chapter 4

Xavier basically ripped me away from my breakfast. Very rudely might I add. I kept looking at Reka to help me, but she didn’t seem to understand me. Some handmaiden I had. When we got outside, I scanned the house carefully for a full two minutes. Not because I didn’t understand the structure of the house and it was horribly built, no of course not. I scanned the house for two minutes because that is how long it took me to go around the house with my eyes without missing a detail. My “boyfriend” is rich. I almost fainted at the thought of it. He definitely had a good-paying job here on earth, or demon cash was equivalent to six thousand dollars and he spent three thousand demon cash.

“Let’s go. You seem to think time waits for you, Winter. It does not.” he said, “are you not the slightest bit afraid of being late?” He asked. Maybe only in the deepest part of my heart, but I have never been a fan of school anyway, so it really didn’t matter if I missed the whole day.

“No, not really.” I couldn’t help myself. My eyes danced over his house again in awe. “Wait, wait, wait, is this the house we just stepped out from?” I asked. The house seemed smaller inside.

Xavier rolled his eyes at me. Teenage girl much?

“Of course not. We came through a portal from the demon world.”

“Oh,” I nodded, believing instantly, trying not to start hyperventilating over the fact that I had just been in hell.

“I’m not serious. The sooner you learn that I am mostly never serious, the better. That being said, are you always this stupid, or it’s just the shock?” That question made me gasp and blink a lot. LE WHAT!

It took a while for me to reply in the calmest way possible, “I am not stupid. We should really respect one another, as you mentioned earlier.”

An amused look crossed his face for a second. “Okay then, I apologize.”

“What do you do for work? Your house is pleasant. Do you act? Are you a… porn star?” That would fit him perfectly. What was his on-screen name? When I find my phone, I will search him up. His eyebrows knitted.

“A porn star? Do I look like a porn star to you?” Yes “I am not a porn star. I can never do that, especially not on earth. When you taste French wine, do you go back to the grocery store for wine?”

“I don’t even want to know what that means,” Was that proverb supposed to be about how sex with demons is better than sex with humans? I am highly confused. Why marry me then?

“Nothing all that bad, but with time, you will understand.” He patted my head, and it felt nice. “But in case you got your head all mixed up and you live in a world where all demons have demon have demon stereotypes, come out of it fast when you’re with me.”

“So you don’t work,”

“I do. I am the heir to the throne.”

“You are the heir to the throne, so you get money from that?”

“Yeah.” I see. I nodded at him. “What did I say?”

“Huhn?”

“Didn’t I say not to take me seriously all the time? I work. How else am I supposed to make human money from hell?” I glared at him. This guy was getting really annoying, really fast.

“You are making me feel foolish, Xavier, stop joking for a moment. I need to wrap my head slowly around such concepts.”

“Forgive me. I just can’t help it. I enjoy messing with your head.” He smiled at him. “You… I need to stop talking to you. You’re late.” Aw, look at me, thinking I could stall him for much longer. We got into his car. His nice car that was just part of a collection of other nice cars.

“Do you even know how to drive?”

“I guess we have to find out.” He looked at me smiling like a child who just got a new toy.”

“So you have never done this before?”

“Not in fifty years,” he shrugged like it was the most normal thing in the world. I gave him a bored expression.

“Are you being serious?” I am not a genius, but I have learnt that I should never take this man seriously.

“Yes. This time I am being serious. I don’t have to drive, I can just…” he snapped his fingers “And I get to where I want to go.”

“You are going to get us killed, Xavier.” I don’t mind though. If I am experiencing this, it means I have lived too long.

“Relax, I have learned this before. I am just a little rusty and I think I can remember how to drive and even if we do crash I can’t die, and neither can you. As long as I am with you, you are untouchable.” I don’t know why, but that made me feel safe and irritated knowing that he could protect me from basically everything except himself.

We drove a little rough out of the isolated area for miles. Xavier was wrong. He wasn’t rusty, he almost killed me like five times. I could see no houses in sight. From my view, we were on the mountain. I was starting to worry if Xavier even knew his way out of the place; I stared out of the window. Soon I started seeing trees, then I saw houses and Xavier’s driving greatly improved. The idiot was trying to scare me. I rolled my eyes at the window, thinking about it.

“Do you know the way to my school?” I asked him.

He hesitated. Probably to think of whether he wanted to mess with my head again or he just wanted to leave me alone “… Of course.” he continued driving. At one point he wanted to put on the music and as I saw his hand moving towards me, my heart started skipping beats, and then I slapped his hand away. He looked utterly confused.

