Bubble Gum Kisses
CHAPTER 48

**Kapittel 48** ***Vanessa***

**"What was that?** You didn't tell me you were acquainted with her," Georgia stated, pulling me away from my reverie.

"What was what? Acquainted with who?" I asked. I hadn't processed what she'd said. I was too awestruck by the belle and grace Madison held while walking away with her shiny, bronze legs. It was like she was carrying a certain air around her that'd change everything when present.

"Madison Blackwell? She's a big shot here, much like how her family is." She raised a brow at me. Wait, what? She was Friso's fuck buddy? Then that pretty much summed up everything. No wonder she warned me about the devil sticking around. She was guarded about me doing something with her man! But why did she help me?

"It's pretty known that she's Friso's fuck buddy. Did Friso send her to help you?" my friend continued to ask, which almost immediately altered my brain chemistry. Oh, that was it.

I bit my lower as my blood started to curdle. Did he think I was weak? Did he expect me to thank him, and what, run to him for more help? Or was it outside his knowledge that his sua sponte actions were what encouraged the others to throw eggs and rotten tomatoes at me? No, Friso wouldn't be stupid not to know that. Surely, this was part of his master plan to make me vulnerable, and what would happen... No. I shouldn't let him wear me down. Never.

"I don't know. But one thing's for sure..." I trailed off, trying to appease my anger with the plan I had in mind, kicking my conscience off my chest. "Friso's getting it today."

"Getting what?" Georgia asked, her brow raising higher.

"Oh, nothing." I shook my head, I looked down at her hands and saw that she was holding her shimmering pompoms. "Hey, you're bringing your pompoms. You out for practice after school?" I asked, changing the subject. "Don't change the subject, wolf cut."

"What? I'm really up to nothing," I said, looking away to avoid her skeptical gaze. I couldn't shrug off the prickly, confining feeling given by her cognac orbs, and started to walk to class. "Huh..." she kept her skeptical gaze at me but carried on, following me.

**Opening the door to the classroom,** I looked from left to right. Everything was still silent enough a tumbleweed rolling was the only missing prop to accentuate how isolated the place was. There wasn't any sign of anyone coming to the classroom yet as well. Good. I walked inside the room on tiptoes. I needed to put it there before anyone could enter.

As soon as I arrived at my usual desk, I placed my bag on the chair. Unzipping the fabric-made portable storage, I opened it wide and took out the thing that I had been hiding for days long. Lifting the glass jar from the bag, I observed the verdure, six-legged creature cricketing in the minute space. The little grasshopper was munching on the leaves and flowers I provided to it.

"Hey there," I greeted the small critter with a smile, tapping the glass with a smile on my face. It turned to me, and its wings and hind leg rubbed together to make that thing I remember to be called stridulation. A small shrill, creaky noise echoed. "Be good, okay?" I said, twisting the cap and slipping a hand inside the jar.

I wheezed. To be honest, I was quite nervous that it would jump off and escape. I needed this plan to succeed. Thankfully, it was either the odds were in my favor or the grasshopper also had what I had in mind that it crawled on my palm. I carefully took my hand out and kneeled at the desk beside mine, the very desk that Friso used to be close to me. As per his excuse so he could share books with me, he would use his poor acting skills and pretend that he didn't have his book stored in either his sports bag or under his desk. That was where this little thing's job would start. But even if he wouldn't stick his hand in, the grasshopper would still end up getting on his hand. Chaos would follow then.

I took one deep breath, releasing everything through my mouth. Tension remained in my lungs and it felt difficult to breathe. My heart was thumping fastidiously like I had taken more than 10 espresso shots in less than a minute. My shivering fingertips felt numb and more gelid than ice as I hovered my hand with the other to prevent yet I was sweating like I was hot and out in the open of the hottest summer. At the same time, I could feel my blood coursing through all over me. I sent my hand towards the book tray, my arms wobbling like they were weak. I gulped, pushing the saliva accumulated between my tongue and the roof of my mouth down to my throat. I was nervous but excited at the same time. Fuck. I was never a stranger to the adrenaline rush, but this one felt extreme like I was having one for the first time.

Gosh, get over it, Vanessa. Just put the grasshopper in there and it's all good! I tried to calm myself down but it only made my fingers shudder even more. Fuck.

Finally, my hand got into the tray. "Whew," I let out a sigh of relief. Now, all I had to do was slowly open my hand, and place the insect down carefully. I did like what I had in mind, repeating it over a million times inside my head. As soon as I felt that I placed it down, I immediately retracted my hand like I had touched something hot.

"That was scary," I murmured to myself, wiping the sweat off my head with a sleeve.

"Left me a gift?" a voice asked and a warm breath fanned over my neck. I gasped in surprise, the hairs on my skin stood. I instantaneously turned on my back and saw Friso looking at me with a large smirk on his face. "Hey," the devil greeted me with his signature smirk plastered on his arrogant, sweat-induced face. His facade... I wanted to break it. That sardonic smirk in most particular.

"Didn't know you were thoughtful enough to give me a thank-you gift," he said, his smile growing wider. Looks like he was referring to sending Madison as a backup. As if I'd be grateful about him sending me his cronies to back me up when I could handle myself, and of all people, he sent me his fuck buddy. I didn't know if he was really into helping me or making me more trouble. But my gut feeling said it was most likely the latter.

Like what I always did, I paid no heed to his presence. I rolled my eyes at him, got on my feet, patted my skirt, and walked to my seat. Sensing that he had his eyes stuck on me, I acted all grumpy and irritated as I set my butt down on the steel chair, whilst internally laughing, excited about what was bound to happen. I couldn't wait to see him embarrassed, it'd be a nice payoff for all that he had done to me.

I slowly began to collect my supplies for learning while stealing glances at him, especially at his hands that were tapping the desk. I was silently praying that the critter wouldn't get out yet as I wanted him publicly embarrassed. I observed his chiseled face. My eyes carefully brushed from his messy, somewhat wet hair that seemed to have been saturated by his sweat. The strands glistened beautifully against the golden morning sun along his sweaty, lustrous forehead. His face was framed by his thick eyebrows that seemed to be regularly groomed, stretching to his temples, giving him a bedazzling impression. It also accentuated his eyes that held his ashen orbs and exceedingly long lashes. Ogling him down to his strong nose, I observed how strong and chiseled his cheeks and jaw were. His lips too, even though it was annoying seeing how they would stretch into the smirk I hated so much, I couldn't deny that it was attractive as well, especially with how soft they looked. Though Friso's face wasn't seamlessly perfect with the existence of a bump on his cheek and chin, alas, it didn't affect his overall appearance. It was only an antagonizing proof that the guy who owned that face was human.

God was very much unfair to give this demon spawn a carefully sculpted face. It was obvious that his face was fearfully and wonderfully made, unfortunately, his personality was spoiled rotten that it didn't do any form of justice to his angel-like face and glorious figure. I guess it couldn't be helped since the devil, who was once God's favorite angel, was also the most beautiful creature.

It wasn't hard to miss seeing that he was perspiring from his head down to his neck. We were sitting near the open window, and the breeze welcomed itself inside, whiffing the smell of the clean-cut grass, organic matter, and a combination of axe body spray and sweat over to my direction. It was obvious that he was from soccer practice. I heard that they do early morning practices.

"Hey, I'm gonna catch a cold if you continue stripping me with your eyes like that," I heard him say with a certain cockiness in his voice, his eyes staring at me like a parent catching his child red-handed.

"Sure, in your dreams."

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