I know The Devil

~ You’re the finest, loveliest, the tenderest, and most beautiful person I have ever known and even that is an understatement.

The video of me and Titiana was the what’s hot? Topic in school and more people spoke to me like we were best buddies.

“Hello, Ms. Popular.” Gloria greeted me with a sing-song voice as I went to meet her at her locker which had been our everyday routine since forever.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not…”

“Hey, Prudence.” Troy, a teenage model, a shoe-in for prom king and an absolute Abercrombie package with the jetlike black touseled hair, green eyes and straight nose hollered from across the hall.

I waved at him like I had done the others like nothing was out of place and turned back to Gloria.

“You were saying?”

I shrugged then bit my lips, “Everything is changing so quickly. I’m scared.”

Gloria grinned, “You deserve this particular change especially if you could slap someone and sound so cool after. I saw your video like a hundred time.”

“Me? A hundred and one time.” Gemma was a popular nerd which was way rare. She was the only nerd that was in the second-tier popularity class in Evans high school.

She gave me a bedazzled look like she was seeing me for the first time which was identical to the look everybody has been giving me since today. “You are so cool!”

I didn’t know what to reply to that compliment especially since she had just entered Gloria’s and I conversation unannounced.

I watched her retreating figure relieved even as Gloria cooed, “Look at who has to get used to being popular?”

In English language class, Gloria and I arrived a minute late to discover that the back row next to the toilet was now the newest popular’s row. It was completely occupied save for two seats, one next to Law who had a thing for kissing my forehead casually and another one at my right-hand side reserved for Gloria.

Even Mr. Bartholomew had looked taken aback to see that the third row was scantily occupied and the back row which was greatly avoided was packed.

I didn’t blame him when he had to take a few minutes to get used to the placement because even I who sat next to Law whose right hand rested lazily on my lower back was a bit overwhelmed.

If Law noticed that he was the reason for the strange seat placement and every other strange thing that is going on in Evans high school that was completely foreign he didn’t act like he did. If anything, he acted like everything was perfectly normal.

I lost count of how many parties I was invited to by lunch break and when I was invited to the popular’s table also known as one of the places I never imagined someone like myself being catapulted to I freaked out.

My life was changing so quickly and my insides were queasy, I felt like I was going to throw up because of the rollercoaster ride I have been on for a week.

Although yesterday was a Sunday, it felt just like yesterday when I had been bullied by all those at the popular’s table who now gave me encouraging smiles identical to one a mom would give her son who was horrible at soccer when he tells her he was going to the tryouts.

I hated everyone at that table, I realized. Swallowing hard as I knew right then what I was going to do. I was going to be the first person to turn down an invite to sit at the popular’s table.

The cafeteria was eerily quiet as Shawn, one of the newest addition to the first class popular’s system and also a messenger widened his eyes asking me yet again what I’d said. Obviously, he thought he had heard wrongly.

I smacked my lips realizing that saying it the second time felt easier than the first.

“I said I’m sorry but I’ll have to decline.” I ignored Gloria’s disapproving and surprising glare while I sat right back on my seat digging into my bacon like I wasn’t hyperventilating.

A chair was drawn beside me. I didn’t look up. I don’t know what to expect after turning down such an invite since nobody I knew have done that and remember who doesn’t like surprises?

“Hope you don’t mind?”

I found myself smiling as I looked up. I knew that voice.

“Tristan.”

Gloria arched her brow at me due to my tone which sounded way ecstatic, but if I was being truthful, I was glad to see Tristan. He was a nice guy. Relief was more of a catalyst for my enthusiasm.

“So I didn’t know if we can just slide in and sit down with you without a reservation and all the other formality stuff,” he joked. “That video and how you behaved yourself with Titiana earned you an extra ounce of my respect. That girl had got that slap coming for a long time and you having the guts to give that to her, that’s commendable.”

I smirked, “To be honest I didn’t plan to go boomerang on her face.” I bit my lower lip, “I’m seriously not a violent person.”

