It's Just A Joke

It's Just A Joke: 8

Shock. That was why I hadn't pulled away. That was why I hadn't punched him and screamed. That was why I didn't object when he helped me to my feet once he was done kissing me.

He gave me a charming smirk and I stared at him blankly. I didn't want this sort of attention and especially not from him. Sure he was hot, but I didn't know anything about him. Plus,  I would meet my spouse when I turned eighteen and I didn't want to have any feelings for anyone that would complicate the matter. My brother would meet his at age twenty-one and that was only two years away.

I watched as Johnny leaned in to kiss me again. This time I was ready and dodged his lips. "Don't you dare touch me again. I don't care if you hate me or if Jennifer hates me. You know what? If Amy hates me, then so be it! I'm only here for a year and then I'm gone. I don't need this drama to follow me! Leave me alone!"

Obviously surprised by my reaction, he stood still for a moment. Using this moment to my advantage, I ran out of the library and down the hallway, trying to get as far away from him as I could. I ran blindly, not knowing the hallways or where they leaded to. Just knowing I was getting farther away from Johnny made me keep running.

In hindsight, I probably should have at least been paying attention to what was in front of me instead of staring at the floor as I ran, but hey, the past is the past.

And I have to say, I was not expecting to get clotheslined by a big burly security guard.

I leaned on my back with the wind knocked out of me and vision was fuzzy. Groaning, I propped myself up on my elbows and glared at the security guard who had knocked me down. He didn't look the least bit concerned and proceeded to punch the numbers on his phone. After a moment, he held the phone up to his ear and said something I couldn't quite catch. Once he was done, he put the phone in his pocket and pulled me to my feet in one swift movement. I glared at him slightly, but his facial expression never changed.

"What's your name?" I asked after a moment.

He looked at me for a moment before responding. "Hagan."

Nodding, I began to chew on the inside of my check. We were obviously waiting for someone, but I didn't know who, and I didn't really want to know either. Hagan still had a vise like grip on my arm and his hands were rough. I winced when he tightened his grip and forced me to walk forward.

"You're hurting me, Hagan," I whined.

He didn't loosen his grip. Instead, he tightened it once again and pulled me along the hallway.

I knew I was screwed when I saw Mr. Gingers walking towards us, but I didn't know how screwed I was until Mr. Gingers grabbed my arm and started dragging me down the hall again. His grip was even tighter than Hagan's and I knew I would have a bruise there.

After a few minutes of brisk walking and struggling to keep up with Mr. Gingers, he opened the door to a dark room and shoved me through it.

"Hey!" I spun around and glared at him. "What was that all about?"

"Sit down," he ordered.

Groaning, I collapsed into a chair and stared at my hands.

"You will sit still while I go collect the other kid who decided to mess up," he said as he left the room.

I rested my head on the desk and bit my lip to stop myself from crying. I was pissed at Johnny in the first place, now my arm was in pain from the grips of Hagan and Mr. Gingers. Pounding my fist on the desk, I started to sob. 

Minutes later, the door opened and I sat up as fast as I could. Wiping my eyes and calming myself, I turned to see who had just walked in with Mr. Gingers. It was Johnny.

Just my luck.

He gave me a charming smile and sat down beside me.

"So, looks like you really are a delinquent. I had my doubts, but detention on your first real day? I'm impressed."

"It's your fault, you jerk!" I hissed at him and because it felt right, I slapped him.

His charming smile turned serious. "You really do hate me. Well, that means I don't have to play nice. Expect more of those," he said angrily and smacked my arm that  already hurt.

"Shut up," I told him. "I really don't care what you do or don't do, just leave me out of it. And yeah, I do hate you."

Standing up, I went to move to a different desk and away from Johnny. Before I could, Johnny shoved me to the floor. I didn't say anything and just glared. It was so on. I glanced at Mr. Gingers to see if he had noticed. He hadn't and was reading a newspaper.

He sure was oblivious. 

The rest of detention, Johnny left me alone and I moved to a different desk to cry quietly. Mr. Gingers didn't say a word the entire time until the bell when he waved us off. I stood up and was out the door before Johnny had taken a single step towards the door. 

Once in the dorm room, I collapsed onto my bed and groaned loudly. I pulled the pillow over my head and screamed as loud as I could into the cloth. As I finished screaming and started to relax, I heard the door creak open. I didn't bother to move the pillow because I knew it was Amy.

"Quintana? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I mumbled and removed the pillow from my face so I could look at her. She smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry about earlier. I overreacted."

"It's not your fault. Stupid Johnny freaking kissed me. I hate him."

She took a step back in surprise. "He kissed you? And you hate him?! Girl, there's something wrong with you!"

I shrugged and stared at the ceiling. "It doesn't matter who I like, I'm going to marry the man my father tells me to marry. I'll probably be meeting him for the first time when I turn eighteen.  No point in getting close to anyone I might fall for. That's why I've never dated. I don't want to fall for someone that will be ripped away from me."

Amy was silent for a moment. "I didn't know... That's not fair! Marriage is about love! Not who your father says you should marry!"

"I don't really care. I'll learn to love my spouse."

"I don't approve of that though."

"Neither do I, but I need to. It'll probably be a political marriage. It's no big deal."

"I'm going to get you out of it. I promise."

"Don't," I groaned.

"Quiet," she scolded me.

"Well, don't feel bad if you can't. I've been waiting for it since I was little."