Smash Into You

Joanna's POV

I WAS STILL MUTTERING profanities under my breath and worrying about my plans already failing that I stopped abruptly after I heard a loud voice or should I say a scream.

"Alex," a deep voice cried.

"Oh no," I groaned as I recognized the voice anywhere.

"Alex!" It sounded louder this time.

"Shit," I grumbled and sent a silent prayer to God. "Please don't be him. Please don't be him."

I kept chanting while I slowly turned around, praying I was wrong, but no, I was right.

As I turned around, I spotted him running down the hall at top speed.

"Please don't notice me. Please don't notice me," I prayed.

Idiot. If he hasn't noticed you why would he be screaming your name? My subconscious taunted.

I loved my one and only real friend, Harmony. The one that warned me about the teachers at school.

Even though I was praying he wasn't the one yelling my name, I foolishly wanted him here with me just a few moments ago.

I loved Harmony, but he hugged like the Incredible Hulk. Literally.

He had huge muscles, a broad chest, and a pair of athletic legs. Of course, my best friend was hot as hell with his well-trimmed dark hair, chocolate skin, and brown eyes. I should also include a sharp jaw and great smile.

I would have to hold you up here though as your brain was already going haywire with theories. No, Harmony and I aren't in love.

There was no romance between us in this story.

We actually dated once, but it didn't work out.

He had his eye on someone else while we dated. But before you jumped on the hate wagon, he didn't break my heart or anything because I honestly didn't love him more than a friend. We broke up and remained friends even when things didn't work out that someone else.

"Ooomph." My breath hitched as he slammed into me at full force.

"Here goes my ribs. Goodbye ribs. Thank you for your good work. You served me well, and I will never forget you," I mumbled to myself as Harmony engulfed me in a bone-crushing hug while I prayed my ribs survived.

"I missed you," he cried out happily, kissing my cheeks.

"Harmony," I wheezed, struggling to get words out. "Can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry, Alex." He chuckled when he noticed my discomfort. "I missed you but that doesn't mean I should kill you." He smiled after he released me.

I honestly didn't know why he called me Alex, which was my surname. I corrected him several times but to no avail. I held out hope that one day he would call me Joanna and stop confusing people around us.

"Thank God my ribs survived." I sighed when my breathing had gotten back to its normal pace. "I missed you too, hun. So you opted to come back?"

Harmony mentioned he wanted to stay in Enugu to complete his senior secondary education.

"Yeah," he replied. "I wanted to be close to home. Plus, after you told me you were attending my school I decided why not? I also know how awkward you are, so – "

"Shut up," I cut him off and pulled him into a hug of mine with a wide smile. "Thank you so much, hun. I love you."

"Love you too. And before you get emotional, which I know you already are, let's go to class. I saved you a seat." Harmony winked, grabbing my hand, and dragged me to class.

I mouthed a thank you" to him since I didn't want to cause any more commotion than we already had, by barging into class without greeting and an introduction from me, especially when the class had already started.

I sat down and produced an exercise book from my bag and placed it on my desk. I then zipped the said bag and kept it beside my right foot.

Harmony mentioned before there were no lockers at school because the incessant sound of metal doors slamming disrupted classes. So, books were brought according to a timetable and bags had to be kept with you at all times if you didn't want your stuff stolen. Yes, some students can be wicked, or so I heard.

"Thanks again, hun," I whispered again in his direction, my voice filled with emotion after he glared at the nosy students who stared at me.

Why don't I love this guy, I wondered to myself, seeing he was cute, hot, and caring.

Maybe it's meant to be, my subconscious replied. I simply shrugged and "concentrated on the economics class.

I was not an arts/business student, but in my school, it was required to offer one art/business subject if you are a science student and one science subject if you are an arts/business student. So that was why I sat here learning freaking economics that I hated badly.

********

The bell rang about an hour later, and I headed out of the class with Harmony. We walked down the school's hallway when the place suddenly grew quiet.

