Fairytale Green
: Chapter 16

I was thinking about the near kiss experience.

Stone drove me to school. It caused a ripple of whispers among the gossiping students when I turned up with him on the motorbike.

When I had to wrap my arms around him on the way there, it brought up flashbacks of that morning. I was just glad that he had to face the road so he could not see my tomato-coloured cheeks.

As soon as he parked at the school lot, I made an excuse about how I was in a hurry to get to class and dashed away.

It was hard to admit but I, Ella Miller for the first time in my life was lost for words.

I was too flushed to even offer him a semi-decent insult.

Nobody asked to my face why I had come to school with Stone. The only questions people asked during the day was where my green hair had gone. I answered them all the same and said that I was planning to dye it back.

I left out the part that I was planning to the night before but I got a little distracted climbing on top of a giant and falling asleep there.

The period before lunch rolled around and I was dreading it. I had managed to avoid speaking to Stone all day. I doubted I would manage to ignore his existence when he sat so close behind me.

Mr Dankworth was writing on the board when I took my seat next to Lana. She offered me a smile before turning back around to listen to the two guys conversation.

‘Where were you last night?’ Brennan asked the large male next to him ‘Did you fall asleep at the garage?’

The only person that was not watching him was me. I looked to the front and pretended like I was not interested in the conversation.

Stone did not reply. He did not even grumble or grunt.

His silence was deafening. It seemed like he was in some sort of rage. He usually gnarled when he was unhappy about something, but the atmosphere of the classroom gave away that what he was feeling was stronger than that.

‘You have on the same clothes as yesterday.’ Brennan pointed out ‘You couldn’t have been at work because you would have had spare clothes there.’

I kept looking ahead and avoided the dark unfaltering stare.

‘He wears the same thing every day.’ I spoke up ‘There is only so much black clothes a man can get.’

‘Where were you last night?’ Brennan asked, his voice full of mischief and clarity as he spoke to me.

I realised how defensive I had sounded and how that might have come across like I was defending Stone.

Lana questioned him with a confused frown ‘Why are you asking her that?’

‘Yeah.’ I added, ‘Why are you asking me that?’

‘No reason.’ Brennan replied and I could hear the smirk in his voice.

The lesson continued and none of us said anymore for the next half an hour.

I thought the conversation was over until Lana leaned to the side and whispered in my ear ‘Maybe Stone has a secret girlfriend.’

Her voice was not quiet nor discreet because Brennan commented ‘That is what I was thinking, Lovely Lana.’

I snorted because they were so wrong.

Stone did not have a lover.

Then I thought about it harder. He was secretive and he never spoke about himself so maybe he did have a secret girlfriend.

I could have come clean and told Lana and Brennan that he was with me but I did not want to.

I wanted to keep last night between us. A secret that I would keep close to my chest and the front of my mind.

‘What do you think, Medusa?’ The deep voice filled my senses.

For the first time since sitting down, I turned and faced him, humming in response to his question.

‘I don’t know if you have a secret girlfriend but if you do, I’m happy for you.’ I gritted out ‘However, condolences for the poor girl locked up in your basement.’

‘She did not come to my house. I went to hers. The girl that I was with last night did not have a basement.’ He said, his tone void of any playfulness ‘I got to know your house quite well.’

At that moment, I forgot other people were around us. Our eyes locked and we continued to silently battle. My eyes narrowed at him and as the minutes passed with my attention still on him, his tensed shoulders started to relax, and his eyes became slightly less dark.

My eye contact with him broke when Brennan laughed, and I let my gaze wander to him.

‘How does Stone know your house quite well, Ella?’ He asked, grinning.

‘I don’t know.’ I quickly replied, trying to appear nonchalant ‘Maybe he dreamt about it.’

Stone chuckled. His smirk was evil, and it promised my very own teasing torture.

‘That is maybe what it was, Drizella.’ He spoke in a low voice ‘Although, I have this vivid image of your kitchen counter.’

He had won that round between us.

I retreated in my chair and crossed my arms and silently cursed his arrogant infuriating self.

Lana leaned in once again and queried ‘How does he know your name is Drizella?’

