Those Cold Blue Eyes (1)

I stared back at my soulless forest green eyes through my full-length mirror as I braided my long fiery orange-tinted hair to the side. My eyes were more sullen-looking than usual, but I couldn't blame them for looking that way. They were just matching my mood that day, especially when I had just faced a sleepless night battling the voices in my head.

I had won, to an extent, as the morning broke through the horizon, but at what cost?

I had noticed that I had also lost weight recently, already making myself look even tinier when I was already small for my age. I had grown pale as well, but it was from the lack of sleep lately.

I didn't quite understand what was happening, but my mind and body have both been restless this past week. There was also this feeling of silent anticipation lingering within the back of my mind, like a faint whisper that something was about to happen.

I tried my best to ignore it.

I sighed to myself and picked up my backpack from the floor, silently checking my room once again before I headed out the door.

Walking down the stairs as quietly as I could, I briefly went to the kitchen to simply grab an apple to munch on for breakfast. I briefly weighed it in my hands and packed it up in my backpack when I deemed it small enough for me to finish.

Thankfully, my aunt was still asleep around this time so no one could scold me for my lack of appetite and bad eating habits.

I walked out the front door, pulling the hood of my tight-fitting black hoodie up in an attempt to hide my face from everyone and everything. The sun was also too bright that morning, and it was giving me a headache.

The wind was also terribly strong, and I mentally praised myself for wearing a warm enough outfit. As much as my health was bad, I didn't want to slowly die out from the cold.

The 10-minute walk to school was a silent trip, and I decided to munch on the small apple on the way.

People passed by me, sparing me a glance before they moved on. Everyone knew me here just because of how much of a freak I supposedly was.

News spreads fast in small towns.

I finished the apple just as Willow Creek High came into view and I threw the core in a nearby trashcan, earning a loud hiss from a cat who was lounging beside it.

Even cats hated me...

I let out a small scoff before facing the looming building ahead of me. It was still too early to sport a large crowd, but there were early birds milling about, usually those who took the school bus or walked to school. They didn't even glance at me as I passed by them which I appreciated.

As much as I hated it here, I had no other choice. I just learned how to stay away from people which was admittedly quite easy since they tended to avoid me too.... most times.

I trudged through the front doors and walked to my locker, making sure to keep my gaze down.

Unluckily, the hallway was quite crowded which was uncharacteristic of this place. The hallway during this time was usually always empty.

But there had to be a reason why.

I looked around, noticing something different today. People were even louder, if possible, and the noise was hurting my ears.

"Did you know there's a new student?"

"Yeah. They said he transferred here after beating a guy to near death in his old school."

I raised my brows at that piece of news I managed to hear from a passing group of friends.

So, we got ourselves a bad boy, huh?

Great... Someone else to actively avoid.

"People call him... 'The Beast'," was the last thing I heard before the group of girls scurried off to their first class.

I almost scoffed out loud at the stupid nickname they were giving this "mysterious" new bloke, but I caught myself before making an audible sound. I should just not care about it and move on. Whatever this new student was called or whatever his past might be, it was of no relation to me whatsoever.

I made sure my locker was shut tight, as I had experienced people placing unsavory objects in it in the past, before heading to my first class which of course was homeroom.

Homeroom with Mr. Thatcher.

I wasn't really fond of that guy, and I don't think he was fond of me either. He always found ways to humiliate me in class.

I slid the door open and I put my hood down, breathing in the smell of my classroom which didn't really smell like anything.

I was always.... always the first one to class so when I felt a pair of eyes on me, I was startled.

He was a huge guy, but far from what you would consider unfit. As a matter of fact, he was super fit as if chiseled from strong hard muscles. Another surprising aspect was that he had a tattoo that snaked around his left arm and tons of piercings on his ear and his lower lip, things that definitely were not normally allowed in school. His raven-black hair was sticking up everywhere as if he ran a hand through it multiple times but it looked good on him.

But his eyes.... His eyes were a shade of intense blue that were cold, distant yet beautiful in their own way.

It was his eyes that made me stop and freeze on my spot.

All in all, he screamed bad boy and for some reason unknown to me, I couldn't help but be.... curious... mesmerized.

Realizing I had been staring, though he had been staring back as well, I flushed a deep red and turned my gaze away to the floor. I decided then and there I would have to do what I do best.

I was going to ignore his existence and if I was lucky... He'd ignore me too.

