by H G Lynch
"Reid? Reid!" Brandon's voice hissed in his ear, startling him awake. He groaned and sat back, leaning his head on the back of his seat.
"You got to stop falling' asleep in these lectures, man,” Perry chuckled from his other side. They were in class, sitting through another tedious lecture. The air in the room was stifling, stale and warm, which Reid always found conducive to sleep.
"Can't help it. History's too damn boring,” he muttered, stifling a yawn.
"Dude, we're in English,” Ricky laughed under his breath, sitting next to Brandon. The room was filled with half-asleep students, some of whom were lazily copying notes, but most were texting slyly under their desks or doodling on their notepads. With his enhanced vampire sight, Reid could see at least three versions of ‘so-and-so loves Reid’ scribbled on girls’ notepads. It made him smile, knowing he was so well adored by the ladies.
The teacher, Mr Waysworth, was droning on and scrawling some illegible notes onto the blackboard. The man was tall and spaghetti-skinny, with a beaky nose and rectangular glasses. He looked every bit the geek he was. And he had a real grudge against Reid ever since he tore the pages out of a Romeo and Juliet book to write notes to girls in the middle of class.
He was just starting to tune out the teacher's rambling again when he heard a mocking snort from about two rows back. Whispering, and then a familiar giggle.
He grimaced and leaned over to Perry, "Since when was Ember in this class?" he muttered.
"Huh?" Perry murmured dumbly, turning to glance up at the girl.
Reid yanked his arm, "Don't look!" he hissed.
Perry yawned. "Oh, her. She's been here the whole time. I thought you'd noticed." He shrugged, putting his head on the desk. Oh, this was too good to pass up. He had to find a way to mess with her here, ruin her day.
And then he saw his chance. Mr Waysworth was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Mr Waysworth, they need you at the office.” A tall, dull girl he knew to work in the main office peaked in the door. Mr Waysworth nodded, commanded silence of the class, and left.
Reid immediately got up and shuffled past Perry. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was planning on doing but he was sure that just seeing him would be enough to annoy Ember.
"Where are you going Reid?" Brandon questioned tiredly. Reid just chuckled and winked before heading up the two rows to his target.
He slid onto Ember’s desk and perched there in front of her, legs crossed. She glared up at him with piercing blue eyes. Her mouth was set in a hard frown, clearly not happy to see him.
"So, did you enjoy your extra-long detention?" she muttered icily, arching one brow in a defiant expression. He flashed a dazzling smile, determined not to let her see that it irritated him. Her expression darkened further.
"Not really. Would've been more fun if you'd stuck around. I didn't get the chance to…," He was cut off by the green-eyed girl sitting next to Ember.
"Ember, why is your boyfriend sitting on the desk?" The girl laughed, nudging Ember with her elbow. Ember turned and hissed at her friend, turning a cute shade of pink.
"Shut up or I'll burn your precious new book,” Ember threatened the girl, lowering her lashes to glare sidelong at Reid. It was somewhere between a shy and a vicious look.
"Ooh, boyfriend? What have you been saying about me behind my back little one?" Reid chuckled, watching her blush and squirm. Inside, he wondered if she’d really called him her boyfriend. The thought made a funny little shiver run down his spine. He couldn’t identify what that meant exactly. Bizarre.
Ember shot a glare at her friend, who shrunk away, clutching a book to her side. "For the record, what I actually called you was an annoying asshole. It’s just that some people like to romanticise everything.” Ember was still glaring at her friend viciously.
"Sorry. Don't burn my book please!" Sherry pleaded in a mock-frightened voice. Reid watched them with growing amusement, and also curiosity. There was something so… intriguing about Ember, even in the way she interacted with her friend. It was like she had every defence imaginable up around herself, but what she was protecting herself from, Reid couldn’t guess.
Ember was still glowering at her friend, some meaningful expression on her face. Sherry abruptly sighed and turned to Reid, tipping her head back to look up at him with green, green eyes. “OK, she really did call you an asshole,” Sherry admitted ruefully, then pouted sulkily, like saying that had ruined all her fun. But, Ember looked satisfied. She smirked a little up at Reid, and for some reason, he really didn’t like that smirk.
