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Chapter 6: Irritation, Infatuation and Ice Bucket Challenges

I think stupid people were put on this planet to test my anger management skills.

~Starlight24

When you feel ice cold water splashing your face the first thing on a nippy, chilly morning, you blow up. Trust me, I speak from experience.

I heard Dylan's chirpy laughter as I sat up, fuming. Smoke was literally pouring out of my ears and my hair was plastered to the sides of my face and the nape of my neck and not really helping in the extremely cold morning. I could feel the water's icy fingers trickle down my back and make me feel uncomfortable. To make things worse, of course Dylan had to take a picture.

"What the heck!?" I yelped, hugging my comforter and fake crying into my pillow. I began to shiver and a gust of wind blew over my shuddering figure. My shirt was clinging to me and my hair was like a wet towel across my face.

"You missed the bus, Sweetheart," he muttered simply, casually leaning in from his window. I glanced at the time. Hell, it was already 8 o' clock. "I decided to be the nice guy that I am and drop you." He gave me a genuine smile, which I shut down with a  menacing glare.

"Why do you care?" I groaned into my pillow, strands of hair sticking in my mouth. In the morning, trust me I'm not a pretty sight.

"Because you can't keep bunking like that," he said simply and knowledgably (Cough Cough, he has no knowledge). "It'll affect your grades and stuff," he smiled at me.

"Why do you care about my grades?" I asked, annoyed. Couldn't he just mind his own business and leave poor, dear, lovely Day Winters alone?

"Because I need you to learn all the shit so I can copy off you." He looked at me with an expression of 'duh' written across his face.

"We don't even sit next to each other," I drawled, my hands furiously lacing through dreadful knots in my hair.

"Sweetheart," he began, rolling his eyes. "Free seating is over. People have to sit with each other alphabetically." He threw his hands in the air exasperatedly. "At least, in most of the classes," he shrugged and put his hands into the pockets of his sweatshirt. One thing about Dylan is his hand gestures. I'm always afraid he's going to hit someone. 

No... As if I didn't have to handle enough of his nonsense already. "Go away," I groaned, flopping back onto my bed in the most undignified manner. Hey, I was being tortured, so don't judge.

"If you don't get out of bed now and get ready in the next five minutes, I will physically pull you out of there." I laughed, but he looked pretty damn serious. Great, now he was starting to sound like my mom. How wonderful.  

*****

"So Miss Sassy-Smartassy has no comebacks today, huh?" Dylan was chuckling at my misery. What a jackass.

"Shut up..." I groaned and rested my head on the bonnet of his car. I was wearing a simple set of clothes, because I had no time to decide something great as my fear of Dylan barging into my room kind of gnawed my stomach. I wore a sweatshirt and a pair of leggings, along with a beanie to cover my wet, bed head. 

  "So..." Continued Dylan, trying to make an attempt at small talk. Well he wasn't going to get too far, because an annoyed, sleepy Day can prove to be a pain. "I heard you met Jase," he began, which made my head literally fly from it's comfortable resting place. "I knew that would get your attention," he chuckled, making me fume.

"I am not the slightest bit infatuated by your creepy buddy," I replied, nonchalance dripping through my words. In reality, I wanted to know how exactly Dylan got to know and what that stupid Tackett said about me.

"He's not creepy," muttered Dylan defensively. "He just doesn't understand the concept of personal space." This made me roll my eyes dramatically at him.

"He told me about your little encounter, if that's what you're curious about," he grinned.

"I am not at all curious," I said, throwing my hair back dramatically. However, owing to the condition it was in, it just smacked my face and threw locks into my mouth. Way to ruin the effect.

"He thinks you're really cute, but a bit of a bitch," he began, making me groan. "He said he would really like you if you became a little more... low maintenance."

"Well that's the thing, isn't it?" I muttered. "I don't want him to frickin' like me." I looked at him pointedly and he threw his hands in the air, giving me a mini heart attack because he was driving and his hands were off the steering wheel.

"Hey, you can't blame a man for trying," he said, giving me an impish smile.

We'd arrived, so I hopped out as soon as possible and dashed towards the door, leaving him chuckling in the car. 

I raced towards my class, realizing I'd missed my first period. Crap.

I bumped into someone (because I'm really awesome like that) and fell onto the floor, my belongings spilling everywhere. "Shit," I muttered, frantically dumping everything into my backpack.

"I'm so sorry," came a familiar voice above me, making my hands freeze. Max was looking at me with an expression of complete confusion. "Day," he said cheerfully, when he saw who I was. He stretched his hand out to me, which I took. His hands were huge and warm compared to mine, and his touch sent tingles down my spine.

