"The original bad boy . . . can be the attacker and the victim."

14| Bloody Cannibal

Dad dropped by the diner during school time one day and fixed the electricity problem. He even hired an exterminator for any animal problems.

Tomorrow is Mom's birthday.

Mom leaves for the restaurant half an hour earlier than dad, so we receive an opportunity to chat freely.

"You know, Val, I'm thankful to you and your friends for all the hard work. The diner looks amazing," dad tells me.

"I know." I boast.

He sips his cup of coffee before pulling out four rectangular pieces of paper. "Tickets to Nightmare," he clarifies. At first, the mention of the haunted house exiliharates me. However, then I remember that Ben has a broken leg and he probably won't be allowed to go. Isa and Danie, if they drop their inconvenient anger, may accompany me.

What a waste of tickets, though.

"Thank you," I manage to say.

He nods. "Now, we're celebrating your Mom's birthday at our restaurant. There, I'll announce the news of our gift to her. Sound good?"

"Yes, chef." I salute.

He chuckles and finishes his breakfast quickly.

I leave mine unfinished and hurry to school with the tickets.

As it turns out, my friends and Arsen remain persistent on torturing me.

Isa and Danie neglect to hear anything to say, creating excuses such as busy schedules, and leaving me stranded. Even after multiple assurances they don't have to help with the diner, they aren't forgiving me. Exhausted by my futile attempts, I decide to go to Nightmare by myself.

Moving the spotlight on Arsen, after the little spooky Halloween prank I pulled on him, all he's willing to exchange with me is his make up work. Having no choice, I fulfill my end of the deal with him. I know I made a grave mistake by playing with his scars. It's not my right nor my place to hurt anyone.

Rather than waiting for him at the diner, I locate my ex-friend coming down the stairs for lunch. I grab Arsen's jacket and tug him out in the school courtyard, which is open for lunch. Only for seniors.

He's wearing a pair of ripped jeans paired with a white t-shirt and open black jacket. He allows the chilly October wind to ruffle his silky hair. My eyes flicker to Arsen's face which reveals a cut on his bottom lip and a long scratch on top of his right eyebrow extending down the side of his face.

"Whoa, easy there," he says, pushing my hand away. Furthermore, he chooses to put some distance between us. It's not like I plan on punching or . . . kissing him. Never again! "Hasn't anyone told you it's rude to go and grab people like you own them? People might think we have something going on."

"You care what people think?"

"No. But I thought you might."

I rolled my eyes. "Forget it. What happened to your face? Did you get into some fight?"

Shooting me a flat look, he explains, "Kissing more than one girl a day is hazardous."

It took me a few seconds to understand his meaning and burst out laughing. He sighs, rubbing his temple, clearly unamused. Although his words are nasty, I can't help but enjoy his suffering. Karma didn't forget people that easily.

"You got beat up by your girlfriends?" I ask.

"Hook ups," he corrects. I wrinkle my nose at his choice of words. "It's not like they don't know about me and my habits before they hook up with me." Seeing my disgust, he adds, "Oh please, you kissed me--"

"And now I'm worried for my health." I swallowed hard. Did I brush my teeth that night? No, please don't make it one of those days when I was too lazy to do so. "Should I check with a doctor? How many girls have you kissed within the last month? When was your last health exam--" His eyes meet mine briefly, but he doesn't utter a single word.

I can tell he's offended by my rude questions.

"You better tell me the reason why we are standing here soon or I'll leave," he says, changing the subject. "My stomach needs to be fed soon or--"

"Or what? You'll become Hannibal Lecter?"

"Maybe." He bares his teeth, taking a step forward.

Bloody cannibal.

I immediately retreat. "I just want to know when you're taking me to meet Skylar?"

"Never."

He turns around and heads out of the double doors. Devastatingly perplexed by that answer, I chase after him.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" I demand, following him down the staircase.

"Never means something not happening under any circumstance," he replies as if I'm stupid. "You'd expect an honors student to have a higher vocabulary."

"Oh shut up!" I snap. "Why won't you take me to Skylar? I completed my end of the promise!"

"It was a deal not a promise," he says, stopping short. "You lost me and my friends a deal at the diner. This is payback, Valerie." I blinked at him, registering those words. "Now, excuse me. I'm starving."

If an administrator wasn't standing three feet away from us, I would've added another wound to Arsen's face.

How dare he?!

Everyone backed out of my Halloween plans.

Pissed off, I skip lunch and head to gym, since it is my next class. My regular teacher and the three instructors have a free period. Hence, they waste their time playing an even match of basketball. The teacher's assistant let me open the locker rooms and change before bringing back their keys.

The teachers stop their game when the bell rings.

Eve takes a seat next to me on the bleachers.

"Why are you here so early?" She asks, wiping the sweat off her nose with the back of her hand. "I might think you actually like the self defense classes."

I chuckle. "I do. Right now, I need to vent off my anger and am hoping you guys prepared a lesson where I have to punch my partner!" My mood falls down with each word.

"Did Arsen do something?" She frowns.

What can I tell her? He promised to take me to Skylar Johnson and backed out to take revenge on me?

"He broke a promise," I mumble.

She lets out a humorless laugh. "What else do you expect from guys like him? Dating a hoodlum only brings disappointment." She sure sounds bitter and . . . experienced.

"Have you dated one?"

