by S. J. Black
“He’s not staying,” Zara bit out instantly. She glared at Jasper, sending every death stare known to her.
“You don’t get to tell me what to do, darling,” Jasper said tightly.
“If you fucking call me that again, I’ll shove you down the stairs. Don’t push me.”
“Miss Haife, Mr Rashford,” Mr Pottage sighed, cleaning the wound with antiseptic. She hissed, wincing at the pain. “My job is simply to get this young lady healed. Both your romantic toils of trouble are not within my remit.”
Jasper and Zara both gave reproachful, disgusted looks at the suggestion. Clearing his throat, Jasper headed out of the room.
“This might hurt,” Mr Pottage warned carefully, moving to remove the glass from her wound.
Zara remembered little after that, blacking out completely.
Chapter Five
“It was a bloody accident,” a haughty voice hissed.
“Some bloody accident, she’s in the medical office!” Another male baritone voice piped up.
“It was your stupid idea to smash the lamp -”
“Oh, fucking fabulous Theo -”
“Will you all shut up?” Zara croaked, cracking her eyelids open. The sight before her made her sure that she had ended up in hell. “Oh God, I’m in hell, aren’t I?”
“Not quite,” Theo chuckled lightly, his concerned gaze latched onto her.
Jasper, James and Tristan were standing on the other side of her bed, their forlorn, almost guilty stares flickered between Zara and a spot behind the bed. They looked...troubled. Did they feel bad for what they did?
No, that was definitely the morphine or whatever pain medication they gave her. Licking her dry lips, she adjusted her position on the bed, straightening her back.
“I know it was you all,” Zara murmured. “You did this.”
“Look, we never meant for it to get this far,” James said solemnly. “We were only to scare you, nothing more.”
“If you hadn’t walked barefoot on fucking glass, then you wouldn’t even be here, you stupid girl!” Jasper thundered.
His eyes were covered with dark, grey circles, casting an ominous aura to his signature harsh, stony face. Jasper’s trademark styled coifed hair was standing up at different angles, almost as though he had spent all night anxiously running his hands through it.
Zara felt her blood boil. Clenching her teeth tightly, she exhaled in disgust. “How dare you put the blame on me?”
“Did I force you to walk on glass?” He growled.
“Mate, stop,” Tristan sighed.
That was probably the first time Zara had heard Tristan Montgomery say something meaningful.
“Get out,” she said, averting her gaze away from the boys.
Theo and James exchanged hesitant looks, unsure of something. Zara didn’t care; she just wanted them far, far away from her.
“We wanted to confirm our stories,” James said firmly.
“Excuse me?”
“Your story,” he pointed out. “What are you planning to tell Defoe?”
“Are you for real?” She baulked. These motherfuckers were only out here to save their skin; nothing more and nothing less.
“Questions will be asked,” James noted pointedly.
“And the answers will all involve you,” Zara said squarely. “Sorry if that doesn’t go along with your plan, Knightley.”
He moved closer, a blank look on his face. “Choose carefully.”
“Or what?” Zara said immediately. “You’ll smash more glass over my head next time?”
A painful silence passed through. They hadn’t expected her to bite back. They had expected her to nod, accept their terms and like a docile animal, hope that they would leave her alone. A victim to her fate.
That had pissed her off more than anything.
“Unless you all have something of value to say to me - like an apology -get the hell out of my room before I call someone.”
She could tell by their slightly sorrowful stares - aside from Jasper, of course, - that they were dealing with a different target.
Tristan was the first one to make his way to the exit, giving Zara a polite, departing nod.. Not that she cared in the slightest. He could kick rocks, just like the rest of them.
James was pissed though, she could tell. With a clench of his jaw, his hard eyes gave her a withering look before turning on his heel. An arrogant shit, she thought. Fuck knows what Annie saw in him.
Theo was the most hesitant. He gave her an imploring look, an emotion crossed between remorse and determination. “Do nothing stupid, Zara,” he urged softly. She didn’t miss his forlorn stare, imploring her to talk to him, to say something.
“Just go, Theo.”
He exhaled softly, turning away, leaving Zara alone in the room with Jasper. She gave him a hard, steely sneer.
“That means you too, you psycho,” she hissed.
He merely regarded her, looking at her up and down before turning on his heel. She sighed softly, resting her head back and closing her eyes, believing her nightmare to be over for now, until she heard a light metal scrape on the floor. Snapping her eyes open, she saw Jasper had simply pulled up a chair towards her bed, taking a seat near her.
He hadn’t left.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“Sitting,” he said.
“Get out.”
“No.”
“Get out!”
“You’re not the boss of me,” he sneered tauntingly.
She pushed at him with all the strength she had but it was futile; the energy from her body had completely withered away, her muscles screamed at her movements. He easily grabbed her hands, pulling them towards him as though her hands were mere twigs.
“You’re going to hurt yourself,” he said irritably. He still didn’t let go of her hands.
“Let go.”
“You need to relax.”
“You need to fuck off.”
