Every butt left their chairs just as the bell rang. No one could bear to stay even one extra minutes in Mr Wentwhistle's English class. I spent the whole hour mostly playing with my pen and doodling crazy stuff at the back of my English textbook. Now, everyone was rushing out for PE, because that was everyone's chance to show off their PE skills and/or hot bodies.

I scrabbled in my locker, looking for my PE gear (which probably wasn't there) when someone's voice behind me startled me, making me slam my index finger in my desk.

"Ugh, shit." I murmured.

"Someone needs to wash their mouth out with soap." The person behind me said. I spun round, massaging my poor index. It was the person I least expected. Abner's brother.

"Are you stalking me or something?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. He chuckled.

"You can put it that way." He said with a little shrug.

I sighed irritatedly and picked up the books I had dropped on the floor. Abner's brother stood there watching me sort out my locker until I finally got uncomfortable and snapped.

"What do you want?" I asked curtly. "Whoa, chill."

"I'm late for PE already." I said, trying to maneuver my way around him and avoid his gaze at the same time.

"I need help. In calculus. I hear you're very good." He said.

"You heard? From who?"

He opened his mouth then closed it again, running his fingers through his hair in the process. "Okay, I lied. I KNOW you're very good. Heck, you're the best in the class."

"I'm not the best. Amber's the best. I'm just good at it. That's all."

"Yea, yea. So I need you to help me."

"You mean you want me to tutor you?" I asked.

"Yea."

"Why don't you ask Amber?" I asked.

"She's cool and all, but she seems boring. And I feel better being tutored by a girl." He said.

"Amber's a girl..."

"Amber's not a girl. She's a beast." He said with a tone that made me chuckle.

"So... Four o' clock today?" He asked.

"Today? I haven't even decided whether to tutor you or not." I said.

"Come on. Who can resist this face?" Hr said, making unnecessary gestures all over his face.

"Apparently, I can." I said, turning to leave. He grabbed my elbow.

"Come on! Please?" He said, pulling me closer.

"Back it up, buddy." I said, pushing him away. He moved back obediently, but he still had that naughty grin on his face. I sighed. "Fine! I'll tutor you. But I can't make it by four."

"Well any time's good for me."

"Okay then. How 'bout six?"

"Even better. See you then." He said.

"Yea. See you then... Um... Uh..."

"Nova. The name's Nova."

I blushed bright red, realizing I hadn't known his name since we met. "Oh."

"You're Kobie, right?"

"Yea... How did you know?"

"Got my ways." Nova said and with that, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing in the already empty hall.

* * *

I pulled my cloak more tightly around my shoulders. I couldn't believe I was actually going to Nova's house to teach him CALCULUS. Even Kimia had thought I was crazy.

Rain turned the narrow path into a steam of mud and dead leaves. My shoes were already stained with tons of mud, and my hair was all wet and droopy. I had not expected the rain, which had just poured out of nowhere. The streets were messy, muddy and slippery with one too many puddles. I had to run my fingers through my hair many times to avoid getting all tangled up. I cursed under my breath as I stepped onto Nova's porch and rang the doorbell. The door opened almost immediately and Nova's head popped out.

"Hey." He said with his deceiving smile.

"Let's get this over with. It's pouring outside and I'm freezing." I said, stepping into the warmth of his home.

"I didn't know you'd be this early." Nova said. I swung round to look at him. That was when I realized he was in nothing but boxers.

"What the..."

"Sorry, I was kinda busy." Nova said, nodding his head to my right. I turned to look. A brunette was seated on the sofa in nothing but a see-through top, showing traces of her nipples. I turned bright red.

"Oh, gosh." I murmured.

"It's okay. She was just leaving." Nova said.

"In that?" I whispered to Nova.

"Hey Brittany, throw some jeans on. I'mma deal with you tomorrow." Nova said. The girl flashed a toothy grin, got up and went upstairs. I shook my head, wondering why some girls just had no shame.

"Who is she?" I asked.