I hesitantly went to the back and sat on my seat, which was sadly beside him. That seat had always been empty, but I guess now this was the new student they were all talking about so I would have to compromise my solitary situation. Wanting to avoid any chance of interaction, no matter how minute, I took out my notebook and started to scribble, trying to appear busy.

Guess I have to be stuck with him until the end of the year. This seating arrangement was permanent.

Well....for homeroom.

I fidgeted in my seat, feeling his gaze burning holes on the side of my head and it was making me nervous.

I was starting to get worried that I had somehow offended him or maybe I had done something wrong. His gaze was much too intense.

Judging from his looks, he must be 'The Beast' that everyone's talking about and man did he look scary as hell but...

I couldn't deny the fact that he was breathtakingly gorgeous.

Stop it, Raine....

What are you doing?! I scolded myself and continued doodling on my notebook. If he looked down to take a peek, he would realize the nonsense I had been writing down.

Just keep ignoring him. That's it...

Just ignore his staring…

Will he ever stop staring?

"Adrian." A husky, deep voice pierced the silence, and I almost jumped out of my seat at the sudden sound.

I didn't understand why, but the sound of his voice made something twinge within my chest. I had the brief thought of wanting to hear it again, but I internally chastised myself for even thinking about it for a brief second.

I snapped out of it, another blush rising onto my cheeks when he put his hand out for me to shake.

What was he doing? More importantly, what was he doing to me?

Remembering my goal to ignore him and wanting to be firm with it, I pretended that I didn't see his hand and kept silent, continuing on doodling my beautiful flowers and googly eyes. My hand had gone shaky though, and the pencil fell out of my grip more than I cared to admit.

That was a very difficult feat in itself, and I was struggling to keep silent.

But when I saw his hand curl up into a fist, I instinctively shrank away.

When I mustered enough courage to peek up at him, I felt my whole body turn cold as I registered the pissed-off look that came over his face.

My hands now shaking uncontrollably, I finally let the pencil fall out of my hand, clattering onto the desk with a loud sound. Fearing that I would be in more trouble if I kept ignoring him, I finally acknowledged his presence, though I did not grab his outstretched hand.

"R-Raine. I-I'm R-Raine." I stuttered out, still refusing to look at him head-on.

Even so, I felt him at least calm down, and I couldn't help the relieved sigh that left my lips.

I guess he must have heard it because he suddenly tensed up.

I craned my head to face him, and I had to force myself to look at him, dreading to look at him.

His eyes were narrowed and I peeked through my lashes, paling when I saw his eyes darken into an almost obsidian shade. His hand also started to shake as he pulled it back towards him.

Not really understanding what was happening anymore, I stumbled ungracefully out of my seat and made a mad dash for the door, my heart going wild in fear as it did jumping jacks inside my chest.

I let out a silent scream when an arm snaked around my waist, pulling me back into someone's chest.

That someone being Adrian...

I froze and tears pricked at my eyes.

I knew it was going to end badly. He was going to hit me now, I was so sure of it. I should have just left the room once I saw him there-

"I'm sorry. I hate it when people get scared of me." He suddenly gritted out, body stiff with anger but weirdly, he held onto me gently, not enough to hurt me but enough to keep me in place.

His hand was hovering over me as well, not completely touching me. Still, I was frozen but calmed down enough to listen to him. There was just something about his voice.

"Please, let me go…" I said meekly, trying to keep my voice steady.

He could be lying to me.

That apology meant nothing...

He didn't mean it...

His grip tightened slightly, and I felt myself making a move to run again.

Oh, God. I just want to live.

After a few moments, he quickly pulled his arm back as if I had burned him, and I took the opportunity to bolt out of the room just as the first warning bell rang in the distance. He did not chase after me, and he didn't even make a sound.

As I looked back, I simply saw those cold blue eyes engulfing me within their hold. I would have drowned in them if the second bell had not rung, pushing me to continue moving forward.

I continued running, constantly looking behind me to see if he would change his mind and come after me, but he didn't. All I saw were the annoyed and confused faces of the people trying to get to their first class as they passed by me.

I was getting panicky, not understanding what the hell just happened in that room.

I slammed into the door of the girls' restroom, and I immediately huddled in the corner, curled into a tiny ball as I listened to the fading sounds of shoes squeaking loudly on the polished floor as the people finally entered their classes, leaving a silent hallway in their wake.

Once the silence engulfed me, I sighed and buried my face into my knees which were brought up to my chest.

What am I doing?

More importantly...

What did he want from me?

Those cold blue eyes... I was scared that I would drown in them.