**CHAPTER SIX.**
I had been called *ugly* before, especially by my elder sister and brother. I had been called *stupid* by my father. I had been called *socially awkward* by my nana. I had even been called a *snorter* by the whole campus, but I had never been told that I *stank.* I raised my armpit, taking in the smell and I thought I smelt normal, slightly tinged with the lavender scent of my roll-on.
"I smell? I guess the problem is with your nose because no one has ever told me that I smell," I said, slightly irritated by his words. First, he complimented me, then he hit me with a backhand comment that rubbed me off badly. What did I even expect from someone like him?
Draken passed me an amused look. Then, he smiled. "Hey, calm down. I don't mean it like that," he tried explaining.
"Then explain it to me, Sherlock," I said angrily, standing up from the sofa. I took a swing of my beer again, eyes squinting as his scent intruded my nose in full force. Never had I felt so besieged by a scent. It almost made me feel dizzy and my legs wobbled. "You want to know something? You smell also."
"Calm down, Eline," he implored calmly, rising with a smile still adorning his countenance as he sought to pacify me.
"You said I fucking smell, how do you expect me to calm down?" I lashed out at him, raising my voice.
"Eline, is everything okay?" I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and met Yuri's gaze on me. I guess my altercation with Draken had caused her to cut her make-out session short with Dylan, who now stood beside her, his eyes somewhat bleary, yet concern etched on his visage as he observed me.
With a shake of my shoulder, I dislodged Yuri's hand. My head throbbed, impeding coherent thought as I surveyed the scene. Those engaged in snooker had abandoned their game, directing their attention toward us. Even Killian had found his way next to Draken like a protective guard dog.
"What the hell are you all looking at?" I asked the crowd forming around as I downed the remaining content of my beer before throwing the empty can off to God knows where. If it had happened to hit someone, I wouldn't be astonished.
I moved away from that area of the room. I didn't even know where I was going. All I knew was that I wasn't comfortable with the scent I smelled of Draken. I had always been able to smell a distinct smell of him ever since middle school, but never had I been able to discern the smell. However, for the first time since middle school, I could tell his scent. It felt so dominant, similar to my father's scent, but a million times dominant. It made me wonder if he was truly human, but I brushed that thought away from my mind as soon as it came. It couldn't be possible for Draken to not be human, after all, my family were the only living werecats in America. If Draken was a werecat, I would have known by his scent.
My head felt fuzzy and my legs felt wobbly as I continued to walk around the mansion. The house was so huge that it was beginning to feel like a maze. I didn't even know where I was heading to, all I knew was that I wanted to leave. I wanted to leave the party. I wanted to go home and stay in my bubble.
I found myself staring at an empty veranda in the distance. A cool breeze blew across my face as I soon found myself sitting on the floor on the veranda, overlooking the view provided by the gaps between the railings. There was a vast land before me, one filled with multiple gardens. I wanted to reach out and feel the flowers in the garden…the grass…And before I knew what I was doing, I found myself in the garden, hands brushing through the grass. I fell to the floor and I could feel my body burn.
It dawned upon me—I was drunk. Curse Karina.
The party was a bore, and it made me wonder why young adults and teenagers loved partying so much. There was nothing spectacular about tonight's party. Barely less than thirty minutes in and I already wanted to go home. I yearned for the solace and cocooning warmth of my bed…and merely the prospect of immersing myself in a literary voyage on my iPad or indulging in the nostalgic embrace of my favorite anime enticed me.
A distinct smell wafted into my nose causing me to sit upright on the grass. I looked around for where the smell was coming from, but I couldn't find the source. It made me wonder if I had begun to hallucinate Draken Gallagher's scent or if the alcohol had cast its spell on me.
"Fuck you, Karina. I never even wanted to attend this shitty party," I muttered to myself, drawing my legs closer to my chest.
The whole place felt a bit cold and my scanty dress wasn't helping my case. I looked up at the sky, taking in the beauty of the full moon.
