Chapter Two: Shock is in the Air!

The short & stout, grey haired man turned out to be the Principal of the school. And currently we were in his office where he was coldly staring at us with his small black eyes as if we were the prime suspects of a Sherlock Holmes case.

"Mr Spencer," the head master addressed the blue-eyed jerk standing beside me, "And you are???"

"W-Wilson." I answered when his questioning gaze fell on me.  I also noticed, through the corner of my eye, the Spencer jerk raising his brow at me.

"New student, right?" the Principal asked me.

I nodded meekly, hoping that he would turn out to be a patient suffering from short term memory loss & would forget about detention but his next words confirmed how rotten my luck was!

"Mr Spencer, Ms Wilson" he began in an icy calm voice," creating a raucous in the corridors right outside my office isn't exactly a heroic thing to do. Both of you have an option of either a week detention together or a two week detention together."

My eyes shot wide open, "One week detention with him! That's practically impossible for humankind!"

"I don't want to risk my bright IQ by serving detention with this psycho!" I heard Spencer jerk protest.

"You have an IQ???" I looked at him, giving my best shocked expressions, "Is it the joke of the decade or joke of the century???"

"Since you didn't react to my calling you a psycho, it confirms that you are one." he shrugged calmly.

My brain was ready in an instant with a smart answer to that & I opened my mouth to give it back to him---

"STOP."

The headmaster yelled, the pulse in his temple was throbbing red in fury.

"The options are now changed to three week detention or four week detention." he muttered in anger.  

My mouth hung open in shock.  I saw the Principal taking quick heavy breaths one after the other as if he just realized that air is distributed free of cost to the world.

After he calmed himself down, the headmaster spoke, "Either accept the one week detention together without arguing or believe me, I will not at all be in a nail-biting situation after suspending both of you."

"We agree to the detention." Spencer spoke instantly.

For a change, I nodded in agreement with him.

The Principal scribbled some words on a notepad & handing it over to us, he spoke, "These are a couple of topics on Economics. Starting tomorrow, sit in the library everyday after school hours for one week. Hunt for information about them & write three pages on each topic."

Economics?, I groaned inwardly. This subject is as good as a sleeping pill to me.

*****

"Mark Wilson, where is your assignment??"

"Over here!" I arrived at the door of the classroom, just in time when the English teacher Miss Martin was sharply questioning my fumbling brother.

The teacher & all the students in the class had their eyes set on me.

"And you are---??" Miss Martin asked quizzically, nodding at me to walk in.

"Andrea Wilson, new student." I replied, submitting Mark's project to her with one hand & giving her my slip with the other.

"Alright Ms Wilson, you're late." she stated.

"Um....I couldn't find the classroom...." I answered lamely, but partly it was true. I heard most of my to-be classmates snickering at that.

After Spencer jerk & I exited the Headmaster office, we glared at each other (to be exact, he gave me a threatening look) & then we walked our opposite ways. It was seconds later, I realized that it was high time that I figure out where I was to go.

"Be on time the next class onwards. Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?" Miss Martin asked me.

"Er....My name is Andrea Wilson..." I began awkwardly, facing the class, "I----"

"Don't say what we already know. " said some guy from one of the back benches , "Now don't say you have two eyes, two hands, two legs because we know that as well!"

All the students except Mark burst out laughing. I felt so embarrassed that I wanted to bury my head in the nearby wall. Miss Martin glared at everyone to keep quiet.

"Take a seat Ms Wilson." the teacher told me.

I had already scanned the room & located an empty seat next to a red bushy haired girl wearing rectangular spectacles over her black eyes. I walked up to the middle of the second row & sat next to her.

Ms Martin started to explain a prose chapter. The rest of the period passed how a normal English period should except that Mark gave me what-made-you-so-late looks while I gave him I-will-tell-you-later looks in return.

****

"You got what???" Mark asked me in bewilderment as we headed to the canteen at break time, "Girl! I survived for the whole first week without detention when I joined this school but you are a step ahead of me! By the way, you flouted the first Golden Rule."

"Did I tell you how amazing you're in comforting me?" I asked sarcastically.

He gave a silly boyish grin, "Whom are you serving detention with?"

"Oh Please! I don't want to spoil my mood again by talking about that arrogant jerk!" I spoke in disgust.

Mark didn't stretch the topic anymore. Just then my eyes fell on the same bushy red haired girl who was in the English class with us. She was sitting alone at a corner table & having her lunch. 

