Chapter eleven♧

Lhalifa's POV

Man I so wish I didn't have detention.

I FaceTime Hagen and update him. 'Aargh I have so much to tell you about today.' I complain to my Russian diary. 'I'll just tell you on the way home anyway. Bye. Love you.'

He cuts the call. I roll my eyes. One day I'll make him talk...

I chat with my friends at the car park in the meantime.

'Miss Washington. I do believe you and I have an appointment this afternoon...'

My history teacher says as he passes by our large group. He's probably the one supervising our detention.

'Bye guys.' I leave my chattering friends. 'And don't forget to call me, Harry.'

'Why?'

'About that girl.'

'Which girl?'

'The one who likes you you idiot.'

'Oooh.' He realises. I roll my eyes.

'Bye guys!' I say one last time and catch up with my teacher.

I walk silently behind him. 'Well miss Washington you certainly do seem to appreciate trouble.'

I clear my throat. 'Oh no sir. You could say trouble seems to appreciate me.'

'Hm.' He grunts. As we walk down the hallway we find Luka also in the middle of a chat with his new "friends". Mr Whitman grabs him by the back of his unbuttoned collar and drags him along with us. His friends laugh at him.

I try to hide a smile and when Luka catches me he narrows his eyes at me, making me smile even more.

We both walk behind in silence until Mr Whitman finally stops in the library.

'I believe in useful punishment. Punishment that enlightens the empty vessel.' Did he just call us brainless heads? 'Now...' He leads us around the hopelessly deserted library. I love our library and I come here often. It's overflowing with books of all genres, sizes, colours and shapes. And it's definitely the largest room in our school. We stop at the very back of the library where there're about a gaza-trillion books in a messy pile all over the floor.

Mr Whitman puts each of his hands on each of our shoulders. 'Arrange the books and clear up this disaster. You should be done in...' He looks at his watch. 'Seventy minutes. Failure to which will result in detention again.'

He walks out and leaves us staring hopelessly at the pile of books on the floor.

Why wasn't it  the drama teacher on duty?

I frown and pick up a handful of books. They're so heavy. I look at their titles and decide what section to put them in. 'Poetry...history...fiction...' I sigh heavily. We'll never be done at this rate.

Luka just stands there leaning against the wall with his arms folded. Watching me. I try to ignore him. The last book I have only has a spot at the very top of the shelf. I stand on my tip toes and try to place it at the top. 'Aargh.' It's so high. I stretch my arms and try to push myself higher.

But I'm not steady. I wobble for a bit before losing my balance completely and falling over. I land face down on the cold hard wooden floor. 'Ooowww.'  I moan. I look up and find Luka still watching me with his arms folded.

'Aargh.' I groan.

'Why won't you talk to me?' He asks.

Hah! I'M the one not talking?

I just look at him without a reply.

I stand up again, remove my blazer and drop it to the floor. I pick up the stupid book and try to pack it again. I resume my hopeless position on my tip toes. 'Almost...' I say through gritted teeth.

Luka shakes his head in disbelief and before I know it he's walking over to me. Alarming me and with no warning, he grabs my waist and picks me up with ease so I'm nearer to the top shelf.

I pause for a second before putting the book on top.

He puts me back on my feet and I turn around to face him. Woah there. Close again. We just stare at each other in silence.

'You know there was a ladder just there.' He whispers and points with his head.

I look right and sure enough there's a ladder in the ground. Seriously? I walk away from him and pick up some more books from the mountain of books.

'Look I'm sorry.' Luka says.

'For what now? Being an asshole again?' I snap sharply.

He walks to me and kneels beside me, removing the books from my hands. 'Yeah.'

He says softly. 'For being an asshole.'

I look at him and sigh. 'Yeah whatever.'

He smiles the largest most silliest smile in the world of largest most silliest smiles. And shit. I smile too.

'We'll never finish today. And I think Whitman knows it. Hold on.' He stands up and pulls out a sort of trolley with a flat surface from behind a shelf. It's large so we put in as many books as possible. 'Would you like to come aboard miss?' He asks in a pathetic British accent.

I hold the ends of my skirt and curtsey. 'Why thank you kind sir.' I reply in an even more pathetic British accent. I sit at the end of the trolley with my legs crossed as I smile at him.

'Where to m'lady?'

'Take me to the moon.' I say.

He smiles and pushes the trolley. We make various stops along the shelves where I pack the books. And when it's too high he grabs my waist and lifts me up.

We talk about some of the books we've both read. Well... mostly argue on our opposing views.

'That book is a pure ripoff!' Luka exclaims.

