Mr. Darkwood eventually realized he had lost his control over his anger and has been strayed out so he returned to his desk, turning his face away.
His jaws were hurting and he was breathing heavily, his pupils shrinking. He was on the verge of losing control.
However, the student who had made fun of me stood up and sincerely apologized to Mr. Darkwood, “I am sorry, it won’t happen again!”.
This seemed to calm our teacher, and he turned around with a smile. "It's good that you take responsibility of your mistake," he said, allowing the student to return to his seat.
This guy happened to be one of Vincent's friends. Speaking of Vincent, he didn't show up to school that day. I had no idea why he was absent, but I heard he was sick.
After school, my friends and I gathered outside the building. Willow had a plan to cheer me up.
"My mom is out of town for the next two days, so I'm throwing a party at my place tonight!" she exclaimed.
I looked at her and then glanced down, smiling. "I'm not sure about this," I replied.
"I don't want to hear any excuses, you're coming!" She declared.
"Or I'll ignore you for the rest of my life!" She turned her head away.
"Can you at least give me some time to think?" I chuckled.
"Sure, I'll wait for you!" She hugged me and then watched me leave.
I spotted Mr. Darkwood in his car parked in front of the school.
He glanced at me and we exchanged smiles, breaking eye contact after a brief moment.
"Are you ready?" He inquired as I got into his car.
"How are you doing?" He asked.
"Okay, I guess!" I shrugged.
"Willow invited me to a party tonight!" I mentioned.
"She is very such a good girl, and a brilliant student!" He nodded. "And that's a good thing, you should go!" Then he cleared his throat.
"I mean, it's not my place to tell you what to do, but it's good for you to have some fun and take your mind off things." He smiled and we drove off.
I couldn't help but notice how attractive he looked when he was nervous, but I brushed it off. It was a good thing we had exchanged numbers though.
Even though I acted fine all day long, I was not okay, I was just acting that way because I was afraid that people will take advantage of me if I showed them my weak side. To tell you the truth, that kid’s face was haunting me.
In the evening, I wore a red shirt, tied my hair up in a high ponytail, and put on a black leather jacket with high-waisted black pants.
As I stepped out of the house, I saw Mr. Darkwood with his grandmother heading somewhere. Our eyes met at the same time, and this eye contact felt different from before.
He was gazing at me in amazement, and with a gentle evening breeze blowing, my hair fell on my face, causing me to blush and look away.
I glanced back at him. "Mr. Darkwood!" I smiled.
Ms. Fernandez, you look... absolutely beautiful!" He exclaimed before swiftly changing the subject. "I was just taking my grandmother for her checkup."
I knelt down and gently kissed her on the cheek, a gesture I always used to do with my own grandmother.
He couldn't help but smile at me. "Take care! See you later!" With one last glance, I headed toward Willow's house.
Upon arrival, I was greeted by a lively crowd of boys and girls, and the house was lightened up with vibrant neon lights.
As I entered, I spotted Willow and Christine engaged in conversation, but there was something off about Willow.
The moment she caught sight of me, her face lit up and she rushed over, embracing me tightly.
"Oh my! Someone is looking absolutely stunning!" She playfully stared at me from head to toe with a mischievous smirk.
"You look gorgeous yourself!" I winked at her.
Willow was wearing a pink skirt paired with a pink sleeveless high-neck top. Christine was as always in a leather jacket, black pant and shirt.
However, my attention was drawn to Vincent, whose arm was bandaged and stained with blood. Suddenly, a flashback of a fierce wolf biting another wolf's arm flashed through my mind.
My face turned pale as I looked at him, but I quickly forced a smile to answer his own smile.
Instead of inquiring about his well-being, I decided to step back. "Drinks!" Willow offered me a plastic cup.
I stopped her, stating, "I don't drink."
"Well, there are also soft drinks available," she whispered.
"Okay!" I nodded in agreement.
She took hold of my hand and led me through the bustling crowd. However, in the midst of it all, my hand slipped from hers, and I lost sight of her.
The crowd seemed to increase by each passing minute, I knew I was not going to find Willow right now, so I scanned the area and eventually found some space in the kitchen, where I could finally catch my breath.
It was in that moment that my heart began to race, and I felt a sense of suffocation.
I glanced around and noticed a guy approaching me. He was wearing our school's sports jacket, with his jet black hair slicked back, small eyes, and a slim face. In his hand, he held a plastic cup.
"Willow sent a soft drink for you," he said, handing me the cup before turning away.
His actions seemed harmless, so I took a sip from the cup, only to immediately spit it out. It tasted absolutely terrible.
The man who had given me the cup laughed along with his friends. I placed the cup near the sink, intending to leave, when one of them grabbed my wrist tightly.
I swiftly turned around and slapped him so hard that he would bear the mark on his cheek for the rest of his life.
With gel in his slicked back hair, he probably thought he looked cool, but not to me.
Thought my action fueled his rage.
Just as I was about to leave, he grabbed my wrist again and forcefully pulled me towardd him. Wrapping his arms around my waist.
His friend held my arm, and another one forcefully poured the drink into my mouth.
The pressure was so intense that I had no choice but to swallow it. However, Vincent arrived and pulled one of them away.
"Leave her alone!" he shouted, pushing the guy away from me.