The Bully's First Love

The Bully, Agitated

This wasn't me being smart.

Christopher was standing outside the gates, leaning against his car.

I stared at him from where I was standing beside my car. He was texting on his phone, looking completely at ease, even though a lot of my schoolmates were staring at him, wondering what he was doing here. It wasn't completely lost on them who he was. He was Christopher Lawrence, one of the richest kids in the city and a rumored bully of East Private School.

Rohan calls him Skull though for some reason. And they've been friends since Rohan was in middle school. I could count in one hand the times I talked to him. Rohan had ordered me to remain more than ten feet away from him at all times if I see him. Although I wasn't one to comply with orders, I did it anyway because I wanted him to like me.

But, since the divorce happened, I had always wanted to.

I had always wanted to approach Christopher, to tell him thank you for continuing to be friends with Rohan because I know for a fact my ex-stepbrother was not the easiest person to be around.

It was Friday and he and Rohan might have plans tonight. When he still lived with us, Rohan always came home pretty late on Fridays and Saturdays. As I was thinking this, Christopher happened to look up and saw me through the gates. He grinned at me and waved. I waved back wistfully.

Then I abandoned my car and walked towards him.

Sorry, Abby. But I'd become real desperate now.

And sorry, Rohan. Since you're so adamant about not being my brother, I won't be following your orders anymore.

Christopher was watching me closely as I made my way to him. Stopping a feet away from him, I raised my hand and waved.

"Hi," I said.

For some reason, this made him laugh. I frowned at him and he laughed harder until tears came to his eyes.

"Why are you laughing?" I scowled.

"Because I knew you were going to approach me," he said, wiping at his eyes and grinning at me.

"How come?"

"Because I know everything."

"Sure you do," I quipped and he started laughing again.

"f**k, Rohan's going to kill me for this," he muttered to himself, shaking his head. "But I'm thinking death's going to be worth it."

I stared at him.

Then I sighed forlornly. "I'm sorry, Christopher. But I'm not attracted to you. Not one bit. I'm sorry. It's not you, it's me."

He clutched at his chest and moaned, "You're breaking my heart over here, Schuyler."

"You'll get over it," I told him earnestly. "You'll see someone much better than me, although I wouldn't really count on it because let's face it, there really is no one as awesome as me."

"You're right." He winked at me. "No one could ever replace you in my heart."

"Maybe if you weren't so freakishly tall..."

"I could change for you, Emilia. You know that."

"You can't change how tall you are, Christopher," I deadpanned and he burst out laughing again.

Then I remembered the reason Rohan didn't want me talking to him.

The one time Christopher and I had a conversation it went something like this and boy, did he blew up.

"Alright, joke's over." I turned serious and crossed my arms over my chest. "I know you know why I'm here."

"Do I?" he said with a devilish gleam in his eyes.

I nodded. "Give me back my brother and I promise I won't hurt you."

"I don't negotiate with terrorists, Schuyler," he shot back.

My lips started to break into a smile and I pressed them together. "Seriously, Christopher. I need to talk to him."

"What for?" he asked, pocketing his phone. "And why do you think I'd help you?"

"Because I'm your first love?"

He shook his head, grinning. "I thought we were done with the jokes."

"Honestly, it's hard to be serious around you," I admitted. "Or maybe I'm just nervous."

He looked at me with mock-horror. "You? Nervous? No way."

"Shut up," I giggled then sobered with a sigh. "You know Rohan's also going to kill me for this. But I'm becoming really desperate now. I'm so worried about him, Christopher. Will you please help me?"

Christopher stared down at me and I stared beseechingly back at him.

Then he said with a shrug, "Well, can't say I didn't expect this to happen."

I lifted a brow. "Because you know everything?"

"I have conditions."

Automatically, I covered my chest with my hands.

He laughed. "You are such a goof, Emilia Schuyler."

"Name your conditions," I stated without removing my hands and he rolled his eyes at me.

"One, I want you to stop calling me Christopher," he replied. "Call me Skull."

I frowned. I didn't like that nickname of his. But I nodded anyway, even though I have no plans of doing so.

"Second, I heard your little sister makes the best chocolate cakes. I want a three layer cake."

I blinked at him. "How'd you know?"

"I know everything that goes around my city, Emilia," he enigmatically said with a smirk.

Should I ask? I think it's safer not to know.

"Fine," I conceded, even though it was going to be difficult trying to persuade my sister to make his cake. "What else?"

"Third, I want you to deliver said cake in a Playboy outfit - just kidding!" he exclaimed, jumping back because I just tried to stomp on his foot. "You wouldn't look good in it any - I'm just kidding!" he repeated when I took out my key and acted out scratching his car with it.

"What else?" I said, scowling at him.

"Wow, this is actually refreshing." He scratched his head. "And weird. You're really not afraid of me, are you?"

