HE CONTINUED STARING at me like I was the most rare and interesting specimen he had ever come across. His interest creeped me out, obviously. I couldn't help it but it made me feel like something he wanted to toss onto the table and cut it open to see what it was made of. I didn't like it so I quirked an eyebrow at him. He finally stopped staring.

"I never took you for a hopeless romantic either." He said nodding at me with his head. I sat back shrugging the awkwardness away. I bit into the last piece of my sandwich and winked at him, trying to be as nonchalant as I could muster. Acting like I was a pro. Gliding through any situation I found myself in.

"Oh look, we figured each other out." I said in a very exaggerated voice.

"Well there's a whole lot you don't know about me." He replied and I snorted rolling my eyes at him.

"Obviously genius. We just met like two days ago. I would be worried if there wasn't." He shrugged, his smirk still firmly in place. He didn't seem the least bit concerned about my words. Some people took my humour and sarcasm literally. At least he wasn't one of them.

"Are you always this mean?"

Oh well I spoke too soon. Again!

That one was definitely on me. I did that to myself. I expected too much of him. We did just meet two days ago after all. He obviously didn't know me.

"Like I said, two days ago. There's also a whole lot you don't know about me too." He snickered and I pretended it didn't shock me.

"Well then, if you stick around long enough, then we might just surprise each other." We both laughed at his attempt.

"So you do want me to stick around. Asshole." I rolled my eyes at this new found friendship or whatever. I would much rather we were acquaintances. I didn't do well with friends. In fact I didn't really care much for them.

But back to what we were talking about, the truth was I didn't just believe in true love or whatever the books called it. I just didn't believe in any form of love in general. Period. But I understood what the novelists were trying to do. Who was I to dispute their fictional feeling? Everyone needed an escape or two. So what if someone believed in the mambo jambo. It was always better than not believing in its existence at all. Imagine just how fucking lonely that would be.

We talked for a few hours straight, of course with me forgetting we were even in the library. I was threatened to be kicked out more than a handful of times, but I had a habit of escaping scotch free. We were engrossed in our conversation, well I did most if not all of the talking anyway, until the siren rang signifying it was knock off time. My favourite time of the day. Everyone's favourite time of the day.

Liam had seemed to be warming up to me a little bit more even if I did most of the talking by myself. He smiled occasionally showcasing his even out teeth. At least he had been polite enough to show sone indication that he was alive. But nothing would have detered me anyway.

I always get my way.

Well mostly in things that didn't really matter. If I did get my way then I would have chosen to stay at the orphanage and not be put on foster care at all. The world was full of shity people that didn't deserve to be handed children whatsoever.

We didn't agree on a lot of things and I had to admit I found our little banter and arguments enjoyable way more than I should have. Liam was more of the facts kind of guy which of course I was too. But only to a certain degree. I liked to incorporate a lot of fictional things in the things I knew. Facts weren't always fun and I of course liked fun. Life tended to be boring without any action.

"You can't be serious. Are you saying you hate Chemistry? Who hates Chemistry?" I gave him a dumb look. His bewilderment seemed too genuine to be fake.

"Uh me. And what kind of a question is that? I've never met anyone who actually likes the subject. You, my friend are an anomaly inside anomalies. And besides, it's not like I don't exactly know what's actually going on. I do. It's just that subject that requires a lot of concentration, effort and time. I can't deal with that. It's too much work.

I hate work. Anything strenuous is definitely a no from me. And not to mention for someone who doesn't believe in anything fictional, you sure as hell have been ticking all the cliché boxes." His mouth hung open.

"I don't believe this. I'm just going to ignore that you called me a fictional character. But anyway, what's your favourite subject then?" I didn't even have to think about it.

"Geography." His face scrunched.

"That's my worst." I looked at him like he was crazy.

"How on earth can you like Chemistry and not understand Geography? It's literally the easiest one." He shrugged not answering.

"Why do you like it?" He asked me and I shrugged too.

