Part 8

I mentally sighed in relief when I took my seat in the classroom. Finally, the classes had begun, hopefully the term would go smoothly now and there would be no more murders; I thought optimistically.

Are you sure? You have a boyfriend to please.

My subconscious was very well acquainted with the art of bursting my bubble, and once again it had succeeded in doing just that.

Dash was the single most annoying guy I have ever met. And the worst part was that he was hell bent on ruining my life and making me suffer. Yesterday he did not leave my side for even a second. It was a wonder he let me go to the bathroom alone.

"Hello, chocolate chip, how are you?" Dash greeted, pulling out the empty chair besides me and plopping down on it.

"Chocolate chip? What kind of a ridiculous nickname is that?!" I threw my hands up in frustration.

"It's not ridiculous; it suits you just fine. You taste just as delicious as chocolate chips," Dash remarked, slouching down, adopting a casual pose as if he were sitting in his room and not in class.

"That sounds so wrong." I shook my head. Oh God, how was I going to endure his presence. And why did he have to smell so nice?

"No, it doesn't."

"Yes, it does. First you call me shortcake and now chocolate chip; what's next, sugar cube?" Hopefully Dash would realize how stupid his nicknames were. Why couldn't he just call me by my given name? I mean, I was alright with him calling me Bri if not Brielle, but no, he had to embarrass me.

"Sugar cube, that's a nice name. I'll call you that," he stated, before ruffling my hair as if I was his favorite puppy.

"Oh my God, stop it!" I glared at my tormentor who was my so-called boyfriend. "It took me an hour to fix my hair and you ruined it!" Where was Satan when you needed him? I mean, was he not concerned that his son was missing? He was sitting right beside me.

"Your dad is the Devil, right? I mean, there is no way you can be an offspring of a human; that is just not possible," I snarled at him.

Dash laughed out loud, making him look even more sexy than he already did. I wondered what that mouth would feel like on mine. I cursed myself for thinking like that. No, this was not true. I hated Dash. He was annoying and spoiled and acted like a narcissistic jerk most of the times. No, I did not want him to kiss me.

"If you want to meet my parents all you have to do is ask, shortcake; I'm sure they will be happy to meet my girlfriend," Dash said this out loud, as if announcing to the whole world. It was only when my eyes collided with Damian's did I realize what Dash intended to do all along.

Son of the Devil!

"I am not your girlfriend," I hissed at him, making sure to keep my voice low for some strange reason.

The smirk on Dash's face died and his blue eyes hardened to resemble shards. Before I knew it, he gripped my chin with his fingers before crashing his lips to mine.

This could not be real. I was dreaming, I had to be. But no, it was real and Dash's lips were so soft against mine.

But the kiss was not a gentle, warm kiss that swept you off your feet and made you think you were floating on a cloud. No, this kiss was rough, brutal, as if Dash was trying to prove who's boss here.

When I heard hooting and guys wolf whistling, that's when reality washed over me and I pushed him away with all my might. I was breathing hard as I glared at him, but was only rewarded by a victorious smile. Dash really was the son of the Devil.

"What. The. Hell. Was that?" I gritted out, torn between wanting to scratch his handsome face off and pulling him back for another mind numbing kiss.

"That was semester two, sugar cube," Dash answered, ignoring the guys who were slapping him on the shoulder for a job well done. Seriously, how was kissing a job well done?

"What do you mean?" Why did he have to choose me as his victim? What did I ever do?

"This is what happens when you dare to reject my claims. You are my girlfriend, do you understand that, chocolate chip? If you dare to reject my claims one more time, then trust me when I say that I will tear your clothes off and fuck you right here in this classroom and I don't care who watches," Dash stated, his voice a carnal promise.

I swallowed hard. "Yo—You're bluffing. You wouldn't do anything like that."

The smirk which he gave me told me exactly what I needed to know. Oh he would so do it. And the jerk wouldn't care. He was utterly shameless. And I didn't understand why I didn't find that abhorrent. The picture of Dash having sex with me did not fill me with fear or shame like it normally did.

"Say that you are not my girlfriend once again and you will know. And I am not in the habit of breaking my word, just thought you should know," Dash said before turning his attention to the teacher who just entered the classroom.

"You are the worst. You are even worse than the Devil," I mumbled to myself.

"Thank you, I appreciate the compliment." Shit, he heard me.

Throughout the lesson, my eyes kept turning to Dash as if they had a life of their own. Would he really follow through with his promise? I mean, I understood that Dash had no regards for rules or norms, but this was taking things a bit too far. Not to mention the fact that it would ruin my academic career if not my life.

The class went on and on and I cursed Dash for every minute that passed in which I didn't pay attention. What was it about this new guy that shattered my focus so completely? I paid attention to every word that left the teacher's lips, and now all I could think about was that sudden kiss, and how good it felt.

Maybe you can't focus because Dash stole your first kiss.

I had to give it to my subconscious, it had a point. Dash had indeed stolen my first kiss. But, it was not so bad. The kiss was better than what I expected. I've heard a lot of girls complain about how their first kiss was a disaster, so I couldn't be ungrateful. So what if my first kiss wasn't with the one I wanted, at least my first kiss was not bad.

"Hello, Earth to chocolate chip, are you there?" The snapping of fingers in front of my face made me wonder where I was. And it was only when I looked around and saw people exiting the classroom did I realize that class was over.

Shit. My dad was going to kill me.

"Why are you here? Class is over," I said.

"I'm making sure my girlfriend knows that class is over," he replied, picking up his bag.