“Listen, get your stubborn head out of your arse and do what I’m telling you. For once in your stubborn life!” He sneered.
“Haven’t you done enough?” She rasped, her cheeks flushed with anger.
He smiled mirthlessly, bringing her close to him. “Are you...blushing?”
“Get over yourself,” she murmured, baring her teeth like a wild animal ready to attack.
“Do your cheeks always turn this shade of red when you’re angry, or am I just special?” He noted mischievously.
She tore her hands from his grip, inching away from him, almost as though his very presence was tainting her, marking her with a sin that she didn’t want on her conscience. He merely smirked at her retreat, noting the stiff body language. He influenced her mind and body.
“Leave me,” she said coldly. She averted her eyes.
“You’re not looking at me,” he teased unashamedly. “Now, I must be the reason.”
“Are you deaf!” She shouted suddenly. Breathing heavily, she hastily brushed her unkempt hair behind her ears, composing herself. “Why are you still here? I asked everyone to leave, and that especially includes you!”
Jasper gazed at her, an unreadable expression warring on his harsh profile. “I don’t need to explain myself. Least of all to you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She raised her eyebrows.
She knew the insinuation behind his words; he practically threw his superiority complex in everyone’s faces, displaying his prestige and status like a golden crown made just for him; she was beneath him and the sooner she realised that, the better it would be.
“My very existence is a step above yours,” he quipped his brow. As though it was the most obvious fact in the world.
“You are so pathetic,” she laughed mirthlessly, lying back down on the bed. “Stay here, I don’t care. With the way your mind’s working, you look like you’ll be needing medical help more than I do.”
She turned away from him, her back facing his brooding face as s
he glared into the wall, determined to ignore his repulsive presence.
Yet there was a detail she missed.
Frowning, she realised for the first time the change in the scenery outside. It was dark when they admitted her here. Now, it was nearly dawn.
How long had she been here?
Had Jasper waited all this time?
No.
Impossible.
“What time is it?” She mumbled underneath her sleeve. Zara was huddled in her blanket, refusing to turn to the idiot behind her.
“Oh, we’re talking now, are we?” He drawled in a bored tone.
“Just answer the question, Jasper.”
He said nothing for a moment, prompting her to bristle in irritation. He couldn’t do one thing she had asked for or even answer a simple question. It was as though he was determined to do the exact opposite of what she asked.
She and Jasper were opposing forces, she thought. Nothing at all would ever click.
But what Zara failed to notice was Jasper’s demeanour had changed entirely as soon as she called him by his first name.
He was...disoriented.
To say the least.
A slip of the stoic mask, a small shining light of vulnerability shone on his harsh face, a wordless wince of discomfort softening the menace that usually hid there.
She had disarmed him and she didn’t even realise it.
Clearing his throat, he scratched the back of his neck absentmindedly, his voice taking a gruff cadence. “It’s nearly six in the morning. Do you notice nothing?”
Zara turned around swiftly, huffing in annoyance. It was a subdued version of her usual rage towards him. “Why won’t you just go?”
“And that’s the thanks I get.”
“You expect gratitude?” She baulked at him. “After what you did to me? What’ve you been doing to me? Are you...are you delusional?”
“For your information, I stayed here for six hours,” he grunted.
“My hero,” she said sardonically. “Now get out.”
“You know, you keep saying - no, ordering - that I leave, but really it’s had no effect. Are you not getting the picture at all?”
“What picture?”
“That your demands are futile,” he pointed out, rubbing his tired face.
She shifted a little, noticing his external appearance and frazzled hair. The sight made him look...normal? Like a regular teenage boy rather than a psychopathic aristocrat spawn who had it in for her the very first time they met.
“You’ve stayed with me...all this time?” She said cautiously.
His eyes flashed to hers, reading her emotions. “Does that surprise you?”
“Entirely.”
“Good,” he grumped. “I’m surprising myself more than I would like.”
“For fuck’s sake, why are you still here?” She huffed loudly, sitting up again. “Are you afraid I’ll tell Defoe on you or something? Because let me tell you, that’s the least of my worries.”
“No-one’s afraid, sweetheart,” he grimaced. “I know you’ll keep your mouth shut around Defoe.”
She recoiled at his arrogance. “What makes you so sure?”
“I have my ways,” his face split into a shameless grin, teeth and all.
“What?” She scoffed, pointing to her feet under the fleece blanket. “Because this wasn’t bad enough?”
His smile dropped, all traces of humour extinguished from his face. Zara felt a sick wave of triumph build up inside her at the sight of his sour expression; after everything he had said, he still thought he had the upper hand over her. These small wins were childish - she admitted - but she would take them happily.
“Cat got your tongue?” She taunted.
Jasper said nothing, assessing her like a dangerous panther; quiet and brooding. Languidly licking his lips, he lowered his gaze, casting a hooded expression over his handsome face. Zara forced herself not to react to the image.
Remember Zara, she thought; the devil was handsome too.