'Is not!' I exclaim.

'Is too.' He says.

And we suggest others to each other.

'Have you read pride and prejudice?' He asks.

I scrunch up my nose. 'Ew. Romance? No mon.' I say in a Jamaican accent. 'We don do dat here.'

'It's a great book.'

'Okay I'll try.' I say seriously. 'But I'm more into sailing dark seas and swords and slaying dragons.'

'Whatever.' He says and then he pushes the trolley so fast and hard all around the library.

'Aaah!' I scream with laughter as I hold down my skirt from going up. I laugh as we slide through the floor. This is way better than Mrs Watts's spinning chair.

We even play around in the librarian's chair.  Luka leans over the counter and looks at me. 'Can I help you with a book young lady?' He teases.

'I'm looking for the ones with the swear words.' I say as I lean over the counter and put my head in my hands.

'Swear words? Why d'you what those?' He leans over too.

'Oh I don't know. Because some boy said he's an asshole and I just wanted to make sure it was what I thought it was.' I say as I lean closer.

'Well what do you think it is?' He asks as he leans closer too.

We're so close. And his dark moonlight eyes challenge my own river green eyes. I smile, lean back and run back to sit on the trolley. 'You must be the most charming asshole I've ever met.'

He moves from the chair to hold the handles of the trolley and push me. 'I aim to please, miss.'

He stops the trolley at the pile of books that doesn't look different from the way Mr Whitman left it.

'There's no hope.' I say as we stare at the books.

'And I'm exhausted.' Luka mutters. He unbottons his school shirt, revealing the black t-shirt he's wearing underneath.

Damn.

Somebody had a lot of attention when being created.

Luka's arms are slightly muscular and smooth. And his right arm has a tattoo sleeve ending just right above his elbow. He also has some sort of black handmade bracelet. It's got tiny little handcuffs



'What?' He asks as he catches my gaze.

I come back to reality. 'What?'

He shakes his head, smiles and looks away.

My phone vibrates in the pocket of my skirt. I pull it out. There's a text from Hagen. Huh. Can't even call me.

Gummy bear🐻:   Can't pick you up toaday. Senator Washington needs me. There's a bus ticket waiting for you. Use it and come straight home.

That's strange... Hagen's never missed picking me up. NEVER. Must be important. I shrug and text a reply.

You: Okay😌 You know there're these things called emojis...❤💁🏾‍♀️

I look up from my phone. 'What's up?' Luka asks.

'Have to take the bus. I'm not much of a fan of it.'

'I could drop you off.' Luka offers.

'You've got a car?'

He smiles. 'Nope. A motorcycle.'

'Oh, cool.' I reply casually. My head is anything but cool. A moooootttttooorcycle!!!!! Behind a hot boy!! Hah! Wait to you hear this Lydia!

'Now. About the books...'

'Oh yeah.' I hop of the trolley and stand beside him, breathing in that sweet vanilla scent. Whitman will be here anytime soon and I do not intend on spending detention here again. Although it was kinda fun.

'I've got an idea.' Luka says. He explains it to me. Whitman won't love it but it makes sense. Plus its naughty. So we pack the books that way for the rest of our detention.

'So...what brought you here? To St. John's?'

He shrugs. 'My family. Had to take care of something.' He looks troubled and I don't want to push him any further.

'Okay.'

'What about you senator Washington? How's your life like?'

I try to laugh but it comes out wrong. 'My life? Well...mostly rules. And control. I don't think I have my own life.' I look away. 'Not that I'm complaining or anything. Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful. It's just...It's like...'

'It's like the  scripts were written for you long before you could decide.' Luka finishes quietly for me...

I look up at him. 'Yeah...yeah.'

There's an awkward silence between us and we just stay quiet as we finish up the last of the books.

'What's this?' We look up to find an utterly bewildered Mr Whitman.

'Uh-' Luka tries to explain but Mr Whitman cuts him.

'This is a fountain of knowledge. A tree of wisdom. Not a club.' Duh. Cause there're no books packed in the shape of a pyramid in clubs. There no books at all, I think. 'I said pack the books not...not..'

'Technically they are packed.' I say and he shoots me a deadly look so I shut up.

'Leave! Both of you! I'll think of better detention for you tomorrow.' He stomps off angrily.

Luka and I look at each other in silence and then burst out laughing. We stand up, pick up our bags and stuff and then look at the beautifully shaped pyramid of books we neatly constructed. Sure it was gonna be kinda hard for people to get the books at the bottom but still...

'What d'you think?' Luka asks as his face beams with pride.

'The Egyptians got nothing on us.' I reply.