"Who is she?" I asked my brother, "Let's go & sit with her."

"Are you serious?" he raised a brow, "You want to sit with Laura Robinson?"

"Why? What's the issue?" I asked curiously.

"Well, I don't know." He shrugged, "She has practically no friends, haven't really seen her socializing anytime, prefers to keep to herself all the time."

"Well that may also be because no one tried to know her at all." I replied looking at Laura's direction, "Come on! Lets give her some company."

Mark reluctantly followed me.

"Hi Laura!" I greeted her brightly, "Can we have a seat?"

She looked up at me through her black framed spectacles & then shifted her gaze to Mark. I noticed her cheeks turning slightly pink before she quickly averted her eyes from him.

"Uh....yeah sure, Andrea....a-and....Mark...." she muttered nervously.

My brother & I sat with our lunch trays.

"So Laura, which elective subject have you taken?" I asked to start a conversation.

"Uh....I have taken.....taken Visual Arts.....as in photography and....film studies.....what about you?" she fumbled, as though confused & nervous whether to look at both Mark & me while speaking or only at me.

"I have taken Journalism. Film studies sounds very interesting! I'm sure you are very much creative & imaginative." I told her, looking for a way to make her comfortable.

"Y-Yeah...I...I guess so..." she stammered. I saw her briefly glancing at Mark who was munching away his peanut butter sandwiches, not at all bothering to take part in the conversation. Laura was quick enough to lower her eyes & look back at her own tiffin box & fidgeted with her fork. I was about to speak but she dropped her fork out of clumsiness. And then she banged her head under the table while picking up the fork! Sheesh!

Mark raised his eyebrows at me.Yeah! She was weird, being all nervous that way as if I was speaking to her of something that threatened national security!

Just then Mark's phone beeped.

"Gotta go!" he said after reading the message, "Drake is the football captain this year. He is holding try-outs now for team selection. Everyone is working hard on their kicking skills to impress him & make it in the team.  And Drake has me told that, under no circumstances, will he be lenient on my selection just because I'm his friend."

"All the best in that case!" I wished him as he stood up to leave.

"Yeah....A-All the best...."Laura told him as well.

"Thanks!" he replied to us, "Hey Andy! Perhaps even you can come for the try-outs! You're really as good as me at the sport. Also you might be the first girl ever to be in the football team. "

I giggled. I used to watch Mark practicing how to play football during our early teens. Eventually I too began to play it as well. So yes, apart from having same brown coloured eyes like my brother, I love football too!

"Not really looking forward to run around behind the ball with 10 guys."I quipped, "Besides, I don't want to decrease your chances of being in the team!"

Mark rolled his eyes & left. Laura seemed both disappointed & relieved to watch him go.

The break soon got over.

"I will show your next classroom to you!" she offered.

"Thanks! I seriously don't want to create a record of being late in every class!" I said.

We passed by a crowded table which was full of guys & girls who were chatting & laughing. I saw one particular golden haired girl who was behaving all snobbish & wearing too much revealing clothes.

"She is Susan Clark,  head cheerleader of the football team & has been chasing Drake from the day her eyes fell on him." Laura told me.

"Please elaborate. Sounds interesting!" I said in a gossipy tone. We were now walking along the corridors to our classrooms.

"Well, Drake is kinda the hot nerd of this school. Girls run after him to get noticed by him but he hardly pays any attention to them.  Girls crave to give their v-cards to him but he rejects a lot than he accepts.  Also, everyone around him sees to it that they don't anger him in any way because you have no clue in what way he will get back at you."

I digested the new information about the school's hot nerd that Laura fed me. So yes, I have already got two people in my 'Most NOT Wanted' list, one is this Drake guy & the other is that Spencer jerk!

 "So do you run after Drake too?" I asked lightly.

"I have been perhaps the only person who is not interested in Drake and trust me, he too must have the same opinion about me which is great!" she stated that with pride making me giggle.

We both went to our separate classrooms once she showed me the room where I was to have me next period. One thing that thoroughly surprised me about Laura was the fact that she spoke normally & easily once Mark was out of sight! I wonder why! But then again, there are girls who are very shy around guys.

The rest of the school hours passed swiftly with the teachers teaching & me getting to know some more people around in every period. Mark & I returned home towards evening. I was up in my room completing notes & homework. Since I joined in between the term, there were lots to catch up with. It was at dusk when I finally pushed all the books away from my vision & thought to go out and breathe some fresh air into my system.

