4

Maxine

A month in Canada and I still woke up every morning expecting London fog outside my window instead of pine trees and endless sky. No London fog but good news actually, my eye hurts a lot less than it did yesterday thanks to Johnny’s balm or good sleep, I don’t know.

“Thanks, Aunt Margery,” I said, getting out of her car and waving.

“Have a great day!” My mom’s best friend waved back. She helps drop me off and pick me up most of the time because she works close by.

I woke up with a great disposition today, ready to forget about the events of yesterday and start afresh especially since the boys have promised to leave me the fuck alone. We will stay out of each other’s way and be fine.

Poppy met me at my locker and hugged me. “I thought you were going to get suspended, you disappeared yesterday.”

“I was not suspended, but I got a worse punishment,” I told her.

“What could be worse than suspension? You are here, which means you weren’t expelled,” she asked.

“Four Saturday detentions with the three of them,” I said and Poppy winced.

“Sorry. It could be fun, though. Maybe they will finally stop trying to murder you and kiss you,” she winked.

“Gross,” I scrunched up my nose as I walked with her to class.

“C’mon. Even you can’t deny that they are hot,” she said.

“Admitting that a person looks good is different from being attracted to them and wanting them to kiss you. They are hot, yeah, but gross and annoying, too.”

“I wish I could kiss one of them, at least,” Poppy said.

I huffed a laugh. It’s funny because Poppy is popular, pretty, and hot. She can get anyone in the school that she wants, including any of the Glass brothers.

“Why not just tell the one you want?” I asked.

“It’s complicated. You can’t understand,” is all she said as we walked into class.

I shrugged and plopped down in my seat. Mrs. Hawkins walked into class and locked eyes with me almost immediately. I have heard about her and seen her a couple of times during assembly, but this is the first time I’d be in her class.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Max,” I answered.

“I don’t think tint is allowed, Max. You have to follow the school’s dress code,” she said.

Not again. She’s talking about the white streak in my hair, but it’s not tinted. I was born that way.

“It’s not a tint, ma’am. It’s natural,” I told her.

“Oh, wow. Sorry about that,” she apologized immediately.

I gave her a polite smile. The teachers here are really nice—not that the ones in London were mean, but it was a public school with many more students and I wasn't popular. I was a geek in the background who always went unnoticed.

Bran waltzed into the class like a king, greeting the teacher briefly before walking over to the seat next to mine. He bullied the boy who was already there out of it and occupied the seat.

He just won’t leave me alone, will he?

“Bran—” I started to whisper, but he cut me off.

“Hold your horses, butterfly. I’m not here to bother you,” he said with that teasing tone he always uses.

The pet name he used made my cheeks flush, but I simply looked away from him and back to the board. I’m not going to let any of them get under my skin and make me lose it like I did yesterday.

Bran handed me a bar of Dubai chocolate. “I forgive you for all your wrongdoings towards me and I’m going to let you be my friend. It’s a truce chocolate,” he said smugly.

I controlled the urge to roll my eyes at his stinking ego. But if he is offering me Dubai chocolate, he must have gone the extra mile to ask my mom what I like, so I’m going to honor the effort and accept his truce.

“No more cockroaches?” I whispered.

Bran nodded. Then I shook his hand and took the chocolate. We both focused on the teacher until a rolled-up piece of paper hit me in the face and dropped into my lap.

What the fuck?

I unfolded the piece of paper and read the content: “Would you like to suck my boobs in the library after lunch?” My eyes widened. This was definitely not meant for me.

I looked back to search for whoever threw it, and a blonde girl behind us discreetly pointed at Bran. Oh, it’s for him. Great. I nodded and helped her pass the paper to him.

I can’t imagine what it feels like to be offered free boobs every day at school. Must be exhausting, or quite exhilarating.

Bran passed the paper back to me. I should have just thrown it back to her, but I have poor aim and it would probably just land in someone else’s lap, so I decided I should give it to her after class.

I clutched the paper in my hand for a while, but after fighting my nosiness for a bit, I decided to read his response to see if Bran the nerd accepts free boobs after lunch.

“No, thanks. I have swim practice after lunch. It’s just chocolate, though—you don’t have to exchange your boobs for it.”

The blood dried from my face. He thinks it’s me.

There was no more room left to write on the paper, so I tore out a fresh sheet and wrote back to him.

Me: It’s not me, asshole. It’s the blonde girl in a purple bow three rows behind.

I squeezed the paper and threw it at him. I watched him read it and then write back to me.

Bran: I know, butterfly. I was teasing you. You don’t seem like the type to offer your boobs.

Me: Wdym (what do you mean?)

I wrote back. What does he mean? I can offer my boobs to whoever I want, just not him.

Bran: Leave me alone.

He wrote back and I had to control the urge to shove the paper up his nose.

I kept the piece of paper aside, trying to focus back on the teacher, but his presence next to me was louder than anything else. Every movement he made had me looking sideways. I felt very strange, my thoughts were tangled and my pulse was tripping over itself, which only made me very annoyed.