She smiles sadly. "People make mistakes." I don't prod into her business since students are entering in the gymnasium. "Anyways, I couldn't warn you last time, but beware of Arsen. I've seen the type of people he hangs out with. I'm sure you have too. You don't want to ruin your future around them."

I give a mere nod.

She excuses herself to prepare for my class.

Shockingly, the hooligans decide to show up . . . including Arsen. His carefree expression makes my blood boil. Even though he joked about acting like a cannibal, I feel like one. How dare he go back on his promise?

Does he not realize how important this mission is for me?

It's extremely petty to avenge some ruined drug deal with our deal. I did all of his make up homework for no reason!

The teachers instruct everyone to line up with their partners.

"Stand facing each other with about three feet between yourselves," says Mr. Dexter. "Today's drill is how to defend yourself when someone tries to punch you." Now, that's exciting. Maybe I'll get in a punch or two at Arsen's nose. "We'll show you a few different ways of counter attack."

After the intructors demonstrate the three defense ways, we set to work.

Unfortunately, because my regular teacher's watching us, I have to stop my punch a few inches away from Arsen's nose. He blocks and then proceeds with the moves before it's my turn.

"Don't bother going easy on me," he says, stepping back and waiting for my call to punch.

"I don't plan to," I retort, my eyes locked in his. He obviously knows he's upset me beyond words. I nod at him to punch and immediately move to block it. Except, he gives the notion he's going to punch but doesn't move from his spot. "Will you throw the punch already?!"

"In real life, the attacker won't wait for your signal to punch you, you know?"

"My real life is no concern of yours."

"I wouldn't have said anything if it wasn't." He purses his lips and stays in his position. I don't know why he said that. Every single time I inquire if he cares about me, he denies it. Now, he willingly admits my life is his concern. This guy makes no sense to me. "Who knows how much your life is going to trouble mine?" He states. "First, the cops. Second, the Skylar Johnson thing. Third, my deal loss. Fourth, my first bike riding defeat. Who knows what's next?"

I let out an exaggerated sigh. "Because of you, my friends won't even talk to me. Don't give me that bull. Not everything's my fault. I did all your homework and you pay me by going back against your word."

The instructors call out for everyone to switch. I become the attacker again.

"Maybe you shouldn't have messed with me," he says as I get ready to swing my fist.

"Maybe you should've avoided me."

"Maybe you should've left me alone like you did that night."

"I never left you, Arse."

"Punch," Arsen says, his eyes raging.

"Don't tempt me, Arse," I grit out.

"Would you just punch?!"

"As you wish."

My fist connects with his nose with such a strong force that he stumbles back a few steps. Unfortunately, I didn't mean to hit him hard enough to cause a nosebleed. To add insult to injury, my regular gym teacher has seen the event. Her eyes widen for a fraction of a second. I turn to Arsen and find him sprawled on the ground as if something dropped on his head.

What a faker!

I know he just wants to get out of class and I gave him that opportunity.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" I apologize.

Thankfully, Eve comes to my rescue. "Take him down to the nurse's office," she orders me. Without any reluctance, I help Arsen to his feet and mutter, "What a dainty flower."

He looks at me sideways, which assures me he is indeed acting he's been hurt.

We go downstairs to the nurse's office where the school nurse helps him. By now, my anger's all out. I sit to the side and think about the argument we had before the assault. Some truth has come out. He stills considers me a betrayer. After so much time far away from each other, one would expect him to completely ignore me and not bring up our past even once.

But he said I left him.

Never did, never will.

He's the one who changed.

I observe him chucking tampons at the girls in the room. Their faces turn crimson.

Arsen plops down next to me, wiping his nose with a tissue. The nurse leaves the room a moment.

"The nurse's in the back room. Cover for me. If she asks, I went to the bathroom," he tells me quickly. He wants to skip at this time?

"You know school's out in twenty minutes." I point out.

"Too long." He stands up, his eyes glancing around cautiously.

Instead of covering, I follow behind him. He doesn't bother querying why I didn't stay back.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did," he answers. I sigh in frustration. "What?"

"Are you free this Halloween?"

"Why? Planning on scaring me?" he asks mockingly. "Let's make this clear: I do not trust you."

That's what I want to change between us.

Maybe that'll help me convince him to change his never. I need to find Skylar. If it included me mending my relationship with Arsen, then I'd do it happily.

"Do you . . . want to go . . . to a haunted house with me?" I hesitate slightly.

"No."

"Why?"

He halts in his tracks. "Why would I go with you? You who punched me."

"You told me to!" I defend. He rolls his eyes. "Besides I have tickets to Nightmare but no one to go with." I shrug innocently. "Time's nine o'clock . . ."

He doesn't reply, but infuriates me by continuing his walk.

I take that as a yes, no, maybe so, and prepare to go back to class. I'll just have to tell my teachers Arsen ditched class. Nothing unusual. As I turn around, I hear him call out my name from the end of the hallway.

"I'll wait outside the diner at eight thirty."

He disappears from view shortly thereafter.

Yes! He agreed!

Maybe the counter attack isn't always a punch.

¤》¤《¤

From now on, I will update more regularly. As most of you may not know, I was trying to finish my other story. Hence, two weeks of no chapters. But now, that book is finished and I will prioritize this one more. Next update is either on Friday or Saturday. I have to update OBAFGKM soon.

What did you think of the chapter?

Valerie found a Nightmare buddy?

Any thoughts, comments, questions, concerns?

This book's entered in the wattys so pretty please:

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