Blood Moon: Chapter 2 - Boys. Contempt.

Robyn woke up in the morning, trying to put the dream at the back of her head. It was strange for a dream to remain so vivid in her mind as if it was real.

She put on her long-sleeved white shirt and red pleated plaid skirt. She turned to her mirror and tied a prussian blue bow on the collar of her shirt. She stretched her hand out of the window and felt the weather. It was a little cold. She took out her long-abandoned Lucien East High School dark grey vest from her closet and put it on before she put on the black blazer.

It only took her twenty minutes to arrive at school by feet. It was only around the neighbourhood. As she walked toward the school compound, she saw hundreds of students with black blazer and either dark grey khaki or red pleated plaid skirt. Some of them were wearing the school’s sky blue polo shirt. She frowned at the boys’ tie. She always thought their neck ties were ridiculous — red with thin prussian blue stripes.

She walked up the hard cement steps absent-mindedly until someone caught her eyes. A boy was leaning against the steel railing of the stairs, talking casually with his friends. He had short seal brown hair, heavy brows and a rectangular face with a slightly hooked nose. His skin was so beautifully pale and translucent against the bright sunlight. He wore his tie and entire uniform neatly like a gentleman. The white shirt and black blazer only made him looked paler. She was staring at him unintentionally again. She could never explain why he always had a kind of power to draw her towards him. His amber eyes looked at her. She quickly looked away and walked pass him.

When she walked into the building towards her locker, a voice called out to her from behind. “Good morning.” The boy looked at her with his mesmerising golden eyes and smiled gentlemanly.

She turned her gaze away from him. “Mornin’,” she replied without looking at him.

“Why so serious?” The boy went in front of her and walked backwards, making it impossible for her to not look at him.

“For your information, I’m always serious,” said Robyn coldly, still not wanting to look him in the eyes. It was not difficult to avoid his eyes as he was almost a foot taller than her. “And you’re blocking my way.”

He went quiet for awhile. He went back to her side. She did not have to look at him to know that he was frowning. “Why do you always act like this in front of me?” His tone was more serious than before.

Robyn flashed him a quick smile. “Gee, I don’t know.” She sped up to lose him but he still managed to catch up to her. Robyn, annoyed, turned around he nearly bumped into her. “Would you quit following me?”

He smirked. “Well, we’re going to the same class. So, technically I wasn’t following you.”

She narrowed her eyes on him. She took a quick glance of the surrounding and pointed at the girls’ washroom. “Jack, I’m going to the washroom. If you don’t mind, you may come, too.” She looked at him triumphantly.

They stood quietly for a moment before Robyn walked towards the washroom.

“Lizzie,” Jack called from her back. He waited for her to turn around before continuing. “Can’t we go back to how we used to be?”

Robyn swallowed hard and gripped on her books tightly. Do not give in to it. “No.” She stared at his disappointed eyes coldly. “And stop calling me that.”

****

She walked into the washroom, leaving Jack standing on the same spot, frustrated. He frowned a little. It won’t be easy after all. He forced a smile toward his tennis teammates, who were waving vigorously at him, and a few cheerleaders who were passing by.

He began to walk away when a voice called out to him. “Thought I told you not to bother her again, Kennington.”

He turned around to see a boy with spiky ash blonde hair was staring at him furiously with his violet eyes. Jack returned the gaze. He stuck his hands into his pockets. “It’s none of your business, Quinn,” he said in a deep voice. He moved his gaze onto the boy’s pocket. He stared at it for awhile and frowned. “Stop bringing such dangerous stuff to school. People would think you’re up to no good.” He smiled to him gently.

The boy gave him a stiff smile. “Thank you for your concern. But I believe it is necessary to have it in order to make some things to stay away.” His words were filled with caustic
sarcasm.

****

Robyn was walking in circles in the washroom for a few minutes before she went for her locker. She peeked through the door gap and checked if he was still there before she stepped out of the washroom. After taking some books, she went straight to her history class. She really wished she would not to see that beautiful face again. But that was impossible. She had to bear with it until graduation.

When she arrived at her class, she looked at the front most desk for a second. It was empty. So were most of the seats. It was still early before the bell rings. She walked straight to the back and sat at the last desk. Stella was already there, sitting in front of her. She pulled out a folder where she had kept her homework from her backpack and gave a stack of stapled papers to Stella.

“Oh, thank you, thank you!” Stella grabbed the papers and smiled brightly. She read through them quickly and looked up. “Oh, god! I can’t believe you have finished it. I haven’t even started.”

Robyn was about to reply when she saw a figure walked pass and sat at the desk on her left at the corner of her eye.