I shrugged.

‘It took five years for you to tell me and still to this day, you threaten to decapitate me if I ever use it.’ She mentioned.

‘I don’t know how he knows.’ I rambled out a lie ‘He probably found it out while looking for information for his I-Hate-Ella shrine.’

The bell rang indicating lunch. We all got up out of our seats when Mr Dankworth called out ‘Ella, could you stay back for a few minutes?’

I nodded, knowing he probably wanted a book recommendation or something.

Lana giggled ‘I hope you know that you don’t have to flirt with him to get your A to an A Plus.’

‘Please.’ I scoffed, matching her playfulness ‘I will be flirting with him with no hidden agenda. He is my soulmate after all. Also, I already have an A Plus in this class.’

I walked to the front and noticed a very grumpy Stone behind me. I sighed and tried to think of a way to break the tension.

‘Do not worry, Lurch.’ I laughed ‘I promised not to use all my nerdy pick-up lines on him. I will save some for you. I know you like a good book remark. Talk Tolstoy to me.’

He leaned in like he was trying to get a closer listen to my laugh.

Stone then noticed what I had said so he grumbled out ‘I don’t read books. Let alone Tolstoy.’

‘Whatever. You are totally a Frodo Dolokhov.’ I said as I poked his chest once.

The gravelly voice spoke, ‘It is Fyodor.’

I smiled triumphantly. He had fallen right into my trap. I had changed the name of the bad guy from War and Peace and hoped to catch him out when he corrected me.

‘A-ha. I got you’ I pointed at him ‘You are so a book nerd.’

The giant figure towering my form was too busy looking down at my smile to care that he let himself be caught out.

He stole a last glance back over his shoulder before he begrudgingly walked out of the classroom and joined Lana and Brennan.

As soon as it was just me and Mr Dankworth, I walked over to the desk and studied the old man with the swirly patterned trousers and the purple waistcoat.

His friendly smile lit up his wrinkled face when he greeted me ‘Ella, have I ever told you how cool you are?’

A laugh escaped me before I joked ‘Please don’t be offended but when your teacher calls you cool, you are not actually cool.’

‘Then have I ever told you how smart you are. You will go far in life.’

I crossed my arms, recognising his sweet talk a mile away ‘Okay, Mr Dankworth. What are you after?’

The English teacher sighed, and his grey almost non-existent eyebrows dropped slightly ‘I need you to tutor Chase.’

‘What?’

‘He is failing English.’ Dankworth explained, ‘The essay about setting in a Shakespeare play is due next week and he needs help.’

‘I get that but why me?’

‘You are extremely gifted when it comes to analysing and other skills required for English.’ He said pleadingly ‘You are the only one that can get through to him.’

A solution came to mind, so I forced out the words

‘There is someone else who has the exact same grades as me. Who is just as good.’ I rambled out before adding ‘Just don’t tell him I told you that.’

The old man’s eyes widened like what I was suggesting was forbidden and pretty much blasphemy.

‘Mr Stone is out of the question.’ He quickly assured ‘I think it is necessary for Mr Andrews to survive the study session.’

I did love explaining a book to someone and I also liked teaching and helping. I did say to Chase that we were friends and friends help one another.

Mr Dankworth saw my contemplation and begged ‘Please.’

‘Okay.’ I finally agreed with a heavy sigh.

He could not expect me to work a miracle and make Chase interested in learning, but I would give it my best shot.

The cafeteria was busy when I arrived. Lana and the boys were sitting at our normal table. I was starving and eager to get to them but then I saw Chase and the football squad sitting at one of the middle tables. I would have to organise a time to tutor him and that meant going over and asking.

As I stood contemplating what table I should go to first, I froze from moving towards my seat when a tall blonde girl sat down next to Stone.

I recognised her as the girl at the party, Lacey. She spoke to the giant while running a hand through her hair.

From the angle I was standing at, I could not see if the giant was flirting back with her or not.

‘Hey Ella.’ A voice interrupted my staring at the scene in front of me.

I did not look at the blonde quarterback as I said ‘Hey.’

Chase stood next to me and looked at where I was looking which was at the girl who had taken my seat.

