Chapter Three

Athena heads into college the next day, her head down, a satchel bag hanging from her shoulder, trying to be ignored but she can't get away from the constant questions or comments from the people she passes. Such as, "Is your mum okay?", "Are you okay, Athena?" or the worst one of all, "Oh. Little Athena Johnstone doesn't have a mother. What are we going to do about that now boys?"

But of course, Athena isn't having any of it so raising her head but comes face to face with the school's rich kid and his group of friends. Alexander Star, James Finley, William Anderson and Jacob Lewis. At this, Athena tenses up slightly before going to walk away but Alexander didn't want that to happen so instead, he grabs her bag and rips it from her shoulder. Feeling the bag being ripped from her, Athena turns back to the boys to see Alexander holding the bag in his hand. "Hey. Give that back!" she yells to him, reaching for the bag but he just moves it away from her. "Alexander. This isn't funny." she complains. "Well, for you it might now be funny… but for us…" he trails off, making Athena groan as she knows what he's going on about. "Yes, well. It isn't for me… so just give me back my bag." she tells him, holding her hand out towards him.

"Fine. I'll give you your bag back. If you give me a kiss…" he begins before lifting his finger and pointing at his cheek. "… right here."

Rolling her eyes, she throws her hands up in frustration. "You're always doing this, Alexander. Just because you've fooled around with every other willing girl in this college, doesn't mean that I will." she tells him.

"Fine then. Come on boys, let's go." Alexander says to his friends, making Athena groan and Alexander turns back around at this. "Fine. I'll give you a kiss…" she begins before walking towards him and putting her face close to his. "… but if you do this again… I'll tell your friends that you sit under the tree at the hospital every weekend." she tells him, making Alexander slightly shocked. A second later, she places a kiss on his cheek before grabbing her satchel from his hands and smiling at the boys. "Hopefully this won't happen again so I hope that I don't have to see you again. See ya boys."

Athena turns from the boys and walks into the building that she originally was going into so that she could get to her class. However, as soon as the lesson starts, she couldn't focus on anything else but what had just happened and to say she wasn't happy about it is an understatement. She was miserable about it all.

Every time she tried to participate in the lesson or make notes, her thoughts immediately drifted to Alexander and how annoying he was. Athena was fed up with him. He has spent the past two years trying to get her attention but everything he does just gets passes off. Finally, the lesson ends, and she is able to breathe. She is relieved that the only thing left for the day is an exam for Drama and Theatre. But luckily, that's about an hour away so to pass the time, she heads into the library to look over her 500 words of notes for her exam. She knows that she doesn't need to do it but she does. But after about half an hour of looking over it, she sighs and gets her laptop out of her bag along with her headphones. So as soon as chrome opens up, she plugs in her headphones and opens YouTube to listen to some music before opening up Microsoft Word and opening the most recent document on it, which is a document of all the books that she has read and made quick notes on about what has happened when she started and finished it and what she thinks of it.

However, it holds notes on actual books that she wants to write but is too scared to because she doesn't know how good of a writer she is, and she doesn't want to find out. But every time she opens the document, she sits there, with one of the multiple book ideas, sat on her screen for over half an hour before shutting it down and turning off the computer. But today, Athena stares at the screen, for a few minutes before opening a new document on word and beginning to write.

After a while of writing, she remembers that she has to do something else on her laptop, as it was the main reason that she actually went onto it but forgot about it, so she opens up google chrome and then her email before emailing her college Professor, Emma Daniels, for Drama because she has a drama assessment later in the week and knowing her teacher, she will be a little more lenient and compassionate towards her.

Dear Emma,

I would just like to ask you if I would be allowed to do my Drama assessment further in the day, as I have just moved into my aunt and uncles house as they have, along with me, thought that it would be a good idea as my mum is stuck at the hospital for the time being as she's in a coma because of her cancer. This has caused me to lose track of where I have put my drama costume and props for the piece so I need some time to track it down.

If you could think about whether or not I could do it a bit later on in the day, that would be greatly appreciated.