"It's just fascinating to know about the earth. It's forever changing everyday. I love the treatise. You know, the lengthy and formal disquisitions about the subject. Just the study of our relationship with the earth and how shitty we actually treat it. I mean people are just horrendous.

But all in all I like to see how humans explain the existence of what God created in their own scientific words. It literally disputes everything about the bible. Now that is fun. I don't really care about the facts but how people are just shooting themselves in the foot. I know what I know but I just go along with it."

Liam just stared at me like he just discovered a new organ after he tossed me into the table and opened me up to see what was inside.

"I have never been so confused in my life. You're a hopeless romantic and a christian? I didn't see that one coming at all." I just shrugged laughing.

It was strange just how people associated certain types of people with Christianity. Or any other religion for that matter. The fact that a person believed in the existence of a greater force than them didn't mean they had to conform to what people portrayed as the norm.

And just because I believed in God and his existence didn't sometimes mean I acted all holier than thou. Or that I would behave in a way that reflected it. Although I used to. A long time ago. Just before things changed and I saw how cruel the world actually was. God and I were on the outs for the time being but I still believed He was out there. Not in my life but he was up there. I was just pissed off that's all.

"Okay then. Since you have trouble with Chemistry and I with Geography. Well I was wondering if you'll like...I don't know. Maybe we could somehow tutor each other?" I laughed as he scratched the back of his head. The guy had transformed infront of my eyes in less than a few hours. He scratched his head again, an action I ascertained he did when he was nervous. Which was weird because there was no reason to be.

"Yeah sure. Stop doing that. There's no need to be all weird about it." We were walking in the hallway towards the exit so I saw the stares we got.

Will they just stop.

I bumbed him with my shoulder earning myself yet more stares and glares from other students.

What's up with this school all over my damn business?

"What's up with all the stares we're getting?"

"You tell me. But I have to know this. What's going on between you and Mandy? Because this certainly has something to do with her." He halted giving me a weirder than weird look. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could say anything, brown chocolate long legs that went on forever suddenly appeared besides us. Maybe it was me but it was weird seeing a person that skinny.

Of course besides her were her usual... adherents. The girls were like her second skin or something. An extension of her body. Like extended walking and talking parts of her body. I would have loved to see the day when one was without the other. It was like watching a scene from the mean girls. Not that I actually saw the movie but based on the name I was so sure Mandy and her girls were the exact replica.

"Speak of the devil and of course she appears. Sweeeet. Lucky me." I mumbled under my breath Liam snickered but then covered it with a cough. Sounding like a cat being strangled by another cat. The visuals made me smile.

Mandy was smiling so wide I was afraid her face might split in two. Her eyes were like claws on Liam but her smile quickly turned into a deep frown the instant that she glanced over at me. My lips twitched as I rolled my eyes at her childish display. Like the hilarious person she was, her syile was plastered back on her face full force when she turned back towards Liam

What a drama queen.

"Liam. I'm so glad I could catch you. I've been meaning to come talk to you. Do you have a minute? It's really urgent and it can't wait for another time." Liam pushed his arms into the pockets of his trousers. I couldn't tell whether he was uncomfortable or annoyed or indecisive.

"Mandy we have nothing to ta..." He started.

"Great. I'll only be a minute, I promise. We can talk in the car. I can give you a ride home. Come on. Let's go." She had pushed her claws into his arm and dragged him to the exit in an instant, even before I had time to blink. Liam followed behind her like a ragdoll before he pulled his arm harshly away and continuing walking with her as calmly as he could muster. Amusement danced around my face as I stared after them.

"Interesting." It amazed me just how fast she had moved. Of course her lackies were right behind her like her second skin. Hahaha typical high school.

*********

I can't believe it took this long to update. Sorrows but I'm going to dedicate myself into this story this time.

But I like where we are right now.

What do you think of the relationship between Mandy and Liam?

Okay so I'm not sure what I did wrong but this chapter shows after chapter nine and it keeps moving around like comeon. I'm so tired of it moving around and then removing the little topic. It doesn't matter what I do. So I hope it looks normal on readers!