"Oh, really?" He tilted his head, pulling on a sceptical expression, teasing her.
"Yes, really. Now go away before we get in trouble. I do not want another detention,” Ember said coldly, glaring at him. He didn't move a muscle. "Move!" she commanded harshly. He just grinned, staying put.
Abruptly, she looked about the room swiftly and he wondered what she was looking for. She leaned around him and glanced down. He figured she was probably glaring at Brandon and the guys, who must've been laughing by now.
After a moment, she pulled back and looked at him tiredly. "I think your friends want your attention.” He turned to smirk down at the guys, but saw they weren't even looking up. He was about to make a snarky comment to the blonde demon but found himself yelping as he was shoved off the desk.
He fell onto the desk a row down, banging his elbow and knees in the process and making the unsuspecting girls behind the desk shriek. He heard Ember and Sherry laugh, Ember vindictively and Sherry indulgently, as if she’d expected Ember to do something like that. And then there was the laughter of everyone else in the room, including his own friends, who were laughing almost as hard as the girls.
"Excuse me, special delivery. Did you order a pig-headed idiot?" The blonde demon girl was leaning forward and speaking to the girls in front of him now. They burst into piercing giggles and Reid watched one of them high-five the demon. Ember looked pleased with herself, flashed Reid a smirk and winked at him - actually winked at him, mockingly.
"Dude, she's totally evil!" Perry was roaring from the next row down. Brandon looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh, and Ricky had his hand clamped over his mouth, his face turning red from stifling his own laughter. Reid, indignant and embarrassed, struggled to sit up, sneering as the giggling girls in front of him flinched away.
"REID ASHTON! GET OFF THAT DESK AND SIT DOWN!" The bellowing voice of Mr Waysworth roared through the room, and Reid resisted the urge to groan at his bad luck. Everyone in the room quieted their laughter with the teacher back in the room, but he could see the way everyone was looking at him, with bright, amused eyes. He repressed a blush with all his will, growling under his breath. He would not show he was embarrassed. He would not let the demon girl win this one. Thing was, though, she already had. And he knew it.
Unhappily, Reid took his seat next to Perry and buried his head in his arms while his friends continued to chuckle around him. Snickers were still running through the room, whispers passing from person to person. “Oh my God, can you believe that new girl? The nerve!”
“Honestly, if that’d been me, I would’ve been all too glad to have Reid Ashton sitting on my desk. What’s wrong with her?”
That’s what the girls were whispering. The guys were much more enthusiastic.
“Dude, did you see that? I always knew that guy would get what was coming to him, but I never thought it’d be a chick that gave it to him!”
“Well, the greatest prick in the school gets beat on by the new girl. Never thought I’d see the day.” Yeah, of course the guys in the class were enjoying this. They’d probably have the whole football team informed by lunchtime that Reid Ashton not only got turned down by a girl, but that girl threw him over a desk and humiliated him. Great.
"Mr Ashton, you have a two-hour detention after school today. Would you like to explain why you were offering yourself on that desk?" Mr Waysworth spoke up again. He was nothing if not cruel. But Reid, an id
ea occurring to him, took the chance to incriminate Ember.
"Actually, I was just getting notes for Chemistry from Ember and she pushed me over the desk.” He explained, trying to keep the smugness from his voice. If he was going to be stuck in detention, so was she.
Mr Waysworth looked up at the blonde demon over the rim of his glasses, and Reid followed his gaze with a sneer. She was bent over her work silently writing, and looked up with a surprised and angel-innocent expression, as if to say, 'Me? Why would I do something so mean?’
Mr Waysworth nodded to himself, as if confirming an inner suspicion, and looked back to Reid, his jaw set.
"That's an extra hour for trying to blame Ember. I hardly believe someone of her stature would be able to shove you of all people over a desk, Mr Ashton. Apologise to her now and meet me after class.” The teacher gave him a reproachful glare and began to turn away.
Stunned, Reid gaped, and heard at least half the room let a few chuckles slip. He could imagine the victorious flames in the demon girl’s eyes, the smug expression on her face. He didn’t even need to turn around to see it. Just the thought of it irritated him.
