CHAPTER TEN

I know it's been about forever and a day since I posted another chapter. I moved, started a new school (which bites), hw loads, driving crap and I'm done with the excuses. I'm going to try to finish this story quick, but I enjoyed writting this chapter and the following ones. If you don't remember what's happening - I kind of didn't when I was writting it - Zach kissed Maycee, because Maycee saw the blondie straddling Dougie. Zach told Maycee that he kind of liked her but Maycee knows she still likes Dougie. And blah, blah, blah. On with the story? (:

The migraine killing sound of wood crashing against marble echoed through my ears. Reacting to the sound, my head shot up from the resting position against the desk. My eyes that were once heavily shut were now open and attentive.

"I suggest that you get more rest at home Miss Hue. This is no place for nap time."

I glanced up at Mr. Brookes dull-sharp eyes. His eye brows narrowed and he rubbed the tool that made the hard sound against my desk, it was a ruler. How … old school?

"Sorry." His eyes traced over my face and then he turned quickly and started to talk.

I scrubbed my face with my palms and blinked rapidly for a few brief seconds.

To say I was tired would be a complete understatement, more like utterly exhausted.

Not last night or this morning came any rest. Tears overflowed my eyes since the minute I got home. And the irritating part of it all was that these tears were totally un-necessary, they weren't relevant to my feelings. Usually, you cry when you're sad. Well, I wasn't sad really. Just entirely confused and lost, but not sad. It was like I couldn't stop myself, even though I wanted to.

Crying makes you impossibly tired but, it was my never-ending mind that prevented me from wandering into a gentle sleep.

My seat shook slightly after someone from behind kicked my seat. I turned my head to see
Zach staring at me with a quirky smirk on his lips.

"Not enough sleep last night?"

"More like, not any." I replied in a hush.

He laughed. "Yeah me either."

I gave him a confused look, "why?"

"'Cause my legs were sore."

"From?"

" … Running through your mind." His lips quirked once again and he laughed.

I couldn't contain myself from letting the laugh escape my lips.

"That had to be the lamest pick up line ever."

He flashed a brilliant smile. "That may be true, but it made you smile and that was my motive."

My face fell a little.

"Miss Hue!"

Slowly, I turned back to face forward and answered the teacher.

"Please excuse yourself out into the hall; I'll be visiting you shortly."

I heaved out a loud sigh and moved out of my desk.

Putting my back against the wall, I inched down onto the floor. The clock mounted in the hall read that 30 minutes was still left of class. I sighed again and rested my head against my knees as I pulled them to my chest.

"But it made you smile and that was my motive."

Pfft. Bastard.

What a romantic blow, 'ya know? I wasn't prepared.

Like I need anything like that right now. It was just additional thought and more guilt. What was I supposed to do? Go out with the freaking dude or what? Part of me wanted to and the other kept screaming what I already knew but ignored to accept. And I still can't accept it because I already messed everything up.

I repetitively hit my head against my knees.

Someone coughed and I lifted my head.

"Is there something bothering you, Miss Hue?"

I stared up at Mr. Brookes and shook my head.

"No, just having a bit of a headache."

Mr. Brookes adjusted his glasses and arched an eyebrow. "May I ask you why you fell asleep in my class? Are you not allowing yourself enough sleep?"

"Yeah, defiantly." The words just flowed out of my mouth with no emotion or thought, just an automatic response.

"Would you like to go to the nurse's office, Miss Hue?" He asked whole-heartedly.

I sighed, "No, I'm fine."

"You're one of my favorite students Maycee," My head snapped up from him speaking my name instead of 'Miss Hue,' "so," he continued, "we'll pretend that I gave you a nice yelling at and I'll allow you to stay out here for the duration of the period. How does that sound?"

My eyes expanded from the given opportunity and I nodded my head rapidly. "Sounds sweet."

"Great." He gave a small smile and stepped into the door frame, but before he went in he looked at me, "But we will assure that this won't ever happen again, Miss Hue?" He cocked an eyebrow.

I nodded and he continued back inside the room.

The clock displayed twenty-five minutes left. "Great." I muttered to myself.

I closed my eyes and started to breathe heavily, what a mess.

This kind of stuff isn't supposed to happen to me, I mean, I'm never the "center" of anything, I'm usually the "advice giver."

Telling myself that I didn't care was a lie, telling myself that I was confused was a lie, and telling myself that I didn't care that Dougie was lip smacking with some tea bag was a lie. But, though I was lying, I pretended to believe my lies in order to pretend to myself.

"Not enough sleep last night, Maycee?" A male voice said very sarcastically.

My body turned rigid and I slowly lifted my head to be greeted to the one face that stirred two emotions inside of me.

"Does is matter?" I shot back.

He seemed to be a little taken back from my response but it disappeared quickly.

Dougie squatted in front of me and gave a sly smile.

"What's wrong Maycee, you seem upset?"

I cocked and eyebrow, "The hell do you care?"

He shook his head, "Retract the claws, roar." His gestured his hand in a cat like motion in front of my face.

"No claws to be retracted, I'm tame, I assure you." I said with a mirrored sly smile.

He smiled, "Really? 'Cause, it seems that things were getting a tad heated between you and Zach at the party on Saturday. And, you seemed a little fierce to my date that night."

My smile was wiped clean off my face. "That's none of your concern. And, your 'date' is a pathetic bimbo. She was getting a little annoying, actually."

His smile disappeared also. "See, you have no fucking feelings, do you?"

I smiled slowly, "Of course I do, you obviously saw what happened between me and Zach, I have lots of feelings, sweetie."

He flinched from the name. "What game are you playing, Maycee?"

