When you are not looking, I am looking at you and hating you for making me look at you.
Chapter 2- Broken Beliefs
(Sky)
Sky's heart was a weird thrashing mess as Melissa Paisley waltzed towards the car, her red hair falling down her back like a silky curtain. She was like a creature from some mythical land. No wonder Hunter had lost his mind. Melissa's dark, cherry-red painted lips were pulled up in a gorgeous smile as she waved at Hunter and Hunter waved back. Sky had never really seen that smile in Melissa. Melissa always only had a grimace or a malicious glare for Sky, as she ordered her cronies of bullies to do something to Sky and then Melissa would safely stand a mile away—God forbid if she broke one perfectly manicured nail or got her costly dress dirty.
Melissa opened the car door and took the seat next to Hunter and Sky could see her leaning closer to Hunter in the rearview mirror. Hunter looked nervously around and then he subtly pulled away from her and Sky saw with sadistic satisfaction when Melissa's face fell a little, but then she masked it with a carefully practiced smile.
"Hi, Skylar." She greeted Sky with a fake smile.
Sky abhorred her. There was no explanation that would make Sky like the girl who had been tormenting her all her life. No. Sky had always been a pretty diplomatic person when it came to Hunter's previous herds of girlfriends. They came in different sizes and shapes and she had always been a pretty supportive friend, even when her heart was breaking every time he found someone new. But this time, Sky just couldn't smile or be polite, not when Hunter had stabbed her in the back. It did feel exactly like that.
Sky looked out the window and her eyes narrowed at the mansion. The house was gigantic and it looked like it was built for a Victorian princess. Tall windows, silk curtains, stone pavement... Melissa was beautiful and she was rich and she was a witch!
Yes. Melissa Paisley was Sky's nightmare. Melissa was the boogeyman under Sky's bed and no way in hell was she going to be diplomatic to her bully. Melissa hadn't shown any diplomacy when she locked Sky in the bathroom stall for an hour and made her miss the pop quiz on social studies in Freshman year. She hadn't shown any diplomacy when she dumped spaghetti sauce over Sky's white skirt when she was in Sophomore year. Sky could go on. But it would be a time-consuming monologue. Melissa had tormented Sky since she was eight. It was hate at first sight.
"Paisley." Sky grunted back and fisted her palms in her lap. Holden snickered and Sky gave him a death glare.
He shrugged and smirked as he turned away from her. After that, there was only a thick, oily silence in the car and it grew inside Sky's heart. Holden looked at her, from time to time, but even he didn't say or do anything that made her want to scratch his eyes out. Nope. Even Holden stayed quiet.
In the stretching silence, where the only sound was the soft breathing, Sky seethed about the unfairness of it all. My fate is such a pesky b*tch. I hate you, fate.
The rest of the car ride was full of awkward silences that nobody wanted to fill. Sky pressed her cheek on the cool, tinted window and stared at the passing trees and shops as they blurred past. The sun was soft, and the trees looked glorious bathed in the golden rays. After ten minutes of silence and coughs by Hunter, they were finally here.
When Holden stopped the car, Melissa and Hunter walked out. Sky watched as Melissa entwined her fingers with Hunter. This time, he didn't pull away. Sky stayed in the car for a moment, composing her face, controlling her heart. She told herself she would take it in stride, just as she had taken his previous relationships. It was her fault that she had a crush on her best friend. It was her fault that she was a coward who couldn't let him know how she felt.
You can do it. She said to herself as she got out, but when she saw Hunter and Melissa standing under the oak tree, kissing passionately, like their whole lives depended on that sole kiss, Sky's face instantly fell. She balled her fists as she willed her heart to stop hurting so much.
It wasn't anything she hadn't witnessed before, but this time it was too much for her and her heart. Hunter was kissing Melissa. Her lips quivered in unsaid words and feelings. Her brain was telling her to look away, to move away, but she was frozen in place. She just couldn't look away or move.
Sky was startled when Holden grabbed her hand in his big one. She glared at him, but he ignored her as he pulled at her hand and she was forced to follow him. His steps were wide and Sky almost had to run to catch up with the giant. It was as if Sky was a ragdoll. He dragged her like she was made of cotton and shredded cardboard or something.
"What the hell, you poop-face? Let me go. Holden, what the hell are you doing?" Sky screamed as he dragged her away to the back of the school. "What is your problem? You satan's apprentice? Why are you-" she stopped when he finally let her hand go.
He looked at her with a fierce scowl in his stupidly sexy face. They were at the back compound of the school right now, and barring from one guy making art with his smoke, the place was deserted.
Sky looked around as she rubbed her wrist with a frown. Ass. Jerk. Jerkass.
"Go away." Holden hissed at the guy who was smoking a cigarette and the guy hurriedly threw the cigarette down, pressed his shoe over the half-done cigarette and walked, or more like, ran away from Holden.