"Hi!" I exclaimed a little too over enthusiastically. Great, now he'd think I'm some creepy despo.

"Where have you been for the past few days?" he asked, concern lacing through his words. I blushed because he was being so completely nice. Or at least, I think that's why I blushed.

"Uh... I wasn't feeling well," I muttered, staring at my shoes, embarrassed. 

"Stomach bug's been flying around, hasn't it?" he sympathized, and his expression made my legs feel like jelly.

"Yeah," I nodded, my untamed curls slapping both Max and I. That should be added to my book: One Hundred and One Ways to Embarrass Yourself by Day June Winters. Just kidding, I don't have one. I should, though. It would be a bestseller.

"I see you didn't follow my advice," he laughed dryly and humorlessly, pointing at my glasses.

"Uh... I actually ordered contacts... they just haven't arrived yet." I lied, making him nod, with a hint of skepticism in his eyes.

"Good, because your eyes are beautiful. I can stare into them all day." He laughed at the word day. Well of course he did, people seem to be crazy about puns lately. Speechless, I stared at him with my mouth opening and closing like a retarded goldfish.

"They are kind of like looking into a cross between a Safire and a plain, blue sky. It isn't as sparkly as a Safire, but softer. And they make me want to dig deeper into your jewel mine, and I've already realized that the greatest gem is you, as a whole. You are the whole package, and whoever gets to keep you will be a lucky guy." He chuckled. "Of course, they'll have to wear sunglasses all the time because you are too dazzling for anyone to actually keep." He offered me a huge smile and slung his bag over his shoulder, allowing it to dip to his thighs at the back.

He ruffled his hair awkwardly and walked away, giving me one last glance before walking towards his class (which I unfortunately didn't share with him). Twenty minutes of this period wasted? Check. At least this time, I didn't feel that bad about it.

*****

"So you and Max, huh?" Dylan was irritating me as usual. He turned out to be right, and I had to sit with him because things went alphabetically. Well screw this system, because I was going to scream. "Whoot, whoot," he wiggled his eyebrows. "I ship you both. Though why did you choose him? He's so gay and romantic. I want to kick him most of the time, because he gets on my last nerves."

"Well shut up, because you get on my last nerves too. And sooner or later, I will kick you where it hurts." I countered, making him squirm.

"Yikes," he muttered, his eyes growing wide. This made me giggle, much to my annoyance. My laughter sounded really flirty (naturally, I promise) and I didn't want to give him the wrong impression.

"That kid's a loner, Day," he advised, growing serious. If that jerk was the reason I failed Physics this year, he would have to pay dearly.

"Even if he is a loner, you're just jealous," I mumbled angrily.

"I have a girlfriend," he stared at me squarely. "And did you just admit your crush on Mr. Gay Guy?"

"I never said anything of the sort." I glared at him, a note of finality in my tone. "And, for the record, there is nothing wrong about being gay."

I glanced at the board, realizing the notes that seemed to stretch infinitely across the board were not going to be able to get into my book by the end of the period. I decided to copy someone else's book later, and looked around the class.

It was a small bunch of students, and I was stuck somewhere near the back. Turns out the 'chick who left a note on Dylan's car' wasn't a junior, after all. She happened to be in my class.

Her name, or so I'd heard, was Cady. She looked like a complete bimbo. Her luscious hair was a dirty blonde and was tied up in a high ponytail. Her clothes were extremely daring, and she looked like she needed to buy longer shorts. Her crop top was way too cropped and her shorts looked like a particularly long pair of underpants. 

She was flirting with the guy next to her, who seemed like he was drowning in her beauty. His eyes were lust-filled and he had an annoying puppy dog expression. I noticed Dylan side-glancing at her, and I smirked.

"You look like you wanna do more than just humor Cady," I remarked, making him snap out of his Cady-filled daze.

"I do not have a thing for that chick," he glared at me, getting defensive. "She looks like a frickin' stripper." I nodded, but I could see that he was lying. 

"It's okay, what Deirdre doesn't know won't hurt her." I chided, making him incredibly frustrated. Ah, how the tables had turned.

He grumbled something unintelligible and I laughed, a more hearty one this time. This wasn't a good move, as the teacher gave me a menacing stare.

Our teacher, Mrs. Lawrence, was a royal pain. Her hair was frizzy and fell over her face, making her look like a  Bellatrix wannabe. Her face was perpetually scrunched up, and she looked like she'd just swallowed a lemon. Her pug-like nose was always turned upwards like she was constantly smelling day-old trash. Her beady black eyes scanned my face, making me feel insecure.