Tristan gave me a grin even as he reached for my hand which was fiddling with my spoon and giving it a good squeeze. “I know I’m the last person to be talking about this since I’m an only child and all but if I had a sibling and anyone ever talked trash about him or her like that, I won’t feel a bit guilty that I whipped their cheek to the other side.”

I smiled at him.

“The fact that you are even a notch remorseful shows yet again why you are unbelievably way too perfect for your own good and I think Law noticed this faster than we all could.”

I returned his good-natured grin liking how easy it was to talk to Tristan and how easily he got me.

“He is a lucky bastard.” He added.

“And he plans to remain just that.” A gravelly familiar voice quipped behind me. Law Tyler.

I whipped my head to meet his gaze wondering where he had been after English language. He had missed AP calculus and geometry. Both of the classes we had together and I was beginning to realize there was a lot more which was weird since it was almost like I have never noticed him in my classes before but to be fair the guy was nicknamed the mute for a reason.

Deciding that I was done with the intense stare off especially since none of them was ready to call it quits and announce the winner of a show everyone in the cafeteria was now ogling at.

“Okay back down, big guy.” I fixed Law a scowl even as I placed my hand on his shoulder which redirected his heated grey eyes towards me which were a shade darker and hence looked greenish.

“Where have you been?” I asked him ignoring the possessive hand he had snaked around my waist.

“See you around, waterfalls.” Tristan stood to his feet looking amused even as he walked out.

“He calls you waterfalls?” Law asked the minute Tristan’s back was no longer visible from where we stood.

“It is just a silly nickname besides he is intentionally trying to rile you up.”

“I have something to show you.” Before I could get a word out, I was practically whisked away from the cafeteria, aware of the eyes that were still on us till we left the room.

“What was that about?” I asked the minute I was sure we were alone.

“Just marking my territory around you. Don’t want any mutt to have ideas and think you can be sniffed on.”

“Tristan is my friend and I’m not a piece of land!”

“You are worth more than that but__”

I met his gaze even as he leaned forward, our foreheads rubbing each other.

“I’m scared and insecure.”

“Insecure?” I chuckled lowly, “You are insecure? Then where does that leave me? Every damn girl in there.” I whispered pointing in the direction of the cafeteria, “wants a piece of your ass.”

“I don’t want them.”

“I wasn’t holding an inscription saying I wanted someone and Tristan like I said__”

“Is just a friend but I can’t help it. Especially when he is a blonde wannabe chick with that long hair of his.”

“Because you are insecure?”

“Yes.”

I laughed and laughed, even more, when I noticed how confused he looked. He was like a dream literally to me and he was insecure about losing me.

He narrowed his gaze at me when I was done laughing while stroking my cheeks, “You are so fucking beautiful and how oblivious you are to how desirable you are makes me want to cry. And for full disclosure, everything I said above feels like a fucking understatement.”

I doubt I could ever get rid of the queasy feeling in my stomach whenever he looked at me like, he meant every single word he had said and how he makes me feel like the most beautiful girl in the room and even in the world as his grey eyes met and mesmerised more than just my eyes that held his. He gave me the good kind of queasy. Not the I’m going to throw up type but the I’m going to combust and disintegrate into tiny bits soon but I don’t mind.

I blinked even as I took a miscalculated step forward and collided with his head because I’m a damn klutz.

“Ouch.” I groaned holding on to my head even as he shook his amused. I knew wondering what he was still doing with a dozen of crazy.

“You said you have something to show me if my memory served correctly?” I was desperate to redirect the moment and digress from my clumsiness. I was glad I could lay my hands on that even though I knew that was a universal word most boyfriends use to get some though in our case he had wanted to talk.

“What’s in the cafeteria today?”

“Monday bacon.”

He grimaced slightly and I roll my eyes at how ‘selective’ they could all be.

“Well great, I know a pizzeria outside the school that gives you a taste of Heaven.”

“And you’d have to break like 77 moral conducts of the school while at it.” I retorted sharply.

“Thankfully I thought of that and cooked something better both literally and figuratively mind you.”

I arched a brow suspiciously while he gave me his most innocent smile.