“You can just say, Xavier, I don’t want the music on.” The embarrassment I have been living through since that incident. OH MY GOD. I think he knew what I was thinking and what he did, so that is why he has been feeling so proud of himself. He is letting his sexy hair fly in the wind and everything.

“If you think about how much I irritate you too much, you might explode.” He laughed to himself.

“You wish I was thinking about you.”

“I don’t have to wish, I know,” he said. Xavier is such a weirdo.

“Are you in my head or something? OOOH, you can read minds. SPOOKY,” I said sarcastically.

“I can.” I heard him say. ‘right’

"What am I thinking of right now?”

“I will not play children’s games with you to prove myself.” He stroked my hair with endearment. Why do singular meaningless acts like this from him matter? Did it always have to feel so good? It felt like real electricity was jolting through my veins, and I loved the feeling. It was amazing. Sex would be amazing. Welp, there goes virgin Vanessa, again. I need to get a grip!

“I would love to have sex with you too, Winter,” he smiled towards me. WHAT? God tell me I didn’t say that out loud and he heard me. What do I say? What do I do? Brain, think, think.

“Huh” of course my mouth becomes numb suddenly.

“I decided to play your children’s games.” Shit. “you’re free to let your imaginations run wild.” He winked at me. I swear I died.

“You never told me what you do for work.” I changed the topic, making him laugh at my wack ability to get out of awkward situations.

“I work at a… You know, it’s funny how I have to work.”

“Xavier, are you avoiding my question?”

“Isn’t it funny?” that made me narrow my eyes at him.

“I guess it is… Are you in the mafia? Do you traffic women?”

“My father would kill me. I have to live by example. I can’t do such.” What an ironic statement.

“But you’re a…”

“Demon? I know right, what a bitch... AH,” I was taken aback when I saw one of his hands pressed against his ear and his eyes were shut tight.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said with a pained expression on his face, then he scoffed slowly, with a soft smile on his face. Okay, guy, you are creeping me out. “Apparently, my father doesn’t like being called a dog... where were we? Ah yes, I am not in the mafia. I am the head of a company... Ugh.”

“What happened to you just now? Why did you go…” I exaggeratingly mimicked his movements.

“My father, there’s this thing… You won’t get it unless I demonstrate.” He focused really hard on the road and then to myself I muttered “bipolar much” then I heard this loud siren-like sound in my head as if my ears were being hammered into with nails and it felt awful.

“Ow” I yelled and gripped my head, trying to get the sound out of my head, but it was still there, then it stopped… not abruptly, it just faded away. I looked at Xavier who had this questioning look on his face.

“Do you understand now?”

“You could have easily explained that pain, Xavier,” I said and stuck my finger in my ear, trying to unclog it.

“I am sorry, my queen.” he smiled like it was funny. But he was cute though and have I mentioned how intriguing his eyes were? God, they were perfect. One moment they were this green colour that really shined like emeralds, then the second they were as bright as gold, taunting me and inviting me to swim in his beautiful pool of eyes. I really should stop letting this guy change my perception of him. He is not a good person and here he was trying to laugh with me and talk with me.

I felt us stop. Literally, he stopped the car, and I looked and saw that I was already at school. Everybody was inside, so the parking lots and the front of the school were devastatingly empty. God, I was going to have so much detention that when I marry the guy sitting next to me; I was going to have kids and they would continue the detention for me.

“Okay, bye,” Xavier said and waved me away.

“Xavier, I am late. I can’t go in there. I will never live it up,” I said, begging him to do something, e.g. take me back home.

“What do you want me to do about that? You were the person saying you wanted to ditch, but you came late, which is totally still a bad girl act.” with an enthusiastic smile on his face. He was not cheering me on right now. HE WAS NOT CHEERING ME ON RIGHT NOW. The nerve of him.

“I don’t know. Take me home.”

“Now that is something I will never do.”

“Why not?!”

“You will have a lot of questions to answer. I don’t want that.”

“Well. do something! Please.” I said frantically, even though it was totally my fault that I was late for school. Wait, now that I think about it, all this was Xavier’s fault. But I spent a long in the shower, but the water was nice though.

“Okay, okay” he focused really hard for some time and then looked at me. “have a nice day” I looked out and saw people still in the driveway, talking and laughing before class.

“Did you just turn back time?” I asked.

“Yes, say thank you, Xavier,” He said it like he was talking to a child.

“Not what I was expecting but, thank you, Xavier.” What were you expecting? I don’t even know.

“You are welcome” I got out of the car and slammed the door mildly. I walked towards the school, and mid-track I was stopped by Zoe and Chloe, who ran up to me with their bags on their shoulders, bouncing in every which way.

“Who was that?” they chorused as soon as they stopped in front of me, okay Winter, think of the best lie you can.