Hot damn, her stupid inner voice said. She curbed the damn thing down. It was such a freak, and she knew one shouldn't call their own inner voice a freak, but Sky had no other word to describe the thing. It was like a circus show inside her head, oftentimes and she was the monkey doing the difficult tricks.
"Why in the hell would you drag me all the way here, you giant dumb egg?" Sky hissed at him and he gave her a dark glare that made her want to shrink inside herself. But she wouldn't. She was made of sterner stuff, at least when it came to Holden.
"To save yourself from utter humiliation. You looked like you were about to cry in front of the whole school. Sh*t, even I felt bad for you and that's gotta tell you something. You are pathetic, freckles. It is a new low, even for you." He said in a voice that cut Sky. It was like a knife twisted deep in her gut and she wished aliens would kidnap him back to his own planet. But sigh, not all the wishes came true.
His eyes were dangerous.
But he smells delicious. Ms. Freak smacked her lips together.
One more step closer and the whole of her would be pressed deliciously against the whole of Holden. Sh*t. She was panicking.
What the hell is he doing now?
The guy is yummier than the chocolate cake... Ms. Freak said with a seductive grin and Sky showed a middle finger to her inner voice.
Do not come near, you moron. She screamed inside, but Holden must not have the same frequency as her to receive the telepathic message she sent, because he was still moving towards her, like a predator stalking his prey. His steps were agile, slow and calculated, as his eyes took her in, studied her every movement. He stopped with a frustrated sigh. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking agitated, and messed up his beautiful hair. Sky bit her lip as she looked at him and his eyes bored in to hers.
He should be banned from the planet earth. Holden Reed is not human. No human should look like this.
Sky turned away from him, intent on sprinting away from the angry boy, but he grabbed her by her red blouse with a finger and she stopped with a growl.
There was no smile in his eyes as he leaned closer to her and his hot breath tickled her skin and her throat went dry. She felt like she was standing in the middle of a desert in a sandstorm. She felt sweaty and hot and bothered.
What the hell was happening to her? Why the hell this was happening? This was Holden Reed. HOLDEN REED. Yes, he was absolutely a perfect specimen, but, still he was Holden. Her enemy, or more like frenemy, but still...
Hormones, please take a vacation. A long one, if you will!
Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions. And she felt like she was going to drown in her own chaos if she didn't get a grip now.
"What are you doing?" She whispered and Holden's eyes flashed before he took a step back. He tapped a finger against her forehead as he glared at her, his gray eyes brewing violent cyclones in its depth.
She took in a deep breath and told herself to resist the pull of the cyclone. If she got lost now, she would never be found.
"Guys are shallow, freckles, get that inside your thick skull and don't keep staring wistfully at him with those big dewy green eyes. You don't want to be pitied by others, now do you?" His voice was condescending. "Don't become a laughing stock, freckles. It will be absolutely horrible."
"Nope. Hunt is not shallow and I am not pathetic. Don't patronize me, you arrogant, supercilious little piece of- "
He pressed a finger against her lips, stopping her! It wasn't even a kiss, but she felt the tingles spreading.
Oh, but it feels like he is made of electricity, the freaky thing inside her commented.
"You place my brother on a very high pedestal, freckles. But Saint Hunter is human too and when he falls, it might break him and it might break you too," Holden said as he took another step back from her. "Just don't act so pitiful around him, you know. Rein it in, you idi0t. It is very disgusting to watch." Holden finished with a derogatory smile and Sky narrowed her eyes at him as she balled her fist and raised it, ready to punch him in his sharp jaw. He grabbed her hand in his before she could connect with his jaw.
"Your mind games won't work on me." She snapped as she pulled her hand away from his grip.
"I am not the one playing games here, freckles, but... you - you just... Just don't get hurt." He said in an uncharacteristically soft voice as his eyes, dark like the night sky, found hers and Sky's eyes widened in surprise.
She looked at him, wondering why he was looking at her like that, like he wanted to protect her from Hunter, from everyone, from everything around her, but she knew Hunter wouldn't hurt her. At least not intentionally. Not like him.
"Hunter won't hurt me. He is not you." She spat the words out, feeling the bitter taste of year-old rejection at the base of her throat. It tasted vile and vulgar. Flat chested, boring girl! He called her flat-chested right after that stupid kiss. It was an accident, she knew but...
How could she ever forget that? He couldn't just do and say all that and then stand in front of her now, looking so self-righteous, and pretend to defend her, pretend to care for her. He had no damn right. He had no damn right to make her feel all these things, either. Everything was his fault.
She didn't need him to defend her. She could take care of herself. She didn't need a saviour. She didn't need a damn prince riding his black stallion to save her.
Of course, she had broken pieces, but she had fixed it back by herself. She had never needed help, and she wouldn't start now. She especially didn't need his help, did she?!
"And I am not him," Holden said in a voice that made her feel confused and bewildered. Before she could ask what he meant by that, he turned and left, leaving her staring at his back with a frustrated look.
What the hell just happened?
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