Wings of Destiny

Ch - 6 |Xander|

Infuriating,

This is how she is defined,

She is not the usual,

She is one of a kind.

Xander

As soon as her palm connected with my cheek, I could feel the slight sting of her slap, all anger poured into it. The first reaction was shock, then embarrassment that I was slapped in front of my friends and then anger.

“What the hell?” I yelled at her.

She was breathing heavily, her eyes watered and face flushed. It looked like she has never hit anyone and it was infuriating that how I was the first one that she hit.

“How dare you hit me?” I asked seething with anger.

I kept a safe distance or else I might end up hurting her.

She laughed, a dark, humourless laugh that trembled with emotion. She was holding back tears.

“You are asking for a reason?”

She was right in this way, I have left no stone unturned in troubling her.

“You make the whole school see that I am open for bullying and now you see this and this,” She showed me her scratches and injuries,” Now I have these because your vermin of friends here are cowards and hit woman like they don’t have a mother to respect at home.”

Her gaze was hard and filled with hate for me and it was causing a weird pinch in my heart.

“You make me sleep deprived by asking me to complete your homework, you make me watch your dirty make out sessions and let the whole dumb clique believe that I am a whore.” She stepped closer now, waves of anger coming off her with tears flowing down her eyes.

My anger was still there but it was simmering down a bit. I have never been slapped by anyone, let alone a girl.

“I tolerated all that didn’t I? But you had to go and tell everyone that I am here because a shrink told me. Now do you know what rumours float around?” She screamed at me.

Never have I seen her this out of control.

“Everyone thinks it is because of my dad, that he was abusive. Yes, it is because of my dad . Because he is dead, do you get it Alexander, dead? And I can’ still get over it. I am in pain way before you made my life a living hell.” She screamed at my face.

And then she sighed as if all her energy was drained out. I realised we had an audience all this while. She was not scared of any of them right now.

I had no words to say right now even though I was slapped. But I had to, I can’t just stand here and get humiliated in front of so many people.

I gripped her upper arm making sure I am not hurting already injured portion.

“Is this hurting you, shocked you enough? I told you I want you to leave, so leave and all this will stop.” I warned her not sure I was meaning all that.

She looked at me as if she was disgusted with, her lower lip trembled as more tears flowed down. My emotions were in a turmoil, I was supposed to be angry on her for hitting me. I was suppose to loath her but none of those feelings surfaced. Instead some part of me had the crazy urge to wipe off those tears.

I didn’t start the rumour about her father but it was because of me, since I told everyone the reason she was here.

“You want me to leave Alexander Comhan, fine I will leave.” Her tired voice said and I realised that her words meant my success.

But it didn’t felt like a win instead my heart just felt the sharp vacuum hit me.

“But I have a condition.” She said the pain in her eyes evident.

“What?” I found myself saying out loud.

“Give me a reason to live. My doctor send me here so that I can have a new pain free life. Cure me so that I can go back legally. I am living through the death of person I loved most, make me move past that.” She challenged me with a voice soft that hit me hard.

I have broken many hearts , left many to cry and bullied people but never in my life I felt the pain I was feeling now.

Saying her words, she jerked her arm from my grip and walked away, her legs trembling under her. All the people around me were shocked as much as I was. As I watched her walk away I questioned myself, can I break her?

***

I realised that being yelled at was better than being ignored by her. The day after the incident she ignored me like a plague. When I walked in the cafeteria, she walked out of it. She was not in the chemistry class pretending to be sick.

And I didn’t see her once with the decoration team in the basketball court.

I was not used to being ignored except by teachers but being ignored by her was; infuriating.

Two days from now was the freaking ball and Hailey was badgering me to take her. But where is the fun in that. I wanted to go alone and find myself someone new to enjoy that night. I knew for the fact that decoration team will be there and I wanted to know if she will be there.

“Have you thought about some plans yet?” One of my team mate asked.

They have been gauging my reaction as to how will I break her and was I even going to do it. I had already made her snap. They were expecting me to take revenge for the slap. I would have done that but breaking her sounded as painful in my head as it would be in reality.

“We can scare her by hiring some goons?” Someone suggested and I gave them my best death glare not sure what made me react that way.

“We can get her drunk and then take some nice shots with a guy?” Hailey suggested.

“That is low Hailey, even for you.” Josh said, before I could yell angrily at her.

“Then go the classic way. Make her fall in love and break her heart.” Hailey’s side kick whose name I didn’t know suggested.

And that idea had instant approval. It was a bad, clichéd and a third grade idea. Breaking her heart to break the girl already in pain. And I had a slight asinine instinct deep inside me that told me it was not a safe bet. She might not even fall in love with me after what I have done but there was a chance I might be trapped.

Fuck! Never. What Am I even thinking?

“No, stop coming up with childish ideas. Just ignore her, boycott her. There is nothing worse than ignoring.”

