I stood firm not moving an inch and clearly he was pissed, does he think I'm lazy that I can't fight my own battles, maybe he thinks am a weakling.

He turns to Kisha who was visibly trembling and Liam who was backing away,  "it's fine just let it go, I'll clean your jacket, I'll wash the paint off." I insist.

His jaw clenches as he turns to glare at me, "Mari, I said wait for me outside!"

"No!" I refuse, "Look around you, everyone is videoing this, they want you to fight, just let it go, I'll wash the paint off."

He ignores me and storms up to Liam, before I could object, he throws a punch at Liam's jaw, Liam stagger back clearly not expecting the blow, Xander doesn't stop as he continues to pounce on Liam.

"Xander! Xander stop!" he stops then turn to stare at me angrily, after seconds pass I watch as his expression changes from anger to what looks like pity, getting up he hold unto my hand, extremely tight.

But his eyes were fixed on Kisha who stood a feets away from us, "you're lucky you're a girl, if not I would have beaten the plastic surgery off your face."

With that he angrily drags me away from the hallway, walking directly into the boys rest room, are we, no he can't be serious.

"H-hey wait, I'm not entering into that!"

"Well fine." he turns direction only to enter into the female restroom, the moment we enter, he stops to scan the place, just few females, on seeing him I prepare myself for loud squeals but it doesn't come.

With their mouths agape they stare at Xander amorously.

"Get out!" He yelled and they quickly snap out of their trance rushing out of the room.

He could be expelled from entering into the girls restroom.

He instantly moves to the mirror, below it lies a sink, he finally release my hand, and carefully avoiding paint to drizzle on his brown t-shirt he pull his jacket off and hands it to me, "wash it."

I was about to object but I remembered I told him I'll wash it off, frowning I grab it from him, turning the faucet on I gently rub the paint off with water.

"you didn't have to do that, now we'll get detention." I say it as if I'm new to the detention business.

He sighs resting his back on the sink beside me, "You won't get detention, I will."

I turn to stare at him in disbelief only  to see array of tattoos designed on his arm,  I'm pretty sure he didn't have those yesterday, I avert my eyes from his undeniably massive arm to stare at his face, it's weird how most times he's lanky and other times he's huge and then his jade green eyes, that was magically bottle green yesterday.

I shake my head focusing on the problem at hand, "And if you knew that, why did you have to beat the hell out of Liam."

Minutes pass and still no reply, I decided in throwing another disturbing question to him, "Why do you keep helping me anyways?"

"I don't keep helping you, I just keep getting into the middle of your problems, its all unintentional."

I frown a little, "So you just happened to be in front of me when Liam threw the paint and maybe you just suddenly found the urge to ruin Mr Manuel's car after school?"

I couldn't help but notice the way his jaw and fist clenched at the mention of Mr Manuels name, "all unintentional." He reiterates.

"Thank you for everything and for also taking me home yesterday even if it was unintentional."

"It's nothing and don't expect it again, that will be the last time I'll take you home."

"Whatever, Here." I hand his jacket to him and he grabs it wiping the water off before putting it on.

"Get back to class Mari and make sure you don't get detention."

"What about you?" I question but he ignores me walking off.

"Mind your own business Shakespeare." Was his last reply, I was about to retort with a 'i've been minding my business till you started butting in jerk face' but I save it to myself.

He has been helping me lately and I wish he would just tell me why he suddenly has a change of heart, if he was doing this because he is maybe in love with me it would just be utterly ridiculous, I've known Xander for a long time, Xavier could be in love with my younger self, but definitely not him now, maybe he is right, maybe everything just happens mistakenly and he never plans it.

I gather all the strength I could muster and walk out of the restroom entering into my first class; biology.

The biology teacher, Mrs Cartwright is thankfully a woman, and she's expecting, her baby bump is so big that I wonder how many kids she'll give birth to.

Thankfully, the news about Xander fighting didn't escalate like I thought, which means we didn't get detention.

All the classes pass me by like wind blowing through the Sahara desert, it's safe to say the only thing I learnt was that Mrs Cartwright's baby bump was massive.

Happiness they say doesn't last long, and to my own usual dismay I stood by the side of the door, thinking if I should just go home or just offer the last subject for the day.

I walk into class making sure my eyes is anywhere but Mr Manuels face, i take my seat in front of him and sucked in a breath.

You may be wondering why I seat at front opposite the one person I just want to be invincible to, it was one faithful day, months after he started assaulting me, I used to seat at the back, way back, seating with the bad boys and people who didn't pay attention in class, until one very unfaithful day when my dad came to school to pick me up, Mr Manuel saw that as an opportunity to report me to him, telling him i never pay attention in class, my dad is really sensitive and   wants the best for his only child.