"Just some girl I met at woodwork class. So let's do this shit, shall we?" Nova said. I unzipped my knapsack and began taking out all the books in it.

"Whoa. It's calculus, man. I didn't ask you to teach me all the subjects." Nova said. I smiled.

"These are calculus books, dumb-ass. We'll treat them one after the other." I said.

"Ugh." Nova whined, lying down on the sofa. Then he sat up suddenly. "Be right back." He said then he left the living room.

He came back not long after with a bottle and two glass cups.

"No thank you." I said, having an idea of what was in the bottle. "I don't drink."

"This isn't alcohol. It's apple juice."

"Right." I said, eyeing him suspiciously. "Can we just get this over with? It's getting kinda late."

"Sure. Let's go up to my room. It's cosier there."

"I don't wanna get cosy. Can you just tell me the topic you don't understand? Please?!" I said.

Nova stood there for a while before taking a deep breath and coming over to meet me. He sat on the sofa next to me and grabbed a textbook. I watched him as he opened at the contents page and paused to look at it. Then he looked at me.

"Chapter one to twenty." He said.

"What the... That's almost the whole book!" I said.

"Yup. If we don't finish today, you can always come back tomorrow." He said. I ignored him and began to take out some pencils.

The teaching began, and I talked for ages while he sat there listening - or so I thought until I looked up to see him staring at me.

"Creepy much? Why are you looking at me like that?" I said.

"Nothing. You're just cute. That's all." He said. I dropped my head to the book so he wouldn't see my cheeks turn bright red.

"Why don't we take a little break for a while? The rain's still heavy outside so I don't think you'll be leaving anytime soon." Nova said.

I had been so absorbed by my teaching that I hadn't taken time to notice the rain outside. I realized it was heavier than ever, and I couldn't leave unless I wanted to be swept away by it.

"I guess so." I murmured. Then I took a quick look around. "What about Abner?"

"In his room. Why?"

"Oh, nothing." I said, returning to the book.

"Your sister has a crush on him, huh?" Nova asked.

"You guessed it. She's crazy about him. She was the one who forced me to come here in the first place." I said.

"Well, it's a good thing she did or I would never have met you." Nova said. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm dead serious." Nova said.

"Can we NOT go there? Please?" I said.

"Fine, fine." Nova said, holding his hands up in defeat. Then he looked at the wall clock. "It's getting really late." Hr said. I looked up at the wall clock too. It was 9:42PM. How had time flown so fast?

"You want me to get a bed ready for you or something?"

"What?"

"It's getting really late and the rain's not gonna stop anytime soon. So why don't you just sleep here?" He said.

"No. I can't. My mum will be worried sick. I'll just call her when we're done and she'll come pick me up." I said. Then it dawned on me that my mum still had a sprained ankle. "Or not. She sprained her ankle a few days ago."

"See? So why don't you just call her and tell her you're gonna be sleeping over?"

"I'll make it home."

"You won't."

"I will."

"You'll DIE out there."

"I won't."

"You will."

"I'm not staying here."

"Fine then." Nova said. "But can we at least go to my room? It's freezing here."

I paused. "Okay." I agreed. So we both made our way upstairs.

His room was at the end of the hall. He unlocked it and made way for me.

As soon as I stepped in, I could sense something was out of place.

The room was pitch black. I heard Nova step in, then I heard a slam and a click. I turned abruptly, although I couldn't see him.

"Was that the door? Did you just lock the door?" I asked. No answer. But I could sense his presence.

"Nova?" I said. Silence. I stood there and tried my best to listen. I couldn't hear anything, which struck more fear into my heart. I was about to say something when I heard a light chuckle. I stopped and tried to listen silence again.

"Nova?" I said.

All of a sudden, I felt something warm around my neck. Then it began to tighten. And that was when I realized... I was being strangled. I grabbed the pair of hands around my neck and tried to pull it away. I could feel the world starting to fade away. I tried to speak but I couldn't...