“Morning, ladies.” The voice was husky but boyish at the same time. She knew that voice.

Robyn and Stella looked at the boy, overcame by surprise. Those mysterious violet eyes and cute spiky hair. He had an oblong face with a somewhat pointed chin, an aquiline nose and bushy eyebrows. The tie was hanging loosely around his neck. It was him. Robyn had a sudden urge to throw herself into his arms but she restrained it.

“Damien. You’re back.” Her voice was trembling. With happiness.

“Finally!” Stella almost jumped from her seat. She could not stop smiling. “You’ve been gone for almost a week.”

“How’s your uncle?”

He played with his hair on the back of his head. “Better. Still bedridden, though.” He shrugged.

“You must be very close to him to fly all the way to Ireland,” said Stella. Damien gave her a faint smile.

“How come you never mention anything about him before this?” Robyn looked at him curiously. He shrugged and gave that same smile again.

Damien was Robyn’s brother. A brother she never had. Even though he was a year younger, he was much more mature than her. He was tall and fit with a footballer’s figure. He had been living next to her since forever. They grew up together, the very reason he could be a little overprotective of her. They were close but there was always a distance between them. There were things she did not know about him. There were a lot of things that he had kept from her. For instance, she was never allowed into his house. And he travelled a lot. Often something to do with visiting his relatives or friends. What kind of people has relatives and acquaintances all over the world? She always wondered about that.

****

“Erghh...” Damien pushed away the jelly in his tray.

Robyn and Stella were eating rather enjoyably before he made that sound. It was small compared to the noises in the cafeteria but they could still hear it. If there was one thing in the world that he hated most, it would be sugar. He never ate sweet things. He loathed them. There was once he threw up the food in his mouth when he tasted sugar in it.

However, there was one particular person that he hated as much as sugar.

“Hello.” The trio jumped a little on the voice.

Damien looked up with a sharp stare. Yes. Him. Jankin Xavier Kennington. “Why, hello, Kennington.” He stared coldly at Jack who was smiling brightly. They never got along. Never.

“That would be a waste, Quinn.” Jack picked up the cup of jelly. He scooped a spoonful of it and put it into his mouth. “Sugar makes the world a better place.” He grinned.

They stared at each other silently. “What do you want?” Damien asked firmly.

“I wanted to borrow something from Stella,” Jack explained. He turned to Stella. “May I have the notes from today’s history class?” He eyes were fixed not on Stella but on Robyn.

Robyn ignored it and continued having her meal.

Stella blinked. Obviously she was wondering the same thing as Robyn — why would the top student borrow notes from a girl who got C for every history test?

Stella did not hate Jack like they did. She could never hate anyone. They were the only two persons in school who were not fond of him. Stella agreed to give it to him after lunch and he thanked her.

Just when Robyn thought he was leaving, he sat right beside her. He leaned close to her. “Perhaps there’s something about my face that you can’t bear to look at it,” he whispered in her ear.

Robyn could felt her face grew hot. Her heart skipped a beat. His voice was so soft and gentle. It was like a siren’s song that was luring her to him. She breathed heavily and put down the fork in her hand. She looked up and stared straight into his amber eyes. “Yes, actually.” She took in another deep breath. “I never liked your face.” It was loud enough for the neighbouring tables’ students to hear it. They stared at her incredulously.

Jack smiled brightly. He was almost laughing. He leaned even closer to her. “You’re lying,” he breathed in her ear. Robyn could not look at him. He would easily realise that she was nervous. There was a moment of awkward silence. Robyn could see the anger was building up inside Damien as he was clenching fists more and more tightly. However, strangely, he started to loosen up his fists and the anger in his eyes decreased by the second. When had he learned to control his temper?

“Maybe...I should give it to you now.” Stella interrupted the silence. She rose from her seat with her tray of finished meal. “Come with me.”

“Sorry to trouble you,” said Jack gentlemanly. He followed her out of the cafeteria but not before he gave Robyn a long stare. He was smiling but somehow it was not reflected in his eyes. He stared with an unfathomable look in his eyes. It was as if he was trying to tell her something.

Robyn was staring into the air blankly when Damien held her hands. There was a solemn look on his face. “You should stay away from him.” His voice was deep and even huskier.

Robyn was going to ask “Why?” but she stopped when she looked at his scowling face. She gave him a reassuring smile instead. “It’s not like I would deliberately go anywhere near him.” Not after what happened.

****

Damien Quinn spent almost the whole seven hours at school watching Jack Kennington. That was the main purpose for him at school, not studying.

He was homeschooled until Robyn went to ninth grade. He decided to go to school with her after what he saw that day.

