Best In Show

eleven

Ella emails her essay four minutes before three o'clock with Nicholas standing right next to her, and she regrets every second of it. Ella usually gives herself hours, and sometimes if she's lucky, days to write a ten page essay and make sure that it's her vision of perfect. However today none of that happened.

She only had under four hours, which is usually enough time for the average student, but Ella's not average. She can't be, she has to be above average to graduate college, and doing an essay this late and this quick for a class like Professor Wells, graduating may never happen for Ella, and that does not sit very well with her.

Now Ella stands in her training room, harnessed, collared and muzzled with same high heels on from last night.

I really hope the email went through, Ella thinks. Because Nicholas didn't let me check and Professor Wells usually sends out an email within ten to thirty minutes letting the sender know that he received their email. That's the only good thing about him.

Ella clenches her jaw as she thinks more. And I hope that didn't misspell anything, or forgot to add anything. Professor Wells deductions are ten points a piece, meaning Ella only has ten tries before she given a zero, something she's never gotten before.

And unfortunately that's how a lot of people usually fail Professor Wells's class. He's ruthless.

I can't fail, I just can't, she repeats over and over.

"Ella!"

A sharp string of pain explodes across her right butt cheek, making her entire body jerk harshly and scaring her completely. She even screams, but the muzzle makes her voice almost mute. You have to be very close to even hear it.

Her head snaps beside her to see Nicholas, his face is fumed with anger as he holds a crop in his hand, that has veins popping out of the top. His eyes glare right at her, and for the first time Ella feels scared and terrified of him, and even a little threatened. It makes her body freeze up and she doesn't know what do to.

Those blue eyes aren't blue anymore, but black.

"You need to listen!" he demands in a furious tone. "Now is not the time to be daydreaming. I need your complete and utter focus and nothing else, do you understand me, Ella?"

For some reason, Ella doesn't answer, instead her eyes start to shake.

She's on the verge of tears.

Nicholas sighs and lets his head drop briefly. "Ella, I'm sorry. But I really need you to focus, can you please do that?"

Slowly he rises his head back up, those blue eyes changing back to its originally gorgeous color and staring directly into Ella's. There's remorse and guilt in his expression, so Ella decides to mentally forgive him. She nods before wiping at her eyes, those tears were coming out whether she wanted them to or not.

Even Nicholas wipes at her face.

"Are you alright?" he asks her.

She nods before as she swallows.

"Good, because I need you to be in a good state in order for this to work, Ella," Nicholas informs her. "So are you sure?"

Again, she nods and even waves her hand at him to continue.

"Alright, then let's get started," he declares.

❁   ❁   ❁   ❁

The ride to where the Best In Show competition is held at takes a little under thirty minutes, but Ella and Nicholas end up waiting in the car for almost over a hour to finally get inside. There's so many cars, nice luxury cars, Ella points out, and all them get checked by security before getting to drive to the front.