He put a hand on my shoulder ‘Do you want to come and sit with us?’

Dragging my gaze away from my table, I nodded and followed him to the table full of the jocks.

I sat down on the same bench as Chase when I greeted his friends. A few said hello and others have a single nod in response.

My body with a mind of its own leaned forward so I could see past the quarterback and back to my table.

The pair of obsidian eyes were not focused on the girl beside him. They were scanning the lunch hall and looking for something. He looked determined to replace and claim whatever he was searching for.

His eyes met mine. He blinked twice before realising where I was and who I was sitting with. His dark orbs became darker, and his jaw ticked as he watched me slowly sit back and hide behind the back of the jock.

At that point, he appeared to be seconds away from starting a rampage.

I dropped my head down and avoided his gaze.

The guy that I recognised also from Chase’s party that I remembered as Kyle spoke up ‘What happened to your hair?’

For the hundredth time today, I explained ‘I wanted to change it but now I’ve changed my mind. I’m dyeing it back to green tonight.’

Kyle looked confused when he pointed to my head ‘But you look much better as a brunette. Less freaky and more cute.’

Some of the guys laughed. It was not a surprise that Chase joined in because what is a pack of laughing hyenas without their leader. I glared at him, and he mumbled a sorry.

‘Well, Kyle.’ I addressed Chase’s friend ‘It is a good thing that I could not care less what you think.’

I did not care about being cute. Unless it was the kind of cute that would inspire Edgar Allan Poe to write dark poems about me like Annabel Lee. Caring too much about what people thought was what had made me get rid of my hair in the first place and I was not going to make that mistake again.

‘Anyway,’ I tilted my body to Chase so I could tell him ‘I have agreed to tutor you and help you with your English essay so is there are a certain time and place that works for you?’

He nodded, happily ‘How about my place?’

I did not know if he said it because he was serious or he was trying to insinuate something. By the immature chuckling of the table, I was leaning more towards the latter.

Kyle felt the need to add to it ‘I don’t think there is going to be a lot of studying.’

I glared at all of them ‘Yeah, there will be more than study going on. If Chase keeps on being an asshole, there will be a lot of shouting.’

‘Screaming?’ One of the boys hollered and high-fived the guy next to him, obviously not meaning the aggressive screaming.

I let out a breath and rubbed at my temples ‘Chase, can we please just agree on a place and time. Then I will leave so you and your buddies can go back to talking about whatever you were before I arrived.’

He did not answer, instead, Kyle did ‘We were talking about going to the fight at the beach before you came but you would know all about that though, wouldn’t you?’

I raised my brow in confusion ‘Chase mentioned it a few times but I have no idea what fighting goes on at the beach.’

‘It is like an illegal fighting league that takes place on the beach at night. You can make money on betting on a fighter.’ Kyle explained, thinking that I cared.

‘So, is it boxing or wrestling?’ I asked, pretending that I was interested.

‘None and both.’ Chase answered ‘It is dirty fighting. No rules.’

‘How often does it happen?’

It sounded rough and dangerous and barbaric.

Kyle replied ‘Nine o’clock. Every night. The fighters must be making a fortune but no wonder, they are pretty good.’

One guy at the table added, ‘Neptune is the best.’

‘No way. Vulcan is!’ Another guy argued which made all the guys at the table nod in agreement.

All the guys except Chase because instead, he scoffed ‘No. He’s not.’

I looked over to my table. The girl who was flirting with Stone was gone. Lana kept switching her attention from me to Brennan who was fully focused on talking to Stone. He looked to be trying to calm the giant down.

The attention from Stone never withered away. He remained to stare in my direction, and he remained absolutely furious.

I shivered in my chair.

His heated stare was burning holes through me, so I distracted myself by asking more about the beach fight club ‘What is with the Roman god names?’

Kyle half laughed and half coughed ‘Why don’t you ask—’

‘Shut up.’ Chase said, cutting him off ‘She doesn’t want to know.’

I was about to question him when Kyle opened his mouth again and asked, ‘So are you getting with him?’

‘Who?’

