3. The Bad Boy Who Saved Me

C H A P T E R  3 :  T H E  S H O W  M U S T  G O  O N

Some people survive the chaos and that is how they grow, but some people thrive in chaos because chaos is all they know.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Kelsey knew the second she stepped into the History class in the third period that the rumor about what had happened last night had traveled the entire school. No one in Northern High who did not know what had happened last night at Mitch Hammer’s party. It was hard not to notice when the whole class grouped around Jennifer's table, listening to her every word. Jen was not a Regina George type, she was more of a Gretchen Wieners type, one that talked a lot and spread rumors faster than Star magazine.

Ignoring the whispers and buzzes around her, she had taken a seat at the back of the classroom. She pulled out her notebook and pens, placed them carefully on the desk, then dropped her bag on the floor next to her left foot. The crowd dispersed once Mr. Johnson walked in, carrying two thick history books under his arm with a bag slung on his shoulder and a Starbucks cup in his other hand.

As always, a big smile accompanied him even on Monday morning. “Morning, folks.” He placed his stuff on his table at the front of the class and took a sip of his coffee before setting the cup next to his bag. He stared at the entire classroom and raised his eyebrows. “Oh, come on, guys. What's with the face? It is not the first period and I am not teaching Math.”

Everyone chuckled. Kim Tae Woo, the Asian guy from the basketball team with a baby face and blonde hair, raised his hand. He was the only person in the class who would do something like that, others would just open their mouths.

Mr. Johnson smiled and gave him a nod, allowing him to speak. “I am sorry but it is still Monday, Mr. J, and everyone still has a hangover from Mitch's party last night.”

“What a dumbass to have a party on Sunday night,” commented Mr. Johnson with a headshake. “Anyway, we have some important topics we need to nail today. Once we are done, I will give you all an early break. Seems like some of you are still suffering from hangover anyway so there is no use for me to keep on talking.”

“At least we watched a good drama last night, Mr. J,” sneered one of the cheerleaders named Katya. “Someone got dumped publicly last night.”

“Got dumped by her gay boyfriend,” added another cheerleader with a curly red hair.

Most of her classmates cheered in laughter while Kelsey had her eyes glued on the pages. She probably had read the same sentence over and over again.

“Hey, Kels, how does it feel being dumped by Shane?” One of the football players directly asked her. His friends slapped his back and laughed. “Are you still mending your broken heart?”

“It probably hurts less than when you dumbly tripped over your own foot, Dalton.”

Kelsey looked up and realized that Kim Tae Woo had defended her. His eyes were glued on his book while he had done so. Perhaps it was the fact that Tae Woo was Flynn Ascott’s best friend or how he had charisma, everyone immediately shut their mouth without Mr. Johnson having to order them to.

“This is History, we need no drama. Those of you who prefer drama over history can contact Miss Trelawney right after you pay a visit to the Principal’s office,” said Mr. Johnson before he finally started the class.

As promised, Mr. Johnson had finished the class early and allowed them to leave the class fifteen minutes before the first break started. Everyone rushed out of the class, thanking Mr. J on their way out, but Kelsey, who had too much on her mind, stayed back, seemingly in her own world as she continued flipping her notebook. Not because she was reviewing what she had learned thus far but because her mind was elsewhere.

For two years she had dated Shane, she had never been the talk of the school. Perhaps it was because she was not in the cheer squad or any other squad in Northern High, and she was not a pretty cheerleader. Everyone knew that Shane had a girlfriend whom he had been dating since sophomore year, and that the girlfriend was her but that was it. Other than being the quarterback's girlfriend, she was pretty much invisible. No one really knew who she was, and no one cared. She doubted anyone even remembered her last name.

Sometimes she wished they would see her differently. Sure, everyone had always included her in the conversation or at least did not mind her presence and listened to her opinion. They had always treated her like she was a part of their group. No one bullied her, not even when they knew she was not made of money. Yet today was different. It was as if everything had been turned upside down. No one had greeted her and the look they had been giving her was unfriendly. The second she had walked past them, the whisper started. Not having Bryson at her side had only made it worse. Honestly, it was even harder than being invisible.

