Rooming With The Enemy Alpha

4. Broken

(Danielle)

But why? Why did I have to work together with Aaron?

"Why do I have to?" I knew I should just shut up, but I couldn't.

"The one you have, Mr. McCarter is your first experiment and Ms. Landon has your second. Partner up, don't mess up. This will go in your records. Show me the result when you are done." He said to us and then walked away, leaving me in a confused haze.

It was one thing to do experiments after he taught and another to do it all by myself.

How did he suppose I do it without burning the whole school down? And then I would go to prison.

"The man really hates me. What is he even thinking in his head?"

"Nothing. Nothing. But don't mess this up, Dani. I can't spend another evening in here. I need my time to run," Rexi grunted with a roll of her eyes, looking belligerant.

"What in the world? I don't know anything about chemicals or reactions!" I slumped defeated in my seat as Aaron confidently stood up and walked toward the chemicals.

Mr. Perfect. Know-it-all. Smug bastard.

I silently prayed that he would finish the second one by himself, too. But guess what, he wasn't going to spare me. This was revenge, I knew it. Petty bastard.

"Why are you still sitting there like a lost monkey? Come here and do your experiment, or maybe you shouldn't. And stay here for another year." He looked smug as hell. I knew he was enjoying this.

Jerk. Jerkity jerkity jerk.

I grabbed the binder and walked to where he was standing, carefully pouring chemicals into his beaker. He looked...

"Hot doing that?" Rexi said with a grin. I shook my head with a quick frown as he motioned me to wear my goggles. "Bent over...in that tight jeans."

"Rexi, you are an i***t. Shut up. Not the time. You are..."

"I am sorry. It is just what Millie said. I know we hate his guts, but he is still hot as fuck."

"No, don't put these thoughts in my head, you stupid wolf."

"Oh, it is not like you weren't thinking... that."

I ignored my wolf and walked toward the shelves. When I started to collect the chemicals, he finally looked away from the experiment he was doing and waved at me with a frown. "I don't want you to start a fire. So wait till I finish this. And do not touch anything."

"Thank God you aren't as stupid as you look," I said and I could hear his teeth grinding against each other.

Such a pleasurable sound.

"Get me that HCl," he said. I mindlessly picked a bottle on my side and gave it to him. He was immersed in the experiment that he didn't see what I was handing to him and simply poured it inside the beaker.

And then we both stared at each other, him angry and I befuddled, as we heard small plopping sound from the beaker and it smelled like a rest was dead inside it.

"Oh goddess, what's that smell?" I said with a frown and he looked at me as if he was going to kill me.

And I ran away, knowing his intention. He was going to kill me! I knew he would have done it if not for Mr. Alexander's timely interference.

Aaron was running after me and stopped on his tracks when he saw our Principal. His face was flushed and apologetic.

"Mr. McCarter, what do you think you're doing?"

"I-I am-she-" Aaron stuttered helplessly as he clutched the beaker tighter in his hand. I wondered why he had it with him.

Was he going to pour it on me?

"He isn't drinking that. So come on, he is obviously trying to kill me," retorted my Diarrhoeal mouth. Mr. Alexander shook his head and turned to Aaron, a look of disappointment in his face.

Then he looked at me and rolled his eyes.

Mr. Alexander and I, we had a pretty understanding relationship. I mean, I would be in his office more than in my classrooms.

"Go meet Mr. Alexander." It was always this one phrase my teachers would say when I did something in the class.

"Detention, Mr. McCarter. And you missy, you have one, too."

"Two detentions and counting. The day is still fresh. Another half an hour left before you can go to your dorm room."

"You two, meet me on Monday. We will talk about this-this ongoing feud between you. Every teacher is complaining about that and it has become disruptive." With that said, Mr. Alexander walked away, leaving me alone with Aaron.

Feud? Talking? How does he know? Who told him that?

My thought was interrupted by Mr. Boston. "Mr. McCarter, what are you thinking. Two detentions?"

Yes. It is a truly amazing feat for him.

"Oh, pup, how quickly you are growing up," I whispered under my breath.

Aaron gave me a glare before he turned away to look at Mr. Boston.

