I was so elated when the ending bell went. I gathered my few pieces of nothing and was about leaving when three girls stood in my way. From my experience back in my former school, I balled my fist and waited patiently for someone to hit me first. Nobody did. All that happened was a staring competition I was apparently partaking in.

"You're not even pretty", said one of the girls. I looked at her and no doubt, she was prettier than me. Too bad I never showed my insecurities.

"Yeah. I wonder what Jake saw in her." Another concurred.

"Who's Jake and what did he say he saw?"

They looked at me like I was an idiot but little did they know I got that look everyday of my life since I turned seven. Luckily, they're still nice enough to answer. "Well,if you must know, Jake is the hottest boy in the whole damn school."

"No. Elliot is hotter. He's cute and nerdy and dreamy."

"Ignore Cassidy, she has a fetish." One said to me pointing to the chubbiest of them three.

I wondered why I watched a couple of females squeal over a couple of males but I did. Humans are unpredictable. "What's with the hype?"

"What's your name gorrila girl?"

"I do not look like a gorilla. In fact, forgive my asking. I'm going home."

Cassidy ran to me holding me in place. "Stace is a moron please ignore her. I'm Cassidy. That's Anastasia and Mona."

I gave them half assed greetings the totally deserved. "Lisa."

"So, Lisa", Mona said holding my other hand. "What on earth did you do to get Jake to talk to you? Are you into voodoo and stuff like that?"

"Don't be an idiot", Anastasia said interrupting the sentence I hadn't yet formed. "She would've been hanging beads and vibes from her neck if she were voodoo. It's something else."

"Maybe the fact that I don't understand what the Jake hype is all about. He's as human as me." I couldn't say them because they sure didn't behave like humans to me.

Mona cleared her throat. "Let me tell you what the hype is all about. Jake Demidov, yes of Russian descent. 18 years old. Born on the 16th of February. He's an aquarius. Totally compatible for my sign. Also, he's the leader of H4."

I burst out laughing and the girls didn't know why. "H4? Is that like a secret service or something?"

"Elliot,Hanson and Brandon are in H4. Their the hottest, cutest and richest boys in the school." Cassidy said. "Jake's father has so much shares in the school it's absurd. "

"Cool. He's a rich prick then. I'm off." Before I was pulled back to the bottomless pit of gossip, I ran like my life depended on it.

...

Ryan and I ended up getting home at the exact same time. His excuse was always extra curricular activities - which I doubted he did, but I didn't have any. Gladly, Mabel's car wasn't in the garage.

"You messed up big time." Ryan said and I had to be sure I was the one being spoken to.

"Me? You're talking to me?"

"No. Abraham Lincoln was behind you." He finally got the door opened.

I followed suit,removing my shoes like the civilized person I was. Ryan walked all over Mabel's floors with muddy shoes and she didn't give a shit.

"What did I do this time?"

"Messing with Jake. You could've apologized and minded your business but you just had to talk back. You called him an idiot for god's sake."

I scoffed. "You too? Jake is only human. Stop treating him like he's more. He was the one that came after me in my defense. I'm innocent."

"Jake is unpredictable. You're in for deep trouble."

"Thanks for the advice brother dear. I'll keep it in mind." I went to my room after my fake through my teeth smiles. I changed out of my irritating uniform. They made us wear a skirt. I asked if I could get trousers but I had to meet the principal if I wanted to do that. The grey didn't even match my skin tone.

I stripped, took a nice cold shower and threw myself on my bed in nothing but my under garments. My phone dinged with a notification. I ignored it and continued staring into space. It went off again and again till I was sure the poor device was going to explode.

Pissed, I snatched it from the nightstand. People were following my Instagram account. I hadn't opened the app in months, preferring to use my phone only to read and doom scroll on YouTube. I opened the app and three followers had turned to seven hundred and two.

There was a direct message in my inbox.

The_Jakey ༎ຶ⁠‿⁠༎ຶ

How very original. I had seventeen messages from that human in less than forty five minutes. I was ready to ignore the chat when one popped up.

The_Jakey༎ຶ⁠‿⁠༎ຶ: Stop pretending like you haven't read my texts. Respond.

Me: Go away weirdo. I'll block your ass .

He sent me more messages but I disconnect the internet. I flopped on my back and immersed myself into a world of literature.

...

The next day, I made sure to stay clear of the three bad wolves. Of course, I received stares and some dared to ask for my number.

By lunch period, I went crazy. I stood up to head for the cafeteria like others were doing when some plastic surgery looking guy held my arm.

"And how may I help you?".

The audacity of the guy to ask if I was willing to have sex with him because they assumed that was what Jake and I were doing. I almost punched him in the mouth. Instead, I said,"I'm sorry but I'm not in the mood for a herpes injection."

I was on a witch hunt for Jake. Students had already started hearing to the cafeteria so that was where I was headed. The building was big and with a high rise ceiling so finding him proved a little difficult. I walked through the crowd of students- who were obviously staring at me - and bingo. Jakey was sitting in a corner.

