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She shook her head, "Nothing…...absolutely nothing happened between us…"
Everyone's eyes were on her, but the only pair she focused on was his, "...I swear."
Gary shrugged with a sigh, "If she says there was nothing then that's that, May's our friend so we need to trust her words".
"Gary's right, but so then if it wasn't him, then who would do this?" asked Misty.
"I don't know…...but we're going to get to the bottom of this". Drew scowled now walking ahead of the group.
Everyone else followed behind, all but Paul who had pulled the bluenette aside as well, waiting for the rest of the group to be far enough from them.
"Paul?" she looked at him with confusion now wiggling her wrist away but to no avail.
"Tell me…..are you dropping out of school?"
Her eyes widened, "W-what? W-where did you hear that from?!"
His eyes narrowed into a glare, "So it's true then, why? What's going on?"
She finally got her arm free, "No it's not true, and I don't know where you heard that from but you can't listen to everything that people say, they just love to make me look bad".
He wasn't being fooled though, and she could tell from the look in his eyes that he would keep pushing for answers, "I went to visit you this morning".
It was her turn to glare, "You what?!"
His arms had folded, "Yeah, but guess what I found out, that you don't live there, the address you gave the school? Bullshit. So tell me, what's with all the secrets?"
Her hands had balled into fists, "Paul…...my life is none of your business, so just stay out of it!"
She turned her back to him, but soon found herself looking into his eyes when he turned her over, pressing the lightweight bluenette against a tree, "Paul!"
It was a moment of silence as they continued staring into each other's eyes, a swirling mixture of emotions between the two, both lust and fear clashing, "Troublesome…."
He leaned down further towards her face, tapping his forehead against hers as she closed her eyes, attempting to keep her composure as she didn't know what to expect.
The heat radiating off her face was all he could feel, her cheeks flushing as she suddenly found her legs becoming weak, she had forgotten just how powerful Paul could make females feel, though she never expected to also fall victim.
"...You're full of secrets…..heh….you're the mystery I could never solve, but I'm going to…..I won't stop until I get what I want."
She opened her eyes, now finding themselves once again clashing with his violet ones, "W-what is it that you want?"
"You'll find out soon." he slowly brushed away from her, his hand sliding down for a quick moment to touch hers.
Her eyes followed him as he got further and further away, her heart kept beating fast as she threw her head back, now closing her eyes once more as she couldn't stop the overwhelming wave of emotions coming over her.
"Paul…"
(Meanwhile)
Drew and May had gone ahead of the group, asking for some privacy as Drew wanted to talk further with her. Leaf and Gary had also separated from the group not long after and nobody questioned Dawn and Paul, knowing already they had their own ordeal to deal with. All that was left was Misty and Ash.
It was an awkward silence at first, they were walking to their next class, but the redhead couldn't stay quiet much longer, "Do you love her?"
He stopped, now turning his head over to Misty who also stopped in her tracks, "What?"
"Serena, your girlfriend, do you love her?"
He was confused, why would she ask that? "I….I don't know….why do you ask?"
Her cheeks flushed with red, she felt stupid and invasive for asking, but she was curious, a beautiful girl like Serena and a handsome guy like Ash looked so ideal together, but was he serious about her?
"I'm...i'm just curious, I mean she seems so happy and content with you…...you guys…..you guys make a cute couple". That was almost too hard for her to admit, they were cute together, but why did it hurt to think that.
"Thanks….but I don't know…..I've never really thought about love, or even put much thought into my feelings when it comes to relationships, all the girlfriends I've had in the past, I don't really think were much of my girlfriends, they were girls obsessed with me, who I went out with and fooled with."
She felt jealousy built within, hearing the words girlfriends and fooling around, her eyes narrowed onto him, "Just how many girls were you with?"
He shrugged, "Honestly I can't remember, most of them were older girls, they would just come and go once I gave them what they wanted."
She didn't even want to question it, but she did, "So…...you're saying you're not a virgin?"
He didn't answer, but his stare alone confirmed it for her, "I see." she answered with a mumble.
"Are you?" he asked back nonchalantly.
She stepped away from him, her face now completely red, "T-that's none of your business!"
He put his hands up defensively, "Sorry, I didn't think it was that big of a deal".
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, sex is just sex, who you do it with dosen't matter, its all for pleasure".
Now she was angry, she began walking away from him, "Where are you going?!"
"Somewhere!" she stormed off.
She breathed out angrily, her hands forming into fists, "Just when I thought I knew you, you say something stupid, Idiot."