"Yeah, I'm aware of that, thank you." If Dash knew that I was thinking about the kiss then his ego would be bigger than Jupiter. No, I had to keep my feelings a secret.

"Good, let's go. After this class we are free, then we can eat lunch and discuss Janice's murder with Tracey and Ben. Let's hope they have something interesting to tell us." Dash stood up, waiting for me to put my notebook in my bag and leave with him.

"Can you leave me alone for five seconds." I think I needed a break from Dash. That way I would be able to rationalize my feelings and would know how to deal with this problem. This constant exposure to the Devil's son was not healthy for me; I had already begun to zone out during class, what was next, drugs?

"A good boyfriend does not leave his girlfriend alone like this. What if some guy comes and harasses you," he responded.

I scoffed. "Trust me, no one will harass me. The only one who harassed me was you. So I have nothing to worry about."

Dash narrowed his eyes and was about to reply when a soft voice interrupted us. "Um...Dash, can I speak with you for a moment." We both snapped our heads in the direction of the voice to see none other than Lauren standing there.

My eyes narrowed as I took in the girl who was best friends with Janice. Dark hair, blue eyes, high cheekbones. Lauren was pretty, but there was something so familiar about her, but I couldn't figure out what it was. Nonetheless, I was suspicious. Why was she here? And why did she want to speak with Dash?

I glanced at Dash to see him eyeing Lauren in a strange way. My jaw dropped when I saw the two silently communicating with their eyes. That was when alarm bells begun ringing in my head and I had to question the fact whether I was trusting the right person for this investigation or not.

"Of course." He looked at me. "Sugar cube, stay put while I go and have a word with Lauren. Do not move, we'll go together," he ordered before walking out of the class with Lauren, leaving me all alone, wondering what the hell was going on.

Dash was new at Burswick, so how on Earth did he know Lauren? I mean, I hadn't seen him with anyone else other than Ben. Also, if Dash knew Lauren, shouldn't he have known that Janice and Lauren were best friends?

There was something else going on over here. Dash was not what he seemed to be. There was more to him, and I could tell that whenever I saw darkness lurking like a persistent mist in his blue eyes at times.

Why don't you listen to what they are saying?

Of course, Dash didn't expect me to eavesdrop, and I needed to know who killed Janice in order to solve this mystery. So without thinking twice, I tip-toed over to the door and placed my ear right next to the wall, hoping to hear something from the two.

Disappointment clutched me in its shackles when I heard nothing. I peeked outside to see the hallway empty. Where had Dash taken Lauren? What they were they talking about? It had to be something top secret if they needed to hide and converse.

I didn't know why but not seeing Dash in the hallway made me angry. He told me to stay put as if I was his dog or something and then left me standing here like an idiot while he talked about whatever secrets he had to discuss with Lauren. Well this was not acceptable to me. And I would make sure he knew it.

Grabbing my bag, I slung it over my shoulder and stormed out of the classroom Dash left me in. I didn't care what he would think or do, he had to know that he couldn't get away with ordering me around like a servant.

I made it to class with eight minutes to spare. And when I saw Damian sitting in the front corner, I couldn't stop the smile that broke across my face.

"Hey, Bri, would you like to sit with me, I have an empty seat," Damian offered, gesturing to the empty chair beside him.

"Of course." I went over to him and sat down. "I wanted to sit with you in our previous class but you came so late." I told him even though he was only a minute late, but Dash being Dash sat down next to me.

"That's all right, I'm glad you are here now. So tell me, how's your day been so far?" Damian asked. He was so different from Dash; exactly the kind of guy I wanted to date. Maybe I should ask Damian out on a date.

"It's been fine. We only had two classes uptil now. But I'm glad classes have started, it'll distract the students," I answered.

"I know. And have you noticed how teachers are not even mentioning Janice. I thought they would say that she will be missed, but there is nothing. It's like Janice didn't die," Damian observed.

"Exactly. It's weird. Some of the students have left Burswick because of this, and the faculty is pretending as if everything is fine," I agreed.

"I just wish I knew who killed Janice." Damian closed his eyes as if the mention of Janice brought him great pain.

"Yeah, it's sad. And what scares me the most the is how the killer is still out there. What if he or she kills another student?" Voicing out my fears made them more real, and I begun looking around for Tracey. Where was she? She was supposed to be here by now, the class was about to start. And I needed my best friend to feel safe.

"It's alrigt, you don't have to worry. Are you free after this, maybe we can go to the library and try to figure out who killed Janice. We can ask around and see if people know something," Damian suggested.

"That is a terrific idea. I'll go with you. And I will tell you something once we are there." It was about time I told someone about the button that I found in the woods. I could no longer keep it a secret.

"Great, I look forward to hearing what you have to tell me. And, no offence, but will that boyfriend of yours join us?" Wow, I was not the only one who hated Dash, it looked like Damian didn't like Dash either.

"I don't think so, and he is not my boyfriend," I replied.

"Are you sure? Because he is taking you out on dates and he did kiss you in class." Damian looked like he didn't believe me, and I didn't blame him.

"Dash is not my boyfriend, but he is a jerk," I corrected my statement.

Both Damian and I burst out laughing. This was nice; talking and laughing with Damian was nice. It was while we were laughing that I glanced at the door and when I saw Dash's face, it was safe to say that I peed in my skirts.

Because the way he was looking at me meant trouble.

I was in big, big trouble.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author's Note.

Hi guys,

Here is another chapter, I hope you all like it.

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Thank you for reading.

Until next time.

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Ciao.