Bitter, Sweet, Repeat

2 - I Don't Owe You Anything

“You can be my servant-maid-thing.” Connor cornered her into the hall a few days after their encounter at the bar in town. Sophia was trying to keep a low profile but it wasn’t helping that Connor kept asking around for Sophia or trying to get her attention.

She groaned. “Get away from me weirdo.” She attempted to maneuver her body around his. He trapped her in his arms on either side of her, pinning her against the wall.

“I did you a pretty big favor the other  night.” Sophia averted her eyes to look down the scarcely occupied hall way.

“No one asked you to help," Sophia shot back.

He let out a chuckle. “Even so, you know very well that students aren’t allowed of campus on week days.”

“But you were!” She hissed.

“Ahh,” he smiled, “but are you the headmaster’s son?” The question was left hanging in the air. He took the silence as compliance. “Great, you start today.” He took a step back. “Come with me.” Connor turned to head to his locker. 

“What makes you think I’ll do what you say?” She stood there awkwardly.

“So much attitude for a girl with such few options…” Connor thought.

“Violation of the rules can get you expelled.” He paused and took a backward glance at her, “but in your case, sent back to where ever it is that you’re from.”

He was right and Sophia knew it. She grudgingly followed him.

“Hands,” he opened his locker and pulled out a text book, binder, and notebooks and held them out; waiting for Sophia to take them. She rolled her eyes and waited for him to stack his things on top of hers.

“Good thing we have so many classes together,” Connor snickered. That was an under-exaggeration and he knew it; they had all the same classes, all the same period.

Waiting on Connor hand and foot had been going on for several weeks now. Sophia’s train of thought broke as her attention was brought back to reality. A piece of paper landed on her desk. “Psssssssst.” Someone hissed. “Psssssssssst.”

On her left, where Connor unfortunately sat, he motioned for her to read the paper.

“I need my room cleaned this afternoon. Meet me at my locker after classes are over today," Connor said casually.

A groan escaped Sophia’s lips. She crumpled the paper and threw it back at Connor. He gave a goofy smile; he was enjoying the situation.

The final bell for the day rang. Sophia began to gather her books, then Connor’s, and started out toward the door. “Wait up for me!” He called as he put on his backpack. Several heads in the room looked up to eye the pair suspiciously. Students had taken a liking to speculating what the two were always doing together. Some of the female populations were less than pleased to hear about it.

“I have to go to my locker, too.”

“What a hassle,” Connor ran a hand over his stubbly hair.

“You know what a hassle is? A hassle is looking after you like a child,” Sophia thought bitterly.

“I’ll wait for you at my locker.”

Sophia rolled her eyes.

“Sophia!” Whitney called to her friend. The blonde eyed the stack of books in her friend’s arms. "Let me help you with those." Sophia thanked her friend. Opening her locker she put half of the books away.