W.I.T.C.H.: The Bloody Throne

Part 6

     Elyon was a little crushed that she couldn't spend more time with her new friend, but accepted it, since they shared most of their school day. However, the two classes they didn't share made Elyon feel nervous since those were the classes she shared with Arty. Arty was a student that had joined the previous Spring and had, the moment he arrived, immediately attached himself to Elyon. Usually, Elyon didn't mind this and was always willing to help a new student, but Arty was another story. From the moment Elyon met that boy, all he did was follow her like a lost puppy, try to include her in odd conversations, and try to touch her whenever possible. It would be romantic, in a dorky way, if Arty went about it charmingly. However, instead of being charmingly awkward, Arty was creepy. Instead of averting eye contact whenever caught staring; he would keep staring at her from afar and add labored breathing. Instead of taking hints that she was uncomfortable, he would lean in closer and breath down her neck. Lastly, Arty reeked. His hair was oily and clung together, his face was covered in pus-filled pimples, his teeth were hairy and nearly green, and his breath smelled of onions and dog crap left out in the sun in a black bag.

She only shared two classes with him, but each day she dreaded these classes and wished she had the nerve to tell a teacher. However, she didn't know what to say to the teachers about Arty. The boy had never hurt her. Would telling a teacher that he made her uncomfortable enough to make them talk to him? Elyon doubted it.

Just as she sat down in Geometry, Arty walked up from his seat near the back of the class and planted himself beside her; giving her one of his green, onion smiles scented smiles. "Hello Elyon, I saw you talk to the new student today. What is her name?"

"Oh...hello Arty." Replied Elyon, trying to inhale his reek. "Her name is Gwendoline. She just moved here."

"That is great to hear." He leaned in creepily close. "Would you and the fair Gwendoline be interested in joining me in a round of Dungeon Crawler at my house?"

"No thank you, Arty. I have homework to do." Replied Elyon, leaning back in her chair to make some space between them.

"Oh, come on m'lady, I promise you and Gwen will still have a lot of time for that nonsense adults call education." He leaned even closer. At this point, Elyon was trapped between Arty and the crossbar connecting the back of her chair to her desk. It was times like this that Elyon wished she had an older sibling that kept an eye on her and taught her how to defend herself. All she had been taught in her life was to discuss her problems with her wrongdoers; she had no elbows with which to fight back. She was sure that if she had been brought up with an older sibling, they would have taught her how to scare creeps like Arty away. Or, perhaps, scare Arty away for her.

Luckily, before Elyon had to wreck her brain to come up with another excuse why she couldn't come to Arty's house, the student that sat in the seat currently occupied by Arty appeared and tapped the guy on the shoulder. "Hey Arthur, you are sitting in my seat."

Arty took one, quick, look over his shoulder at the tall, lanky, dark-haired student and bolted out of the seat as though chased by lightning; leaving only a faint smell of old sweat and onions behind. The black-haired boy gave the seat a moment to air out before taking his seat beside Elyon, who slowly started to relax once Arty was back at the other side of the room. With a funny smirk and a chuckle, the boy turned to the blond-haired princess. "So Elyon, Arty giving you problems again?"

"I'm fine, I just wished he would brush his teeth." Replied Elyon with her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. Along with not knowing how to defend herself with fists, Elyon had no idea how to talk to boys. Often she wondered if the boys talking to her were flirting or if they were simply being friendly. She wondered if she could get advice from Will, since the red-head was happily married, but then remembered that her brother was forced into this relationship, so going to Will might not reveal the wished results.