by Eva Hart
“I don’t know, I think you’re more interested in equality when it’s the rich who have power over the unfortunate, the ones who will fully, utterly control the affairs of the less fortunate. Understand that only one will succeed, but if the common folk want that power, they can simply…work together with the rich and obtain a little bit for themselves. The world is based on power there Jules, our government is the same way. I believe that the government stays in control and they will keep the regulations in place.”
“I disagree Phoenix. The government exists to control the people. Without that control, the people would be free to make their own decisions, and I believe that, with that power they could do a lot with it. The people could change the way life is going, and they could change their lot. you of all people should understand it. We need to limit the government,” I said.
“And…time! That’s enough. I don’t believe there is a clear winner here. Both of you have really good points, and I could tell both of you are passionate about the subject at hand,” the teacher said.
If only they knew. I looked at Phoenix, who had a gaze that was smoldering. He was getting a thrill from this, and I could feel the tensions growing. Was it chemistry, or was he just doing this to fuck with me? My body felt a little bit hot from the debate, and for a moment, it almost seemed like something else, like two people trying to grapple with one another, with unresolved sexual tension brimming right then and there.
When I sat down, JJ looked at me with shock on her face.
“Were you two planning on doing that?” she asked.
“Nope. Why?” I asked.
“If I didn’t know any better, I thought you two would’ve fucked right then and there,” she said.
I looked at her with shock on my face. Was it really that obvious that there was something there? I didn’t know what the heck was going on there, if he was just teasing me, or if there was something bigger than what he was mentioning there.
When class ended, I headed on out of the classroom, feeling like I was on top of the world. I felt like I had the power to debate people, and I knew that it definitely was something that changed us. I looked around, noticing a couple of the girls glaring at me. One of them came over, grimacing.
“Don’t think you’re so special just because you debated Phoenix, bitch,” she said.
“Calm down. We were just debating. Nothing special,” I said.
“Whatever. We’re watching you, you stupid skank. Don’t think you can just waltz on in and think you’re hot shit or anything. You’re still a loser, and we’ll still make your life a living hell,” she spat.
Damn, these girls were that jealous they didn’t get to debate their precious Phoenix? It was a little bit cringy, but I guess that’s how they responded to things. I mean, I guess those who obsess over men in this way will always do that shit. I just wanted to one-up this guy cause I was tired of his teasing bullshit.
They walked off, and I looked at JJ. She seemed just as surprised by the outburst as I was. I didn’t know what to make of any of them, but for now, the best thing to do would be to continue going on my merry way.
I did have fun with it, but I also felt a strange feeling course through my body. Was it a sense of thrill? Or something more? Either way, I liked it, and I could tell that this was definitely something that made the school day a little less shittier.
Chapter 10
Throughout the week, I was looking around campus, trying to find all of the strange items that I lost. I still couldn’t find my laptop. They never touched my pencils thank god, but my laptop was gone. I could still draw and use the pencils, but my laptop was nowhere to be found.
“Shit, where is it?” I said. I couldn’t just walk around without it. I mean, I needed it for school. And of course, there were things on there I’d rather not have in my possession. I looked around, and I couldn’t find it anywhere. That worried me, especially since I didn’t have the money to spend on that.
One day, I heard a couple of girls talking, and when I overheard what they said, I stopped.
“Yeah I was with him the other day. He had a couple of books with that weirdo Jules’s pictures in them. I told him he should burn them, but he told me to fuck off. Can you believe him,” one of the girls said.
“Yeah, does he like her or something? Gross,” the other said.
Luca had my scrapbooks? I immediately knew where I needed to go. I went over towards the dorms where the Elites were. I walked over to where his was, knocking on the door.
I didn’t expect him to be home, but when he walked out, he looked at me, a smile on his face.
“Hello Jules,” he said.
“Yeah, hello to you too. Listen Luca, I believe you have something of mine,” I said.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“My scrapbooks,” I said.
I looked at him, and I saw out of the corner of my eye the pink ribbon that I had on them. He smiled at me, and I looked at him with annoyance on my face.
“Yeah, those,” I said, pointing there.
“Oh yes. I forgot about these,” he said to me.
“Yeah well, can you stop ‘forgetting’ and give them back to me? Would be appreciated,” I aid.
“Sure, for a price,” he said with a purr.
I stopped right there, looking at him. What kind of price was this guy looking at I looked at him for a moment, assessing whether he was joking or being serious. I knew from the moment his gaze became unwavering that he was serious.
Shit, I need to think of something.
I didn’t want to just give in and follow the price he had planned for me. I needed to at least try to have a slight edge over this fucker.
What kind of price did this guy normally drive? I wondered myself, and for a moment, I thought about my options. I could run in there, but that might put me at risk for injury. I also could just tell him to fuck off, but that might not end well either.
“Alright, what’s your price,” I asked to him.
“It’s simple. A blow job. One blow job, and you’ll get your previous scrapbooks back. And I have a reputation for getting what I want out of any deal, you know,” he purred.