"Are you still mad at me?" A voice, all too familiar, inquired.
I tore my gaze from the moon, directing my attention toward the origin of the voice. Draken Gallagher stood to my left, hands nestled in his pockets, proffering an unexpected apologetic smile. A smile I had not anticipated. I averted my gaze, releasing a sigh of relief, reassured that I had not hallucinated his scent. "Why do you care if I'm still mad at you? Go meet your other friends and we can pretend like we don't know each other…just as you've been doing."
"I genuinely didn't mean to hurt you like that-"
"Hurt?" I chuckled, returning my gaze to him. "Your words didn't hurt me. I was just irritated. Learn to know the difference between *hurt* and *irritation.*"
"Yes, ma'am," he responded, infusing a hint of humor into his tone.
"N-not funny."
"I did not claim it to be."
"Y-you can leave nowww."
"Well, you're in my house."
He spoke the truth. I was in his house, so I didn't have the right to tell him what to do and what not to do. I stood up, stumbling a bit as I dragged down my gown which had hiked up a bit. "I'd leave then."
"No, don't go," he implored swiftly, seizing my hand. His actions proved persuasive. He was Draken Gallagher, my nemesis, someone who didn't give two fucks about me, someone who didn't care about an ugly girl named Eline, someone who always managed to steal the spotlight I was always aiming for. "Stay."
I dragged my hand away from his grip, freeing it. I massaged it a bit, making a mental note to never allow him to grab me by my wrist again; he had an iron grip. "What do you want from me, Draken? You did well to ignore me in middle school and the first year of uni, so why are you on my neck now?"
He maintained silence for a moment, his green eyes radiating beneath the moonlight as he observed me, and I could have sworn that I saw his eyes flash yellow if I wasn't under the influence of alcohol. He appeared remarkably handsome, igniting a twinge of envy within me. *Curses.* He possessed everything—wealth, looks, the title of being the son of a duke in Edinburgh, and he had brains. "I never ignored you in middle school."
"Oh, Indeed?" I quizzed, crossing my arms over my chest as recollections of the torment during middle school clouded my thoughts. "Then how come you just spoke to me today in philosophy class? How come you just learnt of my name today? Or let's talk about middle school. Why did you allow your lackeys to torment me, given that I perennially trailed behind you in the midterms?"
"Eline-"
"Please, Draken, don't say my name," I tried calming down my nerves as tears filled my drowsy eyes. My head was getting hotter by the minute. I was also finding it difficult to talk. I just wanted to clear my head…to say what I had been keeping in mind since middle school. "You never said a thing to them nor did you try stopping them when I was being bullied. You even laughed at their jokes when I was called a gorilla because I was fat and hairy. Hell, you even laughed when my sanitary pad dropped out of my bag. Don't tell me you didn't ignore me when, in fact, you did. You could have prevented them from bullying me, but you didn't even lift a finger."
"It's not like that, Eline. I promise-"
"Then make me understand or let's just go back to being strangers," I felt a tear run down my cheeks as I spoke. Unable to sustain the strength in my legs, I succumbed to the ground, fingers sifting through my hair as I gnawed on my lips. I detested middle school so intensely. He was one of the reasons I preferred the sanctuary of my bubble. "You were my foremost headache in middle school, and do you want to know why?"
He remained silent, and I interpreted that as my cue to continue.
"The other students revered you. They perceived you as their deity, and a single utterance from you could have quelled their mockery for amusement. Yet, you remained silent. You adeptly ignored me, Draken, and now, you stand before me, endeavoring to perpetrate lies about not ignoring me," I laughed, reclining on the ground. I yawned, and turned to my side, striving to keep my eyes open despite their heaviness, laced with drowsiness. I felt…sleepy. "I-I did not truly care if you wished not to be my friend, Draken. But you aided and abetted my tormentors when a single word from you could have halted their transgressions."
My eyes yielded to the lull of slumber.