(Leaf and Gary)
"You guys scouted the area twice already, correct?" he began nodding as she stood to the side, unable to hear the voice on the other line.
"Alright, do it again, let me know if you find anything out of the ordinary, understood?" he hung up now sighing as Leaf stared at him anxiously.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing, which is a good thing because that means he hasn't tried approaching your home, but that doesn't mean he'll eventually try it so until then I'm making the guards do continuous rounds."
She let out a distressed sigh now rubbing her head as it began hurting, "I just can't believe this is still happening, what does he want in the end from me, what could I possibly give him?"
He brought her into a hug, placing his chin atop of her head, "I don't know, but one thing for sure, he's not going to get to you, even if I have to fight him, he won't lay another finger on you."
"Gary…." she released from him, now staring at him with watered up eyes.
"I'm sorry….for that day….leaving without saying goodbye…". He was shocked by her apology, but he could sense her sincerity through her tone.
"I'm sorry too…..you were my best friend Leaf….I was selfish for being angry, but that day I felt a pain I only felt once before….when my parents died".
Her eyes widened at his confession, "Nobody understood how difficult it was for me to let you go, when I lost my parents it was like I lost a part of my heart, and when you left, I felt another part fade away, I was never the same again."
"Gary…" she whispered, seeing the agonizing look in his eyes as he talked about it.
She wanted to go in for a hug but was stopped when his phone began ringing, a series of texts had begun flowing in.
"What the-"
"What is it?" she asked, looking over at the screen with him.
It was an unknown number, "You think I'm afraid of you and your guards? If you want to find me so badly then try harder, I love a good game, just ask my sister, she'll tell you I'm very competitive and hate to lose, I know how powerful you are Gary, so am I, so let's see who comes out on top in the end, see you both real soon".
"No." she stepped away, now shaking her head in disbelief as she began breathing heavily with a shaky tone.
"He got my number." hissed Gary, gripping his phone tightly.
"It's only going to get worse." she began panting as she tripped backwards on the floor, clutching her hair in fear as Gary rushed to her aid.
He held her in his arms as she began to cry silently, "He's going to go after you Gary, he's not going to stop until he gets me".
"He can come after me all he wants. I'm not scared of him or his games, but he won't get you, I promise".
Jun and Lucas watched the brunette pair from afar, "So you really want to go through with it?" asked Lucas.
"Why not? The creep is paying us too, besides these are Paul's and the Wild king's friends, so why not mess with them too?"
(May and Drew)
They had gone around school all day asking around about the flyers, a difficulty for them as most of the time they were asking May questions, questions she didn't want to answer.
They had stopped in the hallway, she leaned against the wall with a sigh now hugging herself in discomfort, "We're getting nowhere, no one has a clue where these flyers came from or that text, what are we going to do?" she asked.
He went in for a hug, "I don't know, but we'll figure something out, I promise, whoever is doing this isn't going to get away with it."
"MAY MAPLE, PLEASE REPORT TO PRINCIPAL SHIRONA'S OFFICE IMMEDIATELY".
Her heart began racing, she knew what it was about, but she was scared of finding out what that meant for her, Drew had a worrisome look on his face, he also feared the worst.
Her phone began ringing, she looked down and saw it was her mother, but she rejected the call, she took in a deep breath now making her way to the office with Drew by her side, the whole time everyone's eyes were on her.
When she had finally reached the door, she paused, now looking at Drew who grabbed her hand one final time as a boost of confidence, "I'll be right here waiting for you, ok?"
She nodded, taking another deep breath in as she grabbed the doorknob and pushed the door open, her eyes widened when she saw her mother seated across principal shirona.
"Mom….."
It felt like forever, they were in there for a long time, the entire time his chest felt tight, not knowing what consequences she would face for this scandal.
His head whipped upwards when he saw the door opening, she had stepped out first, tears now stringing down her face as her mother shook Principal Shirona's hand.
"May?" he went up to her, now trapping her in a hug as her mother looked curiously onto the two.
"Drew?" she asked.
"Yes, Ms. Maple, it's been a while, and unfortunate we meet under these circumstances."
"I agree, I'm sure you're aware of the scandal surrounding my daughter."
"Yes, and I'm unfazed, she's done nothing wrong Mrs. Maple".
Her mother scoffed, "Nothing wrong, my daughter flaunted herself like some street girl to a bunch of fools in a club, I don't know what went wrong, but clearly she has a lot to learn".
"Drew…" May mumbled, now staring at him sadly.
"What's going to happen?" he asked.