"You narcissistic asshole!". I snatched the can of soda from the table with them and poured it on both his face and jacket. If I was expecting a reaction, it never came. Jake stared me down. Every body went quiet as if also anticipating his reaction. My face reddened with shame and I walked away. It was quiet even after I left.

I had been in that school for barely two days and my face had already popped up on three gossip sites. How did I know? The three bad wolves. From the cafeteria, I went straight to the library. I had a free period after lunch which I was so gladly going to skip.

I was neck deep inside my book when I felt a presence in front of me. "I've told you I'm not interested. Go away."

"Jake is livid Lisa. He wants to talk to you." Someone, Elliot maybe said. I raised my head to the both of them.

"Tell him no thank you. I have nothing to say to him."

"I believe you do. Just come with us."

Curiosity did get the best of me so I walked with them. When we passed classrooms and were headed for the Janitor's closet, I paused.

"If this is some sort of abduction, I'm going to scream so loud the principal will hear me. " I kinda sorta threatened. I wasn't intimidating enough because the boys paid me no mind. They opened the door and entered in. I poked my head in and for the second time since I started my education here, I had to pick my jaw from the floor.

There was a huge ass television in front of me, three couches and various bean bags, a while snack bar and about three arcade games. Maybe perks of being in a private school was having an underground arcade.

"Excuse us boys. " Jake said sitting on one of the couches. The boys left so I used that as an opportunity to pick a packet of chips and sit.

"I don't remember offering you a seat."

"And I don't remember asking you if I could sit." I opened the chips, pouring in a mouthful. "Why do you want to see me?"

He threw the jacket he was wearing on me. "You've ruined my jacket."

"No," I said still munching on chips. "I poured soda on it. You take it to the dry cleaners or ask your nanny to wash it for you and it'll be good as new. "

His jaw set and I could tell he was angry or something close to that. "Pay for it."

"Fair enough. How much do I owe you?" I searched for the little scraps of money in my pocket.

"Sixteen million."

"Ha ha. Very funny. How much is it. I don't got all day. "

Jake stood up from his seat, taking steps closer to me. I shifted in my seat as his gaze belittled me. "That is a one of a kind pogo jacket. You don't get it from a store you know. You have it made. Who's your father? I'll have him pay for it."

"Where the hell is he going to get sixteen million from?. He'd probably punch you in the mouth for asking him that. "

"You don't have any money. What's your family business?."

"Impregnating women and a million child support cases." Apparently Jake didn't find my joke funny because he only got even more annoyed.

"How the hell did you get into this school? Don't tell me you're a scholarship student. Are you?" He asked almost repulsed. I was feeling something I hadn't felt in a long time - inferior.

"Well screw you very much. I'm leaving."

"What about my money? Replace my jacket."

I throw it at him. "Shove it up your large nostrils." I stormed out knowing I was shit deep in trouble.

The day felt to go by very slowly. I wanted to leave ASAP but no, I was forced to endure the cruelty of life in the form of Chemistry. I was doodling on my notes when a knock on the door caught my attention.

"Excuse me Mr. Harris but Lisa Thompson is needed in the principal's office." As I stood and followed, I tried thinking of what I could've possibly done on my second day of school. All of them fell back to one possibility. Jake Demidov.

My guess was true because the first person I saw stepping into the office was the arrogant human. He gave me a lopsided grin I downright ignored.

"Please take a seat Miss Thompson." I smiled faintly at Mr. Alphonso before sitting. "A complaint about you reached my desk not long ago. Do you know what this is about?"

"No sir I do not." Apparently it was flu season because there's no other reason for Jake to cough. I gave him a look he returns. He meant war.

"Mr. Demidov here complained of you destroying his jacket for no reason at all. There have been students come to me as witnesses so there's no denying it. You're to compensate him."

I get ready to argue but Mr. Alphonso raises his hand. "There's no room for arguments. That's the final say. The matter had better be resolved before the end of the day else you're in for suspension."

I slammed my hands on the desk. "Outrageous. You're going to suspend my ass for a stupid jacket I'm pretty sure is contraband."

"You watch your language when you step foot into my office understood? Go settle your dispute with Mr. Demidov before the day is over. Leave."

Seeing it was too late to plea, I left. I could feel Jake's arrogant presence behind me. "I hope you're happy. You're indeed an asshole."

Getting home, I called dad eighteen times. I can't lie I was surprised he didn't pick. I didn't even think he had my number. I also considered asking Mabel for the money but I was never in the mood to be reminded of how much of a mistake I was.

Frustrated and annoyed, I decided to open my IG. Jake had left a new batch of messages ready for my ignoring. Only, this time, I didn't ignore them.

Me: What do you really want from me? I seriously don't have sixteen million for you.

The Jakey༎ຶ⁠‿⁠༎ຶ:Your first class tomorrow is P.E. Meet me in the locker room.

Me: The boy's locker room? I'm not a pervert.

The Jakey༎ຶ⁠‿⁠༎ຶ: I heard Hanson's mother's bank gives great loans.