He freaks out about any and every little thing, since then dad and Mr Manuel insist I get my own seat with no body seating beside me but somehow after writing an essay on why a student shouldn't seat alone Xander got to seat beside me.

And I didn't write the essay, he did. But unfortunately he's not in class.

"Maria." Mr Manuel calls and I instantly become stiff as I stare into his blue eyes, piles of paper in his outstretched hand,   "here distribute this round the class."

I get up slowly passing the papers round, "thanks jerk face." Kisha mutters grabbing a paper from me before I could even hand it to her.

After passing the sheets of papers round, I take my seat.

"So students as you can see on the sheets in front of you, we'll be talking on a poem, not just any poem, a William Shakespeare poem."

"Shakespeare!" Someone shouts and I knew it was at me. Students laugh as usual and I would have laughed along but i was not in the mood.

"Enough!" Mr Manuel yells and instantly the room becomes calm,  "And since Maria over here has the same last name, we'll give her a round of applause as she reads it for all of us to hear."

"Maria!" Groaning in silence, I picked up my paper and walked in front of the class, backing the marker board and facing the bored faces of students and Mr Manuels excited face, only God knows what his plan is.

"Shakespeare Venus and Adonis," I start seemingly uninterested.

"Touch but my lips with those fair lips of thine,--
Though mine be not so fair, yet are they red--
The kiss shall be thine own as well as mine.
What seest thou in the ground? hold up thy head:
Look in mine eye-balls, there thy beauty lies;
Then why not lips on lips, since eyes in eyes?"

Mr Manuel clears his throat, "In this section Venus questions Adonis. she craved to touch him to kiss him but Adonis refuses to have any physical contact with Venus, continue Maria but this time be more erotic, feel the moment, bask in the feeling. Be more..... poetic."

I nod nonetheless, squeezing the sheet of paper a little too tight, " I'll be a park, and thou shalt be my deer;
Feed where thou wilt, on mountain or in dale:
Graze on my lips; and if those hills be dry,
Stray lower, where the pleasant fountains lie."

I turn to look at him only to see him staring at me, a smug smile etch on his face, "I'll be the park and you shall be the deer feed on thou wilt, thou grasses, thou food, Graze on my lips and if those hills be dry, if her lips or the contour of her face be dry stray lower, you don't need me to explain that but yes she means that his hands could stray lower to her sensitive area."

"Oh." The class suddenly cheers.

The more my eyes scan through the poem the more I feel disgusted, he walks up to me and carefully whispers,  "continue Maria we are getting to the good part." He walks back to the audience and I lost my voice.

"I— I can't—"

"What do you mean by you can't, you have to continue or else"

"I can't!" I iterates.

"You have detention, after class!" sluggishly i move into my seat, pressing my hands together.

He got want he wanted.

"Eleanor you can continue from were Maria stopped tomorrow."

The bell rings and I don't bother leaving the class.

I watch as students pass me going out of the class.

"See you tomorrow jerk face." Kisha threw me a peace sign as she walks out of the class.

Once the class is empty, Mr Manuel turns all his attention to me, he smiles, then laughs, "it's funny how putting you in here gets easier by the day, it's as if you like being around me but you don't want to accept it."

I clench my hands, glaring at him, "The sight of you makes me sick."

"James Dashner." he grins, "A fan of maze Runner?"

"A fan of seeing you where you rightfully belong."

"With you, in your arms, in between those thighs of yours?"

I scowl at him, "Rotting In jail, inside a cemetery, buried six feet under soil."

"Ouch! You finally succeeded in bruising my ego." he feigns hurt as he moves closer to me and like yesterday I'm up before I know it, moving farther away from his reach.

I remove my gaze from his eyes staring at the door, wishing that Xander could come in anytime now.

Taking my eyes back to him and preparing my self for a run, he quickly lunge at me pressing me against the wall.

I slam my clenched fist on his chest but he doesn't bulge as he laughs at me in pure mockery, he leans closer.

I move my knee to kneel him in his crotch but it's to no avail as he presses his knees of my thighs, pinning me down.

"You're stronger than I expected Maria but not strong enough for me." He whispers against my neck and I suddenly feel weak, feeling him this close to me, I wish I was dreaming, I wish I was dea—

He leans even closer, nibbling his lips down my exposed neck.

"Please stop!" I resulted in the last thing I could do, plead , sob, be weak.

He groans, "I can't stop Maria and even I can,  I won't."

The door is pushed open and my eyes instantaneously falls to the door, but it isn't Xander.

She flips her hair back and I couldn't help but see the smug smile she had on her face, "Jerk face smashes the teacher after school, now isn't that a news everybody wants to hear."

• • •