"So, what did you do so that you ended up in a detention with the Greek Gods?" Ally asked while shoving her copybooks in her locker. 

"Nothing, it's just that I was late and that grumpy woman decided to give me a detention." I explained. I decided not to give Ally the details of my lateness or else she would start planning things or suggesting absurd ideas to me. "Anyways, what happened with that guy? Why did you want to kill him?" I asked trying to change the topic.

"Oh God, do you know Sam, Sam Tyler, one of the stupid jocks?" I nodded encouraging her to continue. "Well, he was like all over me, using pathetic pick up lines. If I had a gun, I would have shot him." Ally made a gesture of shooting him with her hands.

"Well, I don't blame the guy for trying to flirt with you. You're one of the most beautiful and wanted girls in this school." I complimented her.

"Thanks but so are you." I blushed at her words. "Besides, Sam is not even my type." Ally said coming back to the previous conversation. 

"Speaking of your type of guy, you never told me what kind of guy you like." I tried to be as subtle as possible. I actually knew the answer to that question, but I wanted to hear it from her.

Ally took a few seconds before answering. "Umm, someone who is caring yet virile. Someone who will make me feel precious and beautiful, you know." 

"So, basically someone like Nicholas." I prompted.

"Yes." Ally said before her eyes grew wide with realization. "I mean no, not Nicholas." Ally quickly denied. Oh my gosh, Ally likes him. 

"Oh my gosh, you so like him." I said with conviction.

"No, I don't." Ally blushed at her own words.

"You do."

"I don't."

We continued bantering on whether Ally liked Nicholas or not before she agreed. I'm so happy for her. From what I had heard, Nicholas is a good guy. Well definitely better than Asher the monster.

We started to make our way towards lunchroom when I heard my name being called. It was Taylor running towards me with a huge grin on his face. It was then that I remembered that he had asked me to call him but me being me I forgot.

"Hey, princess." Taylor breathlessly said. My stomach flipped at the endearment.

"Princess?" I rose an eyebrow playfully. Taylor looked absolutely attractive with his hair all over the place. It seemed as if he has been running his hands over them quite very often today.

"Yep, princess." He stated. "Anyways, I have two surprises for you."

"Okay, what is it?" 

"Surprise number one, I got selected in the football team." Taylor proudly said. For a surprise that was definitely one.

"Oh, my God, Taylor, that's amazing. I'm so happy for you. Congratulations." I felicitated him. "And what's surprise number two?"

"Patience my dear." He shuffled in his back before taking out what seemed a plastic packet and handed it to me. I was utterly confused by his actions but eventually took it.

"What is it?" 

"Well, I remember you telling me on the first day that you loved football and how much you would love to have a T-Shirt that player wear. So, I asked the coach if I could get another T-Shirt, so that I could gift it to you." He explained while scratching the back of his head. Aww, he was nervous. 

"Oh, Taylor, I love it. Thank you so much." Not being able to retain myself, I hugged him for his sweet gesture. Unfortunately, my happiness was cut short when I saw Asher from a distance glowering murderously at me. If I thought he was angry when I was in the detention room, well now he was a hundred times angrier. Even his friends were not quite happy with my gesture. They all had blank expressions on their faces. I decided to ignore that for a while and appreciate what Taylor has done for me. I disentangled myself from our embrace and smile widely at him.

"I actually thought that you wouldn't like it." Taylor nervously stated.

"Why wouldn't I? It's absolutely lovely." I reassured him.

"You haven't even seen it." He pointed out.

"I don't need to see it to know that it's nice. Even if it weren't I would still have liked it ." I explained.

"Um, I have my first match this Friday. I would really like it if you could wear it. It would encourage me." He asked anxiously, probably thinking that I would deny.

"Don't worry. I'll wear it. Even if you hadn't asked, I would have worn it." I said dispelling his fears. 

During our conversation, I hadn't realized that Ryan was by our side. I was a little bit shocked to see him here.

"Hey, E, I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with us today." To say that I was shocked was an understatement. I was freaking stupefied to the power of infinity. How come Ryan is inviting me to have lunch with them today. From the corner of my eyes, I could notice that Ally had a big smile on her face. Even if I was a bit reluctant to agree to this, I had no other choice. Ally would finally get an opportunity to talk to Nicholas.

"Um, yeah, I guess." My answer sounded more like a question.

"Bye, princess, I'll see you later. I have practice." Taylor said, turning his back to us. I didn't even have the time to say bye since he left in a hurry. Weird.

