That Autumn Day

Chapter 1

I snatch another cheap warning poster from the wall and crumble it in my fist. Ana is watching me closely and curiously. I know she has questions but I'm positive I can bat them all away without having to answer any of them.

To give the girl credit she has remained silent from the parking lot where I met her five minutes ago to the steps of our school building. I have ripped four posters since then, so that's saying something.

"Welcome to Eastwood High. A right then a left and the last room will be principal's office, which we will see sometime during the day. And a left and a right will take you straight to our locker area. The senior year classes are all upstairs and after eight set of thorough complains they have finally made it efficient enough that we don't have to run to another building."

A small smile touches Ana's lips. "Why are there so many warnings and notices and where are the stadiums?"

"Are all at the extreme end of the campus. What do you have in mind?" I ask giving her frame another look, trying to figure out what's her jam.

She does not reply immediately. The silence stretch for several long beats before I catch her line of sight to see what caught her attention.

Or rather who.

I try not to take offense. I fail.

"Ana Chen, we are seniors and let me remind you, you're new here. So you gotta focus and not let some fucking tarantula, distract you."

"Woah! Language! And I will remember all of that in a second but first you have to tell me about the guys."

Tell her about the guys. I will prefer rotting in an island or jail time or standing on burj khalifa without parachute.

"That is Easton Benziger. The pain of my existence and the object of all my murder fantasies. Next to him is Mike Hawthorne, he is charming but unfortunately gay." There is another guy standing with them but I have never seen him in the premises before. May be he is newly enrolled like Ana.

"Wait a minute, Benziger..." I can see Ana's mind gears turning.

"Yes, Benziger. Benziger as in the owner of Benziger Cooperation with estimated value of 58.6 Billions, to be precise." I tell her.

Ana snatches her eyes from the boys and look at me with wide eyes. "The son of Benziger's look like that. Wow, some people are just born with everything."

I look at Easton, whose eyes are already on me. They linger on mine for a moment before his mouth breaks into his infamous smirk. I hold Ana's hand to pry her to leave but she is rooted on her spot as the three dudes make their ways to us.

His smirk widens at my exasperated huff and roll of eye. "Granger, always a pleasure. And who are you miss?" He tilts his head at Ana.

"I'm Ana Chen and I...wait..." she turns to me fully, ignoring the guys. "I thought you said, your name was Harrison."

I give a dirty look at Easton. "It is Harrison."

"Yez but they call each other Granger and Malfoy to re-establish the foundation of their animosity," Mike chimes in and fist bumps me.

Ana laughs at that and I know I'm standing on a dangerous precipice of losing a sports player who will be a major asset in Eastwood League, all because of the six feet three cockroach and his devilish smirk.

I intertwine Ana's hand with mine and Easton's eyes follows the motion. His eyes tells me he knows what I am thinking. And I always know what he is thinking too. I hope he can see his long pending defeat in mine.

Because Easton Benziger is going down in our final year of school.

"So, do you have any idea why there are warning posters all over the school?" The new guy is sounding impatient now.