Chapter 9: Chapter 9

"Rex, I'm just going to stay in the dorm."

"No."

"I'll find an apartment."

"No."

"Then I'll buy a bike."

"No," Rex replies, standing by the car before opening the door, causing my steps to halt as I follow him.

"Can you answer anything other than 'no'?" I exclaim, frustrated, holding the straps of my backpack tightly.

"No," he replies for the umpteenth time, fueling my irritation.

"Fine, then I'll just walk to school." After uttering those words, I start walking past him. However, my steps are halted when Rex easily grabs my backpack and pulls it back, causing me to stop in front of him again.

"Get in, I'll take you!" he says, making me fold my arms and glare at him.

"For how long will you keep driving me, Rex? I don't want to keep disrupting your work schedule. It's better if I buy a bike." I answer, as sometimes Rex has to wake up early or take time off work to drive me to school, which makes me uncomfortable. I'm not a kid anymore; I'm seventeen, and the distance between home and school isn't that far. I don't understand why Rex insists on this, it's infuriating.

"It's dangerous for you to go home alone. You're new here; you could get lost," he reasons. Okay, I agree with the getting lost part; I'm not that great at remembering directions or reading maps. But come on, I'm not that helpless. I can still remember the way back from school.

"Rex," I whine, but he only shrugs nonchalantly, then places his hand on my shoulder and guides me into the car. I can only breathe out a resigned sigh, knowing I can't do much. Okay, Aurel, we'll try again later to persuade him, my inner thoughts encourage me. Persuading that stone-headed guy isn't easy.

I choose to stay silent during the drive, and Rex doesn't say a word either, making the journey to school slower than usual.

"I'll pick you up later," he says once we're in front of NYHS, causing me to reach for the door handle but pause. I turn back towards him, making Rex furrow his brows.

"I'm joining the swim club," I announce, remembering that I wanted to tell him earlier but forgot after yesterday's ice cream incident.

"Okay, then?" he asks.

"I might come home later for a few days to adjust to the swim club's schedule," I explain confidently, even though I haven't been officially accepted into the club. But I want to let Rex know, my inner self smirks.

"Sure, just let me know and give me your swim club schedule when you have it," he replies, glancing at his phone that he retrieves from the dashboard.

"Okay."

"Do you need anything for the swim club? Equipment or swimsuits? If not, we can go shopping later," Rex offers, making me realize I haven't bought a new swimsuit or other gear yet. Thankfully, I brought my swimsuit from Indonesia, so I can use it for now.

"Not yet," I answer, causing Rex to nod in understanding.

"Then we'll shop this weekend."

"Fine, I'll go now. Have a good day at work," I say, forcing a stiff smile since I'm still a bit annoyed about the earlier issue.

"Study hard and don't get lost," he says with a smile, ruffling my hair, which makes me huff and fix my slightly messy hair. Then I get out of the car and stand there until Rex's car disappears from sight.

I was about to enter the building area, but I changed my mind when I felt a shiver down my spine, as if someone was watching me. I sweep my surroundings and stop right at the parking area, where a line of cool motorcycles is parked – the kind often used by motorcycle gangs in movies I've watched. My gaze fixates on a guy with ash-gray eyes who's staring at me intensely. I look around, hoping that his gaze is directed at someone else, but I'm wrong; he's indeed looking at me.

What does that gaze mean? Is he still holding a grudge against me? I decide to ignore it and continue walking inside.

Right now, it's chemistry class, and I'm trying to follow the signs leading me to the chemistry lab. Okay, according to the directions, I should turn left, and I get ready to take a few more steps.

"What's your relationship with him?" he asks right next to me, making me startle and halt my steps. When did he get so close to me? I'm still stunned by the surprise, staring into his ash-gray eyes that bore into me.

"W-what are you doing here?" I finally manage to utter, looking around to make sure he's actually speaking to me.

"Just answer, what's your relationship with the fake cop?" he replies tersely.

"Rex," I mutter, furrowing my brow, trying to figure out why he's asking such a question.

"That's none of your business," I retort, annoyed, and then try to continue walking, but...

"Ow..." I feel a sharp pain in my wrist as the guy with the gray eyes pulls me towards him as if it's the most natural thing to do.