I could sense that Ryan was more relaxed with Taylor's departure. I wonder what is going on between Taylor and the guys.

"Should we go?" Ryan asked snapping me out of my thoughts. I nodded and followed him. The others were no longer in the corridor, I guess they had already left for lunch.

During our walk to the lunchroom, Ally kept nudging me and wiggling her brows. I had to slap her playfully on her arms so that she stopped doing that. 

Once we arrived in the lunchroom, I could see the boys sitting so majestically as if they owned this place. However, what really caught my eyes was that blonde girl whose back was to me, straddling Asher. Gosh, that guy had absolutely no decency at all. This scene somehow managed to make me feel upset. In one way I felt used. Yesterday's images flashed to my mind. However, I decided to ignore whatever was happening in front of me and enjoy my lunch with the guys. After all, they were nice.

Ryan, in a very gentleman manner pulled my chair and made me sit down. 

"Why, thank you, my Lord." I joked. 

"You're welcome, my Lady." Ryan said in a terrible british accent. 

When Ally was about to take a seat to me, Ryan beat it to her by quickly sitting next to me and winked at me because Ally had no other choice but to sit next to Nicholas.

Great, at least I'm not the only one who wants them to be together. I loved this seating arrangement except there was one thing bothering me. You've guessed it right. Asher was sitting opposite me, devouring that blonde's neck. And what was more unsettling was the fact that his eyes were on me and absolutely no one said a thing. Asher and this girl were practically having sex on the table and everyone was behaving as if it was no big deal! Gosh, this is going to be a really long lunch. 

"Thanks." I whispered to Ryan, trying to distract myself from the actions in front of me.

"For what?" Ryan whispered back, taking a bite of his pizza and offering me some. I took it from him and took a bite. 

"For inviting us to have lunch with you and letting Ally sit next to Nicholas." I handed him back the slice of pizza. 

"Hey, it's alright. Even I want them to be together. I mean it's been a while since Nick has had a proper girlfriend." Ryan explained. "So, will you help me to set them up?"

"Of course, I will." I said excitedly. I took a look at Ally and saw how Nicholas and her were talking animatedly. I really hope it works between them.

"So, I take it that you'll be going to the game this Friday." Ryan gestured to the shirt in my hand. Shoot, I was so preoccupied in this conversation that I had forgotten to put it in my back.

"Yes, I will go. Gotta support my friend, Taylor." Ryan made no comments about me saying that I will support Taylor. 

"Hey, Emberly, have you taken a look at the shirt that Taylor gave you?" Ally suddenly asked me, making everyone silent on the table. Damn you Alicia! 

"No, not yet." I simply answered not wanting to elaborate further on the subject.

"Well, look at it now, silly." Oh gosh Ally, you'll be the death of me. I peeked at Asher from my lashes and regretted when I did so. He looked as if he was burst in anger. The vein on his neck appeared more prominently

I guess there's no going back now. I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat before taking the shirt out of its packaging. For a moment, I was blown away. The T-Shirt was really beautiful. It was a blue color with the logo of the school on the front but what really caught my attention was the name of Taylor with the number 23 on the back of the shirt. He had given me a spare of his own shirt. That brought a smile to my face.

I showed the shirt to Ally and she seemed more happy than me. 

"The shirt is really beautiful. That was very sweet of him." Ally affirmed. "Aww, look at you, you're blushing." Ally said, making me blush harder. I noticed everyone's eyes were on me.

"I need to thank him once again for that." I tried to change the topic.

"Asher, baby, I know that you're very excited but your nails are digging painfully in my waist. It's hurting me." The straddling blonde said, running her hands up and down Asher's chest, making him glare harder at her. Some of the guys laughed but immediately covered it by coughing. I should thank the blonde for saying that, at least now I was not the center of everyone's attention.

"Just shut up." Asher said in a deadly quiet tone that not only made the blonde keep silent but everyone on the table shut their mouths up. 

"But, baby, I--" 

"Get out of here." Asher commanded. I nearly peed in my pants when I heard his authoritative tone. It's now that I realize why everyone was scared of Asher in this school. He had that controlling and commanding aura in him that made everyone want to listen to him without arguing.

The blonde had no other choice but to leave without creating a scene. I somehow felt bad for her. Once again, I looked at Asher. He seemed to try hard to calm himself down by clenching his fists tightly. I could not understand why he was so mad at the mention of Taylor's name.

Ryan tried to loosen the atmosphere by cracking jokes, which worked for everyone except Asher. He still seemed in a bad mood and was not talking to anyone.

