Chapter 18 Echos of our love
“Just stay away from us,” Madison added.
Izabella frowned again. These girls were making no sense, telling her to stay away from them and they were the ones approaching her.
“Seriously…” Izabella sighed. “I have nothing to say to him or you guys. I just want to be left alone.”
“Then you’d best stay in your place and don’t mingle with people who are obviously above you,” Morgan snorted.
“Obviously…” Izabella nodded quickly, rolling her eyes, but the girls were too busy laughing to notice it. “Do you mind if I go do my business now?”
“Why would we care what you do? We just wanted to warn you, so something doesn’t happen to you.”
“Is that a threat?” Izabella asked, eyeing Madison defiantly.
“Take it as you want, just stay away from Raphael.”
“And Renwick!” Morgan added quickly.
The name made Madison’s face muscles tense. Blood flushed her cheeks. So, that Renwick guy was apparently Madison’s guy. Not that Izabella cared about any of them. She wasn’t here to make friends or find lovers. She had more important business to attend to and she needed Dante for it.
“Stay away from Raphael and Renwick, you hear?” Madison hissed.
“Fine, fine,” Izabella took a step back.
This was all so stupid. Girls fighting other girls over a guy. Izabella couldn’t imagine any guy being worth such a fuss.
“You’ve been warned, smart ass.”
The girls walked out of the bathroom, leaving Izabella alone. She was glad they were gone, not because she was scared or anything. They were mostly annoying. However, Izabella knew well that these girls could mean trouble if they thought that Izabella was after one of those two guys. She wasn’t, of course. She had no intention of even talking to them, but it was difficult explaining it to someone who didn’t have a habit of listening to others, or to reason.
Izabella sighed. She went inside and did her business. She quickly washed her hands and rushed out of the bathroom. As she did so, she bumped right into Raphael. It was almost as if he was waiting for her just outside, it all happened a little too conveniently.
“Ouch!” Izabella shouted, as he pushed her back, right into the door, hitting her shoulder.
“Hey, watch where you’re…” he started, but as soon as he saw it was her, he immediately changed his tune. “Funny running into you again, gorgeous.”
Izabella eyed him suspiciously, rubbing her shoulder. She’d been hurt worse than this but it was still unpleasant and, worse yet, he obviously wasn’t even planning on apologizing. She seriously hated him. If he’d just go away, he’d make her life so much
easier.
“You’re the last person I want to see right now,” she told him and was about to leave, when he pulled her back by the elbow.
Something flared up inside of her and she was on the verge of kicking his ass all the way back to the Stone Age, which was obviously where he came from but that would mean getting into trouble. She eyed him, sure she could take him on. He was all bark and no bite. She knew the type well. He was definitely not worth getting into any trouble over, either with the Headmaster or with those two.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t touch me again,” she hissed at him, pulling her elbow
back.
“You really have a bad temper, don’t you?” he asked, letting go.
The strangest part was that this was actually the most normal sounding thing he had said to her. He even sounded nice. There was no trace of that cockiness, only general curiosity mixed with a little bit of nicety. Obviously, he could be a regular, nice guy, when he wanted to. It’s just that he didn’t want to, often.
“Only when I’m forced to talk to guys like you.”
“Guys like me?” he wondered, as if he didn’t know what she meant.
“Seriously, just get away,” she told him, almost pushing him physically away from her, “I don’t want any more trouble with your girlfriend and her freak sister.”
“My girlfriend?” he asked aloud. It looked like he had no idea who she was referring
to.
“Morgan?” she refreshed his memory.
“Morgan?” he laughed out loud.
She eyed him weirdly. Now, she was really sure that most of the students in this school had gone totally bonkers. Did she say something funny? She was sure she hadn’t.
She couldn’t wait to get the hell out of this place.
“She’s not my girlfriend,” he said, with a frown.
“Try telling her that, lover boy.”
“Ask anyone,” he continued. “We used to date, but that’s all over, ancient history.
I’m free to date anyone I please.”
“Listen,” she sighed, already having had enough of this, “I don’t wanna get involved in any crazy love triangle with you and your psycho ex. I couldn’t care less about either of you.”
“Oh, come on,” he winked. “What’s not to like here?”
He flexed his muscles, raising his eyebrows as he did so. It was like a cartoon caricature and she almost burst out laughing at him but she was taught better than that.
“Exactly that,” she nodded, rolling her eyes at him. “I gotta go.”
She rushed down the hallway, Raphael already gone out of her mind. She was eager to go to back to her room and get some writing done.