‘The guy who looks ready to storm across this room and snap all of our necks for even looking at you.’

I nudged Chase in a playful way ‘I hate to break it to you, but a lot of people secretly want do that.’

The whole table started laughing and I felt a small feeling of pride.

Kyle stopped laughing to ask again ‘Seriously though, are you getting with him?’

‘Not to sound like an owl but again, who?’

Chase did not look happy as his friend retorted ‘I definitely think your girl is secretly getting with the tattooed guy.’

I started to think that I had I nearly kissed Stone written on my forehead.

‘Okay, first off no. Second of all, I am not Chase’s girl. I am nobody’s.’ I quickly dismissed their comments ‘Chase’s study buddy, yes. On that note, when and where are we meeting?’

‘Ice cream place at the pier’ Chase replied.

I nodded ‘Tomorrow night?’

‘Can’t.’ Chase took a bite of his lunch ‘Football practice.’

‘How about Wednesday night?’

He thought for a minute and then smiled ‘That works for me.’

Picking my bag up off the floor, I said goodbye to him and the boys before strolling to my table. What waited for me was the two love birds and the terrifying male.

Stone’s face promised bloodshed.

I could feel the tension in the small space of air between him and me as I sat down. His skin brushed against mine and I could feel the storm brewing inside of him.

The tongue lashing from him was what I anticipated. I did not expect for him to be silent.

Maybe Stone was right. Maybe bickering with him did make me glow. Maybe it did make me happy.

His leg moved so it was touching mine. It had a feeling brewing inside of me. The only way I could describe it was like a rollercoaster. It was completely alarming but it was exhilarating.

The silence broke when he growled, ‘You have been avoiding me.’

I did not look at him when I claimed, ‘No. I haven’t.’

‘What were you doing with him?’ He demanded to know, his tone deepening.

Lana and Brennan stopped their conversation to spectate what was going on at our side of the table.

I ignored their stares and replied to him ‘Mr Dankworth asked me to tutor Chase. I just went over there to organise a time.’

That did not calm him down.

‘You said yes?’ He growled again.

I twisted in my seat, so I was facing his harsh features and his outraged expression. I matched his anger and tried not to get distracted by staring at his eyes or his lips.

‘I do not need to explain myself to you. If I want tutor him then I am going to.’ I claimed and then added before I could think ‘If I want to hook up with him then I will.’

Not sure what had possessed me to say my previous sentence, I tried to seem confident but as I watched his fingers curl into tight fists, I regretted my words.

‘Oh no.’ Brennan quietly let out.

One of Stone’s fists forcefully slammed on the table. A noise that could break the sound barrier filled the large lunch hall. The cans of juice over spilling and the wood creaking underneath his hand.

I was surprised that the table did not split in half.

Lana’s eyes were wide open, and her mouth hung open at his outburst.

The deep and demanding voice had never made me shiver before because deep down I always knew it was just part of our weird dynamic. This felt oddly different. Now his voice sounded deadly serious.

‘Try it, Medusa. I dare you.’ He barked/

‘Why do you even care anyway?’ I spat out.

He looked down at me and continued to study my face.

Lana stood up which made us all look at her.

She gave me a pointed look before announcing ‘I’m going to the bathroom. Ella is coming too.’

‘I am?’ I asked, moving away from the tight grasp that Stone’s eyes had me under.

She walked around the table and grabbed my hand to pull me out of the lunch hall. Lana finally let go of my hand when we reached the girl’s bathroom.

Her head bobbed as she searched the cubicles to make sure nobody was in. Once she was sure it was just us, she stood in front of me and questioned ‘Okay, Ella. What is going on?’

‘What are you talking about?’ I said, straightening out my black skirt.

‘You and Stone.’ She elaborated in a duh tone ‘What is going with you two?’

Except he stayed over last night and we nearly kissed this morning, not much.

I felt bad for not telling her but I could not replace the words. I could not even comprehend myself what had gone on between him and I.

Lana spoke again ‘You two dance around each other like wolves. I don’t know if you two want to rip each other apart or rip each other’s clothes off.’

‘What kind of wolves have you seen that wear clothes?’

‘Ella!’ She said, exasperated.

