"C'mon.. wake up. Wake up, Amelie."

A voice said impatiently as her body was shaken by a looming figure. She wasn't sure if the voice was real or not. As she opened her eyes, she saw Gary was shoving Amelie by her shoulders with a sense of urgency. The girl smiled drunkenly, believing she was still in a dream.

"Nooooo…" she said playfully, closing her eyes as she reached for a lock of Gary's hair with her fingers. Amelie pulled the hair towards her nose, inhaling the luscious smell of Gary and all his glory.

This couldn't be real. Your brain is playing tricks on you again.

Gary concealed a smirk as he gently untangled Amelie's grasp from his brunette hair. He had allowed Amelie to stay on the sofa, interested in watching her sleep. That and the fact that The Velveteen Rabbit immediately disinterested Gary as soon as he saw a picture on the first page.

Gary Smith had no patience for childish readings. Anyway, watching Amelie sleep had turned him on, in a sick had a lovely breathing rhythm that occasionally sped up while she was dreaming. He imagined being the reason her breathing sped up, hearing her tiny gasps for air break the silence…

"Unless you want to get detention, I highly suggest we get moving now rather than later. Or, you can lie here like a pathetic excuse for a human being." He taunted. "Don't want to be late for your daily ass kissing, now do we?"

Gary might have been an asshole, but at least he was consistent. He never showed signs of care or compassion, which was the easier way to deal with people. Gary was the only person he needed anyway. But deep in the deep trenches of his psychotic mind, at the pit of his ice cold heart, was a burning feeling crying out for affection.

Fuck. You're not dreaming.

Amelie yanked her arm back from Gary's scalp and her face turned a furious shade of red. Without looking him in the eyes, she got herself up from the couch and paced the room nervously.

Gary snorted and began to walk after her. "Did you sneak into the boys dorms to see your little girlfriend Petey and get stage fright?"

A harsh feeling of pain went through Amelie's stomach. She barely knew who Gary was… why was he such a prick?

It's probably my ratty hair. I haven't brushed it since Wednesday… Ugh! And I smell horrible, he probably thinks I don't use deodorant.

Despite Gary's crude attitude, Amelie wanted to be on good terms with him. A tiny bit of her was motivated by her superficial attraction to Gary, but mostly she just wanted to be liked. She longed to be the person everyone was friends with, the person that was easy-going, cool, and definitely not socially awkward. She would crack Gary somehow, she decided to herself.

Amelie stopped in her tracks which allowed Gary to slink gracefully to her front. She looked at him with anxious eyes which she tried with her cool voice but Gary could see right through her mask.

"Nope, just lost my way to the dorms."

"Oh, that makes sense. I totally can see how the huge lettering of Boys could be mistaken for Girls." Gary spat, laughing more lightheartedly.

"C'mon, Crabblesnitch said you were supposed to be our academic star!" He proclaimed in a game show host voice. Gary stepped to her side and threw an arm over Amelie's shoulder, his other arm reaching far out in front of him. "Bullworth's last hope! Quick, get the phones, we need the Champion of the Spelling Bee to save us!"

Gary sure knew how to play up the dramatics. It was kind of endearing in a way, even though his words were meant to be harsh. Or was he joking?

She couldn't decide yet.

"Ha ha. Funny." Amelie deadpanned. Gary's grin grew wider with malice. She noticed his arm was still slung around her.

"Now, are you going to get me out of here or what?" Looking up with a hand on her hip. Two could play at this game.

"Oh no, I've upset the Bee! Well, will you accept my apology of saving your ass before all the morons in the dorm wake up?" Tauntingly, he strengthened his grip around Amelie's body.

Before she could answer, Gary lowered his arm to her waist, pulling her to his side tightly as he led them down the hallway.

Just in time too, because Amelie heard the beep of multiple alarm clocks going off at once, boys shuffling around to get out of bed.

Without knocking, Gary swung the door open to his room with a dramatic air. "And here we have the girliest boy at school, Bullworth's one and only… Femmeboy!"

Pete was sitting up in his bed as he looked startled at Amelie. His gaze locked in on the tight grip Gary dangerously close to Amelie's hips. Gary noticed his glare, grabbing Amelie's hand and snaking it around Gary's waist, holding it under his own hand. Warmth from her hand spread on to his icy cold one, sending a jolt of nerves up Gary's spine.

The sudden closeness evoked a small gasp out of Amelie, but she refused to lose her cool, at least in front of Gary. Besides, she had never held hands with a guy. Gary felt like an icicle slowly melting with her warmth.

Gary curled up his lip, baring his teeth at Pete. "Do I sense jealousy, Femmeboy? I didn't think you were into girls," he laughed. "If I had known, I would have set you up with a nice one… perhaps Eunice would have you?"

Amelie didn't see the humor, but she giggled anyways. It felt good to be on Gary's side, caught in his grip. Pete rolled his eyes and ignored the jab. "Amelie… what are you doing here?" he asked softly.