I sprinted downstairs & saw Mark in the living room, talking on the phone.

"You're coming? Cool! See you soon then." He spoke on the phone & then disconnected the call.

"Is anyone coming here?" I asked him, reaching the foot of the stairs.

"Yep! Drake will be here in a while." Mark replied, turning to me.

I rolled my eyes. Even though I have not yet seen Drake, I wasn't too fond of the idea of him being around here.

Mark spoke further, "Even he has taken Computer Science as his elective subject like me.  Currently both of us are working on a video game design. We will experiment what we've finalized once he arrives. "

I smiled at that. Mark had always nurtured a fascination to develop video games & I'm glad he has finally got someone who shares the same interests as him. Perhaps that is why both of them are friends, correction-best friends.

"I'm going to the garden." I said, heading to the backyard lawn.

*****

After strolling in the garden for about twenty minutes or so, I heard a car drawing up in the driveway. I quickly walked to the front of the house thinking that Dad had returned from work. Shock would be a very mild word to speak about what I felt when I saw the person who got off the car from the driver's seat.

"YOU??? What the HELL are you doing here???" I screeched.

It was Spencer jerk!

He too seemed to be taken by shock when he saw me, "Its confirmed now that you are stalking me because wherever I go, you are present there."

"Excuse me?? For your kindest information, even I can say the same thing." I retorted.

"Any problem??" Mark asked in a confused tone, arriving at the scene.

"What on earth is he doing over here???" I pointed at Spencer jerk.

"Do both of you know each other?." Mark was startled, "He is Drake & Drake, she is my sister Andrea."

My eyeballs were all ready to pop out of the socket hearing that.

"No. He cannot be Drake. He cannot be your best friend." I spoke as if my saying that would change the reality, "He is Spencer! I swear I heard the Principal call him by that name!"

I saw the jerk smirking, "My full name is Drake Spencer, dumbo. I thought Mark's sister would be smart, guess I was wrong!"

 I glared at him. I have been so ignorant over the fact that the Spencer jerk was Drake! Let me tell you Ignorance is NOT bliss because I'm the living example of that.

I opened my mouth to shoot back at him but was interrupted.

"Okay Okay guys, before we continue further." Mark spoke in a dead serious tone, "First things first. Though it doesn't in the least seems like a possibility but still I want to say that I don't want both of you to ever date each other or ever hook up with each other. I mean it when I say that. Am I clear?"

"Oh puh-lease! Spare me the horror! I would rather hook up with an ugly frog than her." Drake muttered.

"Mark, you don't have to worry! I am anyways not interested in dating zombies." I shot back, walking away in a huff. I could practically feel Drake's glaring eyes on my back. I even heard Mark sigh.

I wanted Drake out of the house as early as possible. But my wish went down the gutter when Mom insisted that he has dinner with us.

 So here I was, sitting with my family and the Spencer jerk for dinner. Dad sat at the head of the table, I sat next to mom while Drake & Mark sat across to us.

Drake & I were shooting glares at each other, oblivious to the rest of the people sitting around. Mom insisted that he has some more rice & she told me to pass the bowl of rice to him.

"Mum, let him take it on his own. After all, Self Help is the Best Help." I said, snorting at him.

"I think I'm not welcome in this house anymore." Drake said, pretending to be dejected but my parents thought otherwise.

"Well that's because we have never had guests like you before." I replied, smiled sweetly to him.

"Manners Andy!" Mom spoke sternly to me. Even Dad gave me a sharp look.

I frowned when I saw Drake smirking at me stealthily.

Having no other option, I concentrated on every action that my teeth was taking to chew the meal, trying my best to believe that a certain jerk by the name of Drake Spencer didn't exist at the dinner table, or rather in my life! 

~*~*~*~*

Hellos to everyone out there!

Here is the second chapter (if anyone's reading :p)

I dedicate this chapter to xoxo_mysterious girl. She is my first friend on Wattpad :D Apart from being an established writer on Wattpad, she is a wonderful person to talk to! I am saying this because I keep on blabbering to her all the time & she is sweet & patient enough to read through whatever I write & answer back adorably!

So Kade, if at all you're reading this, I want to thank you for being such a wonderful friend :D <3

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enchantedgirlXX