I avoided the topic again ‘How are you and Brennan getting on?’

‘Come on! You two are totally into each other!’

‘Me?’ I pointed to myself ‘Into Stone?’

‘Yes. You!’

‘I am not.’ I crossed my arms over my chest ‘Stone is also not interested in me.’

She looked fed up ‘You need to let someone in eventually. I think you already have. You told him your real name. That has to mean something.’

I did not think mentioning how my car broke down and I ended up at his place of work then he drove me home and then I slept on him would help my argument,

‘You are just a romantic.’ I informed her before joking ‘Imagine if we did like each other. Our friend group would turn out to be like ABBA. Look how that turned out.’

‘So, you are telling me you have no feelings for Stone?’

A few seconds passed and I tightened the hold on myself “We have this weird chemistry…”

“No shit” Lana scoffed.

“It won’t last. It is temporary.” I argued as I felt my shoulders deflate “My experience with chemistry is that it fizzles out.”

Lana did not look like she believed me, but she did not ask any further.

We walked back through to the cafeteria and sat down in our seats. Brennan kissed Lana on the cheek before going back to sitting in silence while they ate their lunch.

I stole a quick look at the giant next to me.

Now thinking about it all, maybe I had let him past the walls I had built up around myself slightly.

‘You are not tutoring him.’ He commanded.

‘Are you stilling going on about that?’ I narrowed my eyes at him ‘I’m tutoring him. End of story.’

‘Over my dead body.’

Rising myself on my seat so I could try and match his eye level, I threatened ‘I can arrange that.’

His lip twitched when he noticed how I had grown in size as I leaned on my knees.

‘How are you going to do that, Medusa?’

Winding up the giant had become the best part of my day.

‘I-I could squash you.’

He looked me up and down. His gaze trailing over the length of me. The small length of me.

‘Squash me?’ He repeated, a smirk forming on his face.

I nodded and ignored how ridiculous it sounded ‘I am really heavy. I could sit on you.’

That is when he said something that took me by surprise.

‘Do it.’

Lana and Brennan wore matching expressions. They looked in amusement like they could not wait to see what was about to happen.

Stone sat back in his chair and his irritating smug face looked at me in anticipation.

All I wanted to do was watch the smirk fall from his face. With that in mind, it spurred me on to stand up and glare down at him.

I could not back down now. I had to go through with it.

I climbed on to his lap.

My plan was to hurt him, but the impact did no damage.

As soon as I was on him, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me towards him, so my back rested against his chest.

My plan had backfired. It was supposed to hurt him. I had expected him to let out a noise of disapproval or at least push me off him.

I wiggled around ‘Let me go, Lurch.’

‘No.’ He grumbled, his grip tightening.

After a few minutes of trying to remove his big muscular arm from around my stomach, I gave up moving and mumbled ‘Am I not heavy?’

‘No.’

‘Whatever.’ I mumbled before leaning forward and taking a few fries from his plate ‘I am stealing your food.’

Brennan raised his brow from the other side of the table ‘You enjoying yourself there?’

‘No.’ I replied, munching on Stone’s lunch ‘I am hating every second of this.’

‘Then why are you still on his lap?’ Lana asked, biting the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing.

‘He won’t let me.’ I motioned down at his strong vice-like arms before I started eating the burger from Stone’s plate ‘Plus, I’m torturing him.’

‘Yeah, because he looks like he is getting tortured.’ Brennan commented while nodding towards the guy behind me.

Stone had a small smile on his face as he watched me devour his hamburger.

One of Chase’s friends was watching the scene with a judgemental expression on his face. I flipped him off and carried on with what I was doing.

I stretched over to grab more of his fries and then I slammed back onto his lap. Only this time I rested more further back so that my tailbone rested higher than his thigh.

A deep noise erupted from the bottom of his chest, but he did not let me go.

‘Now he might be in torture.’ Brennan chuckled.

Slowly, I could not help but turn around and look down. My attention fell to the large bulge before I peered back up and met the pair of dilated pupils.

‘That better be a spanner, mechanic- boy.’ I teased before turning around and eating the rest of his burger.