A Broken Doll

"Miss Melanie Gomez, where's your homework?"

The 17 years old swallowed, hearing her teacher. She again checked her school bag but her notebook wasn't in it. She had put her notebook in her bag last night after completing her homework then where the hell it went.

"Am I audible to you, Miss Gomez?"

"Yes, Ms. Wilson," She answered, politely.

"Then take out your notebook," Her teacher raised her voice.

Downcasting her hazel eyes, she replied.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Wilson but it's not in my bag,"

"Then where is it?" Ms. Wilson sounded annoyed.

"I don't know,"

Her teacher's brows furrowed at her answer.

"You don't know? Really? Did your notebook grow legs that it decided to walk away from you?"

The other students laughed at their teacher's remark which made her embarrassed.

"Silence," Ms. Wilson shushed everyone and focused her eyes on Melanie.

"So, Ms. Gomez, you've something else to defend yourself more?"

She shrugged her head slowly in her reply.

"One hour detention after school,"

She snapped her hazel eyes up and looked at her teacher, shocked.

"But Ms… . "

"Do you want me to make it two hours, Miss Gomez?"

Melanie clenched her fist and looked down.

"I'm sorry, Ms., "

"Bring your notebook tomorrow or else I'll get you out of my class," Saying that, Ms. Wilson turned around and walked back to her place.

"Okay students, that's enough for today's class. Don't forget to bring your homework and I definitely don't want to hear some lame excuses from anyone again about your notebook walking away from you,"

The students giggled whereas Melanie chewed her inner cheek at her teacher's remark on her.

"Aww.. Gomez, did your notebook fly away?"One of the students uttered, chuckling as the teacher left.

"F#ck off, Harrison," Melanie seethed while glaring at her classmate, who rolled his eyes at her.

She again started checking her bag.

"Where the hell is that damn notebook? I had put it in my bag last night," She slammed her bag on the desk.

"Are you sure you've put it in your bag?"

"I'm more sure than Ms. Wilson's life that I had put it in my bag, Cara," She answered her friend, while scowling.

"Then how could it be gone on its own?"

"I don't know," Melanie pressed her head over the desk and sighed until something caught her mind.

She immediately leaned back and got up on her feet. Melanie clenched her jaw while staring at nothing particularly. Her friend's brows wiggled in confusion when she started walking away.

"Hey! Where are you going, Mel?" Her friend shouted, halting Melanie at the door.

She turned around and yelled back, growling.

"I'm going to kill that f#cker, Adrian Salvatore," Is all she said before dashing out of her classroom.

Clad in a black leather jacket and ripped jeans, he was striding like a ruler on his territory. His sharp jaw, straight nose and burly muscular body was the epitome of manliness of that 20 years old. His jet black hairs were messy which were slightly falling on his pale forehead, making him look more endearing.

Some were looking at him afraid, some jealous and some desiringly and he knew about it very well which made his emerald eyes fill with pride and satisfaction.

The whispers of the students about his presence were echoing against the walls of the corridor of the school's locker room until.

"F#cking stop there, Salvatore,"

His steps halted hearing that loud angry voice, which turned everyone silent. He didn't need to turn around to know who was the owner of that voice, who had the audacity to address him like that… Melanie Gomez..

She stormed towards him and stood in front of him. Her hazel eyes met with those green eyes and by watching the anger boiling in her eyes, he already knew the reason behind it which made him smirk.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of getting approached by Miss Gomez today?"

She scoffed at his mocking words and teasing smirk.

"Where the hell is my notebook, Salvatore?" She spat, making him to puck out his lips.

"Am I your school bag, that I would have your notebook, Gomez ?" He answered, showing his fake innocence.

"Don't make me rip out these ugly eyes of yours, Salvatore. Give me back my notebook or else I'll tell aunt Melissa about this," She warned him.

Melanie knew he had stolen her notebook because she had ratted to his mother about him that he was arguing with the teachers yesterday.

His face hardened at her threat. He threateningly stepped closer to her and peered at her hazel eyes.

"That's what you're capable of doing only. Ratting about me to my Mum," He blurted out, glaring at her.

"And I'll do it again if you don't give me back my notebook," She snapped, matching his deadly glare.

Everyone was watching and enjoying them barking at each other. Some even looked at them bored because that wasn't something new. They both almost fought everyday in the school.

He tightened his jaw and bowed his head a bit to match her face level. She wasn't short but neither too long to match his tall height.

"Go and do what the f#ck you're capable of doing, Gomez. I'm not giving you back your notebook," He uttered with his lowered warning tone. He had stolen her notebook, early in the morning from her room when she was bathing.

He leaned back and turned around to leave until

"Because of you, I got detention and even get insulted in front of the whole class,"

He tossed around and saw her boiling with anger. It was just because of her blessed tanned skin otherwise her burning cheeks would've been visible to everyone.

"They all were laughing at me just because of you, Rian," She called him by his nickname which only she and his mother used to address him.

Melanie saw his green eyes softened at her words. He came back to her and leaned his face closer to her.

"So my doll got detention today," He rasped, turning her suspicious.

"Well, I thought she would throw you out of her class but never mind," He smirked, evilly.

Melanie stomped her feet and growled.

"I'll slit your damn throat, you as#hole,"

He laughed at her cursing.

"Only if you were able to reach my neck, my little doll," He taunted.

That was it. Her patience left her at his comment on her height.

"You're so dead, Adrian Salvatore," She was about to attack him but a hand gripped her arm and stopped her.

She turned around and her blazing gaze fell on the owner of that hand.