“Kelsey, are you alright?”

Kelsey snapped her finger as the voice disrupted her from delving deeper into her own thoughts. “Mr. J.”

His History teacher simply lifted one brow, waiting for her answer.

“No.” She shook her head and quickly corrected herself, “I mean, yeah, I am fine.”

“Are you sure? You do not look like you are okay. Is there anything you need help with?”

Mr. J looked like he did not believe her so she faked a smile, grabbed her bag off the floor, and quickly shoved her stuff into her bag. “Yeah. All good.”

Mr. Johnson was a teacher who was chill and could make jokes, unlike Ms. Marple or Mr. Robson. Everyone liked him, Kelsey included. But right at this moment, there was nothing she wanted more than heading out of his class before she was forced to spit another lie.

* * *

Northern High was famous for its loud, energetic students. Whether it was game night or lunch break, the atmosphere was filled with loud noises and cheers. Today she wanted none of it. All she needed was a quiet place where she could sit and do nothing. But she had made a promise to herself this morning that she would not play the pathetic ex-girlfriend.

Filling her lungs, she walked through the big double doors and moved to the food lineup at the right side of the huge cafeteria. She picked up a tray and queued. The meal was nothing big or out of the ordinary. Having no appetite, she chose yogurt over apple and mineral water over milk. The spaghetti looked delicious, but she did not have the stomach for it.

Kelsey decided that today was not as bad as she had expected. It seemed like everyone was trying to decide whether they would consider her as one of the popular kids or not now that she did not have a jock as her boyfriend. She secretly wished they would be too occupied to pay any mind at her. However her peace was soon disrupted. At first, she had not hear them over the loud noises but as the queue took up a pace and as she was moving closer, the mumbling became clearer. They were talking about her.

“She changed her look. Can you believe it? Does she think looking pretty will turn Shane to be not gay?”

That voice sounded familiar, and Kelsey realized that it was the girl from last night, the same one who had an orgasm in Mitch Hammer's backyard. The girl who had been with Flynn Ascott.

“Oh, there she is.”

Kelsey did not have to look to know that it was a different person talking since her voice was slightly higher and a bit pitchy.

“I dare you to ask her that, Kat.”

“Should I?”

“You totally shout. Do not worry, she is a nobody now. Shane will not care anyway.”

The last thing Kelsey wanted was a confrontation, and she prayed that this Kat girl would have the decency to mind her own business. Yet judging by the sound of heels clicking across the floor, it seemed that her prayer was not answered.

“Hey, Kelsey.”

She took a deep breath and looked up. Her brown eyes met a pair of baby blues. Although Kelsey was five feet two and wearing three inches heels, this Kat girl was one head taller than her even with flat heels. She stood there with one hand on her hip looking like a Victoria Secret's angel except that Kelsey knew she was no angel. Well, maybe Lucifer.

“So,” Kat rested her weight on one foot and folded her arms, “I notice you did this makeover thing with your look. Do you think that would work on Shane? Do you think he will dump Bryson and maybe get back together with you? Like, girl, what is your aim?”

They said if you had nothing good to say, it was better to stay quiet, and that was what she did: she kept her mouth shut. Although she was tempted to flash a specific finger in her face.

Kat, with her killer body and gorgeous face, had never been ignored before by anyone, and she did not like the fact that Kelsey was ignoring her. Stomping her feet, she closed the gap between them and shoved her with one hand. “Hey, I am talking to you.”

Before Kelsey could do or say anything, Mrs. Nelson, the kind lunch lady said, “Hey, Ms. Supermodel, we do not need drama here so you better get your skinny ass back to your table or get the hell out.”

Those high cheekbones reddened and her nostrils flared as Kat clenched her jaw. She lifted her hand and Kelsey knew what was coming, preparing herself for another shove. Before Kat's hand even touched her shoulder, she caught her wrist and twisted it the way her father had taught her when she was a kid. If he was here, he would have been proud.

Except the universe had decided that today was not her day. The heel of her mom's fancy boots took this chance to fail her. Just when she encountered one of the school's bullies, her heel broke, causing her to stumble backward. As her arms flailing miserably, trying to save herself from a lifetime embarrassment which would hurt more than merely hitting her ass on the floor, she silently cursed herself.