"Miss Winters," she said icily, sending chills down my spine. "May I see your notes, please?" I gulped, glancing at the blank page in front of me. She strutted towards my desk and glared. "I suggest you try to learn in stead of flirt." She gave me a piercingly calculative look, and I wanted to sink into the ground. My cheeks were reddening and I saw Cady give me a sympathetic glance, which I promptly declined. She should be getting in trouble too, I bet she hadn't copied down anything! And I wasn't even flirting with Dylan.

"Since it is your first week here," she continued in her cold voice. "I will excuse you. Mr. Daniels, however, will not slip away as easily." This made him groan next to me. "Detention!" she shrieked, prancing back to her desk.

*****

The rest of the day proved to be a boring set of activities that tumbled in an uninteresting stream. Deirdre said she had a great plan in mind for the weekend, and I was pretty excited to be honest. Dylan kept shooting daggers at me with his eyes, and I laughed hysterically each time.

I headed towards my bus, when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned around, surprised at the fact that someone wanted to talk to me.

"I'm Cady," said the girl, in a friendly tone. "Nice to meet you!" 

I smiled feebly at her, wondering whether she just wanted to know me because of the whole Starlight craze that everyone seemed to be going through (I mean, some random girl told me to tell Starlight that her writing reminded her of her grand-uncle's). "Hi," I murmured.

"Sorry about what happened with Holly back there," she said. Holly, or so I guessed, was the name of the physics teacher. What a sweet sounding name for such an idiot. I bet her parents were expecting sunshine and daisies before she entered the world.

"Uh... Yeah. Thanks for being concerned." I glanced back at my bus. Not like I was in any rush to get there, of course. Dylan had detention so he wouldn't be there, and Nat seemed to only know how to glare when she sees me. I just didn't like Cady that much.

"So you're a new kid too, huh?" she blabbered, seemingly oblivious to my dislike for her. "How are you settling in? The school is awesome, and everyone is so sweet here! I mean, the popular bunch are a bit threatened by my sense of style," she glanced at her half-naked body. "But other than that, the cheerleading squad are so sweet! I hope we can be great friends. You look like my type of person."

She took a breath, and I grasped my opportunity (quite greedily) to speak. "Hey Cady, it was really nice meeting you and everything, but the buses are leaving." I glanced back at the buses, hearing the low rumble of engines.

"Dammit! And we were just getting comfy with each other," she remarked. Well, she was getting comfortable. Not me.

"Yeah... I'll catch up with you later, I guess?" I muttered, trying to tell her politely that I'd like to leave.

"Haha, it's so sad that you're a bus kid," she smiled. "My boyfriend's gonna pick me up. I'm supposing you, being new to the school and everything, haven't found a lover?" she asked. There was something almost mean and judgmental about her question, very different from her overly excited attitude earlier.

"Nah, I love myself and I don't need anybody else!" I squealed. Bless Hailee Steinfeld. "And I also love not getting busted for missing the bus, so ciao!" I smiled and skipped towards my bus. I stared out of the window, and Cady had a miffed expression because I'd so bluntly snubbed her.

"So you're getting cozy with Cady Hunt?" asked Nat, sneering. "What next?" This was actually the most Nat had spoken to me since I told her that I wanted to hang out with Deirdre and Co.

"Cady happens to be a really nice person," I was convincing myself more than her, and she could tell how unsure I was.

"That's what they all say, before they find themselves backstabbed and thrown away like a rotting piece of flesh that festers away forever. Then, you'll realize the truth." She looked at me, her eyes boring into my skull. "You see, whatever we do, we rub against a sheet. This is the soft sheet that hides us from reality. This sheet, however, is susceptible to tearing, and if you rub against it too much it'll wear away. Once you are completely exposed, you'll be vulnerable, and you'll see what your sheet has shielded you from your entire life. This, my dear Day, is called harsh reality. No one sees it coming until it hits you in the face, cornering you and leaving you with no escape."

I stared at her, and she snapped out of her philosophical trance, ceasing to acknowledge my presence. I pondered over her pearls of wisdom, wondering where she'd gotten this sudden burst from. She'd obviously experienced something, and I was going to find out what. I hate to be nosy, but she had my attention.

After coming back from a long bunking break, I'm surprised to say that I got a symphony of irritation, infatuation and ice bucket challenges.

A/N:

Hey guys!! How was that? Thoughts on Cady...?

I'm so sorry for not updating... I might be really sporadic with my chapters, because I'm kinda grounded (yikes).

Picture of Cady Hunt =D

Teaser: Who doesn't like horse riding?

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Song of the day: I Love Myself by Hailee Steinfeld

Love you all,

~Lexi

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