"We're banging, can't you tell? Oh, I forgot, you haven't had the talk yet," Making invisible quotes around 'talk'. "I'll tell you when you're older, son."

Pete whined out in protest. "C'mon Gary, quit joking! If she doesn't get to class today then you'll both be in trouble… Crabblesnitch will-"

"Geez, calm down Petey. Is it your time of the month or something?" Gary couldn't pass up the opportunity to rag on Pete. It was too easy yet hilarious every time.

"I was looking for my bag but I couldn't find it, then I got lost going back to the girls dorm and ended up on the couch," Amelie interjected quickly. She looked back and forth looking for a reaction on either of the boys. Gary was still smiling evilly while Petey's face was so concerned he looked like he was about to cry.

"Oh, I was out walking with Jimmy when we saw it outside the dorm. He brought it back here so no one would steal it." Pete explained to Amelie, avoiding Gary's glare that said Pete had clearly killed his mood. The mention of Jimmy's name made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up with an animal instinct.

"Well where is it? I still have no idea where to go to class." Amelie fidgeted under Gary's hold, going looking for the suitcases. Gary loosened her hand that rested on his hip, but kept his arm tight around her waist, guiding her around the room. His dominance remained.

She immediately noticed the navy blue backpack and suitcase rested in the opposite corner of the room behind a desk. The backpack slipped over her shoulders while Amelie stared the suitcase down on the floor.

The wheels had been busted off because of some freak airplane mishap but her parents had never bothered to buy a new one. Lifting was obviously out of the question for her or Petey. Gary was quick to notice this and made an effort to swing the suitcase up under one arm effortlessly while still clutching on to Amelie. Gary was slender but obviously a lot stronger than he looked.

"Alright, Femmeboy, I know you would love to stay and play dress-up, but get out." Gary bared his teeth at Petey.

"But I-"

"Now."

Without another word, Petey rolled out of bed in his satin pajamas and looked worried at Amelie. She shrugged with a 'what-are-you-going-to-do' look while secretly thrilled at Gary's initiative. As the door shut behind Petey, Gary turned to look at Amelie and set the suitcase down on his bed.

She smiled at him innocently. After tucking a lock of hair behind Amelie's ear, the boy drew her in tight with both of his arms. Their chests pressed against one another and in the next second, he stepped back from her.

"I'll be waiting." Gary backtracked out of the room and shut the door with a loud click.

Wow. How does he do that? Come off as scary and… attractive at the same time?

Amelie began to collect her thoughts as she opened the suitcase with a large swing. Thankfully, all of her items were still there. Even the wallet that was in plain sight on top of the clothing.

The girl looked at herself in the dresser mirror and groaned. Her hair was an utter mess, falling around in split chunks, not to mention it hadn't been washed since her arrival. That was the first thing to do, she decided. But this wasn't like home- there were community bathrooms. Shudder. Showering would have to wait.

Hurriedly, she fished out a hair brush and yanked her naturally wavy hair to detangle it. She ripped her shorts and t-shirt off, glancing at the door to make sure it was closed.

Who knows? Gary could open the door at any moment, exposing you.

Amelie rummaged through her clothing and thankfully found the school uniform her parents had bought. The outfit included an ugly pleated plaid skirt that was about knee length, a white button down blouse and a red tie. She had never worn a tie, much less tied one, so she avoided the piece of clothing as she pulled the skirt over her curvy hips and buttoned the blouse to the top.

Not too bad.

As she was pulling up her socks and Mary Janes, a knock on the door made her wince as she turned to the sound.

"Let's go, Princess. Prince Charming's ready for the ball," Gary called impatiently through the door.

Amelie quickly gargled some mouthwash she had in her bag and spit in the sink. Hands gripped the sides as she took a deep breath and forced herself to smile. Her contacts burned as she blinked her eyes clear.

I'm ready… I think.

She grabbed the tie off the sheet and opened the door to a stunned Gary. The boy looked her head to toe with a Cheshire grin.

"Shut up," she broke out before he could say a word. "How do you tie a tie?"

The brunette's face scrunched up with concentration as he held up the tie to the light.

"Hm…" He hummed as he calmly tied the piece of silky cloth, twisting the material under his long fingers into an elaborate knot. A thumb pressed down on the top of the knot as Gary's other hand pulled on the end of the tie.

During the tying, Amelie's eyes cautiously looked at Gary's eyes, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Suddenly, a button popped from the top of her collar with the twist of Gary's fingers. Amelie flinched and kept her eyes fixed on Gary.

"You look a little too covered up… too nice." Gary explained as he continued unbuttoning further down her shirt. Amelie grabbed his hand as he was about to pop the button above her breasts and pushed him away from her.

"What? You want guys to notice you, that's what you wear. Unless you think you'll woo the captain of the football team with your super spelling," His lewd voice dripped with sarcasm.

"What if I don't want guys to notice me?"

Gary laughed as he left the button alone, running a hand through his hair.

"Too late."

Is it bad to be this attracted to a fictional character? If right the answer is no, then I don't want to be right.