Dreamland

Chapter 2 - Detention Intrusion

"Ms Valentina. Back so soon?"

"Hey Archie," I said wearily, dumping my packed lunch on his table.

"Mm-mm, I do love your mother's cooking. Freshly made Eggs Benedict, Caesar salad and - oh she knows me well - chicken quesadillas. Send my thanks, will ya?"

"Yeah yeah. Hey listen, is there any chance you could let me out of here early? I have to run some errands before I get home." I had specifically asked my mum for chicken quesadillas, Archie's favourites, just to try my luck. Hopefully he'd be too distracted and say yes. Or maybe grateful for once, considering I gave him my lunch every time I came to detention. 

Archie and I went way back, to when I was in 4th Grade and getting framed for about everything by Kaelynn. Archie was the only one who'd believed that I was innocent; not even the teachers could look past Kaelynn's puppy-dog eyes and rich family. Since then, we'd formed a kind of weird father-daughter relationship, me and the lonely guy who sat in the detention room all day.

"Come on Ms Skyler, 'fraid I can't do that. You know the teachers would chop my head off if I ever..."

"Looks like bribery won't get you far, Valentine."

I looked up. The door had been pushed open, and the most gorgeous boy I had ever laid my eyes on was standing right there. Tousled brown curls with a slight golden glint hung just over his eyebrows, casting a shadow over his picture perfect features. His chiseled jaw and angled cheekbones, lips that were parted in an ever-so-slight smirk that revealed his pearly whites, and his eyes... sea green orbs with flecks of gold. There was a distant and far away feeling to those deep sunken eyes, yet the twinkle of mischief was unmistakable.

Guys like him belonged on the front cover of Vogue. Guys like him in my school? They were without a doubt Kaelynn's boyfriends. But guys like him didn't know girls like me. They didn't even look at girls like me. 

So why on earth was this specimen of a boy staring at me?

My subconscious told me to look down and hide my face, so I did just that. Why did he know my name? Or, not know my actual name? What was he doing here in detention? Or, not really detention since he was already 15 minutes late? And why could I still feel his piercing green eyes on me?

"Boo."

I felt myself jump out of my seat, my eyes wide. I turned to see him clutching his stomach and laughing hysterically.

"You..should...have...seen! That...look. Your...your...face!"

I should have known. Probably Kaelynn's new boy toy she sent to come play some stupid prank on me. Well, I couldn't have cared less.

"Caught it on camera yet? You can go now. Unless she tasked you with something else?" I was done. Majorly done.

"Wait," A serious look cascaded on his face, wiping off his grin, "How did you know I was sent here?"

"Isn't it obvious? Don't act like you're dumb. Clearly Kaelynn's run out of clever ideas to get me in trouble, so she sends you to, I don't know, make a fool of me and make it go viral or something."

"What? Who are you talking about?" I swear, this boy's face could never stay in one expression for too long. First it had been smug, then amused, then crazy, then serious and concerned, and now just befuddled.

"Who are you talking about? Weren't you the one who admitted that you were sent here?" Boys. I could never understand what goes on on those big brainless heads.

Tossing me a crumpled piece of paper that resembled what used to be a business name card, he said exasperatedly, "Here, why don't you just take this. It'll explain everything."