"Clearly May isn't responsible enough to be on her own at school and after school, so I'm pulling her out of school and she will continue her studies from home."
"What? That can't be!"
"Of course it can, I'm her mother, May has a lot to live up to, I'm going to make sure she doesn't make another mistake that can cost her her future".
She grabbed her daughter's hand and led her away, a silent weeping May following along obediently.
"Well that's unfortunate." he turned around, a glare immediately settling onto Brendan who was eavesdropping.
"You did all this didn't you…..DIDN'T YOU!" he exclaimed.
A smirk followed on his rival's lips, "May doesn't need you back in her life when all you did was cause her pain all these years, what she needs is me. So yeah, I planned this, I was expecting her to get expelled, but getting pulled out works just as well, as long as that means you can't be with her, I win."
"You won't get away with this." Drew hissed.
"I already have, I'm going to remind May of why she should stay away from you, I was there to pick up the pieces when she was broken, you can't just come back say sorry and make up, I worked to repair her heart, a heart I claimed, she's mine".
His fists had turned red from all the pressure, he wanted to hit him, but he restrained himself, "You will never have her, May and I share a bond you will never have, something that connects us for life, so do what you want, but you'll never win her love".
"We'll see about that, because the love song she wrote with me says differently". He left ahead of an angered Drew who was left questioning himself about the song.
(Misty)
She was making her way to the gates, stopping around the corner as she saw Dawn pacing back and forth on the phone, "I don't know Zoe I'm having second thoughts, maybe this isn't a good idea, I mean that's a lot of money to throw for just a girl".
*Dawn don't worry, it's completely harmless, these guys just bid on girls they want to take out on dates, my friend has done it lots of times and she always makes big money!*
"Yeah...but isn't that kinda like being an escort or a prostitute?" Misty's eyes widened.
*Is she nuts?! What is she thinking!* she could practically scream.
*No, because she's never done anything with these guys, at least nothing she didn't want to, all it is is a date, I've even heard some girls have found there now husbands from this thing, so who knows, maybe Mr. right will be there*
She rolled her eyes, "I highly doubt it, but I can't argue that I do need the money right now, so if you say it's safe then I trust you, I'll meet you at Hearthrone Hotel at six then".
The redhead was at war with herself, should she expose herself and say something, or follow her, to her, Dawn was the most secretive member of their group, nobody could ever really recall much about her life, not even Paul, so she was curious what Dawn's life was like behind the scenes.
The bluenette was also at war, she didn't want to put herself in this position, but her job at the restaurant wasn't going to make her rent in one night, she needed the money and she needed it now, she just couldn't believe she had to basically sell herself.
"You can do this Dawn, just this one time, desperate times call for desperate measures." she slapped her cheeks awake now taking a breath in as she nodded.
(Later that night)
Misty had stepped out of her home in a casual suede nude dress, matching heels and her hair curled and pinned to one side with a pearl clip. "I clean up nice on my own". She smiled proudly.
Her phone began ringing, she looked down and saw that it was Ash, again. He had been calling her the whole day since she walked away from him, but she didn't want to deal with him. Right now all she wanted was to find out what Dawn was getting herself into.
It was close to six and she wasn't far from the location of where the bluenette said she would be, so she got in her car and drove off, once more ignoring Ash's call.
Meanwhile the raven haired boy sighed in distress, once again hearing the voicemail recording as the redhead denied his call. A pair of arms wrapped around his neck softly, followed by a pair of lips that connected with his cheek.
"What's the matter Ash?" Serena said now whispering into his ear, he shook his head.
"Nothing, but tell me again why we're here?" he said feeling awkward in a suit and tie.
"It's the annual charity event for Hearthrome's children's hospital, I'm a guest speaker and you as my boyfriend would of course be a guest silly." she giggled.
"Yeah, boyfriend". He muttered with a sigh.
Across the hall from them was another ballroom, this one holding a different event, it was glamour all around, women dressed in their best as loads of men gawked at who they would be bidding for. The banner hanging above saying, dates for the children, a charity event also dedicated to the children's hospital, women and men would volunteer to be bid on for dates, a portion of what is bid on goes to them while the remaining is donated to the cause.
Dawn had stopped in front of the hotel, hesitating to go in as she fiddled with her hands, she was oblivious to the many stares the bystanders were giving her, her long blue hair was curled out loosely with two small braids connecting around like a crown. Her baby pink dress was fitted tightly to her knees, the sides were scrunched up enhancing her already curved figure while it's strapless bodice hugged her chest really boasting it up.
