Ashley's No.1 Hater

~~Daniil's POV~~

Ashley would never cheat. Not with the kind of dedication I'd seen burning in her eyes earlier. So if something implicating was found around her, it had to be someone else – a set-up?

Instinctively, I searched the room for Yoshida – Ashley's No. 1 hater. And I was right. She seemed to be relishing the moment more than anyone else with the wily smile on her lips. I didn't need to she pulled it off to conclude she was the one who wanted Ashley screwed over.

Why would I even care? Not like Ashley's punishment would hurt any strand of hair on my head.

But I warned her. I warned Yoshida to keep off. Crystal clear she was still taking my words lightly. She'd pay for that. But for now…

"I'm afraid that won't be possible." Goddamnit! I could've just shut my damn mouth and shoved my concern up my ass.

Well, the deed was done, and the drama ended with Ashley getting a chance to exonerate herself. She left the class with Archer trailing closely behind as the duo picked up the shreds of her script.

~~~

"Are you sure no one saw you?" Sakura asked Laura.

"I made sure of it," she replied with an affirmative nod.

"Alright, you can go." Yoshida excused.

A perfect plan! Well hatched to save herself from pointing fingers just went down the drain.

"Aaaahh!!!" She vented in a shrill, aggressively ruffling her hair as she paced the bathroom. All of a sudden she paused, swallowing what was left and clenching her fists tightly when a student walked out of the stall directly in front of her, gawking awkwardly. Looking away, she paced forward and then slammed through the next door, into another stall.

She eased herself and made to come back out a few minutes later, opening the door only to find …

"Daniil?" she called, leerily stepping out. "What are you doing here?" At this point, she didn't know whether to blush or to be wary. He has a mask over his face, telling what emotions he could be conveying was quite difficult. She scanned the area as the dead silence around them was quite disturbing and saw that the bathroom had become quite deserted. That was when the unwelcoming vibe he exhumed finally reached her.

"Is there …"

She was cut off when he unmasked himself, baring his bruised face and effectively leaving her jaw slightly dropped.

"Did Hana convey my message?" he posed grimly.

Her mind immediately wandered off to their conversation from the other day, and her heart dropped. However, she clenched her jaw to make her expression appear staunch in order not to give off any hint of fear, even though her heart was already clamoring to leave its place.

"Yes, why?"

He stalked toward her, inciting receding steps until her back met with the door standing behind her. Close enough, he raised his finger to trail her cheek. Her heart thumped harder, but the feel of his skin against hers nipped it into goosebumps; lust and fear began a fierce war in her brain.

"You did, huh?" he drawled, cupping her cheek and pulling her face closer. His hot breath wafting through her nose pushed her to press her back harder against the door until they fused, a straight line forming between them. At this point, her senses were coated with longing for him.

"I thought I made myself clear."

'Huh?'

Before she could process her jumbled thoughts, a clenching pain behind her head rid her of any chances. Just then he pulled her head backward before flinging her away, forcing her to stumble back to stability until she fell to the ground.

Burying her head, she exhaled in peak exasperation before swinging her head upward with her forearms still against the floor, ready to lash out when he placed one foot on her stomach.

"Ouuu …" she yelped, getting back down.

"I hate it when I talk and people don't listen," he said in a commanding tone. But the pain he was subjecting her to was insane, and so his tone was the least she could pay attention to.

She managed to open her eyes, still trying to wiggle out of his hold.

"If you scream," he cut her off when her lips formed an 'O,' ready to scream. "You won't leave here in one piece. I assure you," he threatened, plunging his foot deeper until her face began turning red.

"I … am … so … rry," she groaned.

"Oh, are you?" He stooped to her level, going down on one knee. "Wanna hear my thoughts?" he asked maniacally, and then went on to answer, "My gut tells me you just lied." Her relief from the pain in her stomach was however short-lived when her neck suddenly felt stifled. He was strangling her now.

"The next time …" he strengthened his grip, firmly planting his hand around her neck, "you do this, I will not be this friendly."

"Friendly"?!!

It felt like she was slowly losing her life with the way he was wringing out the air in her lungs. And what? He was still being "friendly"? What then would happen if he decided to be mean?

She flapped her legs rigorously, gripping his hand tightly but that couldn't budge his hand by even an inch. His eyes appeared dead. Like nothing said would make him change his mind. Dawned on her that only when he let go willfully would she be able to breathe again. But heck! It wasn't as if she'd lie low and wait for her death without trying.

"I … I…," she managed to squeeze out that word in an attempt to still plead for her life, but that was it. His grip went steel the more she tried, shoving back her words down her throat.

*Cough couch*

Finally, she gasped, drawing in a deep breath when he eventually let go. But all that followed after that was an intense cough.

"Remember." She heard, his sinister voice muffled by her violent coughs. "I won't be as friendly next time."