"Yeah, Reid, apologise to the poor girl.” A high voice squeaked from behind him. One of the girls he’d nearly fallen onto. He continued gaping, unsure exactly what to do. He’d never been beaten at his own game like this before. It took him a moment to regain any semblance of composure, and then he got really angry.
"No! I'm not going to apologise to her!" he almost shouted it in his outrage. That's it, He thought, this means war. No holds barred all-out war.
"Mr Ashton, outside! Now!" Mr Waysworth yelled, pointing sharply towards the door. The teacher had turned an unattractive red.
"What!?" He knew he sounded like an idiot, continuing to argue but he couldn't honestly believe what he was hearing. How could he be the one in trouble here? She was the one who’d pushed him! Eventually, hoping to retain some semblance of his dignity, he sighed and gave up. He grabbed his bag and stormed out of the class, ignoring the chuckles and giggles. It didn’t matter. He was already planning his revenge.
Ember
"Did you see his face?" Sherry was still laughing as they made their way back to their room. Ember couldn't stop grinning. She couldn't believe how well everything had panned out. Reid's plan to incriminate her had backfired most spectacularly. It was brilliant how her innocent, tiny appearance made her almost immune to blame. She had used it to her advantage many times in her previous school.
She was contemplating her own brilliance as they rounded the corner on the hallway where they resided and her self-satisfied basking was cut short right there. Ember suddenly wished she had something to throw at the scowling blonde leaning in front of their door. She groaned and mumbled. "Does he ever give up?”
She put on a smug expression to piss him off as she walked up to Reid. "Don't you have a three hour detention to get to?" she smirked. He glared. He had his arms crossed over his chest, his blonde hair falling into his eyes in a way that made him look dangerous.
"I've... I forgot my... notebook..." Sherry murmured slowly, awkwardly, and then rushed off back down the hall. Ember pulled out her key and tried to shove Reid to the side so she could unlock the door. He didn't budge. She sighed and looked up at him, exasperated already.
"What do you want?" she snapped, moving back and leaning against the wall opposite him. He was the one to smirk this time. He peered around as if making sure they were alone. They pretty much were by now, with only a few people milling about at the far end of the hallway.
"Revenge,” he replied slowly with a mischievous smile.
"Right,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. "And just how do you plan on getting revenge on me…" she began tiredly, and then squeaked. He cut her off by pinning her against the wall. He’d moved so fast she hadn’t even seen it coming, and now she was trapped between him and the wall. He held one of her forearms against the wall, his fingers like iron bands around her wrist.
“You have no idea who you’re messing with!” he almost snarled the words and she was very nearly scared just for a second. His soft mouth was just inches from hers, something predatory in the shape of it. His blue eyes glinted. He was just so pretty, so unpredictably impulsive - Ember could feel her heart beating hard in her chest, but she couldn’t tell if it was because of fear or because of something else.
"I don’t care who you are! Let go of me, you stupid, arrogant tosser!" She tried to thrash, tried to free her wrist from his grasp, but his grip was unbreakable. Her voice came out just a little breathless, and she hoped he’d assume it was due to anger and surprise.
He smirked, just a little quirk of his lips. "Why? Am I making you uncomfortable? Getting a little hot under the collar, are we?" he taunted, his fingers playing lightly with the collar of her shirt. Her breath caught her throat and she made a small choking noise, trying to twist away from him. It was no use. The painted brick wall at her back was solid, and he was too strong - incredibly strong.
"In your dreams! Did you hit your head when I shoved you over that desk or are you just incredibly stupid?" she hissed as his elegant fingers tapped on the top button of her shirt. One fingertip brushed her skin, just above the collar, and it felt like someone had pressed a heated metal coin to that spot on her skin. It tingled with warm needles. "Let go of me before I cause a scene,” she spat, even as she felt heat flooding her face. She kicked out at him, and he neatly dodged her foot. He trapped her legs against the wall with one of his and laughed quietly, blue eyes bright. Ember glanced down the hall and saw a boy she knew to be Joseph Rian, walking down the adjoining hallway. Reid hadn't noticed him.