"Maybe this really is a bad idea." she said to herself.
"Nonsense!" Zoe snuck up behind her, also dressed in her best as she locked arms with Dawn, dragging the bluenette inside, ultimately making the choice for her.
All throughout she could feel eyes solely on her, she was used to attention, but this time it felt like packs of wolves preying on her, she had a bad feeling.
"Did you see her? The one with blue hair?"
"Yeah, she'll be a big hit tonight that's for sure".
"Tell me about it, I've got my sights set on her"
Misty had given her car to the valet, now looking up at the hotel with anxiety, she didn't know what to expect, but she was sure whatever Dawn got herself into couldn't be so bad, right?
She went inside and just as Dawn had experienced, the attention was on her, men's eyes followed her as she tried her best to ignore it.
"That red head looks really good, I want her".
"Same here, looks like I found my bid".
She didn't know where she was going, she was just following the crowds of people down the hall, she just didn't know which door to enter.
He sat boredly at his table while Serena socialized with other guests, "Well well, I didn't think I'd see you here"
He looked up, finding Volkner shadowing over him, "You're-.."
Before he could even finish the blonde had interrupted, taking a seat next to him, " A former wilds king, Volkner".
Ash's eyes narrowed in caution towards him, "I know who you are, what do you want?"
Volkner smirked in response, "Why so hostile, worried I'll come for your crown soon?"
Ash laughed in response, "I'm not worried if that's what you want, I've heard stories of you, a brutal king during your reign, I heard once you broke a man's jaw with just one hit".
"What can I say, I have a lot of frustration and anger pent up in me." He took a sip from his glass.
It was Ash's turn to give a snarky grin, " That makes two of us."
It was a moment of silence as they shared a tense filled stare off, almost as if they were challenging each other.
"Ash! Come meet my manager!" Serena grabbed his hand, pulling him along though his head remained turned to Volkner.
"See you in the ring soon". He held his glass up in a toast.
He stopped his glass around his lips when he noticed something from the corner of his eye, immediately he went after it.
A very familiar brunette had stepped onto the stage, "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, As you all know every year me and my family hold this charity event to help fund our city's children's hospital. Unfortunately my husband and son could not be here with us tonight but my daughter and I had the pleasure of seeing a bunch of familiar faces from last year. Any donations made tonight will greatly make a difference to a child and their family who need assistance, so please, enjoy yourselves, thank you".
May stared at her in discontent, "Mom, can't I just stay home? I don't know anybody here".
Her mother frowned, "Of course not, this is a family tradition and for a good cause, don't be selfish May, just enjoy the food and socialize for once".
Her mother left her as she joined a group of people who wanted to talk, the young brunette made her way across the dance floor only to be grabbed and pulled in.
"Hey!" She was ready to fight back but stopped when she saw who it was.
"Drew?" He brought her into a hug as she happily returned the gesture.
"H-how-"
"My father and step-mother usually attend this event while I stay back home and since my father isn't here and Azalea refused to come this year I figured I'd represent the family, plus I was hoping this time I'd see you here and I was right, lucky me". He smiled as she kissed him, they locked in an embrace as they began dancing to the slow music playing around them.
"Thank you". He tipped the valet as he led Leaf into the building.
The brunette rolled her eyes, not feeling comfortable as she wore an expensive sequined gown he bought her. "I don't understand why I have to come".
He laughed as he waved to several acquaintances, "Because there's no way I'm going to leave you alone, especially now that Zero has let me know he's aware of my search for him".
She face palmed, "Still though, I don't need to be here, I don't belong here".
"Neither do I, just because I have money doesn't mean I enjoy these things, but my gramps is away and he's one of this charities biggest donors so I have to show up on his behalf to show support, I don't care if you think we're from two different worlds Leaf, all I see is our world, together".
She looked over at him with wide eyes, that almost felt like a confession and he knew it because they were both turning red, but neither was about to speak on it.
"So u-um let's just get this night over with" he stuttered awkwardly as he fixed his bow tie.
She nodded, now fixing her dress "Agreed".
It was a night of chaos and surprises waiting to happen. All of them brought for one reason or another, all but one who would soon make his appearance.
"See? It's not so bad" Zoe explained calmly.
The ballroom was full of music, lots of people and food and drinks, she felt intimidated by all the stares she was receiving, women glared at her while the men gave her cringe filled smiles.
"So go on and mingle, the best way you're going to make more money is by letting these men get to know you, the more you make yourself desirable the more they are willing to spend". Zoe winked at her as the bluenette shook her head, but her friend wouldn't listen, she pushed the bluenette forward causing her to bump against a figure.