"So, E, have you ever had a boyfriend before?" Ryan questioned. I had once again everyone's attention. But before I could answer, someone else beat me to it. You know who!

"No, she's never had a boyfriend." Asher said looking directly in my eyes. "Besides, who would want to date a nerd like her." He smirked at me. The whole table was silent once again. I can't believe he just said this. The way he said her was full of disgust. 

Not being able to stand any more insults, I got off my seat, uttering a quiet excuse me and made my way out of the lunch room. I walked outside the school compound to the yard where there were some students hanging out. I tried to compose myself at his awful comments but in vain. My eyes stung with unwanted tears but refused to let them down. 

Not seeing where I was going, I crashed in a body and thankfully someone held me before I fell down on my butt. 

"Princess?" I didn't have to look up to know who it was. The endearment that was used said it all. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I lied. His hands were still on my waist, making me feel kind of nice. He looked at me, unconvinced.

"What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be with your friends?" I mentally winced at the question.

"Well, let's just say I got kicked out." I said, not wanting to elaborate further. 

"Oh." Was all he said. You can come with me if you want. I'll introduce you to the other players of the team. 

I was about to decline the offer when the bell rung. Thank goodness. I couldn't wait to get to class and be over with this day. 

"Thanks for the offer. I'll take it the next time I get kicked out." Taylor laughed at my attempt to make a joke. "I'll see you later, gotta get to class." 

"Bye, Emberly." Taylor said, hugging me. A million butterflies swam in my stomach. Well at least there was one benefit of getting kicked out of that stupid table.

When I turned away from Taylor, I noticed from afar that the boys were discussing, well more like arguing and Ally was nowhere to be seen.

I felt my phone vibrate signalling that I had a text. It was Ally asking where I was. I quickly replied where I was and told her that I'll meet her in class.

I hastily made my way to the lockers and took out my Economics book and copybook. 

"Hey, E." I turned towards the voice and faced Ryan. He was looking a bit ashamed. "Look I'm sorry for what happened back during lunch." He was struggling to say the right words. I was not going to make him feel guilty since he was one of the guys who was actually nice to me.

"Hey, don't apologize. It's not your fault." I comforted him. He seemed please by my answer because he drew out a huge breath which he was holding for a long time.

"Please ignore what he said. Asher tends to be a dick sometimes." Ryan chuckled. "We all know how amazing you are." He said truthfully. That made me warm.

"Yes, he is a dick." I agreed.

"So, no hard feelings?" He asked.

"Of course, not." I said. "Come on, let's get to class. I don't want to be late once again."

Ryan and I walked together in class. It was a bit weird though. A year ago, I wouldn't have thought I would be walking to class with one of the players of Alexander High. 

Once we reached the classroom, I took a seat next to Ally with Ryan at the back of the class. Typically him.

As soon as I sat down, Ally started with her story of her and Nicholas. She seemed genuinely happy to have met him. She had that glint in her eyes whenever she would mention his name. I really pray that they get together.

*

It's been a few minutes that school was over and I was still wondering how to get home. Apparently, the school bus will be late today because of certain unforeseen circumstances. And I couldn't get a lift from Ally since she went with Nicholas. I didn't want to be a thirdwheel between them, so I simply said that I would manage when she offered to drive me home. 

Well, I can clearly see that I cannot manage. I guess the only solution is to wait to for the rain to stop. 

"Why aren't you going home yet?" I heard him say. I hadn't even noticed when he had come next to me.

I didn't want to answer him so I gave him the silent treatment. Why does he care after all?

I heard him sigh heavily before he grabbed my hand and turned me towards him.

"I asked you a question, Emberly and I expect an answer." Asher said authoritatively making me gulp but I refused to give him the satisfaction of scaring me.

"And perhaps you didn't notice but I'm not talking to you." I replied turning my back to him. 

"You just did." He said behind me. This made me realize that my idea of giving him a silent treatment just failed. "Now, why aren't you going home?" He asked again.

"I'm waiting for the rain to stop and the bus to come." I replied, turning towards him.

"I'll drop you home." He offered. If I was not mad at him, perhaps I would have agreed to his suggestion but I shook my head at him.

"No, I'll manage." I replied bluntly. "Besides, why would you want to give the nerd a lift?" I emphasized on the word nerd, giving him a taste of his own medicine. I mentally smirked at my response. Something like regret flashed in his eyes but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. A glare was now formed on his beautiful face. 

"Don't be difficult, Emberly and let me drive you home." He tried to keep his calm down. I was happy that I could get on his nerves. First goal for Emberly!