Robyn brought a boy home on that day. He hated that boy the moment he saw him. That preppy and classy brunet gave out a peculiar aura around him. And he recognised that aura. It could never be mistaken. He’s dangerous. He would never let him get close to Robyn, not when he had that aura. But the boy knew he was watching him. He shot Damien a nasty look before he went into her house. That look was the cause of all his actions from then on.

Damien walked out of the class after everyone else when the bell rang. He was about to meet up with Robyn and Stella who were having French class when Jack approached him. He was leaning against the wall, smirking. “You know, you might as well set up surveillance cameras around the school. That way you wouldn’t be so exhausted.” He walked away, still grinning.

Damien, pissed, followed suit. He was in almost every class Jack was in. Sometimes even he himself thought he was a psychopathic stalker. Suddenly he felt vibration in his pocket. He took out a flip phone and answered it. The moment he did so, his face fell and he frowned. He pondered for awhile and sighed. “I’ll be there. But after school.” He hung up before the voice in the phone could say anything.

****

After school, Stella and another friend — not a close one — of Robyn, Emily Dallaghan dragged Robyn to Puffie’s Sweet Bar. It was a sweet shop down the street that sells every kind of dessert you could think of. From milkshakes and smoothies, to ice cream and cakes and candies. Obviously, Damien was not with them. He was gone the moment the bell rang, as usual. He might have run away because he overheard Emily inviting them during class. At least, that was what she thought.

Robyn sat down on the shocking pink cushion, or rather, she was pushed down by Stella and Emily. The shop was decorated like the sweet house in Hansel and Gretel. Candies, cookies and ice cream were everywhere, up on the walls and on the tables and chairs, too. All the cushions were of shocking pink. Disgusting, she thought. She had been here for a few times, and none of the time she came on her own will.

She had braced herself for what is going to happen. A girl with dyed-white hair and pink highlights would drop three menus onto the tables and walked away without looking at them for once. Robyn had always liked the lime and raspberry milkshake — the only thing she ever liked in the shop, but not that waitress.

Jenny. Robyn named her Jenny the Scary Rabbit. She was a full-time waitress here. Only a few years older. She dressed like a cute doll but she never acted like one. She was like a cute rabbit that made people think she was cute but the moment you got closer, she would bit your fingers off.

But that never happened. A rather tall girl with short blonde hair came instead.

Emily and Stella looked through the menu but Robyn only glanced at it for a second and pushed it away. She was kind of surprise not being able to see that scary rabbit. Not that she wanted to see her face, though.

“Where is that girl?” An infuriated voice shouted from the back.

Robyn turned sideways to peek at the woman who shouted. It was the owner of the shop. The devilish look on the middle-aged, fat woman’s face was bloodcurdling.

“The hell I know. She didn’t even call.” The tall waitress put her hands on her hips and looked down on the older woman.

The woman let out a loud bitter laugh. “Didn't show up for work since last night and without leaving a call. She is so fired.” The woman then stomped into the kitchen like mad cow.

Robyn and Jenny never got along. Well, not as if they had ever talked more than a minute. Robyn could not quite grasp the reason Jenny hated her since the first time she was there. Then again, one could never understand what a lunatic is thinking.

The tall girl came back awhile later and took their orders. After that, Robyn did not speak a word. Emily had done all the talking. Stella was listening to her patiently and was trying her best not to lose it. Robyn stared at Emily’s mouth. How can she talk for hours without stopping? This should be listed as one of the biggest wonders of the world. All she talked about was the boys at school — who was cool and who was not.

“…date Jack Kennington,” Emily jumped up and down on her seat.

Robyn, who had lost interest in Emily’s continuously moving mouth, felt her heart skipped a beat. Stella elbowed Emily on the arm while she was looking at her.

Even though it had been awhile ago, that name still had the power to stir her up inside and make her feel uneasy. She looked away from them and turned to the door where a couple had come in through. Her heart stopped. Her chest tightened. The milkshake she just sipped was stuck in her mouth, unable to be swallowed.

The couple sat at a table at the corner with their backs facing her. But she knew it very well who the boy was. Those beautiful silky seal brown hair and pale translucent skin. She would never mistake him for someone else. The girl, however, was a mystery to her. She had curly sun blond hair with slightly tanned skin. She was wearing a sky blue polo shirt and a red pleated plaid skirt.
Stella and Emily did not seem to have notice about the couple. Robyn drank her milkshake in seconds and left the shop, telling the girls she had work to do.

****

The boy turned sideway and looked at the back of the girl who had just left. His eyes were cold, or rather, unable to express his emotions. He stared at her until she was out of sight. The blond girl cuddled closer to him, holding his left arm tightly. He moved it away.