I searched around for the distraction and gasped as I saw them. Three guys dripping in hotness.

The one in the middle was the tallest who I guessed was Tony, from Harmony's earlier description. He was chocolate skinned with black hair ruffled in a rugged style, a sharp jaw paired with dark blue eyes that could be mistaken for black if not observed well.

His beautiful face, kissable neck, lips were sat on broad shoulders with muscled arms, which weren't too buff like the ones on bouncers and bodyguards, but thick enough to make you wanna touch and try to squeeze it.

The one on the right was also tall with dark hair and brown skin, add that with light brown eyes that matched his complexion, a serious expression and some muscles, though not as thick as Tony's but was enough to make girls swoon.

Lastly the one on the left. He was not so tall as the others as he was the shortest among them and just a head taller than me. Dark hair tinted to a blonde color at the tip framed deep brown eyes sprinkled with golden flecks, light pink lips that were always stretched in a smile, a pointed nose, and high cheekbones.

He had darker skin than the rest, a nice pair of shoulders, and simple muscles. I could tell he was the goofy one in their midst. If there was one thing they all had in common, it was their sharp jaws and their ability to make girls swoon wherever they went.

They trudged down the hallway with their buttons half opened, giving a view of their wide expanse of chest and a tight six-pack. Their shirts weren't tucked into their trousers, breaking the "no flying of shirt" rule.

"It was no longer a wonder why they were described as the headaches of the school" because they all looked like bad boys to me. Tony, Blake, and Ifeanyi.

When they got closer, my nose tickled by the strong smell of their cologne. A guess what? I sneezed. I fucking sneezed hard and loud in the already quiet hallway.

All eyes turned to me and mostly the black and angry eyes of Tony.

"Oh ground please could you open up and swallow me right now," I muttered, silently dying from fear and embarrassment.

"Oh shit, you are in trouble." I heard Harmony whisper in my ear before he stepped back.

Thump. Thump.

"Did you hear that? I was pretty sure it was the sound of my heart trying to beat its way out of my chest.

Thump. Thump.

I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I swore Tony advance toward me in slow mode. Yeah, you read that right right. Slow motion. Like a lion quietly walking toward its prey because it was sure they couldn't escape. Guess what? I was that prey with no possible means of escape.

"Well, well, well," he smirked, "who's this cutie here?"

"Oh shit." I swallowed and felt my heart beat faster in fear.

He kept coming closer, while I tried to move back, at the same time. I slapped a palm on my chest, hoping it would stop the drumming of my heart.

"Shit, shit, shit," I muttered, feeling my back hit the fucking wall.

"What's your name beautiful?" Tony winked, placing his arm on the wall behind me, as he lowered his head toward mine. I could see every line on his face and bask in his intoxicating scent.

Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, it so damn did as my nose started to tickle again at the whiff of his cologne. Unable to turn my head fast enough, I sneezed directly into his face. His damn face! And my sneeze wasn't little or dainty or remotely cute. It was a full fledged sneeze with spittle and everything.

"Shit," I groaned. "Kill me now. Heavens please take me now. I've embarrassed myself enough to die. So please do the honor and save me from this humiliation."

"What the fuck!" he yelled as he stared at me in shock.

"Am sorry, am so so sorry," I begged, willing myself to not faint from embarrassment.

"Sorry, can't fix this." He growled and wiped his face with his hands, glaring at me.

"I'm so sorry once more, please I am. I think I'm kind of allergic to your perfume or cologne, whatever am sorry."

"How is that my business? You fucking sneezed in my damn face," Tony grumbled menacingly.

"When his muscled body pressed mine against the wall, something in me snapped as if I'd had enough of his bullshit.

"Jeez dude!" I snapped with a challenging look. "I've said sorry like a thousand times already. Are you deaf?"

The crowd, including my best friend, Harmony, watched us and mumbled in horror at my defiant response.

"Oh no!" someone squeaked out with surprise.

"Did she just ... "

"DId she just call him deaf?"

"Oh, she's so dead."