Ember saw an escape, and took a deep breath. Then she screamed. It was loud and ear piercing, and it caught Joseph's attention immediately. It also caught Reid by surprise and he actually jumped backwards, throwing his hands over his ears, releasing her.
"Get away from me! Let me go! Get away!" Ember shrieked, slapping at Reid, though he was standing there with a stunned look on his face. He really hadn’t been expecting that.
Joseph came rushing down the hall. "Hey, what’s going on here?" he yelled. Ember stumbled into Joseph's protective arms, faking a sob. "Reid, what did you do to her?" Joseph sounded furious. Ember pretended to sob into Joseph's chest, and peaked out at Reid's shocked, angry expression with a smirk. She saw Reid's jaw was set and there was fire in his eyes. He was raging. And she was enjoying this much more than she ought to have been. After all, Joseph was cute and well muscled. Not a bad saviour really.
She looked up at Joseph's face and saw he had nice green eyes, currently glowing with fury. Ember let Reid see her admiration for her protector, hoping it would irritate him. She assumed it was likely he had never been turned down by a girl before and here she was ogling another guy, right after rejecting him.
"What did he do, Ember?" Joseph asked her gently, looking down at her, his green eyes soft.
"He… he wouldn't let me go. I thought he was going to hurt me!" her voice cracked, and tears streamed down her face. She buried her face back in his chest. She knew her act was completely convincing.
"Reid, get the hell out of here! Now! And if you come near her again, I'm sure the headmaster would be glad to hear what you get up to when nobody's around!" Joseph's voice was cold and threatening, but his arms were gentle around her. Ember glanced at Reid and smirked again. She resisted the urge to stick out her tongue.
Reid hissed something at her and stormed off down the hall. She could practically see the waves of fury rolling off him as he went, and felt sorry for whomever he ran into in the hallway next.
That's when Sherry reappeared, at last. She turned the corner, her head bowed over her open bag. “Hey, Emz, Where did..." Sherry started, not looking up from riffling in her schoolbag as she walked towards them. She stopped when she caught sight of Joseph and Ember in his arms. “Oh. I...Uh.” Sherry looked confused and embarrassed, “I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”
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br /> “I was just leaving. Are you going to be OK? I'll make sure he doesn't come back,” Joseph muttered hastily, letting go of Ember and shifting uncomfortably. Ember just nodded and sniffled.
“Thank you,” she murmured sweetly. Joseph nodded, blushing faintly, and walked off.
“Would you like explain what happened while I was gone?” Sherry grinned as she unlocked their door and stepped in.
“Would you like to explain why you left? I was nearly freaking attacked!” Ember almost shrieked.
“I thought you two would either scream at each other or end up tearing each other’s clothes off. Either way, I didn't want to be there,” Sherry chuckled. Ember glared at her.
“So you left me alone to deal with him? Seriously? And just for the record, you couldn’t pay me enough to tear his clothes off!” she lied, not really expecting Sherry to buy it. True to form, Sherry raised a brow at her in a sceptical expression.
“I’m sure,” was all she said, but the tone of her voice was laden with so much sarcasm, it could’ve sunk a battleship. Sometimes, Ember wished Sherry didn’t know her so well.
“Shut up. Do you want to know what happened or not?” Ember sighed, collapsing on her bed.
“Fine. What happened?" Sherry was looking at her with that expression that said she wanted every detail. She wasn't getting every detail.
“After you left, Reid pinned me against the wall…” Ember started, and saw Sherry’s eyebrows go up, a grin flashing across her lips. Ember ignored her, knowing what she was undoubtedly thinking. “He said I didn’t know who I was messing with. I told him I don’t care who he is, told him to let go. He just smirked at me, the asshole, and I implied that… well, he was being arrogant. Then I saw Joseph, so I screamed. Then I did my angelic act and Reid got really pissed off. Joseph told him to go, threatened him, and told him not to come near me again. Reid looked like he was going to pick a fight right there but he just turned and left. And then you showed up in time to see me in the arms of my saviour,” Ember grinned. Sherry laughed, shaking her head.