"Let it be, Mel. Everyone is looking,"

"But he has stolen my notebook for which Ms. Wilson scolded me and gave me detention, Evan," She told her best friend.

Evan sighed and looked at Adrian who was looking at both of them with a boring expression.

"Give her back her notebook, Adrian,"

Adrian rolled his eyes and spat.

"And what you're? Her lawyer, Davis?"

Melanie palmed her fist, hearing him insulting her best friend.

"You.. " She was about to blast on him but Evan held her back.

"I don't have any more time for this shit, so take care, Melanie and her lawyer," He chuckled and then turned around to walk.

"And your notebook is in your dressing table's drawer," Is all he said, without turning around and then walking away from there.

Melanie, who was boring daggers in his back, sighed hearing Evan.

"Let it be, Mel. You know he's like this. He loves to trouble everyone. He's just sick minded," Evan uttered.

Melanie looked in that direction,he had disappeared and then with a sigh, she also walked away from there with Evan.

"Well you don't seem very fond of him, Melanie?"

"Fond? I'll choke him to death the very second I'll get the chance of it," Melanie snapped, sipping on her cold drink.

Her friend, Cara, chuckled and asked.

"But why do you both hate each other so much? Why don't you both try to be friends? I mean you both have been living under the same roof for the past 10 years and yet you both are always behind each other's neck?"

"Because that green eyes pain in the a#s hates me because aunt Melissa loves me more than him," She stated, feeling proud and grateful of getting loved by his mother.

"I had tried to be his friend when for the first time, I had seen him in my house but that f#cker had turned me speechless that day,"

FLASHBACK

7 years old, Melanie was playing with her doll. Sitting on a sofa, wearing a light pink frock which was alluringly complimenting her beautiful tanned skin, she was combing her doll's hair.

"Melanie, look who's here to meet you,"

She took her doe hazel eyes up and saw her father walking towards her but the person who was coming behind him, had made her eyes widened..

"Aunty Lissa," She jumped in excitement and ran towards them. She hugged her aunty Melissa's legs and spoke..

"I missed you so much, aunty lissa,"

Her aunt, Melissa picked her tiny frame up in her arms and kissed her cheek.

"I missed you too, my baby, "

Melissa was Melanie's personal caretaker. After Melanie's mother died, her father had appointed Melissa to take care of his little daughter. Melissa was taking care of Melanie from when she was just a 3 years old toddler. Their bond was just like a mother and daughter's bond, just like their similar sounding names.

Melanie had always felt her mother's warmth in Melissa's arms and she was missing her badly because Melissa had gone for a week to her home for some personal reasons but now she was back.

"You won't leave again, right?" The 7 years old asked with a hope in her big doe eyes.

Melissa's green eyes warmed up. She again kissed her forehead and answered.

"No, never. Now, I'll stay with my Anie forever,"

Melanie giggled and hugged her, until her eyes fell on those another pair of green eyes which were practically glaring at her.

Little Melanie gaped into those displeased eyes for a while.

"Adrian, come here and say hello to Melanie," Melissa uttered, dropping Melanie carefully on her feet.

That 10 years old boy didn't seem pleased with Melanie. He didn't approach her but little Melanie was curious to meet him.

She walked towards him with her tiny steps and gaped at his pink cheeks and blood red lips.

Melanie's eyes lightened up in happiness

"Dad, he looks like my doll. She also has pink cheeks like him," Melanie giggled and squeezed his pink cheeks, turning his porcelain skin more red.

Her father and Melissa chuckled.

"From now on, he and your aunt Melissa will stay with us," Her dad told her.

Her father used to treat Melissa as her elder sister and after Melissa's husband died, he suggested Melissa to take her son with her and started living in his house.

Melanie's happiness knew no boundary after hearing her father. She had forever wanted to live with her aunt Melissa.

Her father smiled while watching his daughter so happy.

"Okay, I'm going to work, Melanie. Don't trouble your aunt Lissa too much, okay?"

Melanie immediately nodded and hugged her father's knees. Her father bent and kissed her forehead and then left after patting Adrian's head.

"Ok kiddos, you both play and I'll get something for you to eat," Melissa said, earning a nod from Melanie.

Melissa also left and now little Melanie left with her human doll. She walked towards him, excited and then grabbed his arm.

"Let's go, we will play with my doll," She tried to tug him with her but he didn't move.

Melanie pouted and poked his cheek.

"Let's go,"

But he still didn't move. Giving up to his stubbornness, Melanie decided to grab her doll and showed it to him.

"Look, she's so beautiful," She told him, who was still glaring at her but after hearing her, his emerald eyes looked down at her doll.

He took her doll from her, making Melanie happy that he was going to play with her. But her eyes widened when he ripped her doll's head out of her body.

Her hazel eyes immediately watered at his action. He laughed watching her crying and then threw the broken doll's pieces on the ground.

"Now it's looking less ugly," He spoke, gazing and laughing at her broken doll.

Melanie kneeled and collected her broken doll's pieces. Her tears turned more abrupt.

"Why did you break it?" She asked him, shedding her tears.

"Because she was ugly just like you," The 10 years old replied.

Little Melanie got up and yelled at him.

"You're bad. I'll tell aunty Lissa, you broke my doll," She said and turned around to walk but he grabbed her arm.

"If you told mum about this then we'll leave from here forever," He blurted out

Her doe eyes filled with more tears at his words. She couldn't lose her aunt Lissa again.

Melanie teared up more badly and then snatched her arm from his grip. She pushed him away with her tiny force and spoke out, gazing into his emerald eyes.

"One day, I'll also break your doll," Saying that, she ran away from there and he just stared at her retracting figure.

FLASHBACK ENDS