Chapter 32: Chapter 32

It's eight-fourty when I pull over in the parking space of Franklin high school. Slubberingly, I take off the seat belt, fully knowing that I'm late already. Mom and Dad has left for work, or so and didn't wake me up. Plus, due to my alarm having being broken, and my phone switched off, I ended waking up late. And here I am, running with fast strides to the chemistry class.

I just learnt from the timetable this morning that we'll be having practical, and it'll be a yourselfers kind, where there will be a student per one table and do the experiment by oneself.

"Hi, Mrs. Vixen. Good morning." I say, smiling broadly as I call her attention from addressing the class.

"Miss Rayne, you're late for class." She says matter-of-factly. I nod. Oh, goodness. She's smart and the recalling type. You weren't in her class throughout last week, and yet she remembers your name.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Vixen, my alarm broke."

"That's fine. You know what we're doing today, right?" But without waiting for a reply from me, she adds. "Pick a tray."

Pointing with her index finger, she directs me to the table next to her. On it, is the last section of a tray-like aluminum where the equipment are placed. There's a mixture of sand and iron fillings in a bowl at a side, and an iron nail placed beside it; a diluted hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide and sodium chloride; a piece of filter paper, bottle of indicator, and blue and red litmus paper. As I make my way there, through the window, westward from me is Carl, waving at me from the outside with a beaming smile. I smile back at him and motion gesturingly for him to leave when I acknowledge myself to be in front of the class. He chuckles amusingly before he jogs off, leaving me to a secretive smile of my own. I turn back to the table to pick up the equipment, but to my surprise, the tray's gone.

Wandering, my eyes find Nicklaus, carrying the tray with his pale hands to his seat. Plopping down, he fixate his penetrating gaze on me, in somewhat sense, daring me. Why does he like to punish, rather, irritate me? He must have known that I'm the first to arrive which means I get to use the last equipment.

With a heavy sigh, I gait to his seat as Mrs. Vixen talks in the background about what we are to do which is; "In today's class, we will be working on separating techniques. As you can see, the iron nails and iron fillings are for you to study magnetization, and demagnetization. What I mean is that you'll all change the composition of the nail from its initial metal state to an electrified state with the help of the battery and coil before you, to form selenoid. Afterwards, we'll move on to qualitative analysis where we'll practice the reaction between acid and base, and in the process, form three salts — acidic, basic, and double salts. Now, guys let's get to it."

Getting to Nicklaus sit, I manage to lessen the audibility of my voice, but maintain the intimidating part still.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?"

"I think I'm doing a class work." He says, dropping his eyes to his table and fiddle with its edge.

"You saw me get there first." I say, hoping this time around, he wouldn't play with my words.

Blue eyes with taint of yellowness on its rims looks at my silver grey ones. "Yes, but I didn't see you scoop the tray first."

His eyes' different again. I slap the thought down since it didn't matter. Even if I point it out, I won't get an answer to why it is that way.

"Oh, now I get you. You think you can get whatever it is you want?" I squint, return my gaze to find that Mrs. Vixen is busy with explaining something to an individual and look back at Nicklaus.

"Precisely."

"Like you came to my room yesterday?"

"You kissed me back."

"Not if you hadn't kissed me first." I say and hear low murmurs of ecstasy and surprise from those nearby us, no doubt been listening in to us.

"You kissed me back, remember?"

"Yeah, and that was because you were demanding...with those hypnotizing vibrant eyes and good looks." I rather voice as being irritated, which is clearly not the case at the depth of my insides, probably located within my core.

"And I suppose you're not complaining? Plus, you're bewitching likewise."

Plus, you're bewitching likewise. It rings inside my head like a repeating music. I am bewitching to Mr. Damn-handsome, Nicklaus Originals? That's news to me.

A hand on my shoulder halts me from responding. I shift to its owner, and here is Mrs. Vixen, darting her eyes determinedly from me to Nicklaus and then, back to me.

"Hi, Mrs. Vixen. I was just about to getting to my seat." My voice is a little too high.

On Nicklaus part, he watches us like a scene, his expression having no lead on defending himself as I am.

"But rather, you and Mr. Originals are busy throwing fits in my class. You are both bound to detention." She says, as she removes her hand from my shoulder and begin walking to the front.

"Mrs. Vixen, I... ma'am... I'm sorry." I struggle to say something, but ended up failing. I don't want detention. It's too boring.

"Just stop talking, okay?" Nicklaus cuts in. A glare from me to him, shuns him, but the oh-so-misceivous smirk of his doesn't fade.

Mrs. Vixen pays no attention to us. "Carry on with your work, students. I will be back."

She faces us and tilt her head to the door's path.

"Now." She whispers.

With a complaint grunt, I slouch-walk to the door behind her and so does Nicklaus, trailing after me with his hands in the pocket of his oversized off-white woolen pant. His top part is covered with a simple, V-neck long-sleeve shirt. His hair, well brushed to the left to leave a hovering parted strands to flip down towards his forehead. His hair style alone makes me look heavenly, like those gods from the movie, Egypt gods, or so its named.

Soon, Mrs. Vixen is leading us to the library, where we'll be detained for the time being. I feel my insides sombering up in the upcoming boredom. Perhaps, I'll after all try to read some books to learn since I didn't last night. And all was due to the dickhead bad boy, who's looking unaffected by the fact that we're being punished currently. His expression is even impassive to read.

"Get yourself comfortable. In the next an hour, the librarian will let you go." Mrs. Vixen tells us as she opens the door to the library.

While, Nicklaus and I make our way inside, on the way, my peripheral catches the sight of some students, Mrs. Vixen says to the blonde female librarian.

"Those are on detention."

I have no doubt she's talking about us.

I stop at a table, and slide into the seat, Nicklaus takes the other, next to me. Suddenly, a feeling of anxiety claws at my skin, making me look over to him, but he's not looking back at me. Rather, he's reading a book.

Twenty minutes has past, and now the battery of my phone is low since I didn't charge it much this morning. Returning the phone back to my pocket, Nicklaus is out of the blue sitting opposite from me, peering into my eyes with his. I can not snatch my eyes from his. Now who's bewitching. Says the part that's always find her way to torture me. At least I'm thankful that a part of me can still manage talking.

"What—do you want?"

"I'm sorry."

I frown, confused, but amused at the same time. "That is not how to say "I'm sorry"."

"I told you we'd fight."

"Seems you figured out the future...more than fifty percent, uh?" I chortle.

He smirks. "Enough to cause a fuel."

Absolutely!