"Rest in peace, new girl."

The crowd's mutterings did absolutely nothing for my confidence.

"What did you say?" Tony asked loudly, snapping me from my silly thoughts.

Focus, Joanna, focus, I silently willed myself.

"Dude, chill. I said I was sorry, okay? Stop yelling," I groaned, fed up with all the drama.

How did I manage to stir up enough drama to last me a lifetime on my first day of school?

"Who are you to tell me what to do!" Tony roared, baring his teeth.

Oh yeah, he literally roared.

"I ain't telling you what to do. I'm just saying sorry, okay. Chill a bit." I forced a smile despite my fear.

That's when I noticed him shaking. His nose flared. His muscled tightened as if he was ready to attack. But, luckily for me, the bell rang for the next period.

"Thank God," I sighed in gratitude, letting out the breath I didn't know I was holding. "Oh thank you heavens."

"This isn't over," he warned with a smirk, pushing himself away from the wall before storming off with his friends behind him.

As soon as the crowd wandered off to class, I turned to Harmony and glared at him.

"You," I bellowed, grabbing his ear, and trudged down the hall.

I then turned to Harmony in anger after they had left. "You," I voiced out and pulled him by the ear while I trudged down the hall, pissed.

"What the hell did I do?" he whined as his big body bent comically lower since I was leading him by the ear. "Ouch. Ouch that hurts. Shit. Just tell me what I did already."

"You could have at least stopped me from sneezing," I whisper yelled furiously.

"How the heck was I supposed to know you were allergic to his cologne?" he scoffed incredulously. "It wasn't my fault you couldn't hold it in till he passed."

"Alright," I relented, releasing his ear. "Only because I think you are right."

"You think? Bitch, I am 100% right," Harmony said with a wink.

"Yeah yeah, nada nada. You're buying me lunch," I told him, flashing him my "sweetest smile.

"How? When? What! Oh! Dang it. Okay." He groaned, giving into my saddest puppy dog look.

"Well, thank you." I grinned and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek.

Don't judge me. I loved my food.

"Great, now that's settled, let's get back to class." He smiled.

"Nerd," I muttered under my breath.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing," I laughed, knowing he heard me.

"What's our next class?"

"Chemistry."

Harmony and I were both offered sciences so we basically had the same classes except for one. He had Agriculture, and I had Animal Husbandry.

"Ugh, I hate Chemistry," I grunted.

"You hate every subject except Animal Husbandry and English." He rolled his eyes.

"That, my friend, is so true." I intertwined my arm with his as we walked to class.

As soon as we stepped inside the room, Harmony veered off to grab a lone seat, leaving me to search for the next empty one.

"Thank God," I breathed out with a sigh of relief as I spotted a vacant seat.

But I spoke too soon because the person seated besides the available one was none other than Mr. Bad Boy himself. Tony.

"Shit," I muttered, slowly dragging my legs to said seat beside the devil.

"Well hello there, sneezer," he whispered annoyingly.

Just ignore him, I willed myself as I settled into my seat. Ignore him.

"Pssst. Pssst."

Ignore him. He's just the devil reincarnate, I chanted to myself. Don't let him get to you.

Just as I took a deep breath to keep myself calm, a harsh sting pricked my skin.

"What?" I hissed and whirled to see him smirking and tightly gripping a sharp pencil.

"Ooh, so you heard me. I was starting to think you were deaf."

I chuckled. "Nah, you're the deaf one. Remember when I called you that in the hallway?"

"Nope," he responded with a shake of his head. "I couldn't forget the girl who sneezed in my face so easily like that."

"Hmmmmm." I grinned. "Well, come to think of it, I don't regret it at all."

"Joanna! Tony! Is there something you would like to share with the class?" the chemistry teacher called out, giving us pointed looks.

"Nope!" We both replied at the same time, which sounded weird.

Tony and I glanced at each other with freaked out expressions before we burst out laughing.

What a turn of events, I thought as a weird feeling churned inside me.