"No game, I'm just taking all this crap that your throwing at me and throwing it right back at you, but twice as hard."

He laughed and stared at me. "You don't want to start anything you can't finish, Maycee." Dougie slowly pushed his face towards mine till it was way too close for comfort. I tried to move my head back, but I forgot that there was a wall. "My games can get pretty heated."

I breathed in the scent that escaped him and tried to reassemble myself. "I'm not shaking." I retorted strongly.

"But you're trying to keep composure; I can see the melting in your eyes." His tone was so cocky and his smile was so sly.

"And I can see that you're trying to hold back, your eyes seem to be trailing on my lips."

He caught his breath and his eyes moved down to my lips again.

"What can I say?" He chuckled, "You have big ass lips."

I licked my lips and snapped my teeth, "And you love 'um."

"I like how you play."

"Just throwing back, baby." I smiled sneakily.

Dougie's smile reappeared, "You're a little tease, you know that?" He taunted.

I clicked my tongue and shrugged, "Only when it's needed, it's how I play."

"You wouldn't have to play if you just admitted one thing."

"And what is that?" I urged.

His eyes beamed into mine and he said slowly, "That you want me."

Hello cockiness.

"There's a bit of an ego you have there, snookums."

He shrugged, "No ego, just full on truth, baby."

"And how'd you know?"

He laughed, "Remember that night at on the couch, there was a lot of feelings."

I shrugged, "Was."

Dougie's face turned stoned, "What?"

I repeated myself. "There was feelings, past tense."

"Where'd they go?" He asked serious.

"Disappeared after you started to be an ass."

"So you admit having them then?" He pushed.

I looked down, "Well, yeah."

He stood up abruptly and began to storm, "Why didn't you fucking admit it to me then?"

I shouted from below, "Because, you were being an obnoxious ass. Like I was going to admit to what you already knew and make me feel like some little whimpering girl coming to praise Dougie for all his greatness and ask for a place in his bed!"

He chuckled sarcastically, "So, you were going to cover up your feelings to keep your pride?"

"Hell yes!" I shouted as I stood up and got into his face. "Feelings disappear, I wasn't going to give myself to you for some little hook-up." I laughed and shook my head, "That bimbo is a perfect example of your feelings. I didn't even leave a scratch on you before you found a new toy to play around with."

Dougie smiled, "I could say the exact same thing to you sweet heart. Remember Zach?"

"He wasn't anything at the time. He was getting all in my case for being in yours. I didn't ask him to kiss me, I didn't ask him to do anything."

His face fell, "Yeah, we-"

"No," I stopped him, "Just shut up. Yeah, I had feelings for you, I admit it. When I wanted to tell you it got lost in the heat that you brought on from being obnoxious. And I'll tell you, yeah I was jealous of that girl that was dancing on your lap. Zach watched me when I saw you with her and took my attention. In the end, he told me that he was helping me get back at you, to make you jealous. But, he felt something in the end. I have no fucking clue what's going on anymore."

So, this is when the feelings pour out without a second look or thought. Dougie searched my face for something that wasn't there. I had no idea really on what was happening around me or all that I just said. But, I knew one thing – it was the truth. It's like when you start something and just can't stop it until you satisfy whatever you were craving, or until that small little self-destructing monster fulfilled in what he desired to do.

"Mr. Poynter, what are you doing out here? Do you have a pass?"

I didn't need to lift my head to know that Mr. Brookes was peering out of the crack of his classroom door.

No sound erupted in the background, so I was guessing that people heard what was happening or were very curious.

"Right here, Mr. B." Dougie replied while flashing his hall pass.

"Very well," he said unsurely with an awkward cough, "Are you alright Miss Hue?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Mr. Brookes stepped fully out of the classroom and shut the door behind him.

"I suggest that you continue on your way, Mr. Poynter." He nodded his head away and Dougie walked.

I blew out a heavy sigh and sat back against the wall once more.

"Are you sure you're fine Miss Hue? I could call the Dean and have that boy in trouble for something, he's not much of one of my favorites."

I could hear the disgust emphasized in his voice and that brought a small smile to my lips.

"It's fine Mr. Brookes, no harm done."

He coughed, "Very well then, would you please rejoin us in the classroom?"

I nodded and raised myself off the ground and followed Mr. Brookes back into the classroom. All eyes were on me, I could feel my steps being watched and counted. Seriously, people need some action in their lives or turn down the curiosity and nosiness.

When I took my seat I felt a finger poke into my back. I turned around and was faced with Zach's cocky smile.

"Yes?" I said tightly.

He laughed and crossed his arms, "Needed to play the name game and pointed fingers at me?"

I cocked an eyebrow and leaned closer. "What?"

"I heard all what happened out there, nearly everyone did."

My body grew rigid and I shifted my eyes for a surf around the room. I somehow captured nearly everyone's attention.

"That's great," I blew out and looked back into Zach's green eyes. "I didn't mean anything bad towards it."

He chuckled softly. "I hope not, 'cause you left out that you kissed me back."

"You had me pinned against a wall." I retorted back, a little louder then need be.

"But, admit that it was bloody hot." The amusement was very blunt in his voice.

I smiled, "Yeah, Dougie did the same thing."

His face fell a little but he caught it before it made it fully noticeable on his face. "But I did it better, right?" Another smile played on his lips.

I shoved him playfully and turned around to face forward.

"Shoot for the moon, baby, not the stars."

"Either one is fine." I shrugged.

"Yeah, but the moon is bigger."

When I turned around his smirk covered from ear to ear.

"Ego filled bastard." I muttered under my breath.

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