As if that would happen. I shook my head.
“Fat chance. No thanks,” I said.
At that moment, I saw the sudden change. Instead of the haughty look of satisfaction, he had a look of shock on his face. However, as quickly as it happened, he recovered, smirking at her again.
“Aright, if you think that that’s too much, how about a kiss,” he said.
I couldn’t believe this guy. I couldn’t believe he would try to use someone like this. There was no way, no way in hell that I would do this. I grimaced at him. this guy was totally trying to manipulate me, and I could tell that if this was any other girl, they’d be down on their knees.
Well, I’m not like any other girl.
“When hell freezes over Luca,” I said to him.
“Well, do you want those precious little scrapbooks back or not?” he said sardonically.
“I’ll take them back myself if I have to,” I said to him.
I walked in, grabbing the scrapbooks and walking out. He was too shocked to answer, which made me feel satisfied in my own way. He didn’t even stop me as I did it, just watching me as I touched the books, pulling them up, and going my merry. Way.
I finally shut the bastard up. But, as I was walking down the hall, I noticed Tabitha there.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she said.
“Grabbing some things that were left here. Why?” I asked her.
I realized at that moment that I could’ve put that in a much better way. She then looked me up and down, and then looked over at Luca.
“What’s your relationship with him?” she said.
“Why does it matter? I’m not going to step on your boundaries there princess,” I said with a sneer.
She looked at me and for a moment, I think I broke her too. These people were no
t used to people actually calling them out on their bullshit. She then looked at me once again, a frown on her face.
“You better watch your tongue there,” she told me.
“Or what? Your little goons are going to bother me again? Knock it off Tabitha, you’re the one who put them there, and you’re trying to frame me as some slut whose trying to get with Luca. When in fact, he tried to come onto me, and I said no. now, if you’ll excuse me, you’re better off not getting involved with me,” I said.
She seemed shocked at my tone of voice. She didn’t expect me to just tell her to fuck off like that. I think she thought her tormenting would stop me.
Well it didn’t. She then scoffed, looking at me with a sneer.
“Watch your step bitch. Don’t think you’re something special cause you stand up to us. You’re nothing, and we’ll make sure that you know that,” she said.
I scoffed. “Tell me something I don’t know honey,” I said.
I could tell I was getting under her skin. I then gave her one last smile as I walked away. She immediately raced over to Luca, and I had a feeling she would start putting on fake ass little persona because I was mean to her.
Damn right I was mean. I was also tired her shit.
While I did feel my resolve shake but a little bit with the constant torment, I wouldn’t back down. I knew showing weakness would only prove useless in the long haul.
I walked down the stairs and outside of the dorms there. I headed back to my apartment, but of course there was already a lovely note left on my door.
WATCH YOURSELF BITCH.
I looked at it, laughing to myself as I crumped the piece of paper. I didn’t want to deal with this shit, and for now, it was better this way. These people didn’t scare me, and maybe Dane was right. Maybe standing up for myself was the way to go, especially when I was being harassed.
I didn’t think it was the smartest thing to do, but for now, I needed to stand my ground.
As I walked in, I heard my phone ring. I picked it up, noticing it was Dane.
“Hey there,” I said.
“Hey. Sorry, I got your number from someone, but I wanted to ask if maybe you’d like to get some dinner on Friday,” he said.
“Sure. My dad is busy on Friday this week, so I’m free,” I said.
“Rad. I’ll see you then,” he replied.
“Cool, do I need to dress fancy or anything?” I asked.
“No. we’ll just be going to a diner nearby. I figured a nice little date together would work. That’s not weird or anything, right?” he said.
“Not at all. I’d like that.”
The truth was, I did have a little crush on Dane. He was attractive, and one of the few guys who was nice to me who didn’t have an intent to screw me over. That was nice to have especially with how shitty things have been.
The phone clicked off, and for a moment, I felt a sense of power. I still had a long way to go, but I knew that, with the way things were, it was only the beginning, and I’d get what I needed over time. I needed to stand my ground, because if there wasn’t anyone working to help bail me out, I guess I’d need to just do this myself.
Chapter 11
Friday couldn’t come fast enough. When it finally did, and when nightfall happened, I got myself ready for this date. I put on a simple little skirt and sweater set. It was getting cooler, but not so cold I couldn’t wear skirts. When I got ready, I smiled. I texted JJ a picture of me, and she said I looked good.
The two of us were starting to become close once again. It was rocky, that’s for sure. But, when I heard the doorbell ring, I walked to there. Dane was there, smiling at me with a devilish grin.
“There you are. Ready?”
“Yep. I am. You look great by the way,” I said.
“Thank you. I was thinking something small for the first date, if that’s cool with you,” he said.
What he thought was “Small” was actually a fancy seafood restaurant. When we got there, we were quickly seated, and orders were taken. Dane looked at me with a grin.
“Thanks for coming out,” he said.
