~ALLISONApproaching the steps from inside the room snapped me out of my thoughts, and I quickly dashed behind a nearby pillar, shielding myself as a group of boys poured out.Peering around, I couldn't spot Landon among them, making me wonder if he was even in the locker room. Maybe he had gone home or somewhere else.Well, checking it out wouldn't hurt, as long as I didn't get caught.I moved away from the pillar towards the door, took a deep breath, then pushed it slightly. Making sure no one was in sight, I peeked in first before pushing the door wider.The large room was deserted as I stepped in. My nose wrinkled in disgust as I took in the sight of dirty jerseys and boots strewn across the floor.Jeez,"Is that undies?!""Boys can be really dirty sometimes..." A crack sounded from behind, snapping me out of my thoughts. I spun on my heels, my face instantly flushing red as I beheld Landon's half-naked form—he was only wearing shorts."What are you doing here?" he asked, not both
~ALLISONYeah.I'm screwed again.Here I am, in the disciplinarian's office, sitting in front of the old snitch who won't stop glaring at me.Putting my offense aside, Mr. Jacob rarely has a smile on his face. From my first year, he's always had this grim look that scares the students. Definitely not me, but especially the humans among us.I wonder if he still looks this way at home with his family. That's if he has one. I can't see why any woman would settle for a man who never smiles. It’s weird and would be scary for their future kids.“So you think you can do whatever pleases you because you're part of the Smith family, Miss West?” he finally speaks up, and I frown at his words.“With all due respect, sir, this has nothing to do with the Smith family, actually,” I say, giving a tight smile even though I feel offended and want nothing more than to curse him out.“Then why were you found in the boys' locker room? I bet you know that's against the school's law.”Uhm.If I could turn
~ALLISONI froze, unsure of what to say as he looked me straight in the eyes, searching for answers.Sure, I panicked when I saw him. But wouldn’t it be adding fuel to the fire if I honestly told him why my heart skipped a beat?“Allison?" he snapped me out of my thoughts, his brows furrowed.“Because I wasn’t expecting you. I mean, you came quite early." I chose my words carefully, trying not to stir up more suspicion.I guess that didn’t work as I hoped. His brows furrowed even more. “You weren’t expecting me?”Now it was my turn to be confused. I arched an eyebrow and slowly replied, “Yes... I wasn’t.”"But Landon called me. He said you were trying to reach me to come take you home,” he said, and I blankly stared at him, my confusion doubling.Okay. Get a grip, Allison.What kind of trick did that jerk pull on us?“He said you weren’t feeling well and wanted to go home,” he added, and I quickly put on a fake surprised expression.“That’s right. You weren’t picking up your calls, so
~ALLISON"Miss Allison Westwood," Mister Jacob muttered, peering up from the stack of papers in his hands, his brows sternly creased as he continued, "Your records contradict your claims. There have been complaints from some students about your abusive behavior.""With all due respect, sir, those complaints are not true. I'm the victim here!" I calmly retorted, though inside, I was seething with anger.He glared at my response. "Then can you explain what you did to Mister Landon Smith?" he asked, shifting my attention to the jerk face sitting across from me.He had an ice pack on his swollen nose—If looks could kill, I'd be six feet under from the way he was staring at me. Like he could pounce on me any second and rip me into pieces.Unfortunately, he can't rip my head off in here. Well, maybe he could but definitely not in the presence of the disciplinarian. However, before he dares make such an attempt, I did make sure to fuck up more of his features.I'm not a bully, unlike what my
~ALLISONI held my gaze with his forest green eyes, debating whether to tell him the whole truth. The whole truth in the sense that there were actually two people bullying me, a couple, rather. I admired the fierceness in his eyes, his willingness to fight for me, but... I didn't want him to, especially with Landon involved.Revealing Landon's harassment would be like setting two beasts against each other. Though Landon wasn't as aggressive as Jason from what I had seen, what if he got hurt, or worse, Landon? And if the disciplinarian stepped in, we would both get rusticated, no doubt.I took a deep breath.“It's nothing—”"Is it Kate?" He interrupted.How did he know about that? I guess my expression gave it away, as he answered, “I saw the way you were glaring at her earlier."“Fine, you've got me.”His jaw tightened. “Stay right here. I'm gonna teach that witch a lesson," he said, turning to leave, but I grabbed his arm before he could take a step.Damn, his arm is so thick. My han
~ALLISONLeaning on the dinner table, I crossed my arms on my chest. My brows furrowed as I watched my mom pace back and forth in the sitting room, talking on the phone with Mister Jacob.It was no surprise that the sellout disciplinarian had kept his word. He had finally given me the 'Hard Time' he promised. But his decision didn't affect me as much as it seemed to bother my mom. She was furious, really mad.Occasionally, she would glance in my direction and shoot me a glare. I wondered what version of lies Mister Jacob was telling her about my behavior at school.Argh.Her pacing was making me dizzy. I took a break and turned to the dining table, which was loaded with lavish dishes. Mom and I didn't usually eat much, so I was confused about the feast. But that didn't stop me from reaching for a pancake.“Don’t touch that!” Mom's voice startled me from behind."I'm hungry!” I protested, quickly taking a bite before she could stop me. She didn't, but the glare in her eyes made it hard
~LANDON"Sure, Dad," I replied, trying to hide my frustration. This is perhaps the thousandth time he'd insisted on my best behavior. Despite my dislike for being here, especially after what that runt did to my face, Dad insisted I come along. I couldn't understand why my presence was necessary. Couldn't he court the woman he liked without dragging me to some shit dinner, let alone enduring her daughter?My teeth clenched at the thought of seeing that runt's face again. I never thought I'd see her anytime soon after she got kicked out of school.Dad rang the doorbell, and the door opened, revealing my soon-to-be stepmom. She looked stunning. No doubt, Dad always had an eye for women. He hugged her tightly, a smile lighting up his face, brighter than I'd seen since my Mom passed away“This is my son, Landon,” He introduced, breaking away from the hug. “It's nice to meet you, Landon.” She beamed at me and I returned the smile out of courtesy, that was what Dad wanted."Come in. I prep
~ALLISONI hate to say but all Landon told me the day he barged into my room unannounced was true. The night of that day, I had gone to my Mom's room to confirm it all. “He is right, Allie". She began, tears gathering at the bottom of her eyes.“For some time now, Gary has been the one protecting us from Alvin's threats.”I sighed.Alvin, my dad, had been a thorn in our sides for years. I was still young, aged 5 or so when it all began—He blamed my Mom for being the reason why his life turned miserable… Up until now, I still can't place a finger on how my Mom caused his deranged state. Everyone knew he ruined his own life with drugs and all, but he refused to accept responsibility instead he keeps pinning the blame on us. Mom eventually had to flee with me to escape his abuse when she could no longer bear him.For years, we lived in fear, watching our backs in case he showed up one day to harm us and that's the reason Mom was super suspicious of anyone who came near our home. She liv