Chapter 9

I growled my frustration under my breath. I was sitting at my reading table with my chemistry report note in front of me, the sheets staring blankly at me with my pen tapping at the edge of my desk. It was the second day since our practical class and I still did not have a headway at understanding the question Christian and I were supposed to answer. The due date for the report wasn’t until tomorrow. I read the questions over and over. Find the concentration of your base with respects to moles and grams. How was I supposed to do that?

Beside me, Charlie was sleeping. Somehow yesterday she had convinced Heather to solve their questions so she was done with her own report while I mulled over mine. She tossed on the bed and shot me an evil look.

“If you don’t stop tapping that pen I swear I’ll grab it and break it in half,” she growled sleepily.

“Sorry,” I murmured and sighed. “But Charlie can you not help me out here?”

She tossed again and came to a half-sitting position. “I already told you I can’t. You need to use your own titer values.”

“But I have to ask Christian for them,” I said. Even the thought of it caused my stomach to churn. I mean don’t get me wrong, seeing Christian again and being in the same space with him would not be such a bad idea but seeing the arrogance on his face when I have to beg for his notes would be the worst thing ever and really it would take the grace of God for me not to punch his beautiful face in.

“Would that be so bad?” Charlie asked watching me closely.

“Yes.”

She chuckled. “Not from my point of view. The tension between you two yesterday was…intense. I mean even Tyler was drawn by it and it distracted Heather for a while.” She paused for a moment and then suddenly sat up with huge eyes, there was a look of pure mischief and excitement on her face. “Jess, maybe you’re the one I’ve been waiting for all along!”

I eyed her cynically. “What do you mean?”

She stood up from the bed and sat on its edge. “Heather was distracted by you and Christian yesterday. Maybe you could help me distract Christian away from her long enough for me to get her to like me.”

I rolled my eyes. Ok, this was definitely getting out of hand. Charlie is obsessed with Heather and it’s not a healthy obsession if she’s willing to use me as a tool for her own means.

“No can do, Charlie. I’m not interested. You want Heather you get her by yourself but you’re not using me.”

She burst out laughing clapping her hands as she laughed. “I'm just fucking with you! I don’t need your help. You should have seen your face when I made the suggestion,” she laughed. “Chill out okay? I was just joking. But really you have some balls on you and I think you could use that against the BBC, they haven’t had competition in a while.”

“And how am I supposed to do that? Go crawling to Christian to ask for his notes?”

“That’s a start.” She saw the look on my face and amended, “But I’m not asking you to beg him I’m just saying you need to swallow your pride here today and complete your report then you can use those steel balls of yours to stand up to them. I heard Christian say he isn’t your friend but one of your enemies?”

I nodded.

“He is right. The Bad Boys Club will come for you because they need entertainment but I’m rooting for you because I can see the stuff you’re made of.”

Just then the bell went off and collective sighs and grunts rang throughout the hostel.

“Reading time.”

Charlie and I packed our stuff and joined the group of those going out to the reading room. We took a seat at the corner of the room and a few seconds later Zoe and Dave joined us together with a couple of juniors. This time Annabel took a seat two spaces away from us but before that, she approached our table.

“Underwood.”

“Reed.” If she’s going to be giving me that boss bitch attitude I might as well give it right back to her. There was a touch of a smile at the corner of her lips.

“The report.”

I lifted some of my books up and drew out a sheet where I had written the report she asked for. She started to collect it from me but stopped.

“You know what? Why don’t you bring it to the seniors’ quarters later tomorrow evening?”

“Why go through that trouble when you can collect it here?”

She scoffed. “You really do have a mouth on you, don’t you? Whatever, bring it tomorrow or be punished.” And with that, she was gone.

“I swear one day I’ll kill that bitch,” I muttered under my breath.

Charlie laughed. “If she doesn’t kill you first.”

“What is her deal? Why have I become this weird obsession with her?”

“You are kind of a big deal, Jess,” Zoe said. I frowned at her comment. She vaguely waved her hand in the air. “You’re some sort of hot item now are the newbie. It’s kinda like a gamble, people are watching how well you’re gonna hold up against the Bad Boys Club and you’re doing a pretty good job because here you are after the whole bloodstain incident.”

“That one sucked,” Dave murmured.

“Yeah they tried that one on someone else and she broke down. She left when she couldn’t take it anymore,” Zoe continued. “I don’t know for sure what Annabel’s attitude towards you has gotten to do with any of this but I have a good feeling that the seniors are in on a bet to see how well you’ll hold one too.”

Great, I’m a fucking experiment. “Wow, people must really be bored around here to enjoy making life miserable for someone for entertainment.”

“It’s not that bad. You’re doing good actually.” It was Charlie who spoke this time. “And I’m rooting for you because I got a good feeling about you.”

“Don’t act like you’re not getting some sort of entertainment from this Charlie.”

She smiled guiltily. “You’re right. But it’s all in good fun.”

I shrugged. Well like I said before it would take a lot to wake the demon in me and I’m up to a challenge no matter what it is, so whatever the BBC and their bitches have for me I hope they are prepared for what I too have for them.

I suddenly remembered I needed to complete my report so I looked around the hall for Christian and found him with his crew at the other end of the hall. I stood up and approached them. I could feel eyes watching me as I made my way to their table. On one hand, the attention I was getting as the newbie was amazing, I mean I’ve always loved being the center of attention but on the other hand, it was oppressive because I knew everyone was watching to see what becomes of me and see whether or not I’ll back down from this battle with the Bad Boys Club. Either way, I would give the people what they want and have some satisfaction of my own.

As I approached their table they stopped talking and all but Tyler and Christian looked in my direction. It’s so unfair that all of them including Heather and her sidekicks had to be so good-looking. I see why they can get away with much; money and beauty make the world go crazy. I stopped in front of Christian who had his nose buried in a book.

“You win, I was unable to complete my calculations I need your note.”

At first, there was no reaction. The silence from him heightened the tension in the hall as people waited for his reaction and what would unfold next. Then a tiny smile appeared on Christian’s lips and he looked up. I swear I lost my breath at the sight of those cool gray eyes.

“And you lose,” he said simply before sliding his note from his bag. “Lucky for you I came prepared.”

I huffed. “Well, seeing as you won I should warn you to watch your back because I give double for trouble.”

“I should be the judge of that. You’re yet to retaliate for the bloodstain prank.”

“In due time, kid, in due time.”

I snatched the note from his hand and started to leave when I tripped and fell. The silent room burst into laughter as I fell flat on my face.

I had seen the leg but was not able to avoid it.

It was Jordan, the only one in the group I was yet to speak to. I saw him slap Tyler a high five from under the table.

“Watch where you’re going, stampcrab.” It was Heather who spoke in a mocking tone.

I stood up and bore down on her. “Don’t you dare call me a stamp-crab you bitch. You know as well as I do that I didn’t trip on my own feet,” I cut Jordan a cold look. “Someone tripped me.”

“Excuses excuses,” Lola said with a roll of her eyes. “If you weren’t as tall as a giraffe maybe you wouldn’t be so clumsy on your own feet.”

I leaned towards her. “I’m sorry I can’t hear you from up here?”

A collective Oooohhhh!! went through the hall. Dahlia was pretty short even for an average person so the insult was a good one. Even Tyler couldn’t keep from laughing at that one. I mentally flipped my hair and walked back to my seat.

Let the battles begin.