“No problem. You’re like one of the few people at this school who is halfway decent to me,” I said.
“Yeah well, I definitely don’t like the way the elites are. They have a hatred for me, and I do them. I’m just…I’m just tired of them getting away with this,” he said.
“I am too. I stood up to them the other day. They were surprised actually,” I said.
“What, did they really think you’d just sit there and take it?” he said.
“Well Luca apparently thought that I’d just give him a blowjob, so yeah,” I said.
Dane laughed. “Oh yeah, I definitely can see that. good for standing up for yourself by the way,” he said.
“Thanks.”
“Yeah, I hate those elites. Not just cause of what they did to Bailey but…because of how they just treat others. I mean, you seem much stronger than the normal types of girls they go after. You’re probably a field day for them,” Dane pointed out.
“Eh, I do what I gotta do. I get a little tired of their shit, and bullying is new to me, but I definitely can stand my own ground,” I said.
Dinner was simple, with both of us talking and having a good time. For the first time in a while, I didn’t feel like I was going to have to deal with harassment. I told Dane a little bit about me, about my past and my mom, who was mostly out of the picture on some European getaway. Dane listened, and he laughed. He made jokes, and talking with him felt like talking with an actual friend. I didn’t want this to end.
However, that was shortly lived.
Dane’s phone rang, and I noticed him turn red.
“Shit. I never get phone calls. Let me take this,” he said.
I nodded, and when he picked up, I could see his face change.
“Hey Brian, what’s up. Wait, seriously? You fucking idiot. Alright, I’ll help you,” he said.
He clicked the phone off, sighing in frustration.
“That’s Brian, the roommate I have. He got high and drunk at one of the campus parties and needs a ride home,” he said.
“Well shit. I mean, we can go if you want that,” I said.
“You sure that’s okay?” he asked.
I mean, it’s not like there was a choice.
“Yeah it’s fine. Where was this at anyways?” I asked.
“One of the off-campus parties that the elites have. I was supposed to go myself, but I refused. I wanted to go on a date with you,” he said.
That was sweet of him, even if I didn’t really understand why he would do such a thing. We got up, and after Dane paid for the meal, we got in the car. When we got there, we saw the people dancing and laughing. Brian was over in the corner, and he looked stoned out of his mind.
“Shit dude, come on,” Dane said.
“Hey man, thanks for getting me. I’m like too fucked up to leave right now,” he said.
“Well no shit sherlock. I haven’t seen you this messed up in a long time,” Dane said.
“Yeah. Alright, let’s get the fuck out of here,” I said.
We went back to the car, and when we got there, I noticed that the car was lower. Dane looked at the truck, his eyes widening.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” he said.
I looked at the car. The tires were slashed, and when I went over to the compartments where we left our phones, they were gone.
Are you serious? We leave the car for a few minutes to pick up this idiot and this happens? I grimace, looking over at Thorne, Luca and Phoenix who were all right then and there.
“What the hell? I’m just here to pick up my friend. Why did you do that?” Dane said, exasperation obvious in his words.
Thorn shrugged. “I didn’t do it. I’m going to head inside,” he said. Going into the building where others were. Luca looked at Dane, and then at me.
“That’s what you get for not giving me what I want. You really think you can deny
me you stupid bitch? I told you I always get what I want, and this is no exception,” he said.
A couple of the girls near Luca began to laugh, and he soon walked off. I noticed that Phoenix was gone. I turned to Dane, looking at him.
“I’m going to find Phoenix and give this bastard a piece of my mind,” I said.
“Alright. I’ll stay here. And maybe see if we can find our phones,” he said.
These fucking shitheads. I was going to deal with them myself if I had to. I found Phoenix over behind the tree, talking on the phone. I was about to cuss him out, but then, I heard the words.
“Yes, that’s the address. Yes, it’s a red car. Yes, the tires were slashed, they need a tow,” he said.
After a moment, he put the phone down, looking at me with a smoldering look. I felt my heart skip a beat. This guy was an asshole, and yet…he helped us when his friends didn’t give a shit.
“Why?” I asked.
“I didn’t agree to that. that was all Luca’s doing. Thorn just doesn’t get involved in things that aren’t his business,” he said.
“Well, thanks I guess,” I said.
“No problem. I don’t think it’s fair that you have to be stuck here, especially when it was their idea, not mine,” he muttered.
I looked at him, and for a moment, I thought about kissing him. I didn’t even get it, and honestly, I felt a little guilty because Dane was less than 100 feet away, and we were on a date. But I felt gravitated towards him.
“Thank you so much,” I said.
I leaned in, and then, he laughed.
“Nice try. You’re just a whore that’ll jump around at whoever will give you the time of day. I helped you, now fuck off,” he said.
He walked off, and I felt both upset, but also aroused by this. Luckily, the tow truck came back in a moment’s notice, grabbing us and bringing it over to the shop. It cost a pretty penny to replace the tires, but to Dane it was pocket change. When we got back to my place, he smiled.