"You haven't answered my question, Aurel," he growls, and I can see the irritation in his eyes. He's grinding his teeth.

"And I don't have to answer your questions; it's my private matter," I reply, irked, and then choose to continue walking, but...

"Aw..." I feel pain in my wrist again as the guy with the odd eyes tugs at me, not very gently.

"You've avoided my question, Aurel," he says, exasperated, and I can clearly see his clenched jaw.

"And I don't have to answer your questions, it's my privacy," I insist.

"You only need to answer about your relationship with him," he presses.

"Why?" I question.

"Huh," he huffs, running his hand through his perpetually messy hair. He looks frustrated, which is just great.

"You're really stubborn, you know that?" he states.

"And you're really weird," I reply quickly, making him furrow his brows, as he seems to process my opinion of him. After a few seconds, he starts laughing like a madman. Yes, a handsome madman. His attractiveness amplifies as he laughs, and foolishly, I keep staring at him without blinking.

"Me? I'm the weird one?" he says, pointing at himself, a mischievous laugh lingering on his lips.

"Of course, it's you. Who else?" I mutter.

"Only you say that. You know, girls around here can't even stand this close to me without trembling. Do you get what I mean?" he says with an above-average level of confidence.

"Yeah, it's because they're scared of you," I retort.

"Aren't you scared of me?" he quickly asks.

Of course, I'm scared. With all the rumors about him, how could I not be scared? Well, you know, scared in a way, I mean... I'm reminded of the incident at the pool and the girls' conversation at the ice cream shop the other day.

"Why should I be scared?" I slap my own mouth mentally for being so bold as to directly challenge this guy. And now look, he's smirking at me, looking at me from head to toe.

"Alright, Miss Malik. I'm impressed by your bravery, and I'm seriously intrigued by it," he says ambiguously, making me wonder what he means. After saying that, he steps away and turns to leave, leaving me standing there in silence.

"Oh, and one more thing, is he your cousin from Indonesia?" he asks again. He knows, so why bother asking me if he already knows the basic weirdness?

"Jackpot. I'll take your silence as a yes," he continues, leaving me standing there like a dumbstruck fool.

"Welcome to Gray's world, Miss Malik," he says with a chilling smirk before resuming his steps, disappearing behind the wall.

"What... What did he mean by that?" I mutter, looking at his retreating back as he disappears behind the wall.

Oh, shit.

Saat aku sudah berada di depan pintu laboratorium, aku bisa melihat Mr. Lauv sudah berdiri sambil menjelaskan materi pembelajaran. Aku mengatur nafasku sebelum mencoba mengetuk pintu.

Tok tok tok.

"I'm sorry, Mr. I got lost," I mumble, coming up with a plausible excuse.

Mr. Lauv doesn't respond immediately, his gaze fixed on me. "Yes, come in, Miss Malik. You're ten minutes late," he says, making me smile awkwardly as I walk towards an empty desk and quickly put on the lab coat provided there. After that, Mr. Lauv continues with his explanation.

As I leave the class, I'm about to look for Jeni. Where is she, and where should I search for her? I should have asked for her phone number yesterday.

I decide to head to my locker first and store a few books I brought. After that, I'll think about where I should find her. Yes, that's the plan.

I walk towards my locker, but wait, what's going on? I furrow my brow as I see several students running towards the same direction, looking hurried and anxious. I'm not interested.

I take out the small key from my bag and open my locker, storing the books. Where should I look for Jeni? I can't just wander around NYHS this big to find her. Alright, where could Jeni have gone?

First, I don't know her class schedule for today. Second, the cafeteria. No, I don't want to go there alone, not after what happened. Third, the music room. Yeah, I'll try looking for her there.

I continue walking, following the signs to the music room. I walk through the corridor and the gathering crowd catches my attention. What's happening? Why are the students gathered and so focused? I'm curious, but ignore it, Aurel. Finding Jeni is more important right now. I'm about to turn the corner when I hear some of them talking.

"He made a big mistake by messing with Gray," I hear his name, and for some reason, my steps halt, and my heart races. Why does just hearing his name affect me this way? Wind guides me as I instinctively move towards the crowd to see what's happening.

And I'm almost shocked into jaw-dropping amazement by the sight that greets me.