You should have known not to wear old boots no matter how fancy they looked. It is too late now.

One arm snaked its way to the back of her shoulder, the strong hand caught her upper arm in a firm grip. Kelsey's eyes met her rescuer's hazel eyes and despite everything else going on at the moment, her heart skipped a beat.

Flynn Ascott, her mind reeled his name off a couple of times.

Just when she thought he would drop his arm and let her go now that she could steadily stand on her own, he put one arm behind her knees and lifted her off the ground. Ignoring Kat's protests, he bridal carried her out of the cafeteria and only stopped when they were in front of her locker. He set her on the floor, holding her steady until she stood on her two feet.

Flynn crouched and placed her boot along with the broken heel on the floor next to her feet. Putting both hands on his knees, he rose onto the balls of his feet. His eyes narrowed, but a smile twisted one corner of his lips. “Next time, be careful while wearing these, okay?” he said in a low voice with a faint British accent.

Kelsey stood with one bare foot tiptoeing, watching his back moved further down the hall. As he reached the end of the hallway, he looked over one shoulder and flashed her a breathtaking smile, before heading to his left.

Only when the students started to fill the empty hallway had she realized that the school's notorious heartbreaker had just saved her. If previously she had not had any idea how one guy could break so many hearts, now she somewhat could see why those hearts were broken.

Shaking her head, Kelsey huffed and opened her locker. It was true that she had witnessed how Flynn Ascott charm his way into girls’ hearts (and pants?) but she was still pretty much sane and she would not let him break her heart.

* * *

They said bad rumors spread faster than good ones because people wanted to hear the dirt of others. The nastier, the better. Yet apparently it was not the case when Flynn Ascott was involved.

After placing her boots in her locker, she went to the locker room next to the gym and took out her white running shoes. While putting them on, she overheard one of the girls talking about what had happened in the cafeteria earlier.

“It is Flynn Ascott!” said one girl, followed with a dreamy sigh. “Flynn Ascott has never done anything like that before. Not to anyone. Not even when he was dating Rachel. If he did, I would have known!”

Kelsey lifted one quizzical brow as she moved on to her other foot. That girl sounded like a true fan. Sure, Flynn was quite a popular topic here in Northern High. She had heard his name being mentioned in many girls' sob as they cried for their broken hearts but she had never thought that there would be girls who paid attention to whatever he was doing and took note of that.

Who was Flynn Ascott anyway?

As far as Kelsey knew, he was a notorious man-whore who had slept with almost all the pretty girls in Northern High — and possibly in the entire Seattle. His parents owned multiple businesses in the United States and that was the real reason why he had gone back to the U.S. after spending his childhood in the U.K. Some folks even considered him as Prince William of America. Even though he was ridiculously popular, she had never seen him in parties because she could always tell if he was there by listening to the whispers and buzzes around her.

They said he was very picky when it came down to friendship. None of the popular kids were his friends despite their attempts to invite him to every party they had ever held or ask him to join their table in the center of the cafeteria. Since Kelsey had spent most of her days with Shane and Bryson among the other popular kids, she had never actually face to face with him until today.

“Do you know what's the ship name for the new couple?” asked the other girl.

Flynn's true fan replied with a question, “What couple? Flynn and that girl? I doubt they are a couple. I think he was just being kind and helped her. You know, him being a god and helping kind people for charity.”

Wow, talk about obsession! Though what that girl had said caused her to wonder why Flynn Ascott had helped her in the first place considering they did not know each other and he had no other reasons.

“No, not them. I mean Shane and Bryson. Everyone is calling them Shane O'Bry, get it? It is like Sean O'Pry but we use Shane instead of Sean and Bry instead of Pry,” explained the other girl, sounding so excited about the new pair. 

“That is rich!” Flynn's fan replied. “I do not think Shane and that girl, ugh, what was her name again, I forgot, well, anyway I do not think they had a ship name before. Maybe because—” she abruptly stopped as her phone rang. “Hey, Martha, what's up?” A few seconds of silence before, “What? Where are they? Okay, I am going there right now.”