I thought about it then shook my head. "Not really, no. Do you want me to?"

His lips twitched. "No."

"Are you going to start laughing again?" I accused, narrowing my eyes.

And that he did. "I can't help it. Rohan made it f*****g clear we weren't to talk to you and your little sister. We aren't even allowed to think of you."

"I think I know why," I mumbled. "I think he's ashamed of us. He always is telling me how ugly I am. I mean, has he even looked at a mirror? He's no prize either."

"Do you seriously think that?" Christopher asked curiously.

I grinned up at him. "No. I'm pretty sure I'm sizzling hot. I think it's just him being protective of us. You and John Steele like to play around and one of us might fall in love with you. You'll get our hearts broken and then he'll have to break your faces and your friendship."

He winked at me. "I would never break your heart, Emilia."

Sure he won't.

"Are you done stating your conditions?" I glanced over my shoulder. "Rohan might come out soon."

"Yeah, that's basically it," he replied and I looked at him. "I'll text you later."

"You don't have my number," I frowned.

"What did I tell you?" Christopher gave me a wide grin. "I know everything."

**********

By eight thirty, Skull had a house packed with partying people. The music was loud, the drunks even louder and Rohan had to sigh as he leaned his back against the bar and observed the people around him with annoyance.

Close friends, his ass.

Skull needs to have his head checked if this was his definition of a 'close friends only' party.

A girl was staring at him from across the room. Rohan lifted his beer to his lips, staring right back at her. His undivided attention made her stand straighter, jutting her full breasts out in perfect posture mode, her eyes suddenly bold and encouraging. Then the show was on.

Nabbing a maraschino cherry by the stem from her drink, she plucked the cherry off the stem with her teeth, never taking her eyes off him. She chewed, swallowed and took a sip of her drink. Then she popped the stem in.

Within seconds, she'd done it. She slid the stem from between her lips and showed it to him. A knot. And his d**k twitched.

Rohan was trying to remember which room upstairs was vacant when someone called out to him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Leon making his way towards him. When he looked back at the girl, she was gone, scurrying away like a scared rabbit. He sighed before turning around.

What a waste.

"Rohan," Leon said, patting his shoulder. "You're here."

"Hey, Leon," he greeted, tipping the bottle towards him. "Seen Skull?"

Leon shook his head. "No. John's still looking for him."

"When John finds him I want to throw the first punch."

His friend's lips twitched. "You can't. We've sworn to Evans she was going to be first."

Rohan's gaze went to the pool table, where Terry Evans and Sophia Gideon were playing pool with a bunch of girls from West Public High.

"Anyway, how's school?" Leon asked, getting a bottle from the counter behind them.

He shrugged. "It's alright."

"Getting used to your new classmates?"

"Yeah."

"Made new friends?"

He didn't answer.

"I bet he didn't." John was chuckling when he appeared. Leaning against the counter, he went on, "With that potty mouth of his, he probably scared off everyone who came close."

Not entirely true. Apparently, Rohan hadn't scared off Ashe Maxwell, who still talked to him, mostly about Pig, his newly christened cat, while telling Rohan stories about his own cat, Chairman. Ashe's best friend however wasn't talking to him anymore.

Rohan scowled at John. "Where's Skull?"

"Nowhere." John's smile died. "I'm going to kill that fucker when I see him. Terry was fuming mad when she saw the house packed and if she didn't promise Sophia she'd be here, she'd have made me take her home. And guess who she f*****g blew up on?"

"Whipped," Leon muttered with a small smile and John rolled his eyes.

"Like you aren't, asshole. Didn't Sophia give you the silent treatment for like an hour before you finally caved in and went to her parent's social party with her?"

"Anyway," Leon turned his gaze back to Rohan, clearly not liking where the conversation was heading, "I haven't asked but... have you met her?"

It didn't take Rohan even a second to understand who he was implying.

"Yeah," he said in a careful tone, also not liking where the conversation was heading. "I did."

John's eyes narrowed at Leon.

Then he turned his head to glare at him. "I told you to stay away from April."

"She didn't stay away from me," he answered.

"I swear to God, Rohan, if you get yourself in trouble-"

"Easy, John," Leon muttered. "Rohan is not stupid. He would have avoided her if he could. And you know he couldn't avoid her forever if she had set her mind to see him."

John stared at Leon, clenching his jaw. Then he nodded, knowing his best friend was right.

"What did she say to you?" he asked Rohan.

"She just welcomed me to North High," Rohan murmured, taking a pull of his beer. "And I told her off, alright? I told her I didn't want to have anything to do with her and it seems she understood." He looked at John and Leon. "And it seems like that she's crowned queen of the school. At least that's what my school guide said."

"Of course she is," John said in disgust. "Is that all?"

No way was Rohan telling John that April Locke was giving him a favor. He'd f*****g freak.

He nodded. "That's all."