She gasped as she pulled back, "I-I'm so sorry!"
She felt embarrassed but it was short lived when the figure laughed in response, "Hey no worries, you're not hurt are you?"
Her lips were moving but she wasn't speaking, he was handsome, tall, great stature and a charming but devious smile that made her spine run with chills, he ran a hand through his white hair with a chuckle, "My name is Zero, what's yours?"
"D-Dawn…" she uttered out, still feeling paralyzed by his stare.
He took the bluenettes hand, slowly raising it up towards his lips, ready to plant a kiss only for another hand to top over hers, pausing his attempt.
"No need for that". Volkner interfered.
Zero's smirk remained intact, "Your boyfriend?"
"No"
"Yes"
She looked over at Volkner with confusion, Zero was amused, but nonetheless shrugged it off, "Seems I overstepped, it was a pleasure meeting you Dawn, you never know, we might meet again soon".
He walked away from the two, his smirk widened as he knew exactly who she was.
"Why would you tell him you're my boyfriend?" She looked on angrily.
"I was trying to help you". Said the blonde.
" I didn't need help".
"Are you sure? So then what are you doing here?" He asked, knowing what the answer was but also hoping he might be wrong.
"That's none of your business".
She walked away only to be pulled in as he grabbed her hand, "Dawn, you're struggling, and I can help you, this isn't what you should be resorting to".
She didn't want to listen, her eyes were watering up but she refused to cry, she pulled her hand back from him, "I don't know what you're talking about, this is all for charity".
He watched her disappear into the crowd, a frown on his lips as he looked down at his hand, "She doesn't have a single memory of me, it's like she's become a mystery all over again".
"Mira! Mira!" She could hear the yells from down the hall.
"Please sir calm down, we're doing our best to find her".
"No! Because if you were, she would have been found by now!"
Misty continued looking for her way around the hotel, at this point she felt like she only got herself lost, she was just wandering around.
She stared out the Windows which led views of the gardens and pools, she had then noticed something down at the bottom of one of them.
She took off, running past Ash as he stepped out of the ballroom, "Misty?!"
He went chasing after her just as they passed the group of security surrounding the yelling guest.
"Misty! Where are you going?!" He followed her out onto the pool grounds where she dived right in without saying.
He was startled by her action but soon realized why she did it as she began rising up, a small girl clutched into her arms as he helped her out.
"H-how did you-"
She didn't respond, she began CPR on the young girl, feeling no heartbeat or response from her.
"Mira! Oh Mira!" That same group came rushing out, the man yelling had dropped to his knees next to them, but with a final compression the young girl had spit up water and gasped for air.
Misty pulled back, now breathing heavily as she had worn herself out. The young man had pulled the girl into a tight hug.
"Mira! I'm so glad you're ok, I'm sorry I let you out of my sight".
"B-big brother". She was still trying to catch her breath.
Ash had gone over to Misty's side, helping her up as she was soaked, "Wow Mist, you're amazing".
"Indeed you are" she was approached by the young man now carrying his younger sister, a much closer look had now put the redhead in a state of shyness. The brunette was handsome, with a seductive grin that made her stomach turn happily, his deep green eyes had hypnotized her.
"I'd like to know the name of my sister's savior if you don't mind". He held his hand out.
Her cheeks had turned pink, something Ash took notice of very quickly, "M-Misty."
He kissed her hand, holding it to his lips for a few extra seconds, "I'm Rudy, and this is my younger sister Mira, we're forever in debt to you for what you've done".
"No need, I'm just glad she's safe now" smiled Misty, it was his turn to blush, another feat Ash quickly noticed, he was staring between the two, now noticing how they continued staring at one another, completely oblivious to all around them.
"I'm sorry your dress was ruined, please let me make it up to you, let me take you out for dinner".
His eyes widened, he was straightforward, this man wasn't playing, he wanted to punch him but he didn't know why, but most of all he was hoping Misty would say no.
"Yes, I'd like that," she smiled.
"Excellent, you know, my room is on the twelfth floor, I don't mean for it to come off that way but if you want to come to our room to get out of your dress so you won't catch a cold you're more than welcome to, I can have the hotel staff bring you a new outfit if you'd like"
Misty isn't dumb enough to take up his offer, after all he's a stranger, surely she'll reject him and leave he thought to himself.
"I appreciate it, thank you". He was at a loss for words, he watched as Rudy wrapped his suit jacket around the soaked redhead, leading her off.
