Held Back

CHAPTER 6

Half an hour had passed but it like 2 hours. Ms. Miles was still engrossed in her knitting magazine and, apart from an occasional stifled giggle from her, the room was silent. What on earth could be funny about a knitting magazine?

This is torture. In what world do I get punished for going home to get a school assignment? I try not to dwell on how smug Sledgehammer looked when she handed me my second detention of the term but that Botox smile of hers refused to leave my mind. So, I decided to take my anger out on my pen. I slowly took it apart then pieced it back together again.

Mum and dad are going to kill me. What a great way to start the year.

40 minutes in and I heard the squeak of the classroom's door as it's opened. I look up from my truly mesmerizing pen that I was still reconstructing and who do I see other than Mr. Harry Styles.

"Ah! Ms. Miles, just the lady I want to see," started Harry as he strode across the room to her desk. "Ah, how can I help?" Ms. Miles was looking a little confused as were the rest of us. "I need you to excuse Liana from detention."

What the heck?

He pulled out a yellow slip from his pocket.

What does that cow want now?! I haven't even done anything.

Harry continued, "see, Ms. Renny requests the accompany of Liana. She says it's urgent." Harry handed over the slightly crumpled yellow slip and Ms. Miles went to open it. "Ms.," she stopped and peered at him through her purple spectacles. "I really love your outfit, it's very... vintage." He gave her a wink.

Ms. Miles looked flustered but a muffled giggle from a girl at the front of the class brought her back.

She quickly readjusted her clothes and turned towards me. "Well?"

Oh.

I hoisted my bag over my shoulder and walked to the front of the class with my pen in hand. Ms. Miles was still a little flustered when she handed me the yellow slip and turned back to the room. "Right. All of you. No talking," even though no body was.

I follow Harry out of the classroom and he called out over his shoulder: "Say 'hello' to Angus for me Ms.," then he turned to me and explained in a hushed tone, "her cat, she is obsessed with him." He continued to walk off down the corridor but I stopped to open the slip still in my hands.

Better see what she wants.

But when I open the slip, next to the line stating the name of the student Sledgehammer wanted to see, was not mine, but Harry's. And next to the reason was: 'damage to teacher's property'.

Okay. I'm confused.

Harry, sensing that I had stopped, turned and walked back towards me. "Problem?" he asked.

"This is yours," I prompted.

"Well I'm glad you can read."

I tried again. "This isn't mine."

"Yeah, I thought we had already sorted that part out."

I exhaled in frustration and tried one last time. "Why do I have it?"

He smirked. "Why didn't you just ask that to begin with?"

I crossed my arms.

This is worse than detention!

He laughed, "alright! Gosh don't hurt yourself. Some mates and I are going out tonight and the school is closer to the club than my house so I decided to just stay here 'til then," It was in that moment that I realized that Harry was no longer in his school uniform, which he could actually make look good, but he was in what looked like painfully tight black jeans and a plain, loose, black T-shirt. "But, I got bored," he continued, "and no one else is here. But then I saw you in detention and annoying you is more fun than doing nothing."

"Ghee, that just warms my heart."

"I thought demons didn't have hearts..."

He frustrates me.

Harry laughed, "see. That is why I got you out of detention," he said referring to my facial expression. "You make it too easy. Come on. I want to show you something," he said as he turned and made his way off down the hall. My curiosity overpowered my desire to be stubborn and instead of pissing him off and not following him, I did the opposite because I really did want to know what he wanted to show me. Wouldn't you?