He gave an apologetic grin at Mr. Boston and the man all but melted. How could he do that? I mean, that smile, it sure was lethal.

Lethally hot?

Shit, Millie's ideas were rubbing off.

"Ms. Landon, are you done with the experiments?" Mr. Boston asked as he walked towards his desk.

"I, yes sir, I'm still doing it," I said hurriedly and stepped next to Aaron.

"Why don't you just do everyone a favor and hang yourself. You don't deserve to-" He stopped as if he realized what he was saying was beyond the line.

I don't deserve to live.

I told myself that I shouldn't care, I shouldn't care that he wanted me gone. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't not care. It was like a burn in my lungs. The acid in his words. The punch in his eyes.

"Oh, please." I smirked, looking as cool as one could be when they were on the verge of tears.

"I wish you are the one who is hooked to machines, the one who has gone instead of Daisy..." he growled and I flinched back. I hated that he had that power over me. "You--you don't deserve to be here, when she is there, lying in a hospital bed. Almost lifeless."

I didn't say anything back. I was sure that a sob would come bubbling out if I opened my mouth. I felt so tired. My whole body was tired.

My eyes blurred as I collected the chemicals. I placed the beaker on the stand and used the pipette to collect the correct quantity of Hydrofluoric acid and Sulfuric acid. Measure. Measure.

I didn't look at him again. I didn't even turn to his side.

I poured the acid in the beaker and then added the Hydrogen sulfide inside the mixture. My nose tingled from that odd smell.

I placed the beaker on the burner to heat the mixture slightly.

And when I placed the solution over the bright flames with my shaking hand, all I heard was a boom and then my long sleeve was burning. I had no idea what went wrong.

As the heat scorched my skin, I simply stared at it, too shock to react.

"Move," Rexi said, her voice panicked.

"Hey Aaron, your prayer is rewarded." I shouted over the thick clouds of smoke, as a strange sense of calmness wrapped around me like a blanket.

***

(Aaron)

"Hey Aaron, your prayer is rewarded." Her voice was muffled. I turned and my heart stopped for a moment.

The smoke was thick and her hand was on fire.

Why is she always making problems for herself and others?

I ran to her, fear sharpening on my chest. I removed her overcoat and threw it away. She was shaking, but her eyes were dark and emotionless. When she looked at me, I wanted so bad to turn away from her accusing eyes.

It wasn't guilt, was it? It couldn't be. She deserved everything. She was the reason Daisy wasn't here anymore.

My heart beat was erratic as I pushed the doors and windows open. The fresh air filled the smoky lab. The fire was gone, but the smoke was thick.

I saw the girl who had created this mess. She was just standing there. Wasn't she going to treat her burns?

"She looks like she is just going to stand there," my wolf, Zed, said.

Huffing, I grasped her hand and dragged her out of the class. She was still coughing.

"Are you alright?" I asked with a frown.

"Yeah, I just washed myself with fire because I felt like it. It was really cool." She said, her voice drenched in sarcasm.

She spoke fluent sarcasm. If sarcasm was a language, she would be the master of it.

I tightened my hold on her arms and she struggled to get away.

"Leave me alone, you jerk." She gritted her teeth.

"So not even a thank you? I saved your worthless life." I couldn't help myself. "And you need to go see a doctor."

"Oh, don't act like you care. Just minutes ago you said I deserved to die."

"I don't care."

Do I care? Why should I? The confusion made me so angry.

It wasn't like she meant anything to me. She reminded me of everything I had lost. She was a reminder of the painful part in my life, a part that I wanted to forget, but never could.

"And I am not sorry for anything I have said."

For a moment, she looked like she was punched. And then, she smiled that devil-may-care smile. Her chin lifted defiantly as her eyes hardened and a cruel glint took over her grey eyes.

"Leave me alone, McCarter. Just leave me alone. I am so so tired." Her voice shook and I felt... I felt guilty.

She pushed me away and then ran towards goddess knows where, leaving me alone in the corridor, staring at her vanishing back.

"Can't you stop being an ass for just one minute?" Zed sounded angry.

I shook my head.

"I can't."

___