"W-wait I'm coming too!" Yelled Ash.
They had both stopped, now looking at Ash who wrapped his arm around Misty's shoulders, Rudy looked at them curiously, "and you are?"
"I'm her brother". Grinned the raven haired boy, Misty turned red with anger and embarrassment,
Rudy's look of confusion turned into a look of content, "My apologies, please join us, you must be lucky to have somebody as brave as Misty as your sister".
"I sure am" he grinned, infuriating the redhead even more.
"Thank you for joining us this evening Gary, and please send your grandfather our regards, without his generous contribution the hospital wouldn't have its newest research wing".
He embraced Mrs. Maple who continued boasting about him and his grandfather to the other guests, "It's nothing Mrs. Maple, My gramps is just happy that it'll help fund new research for the more terminally ill patients at the hospital".
One of the older men in the group chuckled, "I suppose this means you're following closely behind your grandfather's footsteps, I wonder how much further you can take your family's company, fresh ideas always require a fresh mind, have you already thought of where you're going to study after you graduate?"
Gary chuckled, almost scratching his head with hesitation, "Well…..I haven't really thought that far off about where I'm going to go-"
Another guest had chuckled, "You certainly should, you're the son of Samuel Oak, where you go determines how qualified you are to take over when he retires".
Leaf watched from the side, noticing how uncomfortable Gary felt about the conversation, "I'm sure Gary will choose an excellent school, and wherever he goes, he'll be amazing".
She grabbed his hand and led him away from the group, she could hear their whispers faintly, "How rude."
"Who does that girl think she is?"
"I've never seen her in any of these events".
Gary gripped her hand firmly, stopping as he looked back at the crowd with a stern expression, "Her name is Leaf, and she's an esteemed guest of mine".
Drew and May were still dancing, holding a strong embrace as they enjoyed the slow dance, to them it felt more intimate, her head was resting on his shoulder as he caressed her hair, the scent of her hair was calming his nerves from his talk with Brendan earlier.
"I'm so glad you're here". She mumbled with a loving sigh.
"So am I". he couldn't get it off his mind. As much as he tried, the thought of her heart belonging to someone else even for a short while was hurting him inside, he wanted to know.
He felt a tap on his shoulder, now breaking his embrace from May to see who it was, "May I cut in?"
His eyes sharpened onto Brennan, "Get lost."
"Oh Brendan! I'm so glad you could make it!" Mays mother had walked over, giving a hug to him as his smirk widened towards Drew.
"I wouldn't miss it, I'm sorry my father couldn't make it".
She waved it off, "No worries dear, let him know we're grateful for his generous donation this year."
"Anything for the children". He flashed her a charming smile, wooing the older woman who felt flattered.
"May, I'm sure you must be excited to see Brendan? I know! The two of you should share a dance!" she pushed the two teens together, forcing them to embrace as Drew watched from the side.
"Mom!" May glared at her mother who ignored her.
"Don't tell me you hate me that much you won't share a dance with me". He frowned.
"N-no, it's not that…...it's just….." she looked over at Drew who had his arms crossed, watching the two of them furiously.
"Just what". He said, looking at her with sorrowful eyes.
"Brendan…...I love Drew." she said with a glance over at the chartreuse haired boy.
She looked up at him, "So please, don't chase me, I'm not your fiance, you're my friend".
His grip on her became tighter as he pulled her in closer, she yelped as she was stunned by the nonexistent space in between there bodies, Drew's eyes grew dangerously venomous.
"I don't want to be your friend, he broke your heart, and I was there to pick up the pieces. I showed you that when you thought you couldn't feel that way about anyone else again you fell for me even if it was for a second and you know it. You left me because you were scared that you were falling in love again, you were scared of getting your heart broken again, but you know what happened, you broke mine when you left without even a goodbye, you're no better than him".
"Brendan-" he ignored her.
He broke away from their dance, storming away as he shortly stopped beside Drew, "Things may seem perfect between the two of you now, but the past always comes back no matter how much you think you got over it, you two will never last".
Drew didn't say anything, he watched as Brendan made his exit from the hall, May walked over to him, he grabbed her hand for comfort.
She looked up at him worriedly, "Something tells me this isn't the end".
He looked at her, attempting to calm her down as he wrapped his arm around her, but inside he felt just as uneasy, "It's not, they always have something under their sleeves".
