Stained

Chapter 22

I make it to college at half-past eight and because I have time to spare, I decide to explore a little.  Turns out I was reading Tuesdays timetable, forgetting it was Wednesday today and that the first semester didn't start till Tuesday. Anyways, during my exploration, I found the library, so I settled on revising a little on my free first period.

I spot Iris from my biology class coming through the library doors. She looks stunning with her curly bob cut hair, ripped jeans and low cut blue top. Thankfully, her thick coats draped over her arm. Iris is beautiful and so is her body and she's not scared to flaunt it. I admire her for that.

I smile as she approaches me.

"Already figured your way around?" She laughs, sitting down opposite me.

"God no," I scoff out a laugh. " It took me ages to even find the library."

I close my book. "Did you do that assignment for biology?"

She groans, crossing her arms on the wooden table. "Who gives an assignment on the first day of college I—." She stops abruptly, her eyes widening.

I cock my head at her stunned expression until I follow her gaze to my bandaged hand. Oh god, here we go again.

She leans forward. "What happened to your hand?"

"I'm very clumsy." It's not a lie, I really am. Just earlier, I almost fell during my exploration.

"I can see that." She shakes her head. "So what did you do to it?"

Oh god, how do I answer that?

I shrug and try to divert her attention away from my hand. "Did you not do the biology assignment?"

She rolls her eyes and I hold my breath. "of course I did. But did I put much effort in ...." scrunching her face up, she shakes her head no.

My shoulders slump under relief.

Once Iris leaves for her music lesson after talking about her holiday to Hawaii for fifteen minutes straight, I go back to revising. Unfortunately, because I'm right-handed and I've hurt it, I can't take any notes, so I just read my revision guide.

It's going fine until Damien comes in halfway through. We lock eyes a split second before I quickly look back down at my book. Please don't come here. Please leave me alone.

After a while, when I don't feel anyone coming up next to me, I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding. So he's finally going to leave me alone then? Good. But for some strange unexplainable reason, a part of me doesn't want him to. I brush it off. I'm being ridiculous.

I can't concentrate on the words on the page. Nothings really going into my head and for once it's not because of the voices. It's Damien; his presence is distracting me.

I sneak a peek because I can't help it. It'll just be one anyways. Why do I want to look at him? He's rude and annoying and a jerk. It doesn't stop me from elevating my eyes though, not even a little.

My breath instantly catches in my throat at the sight of him a table away from me. He's opposite me, on a long wooden table similar to mine. He's alone ... and he's sketching? I can't see what he's sketching though. I wonder what kind of stuff he sketches.

As if sensing my gaze on him, he pauses his ministration and looks up. When his eyes capture mine, I blush and look down at my revision guide. I can still feel him looking at me, but I don't avert my gaze from the book, too embarrassed to face him after he caught me staring.

My conclusion on failing to force myself to revise is reading a book. It helps with the voices and they're the loudest, so what's rude old Damien? I pull out A Court of Mist and Fury and scroll to a random page.