I didn't send him another message again.

I actually preferred I was out in the streets smuggling cocaine than trying to sneak into the boy's locker room. It smelled so masculine in there I was certain I was going to puke. I waited till I was sure there were no other boys in before sneaking in. Jake wasn't even in there but before I could panic, he tapped me.

"Take this." He said shoving a piece of paper in my face. I collected it and skimmed through.

"What do you mean in case of physical damage? What is this?"

"I drafted a little contract as a way for you to compensate me. "

"You're asking me to be your slave. How does that sound like a compensation?" There was something about Jake that made me want to scream and rip my hair off my head. He was arrogant, rude and an asshole.

"I can tell you something about you. What's with the stubborn facade. You know you're in debt and you're too poor to pay but your pesky pride won't let you. There's nothing to be proud of. Sign the contract."

I was so livid I wanted to scream but I didn't. I couldn't risk being caught in there. Instead, I signed the contract. I forced a smile on my face. "I hope you're happy."

"Elated."

My mood for the rest of the day was ruined.

...

The rain started as early as three a.m and till eight, there wasn't any sign of it subsiding. The gloomy clouds only gave the school a more depressing vibe. Jake hadn't texted or called or talked to me in two days and as much as I wished I could say I was happy, I was petrified.

Another yawn escaped my lips and I needed to sleep urgently. There wasn't anybody in the corridor and I was glad. I made a bed out of my bag and school blazer on one of the benches and closed my eyes, hoping to open them in less that thirty minutes.

They opened not because I pleased but someone kept poking me. I sat up and Jake was squatting to face me. His eyes were on my lips and my foggy brain told me he wanted to kiss me. I was repulsed but as the sleep cleared, it seemed he was too. There was a drool trail on my face. From my lip right to my forehead. Embarrassment was my middle name. Lisa Embarrassment Thompson.

"What?"

"I bought a new jacket."

I forced a smile. "Congratulations on your purchase. Go away let me sleep."

"This is a very dangerous place to sleep. You'll get into trouble."

"Like you care. Why don't you go ahead and report me because it seems that's the only thing you're good at."

There was a look on his face like he was considering something. It disappeared as soon as it appeared. "Whatever. Suit yourself. Go get me a soda from the vending machine."

"Am I your slave?"

"Yes. Preferably something grape. Hurry. "

I had to go. That stupid contract. "

...

We were to have history but our teacher had a family emergency and had to leave. We had nothing to do but gossip. Anastasia and Mona were at my table discussing a new shade of nail polish. We'd have been friends if we had common ground. We had nothing to talk about except Jake and it was obvious I didn't want him to be in my conversation.

I was reading a book when a piece of wet tissue landed on the side of my face. The whole class went silent and I curnsed under my breath. Jake was demanding my attention. I went to his desks, two rows beside mine with a smile. "Yes. How may I be of help to you?". The other members of H4 and two girls were surrounding him.

The girls stared me down even though left to me I wouldn't even breath the same air as him.

"Six cans of grape soda from the hangout. I want the cold ones."

"No way."

"It's legally bound. You'll pay for breach of contract."

I groaned. The hangout was three stories above us and my legs couldn't take the stress. I did have to do it though. I went to the place and I realized that stupid me didn't ask for the code. Taking my phone out, I called Jake a total number of sixteen times. My call was either ignored or declined. I went back down and he told me the code.

Midway, I forgot it so I had to go back down. I cursed myself because not only was I exhausted, I was panting like a dog. I got the sodas (not before resting my legs a bit) and went back down.

"Here are your drinks. You're welcome. "

"Cookies." He said not even bothering to turn to me. I went back up and came down with the whole freaking jar in my hands. It seemed like the only person he didn't acknowledge me was Jake. Elliot even thanked me twice.

"Water. Sparkling." Before I could go for another round of torture, the bell rang. I went to carry my bag for my next class. Jake still barely sent a glance my way.

...

The WiFi in Mabel's house was down and if not for the fact that I was busy with my aimless doom scrolling, I would've never gone to Ryan's room. His was at the farthest end of the corridor. Luckily Mabel wasn't around to sense me lurking around her son's room.

I knocked on the door and it was only after I didn't get a reply that I opened the door. Ryan was on his bed doing exactly what I was doing. Aimless use of the internet.

"The WiFi is working for you? It ain't for me."

"Me neither. I'm using our neighbors'. They're going to throw a tantrum if they find out."

"Can you share the password?"

"And what do I get in return?"

I thought of what he could possibly want and my mind came up almost blank. "Well I can't get out of the house if that's what will make you happy."

He stretched his hand asking for my phone and I gave him without any argument. "If we won't be leaving already. Mom got a promotion."

"No shit. You're moving to a new neighborhood." I didn't know how I was supposed to feel about the news because I was sure I wasn't exactly happy for them.

"No idiot. A new country. I'm going to Hong Kong in less than a month."

My mouth formed an o. There was only one thing on my mind. 'what about me?!'