(Meanwhile)
In the other hall, a different host went on stage, "Welcome everyone and thank you for participating in our annual dating auction, as you all know whoever bids the highest on our beautiful volunteers bid on a date with them with half of the proceeds going to charity and the other half to our lovely ladies who have chosen to volunteer to be bid on, so why don't we get this show on the road!"
The crowd roared with applause as all the volunteers began making their way backstage, as it was instructed they would each appear individually onstage as to not steal the attention from one another.
Dawn felt her heart beating as she could hear the biddings start for the first girl who went on.
"300!"
"375!"
"500!"
Her eyes widened, "Five hundred?!" She looked over at Zoe who was amused by her expression.
"If you think that's a lot, last year there was a bidding war for some girl and the bids were up to five grand".
She choked upon hearing that, "Wow, these rich people really throw money away like that".
Zoe chuckled, "They can throw as much as they want in my direction I'll happily take it".
"Seven hundred! We have a winner!"
Her palms were getting sweaty as the group of girls were thinning out, the bids were high all around, but the closer it came to her turn the more she felt the desire to run away.
Zoe was up next, "Wish me luck" she winked as she walked behind the curtains.
"Five hundred!"
"Six!"
She was jumpy, "I can't do this!"
Her feet started moving as attempted to exit backstage only for the crew to grab her, "You're up next sweetie!"
They gave her nudges up the stairs and then a slight push towards the curtains, forcing her to go forward and appear before the crowd.
"And here is our final lovely lady! Gentlemen, get your wallets out if you haven't already scored a date, because this is your final chance and our girl here is a beauty from head to toe!"
She felt awkward being watched by the whole room, but not even seconds passed and many of the males were shouting their bids.
"Three hundred!"
"Five hundred!"
"Seven!"
"Nine!"
It was a series of bickering voices, the bids growing higher and higher, "Ladies and gentlemen we've hit twelve hundred! Do we have any more bids?!"
"One thousand two hundred" she mumbled, surprised by the amount. She didn't think it would go high at all.
"Three thousand".
Her heart stopped, "W-what?" She looked over the whole crowd to see who had bid that much.
"Over here". Zero made his way to the front, the same devious grin still plastered on his lips.
"You." She muttered in shock.
The crowd became silent as the bids had halted.
"Will anyone go past three thousand?" There were no takers.
She could see he was confident in his bid and that nobody would beat him, his eyes said it all.
"Five thousand". Volkner emerged from the crowd, now taking a stand beside Zero who remained indifferent. The two now staring up at the bluenette who was feeling their intense stares from above.
The crowd gasped, the host nearly brimming with excitement, "Ladies and gentlemen! Five thousand! Will anyone beat that?"
Zero flicked his chin upwards, "Six thousand".
The crowd was clapping as the bidding war continued on, Volkner stifled a laugh "Nine thousand"
She wanted to faint, that was a lot of money in itself, and it hadn't stopped there, "Ten."
"Amazing! Ladies and gentlemen this is the first we've ever had someone bid past five thousand, whoever this lady is she must be worth every cent because these guys are hooked!"
Volkner stared straight into her eyes, "You sure are". He whispered.
Zero was glancing at him from the corner of his eye and then upwards at Dawn with a smirk, "You're no Leaf, but maybe I can have fun with this one".
"Twenty thousand". Zero said aloud.
The crowd was nonstop, "Who is she?"
"That's a lot of money for some girl, is she good in bed or something?"
She was starting to feel the judgement, her face was flustered as she could hear the comments being made about her.
Volkner looked over at Zero with a glare, something which amused the white haired boy, "You want to bid like a big man then let's bid, Fifty grand". Said the blonde out loud.
*Twenty five grand* she thought of the portion she would be receiving, that's a lot of money, but was it worth it, she felt her dignity stripped away as the judgement towards her grew.
Zero laughed, "Maybe I know when to stop, after all, she doesn't seem worth anything over one hundred, but it was fun spending your money".
It was a direct hit, she felt embarrassed and ashamed, she wanted to cry, but why embarrass herself more.
"Fifty thousand! Will anyone top that?!" The crowd was silent once more. But not without the side comments that kept lingering.
"That's a lot of money for some girl, what's so good about her besides her looks".
"These guys are crazy to bid on her".
She couldn't take it, she turned back to run, Volkner's voice calling to her "Dawn wait-"
It was only a few steps before she ran into a pair of arms, tears were running down her face as she looked up at the culprit, "P-Paul" she whispered.
His piercing cold eyes looked down at her but to her she only felt safety behind them.
His cold gaze moved all across the room, frightening the crowd who knew how dangerous he was.