My friends looked utterly shocked at my words.

“Just leave her, like that?” Someone asked.

Well they haven’t experience being ignored first hand, it was really annoying.

“Yes, ignore her. When she will have no friends, she will feel lonely.” This will also keep other bullies away from her.

“But she is super helpful, she can make friends even when she don’t want to.” Josh contradicted.

“We will think about this after the dance. “ Hailey said giving me coy smile.

“Who are you going with because I am going alone.” I said before she could lure me in with her.

A coldness appeared in her eyes.

“Someone who will match my family level.” She was the rich spoilt princess.

She thought that others were beneath her, except me ofcourse.

As they all scattered to get back to their car, discussing their dates my eyes found her walking out of school. She was with the goth girl and another guy who was on soccer team. Micheal or Mitchell something like that.

But behind her were two guys, Adam and Jacob, I knew both of them. One was nudging other to do something. For a moment I thought that they will hurt her in some way and I suddenly moved ahead.

“Hey Freya, do you have date for tomorrow’s dance?” Adam asked and it agitated me.

Didn’t I ask them to boycott her? How dare they ask her for dance?

And I felt worry...on the thought that if she said yes. Her slap was affecting me somehow. I should hated her for that. She disgraced me in front of so many people but when she cried so hopelessly and challenged me in a tired tone like she has nothing to lose in her life, I felt anything but angry.

I have never met someone like her, but somehow her kindness, her brown eyes and her soft voice was like a faded picture in my mind that refuses to erase itself no matter what, she was somewhat familiar.

“I am going with the team Adam, but thanks for asking.” She said giving her signature kind smile.

“Oh, let me know if you change your mind.” Adam answered looking a little hurt.

“She will not.” The goth girl just earned a place in my good books with her rough words towards Adam as she pulled Freya away.

Cure her, she said. How was I suppose to heal someone when all I did was hurt them? How can I make someone whole again when I am myself incomplete?

But she said she will leave if she doesn’t need a shrink anymore. Then again, the thought gave me the shitty hole in my heart. This girl was weird but first thing first, I needed to annoy her so that she can stop ignoring me and atleast talk me. It turns out Freya even changed her number.

***

 I was hiding in a place called library.

Why? Because I had a make up test which I had to pass if I didn’t want my parents to be called in school. At home, my friends usually find me and drag me out. I can’t study on internet, I usually end up watching other stuff. So the only viable option was library.

I had no idea that my boring, torturous trip to library will become interesting. But then she walked in with books and coffee in her hands. She greeted the librarian with a smile and submitted the books she was holding. She was plainly dressed in jeans and  a green top. Her hair was tied in a messy bun and she looked tired. I

It might be her end of shift at Barney’s from my time estimate.

Did she really had no desire to live, for her mother or a boyfriend maybe?  The mark that I thought was a love bite was still visible on her neck. It was probably something else, an injury or birthmark maybe.

Then she noticed me and I had the weirdest reaction in the history. I choked on my breath and looked away. I was acting like a freaking girl caught watching her crush. I should know, females act like that around me. But she like always ignored me and sat the farthest from me.

This bugged me when I should have expected. The way I treated her, it was right on her part to ignore me. But it was not right on my part to be ignored. I got up and walked up to her to annoy her like I had in my mind.

If she thought a slap will make me see the light of day and make me a good boy, she was wrong.

“Fiore.” I said the name fitting her so well.

The word always got reaction out of her.

“Should I leave from library as well?” She asked in a tired tone.

I felt stupid for doing what I was doing and also a bit hurt at how she thought I wanted her to be gone from here.

I had no idea what to say, I just walked up to her on impulse.

“Do you need anything Alexander?” She asked patiently looking up from the book she was reading.

I sat down on the chair from across her.

“What are you reading?” I asked the first thing that popped in my mind.

She showed me the cover silently not bothering to answer.

It was about some angel and miracle thingy.

*reference from Wings of Desire library scene*

“You believe in angels?”

“None of you concern.” She answered bluntly and started reading again as if I was not even there.

My phone rang and I groaned.

It was my mom calling.

“Yes mom, I am in library. I have a test I need to pass if I don’t want dad to kill me.”

“Okay Lex, please be home soon. You still haven’t eaten a thing.” My mom sounded like a true worried mom.

“I will. Now let me study.”

“Are you sure, you are not at some girl’s place?” She asked chuckling over the phone.

“I swear I am trying to pass and stay on basketball team.”

“Okay, okay I will hang up them.” My mother said laughing at the desperation in my voice.

Silence followed afterwards as I tried to study but my eyes keep stealing glances at Freya. Infuriating, her ignorance was infuriating. I never thought nothing could make me this helpless.

But then she did something that was totally weird but expected from someone like her.

“If you need help with the history test, I can help you.” She was still looking at her book when she offered the help in soft voice.

I did realise something, she was actually kind . She was ready to help me even when all I did was hurt her.