As suddenly as the thought popped in her head, he stood up suddenly, adjusting his dark jacket. He gave her a blank expression, raising his thick eyebrow. “I trust you won’t do anything stupid, like walking?”
“I think I’ll manage,” she twisted her features lightly. “Thanks for all your help.”
He chuckled darkly. A soft smirk rested on the side of his cheek. Walking out of the room, his hand was on the doorknob as he stopped, his back facing her.
“Do you want to know why I was there?” He said clearly.
Oh, for the love of -
Zara forced herself to breathe carefully. If he could just leave right about now -
“Zara,” he repeated firmly.
She didn’t know what it was, but the tone had unsettled her. The softness, the clarity in his voice, a steely determination - they were traits she couldn’t recognise. Traits she didn’t want to recognise.
Clearing her throat, she prepared her next words. “I don’t need an explanation, it’s obvious. You were there to hurt me.”
He exhaled irritably. “No, you silly girl.”
She clenched her teeth, forcing herself not to bite back. Maybe if he continued his little monologue, the sooner he would leave the medical room and leave her alone. She didn’t need to antagonise him further and endure more of his wrath.
“Then what?” She said.
A few moments of silence.
Had he heard her?
What -
“We were supposed to run, leaving you there, nothing more than to scare you. I…,” he struggled with his next words, shaking his head, almost as though he wanted to leave and never look back. “Fuck!” He whispered under his breath. “I stayed because -”
“Please don’t finish that sentence,” she said curtly.
Jasper turned around swiftly. His features etched into a hard line. “Excuse me?”
“Just don’t,” she shook her head fervently. “I mean it.”
Zara didn’t dare look at his face, for she was afraid of what she would find. His glare burned into her skin, marking her with a traitorous, angry blush across her heated skin. He stood there, staring at her intently with nothing else to say.
This scared her the most.
The unpredictability of his actions.
When he was angry - truly, visibly angry - she could work with that. It was easier to see the angry bear growling and hissing at her, pushing her buttons and making his hatred for her clear.
But this?
This terrified her.
She didn’t know where to turn or look; those silver eyes wanted something from her, something she didn’t know if she could give.
He gave out an empty scoff, slamming the door open. “Coward,” he hissed under his breath before giving the door a hard slam shut, jolting Zara into a jump.
She didn’t get a wink of sleep for the next eight hours.
Chapter Six
Thankfully for Zara, it turned out that she had escaped a serious injury. No shards of glass were found in her foot, just a few superficial cuts, but nothing too serious, most of which had been cleaned away and bandaged up.
Mr Pottage noted she had a lucky escape but advised that she should keep her romantic escapades with Jasper to a minimum. She wanted to vomit at the insinuation but smiled politely, relieved that she could get back to her normal routine. She had only one more day left in the medical room before she could return to class.
It was just after lunch and Zara laid back on her bed, looking out of the window to the willowy trees. She was glad to get out tomorrow. Staying rested and putting her feet up had been a nice change from the routine, and all but the novelty quickly wore off. She was bored out of her mind.
“Well, if it isn’t Miss Glass Slipper,” Heidi’s amused voice piped up from the corner. She turned into the room, knocking gently on the door. “Does the lady wish for visitors?”
“She’ll take what she can get,” Zara lifted her eyebrow. “Come in
before you’ll catch dust.”
“Ha,” she said sardonically, moving to take the armchair near the bed, resting her head on the side. “So how’s life being bed bound?”
“Not too bad. It’s nice not having to run around doing assignments.”
“Mm, lucky for some,” Heidi said distractedly, as she played with the empty biscuit packets on the table. “God, the food looks like it was made in the 80s.”
“Yeah, it’s not quite the Shangri-La, but it’ll do,” Zara straightened her back. “Hey, thought I should let you know that I’ll be heading out tomorrow.”
“Oh?” Heidi’s eyes widened slightly. “So soon!”
“Don’t look so surprised.”
“No! It’s a good thing and all! I just...I don’t know,” Heidi shrugged, fiddling with her hair. “I just think you’re probably better off here.’
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, they put you here, didn’t they?”
Zara sighed, mulling over her answer.
How to answer that?
She didn’t really want to go over that night again. “It was partly my fault. I shouldn’t have put my feet on glass.”
“Well, all I’m saying is that Rashford’s not innocent either, and he doesn’t look like he’s going to back down,” Heidi grumbled.
“Why?” Zara frowned.
Heidi rolled her eyes. “He’s just not the type.”
“He won’t drive me out of the school, Heidi,” Zara stretched her arms. “I’m much too stubborn for that.”
“Good,” Heidi said simply. “Because the only one who’s going to drive you out is me.”
“I’m...flattered?” A ghost of a smile played on her lips.
“So I was thinking -” Heidi started until the creak of the door interrupted her train of thought. B
oth girls turned to find Annie popping into the door, tentatively glancing between Heidi and Zara. Her dark brown eyes held a shy demeanour.
“Um, hi,” Annie smiled weakly. “Sorry, I hope I’m not interrupting anything…”