"One million, if anyone else wants to bid, be my guest. I'm very generous with my bids".
The crowd was left in aftershock at his pledge, "One…...One million, folks…...this night is definitely the first in our charity's history, no one has ever bid this much for one of our ladies, and let alone from our biggest contributor Mr. Shinji!" said the host flabbergasted.
There was a ringing of applause as Paul stared down victoriously at Volkner, the bluenette still held tightly into his arms, overcome with shame and embarrassment of what just happened.
"You know I can raise those stakes higher". Said Volkner.
Paul's lips curved into a smirk, "And you know I'll raise them even higher, you can win in certain things, but rest assured when it comes to spending money, I'm nothing short of generous".
Volkner remained silent, his blue eyes turning to ice as he knew his rival was right, they both had money and power, but when it came down to it, Paul had just a bit more.
The purple haired boy's eyes then shifted over to Zero who was nothing short of entertained from the whole scene, "Maybe I shouldn't have stopped". He chuckled.
"She's worth more than you or your pathetic family could ever give, show your face to either of us again and I'll have you buried before you know it".
Zero's grin dropped into a scowl, "She's not my type anyways". He disappeared into the crowd.
"Well folks! It seems we have a winner, Mr. Shinji with his pledge of One million!" The crowd applauded once more but gasped when Dawn shoved Paul away, taking off backstage as he took off after her.
"Troublesome!" He stopped her before she could reach the exit.
"Paul let me go!" She tried yanking her hand back but his grip was too strong.
"No, what the hell are you doing throwing yourself out there for money!" He pulled her back in, grabbing her this time on her shoulders.
"It's none of your business!" She looked away from him.
"I'm making it my business!" He dragged her out of the room, refusing to let go as she kept throwing a fit the whole way.
"Let me go! Where are you taking me!" She was smacking his arm attempting to get him to release her.
"No." He led her into the highest floor and through the door of what seemed to be one of the hotel's suites.
"What the hell is this?! What are you doing!?" He dragged her into the bedroom, pushing her down on the bed as he climbed over her.
"P-Paul!" She yelled out, now frightened as he pinned both of her wrists up above her head with one hand.
"S-stop!" He looked down at her with prowling eyes, the same way a lion would watch his prey when it was ready to eat.
He kissed her neck, sliding his tongue up and across her neck which made her back tighten and arch as she felt a moan escape.
"N-no stop….P-Paul". She whimpered out.
"What's the matter, I paid all this money, so you belong to me now". He bit her neck, stealing another moan from her as he pulled the top of her dress down, exposing her strapless bra.
It was an overwhelming feeling, a feeling of vulnerability she was all too familiar with. Tears had begun flowing down her eyes as she silently held her breath and whimpered.
"P-please…." She whispered.
She felt the weight of him suddenly disappear, her hands were free as she sat up, covering her bra as she looked at Paul who was standing across from her with a glare.
"Don't you ever put yourself out there like that, do you understand!" She flinched at his tone.
"W-what-" she was confused.
He ran a hand through his hair, using his other to hit the wall with rage, "I knew you were an idiot, but I didn't think you were this stupid, did you really think these men only wanted a date with you?!"
She didn't know what to say, she still felt embarrassed, now more so with what had just happened between the two, "The only thing these assholes want is sex, and believe me they'd want nothing more than to jump at you, you should have never put yourself out there".
He stared back at her with his cruel glare, "Give me one reason why I shouldn't act like them and expect my favor".
"P-Paul…" she couldn't avoid his stare, it was paralyzing.
He pulled out a stack of money, throwing it at her lap, "You'll sell yourself for money, but a date with me is inevitable, know your worth Troublesome, because clearly we don't share the same view".
He walked out, leaving the bluenette to stare down at the stack of money, tears fell over it, sinking into the bills as she kept her head down, sobbing quietly into her hands.
He walked out of the suite finding Volkner standing across from the door, a venomous glare flaring on the blonde's eyes, "What did you do to her?"
"Nothing, yet". He said walking away, but not before Volkner grabbed his arm.
"If you hurt or put your hands on her in any way-"
"Then what". Paul said unafraid.
"Dawn is not like others, you don't understand".
"Clearly I don't, but I will soon. You and her seem to not understand something, when I claim something, I keep it in close distance, you can threaten and interfere all you want, because you and I both know that in the end, she'll choose me, and that decision was made long before you came into her life ". He pulled his arm back, ending his conversation with Volkner who threw his head back in dismay.
"And what will you do when you find out the truth, that she was suffering and in pain and you weren't there to protect her."