From

Athena Johnstone

Sending the email makes her sigh in relief because, with everything that is happening to her, the last thing that she has been concerned about is her drama assessment. However, another thing that is worrying her, is her university admissions. She doesn't know how or if she will get into any of the universities that she has applied for. I mean, she has applied to go to Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, Manchester Metropolitan University School of Theatre in Manchester, Bristol School of Acting, MetFilm School, Staffordshire University, University of Gloucestershire and a few other universities but she can't remember the names of them.

So shutting down her computer and taking out her headphones, she puts the laptop back into her bag before heading out of the library and over to the exam hall to sit her Drama exam.

Hours later, she on her bed with a book on her lap. Well, more specifically, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. It's about a girl called Alina Starkov who is put into the Shadow Fold with her regiment and they're attacked, she reveals a dormant power that saves her life – a power that could be the key to setting her country free. She's whisked away to the little palace to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. Yet she will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha and the secrets of her heart.

She has been reading this book for about a day now and she's nearly finished it as she's on page 301 out of 358 and to say the least, she's impressed. She loves the book and doesn't want to put it down. However, at the sound of her aunt yelling her down for dinner. It's turkey fajitas. So, walking downstairs, Athena heads into the dining room and sits down with her aunt on her left and her uncle to her right as the table is in the shape of the circle as it's usually just them two eating at that table every night. "So… Athena… how was college today?" Diana asks her as the three of them begin to serve themselves their food.

"It was good…" Athena says, trailing off because she doesn't want them to know what happened with Alexander at school. "Athena… are you sure that there isn't anything else that you would want to tell us?" Steve asks his niece only to get a grumble in response. "I'm sorry… what was that?"

"Alexander Star took my bag and made me kiss him to get it back." she tells them more clearly. "And what did you do to annoy him this time?" Steve asks.

"Nothing. I was just walking past him to get to class and he just ripped my bag from me." she explains, leaving out the part where he called her names because she didn't need them to know that and get even more concerned for her wellbeing. "Woah. No need to get all shouty at me, missy. I was just asking what happened." Steve says, defending himself.

"Now, to the important part. Did you kiss him?" Diana asks her, making Athena look at her shocked. "What? Oh, god no. I kissed him on the cheek and believe me when I tell you that I won't be doing that again because I never want to talk to him again." she tells them.

"Wh… Why don't you want to talk to him?" Diana asks in confusion.

"Well, I hate his guts and I think – I think that he hates mine as well." she tells them simply before taking a bite of her food. "Oh, honey. Have you ever heard of the fact that if a boy likes a girl, they will tease them and annoy them so much?" Diana asks Athena, causing her to stop eating and look at her aunt in shock.

"I'm sorry, what? Are you telling me that he's in love with me or something because that… is not possible. He hates me and I hate him. That's final. Now…" she says before standing up and grabbing her plate. "I'm going to finish this up in my bedroom whilst reading about what's happening in the Little Palace with Alina Starkov."

Picking up her plate, she walks out of the dining room and back up the stairs to her bedroom to cuddle up at the head of the bed with her book. However, whilst reading the book, her mind wanders and she can't help thinking about everything that her aunt has said to her. He's in love with you. rings throughout her head over and over again. She shuts the book and heads over to her desk to grab a sheet of paper from the drawer and a pen before beginning to write all of her thoughts and feeling down onto it.

Alexander Star is in love with me is put as the title at the top of the page before she begins writing some more.

So, apparently, according to my Aunt Diana, Alexander Star is in love with me but I find that ridiculously absurd. I mean, he has been annoying me since around December in the first year of college, and I know that it would be a little more plausible that he would be in love with me, but I mean, come on. He's Alexander Star. His family is one of the richest people in England, apart from the royal family, and Alexander could have anyone that he wants, but why would he choose me to be his girlfriend? And I know that there must be a plausible reason for him to like me because I'm just little Athena Johnstone who doesn't have a mother as she's stuck in the hospital, in a coma from her heart cancer, and her father is dead so why would he want me?

Besides, even if he does like me, there's no way that I could like him back, He has been mean to me for over a year and a half now and that won't ever change, even if he decides to change his attitude towards me.

And with this, she begins to work on this paper for over half an hour, writing down anything that comes to her mind and before she knows it, she falls asleep at her desk.