms fall off. I looked into the box before we entered the building,
"You guys have to be quiet for a minute, ok?" They quieted down, but only a little. I ran quickly to the dormitory and opened the door, closing it and setting the box on the bed, sighing. Libby rolled over on her side and flipped on the lamp light next to her bed.
"Hey, how was the-" but she heard whining from the box and sat up in bed.
"What the hell is in there?!?"
"Shh, you'll scare them." I gestured her to come over and have a look. She turned on the room light and looked in the box. When she saw the puppies, she looked like she was about to die.
"Oh my god, puppies!!!" She reached in and pet them. I giggled,
"Aren't they cute?"
"We have to show the twins, they love puppies!" Before I could protest, she had opened the door and was knocking on their door. Xavier opened the door, his blonde bed head was everywhere. She said something in a quick voice and came back to our room. Xavier disappeared inside his room for a moment, but reappeared with an equally tired looking Xander trailing behind him. When they got to our room, they shut the door and shrugged.
"What is it?" Xavier yawned. She gestured them to the bed where we were sitting with the box. They both looked inside the box, then they both lit up like kids at Christmas time.
"Oh my goodness!"
"Puppies!"
"Can we take them out and look at them?" Xavier asked. I nodded.
"Be careful." They both nodded and took the puppies out one by one, setting them on the bed gently.
The first one was a boy colored grey with a completely white face and paws.
The second one was another boy, except he was completely black.
The third one was a boy. He was brown with a black stripe on his snout and his back left leg was black.
The last one was the only girl. She was mostly white, but her ear areas were black, and she had little black spots going up and down her back. The black one and the grey one started wrestling, the little brown puppy went up to Libby, but the little girl one crawled into my lap and curled up, falling asleep. Xander looked at Xavier and asked,
"What breed do you suppose they are?"
"Hmm...not wiener dogs."
"Blood hounds perhaps?" Xander asked. Xavier shook his head.
"No...oh, I know! They're Bassett hounds!" He exclaimed. Xander nodded in agreement and Libby and I giggled. I pet the one in my lap.
"I found them by the side of the road, I just couldn't leave them there." Libby frowned and said,
"I thought maybe Connor had given them to you. How was the date?" She asked.
"Oh...let me tell you about the date..."

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Hope you enjoyed it, hope you liked the next one, bye! :)