I look at the daunting building, disgust and excitement slithering up my spine.

Disgust, because it's fucking school.

Excitement, because it's for a mission.

I hike my bag further up my shoulder and continue forward. Doc martens tapping rhythmically against the ground.

I'd driven myself today, taking my motorbike instead of arriving with the others. I had plans this afternoon.

The baby pink mini skirt brushes my sheer black stocking covered thighs as I make my way up the stairs. Feeling the eyes of my peers boring into my back.

I don't glance back, pushing my shoulders back in defiance.

My palms slam against the double doors, forcing them wide open as I step through, head held high.

I stop in front of them, grimacing at the attention on me.

I hate school.

The doors slam shut behind me. Air blowing against my back, causing brown tendrils to flutter around my shoulders.

With a self-satisfied smirk, I continue on my walk.

A boy leans against the wall, green eyes set on mine as I saunter past. I raise a questioning brow as annoyance begins to flood my system.

He smirks cockily, pushing off the wall, beginning to stalk beside me.

"Artemis, right?"

"Yes." I reply, monotone, blinking up at him.

His cheeks lift as he sends me a dazzling smile.

"I'm-"

"Interesting." I hum, interrupting him. "I don't care."

I brush past him, my eyes locking on a pair of light brown ones.

Harley smiles as I near her. I lean against the lockers next to her, bracing my foot against the dented metal to stabilise myself.

"Long time, no see." She quips, smiling as her eyes fall on the boy I'd left behind.

"Ignoring Jackson." She chuckles. "That's going to get you in trouble."

I look at her with a raised brow, twinkling eyes and a smirk lighting my face. "I am trouble, babe."

She smiles beside me, shaking her head as a chuckle slips past her lips. Her eyes flicker back to mine.

Her eyes drift from mine, focusing on something on the other side of me and I follow her gaze.

Alessio and Enzo walk this way, whispering to each other before Enzo nods his head and breaks off, stalking to us.

His eyes settle on mine, the blue darkening before he nods his head at Harley and walks to the locker beside her.

"Hey Harls." He murmurs as it closes, his books in hand.

"Morning, Enzo." I quip, smirking at the boy who has continued to ignore me since the day I met him.

The morning bell rings, but none of us move as the students around us herd down the hallway.

His darkened eyes settle on me, lingering before his lips finally form the word. "Hi"

His eyes settle back on Harley and he nods. Conveying something with his eyes before turning around.

I narrow my eyes on his back.

The sound of a phone blaring interrupts the awkward silence. Enzo grabs his phone from his pocket, glancing down at the screen.

He swears quietly, hand fisting tightly around the phone. He turns back towards us and opens his locker without sparing either of us a glance. Shoving his books in before slamming it shut.

The slam of it resounding around the room, echoing off the other lockers in the hallway.

"What's wrong?" Harley asks, voice tight with emotion before she clears her throat and glances at me.

But my eyes still linger on Enzo.

He meets them before looking at Harley, "I've got to go . . . Family matters"

He turns and stalks off, fists tightening.

I watch as he walks away, my own hands tightening.

"Don't mind him." Harley interrupts, pulling me away from the lockers. Though her face is tinged with worry and something else I can't decipher. Longing?

"I'm not." I pull my eyes from his disappearing figure as we start our trek to our classroom.

Harley pauses in her tracks at the door, peering inside with a grimace.

"Fuck, I don't want to go in there."

"Why?" I question, looking in.

My eyes immediately make contact with startlingly dark ones. The boys eyes fixated on Harley.

"Who is he?

She hesitates. "His names is Marcelo, he's my . . . ex." She grimaces and takes my hand in hers, turning us around.

"Wait where are we going?" I ask as she pulls me down the hallway with quickening steps, eager to get away.

If I weren't beside her, I'd think the hounds of hell were following her.

"No school today."

My mission was to infiltrate Alessio and Enzos' life, Harley is a part of that life somehow. My mission was not to go to school.

Technically I'm not breaking the rules.

I finally shrug and walk ahead of her, "Well then let's go."

The doors slam behind us as we run away from the school towards the car parking lot.

My eyes narrow as soon as I see a certain boy entering his car. He texts on his phone before his eyes fall on mine and narrow suspiciously. He quickly get in his car and slams the door, his eyes not leaving mine.

"I wonder where he's going." I mutter to myself, but Harley hears it, her brown eyes falling on me before focusing back on Enzo as he speeds off.

She shrugs but I see her shoulders tense, "Family problems, it's normal."

I hum under my breath. "Let me just message my friends, let them know where I am." I mutter to Harley and she nods, opening her car door.

To Group:

Enzo just left the school, Harley is acting suspicious, leaving school with her.

I quickly shut off the phone and climb into the car.

• • •

We had hardly left the school parking lot when I notice the car trailing us. I stay silent, not alerting Harley to anything as she hums quietly to the music blaring from the speakers.

I reach down and pat my bag where my gun usually is but swear.

No guns at school. One of the rules.

Fuck the rules. Next time I'm bringing a weapon.

My eyes widen as I drop my bag back to the floor of the car. I glance in the side mirror as the car tails is, too close for my liking.

"Let's get food." I tell Harley, pointing at the next available street. "I think there's a McDonald's down there"

"I don't -"

"No there is, I can see it. Turn." I tell her, trying to keep the hastiness from my words.

I'm not sure if it works by the whitening of her face.

"Artemis." she whispers, hands tightening on the wheel as she takes the turn sharply.

I look in the mirror, watching a s the car follows. "Hmm?"

"There's a car following us." Harley says through gritted teeth, the fear prominent in her shaking voice. She steels it and tightens her grip on the wheel.

"Keep driving."

She presses harder on the accelerator, the car lurching forward from the increased speed.

I turn in my seat, looking through the back-window.

"Get down." I scream, pushing Harley down as the back-window smashes, glass raining down on the back seat.

I wish I had a gun right now.

"Fucking assholes, just shot out my window." Harley screams, her ringlets escaping from the bun she'd tied them back in.

"Just keep driving." I tell her as I look around for something to use as a weapon.

"It's not like I'm going to stop." She screams.

I look at her deadpan. "The sarcasm is not needed right now, Thank you."

"Sorry." She mutters, her eyes straying to the mirror.

"Artemis!" She screams, her hand coming off the wheel as her head turns to me.

I spin to my window, eyes widening at the car headed straight for us.

I fling my arms out, holding Artemis back as the car slams into her car, throwing us though the air.

Blackness seeps into my vision and my head falls forward. The last thing I hear is the sound of tyres squealing to a sudden, painful stop.