Awkward assumptions

The class is deathly boring, as usual, but I stay glued in my seat until the bell rings. After Mr. Jung bids us goodbye, our class looks at us with judgment as they exit the room, some of them whispering amongst themselves. I ignore them, looking for signs of Ari. But I can't find her anywhere. No matter. I'll deal with David first. I wait patiently, tapping my free hand against the table. As soon as the classroom empties, I swing my unencumbered fist at him. David ducks, but I quickly follow it with a kick to the shin.

"Dina-- stop!" grunting, David jumps backward to get away from my attacks. But of course, the movement just drags me to him. I curse as we fall to the ground and I end up on top of him. David's back takes the brunt of the impact. I probably should check if he's all right, but I'm too mad at him. Instead, I use the opportunity to wrap my legs onto his stomach, pressing an arm against his neck. To my surprise, he grasps my waist and pulls my body towards his. I hold my breath as our eyes meet, our faces too close to each other. My cheeks redden as he stares back at me, equally surprised, his fingers tightening on my back.

"Well, this is a new development." Sebastian suddenly emerges from the doorway, entering the room like he owns it. He bends down to our level on the floor, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Don't call my parents," I tell him, even though he hasn't said anything of the sort. Yet.

"Don't call her parents," David says, barely a beat after me. Sebastian's eyebrows rose at our synchronized protest.

"Oh, but that won't do. The principal and your parents have so much to talk about, don't you think?" Sebastian tells me in his no-nonsense voice. He produces a key from his pocket and frees us from the handcuffs. No sooner than the lock unclicks, I am up on my feet, itching to go. I am calculating my odds at getting out of this situation but Sebastian notices my uneasiness.

"I believe I made myself clear, Ms. Matthews. You are coming with us this time. The student council wishes to bring you to court. if proven guilty, we shall notify your guardians about your transgressions here in school. Wouldn't you like to defend yourself?" Sebastian recites.

"Why do you talk like that?" I ask him, my brow creasing. Everything he says is so contrived, and it sounds funny with his weird accent.

David rolls his eyes, "He wants to be a lawyer someday."

"What?" I put my hands on my hips, "Lawyers don't talk like that."

"How would you know?" David counters. I press my mouth in a thin line. That is something I cannot answer, in case it leads to more complicated questions. I know he still believes that I stole his wallet.

Sebastian's not paying attention to our conversation, though. He's glancing at David reproachfully, "Don't you think it's time for you to decide how to deal with this girl? Your conflicting feeling towards her is driving us, your friends, crazy, you know."

I gape at them. What? I give David a questioning look, but he avoids confronting my curiosity. He glares at Sebastian instead, "Shut up."

"Whatever. The others are waiting for us at the caf." Sebastian replies, seemingly bored now. He points a rather insulting finger at me. "You. You're coming with us, okay? Don't make me use these handcuffs again."

"What? Am I supposed to be scared?" I snap at him. Sebastian does not even blink at my caustic demeanor, which is impressive. Now I get why he and David are friends. I have a feeling everyone can go berserk around these two and they would just be chilling over cigars and wine like the unfazed jerks they are.

Sebastian points his finger at David this time. "Yes, you should be scared. But not at me. You need to be scared of this guy." David blinks at him in confusion. "Because once he gets out of this haze that you've put him in, he's running to the police and you will be in big trouble. In case you forgot, you stole his wallet and you attacked him."

I turn to David, scoffing at him, "I didn't steal your wallet." I can't believe he still thinks that. I thought we settled it. "How many times do I have to tell you that? And have you been telling your friends that I did? No wonder they're harassing me!" And what haze is Sebastian talking about?

"Hey. I told them it was a mistake, okay? I told them to back off." David counters. I twist my mouth, doubtful. He was definitely onto me earlier today, pulling that boyfriend b.s. with my parents. But he seems sincere now. I scratch my head in frustration. This man's got to be the most confusing person I ever met.

"Well, your boyfriend and your friends are not getting the memo," I tell David through my teeth.

At the corner of my eye, I see Sebastian's brows draw together, "Boyfriend?" he chuckles as he turns to his friend, "You have a boyfriend, now? Are you not telling us something, Dave?"

Oh, shoot. Me and my big mouth. I realize I haven't really confirmed the nature of David and Kier's relationship. I'm just operating on assumptions this whole time. "Sorry, I just...I thought... and this is completely my fault. I assumed you and Kier were together." I stutter, staring at David with petrified eyes. Dear, Lord. I am not good with awkward conversations.

For a moment, the boys just stare at me in silence, their expressions impassive. Just then, a chuckle burst out of Sebastian and David lets out a snort. Sebastian bends down, grasping his stomach as he guffaws louder, egged on by David's laughter. I stand there, lost. I don't get why my honest mistake is extremely funny to them. Clearly, I'm missing something.

"Nice." I remark, "Laugh at the new girl, who doesn't know anything. You guys are just a bunch of weirdos, aren't you? Not to mention, possibly homophobic."

Sebastian straightens, still clutching his stomach. in, "Sorry. We were just..there's a good reason for that, I swear." he tries to explain in between gasps of air.

"Wow. I guess that must have been some abdominal workout." I comment as I watch the both of them, arms crossed.

"Sorry, Dina. He's right. There's a reason for that." David answers this time, wiping the corners of his eyes. "Now, why don't you come with us? We'll tell you all about it."

"No." I only say one word, but I make sure they hear me telling him to go to hell.

The animated light in David's eyes dimmed, "Call her parents." he suddenly tells Sebastian with no hesitation. The latter grabs his phone from his back pocket.

"No!" I exclaim, barely stopping myself from lunging at Sebastian as I fall into the obvious trap. I glare at David accusingly. He lifts an annoying eyebrow at me, amused. "I'll go with you. Just make it quick." I tell them. I'm not exactly sure how this trial is going to look like, but I need to convince these people to lay off my back. I have more important things to worry about.