"I'm not being difficult, I'm just being reasonable. You wouldn't want the disgusting nerd to be with you. I'm just saving you from the trouble." Oh boy, he was about to explode. Second goal for Emberly. 

"I guess I'll have to use the hard way with you." Asher said more to himself than to me. In a matter of seconds, lifted me as if I weighed nothing and put me on his shoulders.

"ASHER!!" I kept punching his back wanting him to put me down but in vain. But I had to admit that I had a great view of his ass. Focus Emberly! I scolded myself.

"Help me!" I cried to certain students who were still present. Some were looking at me with pity while some were simply shocked but none of them tried to help me or else they would have to bear Asher's wrath. 

Soon, Asher put me back on my feet but kept his arm on my waist preventing me to run away. Both of us were getting drenched. I could see his muscles from the now wet T-Shirt that he was wearing. Oh boy, he had a six pack. 

"Get in the car." Asher commanded. But me being me, I stayed planted on my feet.

"No." I simply stated. "Besides, you can't force me."

Asher cocked his eyebrows, "Oh yeah? Well, watch me." I didn't have time to react because Asher opened the door swiftly and not so gently grabbed my arms and pushed me inside the car. He jogged to the other side of the car, got in and locked it, preventing me from getting out.

"Damn it!" I muttered under my breath.

The ride back home was absolutely quiet. It was full of tension. All I could hear was my breathing and the sound of rain smashing against the windshield of the car. 

After a while, the car came to a halt and I realized we had come home. Part of me wanted to thank him for dropping me safely home and part of me wanted to simply get out of the car and get cozy under my blanket watching re-runs of Friends. 

But me being me, I got rid of my ego.

"Thank you for the ride." Asher nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Um, you're wet, would you like to come inside and get dried up?" He smirked at me and it was then that I realized that my choice of words was kind of incorrect.

"Wet, kitten?" Asher smirked at me. I don't understand him and his mood swings. At one time he's mad like Hulk and at the other moment, he's all playful.

"Shut up. Would you like to come in?" It was the least that I could do since he did save me the trouble of waiting an eternity for the bus.

"If you're insisting so much." He said and got out of the car.

I went towards the door and unlocked it with him following suit. I quickly entered the bathroom and took out a clean towel for him.

I rushed towards where he was and handed him the towel. He simply took it in his hands without even drying his hair.

"You're still talking to him." He said in that deadly tone which made me shiver. I didn't have to ask who him was. I had an idea of who that might be.

"Taylor is my friend." I stated, keeping my calm. The tension had increased. He was glowering at me. If Asher had super powers, I think he would have burnt me to ashes with his murderous gaze.

"Bullshit!" He shouted at me, making me quiver with fear. "You promised me that you would stop talking to him." He reminded me of my promise that day.

"Exactly, I promised to stop talking to him. I did not mention any name. Him could be anyone Asher." I know by giving him a smart answer could get me in trouble right now, but I couldn't care less. I cannot allow him to control my life when he hates my guts. "Besides, he's my friend, Asher, my friend. I will not stop talking to him because a certain Mr Colton is having childish fits!" 

Asher seemed shocked by my retaliation. Haa! Take that Colton. Third goal for Emberly! 

He grabbed my shoulders with a great force and pulled me towards him with a massive force. Our chests collided together and our breathing were ragged. My breathing paced up due to our close proximity.

"One day, I'll ensure that you stop talking to him, Emberly and you know that I always get what I want." He whispered huskily, before kissing the corner of my mouth. If I had moved a little bit more towards him, our lips would have met. But his action had made me absolutely immobile. After being in that position for several minutes which seemed like hours to me, Asher finally moved a step backwards. I wanted to slap him for doing this but was unable to do so. I was dumbstruck. Well probably I'm over reacting. He did not even kiss me. But am I disappointed? Did I want more than just a peck near my mouth? Gosh, this proximity and his action are driving me crazy! I just need some ice cream and Friends and I'll be able to think like a sane person.

"Thanks for the towel, Stinson." Asher said, snapping me of my thoughts and got out of the house not before banging the door and leaving me in a dazed state. 

"Damn you, Colton!" I said to myself.

*********************************************************

Chapter 6 finally updated.

I really hope you like this one. Please let me know if you like it.

Now, do you like this book? Should I keep on updating?

Keep commenting and voting and if you have ideas feel free to PM me. I'll definitely put your ideas in the chapters to come.

Love you all, my beautiful readers and thank you for reading.

Ina.