Between the Lines | ✓

Cliche 3: True Love Is Found in Detention

I had never been in detention before, but in all honesty, it wasn't too bad. The girls of the Melon Trio (the name my sister had once given the recurring trio of bimbos with hair in varying shades of yellow, in reference to their... assets) that had pestered me during class couldn't blatantly get out of their chairs to harass me during detention, and we were given time to complete homework, which was no different from what I would have done when I got home anyway.

While I didn't mind the silence after a day of running away from throngs of girls that behaved more like rabid beasts than human beings (courtesy of the piss-poor characterisation of the author of 'Say No to Bad Boys'), the supervising teacher was clearly rethinking their career choice. He had spent the first twenty minutes glaring at me for no apparent reason than for me being... well, Xander Hart. However, once he begrudgingly realised I wasn't causing any trouble this time around, he ended up playing solitaire on his phone before promptly falling into a light doze.

The classroom was silent apart from the occasional gurgling snores of the teacher, the tick of the wall clock, the scratch of pens and the shuffling of paper. Every now and then, the silence was punctuated by a shout outside, the coach of the soccer team barking out orders after the shrill cry of a whistle. 

It was strangely peaceful, then. For a moment in the silence, I was able to just clear my mind of everything; of dying, of running away from girls wanting to have a taste of the magical sword of destiny tucked away in my pants, of my unwanted reputation as a crude sex fiend and troublemaker. For a moment I could forget that I was Xander and just be Alex. Boring, plain, normal Alex.

And yet, it seemed like this world's mission was to ensure that I could not find peace. Considering this was technically my version of the afterlife, my sister would probably be cursing whatever deity was responsible for this if she found out that I didn't go to heaven, but some sort of twisted tween novel purgatory that was more akin to hell than a haven of fluffy clouds and beautiful angels in togas.

Despite my best efforts, even though I could forget things for a moment, the presence of the protagonist sitting next to me was a constant reminder that I was not just Alex Smith, but Xander Hart. I could feel Aubrey's gaze glancing at me every now and then, and each time the blue eyes rested on me shiver with discomfort.

The quiet, hushed giggling behind me made the hairs on the back of my neck bristle, a sense of foreboding creeping its way up my legs. It was never a good sign when nameless side characters like the Melon Trio began to giggle, because that meant they were plotting something involving the protagonist, and if the tween story algorithm rang true like it always did, that something was never a good thing.

I suddenly remembered how this scene played out in 'Say No to Bad Boys', cringing internally and fighting back the urge to projectile vomit all over my textbooks. 

Xander Hart leaned back in his chair, chest puffed out and biceps flexing beneath his black T-shirt. Aubrey couldn't help but notice the way his muscles bulged, and was momentarily overcome with the urge to touch them, and wondered how they would feel wrapped around  her smaller frame. The thought made her blush, almost dropping her books as she meekly sat down in the empty spot beside the boy, only because it was the only spot available apart from the ones near the group of popular girls at the back.  

Even though Aubrey was new to the school, her father's job making her move from the sprawling beaches of her hometown to the bustling, cramped city, she already knew about Xander Hart and his reputation. He was a womaniser and got into all sorts of fights, and was famous - or infamous - for being as beautiful as he was coldhearted. He was the sort of person Aubrey wanted to steer clear of, that her parents always said were trouble, but for some reason she couldn't help the pull of gravity tugging her towards the blonde-haired boy.