“What is it?” Her friend asked.

“Shane O'Bry. Martha just told me that they went for the King and Queen competition!”

King and Queen, commonly known as K&Q, was Northern High tradition of choosing two students as the NH King and Queen using ballots. Kelsey felt another stab to her heart as she remembered that Shane had promised her the exact same thing six months ago. Despite her reluctance to participate in the competition, he had promised that together they would become King and Queen of Northern High and now he was joining the competition with Bryson.

Once the girls had left, Kelsey went through the other door, one that led to the football field. There was only one place where no one could see her breaking apart and that was exactly where she was heading.

* * *

She had immediately recognized his voice before she could even see him standing there with an older woman on the side of the empty field. It was the fourth period, and no one was using playing football, everyone was still in their respective classroom. Everyone except her, who spent her time sitting there under the bleachers and staring blankly ahead as she tried her best not to waste any more tears for Shane nor Bryson.

“You are wasting your time. I am not going anywhere,” said Flynn, staring down at the woman who stood a few feet away from him.

“Please, Tyson, just once. Come to D.C. and meet your family. You can finally meet your brother,” begged the woman. Her hair was one shade lighter than his and it made her wonder if they were related.

Flynn shook his head and turned away. “Stop calling me that! I am not Tyson. My name is Flynn Ascott, and The Ascotts is the only family I know.”

As she used both hands to cover her mouth, Kelsey watched the woman's complexion turn pale as tears started pouring down her face. “But I am your mother.” Her voice sounded weak, her knees looked like they would buckle at any moment.

Flynn turned, his face darkened with hatred and anger. “You are not my mother. You gave up that role when you gave me away.”

Again, he turned away but this time he was facing her. Kelsey saw his eyes brimming with tears but she knew those were angry tears. The fact that she even knew this surprised her.

“You gave up that role when you chose one child over the other. When you chose to raise Tyler and not me so do not bother talking me out of this and just leave.”

The woman continued sobbing as if her heart had been torn out of her chest while Flynn hung his head. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he finally reopened his eyes, there was hurt all over his eyes and his voice was icy cold when he said, “Just go and do not come back here ever again. Just consider me dead or even better, consider I have never been born at all. That will surely make everyone’s life easier.”

The woman lifted her hand, wanting to touch her son for one last time but he jerked his hand away, giving her a cold, death glare. Biting her lips, she brushed away her tears and started to walk away. She glanced over her shoulder one last time and a single tear slid down her cheek.

Kelsey waited until that woman walked through the front gate before stepping out of her hiding. His gaze was on the ground but his head snapped up like a startled bird when he heard her voice.

“Wow, you are such a dick!”

She watched his jaw clench and his hand curled into a fist. “How much did you hear?”

“Well, considering that I have been sitting there for like an hour so yeah, go figure.” She cocked her head to one side, regarding him with a curious stare. “I dare say that I have heard pretty much everything.”

His hazel eyes narrowed infinitesimally. “You can never tell a soul about what you heard.”

Kelsey raised a dark brow and let out a chuckle. “Or what?”

He did not even blink when he voiced his threat. “Or I will break you.”

“Go right ahead,” she challenged him, shrugging one shoulder. “I am already broken.” She surprised herself by managing not to break down or fall apart. Maybe because she had finally accepted that fact or perhaps because his eyes were on her, watching her every move like a hawk. “Haven't you heard? My boyfriend, the quarterback,” she paused as she let out a hollow, brittle laugh. “Well, he is not my boyfriend anymore since he stuck his tongue down my best friend’s throat and dumped me in front of everyone last night. But you know that, everyone does.”

She did not realize how true it was until the words had left her mouth. “Basically, I have nothing to lose but you, however,” she deliberately took a pause, just to give him a wicked smile, “You have more to worry about. What do you think will happen if everyone knows that you are not the Flynn Ascott they thought you were? What will they say if they know that you are adopted. That you actually are—” she paused, scrunching her face as she tried to recall the name that the older woman had called him, “what did your mother call you just now? Tyler? Coulson? Tyson!”