"You better not be hanging around with that bitch."

"Hell, John," Leon scowled. "He just said he told her off."

John raised his hands. "I'm just saying. No good can ever come from hanging with April Locke. And don't forget what we found out about her family."

Rohan rolled his eyes. "Yes, mother."

"Anyway," Leon gave John another scowl, "how's Emilia?"

That gave Rohan pause. He narrowed his eyes at his two friends, who were now grinning from ear to ear.

"What about her?" he asked slowly and suspiciously.

"Well," John started. "A little bird told us she'd been following you around."

A little bird?

Fuck, now he definitely didn't like where the conversation was heading.

"If by little bird, you mean the great numbskull Christopher Lawrence, then I tell you this. He's a f*****g liar," he mumbled darkly.

Leon's brow rose. "So she's not following you around?"

"Not anymore."

"Man," John laughed. "Why the hell does she keep following you?"

"I just said she's not following me anymore."

John stopped laughing to grin widely at him, a gleam in his eyes. "Let me tell you a story of a girl, kid."

"Not a kid," Rohan snapped at him.

"Once, on a bright autumn afternoon," he went on, ignoring Rohan's irritation, "a child of five years was told she couldn't keep a pet piglet. You see, her family went to a fair and there she saw mama pig with her piglets rolling in the mud. She cried and wailed, she was a very spoiled little girl, but the parents didn't give in. Two months passed before anyone could find out that she was keeping a piglet in her bedroom."

"How the hell did she manage to get the piglet home?" Leon laughed, loud enough to draw curious stares.

"Apparently, she grabbed a piglet when no one was looking and hid it under her dress," John said with a chuckle. "No one thought it was strange how she wouldn't let anyone carry her to the car or how she was unusually silent on their way home."

Rohan sighed, "So Emilia kept a pig. I don't see how-"

But John talked over him. "There once was a little girl who was told that she couldn't play the piano," he said once again in a tone of grandeur. "A boy in her music class told her there was no way she could master it and told her to give up and play with her dollies instead. But she proved him wrong, practicing day and night that by the age of seven, she had already made her first professional tour as a pianist and winning competitions around the country."

"The boy's an asshole," Leon remarked.

"Oh shut up," John retorted.

"I bet he hated girls and dirt too."

"Shut up!"

Rohan let out another sigh and turned to leave. He was done with this conversation. But John grabbed him, putting an arm around his shoulder, preventing him from leaving.

"Once upon a time, a little girl was-"

"Get off me!" Rohan growled, elbowing his side. "Or I'll sic your girlfriend at you, asshole."

"Wait. Let me finish. I promise this is a good one."

"How do you even know all these things about her?" Leon asked incredulously.

John chuckled and squeezed the shoulder of a completely pissed Rohan. "The antics of the older Schuyler sister used to be a favorite topic of discussion of my mother and her acquaintances. The old, rich and bored ladies of the city used to talk about how stubborn Emilia was whenever she wants to get her way."

"Stubborn? Isn't persistent the right word?"

"Well, she does get the results she wants."

"So," Leon looked at Rohan with a thoughtful expression, "you're saying that Emilia Schuyler is not giving up on Rohan."

John nodded. "A thousand dollars says she'll ambush him again come Monday."

"Don't make bets on me," Rohan snapped, finally getting John's arm off him.

Damn it. He should have disappeared with the redhead when he had the chance.

"You make bets on me all the time. I wouldn't want you to feel neglected, kid."

"You're just pissy because Evans is ignoring you."

John glared at him and raised a fist. "I'll show you pissy-"

"There's Skull," Leon suddenly said.

John dropped his hand, looked over Rohan's shoulder and so did Rohan.

Skull was making his way towards them, a shitty grin on his face. A grin that Rohan was going to wipe off with his fist for being such a damn liar and for telling Leon and John about Emilia.

But then something caught his attention.

Actually, a someone.

The crowd that had parted when Skull made his way to them was again parting for someone, revealing a person Rohan knew all too well, walking in a place where he never expected her to be.

He jerked away from the counter, his muscles tensed.

Short brown hair. Sparkling brown eyes.

A cherubic face.

And a smile that was like the sun.

It was Emilia.

"Please tell me I'm not seeing her," Rohan whispered, his voice vibrating with anger.

John blinked. "I see her too."

Leon said nothing but just stared at her. Skull was standing at the side, looking like a proud father, and if Rohan hadn't froze and could move, Skull would definitely be eating out of a hole in his neck for the rest of his life.

Fucking, meddling asshole.

Emilia was waving at him, practically bounding her way towards him. She was wearing blue polka dot collared dress, like she was attending a tea party and not a rowdy high school party. And when she stopped just a foot away from him, her bright smile became brighter, if that was even possible.

Folding her hands in front of her dress, she leaned into him to say, "Hi, Rohan."

And Rohan's vision went red.