“Huh?” seriously, HUH, that is all your brain could muster

“That hot guy that dropped you off right now, who was that?” they squealed and smiled widely like two toddlers.

“Hello to you too, Chloe and Zoe. I am glad to see you.” they smacked me lightly, still waiting for me to answer their question. “Oh, he was no one.” This was not the conversation I wanted to talk about before proper food entered my belly. I would tell them during lunch so we can have time and privacy to talk about that party and everything that happened. I brushed them off.

“No one? Come on, that guy isn’t supposed to be called a no one, spill now.” they should press me, a little further and I would be choking.

“Back off. I will tell you everything during lunch. okay meanwhile... we have to talk about how your weekend was after that party. After you, you know, ditched me,” I rolled my eyes sassily at them jokingly.

“What are you on about?”

“Oh, never mind.”

They looked at each other as if they knew what I was talking about and giggled, “Our weekend was okay, nothing out of the ordinary... let’s get to maths, where is your bag?” they raised their brows at me. Strange. I never forget my bag. It’s all Xavier’s fault. I smacked my forehead in annoyance.

“Ugh, I must have forgotten it at home. I guess I have to get through school without it.” That would be impossible. I keep literally everything in my bag. “most of my books are in my locker anyway.” A big lie.

“You forgot your bag at home, or you were in that guy’s house all weekend. OMG, did you finally do it? WITH HIM?!” they asked, then started squealing like little girls. I could barely hear myself think. The sex hormones these girls possess… I can’t.

“No, no, no, I was at home all weekend,” I said. I should really stop lying.

“Oh, really?” they were literally so annoying.

“Yes! Let us go to class,” I said quickly before they could ask me if I went on a private cruise ship all the way to Bali.

“Someone is avoiding a conversation,” they said with amused faces as I started walking to my locker. I immediately started walking faster, and they ran after me, laughing.

I opened the locker door, then peered deeply, looking for my maths book. Hoping it was there. And then I realized it was in my backpack along with my... my HOMEWORK, which I dumped on my bed to put my party stuff.

“I just realized. I left my bag at yours, but my books aren’t in it.” I whispered, very unsure of what to do. I am ruined, I am ruined. Mrs Anderson was going to let me have it. Now I get what my father meant. I shouldn’t have snuck out. God, I hate my life. Oh, no, my grades will be ruined and it would be all because of that idiot of a future husband. EX future husband, if that was even a real thing. Ugh, what a life I had started to live!

“What’s wrong? Let us go to maths class,” they both said.

“My maths homework isn’t here,” I replied with an awkward smile on my face.

“Huh,” they exclaimed. “That is so unlike you, Winter,” they said again.

“I know, I know it’s in my room and I forgot to put it back in my bag. What am I going to do? I mean, I can just run home and grab it”

“How would you get in? You keep your keys in your bag and your father is at the grocery store.” Zoe raised her eyebrow at me. And I probably dumped the keys on my bed too before sneaking out. I was curious though since Zoe said my dad was at the grocery store. She must have seen him right. That meant my dad was okay.

“Right... right,” I groaned.

“I have an idea!” Chloe exclaimed and looked at the both of us

“Which is?”

“I have a new notebook. You can copy half of the previous note, then do the homework, then give it to her.”

“That is a brilliant idea, Chloe,” Zoe said. I almost smacked my head. It wasn’t a BRILLIANT idea, but I didn’t have any ideas of my own. I was about to mirror Zoe’s words. No, I don’t want to share my speech with anyone. “You are amazing,” I added just for safety and thankfully Zoe didn’t say it with me.

“Let’s go now if we want to make it to maths class” we all scurried to the library, then immediately we got to a table Chloe pulled the book out of her bag then tossed it on the table along with a pencil and her own book. I really didn’t know what I would do without them.

As I was writing, it immediately dawned on me that Chloe probably wanted to use the notebook for something and I felt bad for her. She had been put in an inconvenience because of me.

“Chloe, what did you want to use the book for?” I said while trying to copy the notes without my arm breaking off.

“It doesn’t really matter.”

“Yes it does,” I countered.

“I wanted to use it for my writing, but now that you have it, I will just buy another one, no harm.”

“Don’t worry about it. I will pay you back.”

“Come on, it’s fine. That’s the least I can do for you. It’s no big deal, really. It IS just a notebook.”

“One minute more you guys… I am.... done, let us go” I packed all the books on the table as Chloe and Zoe packed the things we used to complete this escapade.

We raced the bell and beat it. What we shouldn’t have done, though, was the crazy happy dance. Everyone’s eyes were on us.

Better than no homework. We walked to our different seats and then slouched into them simultaneously, as all of us were tired from the run.